Unwritten Love

CHAPTER 9: CHANGES

"Besh, gising! Besh!"

The voice of Darlene rang in my ears and it was like a bell ringing through my head which made me stand up from the fog. I opened my eyes to see that I had been slumped over my desk at work. Papers were scattered all around me, lit by the dim glow coming from the overhead lights. I blinked trying to figure out how things had turned out this way.

“Halika na, gabi na!” she cried again in a gentle yet firm tone. I looked around the room for a clock but there was none on my table or anywhere else within reach. How long had I been asleep? My mind was still hazy as one is after waking up from a deep sleep but there wasn’t any dream that I could recall.

I rubbed my eyes and slowly climbed out of my chair feeling tension in my neck and shoulders, “Ano bang nangyari?” I asked  Darlene who just shrugged and threw her bag over her shoulder.

“Grabe, Besh, ang haba ng tulog mo. Let’s go home na nga,” Darlene said with a hint of worry mixed with urgency in her voice while I nodded thoughtfully although my brain remained confused with whatever strange mist had clouded it previously.

As I grabbed my bag and followed Darlene out of the office, a lingering sense of unease gnawed at the back of my mind. Something felt off, like a forgotten detail just out of reach. The air outside was crisp, and the cool night breeze helped clear my head a little. But as we walked towards my car, a subtle shift in the atmosphere sent a shiver down my spine. The streetlights flickered, casting long, eerie shadows on the pavement.

I opened the door of my car and got in the driver's seat, Darlene settled in beside me. “Are you alright, Besh?” she asked while watching me out of the corner of her eye as I started the engine.

“Y-yes, medyo groggy lang,” I replied and forced a smile. However, there was something missing inside me, a piece of dream that would just not solidify.

Outside our office’s window it felt like world around us turned into whirlpool with familiar streets blurred by their own dimness; we drove away from everything. I shook my head to banish those feelings from my mind. It’s just fatigue I whispered, nothing more.

But as we went along on this way, even more dreams began to blend with wakefulness until it dawned on me where I was headed to without knowing it yet.

Fast forward...

I asked myself as I got to the gate, “Why bukas ang mga ilaw sa  house?” I went directly to the garage to park my car then went upstairs to my room. Since I had nothing to do and wasn’t feeling sleepy yet, I decided to visit my mini-library. I opened the large cabinet in the room with a digital lock using my fingerprint. I placed my hand on it and the door opened. I entered the secret elevator which led down into the underground, to my little library.

While walking along, my hands crossed, I glanced at my work. A new book that I had done came into view. A book with a cover showing two people standing back-to-back with each other. I picked it up and sat down on a chair just before my mini-table, where I usually design or create stories. When feeling too lazy to come here, I prefer working from my room instead.

I opened the book but immediately closed it again after noticing how interesting it was; looking at its cover, “Should I continue your story in Book 2?” I asked  through thoughts directed towards this particular written piece.

"Loving You Everywhere" that was the title of my story. The main character is Russiof Sello "Russell" Sanstemps, who has the ability to travel through different times to find his girlfriend, Akis. Akis disappeared on the day of their wedding, because a "princess of time" can't fall in love with a mortal. Russell faced many adventures and struggles to find his beloved, but at the end of the story, he was still searching.

My inspiration for this story is my own search for true love—from my family and from other people.

I looked at the book again. "Hay, Russell, I hope you find Akis. But you know, we're both just searching for true love" I said.

Suddenly, there was a light coming from the book. I closed my eyes because of the brightness. There was a strong wind and the book fell to the floor.

"Oh no, baka higupin ako ng book!" I said, getting nervous and stepping back a little.

"What's happening?"

Suddenly, the pages of the book started ripping, rising and swirling like a whirlwind.

The pages of the book suddenly formed a human shape. A man. And he became... he became a real person! A man, completely naked.