Angevil's Portrait of Portals

Chapter 12. Come see me

We soon reached the midwife's neighborhood. The pregnant woman was in a lot of pain during labor so I could only tell her to take deep breaths. I myself am not sure what to do. So I stopped the carriage and sat down on the floor infront her so that I could assist her just in case the baby comes out at any moment. I hadn't realized that the carriage was moving on it's own straight to the midwife's home and soon after, we arrived at a big hut where the 'kumadrona' or what we call a 'midwife' or 'traditional birth attendant' lives. When the carriage halted to a stop, I turned around to see what the place looked like and to my surprise I saw that the person driving the carriage was the man in a hooded white robe. He was in a still position as I blankly stared at his back. I got hypnotized by the sight of him. My body felt numb and my ears couldn't hear a sound. It seemed like we were the only two people existing at this very moment. How come I never noticed him driving all the way here? I was certain it was me who drove this carriage awhile ago. Later on, I heard horses arriving at the scene and a voice was repeatedly asking me, "Diwa. Diwa. Are you okay?" It was Isla. I then came back to my senses and in a split second, I realized that I was riding the driver's seat of the carriage. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked back and confirmed that I was never in the back seat assisting the pregnant lady. Was i hallucinating or what? Bisig and Alon both carried the pregnant lady and brought her inside the big hut. I looked at Isla who was standing next to the carriage then I replied to her, "I am fine. Where is he?" Isla looked at me with a confused reaction and asked, "Do you mean, where are we? We are already here in the midwife's hut. Are you sure you are okay?" She then went inside the carriage and hugged me. "You did a great job, Diwa." She smiled as I stared at her straight in the eye with a hint of curiousness. "The man driving this carriage. Where is he?" I asked. "Diwa. You've been driving it all along after you helped the pregnant lady cross the street back in town." I was in complete shock. "No. Was I dreaming all this time? What is wrong with me?" I mumbled to myself. I put my hands on both cheeks and tapped it repeatedly. Isla got concerned and she said, "Please, stop hurting yourself. Maybe you are just tired. I will take care of the pregnant lady so don't worry, okay?" Alon and Bisig then came out of the big hut and asked us to come in to assist the midwife to care for the pregnant lady. Isla asked the two boys to look after me then she hurriedly went inside of the big hut to help with the birthing of the mother. I refused and immediately jumped out of the carriage to follow Isla. Halfway near the door, I was stopped by Alon who had called out my name. He slowly walked towards me and held my hand tightly while saying "Diwa you need to relax for awhile. Please." I then replied while looking away, "I will be fine. Thank you for your concern." But before entering the big hut, Bisig who was standing beside the front door gently grabbed my arm while saying, "Your eyes. They are sore. Are you okay, Diwa?" He suddenly had this worried look as he examined my eyes while his other hand caressed my cheek. Alon came closer to examine my eyes and when he noticed it had turned a bit red, he said the exact same thing. I felt normal and my eyes didn't even hurt. I politely pulled away my arm from Bisig and entered the big hut without saying a word. Bisig was eager to get an answer from me so he pulled me closer to him but Alon grabbed Bisig's shoulder and tilted his head as a gesture to make him stop. I silently turned around as they both followed me inside the hut and as we opened the door, the pregnant lady had already given birth to a beautiful baby girl. I wanted to approach Isla to help her out with the baby but my vision started to get blurry. It was such a weird feeling. I stood by the door for a moment after going inside the hut while the two boys approached the midwife. I saw the midwife tapping the baby's butt cheek as she held it's feet upside down. The well-lit room surrounded by natural sunlight started to turn dark in my point of view. The boys then help carry the baby's mother and transfer her to another bed. We were all glad to see the baby make loud noises as it cried heavily. I tried my utmost best to look normal but all I could do was stand still to avoid losing my balance. Isla glanced at me happily as she held the baby with both arms. I then slowly walked outside without them noticing. I saw a small well nearby and went up straight to it. I was then surprised to see that my eyes were a bit red. I thought that maybe I got an eye infection. Looking at my reflection in the water, an image of the hilltop from my hometown came to view. "Come see me." A familiar voice spoke out from the well. I looked back at the hut and into the water again. The vision of the hilltop was gone. Only one thing crossed my mind. I should go there now. Alone. I then rode my horse so that I could quickly set off to my hometown. Alon who just got out of the hut looking for me tried to chase me as he shouted, "Where are you going, Diwa?" I then answered back, "Please don't follow me. I'll be back soon, I promise." Alon refused and said, "You are not going anywhere alone. I will come with- ." He wasn't able to continue when Bisig tapped him on the shoulder and said, "I will follow her. Please look after Isla and escort her back home." Alon disagreed and said, "Diwa is not your responsibility. Neither is mine. But someone inside that hut thinks that you are her special someone. Atleast give that person a chance to know that you care about her before it's too late." Bisig was speechless. He must have had a realization of who's more important to him. Me or Isla. Alon then chased after me as he rode the carriage. Inside the hut, the elderly midwife spoke to Isla and said, "I am very sorry for the loss of this little one. Her mother is gone. There is nothing much I can do." The midwife shed tears as she looked at the baby with whom Isla was carrying. Isla was shocked upon hearing the bad news and so tears started running down her cheeks as well. A male voice suddenly spoke out, "We.. need to find the baby's biological father. Atleast anyone from the baby's family members. I hope the two of them will be able to come back sooner so we can start our search as soon as possible." Bisig calmly stated as he entered the big hut. While I was riding my horse, my vision turned bloody red in color. With much worry, I