Beauty and the Beast brothers

Chapter 2- Into the woods

A L E X I S

"Let's go this way!" White turns right. Napatingin ako sa kalangitan, papagabi na. I must find a place where to spend this night. Minsan, sa puno lang ako nagpapalipas ng gabi. Pero kadalasan kapag may nakikita akong bahay nakikituloy ako. Well, women always serve me right. Ang gwapo konga naman kasi para tanggihan hindi ba---

"Whoa.... whoa... oh boy! Look out!" White runs through this unfamiliar path avoiding everything while here I am guiding him. But my eyes widen when he almost runs over the edge of a cliff!

"Fuck white! Back up! Back up! Back upp! Yea.. yes.... that's right... good boy..." Naka-hinga ako ng mapa-hinto ko siya bago paman kami matuluyan sa bangin. Napatingin ako sa baba non, agad kong pina atras si White. Sobrang taas pala! Pew! I almost end up there! Hoo. Not now Lord, I still love my life!

"Come on White, that way!" Bumalik kami sa dinaanan namin kanina at ngayon naman ay lumiko sa kaliwa. This route is really new, dahil bago sa paningin ko. I just discovered this last last week. Medyo kakaiba narin ang paligid. Tanging ang mga yabag lang ni White ang naririnig ko kasama ang tunog ng mga tuyong dahong naaapakan nito. My forehead knotted. Ngayon kolang napansin. Even the sounds of the fireflies awhile ago vanished. Isama mopa ang mga punong to! Puro mga sanga nalang at bulok na dahon and.... its getting weird. Because come to think of it. Autumn in the middle of the Spring?! What the actual heck?! It's too early for September! This tree and flowers must be in bloom, right? Or it was just my imagination...

"Wait stop!" I pulled White, agad naman itong huminto. Napatingala ako sa langit. Kitang kita ko ang bilog at malaking buwan mula dito. Madilim na ang paligid. Gabi na.

"M-mister? T-t-tulungan mopo a-ako!" Agad kong hinanap ang pinanggalingan ng boses. I saw a little girl right there at the back of a tree. Is she hurt? Agad akong bumaba kay White at nilapitan ang bata. She's dirty and she stinks. Umupo ako para daluhan ito.

"What happened? Are you okay?" She looked at me with her teary eyes. Medyo naaaninag kopa naman ang paligid.

"Ka-kahit t-tubig lang po... p-parang awa m-mona..." Hindi ito makapag salita ng maayos dahil sa sakit ng tiyan. She groaned. Agad akong kumuha ng isang bote ng tubig sa lalagyanan ko at tsaka ko ito tinulungang uminom. Kumuha narin ako ng mga tinapay para ibigay sa kanya. I saw the amusement in her eyes. I patted her hair.

"Water is not enough. Nasan ang pamilya mo?" I asked. Itinuro niya ang isang direksyon. Nung sinundan ko ito ng tingin ay wala naman akong nakitang kung ano man. My forehead knotted again. "Do you want me to bring you home?" I suggested. Sunod sunod siyang umiling.

"Hindi napo. Maraming salamat po! Ummmm, anong pangalan mo?" She curiously asked. Siguro ay na gwapuhan sakin ang batang ito. I chuckled.

"I'm Alexis. You?" She just gave me a meaningful smile. "Alexis may ibibigay po ako sayo!" She said not minding my question. Ngayon ay masigla na siya. She started giggling. She brought out a small bag out of her pocket and looks at me again. Inabot ko naman ito. Nung makita ko kung ano ang nasa loob ay nagulat pa ako. But how?

"Golds?" I asked confused. She nods repeatedly. Napa-iling ako dahil don. Kinuha ko ang kamay niya at ibinalik don ang lalagyanan. "Keep it. Your family needs that." I said while smiling.

"But I'm giving it to you!" Dahil don ay napa kamot ako sa ulo ko.

"I can't accept that little girl.. that's too much for a piece of bread and water. I rather have an apple. May alam kabang apple tree dito?" Mahabang lintanya ko. It's true, I rather have Alexa's apple than those golds, worth more than our house. I can't accept it knowing that this child might groan in pain because of hunger once again.

