Ang Tawo Nga Nangita Sa Kasingkasing Sa Habagat

Sugilanon ni Omar Khalid
[Mananaog gihapon ni sa usa ka tigi niadtong 2003.]NAMAT-AN ko siya nga piskay ug puno sa kinabuhi. Kini sukwahi sa
akong nasaksihan kaniya sa milabayng buntag. Tingali may alibyo ang
iyang samad nga akong gipanghampolan sa lapyong mga salibunhon. Wa ko
siya tandoga sukad sa iyang paghibutho nga samaron ug puno sa mga
pangos. Nagtuo ko nga ang pagtukbil kaniya sa maong panghitabo dili
makaayo. Ang maong kasinatian may iya ra unyang dapit sa kahasol sa
tawo nga angay iasoy sa tukmang higayon. Kon unsa man, nagtuo ko nga
kini sama sa tanghaga nga gikipi sa dagat.
Layo ang latos sa iyang panan-aw samtang naglantaw lahos sa bentana
sa payag; milawig sa nagrumpi nga dagat… gidagsa sa dapit nga dili na
maabot sa akong pangagpas… nagbilig hagit nga kanunayng nagtunol og
kalibog sa buot magpakisusi. Nahimong pangutana ang iyang pag-abot
ning akong payag daplin sa baybayon kay wala man siyay gikasugilon
kanako. Natugkad ko nga ang tawo usa ka anod sa kapalaran apan niini,
siya way gikasugilon.
"Ania ang imong pamahaw," gitandog ko ang iyang paghitiltil sa
kahilom nga nag-akbo sa salingkamot sa tamboanan.
Mipasalamat siya ug gikab-ot ang pagkaon. Miyaka siya sa salog nga
nag-igno nga di hisagirohan ang dakong samad sa iyang paa nga
gibugkosan kog dugnit nga saguran. Miping-it ang iyang nawong samtang
mipugos pagbakyaw sa iyang mga bukton nga nagan-os sa pangog ug bun-
og.
"Ang imong pag-atiman kanako nakahasol kaayo sa imong kinabuhi."
Gihanggop niya ang lugawng lanot nga gitambawan kog diyotayng una sa
ginamos. Nalipay kong sa unang higayon, giganagan siyang mikaon.
"Unta og nakalusad pa ako, makasuwa unta ikaw ug til-ogon. Apan
kining kulyada maoy mabasol."
"Ayaw kanag hunahunaa, Iyo—"
"Berto. Berto Magpayo."
Miyango-yango siya. Unya gidumol na usab sa iyang baba ang ngabil sa
yahong nga nahipihip sa lugaw.
"Misayo kog mata aron mahuktan ang pukot. Maayo na lang manaksay
karon mentras naghasi kining hangin." Gilikayan ko nga susihon ang
iyang ngalan. Gipaabot ko nga ang tawo mosumpay ug mohukas sa iyang
tinagoan. Apan kay wa man siyay gikatubay, mipuno ko: "Ang imong
paghiabot sa Punta Cruz usa ka pangutana. Wala kay gikasugilon niini."
Nahilom siya. Ingon sa diha siyay gihagpat sa iyang kaisipan nga
nawani sa iyang pagsilibudhay. Bisan ang nag-irog nga taobon didto sa
awo nga giatngan sa mga mananaksay og gisaw, wa makakighod sa bugno
sa pagbati nga tingali anaa karon naglungkaob sa iyang dughan.
Nanghupaw siya ug nakuwadro pagbalik ang iyang bayhon sa bukas nga
tamboanan. Gilantaw niya ang nagbukal nga dagat. Sa tabok, makita ang
Isla Gimbawian nga giulang sa luag nga dughan sa bukana nga nag-unlan
sa piliw sa Punta Cruz. Walay makita bisan usa ka mamamasol nga
nagpalawod tungod sa kalisang sa habagat. Nabati ko ang kusog nga
tinapya-tapya sa dagat nga giduot sa hawon ug taobon.
USA kadto ka kaadlawon sa akong pagpangitang sa kantil. Nagtaghoy-
taghoy akong namugsay pauli samtang girumbo ang parola sa Dakong Bato
nga maoy tungdonon sa mga mananagat nga mamauli panahon sa kagabhion.
Nalipay kong naghunahuna nga nakadawi og mamsa kay kon pananglit
motira na usab ang habagat sa Negros nga nahimong tultolonon sa
panahon matag tuig, aduna akoy makuot-kuot. Misugod na niadto og liso
ang hangin nga maoy kaaway sa mga mananagat ning among balangay.
Lisod pangitangan ang bukana sa Punta Cruz kon tinghabagat kay ianod
ang batoan sa kitang kon hampakon sa bawod. Bansada ang bukana kon
tingkulyada gawas nga tugaw kaayo ang dagat. Ang mga mananagat
mapugos og dayo sa isla kay kini salipod ug isdaanon.
Si Anong nanapit unta nako nga molawig ngadto sa Gimbawian. Apan
gibalibaran ko siya sa katarongan nga naahag na sa tamasok ang kasko
sa akong sakayan. Dinhi lang una ko managinot sa bukana, giingnan ko
siya.
Maayo ra gayong wa ko mahingag og kuyog nilang Anong nga nanayo
ngadto sa Gimbawian kay nabaniog ang balita nga gisulong kuno sa mga
sundalo ang isla nga gituohang gisalagan sa mga rebelde. Igo-igo
lamang ang kamad-an sa isla apan kini nahimong tagutong sa pundok.
Napukan ang mga rebelde sa panggubatan apan sila midaog sa diwa.
Napaslag ang kalinaw sa dapit nga maoy gisaligan sa mga mananagat sa
Punta Cruz ug sila si Anong wa igdungog. Nagtuo ako nga napagan sila
