QED CLUB: the go-to place of students and teachers in Clark High whenever they have mind-boggling mysteries they want solved. For months, club president Loki Mendez has been managing it alone, but circumstances will force him to open its doors to ne...
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LORELEI
WHEN I heard the premise of the case, it instantly caught my attention. There was no way on earth that a dead person would be able to reply to anyone. The concept of afterlife might be debatable, but having internet connection in that place seemed highly unlikely. Walang cell towers doon at wala ring phone na pwedeng dalhin mula rito. There must be some sort of logical explanation here.
So the four of us met in the clubroom to hear our client's case during our morning break. Nang nag-ring na ang school bell, sabay kaming pumunta ni Alistair doon. Nadatnan namin sina Loki at Jamie na magkaharap. Our club president was in his favorite swivel chair while our ex-actress member was on the chair to his left. Nakaiwas ang tingin ni Loki habang nakatitig si Jamie sa kanya na parang may pinagmamasdang magandang tanawin.
"What are they doing?" Alistair whispered as he placed his sling bag on the chair next to mine.
"They're playing chess," I whispered before turning to our clubmates. This was the second time that I had seen them in this pose. "Sobrang bored n'yo ba kaya naisipan n'yo na namang mag-blind chess?"
"We cannot allow ourselves to be idle," Loki replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "A blade loses its sharpness when it's not used for too long. Just like our minds."
"Magandang pampalipas oras din 'to," segunda ni Jamie sabay sulyap sa amin. "Wala pa rin naman 'yong client natin kaya pwede nating gawin kung ano'ng gusto natin."
I checked the time on my phone. "She will be here at any moment from now. You should pause or postpone the game because you're only going to be interrupted once she arrives."
"Or we can hold a small tournament here as we wait. You can challenge Alistair to blind chess," Loki suggested. What a brilliant way to pass the time. "Once I beat Jamie and Alistair beats you, he and I can have our very first chess match."
Did he imply that I would not do well in a chess match with Alistair? Well, I knew little about that game—just the basic stuff—so me being beaten would not be surprising to me. Bago pa magsimula ang laban namin—kung sakali mang maglalaro kami—tanggap ko nang talo ako.
"Asa ka, Loki!" Jamie stuck her tongue out. "I admire you, but not to the point that I will throw the game for you. Ilalampaso kita rito gaya no'ng last time."
"I expect nothing less." Loki gave a sidelong glance at the guy beside me. "What about it, Alistair? Are you up for some chess challenge?"
My childhood friend smiled at him. "Perhaps another time."
If these two were to face off in a chess match, there was no way of telling who would win. Alam kong magaling si Loki, pero magaling din si Alistair. Either it would be a draw or it would be a close fight.
Mukhang sa susunod na talaga magkakaharap ang dalawa sa chess dahil dumating na ang hinihintay namin. Someone knocked on the door first before swinging it open. I told the female student whose hair was in twin pigtails to come in. Pumuwesto siya sa upuan na nasa kabilang dulo ng mesa. Kaharap niya si Loki. Umayos na ng upo ang dalawang naglalaro ng blind chess.
