Teiki and the Sunset Fish

All manner of fishing boats cast off from Muanaroa Island in the early mornings, while it is still dark and the water is calm. As the sun peeks over the horizon, bands of yellow mix with the deep blues of the water, sky and clouds. The elements combine to create a place of tranquility, where there is little sound other than the seagulls, and the wakes of the boats. There is time to think, and all who have been there would not trade it for the world.

Teiki was one of those people. Though just a boy of twelve or so, he was experienced beyond his years in the ways of the surf, and could fish and dive as well as any adult. His tiny red boat with its balancing outrigger on one side was built by his father, and together they planned to build him a bigger one someday.

This boy naturally did as his father had, fishing to provide for the family, and selling the extra catch at the market. It is the way of the islands - to follow in the footsteps of one’s elders, and to preserve the traditions. Besides, the economics of the islands allow for little else.

June marked the island’s annual festival, and the festivities had begun just the day before. It was also a holiday from school, and Teiki hoped for a good catch to sell. He steered his boat through the lagoon and beyond the point, then set his sights for the nearby sunken atoll. Lowering the sail, he drifted over the rim of the atoll. With the net trolling from the rear, he soon caught some brightly colored parrot fish and a small grouper. It was good, but he was hoping for more.

As the sun rose higher the atoll took on its usual azure color, and Teiki could see fish down below. Now bright enough to see underwater, he dived in for his morning swim. The atoll was small but deep in the middle, so Teiki always swam to the rim where he’d search for certain shells that sold well.

That time though, something different caught his eye. It was a yellow fish, with markings of deep colors on each of its sides. Teiki had never seen one like it before. He thought it to weigh about five pounds, and he didn’t know if it was fully grown. Quickly, he swam up to the surface and climbed back on his boat. The water dripped off the boy’s brown skin and bushy black hair, which refused to go flat when wet. With his net back in the water, he paddled the boat around in circles.

“I’m going to catch you!” he exclaimed.

He could see it moving below but it kept avoiding the net. Finally though, he knew he had it. He pulled the net into the boat and marveled at what he had caught. The fish was bright yellow, and the spots on its sides were made of deep pink, purple, red, blue an orange. It reminded Teiki of a sunset, for it looked just like countless ones he had seen.

“You are the most beautiful fish in the world,” he said to it.

He wanted it to live, so he dipped a bucket into the water then put the fish in it.

“Hello, fish,” he said as he gently rubbed the top of its head. He imagined all the attention he would get with his prize at the festival. Filled with excitement, he put up his sail and went back home.

Leaving his boat tied up beside his father’s in the inlet, Teiki ran with the bucket to his house, but his mother and father had already left for the festival. So he walked down the road towards the town with the bucket in one hand and his lunch in the other. Along the way, he met old Mr. Hiro, and showed him the fish.

“Ah, you have caught a Sunset Fish!” he said.

“A Sunset Fish?” asked Teiki.

“Yes. It is a very rare fish. But you must be careful. It can be good luck for the finder, but bad luck to others.”

Teiki thanked him and continued on. He did not know what kind of bad luck there could be. He only knew he had never caught such a special fish before.

As Teiki neared the town, he showed the fish to more people, all of whom agreed it was beautiful. Other children wanted to touch it, but he thought of what Mr. Hiro had said and was afraid to let them. By the time he reached the festival, he was delighted to see a large crowd following him.

“Look at what Teiki caught!” the children exclaimed. The boy beamed with pride at all the attention, and felt like he was leading a parade.

At the festival, Teiki’s father looked at the fish and said that he too, had heard the legends about it.

“We could sell it for a high price,” he told his son.

There were many people from Tahiti at the festival, and also seen rich-looking Frenchmen and Americans who had connections around the world. Surely there were aquariums in big cities that would pay greatly to have such a unique fish.

Teiki suddenly felt sad, for he had not realized he would have to sell it. His only thoughts had been to show the fish to his friends, and then letting it go. He did not want to go against the wishes of his father, but he loved the Sunset Fish and did not care how much money it was worth. As soon as he saw a chance he would run and take it back to the sea.

Just then a man in a flat topped, black hat emerged from the crowd and crouched down to get a closer look at the fish. He was an islander, but Teiki had never seen him before. Before anything could be said, the man reached in the bucket to touch it, but immediately yelled and pulled his hand out. The fish had given him an electrical shock!

