The Bravest Opihi

Written by: Juliet S. Kono

Illustrated by: Dennis Fujitake

Once upon a time, Ikaika and Nani decided to swim at a beach shaped like the smile of the moon.

Before they left home, their mother warned, “Don’t go too far out. Don’t go where it is deep and cold, where you can’t see the bottom.”

But once they were there and having fun, the children forgot what their mother said. Not realizing it, they soon wandered far out into the dark, blue ocean.

From underneath the rolling waves, a giant eel called the Great Puhi saw the children kicking and splashing. The children didn’t know they were being watched.

Suddenly, the Great Puhi wrapped himself around Ikaika’s legs and pulled the boy under.

“Help! Please help,” Ikaika screamed. But the Great Puhi was big. He was strong. He dragged Ikaika down, down, down, to the bottom of the ocean. There, he hid Ikaikai in a cave.

Nani, frightened but brave, dived after them. But she could not save her poor brother. The Great Puhi was too big and too strong. She could not fight him. The giant eel swam back and forth in front of the cave where he held Ikaika. He guarded it well.

Nani turned to the sea creatures for help. “Please help me save my brother,” she cried.

A baby shark came swimming toward her. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I’m so happy to see you little mano,” Nani said. “Please help me save my brother from the Great Puhi. You’re a shark. You can scare him easily.”

“Who, me?” asked the shark. “I can’t fight the Great Puhi. I’m only a baby shark. The Great Puhi is too big for me. He’s too strong. Wait until I grow up; then I can help you.”

Nani swam away disappointed. “Help me,” she cried out. “Please help me save my brother.”

A sea turtle, a honu, popped her small head up through the moving waves and looked around.

“Who’s there?” she asked.

“It’s me,” said Nani. “Please help me save my brother from the Great Puhi.”

“You’re asking me?” asked the honu. “I’m too small to help you. The Great Puhi is too big for me. He’s too strong.” With a shake of her head, the honuswam away.

Just then the waves broke and up flew a small school of flying fish. As they swept through the air, Nani quickly asked, “Please help me. Help me save my brother from the Great Puhi.”

The leader of the malolo answered as he sailed by, “I’m sorry, but we cannot. The Great Puhi is too big and too strong.”

Nani swam back towards the beach. Too scared to go back home, she climbed on some lava rocks near shore to think about how she could save her brother. She thought hard and long, but all she could do was cry.

Two limpets, ‘opihi, who lived on the rocks near the pounding waves heard her wailing. “Who’s that crying so loudly? We can’t sleep,” one of them yelled, pounding on his shell. He peeked from the tiny shell house he carried upon his back to see what the noise was about.

The two ‘opihi were so tiny, they looked like small, black pebbles. Nani, sobbing so hard, shook the ‘opihi in their houses. Her cries grew even louder than before.

“Now, now, don’t cry like that. You are breaking our hearts,” said one of the ‘opihi. “Tell us what’s wrong. Maybe we can help you.”

“My brother has been captured by the Great Puhi and no one is brave enough to help me save him.”

“We can help you,” said the other ‘opihi.

“You?” asked Nani. “But how can you help me? You’re so much smaller than the other animals I’ve asked.”

“We may be small, but see how we can hold onto rocks when the large waves come in? Humph! Don’t give up. Let us at least try,” they replied. “We want to help.”

“Oh, I don’t know…you really think you can?” asked Nani.

“We can only try,” the ‘opihi said, nodding.

“Oh, thank you,” said Nani, clapping her hands and wiping her eyes.

The two ‘opihi dropped themselves off their rock home and fell deep, deep into the ocean. Down, down, down they went, past the yellow, green, blue, and red fishes; past the white and pink fans of coral; past the long, dark tongues of seaweed; past the dark rocks and caves open like mouths. In the deep ocean, all the plants and animals were large and strange. Brave as they were, the ‘opihi trembled in their shells.

After a long search, the ‘opihi finally found the Great Puhi and his cave. He was still guarding it. Ikaika, looking small and frightened, sat inside.

When the giant eel was not looking, the ‘opihi attached themselves very quietly to his tail. Then they climbed up his long and slippery body. After a long and tiring journey of climbing up and sliding down, climbing up and sliding down, they reached the Great Puhi’s head.

There, the ‘opihi passed the eel’s wide, terrible mouth which was filled with needle-sharp teeth. They shuddered at the thought of falling in. They were also frightened of his nose that sucked in water. How awful it would be if they were caught in that swirl and seen by the Great Puhi.

Finally, the ‘opihi came to the Great Puhi’s beady little eyes.

The ‘opihi shouted, “Now!” and they each slid over an eye, covering them.

“I can’t see!” cried the Great Puhi. He spun around and around. “Help me!” he cried out. “Help me! I can’t see. I’m blind! I’m blind!” This way and that, up and down, and over and under he went. As the Great Puhi turned over

and over, the ‘opihi hung on tighter and tighter. Tighter and Tighter.

Tighter and Tighter.

“Something has swallowed the sun!” screamed the Great Puhi.

“Hang on, hang on,” the ‘opihi called to each other as they were thrashed around by the giant eel. “Don’t let go.”

Because the Great Puhi could not see, Nani was able to swim past the terrible eel and save her brother. “Mahalo, mahalo,” the children shouted to the ‘opihi as they swam past the Great Puhi. “You are both so brave,” the children shouted.

“Hurry, hurry,” cried the ‘opihi, as they swirled and twirled around and around with the Great Puhi like a pinwheel. Ikaika and Nani swam out of the deep ocean and reached land safely.

After many, many days of waiting, Ikaika and Nai saw the two little ‘opihi climb out of the sea. “Are you all right?” cried the children.

“Oh we are fine,” they said. “Traveling up takes much longer than going down.”

When all of the sea creatures learned of the ‘opihi’s bravery, they began to sing:Yes, anyone can be brave. Look at the ‘opihi!

You don’t have to be big and strong to be brave.You don’t have to be big and strong to be brave.

And the ‘opihi’s story spread through the oceans.