The story of the 'Ahuimanu families on Henoheno Place has elements of a classic fairy tale: decent folk trying to live peaceful lives in their little village while being subjected to years of unprovoked attacks by an angry, uncontrollable force.

It is the story of Baba Yaga, of Momotaro the Peach Boy, of the Grinch That Stole Christmas — all tales about people who had to squeeze their lives around the random attacks of nearby beasts.

In all these stories, the turnabout comes from the one character brave enough to say "no more" and wise enough to try something new.

The saga of a group of Windward neighbors who were terrorized for 15 years by an uncontrolled bully came to a satisfying end this week when David R. Domingues was sentenced to five years in prison.

An Army officer who moved here from Maryland became the Momotaro of 'Ahuimanu.

Maj. Lamont "Monte" Kapec was able to see through the policy of "just live with it" and to convince his neighbors that banding together and working within the framework of the law would make a difference.

What he did was both classically heroic and unfortunately rare.

How many of us have had a brush with this sort of cruelty, though perhaps not at the same level of intensity? There are David Domingues types prowling and snarling in all sorts of neighborhoods and workplaces. We learn as children to just avoid, ignore, run away — which may be the safest thing in some situations but is impossible if the home you run to is next door to the monster.

Domingues never laid a hand on anyone, and that made the story all the more complicated. If there had been evidence of actual assault or property damage, getting him arrested and taken out of the neighborhood would have been more clear-cut. Verbal threats are hard to stop and bodily harm tends to get more attention.

But Kapec was operating on the belief that enough damage had been done and that tolerating the threats wasn't fixing anything. Kapec was honored this week by the Honolulu Police Department for his leadership role in the courageous acts of his neighbors, who got restraining orders against Domingues and hired an attorney to see the case through.

The story has a moral for us all: Good comes from working together, from working within the justice system, from unwavering commitment to a plan of action and from the underlying belief that the righteous shall triumph in the end.

Of course, there is the possibility of a sequel. Life comes with no guarantees. Prison sentences come with parole dates. But for now, there is a satisfying ending: " ... and the scary guy was locked up and the little village lived in peace."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.