The man stood up and rubbed his hand, while looking angrily at everyone. Then he gave Teiki’s father an offer for the fish. It was a lot for one fish but Teiki’s father said it was not enough for a Sunset Fish. The man looked more upset than ever and walked away muttering to himself.

Suddenly, the man stopped and began to scratch himself all over, as if he had a terrible itch. Seagulls then appeared from every direction. The birds swooped down so close to him that his hat was knocked off his head, and all the children began to laugh. He picked up his hat with one hand and scratched with the other. Then he ran while trying to scratch himself and shoo away the birds at the same time, while a large group of children followed him, laughing.

After that, father and son showed the fish throughout the festival, and entertained even better offers, until they finally received one that was extraordinary. It was more money than they could ever make from fishing, yet Teiki’s father told the man he would have to consider it. In the meantime they would take the fish home for safe keeping overnight.

His parents still had things to sell at the festival, so with his close friend Keoni accompanying him, Teiki carried the bucket home. Attached to the back of their house was a lean-to roof that covered a large saltwater fish tank made of concrete and painted blue. Teiki put the fish in it. The fish explored the tank for a minute, then hovered just below the surface and looked up at the boys.

“Maybe he’s hungry,” Keoni said. Teiki opened a jar of dried brine shrimp and sprinkled some of it on the water.

“Yes, he is,” Teiki said, as the fish ate the food. Then he rubbed the top of its head, and in turn the fish pressed its mouth against the boy’s finger. The motion was more like a touch than a nibble, and Teiki smiled as it began to touch every part of his hand.

“It’s like he’s kissing you!” Keoni exclaimed.

Teiki ran to get some goggles, and when he came back he put his head under the water. The Sunset Fish kissed his face all over, and it tickled. Then it did something so truly remarkable, that the boys could hardly believe their eyes. Its sides started to glow! The deep colors on each side were glowing brightly, and they really did look just like sunsets. Teiki marveled as the colors flashed around the sides of the tank. It was the greatest thing he had ever seen in his life.

As the boys took turns letting the fish kiss them, other children came and wanted to do the same. Teiki was afraid at first that something bad would happen, but then he let one of them put his head in, and before long the Sunset Fish had kissed them all. And when Teiki’s mother came home she came out and joined the fun too. Amazingly, just in time to coincide with the real sunset, the colors radiated brighter than ever and lit up the ceiling of the arbor. Everyone exclaimed that they had never had so much fun.

But as darkness fell the colors stopped. By then, Teiki’s father had come home, and he told the boy to dip the fish in the bucket and bring it inside for the night. Then, as his father talked about the offers, Teiki became afraid for the fish again, and he cried himself to sleep.

The next morning the entire island was talking about the Sunset Fish, and the word was spreading quickly to nearby islands. Everyone was hoping to see it, and soon the narrow road between the festival and Teiki’s house was jammed with traffic. Somewhere in the town, the mayor smiled at the sight of all the extra tourists. Teiki’s father was smiling too, for he was charging people admission to see the fish, and knew that all the publicity would make the Sunset Fish even more valuable.

Some people wanted to touch the fish, but were not allowed. Others told hard luck stories and tried to say that they deserved to have it, but Teiki’s father would not listen to them. Still, most left happy, convinced that having seen it would bring them good luck.

One man tried to take the fish, claiming it was an endangered species and that he had been sent by the government to save it. But Teiki’s father recognized the man and knew he was lying, and so the policeman came and took him away.

In the days that followed, fishing boats from other islands came to try and catch more Sunset Fishes but they had no luck. Teiki did not tell them of the secret atoll, saying only that he had caught the fish “out there somewhere.”

On Sunday morning though, all was quiet, and Teiki’s father made a sign telling the tourists that the fish was not on display. Then as his parents went to church, they let him stay home to guard it. As he sat under the arbor, he didn’t see the two men leaving the road in front of his house and sneaking around from one palm tree to another. It was the man in the black hat, and another man was with him. One of them was carrying an empty ice chest. They were planning to steal the Sunset Fish!

Not suspecting that anything could happen, Teiki went in the back door for a minute, but then he came out and saw the men.

“Don’t take my fish!” he cried.

