The South Luzon Expressway. The deadly highway connecting the bustling city of manila to the rest of the southern provinces. As a testament to the lethal curse set upon this freeway, one death is recorded everyday due to irrational drivers speeding through it’s treacherous spine. This Thursday was no exception. A giant pile of scrap cars has occluded the traffic for nearly 2 hours. The collective emotion on this highway is that of anger, pity for the victims, and frustration with the slow progress the traffic. Michael steps out of his car and survey the accident. Apparently, a truck lost control and meets the side rails causing 4 cars behind it to pile up making an enormous wreckage big enough to convert this 5 car free way to become a 1 car alley. Michael has no choice but to accept that his only choice is to wait this one out. “Dammit” exclaimed Michael. No one in the planet can grasp the urgency that he’s in right now. No one knows how much he has sacrificed to get where he is right now only to be hampered by a roadside accident. Michael enters the car and retrieves his cell phone. He redial Eunice’s no. after 3 rings the voice mail kicks in. “hello, please Eunice get out of the hospital. Just trust me on this one ok”.
“Meeting Eunice was a story worth of a movie” Thought Michael. It was two weeks ago. He was busy reading an article at a local Starbucks when suddenly, a girl in a nurse’s uniform trips at the adjacent table. Acting on his reflexes, Michael immediately catches the dazed Eunice before she hits the ground. Eunice was amazed by how fast this guy could move but this thought was gone from her mind after she saw Michael’s features. Tall, fair skinned, incredible body, with long black hair falling over his face, Michael has somehow captivated this young girl.
“um,, miss?” inquired Michael as he looks at Eunice who is still dazzled by this young man. “ok ka lng ba?” asked Michael as he resettles to the chair that he was occupying moments ago. “Ok lng, thanks” replied Eunice as she turns to hide her blushing face. She slowly walks back to the laughing group of nurses at the other side of the room. Her so called “friends”. As she waves a signatory fist towards her friends it occurred to her again how hot that guy was. The whole 1 hour of her break was spent looking at the mysterious guy, who’s obviously engrossed at whatever he’s reading. This caused a slight upheaval at Eunice’s chest. Doctors at PGH would kill each other if the Price was a date with her but here is this pompous guy, obviously not smitten by her beauty or charm. As the group decides to leave Eunice takes a last look at her night in shining armor before exiting the café. She was surprised when he suddenly drops the book that he was reading, stares momentarily at her, and suddenly stood up, stretches a bit, and walks toward the door. Eunice felt a feeling of victory. “I knew no one can resist me” though Eunice as she exits the café with her friends. Just when she thought Michael was behind her, she slowly turns, with a smile ready, only to be suspired to see that there was no one following her. Looks at the Starbucks’ direction and saw Michael, Sitting by the sidewalk, smoking a cigarette.
Since then she made it her mission to get to know this Michael. Every afternoon during her break she would make it a point to return to the Starbucks at UN Avenue, and strike a conversation with Michael.
Michael drops the cigarette and steps on it. His regret for not taking a more that casual interest at Eunice slowly haunts his every thought. She was always there, at the Café, at the same time, just to yap away about her life and everything else that interest her. But he would not respond. He would still continue whatever he was doing, occasionally glancing at this young girl she barely knew. Once he was so irritated with her he caved in and gave her his Cell phone number. Now even at home he’s plagued with text messages containing random things happening with the life of this girl she barely knew and cared less to know about.
As a slow drizzle pours over the South Luzon expressway, Michael has no choice but to return to the safety of his car. The digital clock on the dashboard shows 6:37PM. He rereads his messages at his cell phone. He has found it. The message that has caused him to rush back to manila. He clutches the cell phone with both hands, his forehead touching the edge of the steering wheel. With eyes closed, he utters a silent prayer. The prayer for damned souls.
Hi mike!! Hope oki ka lng,,
kakadating ko lng xa hosp,,
pinalipat ako ngyn xa ICU
coz kulang cla ng nurses.
I knw ala ka xa manila coz
I havnt seen u 4 3 days na..
lam mo,, cute ng patient ko!!
