Pluma

𓈒A girl was given four lives.

She was once Huni, a babaylan who saw Spaniards colonizing her country right before her death.

Alba, who lived in the first hundred of Spanish colonization, and was sold and died as a slave to a Chinese group.

Juana, who was born as a mestiza in the third hundred of Spanish colonization that died due to an illness and the shortest life she has ever lived.

And her current, Isabelle, a middle class student-writer born in the fourth hundred of the Spanish colonization.

It's been 459 years since Spaniards conquered the Philippines and fate has been playing with her ever since. Mabubuhay at walang maaalala, pero umaalon na memorya ang sumasalubong sa kanya kapag nasa huling hantungan na sya.

But on her fourth and current life as Isabelle, her past lives flooded her like dreams. Nakikita nya ang sarili nya na nakatayo sa mismong pangyayari. It frustrated her. Tinatanong ang tadhana kung bakit ganito ito kalupit sa kanya. Her last wish as Huni was to free her people. Pero ilang siglo na ba ang dumaan? Pinanood nya ang sarili na walang ka alam-alam sa sinasapit ng nakaraan.

At hanggang ngayon, pinapanood pa rin ang mga banyaga na sakupin ang hindi kanila.

Isang babaylan, alipin, mestiza, at ngayon, isang manunulat. Sa apat na buhay nya sa ilalim ng pamumuno ng Espanya ay akala nya ay wala nang susurpresa sa kanya.

On new year's eve, a minute before 2025, while watching the busy streets of her hometown, her eyes shut closed.

Tahimik. Madilim. Wala siyang makita. Wala siyang marinig.

She thought she died. Again.

But it was more than that.

The moment she regained her senses, she found herself standing in a familiar room.

She was back in the eighteen hundreds, during her third life as Juana.