HISTORIA

ACT 2. PAGE 12: SANDUGO

Del stared curiously at the pendant in his hand. If he was being honest, it wasn't the oddest thing he had possession of; Pio's dagger still sat in the bins under his desk with the fear that one of the servants may find it and bring it to his parents.

Right now, Del was standing in his mother's library. It was filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books that he wasn't curious about until now, when...Pigafetta? Was that his name? He was the man showed him his journal. Del has never been more intrigued.

He hasn't seen anything like it, and its origins are still unknown... is it really safe to keep it here with him?

Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door, making Del flinch. He quickly hid the pendant under his chair and sat on top of it, "Wh— Who's there?"

The door opened slightly, the person on the other side made Del finally sigh a breath of relief. Thank Bathala, he thought he was in trouble.

Malaya smiled at Del with her signature grin. Today though, something seemed off about it, "Hey, Del. It's just me, are you alright here?" Malaya said as she pushed the door fully open.

Del nodded, smiling nervously at her, "Y-Yeah... I was just looking for a book so that I can read them to Mashie— So that I can read them to Martial."

Chuckling, Malaya crossed her arms. Even Del seemed to be affected by Hukbalahap's nicknames. She leaned on the doorframe and observed the room. Nothing looked off to her, and everything seemed to be in place.

"I didn't know you were that interested in reading. Your mother only told me that you've been beginning to be eager to read bedtime stories."

Malaya laughed as she sat on the chair beside Del, pulling out a book from the shelves behind her. The book had a hard, leather cover that was colored a brownish green. By the looks of the small tears at the spine and the dulled edges of the book, it was rather old and already used by many.

Del watched in curiosity as Malaya opened the book and used her index finger to trace down the table of contents. After a few short seconds, her finger stopped on the name of one of the chapters as Malaya quickly scanned the pages and turned the book to the same chapter. Del leaned over to see what Malaya was looking for.

"This book is pretty old," Malaya hummed as she gently fiddled with the edges of the yellowed page, "But that doesn't mean it's useless now. They say the older things are, the wiser."

Del tilted his head, "So since you're as old as auntie Dalisay, you're also wise? I don't believe it..."

He mumbled the last part, but Malaya still heard. Malaya resisted the urge to pout and cry right then and there, "I'm not old! I'm just... Ate Dalisay is older than me. You should tell her that."

She says as she chuckles at the thought of her sister getting agitated after being called old. It happened once, too. A suitor who came to court Dalisay accidentally implied that she wasn't any younger than the other girls. Malaya hasn't heard of that man since, but she heard rumors that Dalisay sent him back to his island, Kumintang¹, with a broken nose.

"But even if she is old, she is still wise. This book is no different, just like all the other books in this library." Malaya says as she sets the book down on the table for Del to read.

The book seemed to be one of those types of books where pictures are used more than words to depict what the authors felt. The sketches and inked drawings seemed to be rather disoriented, almost unrecognizable if it weren't for the names of the drawings written under them.

"Butterflies and ladybugs," Del gasped, this specific page seemed to contain information about insect life and other bugs, "The drawings look a little weird though, I almost didn't see them..."