Comatose cia pero ganda
parin niya. She’s about 9,
Amputi tska yung hair nya
ang haba hanging knees.
Sana gan2 maging anak
ko wen da time comes.
Nweiz,, mishu na!!:)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Episode 9: girls just want to have fun
7:00 PM. Night has slowly taken over the proud city of manila. Thousands of humans release themselves to the bondage of life called work and return to their normal processes. Men in ties and folded sleeves running to catch the remaining trains home. Buses crammed with college kids eager to return to their dormitories after a long boring school day. Random people. Human beings going around the monotony of conventional living. From the sky you could see the bustling of excitement overflowing the city completely transforming it to a being of night. Somehow these people feel connected in some way. Like theirs an invisible line connecting each one of us, directing our lives to the standards dictated by normalcy. But this could also signify how disconnected we are. For all we know, the kid next to us will be the next Philippine president. That guy waiting for the evening bus might be planning a Terrorist attack on one of the Universities nearby, or some young girl in a hospital just murdered a police officer in cold blood. If you come to think of it, this disconnection protects us. What we don’t know can’t hurt us right?
“Nice night” said the little girl as she stares into the cloudless skyline of modern day manila. She cannot hide the excitement she feels upon seeing this world. A world that is so unlike the previous one that she inhabited. Like a newborn she scans the room, eager to feel and touch this strange world filled with see through walls and weird machinery. She kneels down in front of the mangled corpse of the police officer. She looks hard, squinting her eyes as if looking for some minute particle that has caught her interest.
A letter.
The little girl removes the piece of paper that was securely tucked at the officer’s front pocket. She starts to read the letter as she sits down besides the corpse.
Lyra,
Welcome back to the world! My servant is probably dead as you already have found my letter. I am sorry I was not there when you woke up, a father must always be at her daughter's side but, due to some unforeseen circumstances I have to delay our long awaited reunion. As promised, you will commence your ascension tonight. And I will be there as the clock strikes midnight. Until that time, do as you like my child, for this world will be yours tomorrow.
A smile creeps upon young Lyra’s face. She folds the letter and throws it unto the adjacent table. She never thought that the day of her awakening would come. Her slumber has been long and frustratingly agonizing but now she shakes as if a cold draft has suddenly entered the room. She could not hide the excitement she feels during this momentous night. As she scans the room with her eyes, she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the mirror hanged at the opposite wall. Quickly, she stands up and stares with awe at the reflection standing before her. Short, skinny frame, long, straight hair reaching her knees, pale white skin, brown colored eyes.. She marvels at her own beauty, untouched by time, for 300 years. She twists her neck as if testing her ability to move it.
“Good evening”
Marissa nearly screamed in shock as she slowly turned around to see if what she heard was truly what she thought it was. To her horror she saw Lyra standing in front of her, her head slightly flexed to the left. The same position her head was in when she saw her inside the room a moment ago.
“But,, how,, that man,,” Marissa’s tears starts to fall as she forces the words out of her mouth. She was about to change the linen of Lyra’s bed when she saw that she was awake and talking to the police officer. She was about to go in to assess Lyra’s condition when the police officer suddenly grasp his left hand. And what followed was the reason why she’s still standing in that very spot. The monstrosity that has befallen the poor officer was enough for her to lose her own sanity. She can’t move, she can’t talk, all she can do was to watch. Until this very moment. In her mind she knows that this little, sweet, girl killed that poor man. What her mind cannot grasp was how – how in god’s name can a little girl murder in cold blood an armed police officer.
“Please don’t hurt me please!” pleaded Marissa as she slowly walks away from Lyra.
“Your beautiful” whispered Lyra as she puts her soft hand on Marissa’s cheek, her face as expressionless as a frozen corpse.
“Please don’t please”
“shush” gestured lyra, finger at her lips.
Suddenly Marissa starts to cough violently. She has saw this incident moments ago, and as she spit copious amounts of blood she knows what’s coming out next. In 3 seconds she’s staring at the blood spattered floor. And at a pink fleshy thing that was once her tongue.
