HALLUCINATION
"Hey! Noah, wait for me. Ambilis mo naman maglakad. Porket ang haba ng biyas mo!" reklamo ko habang hinihingal dahil sa kakatakbo.
Lakad takbo ang ginawa ko para lang makahabol sa lalaking ito. Hindi man lang ako dinaanan sa bahay para naman sabay na kami pumunta sa park! Kainis talaga, pero okay lang naabutan ko na naman siya.
"Pandak ka kasi kaya ganyan." at talagang nilait pa ako! Kahit hirap akong abutin siya dahil sa katangkaran niya ay inabot ko ang tainga niya at piningot ito. "A-Aray ko, Maureen."
"Pandak pala ah. Tingnan mo nga't abot kita."
"Oo na, matangkad ka na. Now, can you let go? Masakit na tainga ko." reklamo niya kaya binitiwan ko naman at baka dumugo pa.
Napahawak naman siya sa tainga niya at kita ko ang mamumula nito. Nakonsensya naman ako. Binigyan niya naman ako ng masamang tingin pero nginitian ko lang siya.
"Noah, ba't ba ang sungit mo?" he was now reading a book while we're walking. He has his eyeglasses that really suits him. Bagay talaga sa kanya lalo na't ang tangos ng ilong niya. "Hindi ka ba nahihirapan, nagbabasa ka habang naglalakad? Baka mapatid ka niyan?" napatingin lang siya sa akin ng nakakunot noo. "Nevermind, just continue of what you're reading." I gave him a piece sign.
"Tsk! Kadaldalan mo Maureen." napailing siya habang patuloy pa rin sa binabasa niya.
Nang makarating kami sa park ay naupo kami sa may bench malapit sa isang malagong puno ng mangga. The wind was so refreshing, nililipad nito ang mahaba kong itim na buhok. I looked at the man who was beside me. I can't stop myself admiring his handsome face. He looks serious while still reading a book.
"Hallucination?" I murmured as I read the title of the book he's currently reading. Napalingon naman siya na tila narinig ang sinabi ko. "Kung saan hindi lahat ng nakikita ng ating mata ay totoo. Hallucination, where you can't even tell if what you are seeing is real or not." I continue, he just looked at me and gave me a smile.
"You smile. It was the first time that I've seen you smile at me like that. Napalambot rin kita Noah." turo ko sa kanya but he just laughed.
"Silly, akala ko puro lang kadaldalan ang alam mo Maureen. Tumatalino ka ata, pft." is that a compliment or panglalait? But nevermind, atleast napansin rin ako ni Noah. "But you're right. As we open our eyes, not all things that we've seen is true. Maybe some of it are just the product of our imagination or even because of our hallucination."
"That's why I rather be stuck in my entire imagination than to face the cruel world of reality. Also, I somewhat like living with my hallucination. Imagining scenarios and hallucinating things. I think it's perfect combination to escape." I said it from what I felt and looked at him with a smile.
"Pero kailangan mo pa rin gumising at harapin ang katotohanan. You shouldn't let yourself be drown by your hallucination and imagination Maureen, You will have a better life as you embrace and open your eyes with reality. Hindi mo dapat takasan ang totoong mundo kung saan ka nararapat." after he said that, he lean closer to me and kiss my forehead. I was speechless by his sentence. "Wake up now. Maureen. Continue your life, someone out there is waiting for you." he smiled at me as my vision became blurry. I tried to make my vision clear as I see Noah slowly fading.
He's gone.....
I cried harder as I realized that the man whom I love had already vanished. Parang hangin lang na nawala sa piling ko. He left me out of this quiet place. Now. that I am alone. I don't know where should I start running just for me to live.
"Maureen, you're awake!" hinihingal akong napatayo sa kama ng marinig kong may tumatawag ng pangalan ko. "Wait lang tatawag ako ng doctor."
"Who are you?" I looked at the man na nasa harapan ko, napahinto siya at naupo sa tabi ko.
"I'm y-your kuya. Can't you still remember me?" the man asked me, sadness was evident in his eyes.
"N-No. I don't know you. I'm sorry." napayuko ako dahil wala man lang akong maalala tungkol sa sarili ko maliban na lang sa pangalan ko and the man named Noah.
"It's okay, baby. I understand." he held my face and gave me a kiss on my forehead.
"Can I asked you something." I looked at him. And he just nodded. "Do you know this man named Noah?" I could see in his reaction that he was shocked. That only means one thing, he knows the man that I am referring to. But he then managed to smile.
"Yeah, I know him."
"Can you bring me to him? I really want to see him. Please kuya, bring me to Noah." I was too glad that my kuya knows him. I can't wait to meet him again.
"I will baby. I will bring you to Noah." binigyan niya lang ako ng simpleng ngiti.
It's been 3 days when I just woke up. Unti-unti na ring bumabalik ang nawala kong mga alaala. Sabi ay dahil daw sa sobrang stress kaya nagkaganito ako. Nalaman kong isang linggo na pala akong tulog. Nakita daw ako sa park ni kuya noong nakaraan na nakahiga sa damuhan. Sinubukan niya akong gisingin ngunit hindi raw ako magising.
"Let's go?" kuya asked me and offered his hand para alalayan ako. Ngayong araw daw namin pupuntahan si Noah.
"Why we are still here kuya?" I asked him. Nandito kami ngayon sa loob ng mini library dito sa bahay. I don't know kung anong ginagawa namin rito. "I thought pupuntahan natin si Noah?"
"You'll see Maureen." he simply replied.
Gulong-gulo ang isip ko ng bigkasin ni kuya ang mga katagang nagpahinto sa mundo ko.
"Maureen, he isn't real baby. Noah really doesn't exist. He's just part of your hallucination."
"No! He's real! I saw him kuya. I did saw him. We even talked. He even kiss me on my forehead! Palagi pa nga kaming magkasabay pumunta sa park. I swear kuya, Noah is real." I keep on telling kuya that I wasn't just hallucinating. I saw Noah, the man whom I'm in love with.
"Maureen, Noah is just a fictional character. He's not real. He is just a product of your imagination. Hindi siya totoo. He doesn't even exist."
"No! Kuya, sabay pa nga kami noon pumupunta sa park, diba? Hindi mo ba siya nakikita? Siya iyong lagi kong kasabayan."
"I didn't see anyone Maureen. Whenever you go to the park. You're alone. You just go there by yourself." I don't know what should I feel by now. Parang ang sikip-sikip ng dibdib ko. "Baby, listen to kuya okay? Noah is a fictional character. He is a product of your imagination. You're a writer remember? And you made him as the main character of your story." he lend me a book. As I read the title of it written on it's cover, my tears just suddenly fall from my eyes.
It was the book Noah was holding before he vanished out of my sight. That's when I realized that he's not even real. The scenario that comes out in my mind, the way he kisses my forehead and the way he smile at me wasn't real . And the man that I love being named Noah, doesn't really exist.
He's just a fictional character of the story that I wrote being entitled, 'Hallucination'.
Thank you for Reading :>
