HONOLULU (KHON2) — Master storyteller, Lopaka Kapanui, has shared his gift with KHON2 and residents over the years through his Mysteries of Hawaii ghost tours. This week, he shared a personal story of when he was almost drawn away from his hospital bed by a recently deceased young boy.
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“When I was about seven years old, I was in the old children’s hospital. And the building’s still there, across from the Kuakini Hospital,” Kapanui told KHON2. “I was having my kidneys cleaned out, so I was there for a length of time. And I made time with this kid called Scotty boy.”
Scotty Boy was known for being in a commercial for a local bank.
“And so we became good friends and we played a lot in the ward and the children’s playroom. And his bed was right next to mine.”
The doctor came into their shared room one day to talk to Scotty Boyʻs parents.
“And the doctor closes the partition between my bed and Scotty’s bed. And I can see their silhouettes because of the way the lighting is. And I don’t hear anything from Scotty, but I hear the parents crying. I hear the doctor trying to reassure the parents, telling them everything was going to be okay.”
The doctor and parents then left the room.
“And then I see Scotty’s silhouette sitting up in his bed. And I see him swing himself off his side of the bed, come around the front of his bed and then to the partition which is right on the other side of where I am.”
“And his silhouette is saying to me – friend, friend, let’s go play friend. Let’s play, come on.”
Kapanui said he swung his foot off his bed.
“Before I could touch my feet on the ground, from behind me I heard, ʻdon’t you get off that bed, you stay right there.ʻ”
“I turn around, it’s my grandmother Mary who had come to visit me every day,” Kapanui continued, “She was sitting in the chair in the corner of my room.”
“And I said, ʻbut that’s my friend Scotty, I’m going to go play with him.ʻ”
She told him no.
“ʻYou were not paying attention to what was happening. The doctor? The parents crying?ʻ”
“I said, no.”
“She said ʻthat boy, he make. He just passed away. You get off that bed right now, your feet touch the floor you go play with that boy, you’ll never come back.ʻ”
“ʻNo matter what he says, you stay right there in the bed. You don’t move.ʻ”
For the next couple of minutes, Kapanui said he had to sit there listening to his friend, begging him to go play.
“Friend, let’s go play friend. Let’s go play.”
The voice eventually faded out and his shadow disappeared.