“Nice night” said the little girl as she stares into the cloudless skyline of modern day manila. She cannot hide the excitement she feels upon seeing this world. A world that is so unlike the previous one that she inhabited. Like a newborn she scans the room, eager to feel and touch this strange world filled with see through walls and weird machinery. She kneels down in front of the mangled corpse of the police officer. She looks hard, squinting her eyes as if looking for some minute particle that has caught her interest.
A letter.
The little girl removes the piece of paper that was securely tucked at the officer’s front pocket. She starts to read the letter as she sits down besides the corpse.
Lyra,
Welcome back to the world! My servant is probably dead as you already have found my letter. I am sorry I was not there when you woke up, a father must always be at her daughter's side but, due to some unforeseen circumstances I have to delay our long awaited reunion. As promised, you will commence your ascension tonight. And I will be there as the clock strikes midnight. Until that time, do as you like my child, for this world will be yours tomorrow.
A smile creeps upon young Lyra’s face. She folds the letter and throws it unto the adjacent table. She never thought that the day of her awakening would come. Her slumber has been long and frustratingly agonizing but now she shakes as if a cold draft has suddenly entered the room. She could not hide the excitement she feels during this momentous night. As she scans the room with her eyes, she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the mirror hanged at the opposite wall. Quickly, she stands up and stares with awe at the reflection standing before her. Short, skinny frame, long, straight hair reaching her knees, pale white skin, brown colored eyes.. She marvels at her own beauty, untouched by time, for 300 years. She twists her neck as if testing her ability to move it.
“Good evening”
Marissa nearly screamed in shock as she slowly turned around to see if what she heard was truly what she thought it was. To her horror she saw Lyra standing in front of her, her head slightly flexed to the left. The same position her head was in when she saw her inside the room a moment ago.
“But,, how,, that man,,” Marissa’s tears starts to fall as she forces the words out of her mouth. She was about to change the linen of Lyra’s bed when she saw that she was awake and talking to the police officer. She was about to go in to assess Lyra’s condition when the police officer suddenly grasp his left hand. And what followed was the reason why she’s still standing in that very spot. The monstrosity that has befallen the poor officer was enough for her to lose her own sanity. She can’t move, she can’t talk, all she can do was to watch. Until this very moment. In her mind she knows that this little, sweet, girl killed that poor man. What her mind cannot grasp was how – how in god’s name can a little girl murder in cold blood an armed police officer.
“Please don’t hurt me please!” pleaded Marissa as she slowly walks away from Lyra.
“Your beautiful” whispered Lyra as she puts her soft hand on Marissa’s cheek, her face as expressionless as a frozen corpse.
“Please don’t please”
“shush” gestured lyra, finger at her lips.
Suddenly Marissa starts to cough violently. She has saw this incident moments ago, and as she spit copious amounts of blood she knows what’s coming out next. In 3 seconds she’s staring at the blood spattered floor. And at a pink fleshy thing that was once her tongue.
Episode 8: Good evening
“Where am I?”
“You’re awake!!” shouted the police officer keeping guard outside the room. He walks into the room slowly, maintaining his puzzled look on the newly awakened girl as if her waking up is the last thing that could happen in the world.
“Yes I am. Answer me, where am I? “
“This is a hospital in Manila. You’re in the Philippines right now.” Replied the police officer still awestruck by this girl waking up. “I kept watch over you. When they took you from the safe house I knew I have to watch over you.”
“That’s your job servant.” Replied the little girl. She tries to sit up and the police officer tried to help her but she abruptly pushes him away.
“What year is it?” questioned the little girl.
“2008”
The little girl replies with a soft nod. She stands up and walks around the room, her long black hair almost touching the floor. The police officer cannot help but marvel at what he’s seeing right now. “This girl has been asleep for almost 300 years and she’s walking around like she just woke up from her afternoon nap” thought the officer. The little girl then suddenly darts a piercing look on him as if she can read what’s going on in his head right now.
“You do know I can read your mind?”
“Yes mam”
“Are you scared of me servant?”
“I am in the presence of a higher being. I can feel nothing but ecstasy”
The little girl did not reply to this comment of undying devotion. She still walks around the room like a little child, admiring every piece of this world that she cannot understand. She runs her hands on the IV line, breaths air though the face mask the hospital provided her, but what mostly caught her attention is the mish mash of wires attached to her chest.