"An apple?" She innocently asked.

"Yeah. My sister loves apple but there's nowhere to be found." Naisip kolang na madidisapoint ulit siya kapag umuwi ako ng walang mansanas eh. Demanding kasi talaga ang isang yon.

"You're so pure, mister." She said with a wide smile. "There! Alam ko may apple tree don! Just be aware!" Sabay turo niya sa pinaka loob pa nung daan. "Goodluck." She added and.... kissed me on my cheek? Natawa ako dahil don. I patted her hair once again bago ako tumayo. "Umuwi kana huh? Gabi na, it's dangerous." Sabi ko bago balikan si White. Nung makasakay ako ay nilingon ko ulit yung bata, pero hindi kona siya nakita. She's fast huh.

"YAH!" White started running again. I'm trying to memorize all the paths, luckily, magaling ako pagdating sa mga ganito. It's nice. Habang tumatakbo si White ay inihanda ko ang pana ko. I heard howls and growls from not so far. I'm manly sure, there are wild dogs. Pero nagsalubong ang mga kilay ko ng mamataan sila. "How in the..." Di ako makapaniwala. They're not dogs! But wolves! Can't count them! Fuck! Agad kong inihanda ang mga palaso ko. Naalerto ako sa biglaang pagtakbo nila patungo sa direksyon ko.

"WHITE FASTER!" Sinalubong namin sila. I positioned my bow and arrow as I shot the wolves out of our way one by one. I targeted their head, wala ni isa sa mga palaso ko ang sumablay. Halos kalahati sa kanila ang bumagsak sa lupa. Pero parang hindi sila nauubos. Nang mapalingon ako sa likod ay mas dumadami ang humahabol samin. Oh great! We're being chased by the wolves!

"SPEED UP WHITE! WE'RE IN HURRY!" He runs faster and accelerates. I looked back and hit some of them. I heard groans as I saw them stopped. I sighed in relief.

That was fun!

"Woah... woah.... white be careful!" White almost stumble down the hill because of his speed. Luckily, we landed safely. I burst out a deep breath. I looked around and checked the surroundings. I saw a big house— or maybe no? More likely, a palace, a castle, or what. Agad akong bumaba kay White. "Wait for me here buddy." I said as I started walking towards the tall gate. Napansin kong bukas ito kaya agad nakong pumasok. Bumungad sakin ang malawak na lugar sa loob, there's a garden— a dead garden, a fountain— umm a cruddy fountain, well this is more likely a hunted castle. Everything's black, muddy and unclean. I can't even feel lively grass on the ground. Much weirder. Dumaretso nalang ako sa pangalawang pintuan papasok. I started knocking but no one's answering. Im just needing a place to sleep. Kinapalan kona ang gwapo kong muka at pumasok.

"Sorry if I'm going to trespass. I had no choice!" My voice echoed around the place.

I don't care if it's hunted.

"Everybody? Is someone there?" Walang sumasagot. Everything here is dusty. Parang wala namang nakatira dito?

"Not a single word! Not a single word!"

Wait.. did I heard something or it was just my imagination? My forehead knotted. Nilibot ko ang paningin ko at nakita ang isang gitara katabi ng isang candle holder. Linapitan ko ito. I picked up the guitar and started strumming it. It doesn't sound good. Wala sa tono.

"Oh no! Oh no! What if the second master sees him?!"

"Bring me down, young lad!"

"Shhhh! Not a single word! We're doomed!"

Am I hearing things now? Or...

I gulped. Dahan dahan kong ibinaba ang gitara sa dati nitong kinalalagyan. I scratches my nape and looked on the candle holder. "Ummm, I can here you talking." Naka ngiwi kong sabi. I just need to confirm something. I may be crazy doing these.

"Oh! Hi there young lad! We're glad you're not scared!" Said the guitar. Said the— what? THE GUITAR?! WHAT THE...

"FUCKKKKK! AHHHHHHHHHHH!"