Namaka (2025)

[bunniefuu]

(radio) You're listening to M.A.U.I. Hawaii

Keeping you informed twenty-four seven

Stay tuned for The Night

Marchers with Guy Torino

Starting right now

(Guy) Aloha, friends. Welcome

to Night Marchers Radio

The last bastion of forgotten

knowledge on these islands

I am your host, Guy Torino

Phone lines are open so just give us a call

if you have any insights to share

Alright, next caller

You are on the air

What is your name and what is your story?

(Levi) Am I on?

Oh, you're on

Hey Guy... I've been wondering

about that man you had

on your show recently

The one who went missing

(Guy) Yeah? What about him?

(Levi) Do you have any

idea what happened to him?

(Guy) I do have some idea but

I'm pretty sure you wouldn't

believe me if I told you

(Levi) I don't know

I've seen some things

I'm pretty open minded

(Guy) Well then I guess it's story time

Grab yourself a Mai Tai

Kick back and strap in

Because this one's a doozy

(tribal drumming)

(tribal drumming continues)

Whatcha watching?

Testing out my new hat-cam

Whatever the hat sees

gets recorded on my phone

Pretty cool, huh?

(Erica) Super cool.

You know what would be even cooler?

If you were packed right now

I'm almost packed

Phase One was getting

everything organized for the trip

Phase Two is just

fitting it in the suitcase

Well my Phase Two is done

and I need to know whether

you have room for my heels?

Why do you need heels in Hawaii?

In case we go somewhere fancy

Your parents don't do fancy

And we're gonna have a baby with us

Fine, no heels

Oh, give me your ring

I'm gonna put it in the safe

Smart

Let's not pack anything

we can't afford to lose

Aren't you bringing your guitar?

Nope

It's staying here

Who are you and what have

you done with my husband?

When we get there, I want to buy a ukulele

I was thinking the setting

might inspire some new sounds

That's cool

It's "oo-ku-le-le"

"Oo-ku-le-le"

Mmm-hmm

"Oo-ku-le-le"

So what's with the hat-cam?

So I can record everything

without looking like a tourist

You are absolutely

gonna look like a tourist

Yeah, but they won't

know they're being recorded

Oh, they're absolutely gonna

know they're being recorded

But it's subtle, right?

Just don't go overboard with it

When have I ever gone overboard?

(ding)

Car's almost here

You gonna finish up Phase Two?

We're leaving now?

I am

Okay

Let's do it

(music)

(driver) Here, let me grab that for you

(driver) So, how's you guy's day going?

(Erica) Pretty good, a

little chaotic, but you know

How's yours?

(driver) Oh, so far, so good, you know

(Alex) This trip is mostly

hanging out on the beach, right?

Mostly

And hiking, and snorkeling

And sightseeing, and all the other things

that I put on the itinerary that I sent you

But I can have some

time to work on my music?

Sure

When we're not hiking and

snorkeling and sightseeing

Sounds like you guys are going

somewhere pretty cool, huh?

Yeah, we're going to Hawaii

Oh, nice. What's the occasion?

Nothing special, just, um

My sister and her husband

had a baby a few months ago

So we're gonna meet my parents there

Aw, quality time with

the family, I love that

It's a beautiful thing

How long is the flight?

Six hours

Ehh

Hey, it'll be worth it though, man

I mean, I haven't personally been to Hawaii

But I hear it's just beautiful

Yeah, we haven't been

but we're really excited to go

(driver) Who's this clown?

Y'all in a hurry?

(driver) Ahh, could you not touch my car?

(driver) Sorry, guys

Sir, could you step away

from the car, please?

Big hurry to get places

But then what?

Hmm?

Always trying to get somewhere

But you never arrive!

(laughing)

(Alex) You can probably go now

Hey, have a nice trip to Hell!

And when you get there

Tell 'em Walter Notch sent ya!

(laughing)

(gate agent) Try it again... There you go

Okay, you're all set. Have a great flight.

(Erica) Mahalo

(Alex) All these cars to choose from

Of course, we get the minivan

(baby talk)

(cheers)

(Alex) I'm gonna go for

a walk, explore the town

(tiki music)

What'll it be?

What's good here?

It's all good, brah

Can you make a zombie?

Yeah, I can make you a zombie

A zombie?

That's a good choice

You know why it's called a zombie?

I assume if you have too many

You feel like a zombie in the morning

It's how witch doctors snare their victims

There's a neurotoxin in pufferfish

They slip it in a drink so strong

you have no idea that you're being poisoned

Puts you in a semi-conscious

highly suggestible state

becoming a sl*ve to the

person who drugged you

Otherwise known

as a zombie

Nothing but booze in this one

I'll take one of those too

Put it on this guy's tab

Excuse me?

Yeah

You can tell all your friends

that you bought Guy Torino

a drink

"Guy Torino?"

Are you famous?

You don't know who I am?

Is that bad?

Well, I mean, you come in

here with your paparazzi hat

I thought you were either

a fan or you're stalking me

Nope, uh, just on vacation

I brought that to record the memories

Why don't you use a

phone like everybody else?

