---
▶▶Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where they strung up a man they say they murdered three.
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight in the hanging tree.◀◀
---
"Hmmm.. Hmmm.."
Gulong gulo si Trim kung papayag siya sa alok ni Terrence na makipagtanan sakaniya. Mas lalo pang nagugulo ang utak niya dahil sa walang tigil na pag huhumm ng kaniyang lola na si lola Margarett.
"Hmmm.. Hmmm.."
Hindi na nakapagtiis si Trim. Sinaway niya na ang kaniyang lola. Masyado na kasing nagugulo ang utak niya, kailangan niya ng kaunting katahimikan. Gusto niyang makapag-isip.
"Granny naman, kanina ka pa naghuhumm diyan. Konting katahimikan naman po." Hindi sinasadya ni Trim na masuway ang kaniyang lola. Pero kailangan niya muna kasi ng kaunting katahimikan. Mabuti naman at tumigil na agad ang lola niya.
Kanina, Terrence asked her to secretly meet with him at midnight.
Hindi niya alam kung anong plano ni Terrence sa pagkikita nila doon. Itutuloy niya kaya ang sinasabi niyang magtatanan sila? Pero hindi ba masyadong maaga para gawin nila iyon? They were still very young. Hindi pa nga sila matatawag na adult. Trim was only 16 years old. And Terrence was 17 years old.
But, they love each other. Tutol na tutol ang dalawang pamilya nila sa relasyon nila. That's why Terrence asked her to be with him and both of them will runaway together. Forever.
Masyado nang magulo at malala ang mundo nila ngayon. Tatakbuhan na lang ba nila lahat ng problemang iyon? It was an act of childishness kung saka sakali. But then, what about Terrence? What would happen to him if Trim doesn't meet up with him?
Terrence said that both of thenm should fulfill their promises and never break apart. In short, it was a must for Trim to go there.
But what if meeting up with him there is only a doorway to danger?
And besides, their meeting place is an odd place for a tryst. The place they called 'The Hanging Tree'. People called it that way because they said that it is a place where a man is hung for murder during the ancient times.
But that was only a tale or suspicious beliefs from their grandparents. Hindi naman siguro totoo yon, at kung totoo man, so what if there were men that was murdered there? That was a long time ago. Matagal nang naagnas ang bangkay nang mga iyon.
Pero nagdadalawang isip pa rin si Trim kung makikipagkita ba talaga siya kay Terrence.
"Anong problema hija?" It was her grandma who asked her.
"Wala po." Mataman niyang sagot.
"May plano ka bang sumama sakaniya?"
Ha? Paano nalaman ng lola niya iyon?
Lumapit siya sa kaniyang lola at kinausap ito sa mahinang boses. Mahirap na at baka may makarinig sakanila.
"Granny, paano niyo po nalaman?"
Ngumiti lang sakaniya ang kaniyang lola. At sinabi,
"Hindi na bago ang ganiyang sitwasyon hija, paulit ulit na iyang nangyayari."
"Hindi ko po kayo maintindihan"
"Pamilyar ka ba sa kantang, 'Hanging Tree'hija?" Yun ang madalas na kinakanta ng matatanda sakanila pero hindi niya tipo ang kantang iyon. Bukod kasi sa pare pareho ang tunog, hindi niya rin maintindihan ang meaning ng kantang iyon.
---
▶▶Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where a dead man called out for his love to flee
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight in the hanging tree.◀◀
---
Trim's grandmother said something odd about the song, that after the man was murdured and hanged from the Hanging tree, the corpse or the dead man wants to protect his love, encouraging her to flee to safety. That's why in the song entitled 'Hanging Tree' which is usually sang by Trim's grandmother, there is a line saying where a dead man called out for his love to flee.
That's wierd obviously, a talking corpse.
But that explains it, even though the man is already dead because of murder. He doesn't want his lover to end up the same with him, that's why he called up for his love to flee, before the murderer would also kill his lover. Well, that was how her grandma told her.
I don't know how the dead man called out his love, because he was already dead. But my grandmother said that it was still a mystery to everyone. The song is somehow still a mystery to them.
Then she realized, that the song takes place in 'The Hanging Tree' a place where there was a very tall and creepy tree up in the mountains. Na hindi nagkakalayo sa lugar nila. Alam ni Trim na kwento kwento lang ang lahat ng iyon, pero may posibilidad rin na totoo iyon.
Mas lalo pa tuloy siyang nagdalawang isip dahil sa mismomg lugar din na iyon siya niyaya ni Terrence.
---
End of Part 1
