It was my wife who challenged me this year to thoroughly complete 100 ghost stories toward Halloween. Her suggestion was that I should take time out of each day to write as many ghost stories as I could so that all I would have to do is copy and paste each day. It didn’t always turn out that way but I never missed a post. As the days went on, people began to ask about which stories were fiction and which were not? It turns out my friends that the most fantastic stories, the ones that were almost too good to be real, were in fact true. The most basic, humdrum stories were fiction. There were a few that were marked as fictional just so that people wouldn’t freak out in case the address listed in the story was theirs or that of a neighbor. All accounts of prayers and Hawaiian chants were and are real, as were any reference to prayers performed in Latin.
Many of the stories were based on my own real-life experiences or from other stories that I’d heard while growing up. Most often I would sit here with the intention of writing one story and suddenly another inspiration hits me and we’re headed off in a completely different direction. Memories also inspire new and fun ideas for stories as well; take our beloved girl Tabby Kahana for instance. The idea for her was taken from a memory I had in regards to our daughter Hiwa. For some reason, I remembered a backpack which had her name embroidered on it and how she never took it off. It turns out that our granddaughter has a similar obsession with her Picka-chu backpack and thus, the character of Tabby Kahana was born. We love her (Tabby) because of her plucky, kick-ass attitude and how she commanded every situation she found herself in. She’s bold and confident when she had to be but secretly vulnerable inside. Of course, her story had to be fictional. Whoever heard of an eleven-year-old Hawaiian girl being an exorcist?
I can honestly say that there isn’t a story among the one hundred that is a favorite of mine, because the effort alone is what garners my favor. Not everyone is a fan of ghost stories and of course there are cowardly online trolls that will incite negativity, but be that as it may, I am proud of what I have done. However, as we are all well aware, not one of us arrives at our destination alone. Singular as we may stand, the aloha, support and due regards are given to us by those people who believe in us and genuinely wants us to be happy. There are many here to thank and you all know who you are if you know me and my family. Primarily, the one to thank is the one who pushes me when I’ve convinced myself that I can proceed no further when I feel as if I am worth less than I believe I am, and when I am worried that the impossible has finally won over my nothing is impossible attitude.
That is my wife Tanya.
Yes, I am difficult and often times brooding but she is there to pull the door back and let the light in. This indeed is the secret to my success. For in order to survive in the world that I walk in, the world that balances between the veil, a foundation is needed. She gives me all of that and more, and all she asks for in return is a good nights sleep and some good coffee in the morning. We have a crazy, fun and interesting life that is never boring. For this, I am thankful.
Finally, the answer to your question is yes. A book is forthcoming.
Mahalo
Lopaka & Tanya
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