sa panagsangka nga mikalas og daghang kinabuhi. Gawas sa maong taho,
wa nay balita nga nagtuki bahin niini. Ang panagsangka nahimo na
lamang kabahin sa kasaysayan sa dapit nga ang pagatpatan sa isla
lamang ang makasugid. Bisan ang habagat nga nagtultol paghapit sa
dapit way gikaasoy sa mangilngig nga hitabo.
Nagpahigad ang akong sakayan nga naglikay nga masangad ang sag-od sa
takot simpig sa parola sa Dakong Bato sa dihang may nakita akong
sakayan nga nagpundo nga daw nagpalaban sa mahait nga kabatoan sa
pangpang. Ang sinipit niini nagkuma sa batong lunggan nga gitarokan
sa parola. Ang tumoy sa pisi didto gipakgot sa pamawong sa sakayan
nga nagpugong nga dili ianod balik sa lawod.
Kalit akong gipiog sa kakulba nga naglantaw sa sakayan. Ngitngit pa
apan sinati nako ang lus-aw nga bulok-asul nga budlis-budlis bisan
pag wa ko na makita ang pintal sa kuberta. Kang Anong kini! Apan hain
si Anong? Ang kalibog ug kabalaka nagsungag sa akong kahiladman.
Giariya ko ang akong sinipit ug inanayng gipatagustos ang pisi. Ang
pundo nga nakasarap og guang lig-ong mipugong sa sakayan. Giligwatan
ko ang ulin aron batokan ang kusog nga kinabya sa dagat nga mugna sa
linamba sa balod nga midumog sa pangpang sa Dakong Bato. Gikab-ingan
ko sa tukon ang palahos sa sakayan ni Anong sa pamasin nga dili
malastar sa hawon. Gilaod sa laing pisi ang masigkasakayan. Apan dili
si Anong ang akong nasagap didto sa luwang nga hapit na saopi sa
hinubigon! Usa ka tawo nga samaron, walay bisan diyotayng salimbong,
walay panimuot nga sukad, wa ko pa ikahibalag.
Ang kaluoy nagbutad kanako sa pagbalhin kaniya sa akong sakayan.
Gibuhian ko ang sakayan ni Anong nga dali sab kaayong gisantak sa
sulog paingon sa lawod.
Karon, ang tawo nahimong binuhat nga walay ngalan sa suok sa akong
payag. Kon kinsa siya, ako wala niya suginli.
"UNSAY balita sa kagubot didto sa Gimbawian, Iyo?" tul-id ang iyang
pangutana nga mikab-ot sa katugnaw sa kabuntagon.
"Namingaw ang isla. Napayhag ang kuta sa mga rebelde human hulgi og
bomba sa militar. Nahimo kining dapit sa wa ikalubong nga mga
minatay." Gilut-od ko ang yahong ug gihangwat aron dad-on didto sa
panghugasan.
Wala siya motingog. Nasigpatan kong gilantaw niya pagbalit ang bukana
sa Punta Cruz nga karon namuway sa balod nga nakigharong sa kapintas
sa habagat. Ang iyang apapangig mibantok ug nakita ko ang paghugot sa
iyang ngabil. Wala siyay timik nga nagpaminaw sa naglinugapak nga
baybayon. Ang kasuko sa habagat sa Agosto iyang nasaksihan.
"Unsang hangina kini, Iyo?" nangutana siya samtang naglino ako sa
iyang gikan-an. Ang iyang laghaw nga tingog mikuyog sa kisaw sa mga
balod.
"Habagat."
"Unsay mahimong kahinguhaan karon sa mga mananagat nga ania kining
hangin?" natataw ko ang kahingawa sa ganay sa iyang tingog. Ug kay wa
man akoy gikatubag, siya mipadayon: "Unsay atong makitang kaayohan sa
dapit nga gasa sa kagamhanan?"
Wa ko motubag. Gipasagdan ko siya sa pangutana nga mituhop sa akong
kahiladman. Ang Punta Cruz way damgo, way pangandoy. Ang mga
mananagat naanad na sa kaparat sa dagat. Dinhi, ang kinabuhi sa tawo
gikahalad na sa dagat. Dinhi, ang tawo daw kabahin sa taob, hunas;
hunas, taob. Dinhi, ang dagat maoy usa ka basahon; naglitok sa
pinulongan nga gitamdan sukad pa sa among unang mga ginikanan.
Usahay, ang dagat manggihatagon. Usahay, hakog. Apan bisan pa, ang
dapit malinawon nga nagpahimulos sa yanong kinabuhi.
Ang iyang pangutana nag-abyog og liboan ka mga kalibog sa akong
pangisip. Tinuod, ang Punta Cruz usa ka dapit nga nataligam-an sa
panahon. Lahi sa lungsod nga nagsapot kanunay sa kalipay sa kalag.
"Ug ang Punta Cruz nakontento? Samtang sa pikas tampi… sa laing mga
baybayon, ang tawo nagkaon sa kabuhong ug katagbaw sa kinabuhi…"
"Ang tawo sa yuta walay mahimo. Kita ubos sa usa ka kagamhanan. Angay
nga makontento sa unsay anaa." Gikab-ot ko ang upos sa inunay nga
gisuksok sa lugpit sa bungbong ug giduom.
"Aduna kitay mahimo, Iyo. Usbon ta ang hulagway sa katilingban. Kita
maoy mousab niini alang sa atong mga anak."
Nahimalingka ko. Wa ko ikahimuot kining iyang gisulti. Nganong
tugawon man ang kamalinawon sa Punta Cruz? Ang mga mananagat
nagpakabuhi nga malinawon. Apan kining tawo nga nagsandig sa
katarongan nga iyang nakit-an may tinguhang mousab sa nawong ning
among dapit.
"Ang Punta Cruz nakapasig-uyon sa habagat… ug kini nabuhi sa maong
