CRIMES AND MYSTERIES 3: AKO SAPATOS

XI. THE REWINDER (part 1)

XI. THE REWINDER

~Lou’s journal~

Sa muling pagmulat ko ng mga mata, nakaalis na sina Fille at Jessy.  Naligo lang ako at nag-ayos and then naisip kong puntahan si JR kagaya ng payo ng isang “Flash5”.  JR is a rewinder.  Ask him what was the scene that was rewound in his head.

If that is even possible, that JR is a rewinder, and that a scene has rewound in his head, it could also be possible that that scene is one of the creepy suicide scenes we are trying so hard to investigate.

I went to see JR with all these things in mind.  Pero masama ang timpla niya nang maabutan ko siya roon.  Naikuwento na sa akin ni Fille ang nangyari sa bar na naging dahilan ng breakup nina Robin at Jessy.  I couldn’t blame JR for wanting revenge on Robin.  After all, kakambal niya si Jessy.

“Mapapatay ko talaga yung hayop na ‘yun pag nakita ko.  Kaya warningan mo yun, kajerjer, wag na wag lang magkukrus ang landas namin, kung hindi…” galit niyang sabi sa akin.

“Hey man, I didn’t come here to defend Robin.  He could rot in hell for all I care.  I just wanna ask about the other night.  You know, in Maruja’s place.  You tried to hack an e-mail right?”

“So?”

“May nakita kang pangyayari diba?  Nang mahawakan mo ang laptop?”

“Let me get this straight, ka-jerjer, pinalalabas mong baliw ako, ganun ba?” JR said.

“Kung anuman ang kakaibang nangyari sayo, hindi yun matatawag na kabaliwan.  Special ability mo ‘yun and you’re not the only one who has a special ability, you know?  You are born that way and you could do nothing about it.”

“You’re losing your head, Lou!” JR accused.

“Ang… ang nangyari ba kay Maruja ang nakita mo?”

“No effin’ way, man.  And shut up if you know what’s good for you,” he threatened.  “Tinatakot mo ba ako?”

“Kung hindi si Maruja, ano ang nakita mo?” I pressed on.

Tumayo na siya.  Then he looked straight at my face.

“Do you really wanna know?  I’m not sure you’re gonna believe it…”

Ikinuwento niya sa akin ang katatakutang eksenang nakita niya sa isip niya nang hawakan niya ang laptop.  He didn’t even need to hack an account to know how a woman committed suicide.  I felt something shiver down my spine.  It’s like I was going to be sick.  What person in their right mind will hang themselves?  But as JR said, hindi na matagalan ng babae ang sakit mula sa hindi malamang pwersang dumudukot sa mga mata niya.

Why?  Why wasn’t she able to stop herself from looking at the image?

“This guy… I mean the picture that someone sent to this woman was handsome?”

“Yeah, curly-haired, innocent looking,” JR answered.  “Damn it, kajerjer, it was bad enough to witness that scene in my head, and another to be forced to recount it to someone later.”

“I know, I know the feeling, man, trust me,” I assured him.  “You are a rewinder.”  Parang inuulit ko lang ang sinabi ng isang “Flash5” sa akin sa isang chatroom.  He was right all along.  JR is a rewinder.

“What?  Sira ka ba?  Tao ako,” sabi niya.

“Yeah, but you could somewhat see a scene from the past.  Don’t you see how that works.  You just touched the laptop, and the last person who touched it before you was maybe Nastja’s mom.  The laptop was hers, right?  So maybe you could rewind the last scene that has happened to the last person who touched something that you touch.”

“Damn!  I hate this.  This is so scary.  And hell, I can’t believe you just believed everything I’ve said,” JR said.

“I’ve been through a lot of things worse than that.  And Jessy knows all that.  She’s a part of our group, the Crimes and Mysteries Group.  We try to solve crimes and mysteries.  Your sister sees premonitions.  She’s our foreseer.   Nakikita niya agad ang masamang mangyayari bago pa ‘yon mangyari.”

“Jessy?  No way!” JR said shaking his head in disbelief.

“And… Robin could talk to dead people,” I added.

“Stop right there, man.  Wag na wag mong babanggitin sa akin ang pangalan ng hayop na ‘yun,” pasigaw na sabi ni JR.  “And leave my sister alone.  Ayoko siyang madamay sa mga kabaliwan niyo!”

“Believe me, JR, mas mapapadali ang lahat kung tutulungan mo kami.  And I assure you, walang mangyayaring masama kay Jessy.”

“Deal.”