Mary Grace

Twenty-Five

Twenty-Five

Gentle tears rolled down my cheeks. Hindi ko na namalayan ang oras. Naalimpungatan nalang ako dahil sa malamyos na hanging humalik sa aking pisngi.

I got up from the cold floor. I must've fallen asleep because of the shock and tiredness. My eyes are swelling. I looked around. Narito pa rin ang mga litrato at lahat ng ebedensiya ng mga kahayupan ni Uncle Thomas.

I took a deep breath and grabbed the notebook again. May isang parte akong hindi pa nababasa. The last page of the notebook is torned. Kitang-kita ko pa ang preskong pagkakapunit ng papel. Ate Annie must've contemplated on what she wrote that she ended up removing the page instead.

Mary Grace. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. There's a digital camera hidden in one of the drawers of the basement. You will probably loathe me once you see what's in store for you. I'm sorry for what I did. I am the one who took the video. We may not be related by blood, but know that I'll always be your sister.

                                                                                                         Love,

                                                                                                     Ate Annie

I frowned. It doesn't look like a journal entry to me anymore. Isa na lamang itong sulat para sa akin. Kahit na nanghihina ang katawan ko ay pinilit kong tumayo at buksan isa-isa ang mga drawers.

I want to puke. The more I open the drawers, the more sex toys came into view.

Sa wakas ay nakita ko na ang digital camera. It's an old model of Samsung digi cam. It's already gathering dust and dirt from all the years it has been hidden here. I tried to flick it open but it wouldn't. Kinuha ko kaagad ang charger at naupo sa isang malapit na outlet. I plugged the camera to the socket and open the files.

Nanuyo ang lalamunan ko. The thumbnail shows the room where all my nightmare began. Nanginginig pa ang mga kamay ko nang i-play ko ang video.

"What's this game called?"

Nakita ko ang bata kong sarili na masiglang pumapasok sa loob ng kwarto. Back then, I haven't noticed the mischievous glint of Uncle Thomas' eyes when he locked the door behind him.

"There's no name for this game." Sagot niya.

The little 8-year old me cocked an eyebrow. "Then why are we here?"

"To play the game, of course. Come on." Umupo si Uncle Thomas sa dulo ng kama. He stretched both his arms towards me. "Sit here." He pointed to the place between his outstretched legs.

Once again, I'm thrown into that night. The video shakes a lot. Nakakarinig din ako nang mahinang paghikbi, marahil ay galing kay Ate Annie na kumukuha ng video. I watched the scene unfold before me. Sa bawat iyak ko ay parang pinapatay ulit ako. Mas lalo akong nanlulumo habang naririnig ang paulit-ulit na sorry ni Ate Annie at matinding panginginig ng video.

I quickly stopped playing the video before I completely break down. Taking a deep breath, kaagad ko itong in-off. I grabbed some of Ate Annie's picture pasted on the wall and shove it all inside of my bag. Pati ang camera at ang kanyang notebook ay nilagay ko din.

I swung my backpack over my shoulder and went out crying. Hindi ko mapigilan ang pag-agos ng aking mga luha kaya naman nahirapan ako sa paghahanap ng posporo sa kusina.

A container filled half of gas caught my attention. Madami nang dumi sa loob, marahil sa tagal nitong nakatambak sa kusina. Kinuha ko ito. I saw an old lighter sitting on the kitchen counter.