The man in the black hat had already dipped the ice chest in the water and had scooped up the fish. Teiki tried to grab the chest, but the other man pushed him away. The men laughed at him, and at their luck.

“Look at what we’ve caught!” they said. “And we didn’t even need a boat!”

Teiki tried again to save his fish, but was pushed even harder, and he fell on the dirt crying. The men went around the house with the chest, confident they were going to get away with their deed. But they had not come early enough. The church service was over, and families were returning back to their homes. Teiki was fearful that the men would get away and he called out to his neighbors, who all responded. The two thieves ran towards the stream and as they jumped they dropped the ice chest in it. Teiki ran and tried to see the Sunset Fish, yet caught barely a glimpse of it as it swam to the lagoon. In a few moments, it was gone. Teiki cried at the loss of his fish, but then he realized it was where it should be and he beamed a huge smile. He had happy thoughts of it being back in the atoll, and hoped to see it there again.

Meanwhile, Teiki’s father had caught up with the men, but the man in the black hat took a slingshot and a rock from his pocket. Pointing it at Teiki’s father, he pulled the the rock back…

But the only thing that flew out were bubbles! And when the man tried again, there were even more bubbles. Then he dropped the slingshot and started moving his arms as if they were the wings of a chicken, and the other man did the same. Around in circles they ran, flapping their “wings” and making clucking noises, while the children of the neighborhood pointed and laughed. To the delight of the little ones, the man in the black hat had certainly turned out to be a comedian. Then without reason, coconuts started falling, hitting the men on their heads and knocking them out, yet sparing everyone else. By the time the policeman arrived, the men had regained their senses, but their hair had turned white, and their feet had become far too big for their shoes.

The rest of the day became a community get-together and dinner, and Teiki’s father told him that they would search for the Sunset Fish on Monday afternoon.

He also proclaimed that there was an extraordinary relationship between his son and the fish, and that he would let Teiki decide if it should be caught again. It was exactly what Teiki had hoped to hear, and he gave his father a big, long hug.

The next day after school, Teiki ran all the way home in anticipation, and then went out on the water with his father. It took just a short while to reach the sunken atoll, and it teemed with fish of all kinds. Teiki showed his father where he’d dived and first seen the fish, and together they put on their goggles and jumped in. At first, there was no sign of it. But then Teiki thought he saw something yellow in the distance. A fish was coming closer and closer, and the boy’s heart raced. In an instant, he was with his Sunset Fish again, and he had become the happiest person in the world. The fish kissed his face all over, and then went to his father and did the same. And its sides began to glow, even though the real sunset was hours away.

Teiki’s father then motioned to him. He had always insisted that they follow the rules of safe diving and not take chances, so he motioned to his son to go up for air, and he would stay down until Teiki came back.

By the time his father had gone up and come back, something had happened that amazed him. There were dozens of Sunset Fish, and they were kissing Teiki all over! And every one of them was glowing. The colors were the most brilliant ones imaginable, and as they mixed with the rays of light from above and swirled from the movements of the water, the effect was much like being in a giant kaleidoscope.

Teiki’s father savored every magical moment, for he knew they were seeing something that no one else ever had ever seen. They were the luckiest people on Earth, and he thanked God for it. But the best was yet to come.

The entire school of fish began fanning the sand at Teiki’s feet and they quickly created a cloud in the water. Unable to see what the fish were trying to do, the two went up for air. When they descended, the water had cleared and the Sunset Fishes were hovering over the hole they had created in the sand. Then they moved to the side. Sitting in the hole was a chest about two feet long. There was no lock on it, and with a small amount of effort the lid was opened. The insides were full of gold coins! Teiki picked one up and held it in front of his goggles. It looked very old, yet was as shiny as the day it was made.

Sometime afterwards, after numerous examinations and consultations, and much careful deliberation, Teiki’s family sold the coins. It was learned that they were made by an ancient and previously unknown seafaring civilization. But how the Sunset Fishes had known of it, and even more important, knew what it would mean to Teiki’s family, would forever be a mystery.

Teiki and his family shared their wealth, making improvements for the island and all in the community, while at the same time preserving the natural beauty of the island. Years later, and known to only the inhabitants of the island, the seemingly immortal Sunset Fish still swims in the atoll, and that’s where its friend Teiki will go to visit it every day for the rest of his life.