At the very edge of the island, the moon glowed high above. Gramma Tala carried a torch and climbed a steep path, with Moana following. It was a treacherous¹ path of jagged lava² rocks along dark crashing waves that erupted in sprays of sea foam³. Gramma Tala stopped for a moment to catch her breath before continuing. Moana tried to help her, but Gramma Tala shooed her away, determined⁴ to do it on her own.

 

"You've been told all our people's stories ... but one," said Gramma Tala, continuing the climb. She held up her walking stick and used it to move aside a tangle⁵ of overgrown vines. Behind them were large stones that blocked a hidden lava tube. Gramma Tala used her stick to try to loosen one of the stones, but it wouldn't budge⁶.

 

"What is this place?" asked Moana, helping⁷ to move the rock.

 

"You really think our ancestors stayed within the reef?" Gramma Tala asked, her eyes flashing in the dancing light of the torch.

 

Moana knocked down the rest of the rocks, revealing a large opening. A gust⁸ of wind whipped through the cavern⁹, blowing her hair from her face and sending a chill that tingled¹⁰ through her body.

 

"Ooooooh," Gramma Tala said with an air of mystery.

 

"What's in there?" Moana asked, her curiosity growing by the second.

 

"The answer."

 

"To what?"

 

"The question you keep asking yourself. Who are you meant to be?" Gramma Tala handed her the torch. "Go inside ... bang the drum ... and find out."

 

Moana stared into the darkness for a moment before slowly climbing through the hole and into the dark lava tube.

 

Carefully placing one foot in front of the other, she walked past dripping walls. As she moved deeper, a low rumbling¹¹ sound began to build, and soon she could tell it was the sound of a waterfall. Intrigued¹², she picked up her pace. When she stepped around an enormous boulder¹³, she saw something that nearly knocked her to her knees—a giant hidden cavern filled with dozens of ocean-voyaging boats!

 

She rushed toward the boats in awe¹⁴ and ran her hand along their smooth wooden sides, looking up at the majestic¹⁵ sails towering above. She jumped from boat to boat, exploring them, amazed by their beauty and intrigued by the adventures they must have seen.

 

The wide waterfall poured into the cavern's glistening¹⁶ pool. It also helped disguise the entrance from the sea so that it could not be seen from the outside. A canoe floated at the foot of the waterfall. Excited, Moana jumped onto the hull¹⁷ and maneuvered¹⁸ the boom. As the sail swung around, it revealed a massive double-hulled canoe behind it. Each hull was a support float that helped the boat stay steady on the ocean. Moana knew by looking at it, that the canoe had carried many things.

 

Moana climbed onto the double-hulled canoe's upper deck and noticed a log drum. "Bang the drum," she said to herself, repeating her grandmother's words.

 

Moana picked up a thick pair of wooden sticks that sat beside the drum and tentatively banged on it. Nothing happened. She banged again, this time a bit louder, and waited, wondering if something was going to happen. It was quiet for another moment, but then suddenly she heard an echo—a rhythm as clear as an old, familiar song.

 

Moana listened carefully, then banged out the same rhythm, and something did happen. Whoosh¹⁹! The chilly²⁰ wind returned, and lines of torches magically lit, illuminating²¹ the tapa sail of the boat.

 

Moana stared at the sail as it filled with wind and began to move, rhythmically²² waving. The drum continued to play, banging out an ancient pattern that reverberated²³ against the stone cavern walls, filling it with music.

 

In Moana's imagination, a shadowy sea came to life on the sail, as if it were right in front of her. It played out the story of her ancestors: voyagers who navigated²⁴ the ocean by the wind, the moon, and the stars at night. They used the sun, waves, and currents to find their way during the day. Captivated, Moana watched as the sail showed how the adventurous²⁵ group voyaged from island to island over the rolling swells²⁶ of the ocean, unafraid of its endlessness, unafraid of the far-off horizon line. They were confident and proud. And when it was time to find a new home, they bravely sailed across the ocean to find one.

 

"We were voyagers," Moana said, letting the surprising fact sink into her mind. "We were voyagers!" she repeated. She could hardly contain her excitement.

 

Outside the secret cavern, Gramma Tala could hear Moana as she raced back out yelling, "WE WERE VOYAGERS!" Shaking, she sat down next to Gramma Tala on a rock and asked, "Why'd we stop?"

