Pasidaan

The Gambit

That night, I couldn't sleep. After dinner when everyone's off to bed, Patyong got an extremely high fever. He had multiple seizures and refused to eat. I feel pity for my little cousin. Tiya Rosa insisted that his son was "nabuyagan" as he was playing in the garden during afternoon. These series of suspicious events already alarmed me. From Nay Pransing's warning, to Patyong's Balete tree incident. Mama Imelda also scolded me as I should have stayed inside the house after I broke the drinking glass, and muttered that luckily, nothing bad happened to me. However, the ambience inside my dimly lit bedroom is disturbing. The night is cold and drizzles still appear outside. It was past 3AM and dawn is approaching. It was during this time that was believed as a witching hour or devil's hour when spirits are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful. I was wide awake and drowsiness never impinged me. The howl of the dogs and the wind outside is the only sound I could hear. I was in a state of paranoia that even on my bed, I felt someone is lying down and staring at me. Surprisingly, three loud knocks on the door echoed. My heart beat raced and I was glued on my bed. Who could possibly knock on my door at this time when everyone is asleep?

"Fausta... Open.. the... door"

My eyebrow creased into a huge confusion when I heard Mama Imelda's inaudible voice. I slowly got off from bed and carefully walked towards the door. I startled as the knock went on again; this time, a little louder. A fog-like smoke blew inside the room from my window. The door knob is freezing cold that it pierced through my palm. Although uncertain of what's waiting outside, I slowly opened the door only to see a dark corridor.

"Ma?" My shivering voice echoed through the darkness. My knees weakened when I saw that there is no one on the corridor. In a few distance away from my door, I saw a human silhouette standing on the staircase, then in a blink of an eye, it's gone.

"I've already warned you Fausta..." I almost jumped from Nay Pransing's chilly and haunting voice. She suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the corridor.

"N-nay! What is happening?? I...I don't understand!" I whined. Others could not hear me since the house is big and every room is far from each other. Nay Pransing just stood in the darkness.

"He's here Fausta. You will pay for all of this" Her words are like ice thorns stinging through my veins. My whole body is trembling. Suddenly, a flash of blinding light showed up. With Nay Pransing's incantation that seems to hypnotize and lose all my senses, a familiar place appeared around me. Later did I know, it was a flashback.

***

"We need to cut that tree! To end your suffering Imelda! Goodness gracious! Look how miserable our lives are because of that damn tree!"

Papa Fidel shouted in rage while Mama Imelda was lying in bed. She was so pail and frail that she looked so awful.

"It is no ordinary tree Fidel. It's a sacred one. If you cut it down, you and your family will be ill-fated. Please... listen to my words. I concern your family's future, especially the child." Nay Pransing was seen at the door of the bedroom. She looks younger, as well as Mama Imelda and Papa Fidel.

Mama Imelda lowered down her gaze and carressed her bulging belly. "We need to protect our child Fidel. I will name her... Fausta"

"In order to save Imelda and the child, you must offer flowers around the tree, and not neglect to enter another person, so as not to disturb the creatures living in there." Nay Pransing added.

"No! Have you gone crazy? This is way too far from a normal fever. It is very obvious that the stupid engkanto is the reason behind Imelda's illness! This should be put to an end in an instant!" Papa Fidel's fuming was the only tension inside the room. His eyes were full of fear and anger.

"That's it! I've had enough of your nonsense! I will cut that damn tree!" With that, he stormed outside the room and summoned all the households to help cut the tree.

There in the centre of a million grassy wands stands the young Balete tree. The backyard had no flowers yet, but green bushes. Balete's branches were not yet thick and were lifted to the sky as if it's very presence was enough to beat back the darkness and command the daylight to fall on his papery leaves. Admittedly, I admired the beauty of the Balete tree during these times. I felt an ounce of sympathy and lament for it as they started tearing it apart.

"You scoundrels! Hurry up and cut that tree! You demons will disappear and get rid of my family!" From the distant, Papa Fidel screamed as he ordered them to cut and murder the tree. However, the tree seemed to fight and protect itself. Its wounded trunk was very firm and thick that anyone who tried to hit it will be thrown away. And so, they surrendered and failed to cut the tree.

As I was watching this horrible scenario, I felt a huge devastation. Then, once again a bright light appeared and in an instant, I was back in the dark corridor of our house again.

I was totally speechless from what Nay Pransing told and eventually showed me. I shook my head in disbelief and started to panic.

"Your parents didn't listen to my warning. Now, he's back, to get you. To pay for what your father did and take revenge..."

Now everything makes sense to me. I can now barely breathe because of the loud thump in my chest. Behind me, a faceless man stood and offered his hand to me.

"Fausta..."His sinister voice filled the entire place. The wind becomes colder as well as my heartbeat becomes faster.

I tried to run towards Nay Pransing but I couldn't move my feet. My tears were dripping but I couldn't open my mouth to scream. There seems to have a big lump in my throat that prevented me to shout. Then, something unseen smashed me, making me fall to my feet facing the floor. I was pinned with a heavy weight on top of my back. I tried to stand but my feet were pulled by unknown. I want to scream but no voice came out. I saw Nay Pransing looking at me in horror. I tried to grasp for something but the force becomes stronger that I could no longer fight it. My only hope is Nay Pransing to help me, to hold my hand and pull me from this mythical spirit. But she just stood as I watch her slowly devoured by the total obscurity. In my head, I shouted Tabang! Nay! Ma, Pa! Tabang! Yet it was just put in vain. I kicked in the air to get rid of whatever's pulling me until I ran out of energy that I already lose hope to save myself from this demonic spirit. I heard the clock struck four, before I let myself deluge into the chasm of unknown and darkness.