Angevil's Portrait of Portals

Chapter 2. Village Of Hope

A new day in another village. As soon as I woke up and got out of the 'kubo' a traditional nipa hut made in the Philippines, I was glad to see the sunshine with it's vast blue skies, fresh air and wide hectares of land used for vegetation and farming. I saw people going back and forth getting themselves busy with their usual daily lives. I wasn't able to sleep well last night and neither did grandma, I am sure of that.
"Diwa, come here and join us for breakfast." Grandma called onto me from the big house. For a while I have almost forgotten all my worries. I bonded a lot with my cousins and they showed me around the village. I had so much fun all day. For once in my life, I truly felt carefree just as a normal child should be. I didn't want to leave this place but I have to. After my ankle recovers, I will definitely go back to my hometown. I will find mom and dad even if it means sacrificing myself for them. I am more scared of not being able to see them than dying for their sake.
"Diwa, It's getting dark now. Let's go back to the village." One of my cousins named 'Isla' said. We were playing on the riverbed when all of a sudden we heard a 'kalesa'. Kalesa is a traditional transport vehicle which carries atleast 2-3 people and is similar to a carriage. We spotted atleast three carriages that slowly went passed us from the road above close to us. I soon realized that they were the Spaniards when they spoke a familiar language. My initial thought was that out of pure luck they didn't spot me from my direction. But then another realization crossed my mind. They might be looking for me because they were headed towards the village. Grandma. I raced back to the village through the forest hoping to get there just in time before the Spaniards can enter the village. My cousins had no idea why I was running, or rather limping but still they decided to follow me. I gestured to them using my pointing finger signalling "Sshh" for them to keep quiet. It was dark when I finally reached the village through the side fence so I had a hard time looking for grandma. She wasn't in our kubo or nipa hut. My cousins called my attention by saying, "Psst!" In Filipino culture, it has been a common way of calling someone to catch their attention or it can also be referred to as Catcalling. I turned around and saw that the Spaniards halted their horses right infront of my grandmother from the openings of the village. I realized that grandma was waiting for me at the gates of the village. I should have known before coming back here. My legs were shaking in terror. One of my cousins grabbed me to hide under the hut.
"Do you happen to know a child with the name, Diwa?" A Spaniard asked.
Grandmother didn't loose composure but I saw the shock on her face.
"I am sorry, Sir. There is no child with that name here. Is she missing? If so, poor child. Don't worry, sir. We will let you know if she happens to come by the village." Grandma answered.
"Well, we just want to make sure of that. Guards! Search for the girl." A Spaniard ordered his men to invade the inner fences. Somehow I felt relieved because I was so afraid they would recognize my grandmother but thank God they didn't. Now it's my turn again to escape. Before they could even reach my location I hurriedly ran through the forest after climbing the back fence. Due to my broken ankle, I accidentally fell head first while going down the back fence. My adrenaline rush had me running through the forest while enduring the pain. My feet were swollen so I had to stop for a moment while catching my breath. One of my male friends named, 'Bisig' suddenly came to check up on me and helped me to walk up straight as we searched for a good spot to rest. The Tagalog word Bisig means 'arm, labor or manpower'. Bisig was 4 years older than me at the time.
"Thank you, Bisig. Please go back to the village now. I will be fine here so don't worry about me. Please look after your family instead." I said.
He tilted his head as a reply.
"I won't leave you here alone. The villagers will surely look after themselves." He answered.
We were able to get quite far from the village and decided to take a rest on an enlarged tree root. I sat down in a nervous state, I didn't know what to think. I then saw flashbacks of the times I used to climb up the hill in my hometown. I remembered how relaxing and comfortable it was to rest on top of it. I wanted to go there first before searching for my parents.
"They are coming. Keep your head down." Bisig alerted me with a whisper.
I was curious as to what had happened to the village. The carriages went away so I got back on my feet and we both went home together. As we arrived the village premise, my grandmother was waiting in the entrance gates and soon after she saw me being assisted by Bisig as we walked towards the village.
"Diwa, I was so worried about you. Where have you been?" Grandma cried in total panic.
"I am sorry, grandma. I am very sorry for causing everyone trouble. Bisig helped me to hide in the forest until the spaniards went away." I answered. I then noticed some of the villagers' belongings were scattered on the ground from outside their huts. Some were picking and arranging their stuff. I realized that the spaniards must have messed up the villagers houses because of me. Bisig's mother, who serves as the head chief of the village walked closer to us inspecting his son for any bruises before diverting her attention to me and grandma as she spoke the words, "You don't belong here. You have brought us all in danger. We, the villagers need to secure our safety from now on. For whatever reason it was of you seeking refuge here, you must be held accountable with your actions." Grandma and I weren't able to utter a word. His mom then held Bisig's arm tightly as they went back home. Bisig sadly looked at us before walking away. Some of the villagers looked concerned and slowly walked away from us one by one. Grandma looked at me teary-eyed but she still managed to put up a smile while telling me, "You and I belong here. This is our home now until your parents come back. They will come back." For me, grandma's reassurance was nonetheless pure words of uncertainty. In hesitation of staying in the village after causing trouble in my first day, I answered back and said, "My home is in my parents' loving arms. I promise, I will find them." I cried while looking up the night sky. A glimpse of the moonlight gave me hope of reuniting with my parents someday. After bathing, grandma brought me a bowl of soup and a big piece of bread. The night ended with silent tears in my eyes while grandma embraced me as she hummed a lullaby to comfort me in my sleep.
The next morning, I woke up from a deep sleep due to exhaustion the day prior. I went out of the hut, yawned while stretching my arms upward.
"Diwa, at last you have woken up. It's almost lunch time." Bisig said as he munched on an apple from outside my hut. He was about to leave when I asked, "Where are you going?" He then answered, "Just roaming around checking up on everybody. Look, I just wanted to say sorry on behalf of my mom's harsh words last night. She is a loving mom, you know? She just wants to protect me and the village." I smiled even though deep inside I was very sad then I replied, "No worries. I understand. I know she didn't mean what she said last night." Bisig smiled back and held my hand. "Let's find your mom and dad." He said. I was speechless. He then added, "I overheard the elders talking about your parents and why you ended up here. I just wanted to help." I was shocked so I replied, "No. It's too risky for you atleast, but for me somehow it feels like a responsibility. Like you, my parents mean the world to me." I said. After that, we both went silent while looking at each other. "Hey, what's with that stare? Are you two dating already?" My boy cousins started teasing us. My girl cousin, Isla joked about how she was a better pair to Bisig than I am, so she challenged me to a traditional folk dance called, 'tinikling'. The dance is commonly practiced by skipping the feet alternately in between two wooden bamboo poles being opened and closed by two other members as a form of dancing. Females are usually the dancers while males are the ones moving the bamboo poles. In the end, Isla won the challenge because she was a better dancer than me. We all laughed together while walking towards the big house to have lunch. I felt a little uneasy when Bisig's mother approached us. She then hugged me with tears in her eyes while saying, "I am deeply sorry for what I said to you last night. I truly am." It all made sense when I saw the other villagers smiling at me as they invited all of the children for lunch. Grandma and the elders were talking about my parents. I realized that they already knew about my story so I suddenly had tears of joy. The faces of the happy villagers welcomed us with open arms and it felt like home again.