I thought this would be less intrusive

My wife and her family

are a little camera shy

Hello, there

I'm gonna be guest starring

in this part of your movie

This is the scene where the weary traveler

meets Guy Torino

and has no idea who he is

But Mister Torino was nice

enough to sign his napkin anyway

Hipa Hipa

Hipa Hipa, Guy Torino

I'm Alex Cook

What do you do for a living, Alex Cook?

Ah, nothing exciting

I got a survival job

but that's just till I get

the music thing restarted

Restarted?

Yeah, I was in a band for awhile

I'm a solo act now

Any good?

I hope so

It's what I love

Well, I love baseball but no

one's bringing me to the Majors

Maybe you shoulda practiced more

Hey, what are you doing, bro?

You get like five bucks for that on eBay

Are you an actor?

I'm pretty enough

But, um...

Nah

I'm just a lowly little radio guy

My podcast

"The Night Marchers"

Two million downloads a month

Get to know us

What's it about?

It's about the truth

All the things that they

don't want us to know

Who's they?

You're gonna have to listen to find out

Or, if you're in town

for a little while, maybe

come to the studio, you

can watch us do it live

We do it Tuesdays and

Thursdays, from Noon to Three

I'll give you the address

How long you in town?

Two weeks

Nice

Said you got your family with you?

Yeah, it's my wife, her parents

my brother and sister-in-law and their baby

Nice, that sounds nice

Yeah

Except they tend to

want to do touristy stuff

Ah, yup

Unlike this authentic Exotica Tiki Bar

Touche

You looking for real experiences?

You gotta know how to find them

The more you open your

mind, the more you'll see

How's that?

It's like the Night Marchers

Not everyone can hear them

but they're out there

You just have to listen

Listen for what?

The spirit of the ancient warriors

who fought for their king and their gods

against foreign invaders

Those who died in battle

roam these islands in darkness

Chanting and beating their w*r drums

Any outsider who dare looks at them

is doomed

Is that true?

Wait... wait...

You hear that?

Did you hear that?

(scream)

The fu...?

(laughing)

Wow

Wow, bro

You set me up

Dude...

It's raining

It's raining on my Hawaii vacation

(Alex) Yup

Um, no, we have a plan,

we're just gonna do other stuff

Whatever you're gonna do,

there's gonna be rain on and off

Just gonna get wet

Nicely done, nicely done

(laughing)

You know the Irish have

been eating seaweed for years

For... Millennia

(Erica) What did they eat it with?

Don't know

(clerk) Aloha!

(Alex) Aloha

(clerk) Do you play ukulele?

(Alex) I play guitar

(clerk) Then you can play ukulele

It's pretty much the same

Just a couple of less strings

Now which one of these is calling to you?

(upbeat ukulele music)

Hello

Wait, wait, where you going?

Come back!

Hello?

Can anybody hear me?

(gasp)

Are you okay?

Don't hurt me!

I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise

I want to help you

Do you know that guy?

He was my friend

What happened to him?

I don't know, we were alone, and

we heard a noise

It was like a... a drumbeat

He told me to wait and went

to go see what it was, and...

He didn't come back

I found him like that

I'm scared

You're safe now

I'll stay here with you

It'll be okay

Thank you

What's your name?

Namaka

Namaka... That's pretty

What's yours?

Alexander

Most people call me Alex

Alexander

I like that

What are you doing out here?

When I found my friend not moving

I didn't know what to do

And then I heard your music

We have to go to the police

No!

Look, we have to report what happened

I can't

There's a body here

He may have been m*rder*d

You're a witness

No, I didn't see anything

But you know him, you

have to explain what you saw

I wasn't supposed to be here

No, no, it's okay

I have to go

No, no, don't go

Wait!

(operator) 911, what is your emergency?

I need to report a dead body

(Alex) We're getting

close, it's right up ahead

(cop) What were you

doing this far off the path?

(Alex) I wasn't, I was

just hiking near town

But when I saw the girl, I followed her

She led me to the body

(cop) That's when she ran off?

(Alex) That's right

(cop) You didn't go after her?

(Alex) She didn't want

me to, she was scared

I was scared too

(Alex) sh*t

What?

The body was right there

It's gone

Just like the girl?

No, I told you, the girl

ran away, she was scared

She said she heard drumming

I think it might have

been the Night Marchers

Night Marchers?

You mean like, like ghosts?

You think ghosts took the body?

No, I don't... I...

I can't explain it

Maybe none of it happened

You don't believe me?

Should we?

Well I wouldn't have called

you here if it didn't happen

Have you, uh

been under the influence

of anything this afternoon?

No

And if I was, I wouldn't

make up something like this

Do you have a description of the body?

Or the girl?

I can prove it

I was filming when I first

saw her, I have a video

What do you mean, you were filming?

I was recording myself playing the ukulele

I thought you said you were hiking?

First I was hiking

Then I found a spot I thought

would be good for a music video

Alright, here it is, watch

"Hello"

"Wait, wait, where you going?"

