The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-05
VISIT TO THE
SPIRIT LAND
(From Thrum's Annually

Kalima had been sick for many weeks,
and at last died. Her friends gathered
around her, with loud cries of grief: and
with many expressions of affection and
sorrow at their loss they prepared her
body for the grave.
The grave was dug, and when every
thing was ready for the last sad act. hus-
band and friends came to take a final
look at the rigid form and ashen face
before it was laid away forever in the
ground. The old mother sat on the mat
covered ground beside her child, brushing
away the intrusive flies with a piece
of cocoanut leaf, and wiping away the
tears that slowly rolled down her cheeks
low, hesrtrending wall. and tell in sob
choked broken voice. how good her
daughter had always been to her, how
her husband loved her. and how her
children would never have any one to
take her place. 30 why she cried, did
the gods leave me? am old, | am
heavy with years, my back is bent, and
my eyes are getting dark. | cannot
work, and I am too old and weak to
enjoy fishing in the sea; or dancing and
feasting under the trees. But this, my
child, loved all these things and was so
happy. Why is she taken and L so use
less, left?" And again that mournful
sob-choked wall broke on the still air,
and was borne out to the friends gath
cred under the trees before the door,
and was taken up and repeated till the
hardest heart would have softened and
melted at the sound. As they sat around
on the mats looking at their dead and
listening to the old mother, suddenly Ka-
lima moved, took a long breath and
opened her eyes. They were frightened
at the miracle. but so happy to have her
back again among them.
The old mother raised her hands and
eyes to heaven and, with rapt look
of faith on her brown withered face, eX-
claimed: The gods have let her come
back! How they must love her!" Moth
er, husband and friends gathered around
and rubbed her hands and feet, and did
what they could for her comfort. In a
few minutes she revived enough to say
4 have something very strange to tell
you"
Several days passed before she was
strong enough 10 say more. then calling
her relatives and friends about her, She
told them the following weird and strange
story:
Il died you know; | seemed TO
leave my body and stand beside it, look
ing down on what was me. The me that
was stanalng there looked like the form
/ was looking at, only | was alive and
the other was dead. l gazed at my. body
for a few minutes then turned and
walked away. | left the house and vii
lage, and walked on and on to the next
village. and there | found crowds of peo-
pie, o so many people, The place which
| knew as small village of a few
houses was a very large place, with hun
dreds of houses, and thousands of men,
women and children. Some of them !
knew and they spoke to me-although
that seemed strange, for / knew they
were dead-but nearly all were strangers.
They were all so happy, They seemed
to have not care; nothing to trouble
them. Joy was in every face. and happy
laughter and bright, loving words, on
every tongue
Il left that village and walked on to
the next. | was not tired. for it seem
ed no trouble to walk. 1t was the same
there; thousands of people. and every one
so joyous and happy. Some of these L
knew. | spoke to few people, then
went on again. L seemed to be on my
way to the Volcano-to Pele's Pit-and
could not stop, much as | wanted to
do so.
''All along the road were houses and
people, where | had never known any
one to live. Every bit of good ground
had many houses, and many many hap
by people on it, ! felt so full of joy,
too. that my heart sang within me, and
was glad to be dead.
I'm time / came to South Point, and
there, too, was a great crowd of people
The barren point was a great village.
was greeted with happy alohas, then
passed on. All through Kau it was the
same, and / felt happier every minute.
AT last | reached the Volcano. There
were some people there, but not so many
as at other places. They, too, were hap
Ply like the others, but they said, You
must go back to your body You are
not to die yet
j