Seeing in darkness

Lost in folklore & time

I was gliding in midair. Everything I saw above & below was aglow in the deep indigo of the night. The sky was clear & speckled with twinkling stars. The meadow swayed as I flew overhead.

I woke up smiling & at ease, but a sudden thought came to me... maybe I could finally come see the shallow river beyond the tunnel of mango trees. Or maybe, what if I go see what was behind the wall covered in vines, the one I spotted during the lunar-martian conjunction?

I got up to find nobody else awake in the house. Outside there was hardly anyone as well. Even roosters were still asleep. There were still no signs of the impending spillage of daylight over the horizon in those wee hours.

I went on towards the creek feeling the crisp air on my skin. I put my Beach Walks around my arm to cross the body of water, which was surprisingly warm to the touch. The village was silent except for the gentle creaking of bamboos somewhere.

I put my slippers back on & walked through the foliage with wet feet. It didn't take long till I reached the wall of vines covering what appeared to be an actual hollow block wall.

The wall was lower than I imagined, but still taller than a regular adult. On top of it were pieces of broken glass bottles glinting in the fading moonlight.

It also didn't take long until I saw a metal gate, which was only as wide as a person. With bare hands I cleared a few leaves covering narrow slits along its edges. I could not see anything through them.

I pushed my luck & yanked the gate, which then creaked & moved to my surprise. I stepped back for a moment but curiosity got the better of me. Although the rusty gate could no longer open any wider, there was already enough space for me to slip into. And so did I.

It felt like a different world as soon as I stepped in. The trees were certainly taller. The thick canopy formed an almost solid green dome. The ground was noticeably sloping down, with moss turning to grass & weeds then to shrubs farther on.

I let gravity pull me until I reached flat ground again. It was a bit damp probably from the morning dew. A vast expanse laid as far as the eye could see. There the trees were bearing yellow- & orange-colored fruits shaped like bells -- cashews. Another thing I noticed were a few mishapen structures covered in vines scattered here & there. To me they looked like buildings.

I noticed something ahead of me in the middle of those house-like structures -- a cherub holding a watering can. It seemed to be made of stone, one which could be white originally but was just now covered in years & years of moss & muck. It was sitting on the tip of a tall top-like structure hidden under a thick overgrowth. I came for a closer inspection. It was what used to be a fountain.

I looked around again & remembered the story of the lost Spanish city that once stood in our village. It was said that the city prospered by trading cashew nuts with Indians in Mexico through a wide & deep river that emptied directly into Manila Bay. However, one day the locals offended an engkanto, which in revenge, left a curse for the land to be infertile & the river to be silted. With nothing to trade & being cut off from the rest of the world, the city soon lost its wealth & was eventually buried forgotten in history.

Could that folklore be based on real life? Was I standing in the middle of that lost city?

By the minute I could feel the surroundings getting warmer. The holes in the green dome above started revealing the break of dawn. I could smell that somewhere faraway somebody was making a typical morning bonfire of dried leaves & twigs.

Outside the mysterious wall the village was stirring while everything in this ancient forest was standing still.