"Come back"

I don't understand it

She was there

I wasn't talking to myself

You sure about that?

Maybe she was just out of frame?

Look, pal

We get it

You're on vacation

We can give you a free pass on this

Just admit you were tripping ba*ls

and we won't hold it against you

You didn't mean to waste our time

And you're sorry

Yeah? Say that,

and we can forget all about this

That's a good deal, my friend

You should take it

Or...

We can book you for false reporting

(phone call ringtone)

It's my wife

Hey, honey

(Erica) Where are you?

Uh, I'm in the woods

I'm... uh...

I was practicing my ukulele

In the woods? Why?

So no one would have

to hear me till I was ready

Okay... Don't be too long

I won't

I'll be right there

Looks like I made a mistake

Sorry I wasted your time

Don't beat yourself up

Happens more than you'd think

Maybe next time don't go off by yourself

That's how you can get in trouble

Let's get you back to civilization

(car crosstalk)

(Erica) There we go

Pretty close to the Marblehead one

(Alex) Yup

Not quite as tall, but the light is huge

(family crosstalk)

(Alex) Do we have any more plans for today?

(Guy) Now when I

finally got back to the top

I found my safety

harness sitting right there

With the rest of my stuff,

as if I'd never even taken it

Needless to say

that is the last time

I ever go spelunking

Next caller, you're on the air

What's your name, what's your story?

Hey, Guy, this is Malia

First time caller, I wanted

to say I love your show

Oh, hi, Malia

Always nice to hear from a

new fan, what's your story?

(doorbell)

Okay, so last week I was

driving along Pali Highway

on my way back from

Honolulu, when the engine died

I was going about fifty

and I had to coast to a

stop at the side of the road

I mean I assumed that my battery died

And then I remembered I had pork in the car

leftover from lunch, you know?

And get this, on top of that

This stray dog wanders up to the car

I mean, brother, this dog looked hungry

So I thought to myself

I'm gonna give this pork to the dog

And let me guess: The car started right up

Sure did, like nothing happened

(Guy) Well, as long

time listeners will know

You can not bring pork

from the windward side

to the leeward side of O'ahu

because the goddess Pele was

once in love with the demigod

Kamapua'a

But... Like all good thing

their relationship ended and it ended badly

So they decided to split

the island into two parts

And since Kamapua'a gave pork to the humans

it stays on his side

Now if you try to

transport it to Pele's side

she'll disable your vehicle

Since Hell hath no fury

like a goddess scorned

Especially the goddess

of vengeance and fire

Yeah, when I told my friend what happened

she told me about your show

How do you know about all this stuff?

Well, you know, I made it my life's work

to find the hidden truths out there

Ever since I got fired

from my government job

for seeing too much

I had to move to this

island for my own safety

Speaking of which

we have to pay some bills

You're listening to The Night Marchers

We'll be right back

Aloha, my friend

Welcome to The Night

Marchers World Headquarters

Do you live here?

I do, I do, it's kind of

like a work/live concept

You can't beat the commute

You said you used to work

for the government, uh...

What did you do?

Listen... I can't tell you that

It could put you in danger

A lot of hidden truths out there, my friend

You wanna dip your toes in

before you go in the deep end

I don't want you to drown

No, no, we wouldn't want that

So... You enjoying yourself in paradise?

How's your trip going?

Actually...

I had something weird happen just yesterday

What?

I found a dead body.

Oh, sh*t

There was a girl

A dead girl?

No, no, the body was a guy

But there was a young woman there, too

She ran off when I tried to talk to her

She seemed frightened, but also

I don't know... There was

just something about her

She cute?

Why?

Sounds like you got the hots for her

I'm married

Okay, you're married

but you're not dead, right?

There was something else, though

Something strange

What?

I recorded her with my camera

At least I thought I did

But when I played back the footage

She wasn't there

That is weird

Have you ever heard of something like that?

Dude

I do this show

I hear all types of weird things

Were you on drugs?

That's just what the cops asked

You called the cops?

Well, they didn't believe me

They never do

I haven't even told my family yet

Well, don't

I shouldn't tell my family?

No, they're gonna think you're nuts

or they're gonna be scared sh*t less

You believe me, though, right?

I believe that you believe

what you're telling me is factual

She said she heard drumbeats

Who? Wait? Wait...

The girl that didn't show up

on camera heard drumbeats

Right before she found the

body, that's what she told me

Do you think it was the Night Marchers?

I don't know...

I tried to chase after

her, but she was too fast

When I came back with

the cops, the body was gone

You think you can find her again?

Maybe

If I look for her

Of course you're gonna go look for her

You got that glint in your eye

You came here for adventure

and she's it, isn't she?

I wouldn't say that

You don't have to

I just did

I probably won't see her again

We're on an island

She can't get too far

I could go back to the same spot

See if she shows up

Well, if she does, here

Give her my card

I wanna talk to her

So would I

I'm sure you would

Hey, you gonna stick around,

listen to the rest of the show?

