Joross Michael D. Bongcarawan
Aircon… ON. Electric fan… ON. Zainab is slurping an iced tea. Ali is enjoying some ice cream treats. Zulaikah is taking a shower and has been there for about 20 minutes now. Everyone is coming up with a diskarte to beat the heat, but to no avail; we failed no matter how hard we tried.
It was a hot Sunday afternoon in January. The sun has been rising unusually hot these past few weeks. The wind cannot even move a leaf. The lake is waveless as if it’s also resting under the boiling heat of the sun. Everything seems to be still.
“The Philippines is currently experiencing a severe increase in temperatures in several parts of the country, signifying threats from El Nino,” the report said.
“Ahh, it’s so hot,” my sister complained.
“I just took a bath, but look, my sweats are already dripping one by one. Subhanallah,” she added.
“You Khaliq? ‘Don’t you feel hot at all?”, she asked.
I just nodded my head in response. I can’t even dare to move. It feels like moving a bone can make me sweat profusely.
“Assalamu alaykum. Ina, mapipiya kano san?”, Omie said as she talked with Grandma on the phone. “We are planning on spending a vacation there tomorrow. Katawan kadn, inikadali ka i Ghafur ago gya mga wata,” she added.
“I’ll bring the kids with us because it’s been a while since you last saw them.”
“Na gyuto Ina ow. I’ll call you again. Assalamu alaykum.”
My mother informed us that we would be visiting our Grandma’s hometown— the small but happy town of Banga Pantar. I, together with my siblings, jumped in excitement. It’s been ages since we last stepped foot in that cold, peaceful town. I think we won’t be able to sleep all night out of excitement.
If I can remember it well, I was just five when I last saw Grandma before we permanently settled in Quezon City. I was so young back then. I can vividly remember how she makes palapa, which is a staple dish in our daily meals. I didn’t like it at first because it was spicy, but I eventually grew to like it, and it has become my favorite since then!
The night came. Everyone fell asleep. While I, still eyes wide open, busy thinking about all the good things I can do there and such traditional foods I can eat as dodol, jackfruit with some coconut shreds, and yes! Palapa! And my bolayoka!!! There’s Gaza, Ayyub, and my best friend, Iyash! Langit, Lupa? Sili-sili? Tagu-taguan? Oh! All those games we played before. Ah! It took me an hour or two, or more, to imagine all these things.
Suddenly, a loud sound of knocking resonated through our walls.
I didn’t know…
I’m not sure…
It was past midnight already, so…
Maybe it’s normal to…
Imagine unreal things? Ey! There’s no such thing as…
Ya Allah! Someone is really trying to crack our door open!
I can see how much force he is trying to exert with those loud thuds. Until…. Ya Allah! It was opened. And I saw… a silhouette of a huge man… His muscles…. are gigantic…. His face… I cannot see it. But oh! His knee…. I can see it dripping with blood. Then he started walking… towards me… slowly… and…
“Ahhhhh! ”, I screamed.
My alarm rang. It was 7 a.m. already. The rooster started crowing. The birds were chirping.
Shoot! What a dream! I quickly woke up and washed my face to fully awaken my soul. Maybe it’s because of my overexcitement. But somehow it helped me wake up early, as I usually make bed at 10 a.m. when on break.
“Pupunta tayo sa babu n’yo maya-maya. Start packing your things,” Omie said.
“Ilang araw po pala tayo dun, Omie? ”, I asked.
“5 days only. Phkatangkaan mambo a phakatnggaw a dunya. Your father also missed your grandma, that’s why,” she replied.
My little siblings once again jumped in excitement. It was a semestral break, so it wouldn’t hurt to enliven our bodies and souls in the meantime.
As we finished packing our things, we started traveling. It was quite a long trip, so I fell asleep in the car.
“Khaliq, dumating na tayo. Kawto si Ina ka nanayawn ka niyan.”
I was half-awake, but as soon as I saw Grandma’s face, it felt like a bucket of water was splashed right on my face.
“Inaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”, I screamed while running to her.
“Aydow, watakulay akn a Khaliq. You’ve grown a lot!”, Grandma said. “Let’s go inside and eat. I have prepared a lot for you to dig in.”
“Ina, may palapa ba? ”, I asked. “Of course, it’s your favorite,” she responded.
Then we had our meal. Afterward, I asked Omie if I could go outside and visit my bolayoka. She allowed me but warned me to go home before dusk.
On my way, I saw Gaza. He didn’t recognize me.
“Hey, Gaza! Mapipiya ka?”, I said. “Antaa ka?”, he responded. “It’s me, Khaliq!” “Ah, Manila boy! Ska bs anan. When did you arrive? Sorry, I didn’t recognize you. You have grown so tall.”
I just laughed, and we had some chitchat. I asked him where the others were, and he accompanied me to their houses. Finally, we gathered again after five years. Everyone has grown a lot.
We tried playing the games we used to play. Sili-sili. Langit-lupa. Tumbang-preso. We enjoyed it so much that we became oblivious of the time. Before calling it a day, we played hide-and-seek, in which I became the taya.
“Allahu akbar. Allahu akbar.” The call for prayer has come. “Tagu-taguan, maliwanag ang buwan. Wala sa likod. Wala sa harap. — ” I didn’t hear it as I was busy singing the chant. “—Pag bilang ko ng sampo nakatago na kayo. Isa… Dalawa…Tatlo…”
I started looking for my playmates. The surroundings started getting darker, but still, I found none of them. After minutes of continuous seeking, I still didn’t find any of them. I was chilly, so I went home.
I was sulking a little bit. My bolayoka tricked me on my first day here after all these years. I’m heading back home feeling disappointed.
But suddenly, I heard some heavy footsteps following me. I resisted wanting to look back. I walked quickly, and so did it. My body started trembling, and I got teary-eyed. But after a while, the footsteps were gone. I looked back… there was none. I continued walking, and…
“Where could he have gone?” said Omie. “Aydow, da ngawn tharowa a baling bo gagaan?” my Grandma asked. “I told him, but maybe he got too excited,” Omie replied.
“Abie iyan, hanapin natin si Khaliq. It’s already Maghrib, but he has not come back yet.”
“Khaliq! Khaliq! ”“Where are you? “Aydow, watakulay!”, both Omie and Grandma cried.
“Khaliq! My son!”Abie keeps on screaming.
Abie saw a person lying down. He rushed to it, thinking it might be me.
“Khaliq, watakulay?! ”“Khaliq is here! Subhanallah, “What happened to you, dear? ”Abie spoke word after word out of worry that I might be dead.
I woke up lying on our couch. My whole body hurt as if I had been punched several times. I was bedridden for weeks. I got thinner, and I looked pale. I lost my appetite, and I could hardly take medications. I spend days thinking about what I’ve done to deserve this.
Suddenly, I remembered what I saw in my dreams before coming here. I saw a huge, red-kneed man with blood dripping from his knees. It was the same man who attacked me when I was looking for my playmates. The only thing I could remember was when he held me tightly leaving me passed out.
This must be what Omie has been constantly telling me. I have to go home before dusk or the call for Maghrib, as mariga i lb will be roaming around looking for a target. Whoever gets caught will be inflicted with an incurable disease— the warning that I just let pass through my ears.
Omie and Abie decided to have me hospitalized and undergo some check-ups. The initial finding was that I was having a series of hallucinations. The doctor said they might have to do another check-up in the following weeks for possible symptoms of schizophrenia. Omie grew impatient and just took me to a local healer to identify what had been inflicted on me.
Omie’s hunch was right. What I’m going through is not a mere hallucination. I was cursed. “Miyakasaphr a wata iyo aya. Miyadakp aya a mariga i lb!” Omie stood in shock, having mixed emotions. But what could she do? Nothing but to cherish the remaining time left for me.
What was supposed to be a five-day vacation to start afresh became days that have turned into weeks and later into months of frailty.