Beyond the Tunnel

Kabanata 24

Kabanata 24

Tortured.

She chewed slowly while looking intently at the ceiling, maybe trying to recall what the good looking hawkman told her.

"Here it goes..Jacob was living peacefully in our world. He was a son of a farmer, as he said. He told me something I couldn't put a finger at. He was telling me about this Demi thing. He said this Demi is kind of half angelic and demonic. Like a soft ice cream or a roses full of thorns. I don't know what's the connection but I just listened to whatever he says." Ngumiwi siya.

Kunot ang noo ko at napakamot ako sa ulo kahit wala namang kuto. O baka meron na? Umiling ako para madistract at tumoon ang pansin sa sinasabi ni Rosie. Hays, distraction everywhere talaga. Pasimple ko sinilip si Jacob. San nagpunta 'yon? Kwarto? Di ba siya gutom? Nilingon ko muli si Rosie at sinimangutan siya.

"Pwede ba tagalog, di ko na nga maintindihan sinasabi mo, mas lalo ko pang di naintindihan at ingles!" Inirapan ko siya pero dahil mabait siya, di niya iyon pinansin.

"Iyon nga, sabi niya doon daw umikot buhay niya pero winasak siya nito—"

"Wait, wait, ano bang kinukwento mo sakin? I told you to tell me how he became a victim, not his life when he's still normal!" halos pasigaw kong sabi habang pigil na lumakas ang boses ko dahil baka marinig niya kaya abot ang sulyap ko sa kwarto.

Sumimangot siya. "I'm having a hard time recalling everything without telling you exactly what he said,"

Grr! Rosie being Rosie! Tumango nalang ako.

"So winasak siya ni Demi. Is Demi a thing, animal or a place? Organism? Human ba ito?" And what the hell am I asking? This ain't pinoy henyo self.

"Hmm. Let's just assume Demi is a noun,"

Nagdilim paningin ko, sinakal ko siya. Pero joke lang dahil diretso padin siya habang angat na ang pwet ko sa pakikinig. I never knew I'd love gossips. I never knew I'd be interested in someone's story cause I never did.

"Pero kahit winasak siya ni Demi, he still did everything for Demi."

"Sana all," banat ko kaya as usual hindi niya ko pinansin dahil ayaw niya magkamali sa kinukwento.

"He even followed his life, argh. See? I can't even understand if he's using metaphors to hide something or what. Ehem. To continue, that's when he saw a dragon turning into....a man. He said that nobody can ever saw the dragon who guards the way to the tunnel, yet unfortunately he saw its face and that's when some doppelgänger copied Demi's appearance and enters the tunnel, he loves Demi and he's curious why would Demi enter such creepy tunnel, so he followed without knowing he can never came out. He said he got time to escape, but the curse didn't let him. Until now the curse can't let him go,"

Why am I feeling so heavy? Wala akong naiintindihan dahil bonak si Rosie. Nasabihan ng 'wag ingles pati bakit parang ang gulo ng kwento? Who is Demi? Who is his life? I think, Demi is his life.

"Whenever he tries to escape cause he can clearly saw the exit..he can't. The curse is torturing him. He said he wanted to see Demi so bad. He wanted to feel his life. But to no avail, he's helplessly waiting for a miracle. He said there are some changes now but the curse is killing him slowly."

"You mean, he became a hawk not for advantage but to be tortured?"

Rosie nod slowly, looking down as if she's emphatically feeling the way Jacob did. And I mirrored her reaction.

"Thinking that you have the ability to escape, to see beyond the tunnel, to see our world living normally without knowing some of us are missing is inescapable torture. To see our love ones loving genuinely someone without knowing we are the true loved ones is fatal poisoning our own heart. He can fly with a speed of an airplane to escape yet he couldn't. He will die here. He was bound to be a slave in this city, tell me Maru, how could his ability be an advantage? He was given this ability to torture himself as he works as a guard of the tunnel, "

Sa huling salita ay nanikip ang dibdib ko. Is that why Jacob's hopeless about getting out? Natatandaan ko ang sinabi niya noon na hindi siya makakaalis. Nagpaalam ako kay Rose at tumayo na ako sa hapagkainan. Walang sabi na umalis ako agad sa bahay para maglakad. Hingal na hingal ako at sinukat ang braso. Said na calories ko sa hagdan. Payat na yata ako ng sobra.

