Chapter1
Past
Thirty-eight years ago
“Mom, dad are you leaving?” Ben yelled, eating his snacks. He was wearing his yellow shirt and a cool porontong shorts. This was the young Grandpa Ben. He had some wavy hair with some hairstyle which Gat. Jose Rizal used to use, just kind of similar though.
“Finish that first and we will talk.” That was Sunshine Lee Rosales or Aling Senya. She has dark long hair, the height up to under her shoulder blades. She has fair skin and brown attractive eyes.
Aling Senya was preparing the things she need for the meeting she will be attending.
“Yes Ben. But don’t worry; I will call your Ate Celine to be with you.” Now this was the real Bernardito Rosales, Ben’s father. The barrio used to call him Mang Benan. He had tan skin and some wavy hair, just like Ben has.
Mang Benan was getting his car keys for the ride. Both of them were going to a barangay meeting for some important matters.
“Ben, are you done? Now sit down on the sofa with us. Get your sister, too. We will discuss few things while we will be out,” Aling Senya said.
The afternoon was a bit hotter. No much wind passing through. While Ben was about to find his sister, he passed the kitchen. He saw something weird near the window pane. It was a piece of like a green, dried up leaf, with a thick tobacco like structure. Some parts of it was like burnt, as if used for smoking. He tried to smell it but he was suddenly disturbed by the sudden movement of the large acacia tree in their yard. He tried to glance for the other plants but there was no sign of movement, just the tree.
He sniffed the smell of the leaf. Wait, it smells tobacco, and what place on earth could tobacco leaves as thick as this be planted?, he thought.
“Ben – Ben, what are you doing. Please don’t take us so long,” yelled Mang Bernan for Ben.
Ben kept the leaf with him calling his sister.
“Krykry you must come down, Mom needs to talk to us,” yelled Ben, looking up to the stairs waiting for her sister to come down.
“Right, besides, I’m ready to kick your butt again after you fooled yesterday,” Krykry said in a fancy manner.
“Krykry this is serious.”
“Alright, coming.”
“Faster.”
Crystal Mari Rosales. She was 6 years old. She features like her mother. Fair skinned but has a shorter hair. She and her brother used to fool each other for fun. Though that they do care for each other.
Ben and Krykry ran towards the sala. There were two sofas facing at each other and a small table at the center with a glass surface. Ben and Krykry sat on one and their parents on the other side.
“Ben let me give you both a reminder. You both will be alone here with your Ate Celine so,” Aling Senya said with slight glance at her husband then returned to his children, “remember this, you should never accept anything given by strangers, Then never get out of the house, especially at night.”
“But mom, how can we ---,” complained Ben, standing making a distance to her mother.
“Ben…Ben…Kry…listen to me please. I don’t want anything to happen to you okey, please,” Aling Senya begged holding Ben’s shoulders. He just wouldn’t listen sometimes and disobey her. Aling Senya just hoped everything would be alright tonight.
That night was the first time that their parents would leave them alone with someone else. So they just nervously accepted Aling Senya’s advice.
“Cannot go out? What are going to do here, sit down and create fats…what?” murmured Ben sitting on the sofa wearing a bad mood. “Why does this need to happen.”
“Hey don’t worry bro, it would be alright,” adviced Krykry, sitting merely on their soft, fluffy sofa, watching TV. The sofa was transferred to face the television.
It was already 9:00 until Ate Celine arrived just as then someone knocked at the door.
“Hey Ben why don’t you open the door,” requested Ate Celine. She was preparing the house instantly. While cleaning, she saw unusual people marching through the woods, wearing all white. They were like having a procession. There were lights and figures around them. Ate Celine just glanced on it for a while because somebody was knocking the door.
Ben opened the door slowly for it was hard because the night was windy. He was shocked when two fair ladies approaching him, trying to give him a basket full of fruits.
“Young man, please receive these gifts. These are our sign of thank you for your cooperation with nature. Here,” the first lady said handing over the basket.
Ben was pleased but his sister suddenly pulled an end of his shirt, “Hey didn’t you remember what mom said, ‘Never receive anything from stranger,” Krykry whispered.
The lady was fair, white and she seems good in their eyes. She was wearing a white gown with sparkling figures around her. She has a long hair and sparkling emerald green eyes. She looked directly at Ben’s eyes.
“Um…We appreciate you gratefulness, but,” Ben said, “but we cannot accept those gifts.”
“But please, really accept these gifts,” the lady pleaded.
“We really are sorry but we can’t. Thank you anyway,” Ben said, slowly closing door making sure not to offence the lady.
The door closed, the lady just bent down for respect. But her urge to give the basket was solid, so she just left the basket in front of the door of Ben’s house.
On the other hand, Ben was peeping in the window seeing the lady leave, smiling while heading through the procession. She walked and stayed on the front of the parade as if telling she was the leader. Then suddenly the lady glanced at him slowly, with joy nad gratefulness into her face. Then she turned as the parade started again fading inot the woods. Ben felt the goosebumps running through his body, while mezmerized by the fantasy he had seen.
Ben turned to Ate Celine, “Hey Ate, who were they, they seem so nice. They just looked so,” Ben paused, hesitating, “magical.”
“Magical?” Krykry inserted, “well it just seemed some costumes to me, except for the sparkly sparkly things they applied.”
“That’s it. It would be impossible for some to do that.”
“Hey brother calm down. Remember its Modern Time, almost everything is possible.”
“So what, they just hang some kind of little light bulbs and used batteries to let it move around them?”
