Erudition of Doyle: Volume One

CHAPTER 1: CASE I - THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF MERMAID

Case 1: The Mysterious Death of
Mermaid (The School-Shooting
Chapter, Part One)

ROSALINDA

Two weeks have passed, but I still can't remember what I forgot to do. I try to recall it, but no matter what I do, my mind remains blank. I just sighed and decided to use my cellphone. As I always do, I started scrolling through my Facebook homepage. While scrolling, a message from the Messenger app caught my attention. When I saw the account that kept spamming me with messages, I ignored it and turned off my phone. I wasn’t interested in the new guy she had been talking to these past few days.

And then she said she’d fallen in love with him. Already? She must be kidding.

Love.

That word alone makes my skin crawl.

I folded my arms on the desk and rested my head against them, trying to find comfort in the silence. But instead of drifting off to sleep, I forced my mind to wander elsewhere—anywhere. I decided to think about what I might have forgotten when Clarissa and I went to Zesty Bites.

As I traced every moment from the very beginning, a sudden realization struck me. My eyes flew wide open as the memory came rushing back.

Right! About the school shooting!

Mabilis kong kinuha ang aking phone mula sa bag at dali-daling nag-search sa Google tungkol doon. Agad namang lumabas ang iba’t ibang articles, ngunit habang nagbabasa ako, awtomatikong nag-abot ang mga kilay ko nang malaman kong umabot na rin sa Visayas at Mindanao ang mga school shootings.

Napatigil ako sa pagbabasa at napaisip kung ano ang rason, kung bakit ito nangyayari.

*****

My eyes were fixed on the fourth floor. I stood by the edge of the canteen, waiting for Clarissa to buy something to eat. There was a student up there, vaping—completely unbothered. He looked so free, as if the rules didn’t exist, as if the teachers, the principal, or even the student council couldn’t touch him.

I’ll never understand people’s fascination with these unhealthy habits. Whatever their reasons are, vaping or smoking won’t do them any good; it’s only going to harm them in the end.

“Baby girl!” tawag ni Clarissa na ikinalingon ko. “Ayaw mo bang bumili?” sabi niya sabay kagat sa kanyang egg sandwich.

“Thank you, but I’m not hungry,” I declined her kind offer.

Ngumuso siya. “O sige, bibili lang ako ng maiinom, tara samahan mo ’ko.”

I had no choice but to go with her. While waiting for her to buy food, I suddenly froze in place when a song began to play through the speakers around us. Slowly, I looked up at the speaker above the canteen, my eyes widening little by little as the sound filled the ground.

Robert's got a quick hand
He'll look around the room, but won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid, yeah

This music.

I quickly grabbed Clarissa’s hand and pulled her toward a nearby room. We entered without hesitation, drawing the attention of several students, but I didn’t care anymore. I knew, at that moment that we need to hide.

He found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet, and with a box of fun things
I don't even know what
But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you.