Esta Vez (This Time)

Kabanata 28

THE sound of waves crashing hauled Selry from the depths of unknown. Naroon ang pakiramdam na lutang siya sa hindi niya malamang dahilan. Naroon din ang pakiramdam ng pagkahapo ng kanyang katawan at pananakit ng sentido. Iyong klase ng pakiramdam tuwing nasosobrahan siya ng tulog.

Just what happened, really? Tanong niya sa sarili na hinilot ang nananakit na bahagi ng kanyang ulo. She could not even remember what was the last thing that happened to her.

She was utterly clueless.

Ipinagwalang-bahala na lamang niya iyon. She was always in that state whenever she woke up from a deep slumber. Kasalanan ng kabangagan niya sa pagtatrabaho sa call center. Hindi na ata nagpa-function ng matino ang utak niya. At ang resulta ay ang paglangoy sa sabaw ng kawalan ng kanyang isipan.

Yeah right, last night was my last render shift. I won't have bangag days for a month or so. Magbabakasyon grande talaga ako!

She then focused her eyes in front of her. Pagtataka ang rumehistro sa utak niya nang mapagtuunan na ng pansin ang tanawing nasa harapan.

Chills ran down to her spine the moment she remember the familiar scenery.

The vast dark sea on a bloody full moon night.

Humulagpos ang mga kamay niya mula sa paghilot ng sentido.

Bakit nandito nanaman ako? She asked herself. She stood at the damp sand with tides that teased her feet, a subtle way of inviting her to walk forward and get a refreshing dip. The wind was calm and quite cool caressing her face. The blood-like colored full moon was just inches away from the sea's horizon.

Everything was just as it was. A calm before the storm. Though in this scene, a storm was not what she was expecting.

Kinilabutan na napaatras siya mula sa kinatatayuan.

No, Selry! Kailangan mo ng makaalis dito! She told herself na tinalikuran na ang dagat at nagsimulang maglakad. She need to get away as soon as possible, while she still has the time to do so. She knew full well what would happen next.

A tsunami would follow and she would drown.

Napahinto siya nang maalala ang susunod na mangyayari after.

She would wake up gasping for air and soaking in her own sweat on her bed. Natataon naman na full moon at nasisinagan siya ng liwanag niyon mula sa bintana.

It had always been like that. It was the re-occuring nightmare she had eversince she was a kid. Kaya ganoon na lang ang pagkatakot niya sa sinag ng buwan tuwing nagigising sa liwanag niyon. She had associated the fullmoon with this nightmare.

But, I need to go through this so I could wake up from this dream. She told herself after thinking things through. All she need was to walk ahead to the rising water, as she had always did from the past, wait for the tsunami and that suffocating feeling of drowning.

And viola, she would wake up to reality.

Napahinto siya mula sa paglalakad.

Why am I walking away when this event would wake me? Tanong niya sa sarili. Ilang minuto rin na pinag-isipan niya ang maaaring mangyari. Nang makapagdesisyon ay nakuyom na lamang niya ang mga palad. She then turned to go back to the shore where the wave was now slowly building up. Ramdam niya ang pagtaas ng tubig sa kanyang paa habang tinatalunton ang daan patungo sa dagat. Everything was happening quickly in her eyes. The water was up to her chest. She took one deep breathe as the big wave came forward. One hard impact made her lose her balance. She could feel the harsh current pushed her body in an endless swirl as she felt herself suffocating from lack of air. She the felt something hard hit her head. Huling natatandaan niya ay ang tila paghila sa kanyang mga balikat, like someone caught her to be saved.