"It leads to the ceiling below?", Micky asked as he stared at the concrete-covered trapdoor up in the attic. "Sinarado yan nila mom and dad nung incident nung 7th birthday mo...", Asher said as he stood up and sighed, "... and the reason?", and he looked at Micky.
"Hindi ko rin alam."
Asher went downstairs to return the key as Micky continued to stare at the trapdoor for 30 seconds... turned 40... turned 50... until his brother called him to go downstairs for an afternoon snack.
"So... the attic used to have two trapdoors back then?", Micky asked while having 'pandesal', traditional Filipino bread. "Yea, pero after nung nangyari sa 7th birthday mo nga, pinasara nila mom and dad."
"Ano nga ba ulit yung nangyari sa 7th birthday ko?"
"Habang nagce-celebrate kasi kayo nun, merong gumalabog sa taas. Yung hiyawan at saya nun sa loob ng living room biglang nawala, lahat kami nagsitinginan sa taas na para bang tagos yung vision namin sa 2nd floor.", he said, taking a sip on his coffee after that. "Tapos umakyat nun si dad, ako naiwan sa baba. 'Di ko na alam sunod na nangyari. Basta daw 'wag pakikialaman yung attic trapdoor dun sabi ni dad.", he said.
"Ahhh."
----------
After the day full of mystery and puzzles, Micky kept on thinking about it. When he arrived in school, he was glad Hanson was back on track having fun around the class. "Good morning, Micky!", greeted Ann, "Good morning!", he said as he dropped his bag on his chair.
Micky walked towards Hanson, thinking twice if he will remind him of the trapdoor inside their house once again. The laughter of the boys devoured the room at the back.
"Hans!", Micky called as he continued to walk towards him. Mick caught Hanson's attention, but his joyful face turned the opposite. "About dun sa trapdoor sa bahay namin. Wala naman kaming nakitang kakaiba.", he said.
Hanson stared at Micky for a second, "Ahh, ganun ba?", he asked nervously. "Yea, sinarado nga daw after nung 7th birthday ko."
Inside Hanson's mind, it recalled what happened last Sunday, October 16, 2044.
------
Hanson's Mind POV
I was just about to sleep back then
Then someone called me just before I open my bedroom door
It looked so familiar, a familiar voice that stopped the world around me
My peripheral vision showed me a man standing just at the end of the corridor
*Hanson shuts his eyes, trying not to remember it while in front of Micky
As I looked at the man, I felt my heart stopped beating
I felt like I couldn't breathe
I felt like I couldn't move to escape the madness
He said to me once...
"Hans, oo, 'wag ka matakot, gusto ko lang sabihin sayo, na 'wag mong pababayaan ang mga kaibigan mo na pumasok sa attic trapdoor sa bahay nila Micky."
It focused my eyes on the man, his frame was blurry, his frame was warping
I could help myself not to look at him and go inside my bedroom
BINABASA MO ANG
The Clip of Time
MaceraMicky Patterson, a 15-year-old student, used to have a pleasing personality that every loved to have. When he was at their attic, searching through stuff that he need in their school play, he saw something out of that world. It was a clip, a clip th...
