Nightmares in Casa Alcaraz

SOMNUM EXTERRERI

"Somnum exterreri, the Latin word for nightmare, also known as night terrors or a series of events that oppressed us in our supposed to be deep slumber."

I was sitting by the porch when my mind began to wander from the events ten years ago.

I was thirteen when my Tiya Helga invited me for a vacation here in Ilocos. May bago kasi silang pinatayong rest house dito, ang Casa Alcaraz. Kasama namin sa bakasyon sina Tiyo Pancho at ang anak nilang si Ate Dani.

But that very moment I stepped inside the Casa, I suddenly felt an ineffable feeling. It kind of reminds me of a typical scene from a horror movie where the protagonist steps inside an eerie house.

Ikalawang gabi ko sa Casa Alcaraz ng magsimula akong makaranas ng kakaiba tuwing gabi. I kept having nightmares but I chose not to pay attention to them until things had gotten worse. Nakakakilabot na ang laman ng mga panaginip ko. Sleeping became an endless torture for me. It was bloody and sinister.

Hindi lang iyon, minsan parang may nararamdaman akong mabigat na nakaupo sa dibdib ko. Nahihirapan din akong makahinga. Hanggang sa dumating ang gabi na mas tumakot sa'kin.

That night, I was awakened by something horrendous. It wasn't like my previous nightmares, it was worse! Right before me is a grotesquely-obese woman, who's seated between my stomach and my chest!

My chest is heavily rising and falling. Shortly, a deep and sinister laugh escaped the woman's mouth. Blood fell on each side of her lips and her eyes are pitch black like it was swallowing me into the abyss.

Sinubukan kong gumalaw pero masyado siyang mabigat. Sumisikip na rin ang dibdib ko hanggang sa unti-unti na akong nilalamon ng kadiliman. But all of a sudden, the words from one of the housekeepers echoed in my head.

She used to tell us stories about this spiteful demon called Batibat. The creature's physical description closely resembles the one in the story. She also said that you have to bite your thumb or just wriggle your toe to defend yourself from the creature.

Pilit kong nilabanan ang takot at sinubukan kong kagatin ang hinlalaki ko para makawala. The creature grumbled until everything turns black at hindi ko na alam ang sunod na nangyari.

The following day, I found out what a Batibat really is.

A Batibat lives in a tree but it turns out that the tree she used to live in was used as the foundation of the Casa. That's why it's hunting us.

Noong araw na iyon ay nagpasyang umalis sina Tiya dahil sa takot at pighati. They closed the Casa and decided to never sell it to anyone. Ayaw kasi nilang may makaranas sa naranasan ko.

I sighed deeply and looked at the clear skies.

Yes, I vividly remember the events from years ago... the unfortunate events that caused me to pass away from this world.