7 Days of Horror

Thursday - Floating Heads

"THURSDAY - FLOATING HEADS"

The bus stopped. 

I and the many passengers wondered why the bus halted. We noticed the driver bowed his head and started praying. The bus conductor just stared at him in silence. Staring at him blankly.

"What?" I blurted out. "He should have done that earlier, before driving off. I am too late for my appointment," then sighed.

One of the passengers, an old woman, commented.

"He's just doing the rites," she said in a very husky voice.

"What rites?" An archeologist like me should know all about these rites.

"You're going to Calisto,young man?" she asked, not answering my question.

"Yes, ma'am. You see, I traveled all the way from Manila just to get here in Mindanao and visit the infamous town of Calisto," I responded with courtesy since I was talking to an elderly woman.

She peeked through her window before answering to me, "we're already here in Calisto."

Then the bus' engine roared and we trailed the way to the town of Calisto. . .

Since when did we arrive?

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"Welcome, sir," a young and beautiful woman greeted me. She was wearing a simple white blouse and a sunday dress, her long wavy hair danced with the cold wind in the town of Calisto.

"Oh, thank you," I answered. She quickly grabbed my things and hurried into the small cabin where I'd stay in for a week while doing my study here in Calisto.

The town is in the heart of a very thick forest and the flora and fauna of the place is also rich, enticing me to really go here. It is a very secluded place in Mindanao but is not influenced by the Muslim culture unlike most citites and provinces in the island. The town of Calisto has never been into news, their lifestyle and rich culture were never featured in a travel show or any science-based television programs. 

I knew Calisto from a fellow archeologist, Mr. Orlan Smith, a filipino-canadian in his sixties, who is also my partner at work. He already went here in Calisto and studied everything about the place; he then relayed to me their rich culture and background and the possible artifacts we could retrieve from its rich and abundant land.

The town, small as it may be, also possesses a very weird tradition.

I went inside the cabin where Mr. Smith had also stayed in when he was here in town. The cabin looked nice and welcoming; making you feel like you're just on a vacation. But, I am not. I'm here to elaborate and add more details to the previous study of Mr. Smith about the town of Calisto.

I unpacked my things and hurried to the comfort room. I was planning to take a bath after the long travel, and rest for awhile before going out. I noticed that the water should be taken out from a well.

After taking a bath I sat down to a bamboo-made bed with soft covers and opened my laptop to read once more Mr. Smith's research about the town. I brewed a coffee and drank it while reading.

I remembered that Mr. Smith just sent me an e-mail telling me to go here and elaborate his research. But, we were not really able to see each other, to talk personally about it, after he went to Calisto. Actually I never heard of him after receiving his letter. He just sent all his files to my e-mail address, and I just downloaded all of it, even the pictures, from the internet.

After reading I decided to go out. I wanted to talk to the head of the town, and ask the following questions Mr. Smith had formulated in his files: