The Author's Rewritten Drafts

[Reality]

Reality

[i]

Her eyes opened, wide-awake.

It felt like she was trapped in a nightmare.

Groggily, she tried to get up but Magda fell down to her bed. Paunti - unti niyang inikot ang mga mata sa paligid. She was in a familiar room--- in her apartment, specifically.

"Time's ticking..." The familiar voice of a man inside her head.

She's questioning her reality again.

"Hurry, take the pill if you don't want to die in vain!"

Die. Dying. Dead.

Magda's supposed to die. Serene gave her a pill containing poison.

Her eyes were becoming blurry. Another pill was on the bedside table, it was the antidote that took almost two hours of what she had accomplished in another dimension.

Nanginginig ang kanyang kalamnang dinampot niya iyon at pinilit lunukin nang nanghihina niya katawan. She waited a few minutes for the antidote to take effect as Boy Buwesit reminded her of the time.

Sampung minuto lang ang tagal niya sa mundong ibabaw.

"What will happen after the ten-minute mark?" tanong ni Magda.

"You'd be in a vegetative comatose..." Muli siyang nagmulat ng mga mata. She could clearly see her surrounding once again. Hindi na rin lanta ang kanyang katawan. The antidote was effective. "You have to accomplish another task in order to determine whether you're going to have a chance to wake up again."

Bumangon siya mula sa pagkakahiga.

"One minute..."

"Isang minuto na lang?!" Halos bumalikwas siya sa kama.

Hinanap niya ang kanyang cellphone. It was on the living room.

Mabilis ang bawat hakbang at kilos niya. Matapos niyang kuhanin ang cellphone. Bumalik siya sa kuwarto.

Kung mawawalan siya ng malay, her body deserved the soft bed instead of the floor.

She hesitated which to call first. In the end, she dialed the number of hospital contact nearby to report she had taken a poison. Kailangan niyang madala sa hospital sa mas lalong madaling panahon.

"Magdalena Santa Ynez. The Heights. Twentieth floor. Room 2024. I need assistance, I'm dying." Her voice was firm. "Password... One. One. Zero. Five. Two. Four."

"Ten... nine... eight..." Magda looked around the place panicky.

Nilibot niya ang kabuuan ng kanyang kuwarto. Biglang tumapat ang kanyang tingin sa suicide note na sinulat ni Serene para sa kanya. She quickly went to grab it and tear the letter.

"Five... four..."

Nag-panic siya kaya naman iyong punit na papel ay nilunok niya bago bumagsak ang kanyang katawan sa kama. The countdown reached zero, she had no time left. Kaparehang senaryo ang nasaksihan niya, humiwalay ang kanyang kaluluwa sa kanyang katawan.

The next thing she knew, she was in the realm of abyss.

Halos masuka siya nang makarating sa kawalan. Gumuhit sa kanyang lalamunan ang papel na pinilit niyang lunukin.

"What... was... that? Binibigla mo ang aking pagkatao. Hindi na ikaw ang Magda na nakilala ko." Pumailanlang ang halakhak sa kabuuan nito. "Welcome back to my realm, Magda. Are you ready for your next quest?"

She crossed her arms. "Do I have a choice?"

Humalakhak muli si Boy Buwesit. Isa lang ang sagot sa kanyang katanungan.

***

Ilang sunod - sunod na paramedics ang nakasalubong ni Serene sa paglabas niya ng condominium building ni Magda. She didn't give any thought about it. Maybe, there was an accident in the building and some poor lives were needing assistance.

Magda needs the assistance but there's no way she could make it.

Wala na siyang lakas upang humingi pa ng tulong. If so, she's already dead before any help could arrive.

She didn't want her mood to be spoiled by thinking of her rival. Siniguro niyang napatahimik na niya ito. Siya nang bagong reyna. Siya nang bagong hihiranging magaling na author ng kanilang henerasyon.

Pinag-aralan na niya ito simula pa lang. Wala siyang balak na makulong.

Hindi pa naman agad siya mamamatay.

She was long gone before she was even declared dead. Matagal na siyang nakaalis bago pa man nag-suicide at namatay ang babae.

Ngiting-ngiti siya habang sumakay ng taxi. Muli niyang tinanaw ang mataas na building. Her eyes were fixated on Magda's unit as the taxi started to move. Gumala naman ang kanyang mga mata sa natatanaw niya sa kalsada.

It was a busy night in the city.

Good riddance, bitch.

As she looked back again, she saw a hint of faint light in her unit.

Tuluyan nang nakaalis ang taxi at malayo na ito mula sa condo building.