Decay In Her Bones

CHAPTER 1

"Do you believe in ghost?"

Whenever he was asked this question, Robert Vitug's answer was always "no". Perhaps, the question regarding the existence of ghosts remains a subject of a personal belief depending on which variant of ghost is being talked about ― for it could refer to a spectre, an apparition, a phantom, a demon, a monster, or even the spirits of our loved ones who passed away. The degree or the manner of their appearance is likewise ambiguous: they may appear like a shapeless shadow, or a barely visible shape, or a faceless entity, or just an obscure movement in our peripheral vision. People's reason to reject the idea of the existence of the paranormal world on one hand may be due to the inevitable possibility that those who claim to have seen a ghost could have just been a product of their hallucination. On the other hand, for those who believe in ghosts, maybe it is because they have already seen one and they are certain of their veracity. It seems cliché, but indeed, to see is to believe. Even researchers who venture on the study of supernatural entities have to start with certain assumptions; only then could they start looking for evidences. Still, the idea of ghosts being true remains to be the exact opposite of Science.

Robert, Bobby to his friends, had recently gotten a queer interest to see a ghost. This was maybe because of his lack of paranormal experience, even in his twenty years of existence. Unless he could see one, although a lot would agree, he would refuse to believe that they are part of the real world. Bobby, a dedicated AB Journalism student in one of the most prestigious schools in Manila, seemed to have everything he desired, but curiosity opted to make him feel incomplete at times. Being with friends who had varying schemes often satisfied his anxieties, although there were still instances where he could not seem to reciprocate. Just like that day in October of 2002, as one of his friends was sharing his encounter with a paranormal being, Bobby was having an internal debate. He was feeling both envious and angry; envious of his friend's feat and at the same time frustrated about the story which he thought could not be proven real unless he could show proofs. A picture would suffice, Bobby thought.

"Com'on pre," Lance finally said, gradually losing his temper. "Believe it or not, I know what I saw." Lance, also a Journalism student, seemed to have reckoned what Bobby was thinking.

"Don't you believe in ghosts, Bob?" Franz, another classmate, asked the obvious question.

As you may have expected, Bobby answered, "I don't." He wanted to explain his side further, but he kept his predicaments to his self in order for him not to offend Lance.

Franz laughed animatedly, "How about you, Daniel?"

"Of course, I do. I always see ghosts! I just learned to ignore them." Daniel, the last member of the group, answered energetically as if it was something to be proud of. Franz turned to Bobby.

"See, bro?" Franz teased, "Stop being cocky."

"I'm not being cocky."

"Ah. Really."

Bobby sighed. His anger now turned to irritation. "Knock it off. I won't believe unless I see one." Then he turned to Lance. "Hey, it's just my opinion, okay? Continue your story."

Bobby never forgot that day when he was in the canteen with his friends. It was just right after their last class, and the group decided to stay for a while to have snack before going home. All four of them were huddled around a small table at the far end of the school's canteen. It was a Saturday, so they had the place pretty much to themselves aside from a few others. The place was quite big, although at lunch time during week days, it was always overcrowded with students. Because of this, others would tend to just eat outside of the school. There were a lot of eateries alongside the walls of Intramuros, which ran across the entire length of Muralla St. Still, the canteen was unquestionably well maintained. It was always clean and well ventilated. Out of the administration's kindness, air-conditioning was even installed at the second floor canteen, although only those who bought their food there were allowed to enjoy the benefit.