paagi. Nganong ikaw dili mosalindot sa napalgang prinsipyo? Mokuyog
ka sa huros sa hangin. Sama sa habagat…" Gitutho ko ang gimaskadang
tabako didto sa gawas.
"Napukan diay kamo sa habagat!" matod niya sa gusbat nga panagway.
"Unsa kana?"
"Ang habagat may kapukanan kon pangitaon mo ang iyang kasingkasing."
"Dili mahimong batokan ang habagat. Malipoton kini. Bisan ang dagat
wa pa masayod unsaon kini pagharong. Dagatnon ako ug nasayod nga ang
habagat angayng pasagdan sa iyang kabangis."
"Dili, Iyo. Mahimo ninyong batokan ang habagat. Mahimo kon tinguhaon.
Oo, mahimo…"
Wa ko hisabti ang iyang gipanulti. Ako walay tinguha nga mokalawat sa
iyang hunahuna. Apan sa hilom gidayeg ko ang iyang kamahayagon. Ang
batan-on may luna sa iyang katilingban kun sa unsa mang butang
balaanon nga siya lamang ang nagtipig. Apan kini lapsaw sa akong
panabot.
Nanaog ko ug mipaingon sa dakong punoan sa bituon diin nagbitay ang
akong pukot.
GIKAHIBULONG sa balangay ang iyang paghiabot. Ang akong payag
nahimong unod sa pakisusi sa mga molupyo. Naglabi ang pangutana kon
kinsa kining hitsuraan nga tawo nga mikuyog kanako pagpuyo. Gihupay
ko ang ilang kabalaka nga ang ilang nakita usa ka di iglayong
paryente sa namatay kong kapikas. Kini mibakasyon ug nakaayon sa
huyuhoy sa baybayon. Si Maning, pamakak ko kanila sa tinuod niyang
ngalan, tawong mahigalaon ug nahigugma sa kinabuhing dagatnon.
Nakakaplag og kagubot sa siyudad ug nakahukom nga anhi magpalabay sa
panahon, hinubay ko kanila.
Nahiayon ang tawo sa ngalan nga gibunyag ko kaniya. Nadayag ang iyang
kaambongan dihang nagpaawot ug namarbas. Wa ko na tinguhaa nga
masayod pa sa gikumkom niyang tinagoan. Iya na sa kasaysayan ang
pagsusi kon kinsa siya ug diin gikan.
Nahikatawa ko dihang usa ka hapon sa Mayo, nalantawan kong may kauban
siyang dalaga nga nanglibod didto sa lapyahan. Matahom ang dalaga ni
Kompare Imong ug walay ulitawo nga wala mangindahay sa iyang pahiyom.
Mingaw ang baybayon kay wala pa makatakas ang mamungsoray didto sa
danghiligan. Nagpadinguldingol lang kong wala magkabana kanila
samtang nanastas sa gabok nga bahayan sa akong taksay. Nanglingkod
sila sa akong sakayan nga nagdungas sa baybayon.
Usa ka gabii sa dihang kami nanghigda, siya miingon kanako:
"Iyo, nahigugma ako."
"Kasaligan si Minda, Maning."
"Apan dili ako angay sa kinabuhing minyo. Luhag kaayo ang akong
kalag… ang akong kinabuhi may laing rumbo. May nagtinguha sa akong
anino."
Gihinubayan ko siya sa nahitabo sa akong pagtugbong sa lungsod. Ang
mga tawo sa merkado nagubot kay dihay usa ka kompaniya sa mga sundalo
nga nangita sa pangulo sa mga rebelde nga kuno nakaikyas niadtong
pagpuhag sa Gimbawian. Apan niini, siya wa maggunok. Ug sa dihang
buntogon na unta ako sa katulogon, siya miingon: "Mobiya ako dinhi sa
Punta Cruz."
"Ngano, Maning? Nasalta ang akong tingog nga mipasaw sa akong duka.
"Di ko buot nga matugaw ang inyong kamalinawon. Akoy tawo nga may
natan-awng kaayohan diha sa pakigbisog. Ug usab ang akong gugma…"
"MOLAWIG ka na?" Gibira ang akong panuni sa kahingawa. Tangkod na
karong usa ka tuig sukad sa iyang paghiabot kay ania na man usab ang
habagat.
"Gikinahanglan, Iyo Berto."
"Ug talikdan mo ang imong gugma?"
"Kana may panahon ra unya kon ako mahibalik."
"Ang sakayan ako nang gilusad sa lapyahan. Tua didto ang imong balon.
Tua na usab ang bugsay. Apan ang paingnan maoy usa ka pangutana nga
wa mo matubag."
"Pangitaon ko ang kasingkasing sa habagat. Buntogon ko kini aron ang
kalibotan magpuyo sa kahusay ug hawa sa panaog-daog."
"Dili mo mapukan ang habagat. Anugon ang kinabuhi ug kabatan-on."
"Ang kamatayon usa ka butang natural. Dili kahadlokan labi nag tungod
ug alang sa katarong." Ang lamparilya nga nagbitay sa haligi napad-ok
kay milusot sa hilang nga bungbong ang hangin sa Agosto. Wa ko siya
makita. "Ang gugma may masilakon na unyang bulok kon mapukan ko
kining kabangis sa habagat."
"Pag-ayo-ayo, Maning."
"Panalingini ako, Iyo."
"Ubanan ka unta sa grasya. Ang Diyos magbendisyon kanimo."
Miigot ang palid sa pultahan. Mihuot ang akong dughan. Ang kawili
nahimong kuyamoy sa kamingaw nga misugod paghinol sa akong kahiladman.
Sa gawas nagmangtas ang bulhot sa habagat. Nagdaguok ang lawod. Unya,
may nabati akong tinugalbong sa dagkong buto sa mga armas didto sa
lusaran. Apan kadali ra kaayong nawala kay gisakmit man sa nagbagrong
nga hangin.
(KATAPOSAN)

deep in the forest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b8pHlmKVVg

unsa’y natago sa tanghaga? -- TON DAPOSALA

 

Naniid lang ko niya
samtang akong gimapa
ang mga dapit nga
natago sa tanghaga.

Diri sa punta sa iyang abaga
malipong ko sa kahabog.
Sa wa pa ko mahulog
malumos na ko

sa gilapdong dulom
sa lawod niyang buhok.
Unya nilatagaw ko
ngadto sa kinahabog

nga tagoanan
sa iyang dughan
diin masud-ong ko 
ang kapuwa sa kilumkilom

sa iyang pahiyom.
Hangtod masaksihan ko
ang iyang kandiis
ang nagdan-ag sa dulom.

Gilantaw nako ang talan-awon
ug makaingon ko sa akong kaugalingon
nga daghan pang dapit
nga angay dangaton,

daghan pang butang
nga kinahanglang akong makat-onan
ining kalibotan. Ug karon
nipanaw ko sa habagatan

aron mapalgan ko unya
ang bugtong bahandi
nga natago sa tanghaga.

The Haunted Cottage ( Mechelle Centurias)

Cagay, is a beautiful barangay in the province of Cebu. It has a population of more than three thousand souls, has two churches, a primary school, a hot spring and waterfalls that are so nice to visit but has fewer stores that people who want to eat fish and meat shall walk five kilometers to the market.

The residences of the poor inhabitants are very simple in their appearance. They are not guarded unlike to some of the wealthy ones. The more fortunate people has big houses surrounded by beautifully laid out lawns, containing ornamental trees of various kinds and numerous beds of flowers of choice and sometimes very rare varieties.