"Maru!"

"Ay kike!" naiusal ko matapos magulat sa lakas ng sigaw ni Jacob sa taas.

Namewang ako at agad nagsalubong ang kilay bago siya lingunin sa taas. Nakadungaw sya sa malaking bilog.

"Anong makateeee!?" Sigaw ko pabalik.

Kitang kita ko ang confused niyang itsura. And so I giggled like a baby playing with her teether. He's just so cute.

"I'll just go for a walk!" Sigaw ko sabay kindat sakaniya at nginusuan ko siya sabay flying kiss. Nakita ko na inirapan niya ako bago siya pumasok uli.

Napairap nalang ako habang naiiling. Kanina lang may pa jealous pa siyang nalalaman, may pa akin akin pa tukmol na yon mukha namang tubol.

Why do I get this feeling na ako si Demi? Sino si Life? But wala ako matandaan. Napapitik ako sa hangin matapos maalala ang nabasa ko about Ferdinand Pichard. It says na nakakalimutan ang mga taong nakakapasok dito and Jacob told me na forgotten na ako. So ganon din siya. What if? Kumabog ang dibdib ko sa possibility. Pero maaaring hindi. Di ko alam saan siya nakatira. Malayo ang Del Sierra samin, paano kung taga diyan lang siya malapit o katabing bayan?

Bigla ay nalaglag ang pang ipit ko sa buhok. Nalaglag ito sa lupa at nakita kong napigtal pala ito. Nagmistulang ahas ang itsura at nanlaki ang mata ko ng maalala si Jack!

He know someone who can retrieve lost memories! Napalitan ng kagayakan ang mabigat na pakiramdam ko kanina. At last! Pero naisip ko din, bakit parang mabait ang tadhana sakin dito? Nagkataon lang ba na opportunity knocks on me, always? 3 wishes from hukom, 1 from Eris and memories to be retrieved from Jack. Kumunot ang noo ko at nag imagine ng tatlong butas na daanan palabas. Saan ako? Saan ligtas? Alin ang pain? Alin ang totoo? Sino ang kalaban? Sino ang kakampi? Ugh. I think I'll lose my mind!

"Hey," dahan dahan kong nilapitan ang isang kwago na namamahinga.

"Messenger ka ba dito gaya ng mga kalapati sa mundo namin?" tanong ko dito.

Hindi ito sumagot, bagkos ay humuni lamang na parang inaantok.

"Sayang, gusto ko sana na bukas na kami ni Jack magkita," nakanguso kong sabi.

Bigla itong lumipad palayo ng tatangkain ko itong hawakan. Napabuga ako ng hangin. Arte, ayaw pahawak. Pinagmasdan ko itong lumilipad palayo.

"Birds seems to be the most free animal that has ever created, but why there is a crow, whose been afraid of by people, the cursed one, the black one?" I whispered through the wind.

Gininaw na ako kaya niyakap ko ang sarili ko. Jacob is really the unfortunate one, his Demi maybe has Arrietty's selfishness. Nasaan siya ng mga oras na ginaya siya ng doppleganger?

"Because not all that seems free, are not caged by something,"

Tumaas ang balahibo ko sa bulong na iyon sa tenga ko. Dahan-dahan ko iyong nilingon at naitulos ako sa aking kinatatayuan ng makita ang nagsalita.

Isang babaeng mukhang malungkot, puro dugo ang kaniyang dibdib, pati mata ay lumuluha ng dugo, at nakalawit ang isang mata.

"Gusto ko rin maging malaya na, tulungan mo akong hanapin ang nanamantala at pumatay sa'akin,"

Halos mabuwal ako sa lupa sa takot at nagtatakbo ako habang sumisigaw.

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A/N : HAPPY HALLOWEEN! SALAMAT SA NAGBABASA PARIN NITO. SENDING LOADS OF LOVE AND LOTS OF KISSES FOR MY READERS! Bear with me, ididiretso ko na 'to! Asahan ang pagiging active ko na. Sorry sa matagal na pagkawala. Vote and comment pleaaase!