Decay In Her Bones

CHAPTER 3

That night seemed like it was the coldest October night of that year, Bobby suddenly realized. It was even intensified by the strong air-conditioning inside the bus. He shuddered under his sweater; his hands shaking with chill. Both he and Mylene already knew better to bring sweaters, for it was always deadly cold inside the bus. However, that night, as mentioned already, seemed to be the worst. The windows were fogged, becoming opaque and turning the outside world into nothingness.

Mylene woke up with a yawn after what seemed like an hour. Bobby had long been finished reading the short story and the book was already laid closed on his lap. Although the part concerning the thing about Bloody Mary was only at the beginning and was just alluded briefly, Bobby obliged himself to finish it.

Mylene, after seeing the book, remembered their conversation and asked, "Oh Dy, how was it?"

Bobby smiled. "Seems like I'm not going to see a ghost later."

Mylene smiled too, knowing what he meant. She then stretched her arms because they were already too sore from not being able to move for a long time. It was even more stiffened by the coldness. "It's so cold," she said in an undertone.

"We're almost there," said Bobby reassuringly.

The bus was currently exiting the SLEX when the windows started showing a vague view of the surroundings. Bobby realized that they had arrived at Alabang Exit already, with their pace being slightly slowed at the toll gate. To their right, tall buildings stood like water bottles with Christmas lights wrapped around them. In its center was a space that broke the row of buildings; in it was Festival Supermall. After fishing inside his pocket, Bobby turned on his cellphone, which was an Ericksson T66. Back then, cellphones used to have antennas and screens were still in black and white. It was handy, though, sporting the size of a cigarette box. At least, this diminutive device was enough to inform Bobby that it was already a few minutes past seven. Ten minutes passed and they finally arrived at Soldiers.

Muntinlupa was a hybrid of rural and urban. Being the last city inside the borders of Metro Manila, it proudly showcased a well-tended haven, housing tall buildings and business infrastructures. Still, it remained a peaceful place with lesser noise than that of its neighbor cities. It was able to keep a clean environment, deviating from the stereotype of polluted streets in a typical Philippine city.

Mylene's house was in an exclusive subdivision in Soldiers while Bobby's was just along the National Highway. Fortunately, the rain had already stopped as they were passing by Filinvest.

After climbing down the bus and finding comfort from the now soothing warmth outside, Bobby led Mylene across the streets and took the road beside the gasoline station. The road was wet because of the downpour and the two walked cautiously on the slippery slope. Even in that late hour, the area was still lively with people. It was dinnertime and passers-by were already hurrying to get home.

To their right, a small market place was full of sellers who were lazily rearranging items like slippers, bags, women's clothes, and pirated VCDs. A short walk towards its rear was the tricycle terminal which serviced to various places inside Soldiers. Mylene preferred not to wait for the tricycle to be full anymore so she paid a special fare. Bobby kissed her on the cheeks and waved goodbye, just before she took a seat inside the vehicle.

"Bye, Mi. Ingat," Bobby said. Take care.

"You too," replied Mylene, wearing a sweet smile. She turned to the driver. "Phase 2, manong."

The vehicle came to life and started moving towards southern exit of the terminal. Bobby followed the tricycle with his eyes until it vanished in a far-off curve on the road. Then, he walked back towards the gasoline station and set for home.

Bobby's house was not one to be bragged about; a two-storey space whose walls were not painted. From the outside, it looked like an unfinished building. Still, they owned the place and it was more than enough for his family. A 7-Eleven was nearby and Bobby was glad that the store was there to give their place an illuminated street. When he arrived in front of their house, he stood on tiptoe and reached over the gate to unlock it from the inside. The chains made a metallic noise that often announced his arrival, but there was nobody who came outside to meet him that night.

Bobby entered through the back door and saw that the lights were already turned off. He checked the time; it was 8:13 PM. The entire lower floor was dark except for a faint illumination coming from an altar at a far corner. He stood at the base of the stairs for a while and listened; all the people were upstairs already in their respective rooms. Mr. Antonio and Mrs. Susan Vitug, Bobby imagined, were already lying on bed while watching a primetime TV show. His parents went to bed early for reasons unknown. Likewise, his thirteen-year-old brother, Albert, stayed in his own room almost all of the times.

After checking if Mylene had reached home safely, Bobby retreated to the table and had his dinner. He felt really tired after an exhausting day. His hair was already pointing to different directions and he dropped his bag on the floor lazily. Even preparing his dinner was a great effort to him. Bobby then quickened his eating and immediately went upstairs to his room.

Just before he was able to reach the door to his bedroom, his own reflection caught his eyes through a mirror that hanged on the wall adjacent to his room. He took a few steps back and examined his face staring lazily back at him. His skinny features laid bare in front of him and stood out against the darkened terrace behind him. An orange light glowed from the post outside the house, giving him a saint-like halo around his head. And then, he was reminded of something that made the hair at the back of his neck stood: Bloody Mary.

I'm gonna do it tonight.

This endeavor appeared unnecessary at first; probably the silliest instinct for someone who wanted to see a ghost was actually to go out looking for them. The idea of this Bloody Mary myth may slightly be equated with ghost hunting, just less straining for one can do it in the comforts of his house. Still, it seemed very childish for Bobby. What if his friends were just making fun of him, that when they find out he actually did it, they would laugh at him and tell him, "We're just kidding!"? The only escape he could arrive at was an imperative restriction of whatever outcome tonight might give him. If this oration would fail, he could just simply tell them he did not do it. It was worth sacrificing his reputation by covering it up with his discreet intentions. Perhaps he could even tell them that he found the idea silly enough not to give it even a try.

At the end of it all, he was still convinced (primarily by his own self) that he would really perform the Bloody Mary recitation and test the waters. He had had heard about the folklore vaguely when he was in Grade 4. One of his classmates, DM, claimed to have seen the Bloody Mary when he tried reciting her name in front of the mirror. According to his descriptions, if he remembered right, she looked like the Holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, only that she was wearing a blue veil and was covered with crimson blood all over. Of course, Bobby did not consider this story accurate, especially now at his age. We might as well consider that children's stories are children's stories: the very name of it is already its own definition. And so, this version of the story was just a blip of the expectations Bobby was forming in his mind while thinking of how he would actually perform it later.