SHADE

Chapter 1: Journey to the Past

The dead autumn leaves dances on the trail as the carriage wheel rolls atop them. The road lies between the steep slope of the mountain and the edge of a cliff. The brown leaves are then either pushed at the side of the road or the cliff on the opposite side, plummeting to the deep abyss, to the unknown dark pit where fog covers what lies under.

The sky is filled with gloom and the air, filled with thin blades of cold breeze, stung the noses of those who breaths it. As the carriage continues to gallop through the wintry road, with horse's hooves piercing the subtle layer of fog, a conversation broke inside the carriage of two women and a young man. As the curtain sways more from the wind blown by the travel, their image became more vivid. At one side are the twins, a young woman and man. On the opposite is a far older woman, fanning herself even if the surrounding area reeks with frost. Her eyes are not fixed to any of the twins and her gesture are filled with discomfort.

"Maayo untag si papa mosugat sa atoa(It will be good if Father will be the one to welcome us)"., the older woman exclaimed without any subject whom to get replied with.

"Pila naba katuig"(How many years has it been). The young man said, brows furrowed in thinking. "nga wala nato siya nakita"(that we haven't seen him). he added as he shrugs his shoulders to fix the fitted lenin shirt under his waistcoat.

"Kinsa bay moduaw sa iya og ingon ana siya"(who'll visit him if he's like that) the younger twin told her brother and sister. She sighed before glancing back outside the window, looking atop the barren mountain of mist. As the wind gentle sways her blonde hair, her marble azul eyes are exposed, reflecting the dead and gloomy place outside the carriage.

The young man's attention was caught by the thud beneath the seats of the carriage. He leaned down and look for what's causing the thudding noise. He was surprised and reached the object out to shed light to it. His elder sister, still agitated and fanning herself despite the cold, tilted her head and curious of what his young brother have found.

"Unsa mana Joerge *read as Yorj*?"(What is that?) she exclaimed; her fanning slowed as her curiosity grew. Her brother still can't reach the object, get off his seat and knelt to grab what's underneath. Out he drags a hardwood kalimba, dust have dug the surface of the instrument but still produced a tune on the slightest stroke of finger. Small patches of wood mold are forming under the Kalimba, making Joerge to dust it off outside the window. A dull sound of the kalimba is heard by all of them as Joe shakes the instrument.

"Ate kadumdom paka ani?"(do you still remember this) Joerge asks his elder sister, raising the instrument. With his elbows in his knees, he leaned forward, caressing the instrument with his hands. His eyes dilated as he was engulfing by nostalgia. His elder sister then remembers, smiling to the nostalgia of what it was and smiled at the sight of it. Joerge's twin merely took a gander at it then goes back to staring blankly outside the carriage.

As the two paid attentions to the kalimba and as Joerge attempted to play a familiar tune he was interrupted by a loud bump. The thump was loud as if they had hit an animal, making them leap up their seats and float in the air for a moment. The carriage then halted with Joerge grabbing a grip of the wooden window with his right hand and clutching the kalimba with his left. His elder sister however knelt on the carriage wood floor but immediately lift herself up to the seat.

"Nung!! naunsa man ka dihaa!! Dili baka pwede makahinay?!(what is going on in there)" she uttered in anger. Patting the wooden gap of the carriage's fore with her fan.

"Mura og nakaagi ta og taas nga yuta madam Elissa (I think we may have hit a high clump of soil Madam Elissa)" the driver replied in an apologetic tone to Elissa

"MURA?!(You think!?)" Elissa shouted after seeing the bruise on her knees. She opened the door of the carriage and went outside to confront the driver