In the Eyes of Love [HIATUS]

Prologue

It was on romantic era, in Europe, when aesthetics peaked to its utmost standard, that is, it can be experienced through intense emotion. It was said that during such time, art, music, architecture, and literature served as it's aesthetic epitome. But then, as people get more particular in beauty, they became more discontented unto seeing an epitome of it. As a result, people trying to produce an aesthetic epitome, became rivals of each other, fostering conflict in every little societal space.

But one day, an appearance of a nameless woman changed it all. The woman was beyond beautiful to be ordinary, and no one has ever seen her before. No one also knew where she came from. Some said she lived from an isolated far away land, some said she's a fairy from an enchanted forest, and some thought she's the legendary nymph living from the deep mountains. Such beauty met their standard of an aesthetic epitome. Men and women, regardless of position adored her.

Everything went in harmony, she became the human goddess of beauty during such time. Every romantic artist was head over heels for her, desiring to be every art's subject, and worse, becoming their treasured possession.

The nameless woman, however, didn't want it. People's obsession to aesthetics led into unexpected things that she never wished to see. She was harassed, envied, and fantasized. But just like her unexpected appearance, she disappeared without a trace.

That woman, was my ancestor. My ancestor who put curse on her own beauty, bringing people's aesthetic standards into their own lunacy. The curse is said to be passed to every first child of the family in each generation, at nakakainis lang kasi isa ako sa mga ito. Punyeta.

—[PHILIPPINES 2020]—

'Bwesit, hinahabol na naman ako ng mga baliw!' inis na sabi ng isip ko habang naghahanap ng daang matatakasan.

'Ba't ba kasi nila nakita ang mukha ko?' napakuyom pa ako sa pagkairita habang tumatakbo.

'Kainis, ba't pa ba sa lahat ng mga apo ng mga kaninunuan ay ako pa ang isa sa mga nakamana ng sumpa?'

I'm so done for, pinagpapawisan na ako lalo na't naka-hoodie ako at may suot pa'ng mask.

"Fafa!"

"Kyaaaaahhhh!"

Animo'y nagsisilutangan na ang mga alikabok sa bawat apak na ginagawa ng mga taong nabaliw nang dahil sa itsura ko. Hinahabol ako ng mga matang animo'y naghugis puso at butuin, nakakahiya tuloy lalo na't pinagtitinginan na kami ng mga taong walang alam sa mga nangyayari. Nakakasar.

"Ba't pa ba kasi tinanggal ng isang bata ang mask ko kanina? Pasaway."

"Kelangan ko silang matakasan." sabi ko pa sa ere at timing may namataan akong signal light na 10 seconds nalang bago maging pula.

Muli akong tumingin sa mga taong humabol sa akin, mapababae man o lalake, naghahabol pa rin sila. Muli akong napatingin sa signal light at ay may 5 seconds nalang itong natitira.

'Kelangan ko'ng makatawid!'

I looked behind, kinikilabutan ako sa mga itsura nila. Para silang mga zombie na laway nang laway sa akin at gustong kainin nang buhay.

'Nakakatakot sila.'

Mabuti nalang mabilis akong tumakbo kaya nagtagumpay akong makatawid sa kabilang kalye bago pa naging pula ang signal light, hudyat para sa pagkilos ng mga sasakyan. But to my surprise, tumawid pa rin sila kaya naman ay nasagasaan ang iba at nagkaroon ng chain-accident.

"Potek, sobra-sobra naman ata 'to?!" nanlalaki ang mga mata ko'ng nakatingin sa likod.

Knowing may iba, kahit napilay na ay habol pa rin nang habol, wala na akong ibang choice kun'di ang magpatuloy.

'Dapat talaga eh hindi na ako lumabas.'

Sa 'di kalayuan ay may natatanaw akong kanto kaya ay napangiti ako lalo na't ako ay nakalayo na sa kanila.

'Ito na ang tsansa ko!' isip-isip ko bago lumiko ng tinatakbuhan at napagtagumpayang mawala sa paningin nila.

Bigla ay...

"Aah." napasinghap ako nang may nabangga, isang babae. Sa lakas nang impact ay ito ang napuruhan para malaglag, pero bago pa man iyon mangyari ay agad na akong kumilos to reach her out. Ngunit, tila ba bumagal sa pagkilos ang mundo sa sandaling aksidenteng natanggal ng kamay ng estranghera ang face mask ko. My eyes slowly widened dahil tuluyan nang naka-display ang aking mukha at nakikita na ito ng babae nang harap-harapan.

'Sht!' mura ng ko sa isip.

Later that moment, I realized I stopped her from falling. Nasalo siya ng aking bisig at magkadikit ang aming katawan.

Pareho kaming natigilan sa kinatatayuan, face to face, at pinagpapawisan pa ako lalo na't nagkatagpo ang aming paningin. Tameme ang babae, habang ako naman ay nati-tense na sa paghihintay ng magiging kahihinatnat niya matapos makita ang aking pinagbabawal na mukha.

'Mukhang may mahihibang na naman!' ramdam ko ang pag-galaw ng Adam's apple ko matapos mapalunok.

Just then, I felt enchanted the moment I get to take the closest detail of her eyes. It's beyond beautiful for ordinary eyes, and their color is luring me into intrigues given that from shades of rainbow they suddenly turned dark-red.

What happened next made me wonder more, the girl smiled at me normally and said, "I believe what I'm holding now is yours."

I was speechless, nanatili ako nakatitig sa kanya.

She smiled at me for the second time as I saw her clipped her hair by the tip of her ear, at nabigla ako when she put back the mask on my face.
————
I'm Laszlo, a boy born with a cursed beauty, and just when I thought it works with everyone who sees it, I realized there's an exemption the day I met her, the girl with peculiar eyes as that of doll's.