I got plans with the family

We booked a helicopter tour

Oh, sh*t, I'm live!

Hey, folks!

Welcome back

That silence that you hear in the studio

was just a little, tiny malfunction here

Either that or the government

is trying to shut us down again

Or it's those pesky Menehunes

causing mischief again

Either way, we're here

Do not stress

The phone lines are now open

Please give us a call

if you have any insights

or stories to share

Okay...

Hello, caller, you're

on, what's your story?

(caller) Hey, there, Guy

What do you know about the Water Ghost?

Ooo... The Water Ghost

Well, I know about a

hundred and fifty years ago

The royal family was waterboarded to death

by foreign invaders but like

a lot of life's great mysteries

they just won't stay dead

Are they... dangerous?

Not usually... Let me guess:

You've been finding wet

footprints in your house

Yeah, and it's kinda creepy

Creepy... But not deadly

You'll be fine, just watch where you step

You have flood insurance?

I do have flood insurance, but

I didn't think it would

cover apparitions, right?

I mean, it's not like I can go

out and get ghost insurance

Well, don't tell them

you have a Water Ghost

Just tell them that your toilet backed up

That's a believable explanation

for the sheeples out there

This is your captain

speaking, you'll be hearing me

in your headset throughout our flight today

But you won't be able to talk back

because I'm the only one with a microphone

and that's just the way I like it

As you can see from this height

there are vast parts of the

island that remain uninhabited

Although there is evidence to suggest that

ancient peoples used to live in these areas

But why they left or where they went

is anyone's guess

Sadly, much of the island's ancient history

has been lost to time

Stories used to be passed

from one generation to the next

through oral tradition

But those stories slowly died out

As newcomers arrived

with their own folklore

As a wise man once said:

All good things must come to an end

And so it is with our time together

But you've been terrific travel companions

I hope you've all enjoyed

our tour as much as I have

Hello?

Anybody out here?

Namaka?

Hello?

Anyone?

Alexander

You came back

I knew you would

I wasn't sure I'd see you again

The way you ran off into the woods

You were gonna tell people about me

I was just trying to help

Promise me you won't tell

I won't

What's this for?

It has a camera in it

It records video

So I can have memories of this trip

You wouldn't have memories without this?

No, I'll definitely have memories of this

I think it's better to live in the moment

You're probably right

A have a makana for you

A gift

Shells represent strength

They protect vulnerable creatures

from hostile environments

I found this one and I

wanted you to have it

It's beautiful

See how the lines start out small

and then grow to be strong?

Same pattern but it gets better and better

That's why this is your shell

It's symbolic of your protective nature

and the beauty of your music

Thank you

Do you have a makana for me?

A gift?

Something that reminds you of me

I guess I'll have to find something for you

That would be very nice

As long as it comes from you

and is meant just for me

I will like it, whatever it is

I have... so many questions right now

Like what?

Like... who are you?

I'm Namaka

I know, but...

Do you live around here?

I've always lived here

With your family?

No

My parents are gone

I have siblings, but...

I don't know them well

That man in the woods, ah...

Who was he?

I want to talk about you

Where are you from?

Currently... Los Angeles

Originally from St. Louis

St. Louis?

Have you been?

I've never been anywhere but here.

If I lived here, I'd never want to leave

Really?

So much beauty here

Is that why you came?

To find beauty?

It's a big family trip

It's me and my wife, her parents,

my sister and

brother-in-law, and their baby

You must be a close family

In some ways

Sometimes I feel like an outsider

I know that feeling

Sometimes I just need some

alone time with my music

I have a band

I had a band

We broke up

So now I'm a solo act

That's why I got the ukulele

Trying some new sounds

I was practicing it when you first found me

I loved it

You devoted so much

of your time to studying it

I think that's beautiful

That's...

Really sweet of you to say

If I had more fans like you I'd be all set

Will you play for me?

I don't have it with me

Next time... Bring it with you

So there's going to be a next time?

I hope so

I'd like to see you again

You know I'm married, right?

Don't you want to see me again?

Yes, I do

Bring your music, and a makana

A gift

So I know that you were thinking of me

When?

Whenever you want

I'll find you

Are you feeling okay?

(Alex) Yeah, why?

I don't know, you've been acting weird

I don't know

Just tired, I guess

(Alex) If it's alright, I'm

gonna hop out and walk

(Erica) Don't get lost again

(Alex) I won't get lost, I promise

Alex!

Yo! Come have a drink with me

Over here!

Good boy... Yeah

Oh... Hey, captain, my captain

Another one of these

for my friend here, please

Thank you

Aren't these big enough for two?

They are... But you're not my type

So I'm not going to share

But I wouldn't mind

sharing with that little hottie

at the bar over there

If I strike out, you're

hear to pick up the pieces?

Sure

Okay, good

Alright, finish this one

Thank you, garon

Excuse me

Would you like to help

me with my scorpion? It's

too big for me to handle on my own

No thanks

Let me ask you a simple question

Do you want to have the

best sex of your life tonight?

