ʻO kahi holoholona laka i kapa ʻia ʻo Squinty i lilo i ʻano makaukau loa. Ua ʻike ʻo ia ua hāpai ka wahine hoʻokipa i ka wā e ulu ai ka ʻōpū. A laila "hāʻawi wale" ʻo ia i ka pēpē nona iho.
"Manaʻo wau ua ʻike koke ʻo ia i ke aha. Aloha nui ʻo Squinty i koʻu ʻōpū. Ua aloha wale wau e noho ma luna ona a e luʻu i loko, Wahi a ia, ua nānā pono ʻo Squinty iā ia a me kāna kāne i hoʻolilo ai i ke keʻena i kahi kula hānai. A pau ka hana hou, neʻe ʻo ia i laila e noho ai.
He pōpoki ʻo Squinty, e like me kā lākou e ʻōlelo nei, no ka hopena paʻakikī. Ua komo ʻo ia i loko o ka ʻohana Ellie 15 mau makahiki i hala aku nei, i ka wā a nā ona ona i lawe ai i ka pipi i ka hale kauka lāʻau no euthanasia. Pono ka pōpoki i kahi hana, a ʻaʻohe kālā o nā mea nona ka manawa o Squinty. ʻAe, a ʻokoʻa kona inoa - Mango. ʻAʻohe kālā a ʻEli no ka hana. Ua hiki iā ia ke uku ma ke kau, a neʻe ka ʻulaʻula me ia.
“ʻO ia ka pōpoki hōʻoluʻolu loa aʻu i ʻike ai. ʻAʻole maopopo iaʻu pehea e hiki ai iaʻu ke hoʻouna iā ia e hiamoe, ”haohao ʻo Ellie.
Ua holo pono ka hana. Akā ua ʻike ʻia kekahi pilikia: ua kuli ke kuli. I nā mea āpau. “Ua manaʻo mākou he palaualelo a hiamoe wale ia, no laila ʻaʻole ʻo ia e holo i ke kāhea. ʻO ka hoʻomaopopo he lohe nui paha ka pōpoki a ʻaʻole paha. No laila, kā mākou, ua huli, ʻaʻole lohe ", - wehewehe ʻo Ellie i kahi kamaʻilio me ka portal .
Eia naʻe, ʻaʻole hoʻopilikia ka kuli i ke ola o ka pōpoki. A loaʻa koke iā ia kahi inoa hou - Squinty, ʻo ia hoʻi "squinting". "He helehelena kona e like me ia, ke nānā aku nei ʻo ia iā ʻoe i nā manawa āpau," minoʻaka ʻo Ellie.
I loko o 15 mau makahiki i noho ai ʻo Squinty me kahi haku wahine hou, ua neʻe ʻo ia me ia i ʻeono mau manawa, ua ʻike ʻo ia iā ia e mare ana, ua nānā maikaʻi ʻo ia i nā holoholona i hōʻike ʻia i loko o ka hale ma hope o kekahi. I ka hāpai ʻana o ke kaikamahine, ua ʻōlelo ʻia e neʻe aku iā Squinty. A ʻo ke koena o nā holoholona kekahi.
"ʻO kuʻu mau hoaaloha a me koʻu ʻohana he poʻe superstitious maoli. ʻ saidlelo lākou i nā koʻikoʻi āpau e hiki i ka pōpoki ke ʻaihue i ka hanu o kahi keiki, wahi a ʻEllie. "Ua hopohopo wale wau e pili ana i ka moe. Ma hope o nā mea āpau, ʻo ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, he pahu nui kēia. A ʻike ka poʻe āpau i ka makemake o nā pōpoki me nā pahu. “
Aloha nui ʻo Squinty i ka moe moe me kona puʻuwai āpau. A i ka hānau ʻana o ke kaikamahine a ʻElla, ʻo Willow, ua aloha pū ʻo ia me ia.
"ʻAʻole hoihoi kā mākou pōpoki ʻelua i ka pēpē. Ua hoʻolauna wau iā lākou iā Willow - Ua ʻae au iā lākou e honi mālie, e nānā. Ma hope o kēlā, ʻaʻole haʻalele ʻo Squinty iā Willow, ”kāhāhā ʻo Ellie.
Hiamoe wale ka pōpoki ma kahi o ka pēpē wale nō: i loko o kāna moena ponoʻī a i ʻole i ka moena o ka makua (kahi i ʻae ʻole ʻo ia iā ia e piʻi i mua). Nānā mau ʻo ia i ka hānai ʻana i ka pō - me he mea lā, e hōʻoiaʻiʻo e holo pono nā mea āpau. A i kekahi manawa hiamoe lākou i nā kūlana like. A laila ulu aʻe ʻo Willow a hoʻomaka i ka manaʻo i ka pōpoki. Ua hopohopo ʻo Māmā e pau paha kēia aloha: hopu paʻa nā keiki i ka huluhulu. Akā hoʻomanawanui ʻo Squinty. ʻO ka mea kiʻekiʻe āna i ʻae ai iā ia iho e kaomi mālie i ka lima o ka pēpē me kāna ʻūlū. Akā e hoʻokuʻu i nā māiʻuʻu - ʻaʻole loa.