 

Gramma Tala grunted²⁷ and said one word: "Maui." She pointed²⁸ to the horizon, and Moana pictured it coming to life in her mind, seeing images to match Gramma Tala's tale. "When he stole from the mother island, darkness fell, Te Kā awoke, monsters lurked²⁹, and boats stopped coming back. To protect our people, the ancient chiefs forbade voyaging and we forgot who we were." She looked up at the island. "And the darkness has continued to spread, chasing out fish, draining the life from island after island."

 

Snapping out of the story, Gramma Tala motioned to the bluff³⁰. It was turning black! Moana touched a darkened vine, and it crumbled³¹ in her hand, leaving nothing but a pile of dust.

 

"Our island!" Moana said, concerned.

 

"But one day, someone will journey beyond our reef, find Maui, deliver him across the great ocean to restore the heart of Te Fiti ... ," said Gramma Tala.

 

Gramma Tala placed a special stone in Moana's hand. Moana gazed at its spiral and suddenly remembered finding it all those years ago after the conch shell. "... and save us all," Moana said, mesmerized³².

 

Gramma Tala smiled. "I was there," she said. "The ocean chose you."

 

"I—I thought it was a dream," said Moana, tracing the stone's deep-ridged spiral. It was the heart of Te Fiti.

 

As she continued to drag her finger, the water whirled faster and faster around them, forming a circle in the shallows, with Moana at its center. The majestic whirlpool rose around them, exhibiting its strength and power.

 

"Nope," Gramma Tala said, assuring Moana it had not been a dream. Then she pointed her walking stick at the sky, showing Moana a hook constellation³³. "Our ancestors believed Maui lies at the bottom of his hook. Follow it; you will find him."

 

Moana stared at the heart in her hand. "But ... why would it choose me?" she asked. "I don't even know how to get past the reef." She thought for a moment and suddenly said, "But I know who does!"

 

Moana got up and ran toward the village as fast as she could.

 

Gramma Tala watched Moana go and sat back down, exhaling³⁴.

 

在小岛边沿，月亮洒下缕缕银光。塔拉祖母手举火把，沿着一条陡峭的小道向上攀爬，莫阿娜紧随其后。这条小道遍布参差不齐的熔岩，看起来危险重重。小道一侧翻滚着汹涌的黑色波浪，溅洒出海水泡沫。塔拉祖母停了一会儿，歇了口气，接着继续前行。莫阿娜试图搀扶她，可塔拉祖母嘘声示意她走开，她想凭自己的努力爬到目的地。

 

“关于我们祖先的故事，你基本上都听过了……不过还有一个你不知道。”塔拉祖母边爬边说。她举起手杖，移开一团蔓生的葡萄藤。在它们后面，有堆大石头堵住了一个隐蔽的熔岩洞。塔拉祖母又用手杖捅了捅一块石头，想松动它，可它却一动不动。

 

“这是什么地方？”莫阿娜问道，她搭了把手搬走了那块石头。

 

“你真以为先辈们没踏出过礁石一步？”塔拉祖母反问她道。火把上火焰舞动，视线的眼中闪烁亮光。

 

莫阿娜将其余的石头都敲了下来，看到了一个大洞口。一阵狂风穿过洞穴猛然刮过，吹乱了她的头发，也带来一阵寒意，让她感到浑身刺痛。

 

“哦哦哦……”塔拉祖母叫着，看起来神神秘秘的。

 

“洞里有什么？”莫阿娜问道。她的好奇心立马被勾起来了。

 

“答案。”

 

“什么答案？”

 

“你经常问自己的那个问题：你该成为什么样的人？”祖母将火把递给她。“进去吧……去敲击大鼓……找到答案。”

 

莫阿娜盯着黑幽幽的熔洞看了会儿，才缓缓穿过洞口，往里走去。

 

她蹑手蹑脚地往里挪着，经过了几面正在滴水的墙。她继续深入时，一阵低沉的隆隆声隐约传来，很快她就听出那是瀑布发出的声音。她更好奇了，于是加快步伐。当她绕过一块大圆石后，她看见有东西差点撞到自己的膝盖——这个隐蔽的大溶洞里居然有几十艘航海船只！

 

她心怀敬畏地冲向那些船只，用手滑过它们平整的木质边沿，又抬头看向挂在高处壮观的船帆。她从一艘小船跳到另一艘，摸摸这儿又摸摸那儿，不禁赞叹它们的美丽，痴迷它们曾经见证的精彩冒险。

 

