HAUNT DAWGZ STORIES

ISLAND SPIRIT

"I'm excited, but nervous! Dave, I think helicopters crash frequently, especially the ones that take peeps on tours," said Maureen. Dave shook his head. "No honey, they actually don't. This company has a great safety record. Come here." Dave held his arms open and embraced his new bride. "C'mon Maureen. We planned this for a long time. It'll be awesome!"

"Okay. You're right. It will be awesome! Besides, taking the helicopter tour over the Hasegawa Islands is a sight not seen by many. We'll have a beautiful view of the remote islands, as well as a chance to skim over the South Pacific. It'll be fun!" Maureen kissed her husband, grinned, and picked up the tour brochure off the table in their rental condo. She nodded. "This will be a fantastic trip!"

Newlyweds Dave and Maureen were excited as their helicopter trip was coming in just two days, leaving from their current location in Oahu, Hawaii.
The two are on their honeymoon, having been married just a short three days prior. They made breakfast in the condo prior to starting day four of their ten day trip. As they sat at the dining room table enjoying pancakes and fruit, an excited Maureen smiled while nodding. "Yep, I can't wait for Friday, honey!" Dave looked at Maureen with a big smile. "It's gonna be a spectacular view!"

Time does fly when you're having fun, as the next two days passed quickly. Dave and Maureen drove their rental car to the Oahu Airport in plenty of time for their nine in the morning, six hour tour. As they waited in the lobby of the helicopter tour office, Dave and Maureen looked at framed photos hanging on the wall of what was in store for them. Maureen's eyes widened. "Wow! This is amazing!" They looked at photos of waterfalls, beautiful volcanic mountains, and a canopy of the greenest trees found anywhere on the planet.

While in the lobby, they saw a woman in her early seventies as she sat on a bench. Maureen approached. "Are you going on the nine o'clock tour as well?"
The woman brushed her silver hair from her eyes and grinned. "Why, yes I am." She added as she put her hand out to shake, "I'm Carolyn. I'm from Fremont, Ohio." "I'm Maureen, and this is my husband Dave." The three shook hands and Carolyn asked, "So where is home for you kids?" Dave replied, "Goleta, California, in Santa Barbara County." Carolyn nodded. "Sounds nice!" She paused then added, "I wish my husband were here, he passed away eleven months ago. He would have loved this." Maureen reached out and touched Carolyn's shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry. I will tell you, he would want you to live the best life you can, and it looks like this flight is part of it." Carolyn smiled wide as she looked at Maureen. "Yes! And I'm doing just that, living! This will be a memorable trip!" Dave said, "Well, it's an honor to share this experience with you."

As part of the tour, the helicopter will land so the travelers can have a nice lunch on the beach as well as enjoying snorkeling before the beautiful flight back. The three passengers met the pilot, Scott, in the lobby. Scott introduced himself and escorted the three to the helicopter that was waiting outside. As they walked, Scott gave a little background about himself which included being a certified flight instructor, and flying in

the military. Scott advised they would all be wearing headsets to communicate with each other better. The helicopter took off and immediately they were over water. Scott announced, "The island we are landing on folks has not had native inhabitants on it for about seven hundred years, but it's beautiful!"

As they continued over the Pacific towards the islands, they saw a large pod of dolphins, a whale spouting, and several sea turtles as the water was very clear. There was a shadow in the water and Dave asked, "Scott, is that shadow on the water from a plane above us?" Scott laughed for a quick moment. "No, that's either a large Tiger Shark or a medium Great White." Carolyn looked out of the window and said, "Remarkable!" Maureen leaned over and told Dave, "I'm not snorkeling with any shark, i'll tell you that." "Relax honey, he is way away from where we will be." Maureen raised her eyebrows and half way joked, "What about other sharks?...Ya big dummy!" The two smiled at each other and held hands.