A MIRACLE (TRUE STORY )

The War (The Rebels vs The Military)

The mountainous area is most often became the nest of most rebels. There they hide through the mountains and thick forests. During the day, you could not identify them because they act like nothing as if an ordinary citizen except to those elders who are natives there with owl eyes who could see through a person even in the night and day.

They called themselves "Protector of the People" especially the oppressed and the poor. Most of them are good and kind but there are always those bad guys, even in the disciples of Christ, one of those twelve is a traitor that could make a stain among them all.

The most abusive rebels were those that aren't really residents, they came from other places with different dialects. They would demand much at times to the poor people and would threaten anyone if they couldn't give.

The resident rebels were more considerate and respectful compared to the nonresidents; they, at times, help the civilians in plowing the fields, doing the farm works and defending them from abusive people.

They always go out during the night together with their troops to go house to house, sometimes they'll ask for rice or any goods to the people.

They are also convincing and recruiting anyone to join them, anyone even young children or adults. Some of the young boys joined to them like 10 years old and below, most of them are only enticed to hold guns maybe.

But Anne's mother is always firm to her principles, she would never allow any of her children to join them. She's very brave in defending the rights and future of her children. They cannot convince her to give one of her children though they are many. She would give away anything, any goods to them but not her children. Though she was poor, she never gave away anyone for adoption. She's the decision maker, disciplinarian, breadwinner of the family. While her husband was only supportive of her every decision, her husband rarely talks and got angry even to her children. He's just contented to listen and do all the household chores like preparing meals for the family. He's the one who took care of the children too when anyone got sick, he would always massage them and he had a bit knowledge too in traditional healing like some of the practices of faith healers.

Her mother always strived hard to send all the children in school. She has a great plan to them, she wants them to finish schooling and not to follow the footsteps of their uneducated parents.

Anne remembered the day when she's still in 2nd primary grade, her mother came tired from working in the farm and sugarcane field. Her mother cried in front of her, she hugged her and told her, "Anne, you're my only hope. You are my only hope to help me out from this very poor situation, my hope to help us."

Anne always remembered that scene until she grew up. Her mother knew she's bright, studious, loves to read and always on top of the class. Though her mother would not let her always to help them on the farm, only babysits all her younger siblings in the house every weekend or every non-school hours and vacation days.

During the day, the military would conduct its operation to check the presence of the rebels in the community. There are thousands of military men who came around carrying their high powered arms, buckling grenades, and heavy large backpacks. They inspect also every house maybe someone has given a tip to them that the rebels were there.

And one day those military men happened to pass by in their house. They surrounded the house, they always went together as a pack. Anne's house was surrounded by vegetables, and notably the vast crawling squash around them. They are hungry, so they stop there to cook anything they like. They borrow a very big cooking pot and very large wok as if they are like WITCHES with the big cauldron.

They harvested all the vegetables they can see around the house, getting all the flowers and fruit of the squash and all the leaves of the veggies. And everything's barren after, there Anne discovered that the squash flowers are edible to eat through them and some of the stem of the malunggay tree. She thought it was strange to eat that maybe there are just all hungry. The banana fruits surrounding the house were also gathered. And also some other time they get few chickens from them to cook it, those are native chickens raised by the family. Those chickens are also one of the sources of incomes of the family. The family would sell it to the town in exchange for canned sardines, bread, medicines or fish.