On the Judas Street, near church and fifty meters walking distance to the hot spring and waterfalls, there stands a neat two-storey cottage, painted white. It has in front a small yard, which extends back to the stable. The tidy appearance of the cottage and its pleasant situation are sure to attract a stranger’s attention. Upon entering the cottage, everything is found to be so tastefully arranged, so scrupulously clean, and so comfortable, that the visitor feels at home in a moment that everything is looked after by a good one.

Most of the visitors coming in are having adventures in the beautiful hot spring and waterfalls. Nanay Lina has been working there for ten years as a caretaker. She is a good soul as ever lived, always hard at work. From early morning until dusky eve she is on her feet. It has always been a gossip and astonishment, among the neighbors, as to how old woman could work so incessantly without becoming weary and resting for an hour or so after dinner.

Tonight is cool and pleasant. The hour is nearly six o’clock in the evening—the hour for supper in the cottage. Mitch is staying in the cottage for two days and a night together with her high school friends.

“It’s been six years already when we last met!” said Mona, the president of the class.

 “Many events of our lives are needed to be discussed. I guess two days is not enough.” replied Mitch.

 The rest of the girls were chatting about their love stories. Some were talking about their carriers. It is now ten o’clock.  Mitch sat on the front step humming the tune of a well known hymn to herself as she gazed up at the stars, for it must be remembered that although she not by any means pious, still, like a dutiful girl, she wanted to go to church with the man she loved. Many things happened to her. Some made her happy and some made her sad. But whatever they maybe those were God’s plan.

The girls were quite now taking their rests but for Mitch wanted to urinate, she got up and went to the comfort room. As she exited from their room, she saw total darkness so, she lit the lamp.  She screamed because something jumped off to her. When she turned her head, a rat ran around. She sighed.

“I can’t sleep. What is happening to me? Life is so unfair.”

“Hey Mitch! Are you okay? Remember, we are here to enjoy and forget our problems.”,  said Mona who followed her.

“Mon, how can I enjoy when I know that my life from now on would not be easy. I am bearing a bastard child. At my young age, I never know what kind of life I can give him.”

Mitch knew that she’s still in love with Roland but he cheated her all along in their three years of relationship. She just cannot move on so easily. Roland only gave her a cold shoulder and a false hope that someday they will be together. When she told him that she was impregnated, he disappeared.

“There, that’s what I think is the matter with you, and I can tell you one thing my lady and that is, that sooner you get over your infatuation for that disrespectful man.  Life must go on. Don’t worry, we are always be here to support you,” comforted Mona.

The girls decided to sleep early so they can continue their adventure the other day. It was past twelve when a scream can be heard echoing the entire room. Everybody got out from bed and lit the lamp so they can check what happened. They saw Mitch crying like crazy.

  “ Hey girl, what happened?”

“ A dream, a nightmare!”, cried Mitch.

“ A nightmare, let us hear it.”

“Well,” she begun, I sat for two hours on the front step looking at the stars. When I went to bed, I felt like urinating so I got up but a large rat ran between my feet. I went to our room and after I shut the door I fell asleep.”

“I dreamt that when I got up in the morning everything and everybody was changed except me. This cottage instead of white is green. You April, Mona, Gerlyn, Manilyn and Divine, all had heads like bears and you all growled at me but yet could talk, and that was very strange. You all had eyes as large as horses’ eyes, only they red as blood. While I was talking to you I heard a noise in the street and on going to the door, I saw hundreds of black bulls with blue eyes, very bright blue eyes coming towards the house, bloods were dripping from their mouths and their feet made fire come out of the ground. They came, roaring very loudly all the time, right straight to the house. They broke down the wall; I ran to the back door and locked it. Then they all commenced to butt the house violently that it nearly fell over. It shook so I woke up and found out that I had fallen out of bed. It is still very clear and fresh in my mind that I can’t get it out of my head”, narrated her.

“It’s just a dream and dream is just an imagination. Stay calm my friend. Okay?”, said Manilyn.

 As the night is very damp and disagreeable, all begin to feel sleepy. Before Mona went to bed again, she took the bucket and drunk some fresh water and immediately went to bed and found Mitch crying. After going to bed, she says, “Oh my God, I forgot to put the lamp out”, rose immediately and extinguished the light.

Mitch, who had just stopped crying remarks to Mona that “ this is a wretched night”, “ somehow I can’t get to sleep again. For a few minutes everything was perfectly still. No sound was to be heard except the breathing of the young girls.

They remained perfectly quite when Mitch jumped out of bed with a scream, exclaiming that there was a mouse under the bed clothes.

 Her scream startled her friend who was almost asleep and she also got out of bed and lit the lamp for she is as much as afraid of rats as Mitch is. They both searched but could not find it. They decided to go to sleep again.