No, I don't

Then I'm the man for you

Guy Torino

Have you ever heard of me?

You might have

if you're a fan of things

that go bump in the night

I'm waiting for a friend

Swing and a miss... okay

It got cold in here

Fine

No luck?

Story of my life, pal

What about you?

How's the fam?

They're fine

You didn't tell them about your little

mystery girl?

I took your advice and I kept it to myself

Good, good. We all have to have our secrets

Did you meet her again?

I did

Did you ask her about the Night Marchers?

What about them?

The drumbeats you said she heard

Didn't come up

I'm guessing your mind was elsewhere

There's something weird about her

Weird, how?

When I'm with her

it's like she has some

sort of spell over me

I'm not sure she's human

Oh. Lucky you

Okay

I won't tell the wife

Bro code

I thought you'd believe me

Why? Because I believe

the callers on my show

That, and...

All the things you've seen

What things?

When you worked for the government

You mean that line I say on the show?

That's just a story, bro

It's not true?

It is true

I did work for the government

In waste management

Also known as a garbage man

You said you had to leave

because you saw too much

I did

I saw my supervisor's wife

Naked... Many times

He found out and fired me

So it's all bullshit?

Your show?

It's not bullshit, the people who call in

they believe what they're telling me

Anyway, what's it matter to you?

No one's in danger

But what if someone is in danger?

What, you think this

girl wants to harm you?

No

I think she likes me

You know what?

I've actually heard stories like this

Really?

Yeah. Some say

ancient creatures live in the woods

Invisible to most, but

they appear to who they want to see them

You don't believe that

I believe you believe it

And I'm willing to give

you the benefit of the doubt

In fact

Why don't you come on my

show Thursday and tell your story

Seriously?

You can stay anonymous if you want

I'm sure a caller will call in

and maybe have a similar story

It happens all the time

I'll think about it

You do that

You clear the decks in your busy schedule

to do that

In the meantime, I'm going to

step back up to the plate

and take another swing

Wish me luck

(flirting)

Was that Guy Torino

you were just talking to?

Yeah

Do you know him?

I'm a huge fan

I listen to his show all the time

You should go say hi

He looks busy

How do you know him?

I met him here at the bar

He's quite a character

Well, he's a good person to know

He understands things most people don't

So he says

Well it's true

I should know

My husband was taken by the Night Marchers

He heard their drumming for weeks

He told me

And then he started acting strange

And then one day...

He just disappeared

I told the police

They didn't believe me

My friends

My family

No one believed me

Well, this was years

before Guy had his show

If he had been around

He would have believed me

No one else would

I believe you

You do?

Really?

Thank you

Whatever your troubles are

I hope it works out

Aloha

Aloha

Did you bring me a gift?

I found this in a gift shop

I know it's kinda touristy, but

I spent a lot of time looking for it

It reminds me of you

This is for me?

My makana?

If you want it

Do you have the shell I gave you?

(chanting) Pili a nai kealoha

They belong together

Even if they don't

That's what makes it so much more special

Is that an indigenous

tradition you're doing?

I've been meaning to learn

more about that while I'm here

You'll learn... I'll teach you everything

We don't have that much time

Yes... We do

I'm leaving in a few days, and...

I really shouldn't be neglecting my family

Play for me

You like my music, huh?

I love your music

That's a first

Why do you say that?

When I was in a band...

We toured for years...

Cut demos...

Just never took off

Lead singer went solo

He's doing great

People love his music

They just didn't want

to hear the rest of us

I wanna hear your music

Any requests?

Play your own music, something you wrote

(romantic ukulele music)

Give me your hand

If I pierce your skin here

it might scar but it

won't hurt your playing

Why would you do that?

Trust me

That wasn't so bad, was it?

No

What are you doing?

Namaka, I'm married

It was fate that you came to me

I don't want to mess everything up

Don't think so much

Just feel

(radio) You're listening to M.A.U.I. Hawaii

(Guy) Folks, if you're just joining us,

We've got all eyes on Mauna Loa right now

as it seems that there's smoke and rumbles

as something or someone has angered Pele

Let's hope that whatever

it is, it gets resolved soon

Keep it right here on Night Marchers radio

and we will keep you informed

on all things geological and mythological

So this is watching us?

I am so sorry

I forgot that was on, I'll erase that

The ancestors are always watching over us

Not literally, I hope

Why not?

I just mean... You know

Nice to have some privacy sometimes

You're so full of contradiction

You say you like privacy but

you also like your recordings

You said you didn't want me

But your body said you did

So much conflict

Humans have such short lives but

It's like you're afraid to really live them

Your life span's, what, eighty years?

That goes by like a flash of lightning

I would think you'd want to

make most of what little you have

Why can't I see you on here?

My oh an a left this place long

before that thing was invented

What are you?

You must have some idea about that

I really don't

Do you see that smoke in the distance?

(Alex) Is that a volcano?

(Namaka) It was Pele

My sister

She has a temper

You're a god?

No

She and I are both daughters of Ku'ula-kai

Pele's mother was Haumea

My mother was mortal

Long ago

I can't even remember her face

Why are you telling me all this?

