"Whoa!" Topper finally broke the eerie silence.
"....how did...." Angela asked.
"Whenever someone would come to the house....I'd hide....Nanay told me to hide....so, I'd hide in the closet....in the bathroom....behind the door....anywhere I could fit....there was this kid....a boy.....he'd come regularly to play.....on that sand mound......sometimes, sa inip ko....lalabas ako from my hiding place and watch him play.....inggit nga ako kasi I wanted to play also.....but I always remembered what Nanay said....."
"Eh where did you hear the name 'Choy'?"
"....the boy came one evening unexpectedly..he stopped going to the house and the sand mound but that night, he was there...kasi he'd come at almost the same time during the day so alam ko na kung padating sya....besides, I could see him from the upstairs window in his colored sando or white t-shirt.....that night, he was in batman costume ata.....basta black yung suot.....ang daming tao sa street, naglalakad.....tapos, may isang group na tumigil near the house and they shouted, "Choy!"......tapos they moved away......when I went downstairs to peep, nakita ko yung kid sa may sand....then he walked around the house....tapos umakyat sa taas.....sinundan ko.....nung sumisilip sya dun sa room namin ni Nanay.....namukhaan ko.....so sabi ko, "Choy?" kasi isip ko, yun yung name nya.....nagulat ata kasi bigla syang tumakbo...sumisigaw....nagtago ako ulit kasi nagulat ako.....natakot din ako....."
"Halloween....2002....." Dickie said, shaking his head.
"What?" Pepe asked Dickie.
"Halloween 2002, sina Donjie, Topper, Mike, Villegas and Santos....they dared me to go to that house at night....they gave me a small flashlight to use......they'd teach me daw the cheats to this game we were playing if I took the dare....eh bully 'to e..." Dickie threw a pillow at Topper. "....so I went it and around....I figured, wala naman akong makikita dun since memorized ko na yung place.....when I got up to the 2nd floor bedroom, I saw a carton laid on the floor....from memory, there was no carton there ever....malinis lang yung room lagi pero walang gamit.....then, when I turned to go, a pair of eyes were looking at me in the dark and a small voice called my name.....I freaked out!"
Everyone laughed.
"Amazing! And you guys meet again here....in New York of all places!" Angela shook her head in disbelief.
"Wait....are we sure na sila nga yun?" Pepe said, breaking their thoughts.
"All evidence points to them....the abandoned house....in QC.....the sand mound.....the clean room on the 2nd floor.....the elephant...." Topper recounted.
"....with complete detail..." Angela added.
"Malay natin....coincidence lang...." Pepe, the pessimist.
"Pwede....pero, think of all the details they shared.....halos lahat fall into place...." Topper was indignant.
"Sabagay.....Nic.....where's that elephant now?" Pepe asked.
"I think it got left behind in that house....I don't remember anymore.....basta one day, Nanay told me that we were going to get ready because we were going to move na.....we moved about so much that I've learned to leave stuff behind na rin...."
"Hmmm....this got me thinking....when you guys go back to Manila.....drive to that house and see what's become of it...if it hasn't been torn down or what...." Topper suggested.
"....the last I know is that its still the same....it hasn't been torn down...." Dickie said.
A collective "Ooohh" from the other friends.
Later that evening, Dickie offered to take Angela and Nic home because they were on his walking route. "I'll pick you up at 8?" he said to Nic.
"Ang aga naman...."
"Uhmm....what time?"
"...hmm...I'll text you later....I want to check the list of places I want to visit also...."
"Okay...."
"Thanks for walking us home"
"You're welcome. Good night."
"Goodnight, thanks!" Angela waved at Dickie and went up the stairs of the building. Nic stayed by the door for a little while longer.
"Thanks....good night...." Nic said.
Dickie stared at Nic for a while then tucked a stray hair behind her ear. He held her chin and leaned in for a soft kiss on the side of her mouth.
Stunned, Nic blushed. She turned and went inside the building, leaving Dickie by the doorway.
