Episode 3: eye of the beholder

Have you ever seen the unseen? Have you ever felt the indescribable urge to cry or scream every time you’re alone in a dark place? Have you seen shadows move at the edge of your eye? How about the feeling of a strange presence at the bathroom or inside your car? The human imagination is like an immense video collection of memories but when does memory become reality? Reality becomes fantasy? Fantasy becomes insanity?

These are strange questions that plague the mind of a genius like Elise. Questions such as these keeps her awake at night, keeps her from looking at any glass surface, keeps her from keeping real friends, keeps her from living.

“Fuck”
Mumbled Elise as she accidentally drops her cigarette to the concrete ground. With shaking hands she picks up the cigarette butt and takes a quick puff. She’s hiding out on the roof top of PGH. This small rectangular top floor most commonly used by doctors and nurses for reasons that may not suite their chose profession is her favorite hiding spot. Strangely, she finds comfort on places that oversees manila. Wiping her teary eyes with a flower printed handkerchief she tries t digest what she just saw in Mr. Elmira’s room. The very scene that caused her to momentarily lose her grip to the real world. The very incident that makes her wish she would just drop dead.

Judgment eye! Exclaimed aling Merced as she first laid eyes on little Elise. She was 8 yrs old at that time walking the long streets of Divisoria with her “yaya”. It was her mother’s birthday and by some strange twist of fate she convinced her driver to drop her of in Divisoria with her yaya to buy a gift for her mother.

“Lumayo ka sa kanya!” shouted Marissa as she yanks Elise from the grip of what she sees as an insane beggar. One scratch on Elise would cause Marissa to board a boat back to samara and return to farming.

“tama ang sabi ni amang. Bago ako mamatay makikita ko ang bata ng mga mata” (father was right! Before I die I’ll actually see the child of the eyes! ) said the feeble looking aling Merced as she returns the lifeless gaze Elise is pointing at her.

“Anak ng mga mata? “ (Child of the eyes?)

oo anak. Anak ka ng mga mata, sapagkat ang mga mata mo ay mata ng langit at impyerno. Explained the feeble old lady as she kneels down in front of Elise, holding her hands to her heart as if she was a long lost daughter. Much to the horror of Marissa.

Tulong! Tulong! Shouted Marissa, as she tries to yank of Elise from the grip of the old lady. Shoppers and store clerks alike now start to notice the little commotion in the middle of the pavilion. 2 guards from the nearby bank tries to convince aling merced to let go of the little girl, but her grip was so tight that they have to practically tear of her hands from Elise’s limbs. On the contrary, the situation did not scare little Elise. Rather, the crazy old lady’s words caught her curiosity. Deep in her mind she’s thinking, “This lady is really crazy”

“ konti na lng. Hindi na ko mukhang baliw sayo bata.” (in 30 seconds I’ll no longer look crazy to you kid”
Replied a restrained aling merced. She was surpassingly stronger that she looks and it took 2 middle aged guys to keep her from running back to what they thought was a very scared child.

Those words were like a wake up call to little Elise. And a warning to what is about to happen. In a split second aling merced frees herself from the arms of her captors. She falls to the ground and starts to flail her hands forcefully to the air.. Her eyes were as white as static from the television and spit was pouring out of her mouth. Her body was jerking sideways as if a deadly electric bolt has passed through her body. Everyone was stunned. Onlookers were horrified with what they were seeing. One girl fainted on the sight of aling Merced”episode” No one dared to touch her during the seizure episode. Or perhaps, no one knew what they could have done to help her. Death is ripping her soul of her body and no one knows what or how they could help her hold to life. All they could do was look on. And watch a scene that all of us are required to play sooner or later. Death’s finale.

Marissa could barely stand on her own feet. Tears flow through her eyes as she watch aling Merced twist and jerk her way out of the living realm. Too stunned to moved, she slowly moves her gaze to her young charge.
She nearly lost her grip on reality when she saw what was happening to Elise.

Down on her knees, Elise was crying. With tears of blood.