一帘宽大的瀑布涌入洞穴内闪闪发光的水池中。这帘瀑布遮住了连接大海的入口，所以从海上无法看见里面的景象。一艘小船漂浮在瀑布底下，莫阿娜兴奋地跳了上去，拉动吊杆。船帆左右摆动，让位于其后的一艘厚重的双体船露了出来。每层船体都是用来支撑的浮板，能让船在海上平稳航行。莫阿娜一眼看去就知道这艘船上肯定装了不少东西。

 

莫阿娜爬上双体船的上层甲板，发现上面有个原木制成的大鼓。“敲击大鼓。”她自言自语地重复着祖母的话。

 

莫阿娜拿起放在鼓边一对粗大的木棍，试探性地敲了一下鼓。什么动静也没有。她又敲得更大声了些，然后等着，想知道会发生什么。又安静了一会儿，突然，莫阿娜听到一阵回音——那节奏十分清晰，就像一首熟悉的老歌。

 

她仔细地听着，接着敲出了相同的节奏，此时不可思议的事情真的发生了！呼的一声！凛冽的寒风猛刮过来，然后一排排火把都神奇地亮了起来，将船上的塔帕船帆照得通亮。

 

莫阿娜盯着船帆，只见它迎风鼓起，开始咯吱咯吱地舞动。莫阿娜继续敲击大鼓，奏出一首古老的乐曲，这美妙的音乐声在石墙间回荡，响彻洞穴。

 

在莫阿娜的想象中，一片神秘的大海出现在船帆上，仿佛就在她面前。大海演绎出她先辈们的传奇故事：一群航海家夜间利用海风、月亮和星星导航，白天则通过太阳、潮汐与洋流确定航向。莫阿娜入迷地看着船帆上一队探险家们越过翻滚的巨浪驶向一座座岛屿，不惧怕大海的无穷无尽，也不惧怕遥远的地平线。他们信心十足，自豪不已。需要找新岛安家时，他们便勇敢地穿越海洋去寻找新大陆。

 

“我们曾是航海家。”莫阿娜喊道，沉醉在这个惊人的发现中。“原来我们曾是航海家！”她又喊了一声，抑制不住内心的激动。

 

在秘密洞穴外，塔拉祖母听到莫阿娜跑回来了，还大声喊着：“我们曾是航海家！”她舞动着身体，一屁股坐到塔拉祖母身边的石头上，问道：“我们为什么停止了航海？”

 

塔拉祖母慢悠悠地吐出两个字：“毛伊。”她指向地平线，莫阿娜在脑海中想象着地平线，仿佛看见祖母所讲的故事场景。“从他偷走特菲提之心的那刻起，黑暗降临，恶卡苏醒，怪物横生，出海的船只再也回不来了。为了保护岛民们，先前的酋长们便严令禁止出海航行，此后我们便渐渐地忘却了自己的身份。”她抬头看向岛屿，“黑暗仍在持续蔓延，驱逐着我们的鱼类，让一座座岛屿生机尽逝。”

 

塔拉祖母就此打住，走到断崖边。突然，四周被黑暗笼罩！莫阿娜触到一根颜色发黑的藤蔓，藤蔓在她手中化作了一抔尘土。

 

“我们的岛！”莫阿娜担忧地说。

 

“总有一天，会有人驶出我们的礁石，找到毛伊，带他穿越广阔的海洋，将特菲提之心归位……”塔拉祖母说道。

 

祖母将一块特别的石头放到莫阿娜手里。莫阿娜盯着石头上的旋涡，猛然记起，这就是多年前自己捡到海螺壳后发现的那块石头。“……然后，拯救所有人。”她若有所思地说道。

 

塔拉祖母笑了。“当时我也在海边，”她说，“大海选中了你。”

 

“我——我一直以为那只是个梦。”莫阿娜说着，又用手摩挲着它深深的旋涡纹路。原来这就是特菲提之心。

 

她继续摸着这颗心，海水围着她们越转越快，在浅滩上绕成一个圆圈，将莫阿娜围在了中间。随即这股壮观的漩涡冲向天空，尽情展现它的能量。

 

“不是梦。”塔拉祖母告诉莫阿娜它实实在在发生过。然后她将手杖伸向空中，将鱼钩座指给莫阿娜看。“我们的先辈们坚信，毛伊就在他的鱼钩下方。跟着它，你就可以找到毛伊。”

 

莫阿娜盯着手中的特菲提之心。“不过……为什么大海会选中我呢？”她问道，“我连怎么越过礁石都不知道。”她思考了片刻，突然叫道：“不过我知道谁能越过礁石！”

 

说完，莫阿娜起身飞快地朝村里跑去。

 

塔拉祖母望着莫阿娜跑远的背影，舒了一口气坐回原位。

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