Tales of the Wordsmiths

Chapter 01: July 05. D-Day

Chapter 01: July, 05. D-Day

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Thirty years ago when a strange phenomenon started and thousands of novelists mysteriously vanished. Twenty years ago, a survivor was found unconscious but didn't live enough to tell the tale. And, it has been ten years since humanity has lost the entirety of its wordsmiths.

Today, July 5, black and white candles lit up the streets around the world to commemorate the day when it all started.

As of now, a hundred and ninety-five countries have banned novelists as a profession. They even went as far as shutting down all publishing houses and online writing platforms. The worst they did was burn all fiction-related writings. All of this was decided following the third disappearance.

If there is someone who is too invested in this case, it would be Lukas who lost his father ten years ago. Yearly, he'd spend the entire night drowsily browsing his social media, hoping that someone would post a possible theory of the case.

Lukas was 8 years old when his dad disappeared, and now he's eighteen, with dark circles apparent under his bleary eyes, he spent his entire night care reacting and retweeting every case regarding the disappearance of novelists. Brushing his dark raven hair, he massaged his forehead to soothe his impending headache.

Wearing a moss-colored sleeved shirt, he fixed his sleeves as he began to type in his phone journal what he had read the entire night. Lukas had been doing this for a long time however, his efforts yielded no result. Not even official and verified websites gave him concrete answers. He already resorted to social media hoping that someone will make sense. But he was bound to be disappointed.

Facebook feeds were just full of condolence shared postings. Twitter was lively too. Conspiracy theories once again dominated the trending topic. Dito nga siya napuyat kagabi, kababasa ng comments and replies.

Some theorized that it was an alien invasion and was 'backed' by Nostradamus' predictions. For a source, napaka-credible. Sobra. Some more creative peeps even bet that Illuminati was trying to start their world domination plans. The end of the world theory was also mentioned saying we should repent for our sins. Earth ages yet people still believe in those unfounded claims.

Same old post. Same old theories but still no conclusion. Kung alam lang ni Lukas na ganoong klaseng mga post ang mababasa niya, sana pala ay natulog na lang siya.

Lukas can't blame anyone for this since none of the writers who went missing were able to return. No one can provide accurate information. If they survived the disaster, it was for the next batch to find out-hopefully, none would follow.

Binulsa niya ang cellphone at pumila sa carinderia ni Manang Linda. Sa kanʼyang gilid ay ang dalawang bata na nilalaro ang natunaw na kandila sa tabi ng tindahan. Nag-aaway pa sila sa kung sino ang mangongolekta sa itim at puting natunaw na wax kapag tuluyan na itong nawalan ng sindi. Sasawayin sana ni Lukas ang dalawa ngunit naunahan siya ng isa pa nilang kapit-bahay na katatapos lamang bumili.

Lukas withdrew his sight from the kids and admired Manang Linda's house. Ito ang pinakamatandang bahay sa kalye nila dahil panahon pa ng mga Espanyol noong itinayo-Bahay na Bato. The front space was turned into a food stall for their eatery and a convenience store on the right side.

"Ano sa'yo, Lukas?" tanong ni Manang Linda na hindi masiyadong narinig ni Lukas dahil sa ingay ng telebisyon sa tabi ng una. Lukas just assumed she was asking for his order.