Because I love you

You don't love me

Of course I do

No, you can't, you barely know me

We made love. Became one.

That was just sex

You know it was more than that

I think I made a mistake

(Namaka) What are you saying?

I have to get back to my family

They'll be missing me

I want you to stay

I can't, I have to go

Fine

See them

But then come back to me

If I can

No! You have to come back

Okay!

I'll come back, I promise

But right now I really have to go

Do you feel okay?

(Alex) Do I feel okay?

I don't know. Why, do I look okay?

I don't know...

You want some water?

(loud waves and distant giggles)

(Alex) Hello?

(Alex) Is someone there?

(Guy) Okay, good afternoon, everybody

We have a very special

in-studio guest today

A fellow truth-seeker

who is vacationing

here on our little island

Now to protect his identity

I'm going to refer to him as...

Howie

Start from the beginning

Ah, okay...

Grab the mic, Howie

So, ah...

I had just bought a ukulele

I was alone in the woods playing it

when this girl came out of nowhere

She was fascinated with me

She said her name was Namaka

Wait, back up

Describe this girl for

us, you mean, like a kid?

No, no, a young woman

wearing a native dress

some shells

and not much else

Lucky you

She was attractive

But it was something

else that drew me to her

I can't explain it

She ran off and I chased after her

I thought we agreed not to talk about that

Oh, yup, sorry about that, my bad

Go on

I may have seen a body

I'm not sure. When I

looked again, it was gone

So you're sure you saw the girl,

but not sure you saw the body?

That's right

But weren't you recording the whole thing?

I mean, you could just push playback and

see what happened

When I checked the video, she wasn't there

I can't explain it

What about the body?

Can we talk about the girl?

Okay, fine, what

happened next with the girl?

I saw her again the next day

She found me in the same exact place

Wait... Hold on...

She found you, or you went looking for her?

Maybe both

And you said there was something

otherworldly about this girl?

Just looking at her filled me with awe

Like seeing a perfect sunset

Sounds like you had the hots for her

It was more than that

So did you bump uglies?

Excuse me?

You know what I mean, be honest, okay?

Did you and this mystery girl

have a physical interaction

of an adult nature?

I don't want to answer that

Sounds like you banged

Guy!

Listen to me

This isn't a joke

I came on the show because I need help

This person, or whatever she is

claims to be a god, or

a half-god or something

and I know she has powers because I felt it

Now I think she's stalking my family

I don't want to see her again

because I'm scared of her

But at the same time, I

don't think I can stop myself

Call it... magic,

or a spell or whatever

But she's got some kind of power over me

I came on this show because

I thought you'd understand

or that maybe one of your listeners would

and that they would have some advice for me

But all you want to do is

make fun of me for f*ck's sake

Dude, I could get fined for that, watch it!

Oh, f*ck your fines!

Okay, folks, we'll be back in one second

Please don't touch that dial

Right back

Dude... Not cool!

I'm not making this up

I believe you

No, you don't

I do! I believe you met a girl in the woods

I didn't know that you actually boned her

I was kidding

It's not funny

I'm sorry

I'm powerless around her

She's ruining my life and

I don't know what to do

Okay

What's her name again?

Namaka

Alright, look, I know a couple people

Let me see if I can dig around

and find something and call you

Really?

Yes

I research the unexplained for a living

You think it's bullshit

I think there's usually

a logical explanation

for these things

Then explain what's happening to me

You really want me to tell you?

I think you're an average dude

who was looking for

a little something extra

You had a little fun

and now subconsciously

you're trying to justify your actions

What if you're wrong?

If I'm wrong?

Well then I'll have to start

believing in the supernatural

Here

Put your number in there

I'll call you if I find

something out, alright?

Sorry I swore on the air

It's okay

But dude...

Before that commercial ends

You gotta go, alright?

Cause you dropped too many f-bombs

Fair enough

See your way out, thanks

And we're back

Okay, for any FCC watchdogs listening in

I have thoroughly admonished our last guest

for his foul language

and have permanently banned him

from this show

We here at the Night

Marchers believe in free speech

But we draw the line at four letter words

Okay

Without further ado

it's time for

Weird News of the Day

(Namaka) Alexander...

(Namaka giggles)

(Alex) Namaka?

(Namaka laughing)

(Alex) What are you doing?

(Namaka) I love you

(Namaka) I'll see you soon, Alexander

Namaka!

Where are you?

Forgive me, Alexander

For what?

I told you too much, too soon

I scared you

I forgot you're only human, I'm sorry

When I was out with my family

I thought I heard you in the woods

Have you been following me?

You said you would come back to me

You were taking too long

I came to this island to

spend time with my family

It seems like you had

more fun with me than time

That's not fair

You used magic on me

We belong together

I have a life at home

I'm going back there in a few days

and I'm never going to see you again

So just leave me alone

You can't leave

I am forbidden to travel

The gods, they may go wherever they like

Kuwahailo is in every drop of rain

Pele can explode anywhere on Earth

But I am confined to this island

If you leave, I can't follow you

I don't want want you to follow me

I want you to forget about me

What are you doing?

