“Ngaahi Kaungāmeʻa Tāpelupelu Pepá,” Ko e Kaumeʻá, Mē 2023, 30–31.
Ngaahi Kaungāmeʻa Tāpelupelu Pepá
ʻE tokoni fēfē nai ʻa ʻAli mo hono ongo kaungāmeʻá kia Mīsisi Felengilini?
Naʻe hoko ʻa e talanoa ko ʻení ʻi he ʻIunaiteti Siteiti ʻo ʻAmeliká.
“Taimi mālōlō!” Ko e ui atu ia e faiako ʻa ʻAlí.
Naʻe tuʻu laine e kaungāako ʻo ʻAlí ke ō ki tuʻa ki he malaʻe vaʻingá. Ka naʻe ʻalu maʻu pē ʻa ʻAli mo hono ongo kaungāmeʻá ki he laipelí. Naʻa nau saiʻia ke kole fakataimi ha ʻū tohi (mei he laipelí) mo fakahoko fakataha ha fanga kiʻi ngāue fakameaʻa.
Naʻe ʻosi tatali mai ʻa Kilisitina mo ʻEla ʻi he matapaá. Naʻe toʻo ʻe ʻAli ʻene tohí mo ha fokotuʻunga pepa. Peá ne muʻomuʻa atu leva ʻi he holó.
“ʻOku ou fakaʻamu ko e tohi The Dragon Keeper’s Secret kuo fakafoki mai!” Naʻe pehē ange ʻe ʻAli. “Ko e ʻosi eni ha ngaahi uike ʻeku fiemaʻu e tohi ko iá.”
ʻI heʻenau aʻu ki he laipelí, naʻe taʻataʻalo e tamaiki fefiné kia Mīsisi Felengilini, ko e tauhi laipeli ʻo e akó. Naʻá ne talitali fiefia maʻu pē kinautolu. Ka ʻi he ʻaho ní naʻe ʻikai ke ne fuʻu fiefia.
Naʻe fakafulofula ʻa ʻAli ʻi heʻene hili hifo ʻene tohí ʻi ha funga tēpilé. “Naʻe ngali lotomamahi nai ʻa Mīsisi Felengilini kia moua?”
Naʻe fakamahiki ʻe Kilisitina hono umá. “Mahalo naʻá ne femoʻuekina pē.”
“Mahalo pē.” Naʻe tangutu hifo ʻa ʻAli ʻo toʻo hake ha laʻipepa. Naʻá ne pelupelu fakalelei ia, ʻo fakatokaleleiʻi e tafatafaʻakí ʻaki hono motuʻa tuhú.
“Ko e hā ʻoku tau ngaohi he ʻaho ní?” Naʻe ʻeke ange ʻe ʻEla.
“Fēfē ha ngaahi fakaʻilonga tohi?” Naʻe pehē ange ʻe ʻAli. “ʻOku faingofua ʻaupito. Te u fakaʻaliʻali atu.”
Kuo ako mai ʻeni ʻe ʻAli e tāpelupelu pepá. Ko ha faʻahinga ʻaati ia mei Siapani, naʻe fakahoko ʻaki hono pelupelu ʻo e pepá ki ha ngaahi fuo kehekehe. Naʻe ʻilo ʻe ʻAli e founga hono ngaohi e faʻahinga kehekehe kotoa pē ʻo e ngaahi fuó, pea naʻá ne akoʻi ki hono ongo kaungāmeʻá ʻa e meʻa naʻá ne ʻiló.
Naʻe fakaʻaliʻali ange ʻe ʻAli kia Kilisitina mo ʻEla ʻa e founga hono fakahoko ʻo e foʻi pelu takitaha. Ne ʻikai fuoloa kuo nau maʻu kotoa ha kiʻi meʻa fakaʻilonga tohi tapafā.
“ʻOku fakahū ia he tulikí ʻo hangē ko ʻení.” Naʻe fakaava hake ʻe ʻAli ʻene tohí ʻo fakahū e meʻa fakaʻilonga tohí ʻi he tuliki ʻo ha peesi.
“Tōatu!” Naʻe toe toʻo mai ʻe Kilisitina ha laʻipepa ʻe taha. “ʻOku ou fie feinga ʻiate au pē.”
