THE BAD HUNCHBACK

An old woman whose left eye wasn't functioning came to Dear Batchoy, a restaurant of a small town in Zamboanga Del Sur, Philippines. The owner, Patricio Bakod who was a hunchback saw the old lady.

"Dear sir. Give me some batchoy please. I am very hungry, although I have no money." Moaned the old woman.

Patricio Bakod stared at her. "Sure lady!! I will give you some batchoy. Let me slice some meat first." Patricio told her and he brought his small knife and he punctured the old woman's chest. The old woman screamed for help and Christian and Philip Manuale, two cooks stopped Patricio. The old woman sobbed in agony and ran away.

"Oh dear Patricio. Why did you do that? Don't you show any pity to that woman?" Christian asked Patricio. "Don't let the devil control your life, Patricio." Philip said. "But she had only one functioning eye. And you know I really hate disabled people." Patricio replied. Jorge Abadiano, the clown of the restaurant who usually entertains the customers went outside the restaurant.

"I heard some bickerings outside. What was all the commotion about?" Jorge asked while cleaning his green suit. "Patricio stabbed a woman with one functioning eye in the chest. I think he nearly killed her." Christian replied. Jorge wa shocked. "Yep. And the woman was wearing a white robe and a black butterfly was on the white robe. I think it was the design of the robe." Philip added. Jorge's mouth opened. Then he slapped Patricio. Patricio was obviously angry.

"Why would you slap your boss you silly buffoon?" Asked Patricio.  "Don't you know that you just stabbed Dolora Puno, the fairy who guards our city from thieves and terrorists? She is also a shapeshifter." Jorge replied. "Oh really? Ha!! I know that fairies don't exist." Patricio replied. "But Philip told me that there was a black butterfly on her robe." Jorge replied. "So? It doesn't mean that having a black butterfly on the robe had any connections to supernatural creatures." Said Patricio, his voice sounded more arrogant.

Jorge got really mad. "Listen you scoundrel. You just stabbed a lady without knowing it was the fairy who protects our city. You should expect bad things that will happen in your restaurant. And I must quit, I cannot bear witnessing any unnatural phenomenon in this establishment." Jorge yelled. "Go on!!! Leave you silly goose. I must find a replacement." Patricio replied.

"Okay Christian and Philip. Join me!! Lets find a better job." Jorge told the two brothers. But they refused because they think that their boss can change. Plus they also don't believe in fairies. Jorge was dismayed and so he left the scene.

"Well that was okay. At least I already had a replacement in mind." Patricio told the two. "It's Leonora, the female entertainer. She can be the clown." He added. Christian and Philip nodded.

Leonora's first day on the job was difficult. She can hear moans from the bathroom and whenever she complains to her boss, Patricio would often say "Cover your ears with stones so you can't hear the moans anymore." And it made her frustrated.

Suddenly, Patricio would hear the moans as well. He opened the bathroom and out came a purple skinned man with a knife and he shouted and he tried to stab Patricio but he missed. Patricio ran away.

Leonora called Christian and Philip. They tried to stop the purple skinned man who already frightened away the customers. "Who are you?" Patricio asked. "I am Dolora's servant. And I am here to curse this restaurant forever. And once I disappear, a thousand white rats will come out from the floorboards and destroy the whole place. It s a punishment you deserve for your history of mocking and making fun of people with disabilities. Not even disabled animals are safe from your wicked mind and wicked laughter and your wicked hand and your evil weapon, your knife." The servant replied. Then it disappeared.

The restaurant was shaking. "Okay I have no idea what is happening but we gotta get out of here." Patricio said. And out came a thousand big white rats from the floorboards and they destroyed the place. After a few moments, Patricio's business was in complete ruin. Depressed and filled with guilt, he tried to cope his trauma by banging his hands on the wall. Even the police tried to investigate but when they saw the white rats, they told Patricio to ask forgiveness from the fairy, Dolora.