Umuwi si Bleik nang gabing 'yun na may dalang pritong kalahating manok. Iyun lang ang nabili niya sa limang dayals na nakuha niya sa wallet ng turista kanina.
"Wow. Hindi matigas na tinapay. Salamat, Bleik," masayang sambit ni Kari nang ilapag n'ya ang pagkain sa mesa.
Gusto niyang makipag-usap sa bata.
Gusto niyang tanungin kung masarap ang pagkain nito.
Gusto niyang kumustahin ang araw nito.
Gusto niyang ngumiti.
But she couldn't do those things. Because her lips were sealed. And she just couldn't remove the thread used to sew her mouth. It was done through magic. It should be removed through magic.
Laglag ang balikat na nagtungo na lang siya ng banyo. May naipong tubig si Bleik sa timba kaya iyun ang gagamitin niya para maghilamos.
Tinanggal niya ang suot na hood saka napatitig sa repleksyon niya sa salamin.
She looked hideous. She looked like a monster.
Bakit n'ya ba ito ginawa?
Four years ago, her baptism didn't work so she had to find another way to gain powers. She tried black sorcery and that didn't work out either. And now here she was, two years later, left with remnants of bad decisions.
Did she miss food? Yes.
Was she ever hungry? For two years now.
Would she starve to death? No. She would be hungry for the rest of her life but she wouldn't die. A small prize to pay for magic. But she didn't get any magic. It was still a fail. A futile attempt for greatness.
Naalala niya ang lalaki kanina. Sa loob ng dalawang taon, her appearance didn't make her conscious of how ugly she was. But that man, the way he looked at her with confusion, made her realized how horrible her looks were.
He was so handsome. He had perfect features that made him standout. Kakaiba ang kagwapuhan nito. Ang mga mata nito ay nakaka- magnet na para bang inuutusan s'yang tumitig dito at 'yun lang ang dapat niyang gawin habang-buhay.
"Bleik, tapos na akong kumain at maghugas ng pinggan," sigaw ni Kari mula sa labas ng banyo kaya napakurap si Bleik at mabilis na naghilamos.
Ang bilis talagang kumain ng bata.
Nadatnan n'ya si Kari na nakasalampak sa kanilang sahig. May hawak itong maruming newspaper na napulot siguro nito sa daan or worse sa basurahan. Pero iyun lang ang afford nila. Ang mamulot ng basura ng iba kaya hindi na nagreklamo si Bleik nang iabot nito ang pahayagan sa kanya.
It was the paper from a week ago.
"Tingnan mo ang headline," nakasimangot na sabi ni Kari kaya ginawa naman niya.
Slums Buildings to be Demolished
Nangunot ang kanyang mga kilay sa nabasa. Teka lang, was the paper talking about their Slums?
Itinuloy niya ang pagbabasa kahit na kabadung-kabado na s'ya.
The City Council of Harkans has decided to finally get rid of the Slums. It is the only unsightly area in the city and the tourists don't feel safe around it.
The demolition will commence one week from now...
One week from now. This paper was a week old. Ibig sabihin, the demolition would be any time this week.
BINABASA MO ANG
CURSED
FantasyBleik had a wonderful family and friends. Everything was good. The boy she had a crush on had eyes on her too. But on the night of her eighteenth birthday, everything changed. She wasn't worthy to have everything she had. Now, she was alone.