Lolotonga ʻenau ngāué, naʻa nau talanoa fekauʻaki mo e ngaahi tohi kuo nau laú mo e tohi hoko naʻa nau fie laú. Naʻe toe hila atu ʻa ʻAli kia Mīsisi Felengilini. Ne hangē naʻá ne kei lotomamahi peé.
Naʻe ʻikai fuoloa kuo afe atu ʻa Mīsisi Felengilini ʻi heʻenau tēpilé.
“Mālō e lelei tamaiki.” Naʻá ne hili hifo ha tohi ʻi he funga tēpilé. Ko e tohi dragon keeper! “ʻAli, ko ha tohi ʻeni maʻau. ʻOku ou ʻilo kuo fuoloa hoʻo tatali ke lau iá.”
“Mālō!” Naʻe toʻo hake ia ʻe ʻAli.
Naʻe māpuhoi ʻa Mīsisi Felengilini. “Naʻe kaihaʻa ha taha mei heʻeku kaá ʻi he ʻahó ni. Naʻa nau toʻo kotoa ʻeku ʻū tohí mo e mūsiká.”
“Ko ha meʻa fakamamahi ia!” Naʻe pehē ange ʻe Kilisitina.
Naʻe malimali loto-mamahi ange ʻa Mīsisi Felengilini. “Ko e saí pē ko ha ngaahi meʻa noa pē. Ko ha meʻa ʻe lava pē ke fetongi. ʻOku ou fiefia pē ʻi he ʻikai lavea ha tahá.”
Naʻe siofi ʻe ʻAli ʻa Mīsisi Felengiliní ʻi heʻene mavahe atú.
Naʻe pehē ʻe ʻEla, “Fakaʻamu ange ʻe au te tau lava ʻo fai ha meʻa ke tokoni ki ai.”
Naʻe sio hifo ʻa ʻAli ki he meʻa fakaʻilonga tohi ʻi hono nimá. “ʻOku ou tui pē te tau lava!”
“ʻO hangē ko e hā?” Naʻe fehuʻi ange ʻe Kilisitina.
Naʻe malimali ʻa ʻAli. “Mo omi ki hoku ʻapí he tuku ʻa e akó. ʻOku ou ʻilo e meʻa ke tau faí.”
ʻI he ʻaho hono hokó, naʻe ʻalu ʻa ʻAli, Kilisitina, mo ʻEla ki he laipelí lolotonga ʻenau mālōloó, ʻo hangē ko ia naʻa nau fakahoko maʻu peé. Ka ʻi he taimi ko ʻení, naʻe ʻikai ke nau ʻomi pē ha ngaahi tohi. Naʻe ʻi ai haʻanau meʻa makehe maʻa Mīsisi Felengilini.
“Naʻa mau ngaohi ʻeni maʻau!” Naʻe ʻoange ʻe ʻAli ha kato kia Mīsisi Felengilini. “ʻOku mau ʻilo he ʻikai ke mau lava ʻo fetongi kotoa e ngaahi meʻa naʻe kaihaʻasí, ka naʻa mau fakakaukau te ke fiefia ʻi he ngaahi meʻá ni.”
Naʻe sio ʻa Mīsisi Felengilini ki he loto kató. Naʻe fonu ia ʻi ha fanga kiʻi pepa kuo tāpelupelu—ko ha ʻū meʻa fakaʻilonga tohi, ika, haati mo ha fanga kiʻi pepe. Naʻá ne malilmali fiefia.
“Ko ha ngaahi meʻa fakaʻofoʻofa ʻeni! Fakamālō lahi atu.” Naʻá ne toʻo hake ha kiʻi pepa ʻe taha mei he kató. Naʻe tāpelupelu ia ke faʻu ha kiʻi tohi siʻisiʻi. “Te u fakaʻaongaʻi e kiʻi tohinoa siʻisiʻi ko ʻení ke hiki kotoa ai ʻeku fanga kiʻi fakakaukau fiefiá!”
Naʻe malimali ange ʻa ʻAli. Te ne lava maʻu pē ʻo fai ha meʻa lelei maʻá e niʻihi kehé—ko haʻane tāpelupelu tahataha ʻa e pepá.
Ngaahi tā fakatātā ʻa Brian Martin