After ten to fifteen minutes,  the girls heard something moving in their bed. Mitch exclaimed, “There is that mouse again, Mona. Let us get up and kill it.”

 They both arose and heard a rustling in a green paste box, filled with patch work which was under the bed. And were amazed to see the box jump up in the air about a foot and fall over on its side. The girls could not believe in their own eyes so Mona placed the box in its old position in the middle of the room and both watched it intently and when to their amazement the same thing occurred again.

They told the other girls in the other room but they did not believe them. They  just laugh to their stories so, they stopped because there had no reason to continue.

Mitch complained of feeling feverish and was advised by other friends to go to bed, which she did. After she had been in bed for about fifteen minutes, Mitch jumped with a sudden bound into the center of the room, taking all the bed clothes with her.

“My God!”, Mitch exclaimed. What can be the matter with me. Wake up Mona, wake up! I’m dying, I’m dying !”

“ Dying!”, responded her. Why dying people don’t speak in that loud tone. Wait until I light the lamp, don’t die in dark Mitch.

Mona thought that Mitch was just kidding but when she lit the lamp, she was considerably alarmed by her friend’s appearance. There stood Mitch in the center of the room, her long  hair almost standing on end her face as red as blood and her eyes  really looked as if they were about to start from their sockets,  her hands grasping the back of a chair so tightly that her nails sank into the soft wood. She was truly an object to look on with amazement, as she stood there in her white night gown trembling with fear. She didn’t know what to do now.

Mona called as loud as she could for assistance so all the girls were running to their room.

“Great heavens’, exclaimed Divine” What shall we do with her now?”

Mona was speechless with amazement, while they stood looking at her friend, not knowing what to do to relieve her agony. She became very pale and seemed to be growing weak; in fact, she became so weak in a short time that she had to be assisted to the bed.

After sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment and gazing the room with a vacant stare, she started to her feet with a wild yell and said she felt like bursting into pieces.

 Mona whispered to her in a calm voice to pray and everything will be okay. Her friends assisted her to go to bed again. She said in a low choking voice,” I am swelling up and shall certainly burst, I know I shall.”

She was literally burning up with fever  and yet as pale as death, while only a few minutes before her face was as red as blood and her entire person as cold as ice. What a strange case, pale when hot and blood red when cold, yet such was really the fact.

While her friends stood looking at her, wondering what would relieve her, for her entire body had swollen to an enormous size and she was screaming with pain and grinding her teeth as in fit, a loud report like thunder was heard in the room. They all started to their feet instantly and seemed paralyzed with fear.

“My God!” exclaimed Mona. “The cottage has been struck by lightning and I know we will be killed!

“I wonder what that awful noise was?” she said. Going to the window and raising the curtain they saw that the stars were shining so brightly and was then satisfied that it had not been thunder they had heard. Just as she let the curtain drop, three terrific reports were heard, apparently directly under the bed. They were so loud that the whole room shook and Mitch for a moment before had been swollen to such an enormous size, immediately assumed her natural appearance and sank into a state of calm repose. As soon as they found that it was sleep and not death that had taken possession to her, they all left the room except Mona who never leaved Mitch.

 The next morning Mitch remained in bed until nine o’clock. When she arose it was seemingly all right again and got her own breakfast. It seemed that nothing had happened last night. Nanay Lina was the one who prepared their breakfast. While in the dining area, they told her everything but to their surprise, she cried. She told them that almost all of their lodgers who came from different places experienced the same thing. She told them that five years ago a beautiful woman was raped and murdered exactly in the room were they stayed. The dead body was covered by the bed clothes and two days after was found under the bed.  Until now, the killer is still the number one wanted person in the town.

“Maybe, that young lady wanted you to help her to have justice.”

The girls return home in the city bringing the experiences and lessons they learned.

Kapyot na sa Biyahing Haruhay by:Mitch

Sa pagkatag sa lalag nga bidlisiw sa sidlakan

sa akong pagbagtas paingon sa tunghaan

malamatong kaanyag akong nakaplagan

diha atubangan sa dyip pampasaheroan.

Wa ako maglangay dayon giwara-warahan

apan ang wa nako nahisabtan,ako gilabyan nipaturatoy ug dagan ug

didto nako nabantayan,puno na wala nay kalingkuran.

Wa maglangay sa akong paghuwat

Dakong trak nihurong nagpakurat.

Wala ko kini panumbalinga tungod kay nalinga

ug sa akong kabalaka, trak nga dako sa panan-aw nahanaw na.

Wala nay laing mabuhat kundi maghulat

sa sunod biyahe basin makajackpot.

Udtong totok na ug layo pa akong latason

dili sigurado sa tukmang gilay-on.

Daghan na nga sakyanan ang nanglabay

apan ako wala man kabantay.