figured that I needed to drive a bit slower but then Alon might catch up to me. I then took a different path to which I am sure Alon wouldn't be able to follow. In my mind I needed to do this alone and finish this nightmare once and for all. "I am sorry, Alon." I told myself. After a short while, Alon came back to the midwife's place while Bisig waited for him outside of the big hut. "Where is Diwa? You couldn't find her?" Bisig asked angrily. "I believe she went a different way. I couldn't catch up to her and eventually I lost sight of her. But I have an idea where she might be heading." Alon replied. "Why didn't you go after her in 'THAT' place then?" Bisig started to get annoyed. Isla then stepped out of the house when she heard Bisig talking angrily. She was carrying the baby with both arms. Alon slowly raised his head to face Bisig then he said, "I care about Diwa. But I respect her decision. Maybe she had her reasons on why she is doing this." Isla spoke up and said, "We need you here Alon. The both of you. We should hurry and get this baby checked by a doctor. As for the baby's mother.. please carry her to the carriage and we'll bring her to church where we could ask for help about her family's whereabouts." Isla's tears started running down her cheeks again. Alon looked at Bisig but he seemed preoccupied with the thought of Diwa gone missing. Alon slowly approached Isla and was about to comfort her when Bisig came up to her and wiped the tears from her eyes. Alon smiled and nodded as he looked at Bisig. It was almost dark when I reached my hometown. Infront of me was such a beautiful sight which showed the sunset over the hilltop. Soon after, my eyesight started to get clearer and my heart felt lighter. I soon realized that this was my calling. I looked at the hill from below and saw a huge gust of wind blew the leaves from the big old tree. Later on when I finally reached the hilltop, I stood by the tree for a while. I felt the cold breeze embrace me like it was saying, "Welcome Home." I slowly raised both of my arms up in the air like I used to. I walked in circles enjoying every second of my stay here in the hilltop until I caught sight of someone nearby and with that I froze for a moment. In a wooden bench next to the big old tree sat a man wearing a white long-sleeved polo shirt and black pants. Who could he be? He was not the same man I saw earlier. The man who wore a hooded white robe. "Welcome." He said. "Pardon me?" I asked. "I said, you are more than welcome." He replied happily. I shook my head in confusion. I wonder if I have gone crazy or if this was all just a very bad dream. He had this bright smile on his face as he approached me. "My name is Liyab." He said as he took my right hand and gave it a kiss. The Tagalog word 'Liyab' translates to 'Flames'. I felt embarassed so I politely pulled my hand away. I couldn't get my eyes off him. There was this feeling of longing for someone who I have known a long time ago in a far away place but at the same time something seemed off about him. "I am sorry but, Have we met before?" I asked while gazing upon his deep blue eyes. "Diwa, the time has come for you to go to the place where you truly belong. I will lead you there where you could see the true meaning of your visions. Come with me." He reached out his hand as he waited for my response. I looked at it and without further questions, I willingly gave him my hand almost as if I was hypnotized by his charm. The wind blew harder. The sky got darker. A huge gust of wind circled itself all over me until I couldn't see anything anymore. The moment I closed my eyes, there were visions of me in a different place. I saw myself walking in a dark narrow path and infront of me was a wooden door. When I opened it, I saw my painting.. I then realized that I was standing infront of my actual painting inside the grand museum. But it seemed like a dream when all of a sudden I saw Ginoong Marso together with the younger version of me walked up straight to my painting. I soon realized that they couldn't see me. Then I heard him say, "Sure my daughter, you can roam around and view the paintings. Just be careful not to break anything, okay?" I just stood infront of my painting as I looked at the little girl playing happily while she circled herself around Ginoong Marso. "Let's look at that painting again, Dad." The little girl said. Ginoong Marso smiled and led her straight to the painting where I was standing. To my surprise, they walked past my physical body as if I was a ghost and so I stepped back in disbelief. "Wha- What is happening?" I asked myself. Looking at both of my hands, I saw blood in it. My body felt weak and shaky so I dropped down the floor. With my eyes half open, I noticed that my tummy got swollen. I was shocked to see that the whole room turned dark and empty, leaving only the painting visible in sight just infront of me. I soon felt kicks inside my tummy. Unbelievably, I was.. pregnant. I got so scared that I started crying until I felt an extreme pain coming from my belly. I was suddenly in labor. Moments later, a baby girl was born. The man in a hooded white robe slowly knelt down and took my baby. Again I felt the same pain and soon after, another baby girl was born. They were twins. I held one baby with both hands and put her on top of my chest as I lay down the floor. I looked at the man wearing a hooded white robe and asked him, "Who are you?" He replied and said, "Sinag. Sinag is my name." I was starting to feel unconscious while gazing at him as he held onto my first born baby until all of a sudden I heard footsteps coming from the other direction. Once I faced that way, I then saw Liyab, the man I met awhile ago at the hilltop. He gently took my second born with him. I then fell completely asleep. The moment I woke up, it was already morning. The bright sun was beaming at me as I lay flat on the ground under the big old tree. I sat down and stretched my arms up in the air. I was dreaming after all. Later on, I noticed that I was holding something small and crooked. I slowly put down my hands and opened them. In my right hand was a golden key. I kept staring at it trying to figure out where it came from. Not being able to come up with any answers, I looked up the beautiful blue sky and listened to a flock of birds chirping. Moments later, flashbacks of my dream came to view. With that, my head started to hurt. I then remembered something. "Sinag." I said to myself while staring at the 'sun's bright rays' which meant the exact same thing when translated. I slowly put up one hand as if trying to reach the sun's rays begging for an answer.