Dumpsite

The Impoverished Witch

Mansano's heart slammed against his chest as he climbed the stairs that led to his master's wide living room. He should have arrived here at six a.m. earlier; after all, the box of freshly baked napoleones that he had been tasked to buy from Quan every morning was what Doña Elly, his master, always ate at breakfast.

His arrival at Amaia, however, was delayed by the throng of people that had appeared in front of St. Catherine's Dormitory. According to what he had heard from a student (who was among the throng) earlier, the witch that the whole Eroreco had been attempting to capture was finally found in the said dormitory.

"Witch?" he had asked as his forehead creased. Truth was, he had wanted to scream until he ran out of air because of the early morning disturbance that had prevented him from returning to Doña Elly's condo. In spite of his frustration, however, he had kept his mouth shut. "That better be a true witch. Otherwise, traffic has clogged this part of the city for no good reason!"

"Ay, I'm not sure if it's a real witch, manong. I'm just here to watch the show." the student had replied, laughing heartily.

If only Mansano were not in a hurry to go back to his master's residence, he would have joined the student in his laughter.

***

"Into what hole have you been slithering, you kid?!" Doña Elly yelled as soon as Mansano was in the living room. "My children are already in Zaycoland so I have to make my way to Kabankalan now. Do you realize that I don't have time for breakfast, anymore? You really want me to starve during the trip, don't you?"

You do realize you can still eat in the van, don't you? Mansano thought. But aloud he replied, "I apologize, Ma'am. I couldn't get past La Salle Avenue right away because of traffic."

"Don't make excuses, nonoy. You're simply tardy. I'll just make deductions from your wage this month."

"Ma'am—"

"Give me the napoleones."

Mansano wanted to further explain what had happened, but he pursed his lips together because he knew too well that his master was not capable of understanding what other people went through.

"Here, Ma'am," he said, handing the napoleones to Doña Elly.

Doña Elly took her breakfast and replied, "Nelia texted me earlier. She said you will be cleaning her garden today, so you must go to her place this instant. Here's your fare for the jeep"—Doña Elly handed a twenty-peso bill to Mansano—"Off you go, then."

Mansano took the money with a nod. He went out of his master's condo, and upon reaching Amaia's entrance hall, he crossed paths with Miko, another servant of Doña Elly. The said boy was still seven years old, yet he was already working for the Doña.

"'Nong," Miko greeted, waving his hand. "How you doing?"

"Ay, not doing well, Mik. I got stuck in the traffic along La Salle Avenue earlier, so I was not able to return to the condo on time. Consequently, I got yelled at by Ma'am again."

"Sorry to hear that, manong. What caused the traffic, anyway?"

For a second, Mansano debated whether or not to tell Miko the real cause of the traffic earlier. After a moment of consideration, however, it dawned on him that there was nothing wrong with telling the truth to the kid.

"Well, someone told me earlier that a witch was found in St. Catherine's." Mansano confided, expecting the boy to burst out into laughter.

But Miko didn't laugh. He only looked at Mansano quizzically. "A witch?" he asked. "What is that?"

Now it was Mansano's turn to look at Miko quizzically. I know that Miko's still a kid, but isn't it strange that he doesn't even know what a witch is? he thought.

"Oh," Mansano started, "well, to put it simply, witches are creatures that eat humans. That's why they see the latter as mere objects that quench their hunger, further their pleasure, and maintain their comfort. It is for these reasons that humans like you and me should avoid them at all cost. Because witches are only good to their kind."

"Ay, witches are actually scary, aren't they?" Miko remarked.

"Indeed, Mik," Mansano replied, "Indeed."

***

"Traffic's still bad over here, huh?" Mansano thought to himself. The jeep he was riding in got enmeshed again in the hubbub that had been choking La Salle Avenue for about three hours now. Nothing much had changed since that baffling morning: onlookers still thronged in front of St. Catherine's; police officers, however, could now be seen in the premises of the dormitory.

When Mansano peered over his shoulder to look at the commotion, his eyes caught the sight of an old woman wearing a tattered and dingy dress. The said woman was flanked by two forty-year-old men whose condition was the same as hers. The jeep was not that far from the three, so Mansano managed to pick up what the old woman was saying: "Good thing you two are here. Good thing you two are here. If you hadn't been here, those people would have succeeded in taking me earlier. I'm not even a witch!"

No sooner had those words reached Mansano's ears than he realized that the pitiful woman was actually the alleged witch that the whole Eroreco had been trying to track and capture—which was preposterous and unjust, really, for it was obvious that the woman was nothing more than a human whose concerns mainly revolved around surviving each cruel day.

"Ay, may God bless you, tiyay," he thought to himself.

***

The sun was already casting everything in orange when Mansano arrived at his master's residence. Doña Nelia had given her a lot of tasks earlier, so his body was currently sore and aching. In spite of the pain and fatigue, however, he was still thankful that it was him whom the Doña had commissioned to clean the garden, because his efforts were once again rewarded with 400 pesos and a scrumptious lunch: menudo, rice, and caramel tarts from Merzci.

Mansano entered Doña Elly's condo with a sigh. He scanned the living room and, to his surprise, saw his master sitting on one of the sofas that occupied the space in the center of the sala. Doña Elly had told him last night that she and her children would be staying in Zaycoland for three days. That's why he found it strange that the Doña was currently in the condo. Curiosity tempted him to ask his master what had happened, but he kept his mouth shut because he knew that Doña Elly was only good to her family and relatives.

"My kids texted me earlier," the Doña suddenly said, "They said they wouldn't be able to make it to our excursion to Kabankalan."

It appears I don't need to ask anymore what's happened, Mansano thought. Aloud he said, "Ay, maybe soon you and your children will finally have the time to have that excursion, Ma'am."

"Perhaps," Doña Elly said, "perhaps."

"Well then, Ma'am," Mansano replied, "I'll start cleaning the house."

Mansano nodded and, before turning around, looked at his master, who continued to sit in silence. The Doña was accompanied by no one but herself.

Glossary:

nonoy - A Hiligaynon word used to address a boy who's younger than you

tiyay - A Hiligaynon word used to address old women

Doña - a title conferred on rich women

manong - a Hiligaynon word which means "big brother." The word is also used to address a guy older than you

'nong - clipped version of manong