"Pasko na ba? Did I just heard Santa Claus?" Sarkastikong tanong ko habang nakakunot ang noo. I sure did, narinig ko ang famous line ni Santa Claus. One of the birds recited it!
"Which among the acridotheres tristis speak?" Lev queried, still startled. I gave him a shrug as an answer. Sunod niyang tiningnan si Hinrich, siya naman ang tinanong niya.
"Hindi ko alam, hindi ko na napansin kung sino ang nagsalita sa bilis ng pangyayari," tugon ni Hinrich habang nakakibit balikat.
"Why don't you repeat the magic word anew? Para malaman natin kung sino sa kanila ang nagsalita," suhestiyon ko na sinunod naman niya. Wala namang mawawala and for clarification na rin.
Lev heaved a sigh before he begin. "Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain!" Makalimang beses na pag-uulit muli ni Lev.
"Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain! Aye! Aye! Captain!" Pagsunod ng mga ibon. Mukha silang choir dahil sabay sabay sila.
"Victoria!" The second bird recited. Sa pagkakataong ito ay pinagmasdan namin ng mabuti ang mga ibon.
"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!" The bird in the middle suddenly speak. Aha! Huli ka ngayon!
"Siya!" Magkapanabay na bulalas namin ni Hinrich habang nakaturo sa hawlang nasa gitna. I forgot his name though. Sigurado akong siya ang nagsalita dahil tahimik ang lahat.
"Siya!" The mynah birds repeated at once. Imbes na matuwa ay nakaramdam ako ng inis. It seems like they are mocking me.
"Anong pangalan ng ibon na nasa gitna?" tanong ko kay Lev, still pointing at the mynah bird in the middle. Ano bang mayroon kay Santa Claus? Idol ba niya ang matabang 'yon na nagbibigay ng regalo tuwing pasko kaya ginagaya niya ang famous line nito?
"Trinidad," Lev replied shortly. Then his eyes widened, a thought must have struck him. "The captain of Trinidad is Ferdinand Magellan!" He blurted out.
Kaya siguro ito ang piniling turuan ni Mr. Fernando ng secret message. According to the history, ang barkong ito ang sinakyan at pinamunuan ni Ferdinand Magellan.
"Victoria is the only ship that had returned to the Spain successfully! That's why I need to repeat the magic word five times!" Lev exclaimed in realization.
My forehead crumpled. I am not a fond of history kaya wala akong alam tungkol diyan. "What happened to the other ship?" I curiously asked.
"Santiago was destroyed and sank due to a storm. San Antonio is the biggest ship among the five, they betrayed and returned to the Spain. Concepcion was put in fire by the Spanish since they only have few crewmen and they can't handle three ships at the same time. They abandoned it and proceed with the expedition using the two remaining ships. Due to the heavy cargo inside the Trinidad ship, the water began to get in it. They left some of the crewmen to repair the ship but unfortunately it was destroyed as well and was captured by the Portuguese. Victoria, on the other hand, was the only ship who successfully returned to the Spain with remaining 18 persons who survived. They have finally returned after three years."
I feel like I became a student once again, tila nasa loob ako ng silid-aralan and my professor keep on discussing about the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan. Ilang taon na nga ulit siya? Baka naman nakasama siya sa expedition?
"Anong ibig sabihin ng Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas?" Hinrich chimed in. Tinutukoy niya ang clue na ibinigay ng mynah bird na itinuro sa kanila ng kaniyang lolo. Hindi rin malinaw sa akin kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng famous line ni Santa Claus, maliban sa literal na bumabati lang siya ng maligayang pasko.
BINABASA MO ANG
The Stolen Black Asian Bird Ship (LNF #02)
Mystery / ThrillerLost N Found is a business established by Echarri siblings with the aid of their dog Pangaea. Its goal is to find anything that has been either lost, mislaid or stolen. A simple case will lead them into a tangle of clues, mystery, startling discover...