Naay gasunod maoy akong nadungog

tingog sa habal-habal sa kalisod.

Nibalibad ko tungod nagkurog

Kay sa habal-habal hawod kalisod.

Hapit na matago ang adlaw sa sawpanan

kangitngit na unya ang mabatyagan

sa kadaghan nangagi wa ju’y nasakyan

ang uban puno.ang uban gibalibaran.

Pagmahay na lang akong kauban

Sa laing biyahe ako nang paningkamutan

Kun wala nay kasakyan, sa pagkapyot ko naman lang.

Before the Sunset by: Mitch

The sun sank below the horizon that evening in a blaze of ruby and gold. Throughout the day, the weather had looked more than threatening. From an early hour of the morning, the wind had been constantly veering and shifting, showing a strong inclination to back. Now the sea was getting up and the white horses of Neptune had already began to gambol over the crests of the swelling billows which heaved up and down as they rolled onward with a heavy moaning sound, like one long deep- drawn sigh!

Yolanda had a sound sleep alone in their ancestral home nearby the sea. That was the only place where she lived the memories of her parents but for a series of gun shots.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!

“ No! Papa, papa, pap…! She tried her best to carry out a voice from her throat but nothing came out. She ran towards her lying father and hugged him. Suddenly, she felt a sticky, red and warm liquid in her hands. Crying helplessly, she saw a shadow running towards the dark backyard and then she heard a motorcycle speeding. She turned her head and saw a blurry figure of a man so familiar. Wanting to have a clearer description , she ran as fast as she could and follow the direction of the motorcycle.

“No, wait!”.

She became more helpless and almost lost her breath and then she woke up.

Yolanda rose from her bed full of emotion. What happened to her father had always been a nightmare to her. A sad past that dragged her not to move on. It’s been a year already. One year of longing and living in pain. Again, she remembered the most tragic scenario of her life. The enormity of that tragedy was slowly sinking to her again and weighing more and more heavily on her. The sobs broke from her like a storm on a summer evening. She lay down again powerless, helpless, completely lost and bereft. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dropped one by one to her pillow. Finally, the rivers of tears begun to dry and Yolanda felt the healing effect of a good cry. She wiped her face and looked at herself in the mirror, tried as best as she could to repair the damage. She had to realize her mission. She was occupied by a dangerous desire without thinking of the social consequences of her thoughts and action.

“Papa, don’t worry. I will give you the justice I promised.”

From the sumptuous luxury of her room, Yolanda sat in front of her make-up mirror brushing her hair, her mind miles away, searching her father in imagination. Her hand slowly lowered itself, the comb it held forgotten as she found and embraced her father. The sensation was so powerful that it might have been real. She sat there for a long time and might have stayed that way even longer but for the ringing of the phone. It startled her out of her reverie, but it took at least three rings for her to realize where she was and that her mind had been playing tricks on her. A wave of pain rushed over her as she reached for the receiver; half hoping, half dreading, the news from the other side of the line.

“Hello, good morning! “

“Good morning! This is Inspector Rolando Reyes from the National Bureau of Investigation. We would like to inform you that the result of your father’s case investigation is already available. We suggest you to visit our office a.s.a.p.”

It takes a minute for her before she was able to give her answer to the other side of the line.

She looked for her car key and without a minute she drove to the NBI Office. She couldn’t wait to know the man behind her depression.

Fire burned in Yolanda’s eyes, the fire of sheer outrage as she listened to the investigator. She could not believe it and tried not to. She felt the panic rising in her bosom, like a train coming down the tracks headed right for her. Her whole life was blowing up in her face.

“Crack!” The sound of her hand slapping the killer’s face resounded in the big room, echoing from several seconds in the stunned silence that followed.

“How could you do that to us?” raged Yolanda.” We have been so good to you all of our lives. Nobody would have thought you would ruin my life. My mother lost her life when I have mine. What I only got was papa. Have you ever thought of the hardships I encountered? Have you? Answer me!”

Yolanda was crying because of anger. She was not able to control her emotions. Her eyes were rolling up and down; pain and anger could be seen in her face.

But the man could not answer. His meager defenses had crumbled from the force of her counterattack.

“If I had not killed him, it’s the end of me…. I’ll lose everything…everything…! He looked at Yolanda piteously.

“He got everything that was mine. Even before when we were still young until he got to know the woman I love the most. And you know what? He was the reason of the desperate fate I had.”

Silence followed but after a minute she realized where she was.

“I don’t understand!” shouted Yolanda.

“ You can’t really understand. Even me, did not understand. The woman I loved was impregnated by your father’s sinuous act. Who can forget that?

“ What do you mean? I don’t understand”.

Even in business her father tried to get everything from him. Yolanda was shocked from the painful fact that she had just known. There were lots of reasons that he would get mad to her father but she find it not enough to kill him. She saw the pain and anger in her eyes and face before he sobbed.