“They move?”
“Yes,so…”
“Maybe they’re fireflies.”
“Do normal fireflies get together with humans now a days?”
“Whatever. You know, I feel so sleepy, lets just go and sleep ok?” Krykry said finishing their argument.
Krykry walked slowly to her room, frustrated for what just happened.
Ben remained on the sofa with Ate Celine. She was trying to check what else should be kept in order.
“Ate,” Ben said, “how do you think did mom know someone was coming to give us something? You know, the lady a while ago.”
“Ben, of course your parents knows everything about this place. Besides, she cares about so much,” Ate Celine replied.
“B-b-but how-.”
“Ben, I guess you just need to go to sleep.”
“I don’t feel sleepy yet.”
“Well why don’t we just watch TV,” Ate Celine suggested. She went near Ben on the sofa handing over the remote. She sat beside Ben and turned to the door of Krykry’s room when she heard the door squeaked.
Krykry came out running. She then sat beside Ate Celine wearing a big smile as Ate Celine smiled back. Ben gave her a disgusting look. “Why? I wanna watch too,” Krykry told Ben.
Just as Ben pressed the button for the TV, their parents arrived
“Hello kids,” Aling Senya said with a smile. She was holding a basket full of fruits. Krykry then ran towards her and gave a hug. “So how was the night?”
“Mom, I thouht we are not accepting anything from strangers?” Ben asked puzzled watching the basket with creeps, remembering about the lady that gave the basket.
“Oh,” Mang Benan inserted looking at her wife, “Why don’t we just sit and have some midnight snack, shall we?”
The whole family went to the dining room but Ben didn’t come. He stayed in the sofa disappointed. Wht didn’t they tell him the answer? Was there some kind of secret they were hiding?
* * *
The night was filled with light by the fullmoon shining bright. Ben could not sleep still thinking about what just happened that night. He was so confused and disappointed. For all those years, he can’t just believe his parents were still hiding something from him. He was ten, and he may have the right to know. Well – he would investigate. The usuall thing he would do if there was something hiden into him, is try to find it himself.
Ben was staring at the ceiling. His room was a bit large and full of things like books and other stuffs he needs. On his left was his window, facing the deep, dark forest. But the most disturbing object you can see is the big, creepy tree near their yard. Under his window is the kitchen window where he last saw a piece of thick, tobacco leaf, and observed the tree moving. Every night, Ben would always notice a splint of red light like fire flattering in the tree. There are also times he would see some some coming out. He would just usually ignore it because it would be creepy for him to remember it especially at night.
Alright, I will settle this tomorrow then, Ben thought.
“Bernan, we should be more careful of Ben and Krykry, you know. Ben…he never stops until he gets it,” a woman sitting on her bed said, worried.
“Hon, do not worry. I will take care of this,” the man beside her advised, “You know, is there really no way to prevent her desiny?”
“Crystal will become one my love and…I believe we do not have any choice.”
The atmosphere was filled with worries and nervousness. Worried on how their daughter would survive this chaos coming.
* * *
The next day was May 17, yesterday was the middle of the month, ben grabbed his notebook and pen, May 16, middle of the month, two mysterious ladies, beautiful, sparkling, he took some notes. Now he started investigating.
The day was fair and warm. The sky was filled with cumulus clouds forming shapes in the sky. Flowers were blooming good and trees were as green as ever. Butterflies flying everywhere with some insects and birds.
“is it just me or, the surroundings look different?” Ben wondered looking around.
“Oh, I guess it’s just you,” Crystal said laughing, holding little teddy bear, “Isn’t it obvious why we are all out?” crystal now walked towards the sofa, “I guess it rained yesterday.”
The Rosales Family is a wealthy class of the nation. They own houses, privately guarded. They just moved to that new place since Crystal was born. At first it was creepy, but later on it was a wonder. The lot was surrounded by the forest and Ben was always warned not to get in the forest, except for Crystal, as he always wonders why. Crystal was never told or warned about the forest as what Ben could remember. It has always been, Ben, you are not allowed to go to the forest. It is dangerous out there. I don’t want anything to happen to you. Why? Always the word Ben has. Why.
Ben tried to go to the forest and find out why. It was a morning but he felt creeps. There were a lot of weird sounds coming out wherever he goes. It was like a highway street filled with transportation noises. He heard twig cracks, as if somebody was following him, leaf movements, bush shaking, animals moving everywhere. It was like nighttime in the morning. The forest was deep, high trees with wide shades of leaves and branches, vines swirling on it, roots that are large and thick. Ben tried to resist the fear that can smell and feel around him. He continued walking. The ground was filled with lots of dry leaves that is why he can hear the footsteps if somebody was coming for danger.
* * *
“Ate Senya, I’m going,” Ate Celine said, packing up few of her things, ready to go back home.
“Celine, thank you very much for not leaving my children yesterday night,” Aling Senya gratefully said.
“It’s a pleasure, just tell Ben if he needs m, he is welcome at my house. He has some questions…”
“Alright…but wait, where is Ben?”
“I saw him going out. I thought we were just going to talk. He brought his notebook and… ”
“What notebook?” Aling Senya inserted with shock in her face.
“It was brown and…”
“Celine, we have to go find him, he may go to the forest. Celine the secrets, we should never let him know about them. Come on!”
“Okay – okay. But wait…” celine ran towards her bag and grabbed two robes. “Here,” she continued, “we should wear these.”
“No, the brown one,” Aling Senya suggested.
