METANOIA

I

I

Sudden Chase

~*~

"ARE YOU stupid?! There's a reason why people stay away from that godforsaken and it's because it's dangerous!" Cross's voice thundered over me.

"I told you! May gusto akong malam-"

"Na ano? That place is dangerous! How many times have I told you that? Can't you just listen to me?! What could have happen if- Fuck!", galit na galit niya akong iniwan. He slammed the door loudly I almost thought it broke.

This is the first I saw Cross this angry na halos gusto niyang manuntok. But he has all the right. Hindi ako nakinig sa kanya.

Dahil rin naman kasi to sa katangahan ko. Kung di lang ako napano doon, edi sana wala akong galos at pasa sa aking paa, binti at tuhod. Kung wala sana akong nabaong mga pasa at galos, di niya sana mapapansin na nagtungo nga ako dun. Tsk. Who am I kidding? He will eventually know anyways.

Cross is mad. Great.

He clearly warned me a lot of times that the forest was dangerous for me pero sobrang tigas ng ulo ko. Sinuway ko pa rin siya. Pinuntahan ko pa rin yun dahil di ko mapigilan.

I am naturally curious. Ito ang palaging sinasabi ng mga tao sakin. Masyadong matanong. Masyadong mausisa. And it's true. I dig on the unknown. I chase for discovery on things I don't understand.

I was always curious about that forest eversince I lived here in town. I started picking up pieces about it.

There were a lot of rumors about it. That there are unknown people going in and out of that place. And these people knows magic. They called them Mage. They said that the place was cursed. But it was old myth. Nothing but a myth use to fascinate kids.

Hunters and loggers who accessed the place for years said that those rumors are just used to drive the civilians away from there because of wild beasts living in there. It was effective though. Walang pumunta roon dahil sa takot. Well, except for me.

I was right that the forest hides something when I found the symbol. It was fascinating.

It was hidden deep in the forest. Mahirap hanapin.

Cross who was so against about my research eventually found out about it.

Lumabas ako ng classroom at ako na ang naglock sa pinto. It was dismissal after all. Halos isolated na ang mga corridors. Great. Mukhang mag-isa pa akong uuwi dahil iniwan ako ni Cross.

Bago ako umuwi ay naisipan kong pumunta sa palengke para maggrocery. Ilang beses kong tinawagan ang numero ni Cross pero di siya sumasagot. Nag-iisip pa naman ako na lutuin ang paborito niyang ulam.

"Ba't di mo kasama ang nobyo mo ineng?", tanong ni Aling Mina nang bumili ako sa kanya ng karne.

"May topak po Aling Mina kaya ako lang. At isa pa, ilang ulit ko po bang sasabihin na di ko po nobyo si Cross."

Tumawa lang siya. "Kung ganon lutuan mo ng masarap na ulam para mawala ang topak."

Napailing na lang ako. Ayaw niya talagang maniwala na magkaibigan lang kami ni Cross. At talagang hindi magiging kami dahil topakin siya at madaling magalit. Ako tuloy ang nagdudusang magluto ng ulam na gusto niya para mawala ang topak niya.

On my way home, I felt that someone is following me. Pasimple kong nilibot ang aking paligid pero wala naman akong napapansing kakaiba. Only shadows from old establishments and alleys. I can almost imagine shadows lurking, like the ones I saw back in the forest. Pinilig ko ang aking ulo.