Fiction Academy: CAS' Never Ending Story 2022

|79| Young And Old

Young And Old
by Jiuan Lois Padua

In the land full of greens, ocean waves eagerly approaching the sand, and a wind whispering right through your ears. It is a land where you can witness the beauty of when the sun replaces the moon and when the twilight drops her curtain, pinning it with a star.

Below the hills, close to the seaside, there's a village of houses called Cavahayan, showcasing extreme simplicity and peace. The houses are fabricated with bamboo and banded together by tree strings with dried coconut leaves. Their walls and floors are made of bamboo slats and splits of resilient bamboo.

On all sides, there are awning-type windows, and it has a sloping, high-pitched roof to shed rain and provide relief from warm air. It's called Nipa, and there lived a duwende named Cy.

Cy is a duwende who doesn't want to be reminded of his age and refuses to celebrate his own birthday. He fears the thought of growing up.

One morning, as the sun shines and greets Cavahayan, Cy, a duwende with large ears and huge feet like other duwendes, decides to have salted dried fish and rice for breakfast. Although it has a pungent smell, it tastes good, especially when eaten with garlic vinegar.

While he was eating, an old duwende walked by and stopped in front of him. The old man has a long gray beard and is wearing a black hat. He keeps staring at Cy, shocking him.

"Oh! You startled me!" Cy immediately stands up. "Good morning," he said.

"Pardon me," the old duwende replied. "And yes! A good morning indeed, though it might rain later," he adds, finally looking away from Cy's eyes and gazing up at the clouds.

"I'm Rodolfo, at your service," he introduces himself.

"Cy, at yours," Cy responds.

They stare at each other for a second awkwardly.

"It's my birthday," Rodolfo says while looking directly at Cy again.

"Hap-Happy... Happy Birthday!" Cy replies awkwardly and confusedly.

"I do not want to be disrespectful, but I'm having my breakfast and I'm not expecting company," Cy adds.

Rodolfo takes a step forward, and Cy immediately steps backward. Rodolfo stares at Cy again and sits down, confusingly looking at him. Cy realizes that Rodolfo is not going away, so he just sits down in front of him. As he is about to continue eating, Rodolfo folds his sleeves up, takes the fish, and dips it into vinegar.

Cy blinks faster while staring at Rodolfo.

"Look around," Rodolfo says, and Cy does.

"Don't you find it beautiful? Being able to witness how trees grow, how the ocean waves at you, or just simply being able to go outside and eat your breakfast? The beauty of living," Rodolfo says.

"I do, but it all has to end someday," Cy answers.

"Indeed, having tomorrow means you've got to live today, and that also means you've got to see and experience every beautiful and worse thing or everything in between. Even if that thing will scare or confuse you, you'll get something from it, either a lesson or a feeling, all at once. Just like this day, how randomly I stopped by at you," Rodolfo adds.

Cy stops eating and releases a deep exhale.

"How about you? Aren't you scared? You're old, things are about to end for you. I mean..." Cy asks.

"Not at all," Rodolfo answers, cutting off what Cy was supposed to say.

"It doesn't worry me at all. I experienced what I need to experience, I suppose. You, you're young, and living for every tomorrow means you're growing older. So why be scared? If getting older means you'll be broken for a time in your life, but being broken means you were loved once. And dying means you once lived," Rodolfo says.

Cy looks down and plays with his finger, listening carefully to what Rodolfo is saying.

Rodolfo drinks a glass of water and stands up. As he is about to go, he looks at Cy again and says, "Happy birthday, Cy."

Cy surprisingly looks up at the old duwende and asks, "You knew?" Rodolfo replies, "We lived in a small village. Of course, I know," and walks away, waving goodbye.

The End