In The Arms Of Morpheus

Chapter Thirty

*Underworld: Land of Dreams*

"Hello, my beautiful niece!"

"Aunt Thanatos?" kunot noo kong tanong. "Why are you here?"

Ngumisi siya. "We need to talk"

"We're already talking, so now what?"

"My niece, haven't your parents told you that there is a prophecy regarding the third generation?"

"Third generation? Prophecy? What?" naguguluhan na ako.

Napabuntong hininga siya. "A procephy made by our elders, the Goddess of Death shall marry the first born girl on the third generation. That means..."

"What?! The third generation? So it's the after me generation? There is only one child on the third generation which means..." bumilog yung mga mata ko. "Sophia" bulong ko.

Napatingin ako sa kanya, nakangisi siya. "Which means, I'm going to marry your daughter and make her my queen"

"She's still a child!" I argued.

"That won't be a problem, I can wait for another decade. My dear niece, you do know that if the prophecy won't be fulfilled, then there will be something bad that's going to happen"

Napabuntong hininga ako, wala akong magagawa. Yung anak ko magiging reyna sa mga patay. Si Aunt Thanatos kasi, how can I trust her to be my daughter's beloved? She's known as ruthless, merciless, at kinakatakutan ng lahat, she's the freaking Goddess of Death. Parang kapantay niya na si God Hades. But the prophecy need to be fulfilled, it needs to be fulfilled.

"Aunt Thanatos..."

"Don't worry, my niece. I won't do anything to harm her, she's my Queen"

Napabuntong hininga ako. "You can have my daughter, when it's already her coming of age"

"Thank you, my niece. Have a good day, good bye" nakangisi siyang umalis.

***

"Pops, why do you feel sad today?"

"Ahhh, sad ba ako anak?" ngumiti ako ng pilit.

"Yes, nakikita ko po"

Ganun ba ka-obvious?

"Welp..."

"Pops, you really do love her right?"

"Huh?"

Ngumiti siya. "My sister, Bianca. You love her"

Bumilog yung mga mata ko. "How'd you know about us?"

"I can see the future, Pops. I'm always in your arms, that's why I see the future"

"That means... you know what your future holds?"

Umiling siya. "Nope, hindi ko po nakikita yung sa akin. Pero nakikita po yung future ng ibang mga tao"

"Mga tao? So mga tao lang nakikita mo?"

"Pops, whenever I'm in your arms. I could see the future of a person, kapag siya ang naiisip ko"

"Elaborate please..."

"Whenever you hug me with your wings enveloped around me, at the same time na may  taong iniisip akong isang tao, ay nakikita ko ang future niya. Gets po, Pops?"

"Ohhh..." napahawak ako sa chin ko. "Paano mo nadiskubre ang kakayahan mong ito?"

"I don't know, Pops. Nagugulat na lang po ako, kaya ko palang gawin ang mga ganoong bagay"

"Well, you're part Goddess"

"Back to my Ate Bianca. Last week, when you hugged me. I saw her future po kaya nalaman ko pong may relasyon kayo"

"Can I hug you again right now and tell me what you will see in her future?"

"No, Pops. It doesn't work like that. Hindi po basta basta na yakapin niyo lang po ako tapos makikita ko na po agad yung future. At hindi rin po maaaring may iba pang makaalam sa mga future except me only po, because it's very confidential"

Bata ba talaga itong kausap ko? Ba't parang napapansing kong nagma-mature na agad ang isip niya. Parang kahapon lang na bata-bata pa siya mag-isip pero ngayon, tignan niyo nga naman kung paano mag-isip at magsalita.

"Okay..." tugon ko na lang at tumingin sa ibaba.

"Mahal mo po talaga siya 'no?"

"Yes..." hinarap ko siya at tinignan ng seryoso. "Do you approve of us? Ate mo and then me, your Pops?"

Tumahimik muna siya. "Of course, Pops!" ngumiti siya.

"Really?"

"You love her naman po eh"

"I really do..." tumingin ako sa malayo. "Kaso..."

"Kaso po?"

"Bianca and I can't be together anymore, anak"

"Because of my Mama?" dahan-dahan akong tumango. "That's because she still loves you po"

Bumilog yung mga mata ko. "What?!"

"Ramdam ko po, Pops. Mahal pa din po kayo ni Mama, but you have Ate Bianca now so..." nagkibit balikat siya. "I wonder what it's like to have a complete family" medyo sumimangot siya.

Nagpaparinig ba siya? But I don't love Miranda, anymore though. I can't force myself and pretend that I still love her, because I love Bianca now.

"Anak..."

"Pops, whatever your decision is. I will still respect it po" ngumiti siya.

Niyakap ko siya. "Thank you, Anak" hinalikan ko yung noo niya.

***

Ingrid Phoenix

"Someone's calling you" inabot sa akin ni Richy ang phone ko.

I looked at the caller ID pero number lang naman, I answered it pa rin.

"Hello?..."

"Ingrid?" I familiarised the voice, that girl in the elevator. "This is Skye... uhm, so you wanna meet up? You know for that coffee?" parang nahihiya niya pang sabi, pasikreto akong tumawa.

Plano ko pa sanang puntahan ngayon si Bianca, pero sige na nga. Bukas ko na lang siya puntahan, pinangakuhan ko si Skye eh.

"Sure, text me the location"

"Since, same building naman ang condo natin. Why don't you give me your room number, I'll fetch you there. How 'bout that?"

"Hmmm, okay"

"Nice! See you later at 10am" nasasabik niyang sabi.

"Yeah, see you..." binaba ko na, napangiti ako.

"Ehem..." napatingin ako kay Richy na nakataas yung kilay niya. "Someone caught your eye, isn't it?" nakangisi siya.

"H-huh?"

"You know, dapat malaman muna ng Dad mo if you're going to date someone. Hahayaan kong ikaw ang magsasabi sa kanya, sa usapang ganito. Since pinagkatiwala ka niya sa akin, I have to tell him what you do pero ikaw na when it comes to love" saad niya.

"You think it's love, Richy?"

Nagkibit balikat siya. "Oh bakit ako ang tinatanong mo? Ako ba ang nakararamdam?" tumawa siya, kaya inirapan ko siya.

Tawagan ko nga muna ang li'l sis ko. Ilang ring bago niya sinagot. "Hello, sissy!"

"Ate Ingrid..." ba't siya umiiyak?