Lost in Time

Chapter 2 (Disguise)

The loud sound of the clanging church bell woke me so much that I nearly jumped out of the bed and realized I was still in the same place. It was daytime, and finally I could see everything. I looked around the surroundings again, and no one was here. The old, strange-looking furniture makes me think that I don't belong in here. Did I perhaps travel through time? Then where the hell am I?

I looked out of the windows and saw a lot of people coming out of the church; they were all dressed in old Filipino traditional clothing that made the whole scene look historic. I was in genuine awe. Did I really travel through time? Was this real...?

The realization that I was no longer in my own time began to sink in, and I was left feeling uneasy. "My mother would kill me if I went missing," I thought to myself.

"I need to get out of here."

I quickly got out of the bed and ran through the dusty cabinet to find some suitable clothes. I realized I couldn't wander around in my pajamas, and I couldn't get out looking like this! I should look like the locals here...

I looked everywhere on the cabinet, but unfortunately, I couldn't find anything suitable for me but a neatly folded nun habit (clothing). Now, how am I supposed to wear this?

For the sake of my sanity, I decided to go ahead and wear the habit, despite not being so sure if I worn it properly. At least I could hide among the locals with my veil atop my head.

I immediately threw away my pajamas so that no one would know who they belonged to.
Then I took my phone with me and got out of the room as carefully as I could. I prayed that no one would notice me acting in an unusual way.

As I walked out of the room, I found myself in a large, open space near the church. The weather was awfully hot.

"Where am I going now? "

As I walked around, I noticed people trying to approach me, and some of them greeted me. However, I did not know how to respond properly, and as a response, I just smiled awkwardly and bowed to them.

"Shoot! I'm not so good at this! "

"Madre, pinapapunta po kayo sa loob ng simbahan." A young man who was my age suddenly spoke to me. He can speak Tagalog. Finally, someone that I can understand!

But to my surprise, I was curious: why would he ask me to go inside the church? Was there a meeting for nuns?!?!

I sighed deeply and thanked the young man.

"Salamat, iho!"  I replied, feeling like a devout nun, then I walked away from him and was now heading to the church.

As I was walking, I was contemplating whether I should enter the church or not. If not, then where should I go instead? So I decided to enter the church. When I stepped through the main door, I was amazed at how beautiful this cathedral was. It seemed strangely familiar to me, though this is where I had come from last night! So there was a chance that there might be a portal here that leads back to my home. Although the word "portal" seemed so unrealistic to exist, But still, I chose to enter and check it out, just in case.

Continuing on my path, I walked inside the church, and there I saw several nuns. The sight gave me chills because I was afraid of encountering the very nun I had met the day before. She might recognize me or not; that wasn't the case. I had come here to get some help, and as I walked toward the nuns, some of them appeared to be giving me some strange looks, as if I didn't belong here... which was true.

As I blended among the nuns, a person suddenly appeared in front of us. A priest, whose physical features oddly resembled someone I knew. He had a mole near his eye and a facial hair. When he began to speak, all the nuns' attention was drawn to him, including mine.

"Me alegra verlos a todos de nuevo. (Ikinagagalak ko na makita muli kayo.)" he said, addressing every nun in the church. He then turned his gaze to me, and I quickly averted my eyes, not wanting him to recognize me.

The priest—I remember seeing him before— I thought to myself. My hands trembled as I contemplated this intriguing priest's identity. His soothing voice continued on as he commended everyone's generosity toward the church.

"Expreso una vez más mi gratitud por su amabilidad y apoyo constante. (Muli nag papasalamat ako sa inyong kabaitan at patuloy na pagsuporta ng ating simbahan.)" He additionally said.

"De nada, Padre Pelaez! (Walang anuman, Padre Pelaez!)" A nun next to me responded.

That name... Padre Pelaez... I heard it before, but I couldn't remember exactly where or when. After few moments, something clicked within me. Could it possibly be..?

End of Chapter 2

(Side note: I hope y'all enjoyed the story so far! I'm currently working on Chapter 3 and it might take a while because I have classes tomorrow and I might be quite busy on the following days as well. I'll try my best to update asap, so please bear with me. 🫶)