My Dad told me a story one time about his grandmother's fishpond on Moloka'i. The fishpond is on the east end of the island, at Kupeke. You can see Maui and part of Lanai from the yard. On a clear day you can even see Kaho'olawe.

When my Dad was little he would go over to Moloka'i with his aunties. His uncles lived over there, so my Dad and his aunties would go visit them for holidays and vacations. Besides Uncle George and Uncle Alika, Mr. and Mrs. Yoshimura stayed at the pond to o.

My Dad does not remember Mr. Yoshimura's first name. He says everyone called him Yoshi, except my Dad, who always called him Mr. Yoshimura. Yoshi had a wife and a dog. I guess he had a daughter too but my Dad forgot her name. She had moved over to Honolul u so my Dad did not know her.

My Dad really liked Yoshi, as did everyone else. Yoshi used to take my Dad fishing and was nice to him. Tamano (Yoshi's wife) used to cook delicious Japanese meals and treats and would invite my Dad over to enjoy them. The Yoshimura's were very kind, very hard-working and very wonderful people.

Yoshi had come to Hawaii from Japan when he was twenty years old. He and Tamano became caretakers for the pond in the 1930's, maybe even a little before that. My Dad doesn't know for sure because Yoshi and Tamano were there before he was.

In addition to caring for the pond Yoshi worked for HSPA (Hawaii Sugar Planter's Association). HSPA was on Moloka'i doing some experimental stuff back then.

My Dad says Yoshi was a very sound and stable man. He was the kind of person who had to see things to believe them.

This must have been one of the reasons he was chosen to be caretaker. My Dads Uncle George used to say that there was a mermaid who lived in the pond. I asked my Dad if this was true and he said nobody really knows. I guess sometimes Uncle George took a s ip or two before he would be visited by this mermaid.

Anyway, I want to emphasize Yoshi's character and the kind of qualities he possessed. He was reliable, devoted honest and trust-worthy. A very solid and steady man.

Late one night, after Yoshi and Tamano had gone to bed Yoshi's dog Boy began barking wildly. This was most unusual. Boy had always been a very disciplined and very mild-mannered creature.

Yoshi was awakened by Boy. He was concerned so he got up to investigate. Yoshi raised turkeys and chickens and he thought that perhaps something was happening to his birds.

Cautiously he stepped from his cottage and began looking around. Soon Yoshi would realize what had been troubling Boy.

He looked out across the water and saw two glowing floats enter the pond through the makaha (the opening or 'gate' from the ocean to the pond). They were large glass balls, one foot to fourteen inches in diameter. The kind used on fishing nets.

The glass balls mysteriously moved steadily towards Yoshi. He became unnerved as he realized they were moving against the current and against the wind. Hesitantly, he walked to the edge of the pond to look more closely at the floats. He wanted to be certa in that his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

In those days there was no development on Maui. The stars brilliantly lit up the night sky, you could even see the milky way. It was beautiful, especially if the moon was full and reflecting off the pond. The place seemed almost enchanted.

As Yoshi looked closely at the glass balls he grew concerned. Indeed they were self- illuminated floats.

The glowing balls seemed to pause for a moment and then they began to leave the pond. Steadily they followed the same path they had used to approach Yoshi. As they passed through the makaha, they vanished. They disappeared. They were gone.

This moment was even more pronounced because as they vanished, Boy's barking ceased.

Yoshi stayed outside for a while, before going back in to bed. He wanted to sit with Boy and reassure him, he wanted to sit with Boy and be reassured himself.

Yoshi looked around, he wanted to feel comforted by his home, by his animals, and by the land. He had never concerned himself with supernatural beliefs or ideas. In all his 50 years he had never encountered anything magical, or ghostlike, or supernatural.

Sure he had stories from those who had experienced such things, but there was always something that discredited the stories (or the persons who told them).

Yoshi made up his mind not to dwell on it. As far as he was concerned it was just a really weird thing but being a practical man he figured that maybe there was some explanation that he was unaware of.

He decided to go back to bed. He stood up and glanced around the yard one last time. As he gave Boy a pat on the head he thought of Uncle George's mermaid.

The next morning Yoshi got up and went about his way with out much thought to the previous night. The days came and went and everything was as it always had been.

Then one day about two weeks later a letter arrived from Japan for Yoshi. As Yoshi read the letter he felt a wave a sadness envelope him, his mother had died. He was filled with hesitation as he realized from the letter) that she had died on the very nigh t he had received the visit from the two glass balls.

Besides my father I don't know who else Yoshi would have told this story. I imagine that he shared it with Tamano and possibly his daughter. I know that my Dad was the only person in my family he shared it with.

This may have been because my Dad was only ten years old, an ten year olds can be more accepting of such phenomena. Or, maybe, it was because Yoshi knew how Uncle George's stories of the mermaid were received.