I don't want to hurt you

So I will give you a

chance to take that back

Say that you'll stay

Say that you love me

Tell me that you will choose me over them

None of that would be true

(screaming)

You will love me in time

I will make you see me the way I see you

But you have to stay

Stop!

I can make your family disappear

No... Please

Say you'll stay. Say it!

Yes, yes, I'll stay!

You can see your family

one last time

Then you belong to me

We're supposed to leave in three days

Give me till then

Please

Three days

We have a blood oath

It can't be broken

Understand?

Why would you want to be with someone

who doesn't want to be with you?

I'm in love

I can't help it

(Erica) There you are!

What are you doing here?

I'm looking for you

I saw the van out by the road

I figured you must be around here somewhere

I was just coming back

So... this is where you come to play?

Yep

This is it

Scene of the crime

What crime?

I was making a joke... Um...

Hopefully my music's not a crime

Um... Where's all your stuff?

It's in the van

Writing in here

You aren't... seeing things, are you?

What?

Like, you know, like, um

creepy twins

blood gushing from elevators

Yeah, yeah, The Shining

Yeah

I get it

I just want to make sure this isn't

the musical equivalent of

all work and no play makes Alex a dull boy

No, no, it's

real music

Good music

Promise

So when can I hear it?

Soon as we get back home

I'll have the time to sort it out

Fine

But for now

when you're with the family

No more writing music in your head, okay?

I want you to, like...

Be involved, engage in the moment

I will

They all love you, you know

I know... I'll be better

Okay

Ready to go?

(phone dings)

Hey, Guy

Alex Cook

The man who came

into my blissful little world

and messed it all up

What do you mean?

There was another fella

named Cook who came over here

250 years ago

He came during the festival of Lono

So the locals thought he was a god

and they worshipped him

And then

when his ship got damaged during a storm

they realized

that he wasn't a god

So those same people that worshipped him

turned around and bashed his brains in

What's that have to do with me?

Nothing, I hope

What are these?

These are the books that

have challenged my skepticism

of your girlfriend Namaka

She's not my girlfriend

There's stuff in these old

books that you can't find

anywhere else

Entire forgotten histories

They scrub this stuff

from the internet, you know

They do?

Anything that doesn't

fit in with a handful of

prescribed world views

We're living in 1984, my friend

Fahrenheit 451

But instead of burning books

They've convinced

people to stop reading them

Are all these books about Namaka?

These are about the

Polynesian culture and religion

They all mention her by name

These are about other cultures

Asian, African, Native American

They all have creatures like Namaka

Some of them called Nymphs

Naiads, Fairies, Banshees

Every culture has them

The names have changed,

but the stories remain the same

What stories?

Stories of gods that once walked amongst us

Immortal beings

with all the powers of the universe

Sometimes they take on human form

Other times they take on other forms

Like a tree, a river, volcano

Like Pele

Exactly

And I think Pele is erupting

because she's mad at her half-sister

But Namaka's only doing

what all demigods do

They're blessed with all

the powers of being a god

But cursed with all the

emotions of humans, like

love, lust, jealousy

That sounds like her

They long to be all god or all human

But they never will

And they're fascinated with us

because we have something that they don't

Which is?

Mortality

See, everything we do is finite

And that makes it meaningful

In the back of our mind

there's always something

leading us towards the grave

Like a ticking clock

Or like a drumbeat

At least you're not alone

These books

They're filled with stories of people

who've been ensnared with

the affections of the demigods

Now it's various locations

and various cultures

History seems to be repeating itself

In these stories you've read

how does it end for the human?

Usually

not well

Well, what can I do?

I got you something

This is Kuulakai

Namaka's father

The most powerful god on all the islands

And if there's one thing

that we know about gods

is they love to be worshipped

And they've had a really

rough couple of centuries

A lot of people don't

want to believe in them

But if you pray correctly

They may answer your prayers

So that's all I gotta do is just

pray to this guy?

No

You have to believe it

Show real devotion

Worship him

Build a shrine in his honor

Let his daughter come to you

Let her join in this devotion

And that

is when you ask her

to free you from her powers

Will you help me?

Dude. What do you call all this?

Come with me

Look, I don't want to face her alone

No, no, no, no

You made this bed, you gotta lie in it

Are you afraid of her?

I've spent my life humoring people

who told me stories that

I thought were absolutely

ridiculous to make a buck

But hearing your story,

and reading about it

And seeing that smoke

that Pele is spewing lately

It's gotten me to reevaluate

I don't know if I'm afraid of Namaka

But I definitely don't want to be cursed

Here

Read this

It's a book on how to

build a devotional shrine

Unsurprisingly...

They're very similar across all religions

If this works out

maybe you can have me back

on your show to talk about it

Hmmm...

I think I'm done talking about

gods and magic on my show

I've tempted fate long enough

What will you talk about?