“I am so sorry, Yolanda .” “You can’t blame me and now I am ready to pay my sin.”

“Oh no! My God…! , she sobbed.

Still shocked, she turned, clutched her stomach and ran wildly from the room.

She proceeded to her father’s gravestone and spoke out everything she had carried so heavily in her heart. She was so happy because she was able to give justice to his father but she was also sad and confused to the revelation he had just known.

“ Papa, justice is in my hand already but I have lots of things to ask you. He told me everything why he killed you. The damage has been done already; I can do nothing about it. Even if you betrayed him, it was not enough reason to kill you”, Yolanda talked to his father seems he was alive.

“Whatever might be your past pa, I don’t care anymore. He is now paying his sin in jail. It makes no difference. You and mama are both gone.”

After that cry, she felt relieved. She sat in the gravestone of his father watching the sun as it sets.

Life Without Love is Not Life at All( by: Mitch)

Life without love is like a body without soul, a sky without stars and a rose without thorn. It is but an empty sheet of paper not having any mark of an ink---meaningless.

How do you think you can live your life without love? How would you feel? That would be so hard to describe. What is love by the way? Does it really exist or it is just an idea? How can you prove that what you feel is really love?

Love is the emotion everyone has mystified. It is the emotion that started when wars ended. It is what makes enemies into friends and friends into more than friends. In short, it is everything.

Love may come into different levels that it does not appear to be the same emotion at all. We see it most in life. Let us start with friendship. As the saying goes,”No man is an island”. You cannot live without friends and without the people who will help you and encourage you to live life more meaningfully. Yes, it does not seem like it but we do feel love towards our friends. This is what helps us get along so well and why we miss them when we do not see them for a long time. If you have a friend, you cannot afford to hurt them or to lose them and that is love. We hold friends over others no matter what happens. Sometimes, the bond between friends deepens to the point where a stronger bond of love is made making them family.

Another level of love is our love to our family. In our daily lives, family is in the circle and God is at the center. You cannot afford to lose anyone of your family not even letting anyone hurt them. You do everything for the sake of your family. Whatever it takes your family is always your family and you cannot rely to other people better than them. Consider the love of a father. He strives hard to support his family and be able to take his responsibility as the pillar of the home. He is willing to work under the scorching heat of the sun. He is willing to work away from home just to uplift his family from poverty. He does not even consider witnessing how his children grow and how his wife stands as the father and mother in their home. Consider also the love of a mother. There is no stronger, nor there will ever be. This bond starts from the very first tiny fluttering of movement and never ends even after death. She sacrifices bearing the child for nine months and most especially the pain of labor. To grow a child is not easy. It is not just feeding them but also instilling those good values that would define them. A mother protects her children in the name of love and directs them through life.

Another level is the love that brings man and woman together. This love brings confusion and complication for this has already been abused most especially among youth. They ignore the real essence of love. They say love hurts. If it hurts, it is not love. If a man falls for a woman because she is pretty that is not love, it is lust. If he falls for she is kind and intelligent, it is not love but admiration. If he falls in love for she is poor, it is pity. If it is really true love, it encompasses everything. It is what that you cannot explain but you can feel and express.

Nobody is excused in love. Everyone experienced it for it is normal. I tried falling in love too but I doubt it if it was for real. I cried rivers of tears and felt fears—fears to lose him. I was once become selfish. I wanted that no other woman would link to him. When I found out that he was dating another girl, I almost explode in anger and pain. I did nothing but feel the pain until it hurts no more. I realized that the essence of true love is acceptance and trust. You have to accept his imperfections. You cannot tell him to change from worse to better. You cannot force anyone to love you. You should not only see his good side but also the other side and accept him for what he is. Another thing is, if you love someone trust him. Never ever think that he is doing something that will ruin your good relationship. Jealousy is the termite of a well-founded relationship. It is the start of misunderstanding. Let your love one breath. Do not suffocate them. If he leaves you, do not ask him to stay but give him reason to come back. Give him reason to miss you. If he comes back to you, you are meant to be. You don’t have to look for love, let love chase you. Our life is well-planned and prepared by God. Let us just follow His blueprint.

The strongest love among all is the love of God. He is the only one who has the unconditional love. His love never sees pretty or ugly, rich or poor nor even young or old. He loves His children fairly. He even sacrificed His own son just to save His sinner people. That is the greatest love of all.

Love gives meaning and color to life, as without it life has no life at all. Lucky is the person who gets and gives love and keeps the flames of love burning forever. It is not a matter of days, months and years. Love is for life and life is to love. Make the journey of life here on earth more exciting, enjoyable and meaningful by always keeping love alive. Love your life and love the persons of your life. Keep the flames of love burning to have a great life.