I'm gonna stick with

government conspiracies

It's a much safer topic

Good luck with that

Enjoy your homework

Pomaika'i, my friend

(phone ringtone)

(Alex) Hey, sorry, I'm almost done here

We talked about this

You can't just disappear

I, I, I'm sorry, I'm...

I'll come back right now

No, you don't have to

The baby just went down for a nap

Dad's taking a nap, too

There's no reason for you to

need to come back right now

(Alex) Oh, okay then, um...

Maybe I'll just, uh, work

on my music a little bit longer

Or not

You still writing in your head?

Huh?

Well, your notebook is here at the house

and it's blank

(Alex) Oh, yeah

It's still rattling up

around in there, um...

I'll commit it to paper soon

I promise

You'll be back for dinner by six?

(Alex) Of course

I love you

See you then

(nightmare music)

Big hurry

to get places

But then what?

Always trying to get somewhere

But you never arrive!

(laughing)

Hell hath no fury like a goddess scorned

(Guy) Especially the

goddess of vengeance and fire

My husband was taken by the Night Marchers

(Luana) He heard their drumming for weeks

He told me

And then he started acting strange

And then one day

He just... disappeared

The gods, they may go wherever they like

(Namaka) Kuwahailo is in every drop of rain

Pele can explode anywhere on Earth

But I am confined to this island

If you leave, I can't follow you

(Alex) Stop!

I can make your family disappear

(Alex) No... Please

(Namaka) Say you'll stay. Say it!

(Alex) Yes, yes, I'll stay!

(nightmare music ends)

(Alex) Erica!

(Alex) Hello?

(Alex) Is anyone there?

(Alex) Erica!

(Alex) Erica!!!

(Guy) You have to believe it

Show real devotion

Worship him

Build a shrine in his honor

Let his daughter come to you

Let her join in this devotion

And that

is when you ask her

to free you from her powers

Please, Kuulakai

Hear my prayer

Have mercy on me

and release me from your daughter's spell

I offer my devotion in the form of a song

(mournful ukulele music)

I think it worked

Looking at you isn't the same as before

I think your father lifted the curse

There was no curse

You think I forced you

to be attracted to me?

To spend time with me?

To lie to your family about me?

You think that was magic?

No, Alexander

Those were your own choices

I don't believe you

Believe what you want

My father can't help you

Why not?

(Namaka) There are no gods here

They left this place a long time ago

What about Pele?

You said she has a temper

Her spirit lives in the volcano

Just as my father's lives in the mountains

But when humans stopped

believing in the gods

they abandoned you

And they abandoned me

and my kind as well

Unable to leave

Unable to die

Filled with an aching loneliness

you humans could never understand

But

The feelings that I have for you

and the connection we share

It's the only thing that

keeps the loneliness away

Please don't take that from me

You took my family

All I want is for you to love me

What did you do to them?

What if...

I gave you a choice?

What if I could

free you from your blood oath

and you would never have to see me again

But your family would be gone forever

Or...

They could be alive and well

But you'd have to stay here

with me

You could never see your family again

What would you choose?

I just want them to be safe

They didn't do anything wrong

They don't deserve

whatever it is you did to them

So you would choose their well-being

over your own freedom?

If there was anything you could do

I'm begging you, please, I'll do anything

Your selflessness

It makes me love you more

I don't understand

I promised to stay here with you

I did everything you asked

Why did you take away my family?

I watched you with them

I saw how much they meant to you

and

I realized

I could never have what they have

So you k*lled them?

No

I just...

I put you to sleep

in the woods

where I could watch you

It was so lovely

watching you sleep

having you all to myself

How long was I asleep?

Long enough for

them to give up the search and go home

They're alive?

They went back to the mainland

They're very much alive, and...

I'm sure mourning your loss

They think I'm dead?

With them out of the way

I thought you would be free to love me

But seeing how miserable you are

made me realize that I was wrong

I want something from you

that you will never be able to give

I'm so sorry

I tried to tell you

Are you mad at me?

I just want to go back to my family

(Namaka) Do you know what

your people call this kind of shell?

No... I don't

They call it Triton's trumpet

That's the Greek name for god of the sea

I know him as Kanaloa

What's interesting about this kind of shell

is the type of snail that lives inside

It's known for aggressively

chasing its prey

Till one of them is dead

What are you doing?

I'm letting you go

Neither of us will ever be

happy if I force you do stay

Thank you

I'll be forever grateful

This whole time

You thought I was trying to trap you

Using magic to make you stay

But it's the other way around

I am the one who's trapped

Been under a spell since

the first time I set eyes on you

There's only one way I can be free again

Namaka?

Goodbye, Alexander

(smash)

(drumming)

(Levi) Hello?

Is anybody there?

(Namaka crying)

Are you okay?

Don't hurt me!

I'm not gonna hurt you, I promise

Do you know this man?

He was my friend

What happened?

We were building a shrine for Kuulakai

when we heard drumming

and we went to see what it was

and we got separated

I found him like this

We need to get help

I'm scared

Don't be

You're safe with me

Thank you

What's your name?