She watches as this tiny probes count the speed of her heart beat. Funny. She never thought in 300 years that she still has a heart. The monitor shows that she “still” is technically, HUMAN.
“Servant, what time will the master arrive?”
“After you have finished your ascension madam” replied the faithful servant, now, eyes to the floor, kneeling before the little girl, scared of those immense black eyes. “The final weapon of a long living rebellion. And i am first to see it” mumbled the police officer, obviously elated at the position that he’s in right know. Fidgeting and constantly rubbing his hands together because the room has suddenly become insanely cold with every word uttered by the little girl.
As the servants raise his eyes to see his master, he was shocked to see the face of the little girl, nearly touching his own face, those black pools of eyes suffocating his very existence. Somehow the servant doubted his timing.
“Tell me servant, are you afraid of death?” asked the little girl in a voice betraying her true intentions for the poor servant.
“uhh uhh no madam” replied the trembling servant. He tries to rub his hands together only to discover the dripping stump where his left hand is supposed to be. He tries to scream but no words would come out. He looks to his master for salvation but all he saw was a little girl staring blankly at him, no emotion whatsoever betraying her face. He saw her as somewhat indifferent, maybe bored even, with the situation his loyal servant is in now.
The servant falls to his knees, clutching the stump, writhing with the pain that suddenly ensues. He coughs, trying to clear his throat, trying his best to scream his lungs out. With a sudden episode of violent coughs, the servant spits out blood, teeth, and to his horror, his tongue. As a final ditch to escape, the servant bolts for the door only fall back again to the ground. Then he saw it. His legs have been severed.
“You’re awake!!” shouted the police officer keeping guard outside the room. He walks into the room slowly, maintaining his puzzled look on the newly awakened girl as if her waking up is the last thing that could happen in the world.
“Yes I am. Answer me, where am I? “
“This is a hospital in Manila. You’re in the Philippines right now.” Replied the police officer still awestruck by this girl waking up. “I kept watch over you. When they took you from the safe house I knew I have to watch over you.”
“That’s your job servant.” Replied the little girl. She tries to sit up and the police officer tried to help her but she abruptly pushes him away.
“What year is it?” questioned the little girl.
“2008”
The little girl replies with a soft nod. She stands up and walks around the room, her long black hair almost touching the floor. The police officer cannot help but marvel at what he’s seeing right now. “This girl has been asleep for almost 300 years and she’s walking around like she just woke up from her afternoon nap” thought the officer. The little girl then suddenly darts a piercing look on him as if she can read what’s going on in his head right now.
“You do know I can read your mind?”
“Yes mam”
“Are you scared of me servant?”
“I am in the presence of a higher being. I can feel nothing but ecstasy”
The little girl did not reply to this comment of undying devotion. She still walks around the room like a little child, admiring every piece of this world that she cannot understand. She runs her hands on the IV line, breaths air though the face mask the hospital provided her, but what mostly caught her attention is the mish mash of wires attached to her chest.
She watches as this tiny probes count the speed of her heart beat. Funny. She never thought in 300 years that she still has a heart. The monitor shows that she “still” is technically, HUMAN.
“Servant, what time will the master arrive?”
“After you have finished your ascension madam” replied the faithful servant, now, eyes to the floor, kneeling before the little girl, scared of those immense black eyes. “The final weapon of a long living rebellion. And i am first to see it” mumbled the police officer, obviously elated at the position that he’s in right know. Fidgeting and constantly rubbing his hands together because the room has suddenly become insanely cold with every word uttered by the little girl.
As the servants raise his eyes to see his master, he was shocked to see the face of the little girl, nearly touching his own face, those black pools of eyes suffocating his very existence. Somehow the servant doubted his timing.
“Tell me servant, are you afraid of death?” asked the little girl in a voice betraying her true intentions for the poor servant.
“uhh uhh no madam” replied the trembling servant. He tries to rub his hands together only to discover the dripping stump where his left hand is supposed to be. He tries to scream but no words would come out. He looks to his master for salvation but all he saw was a little girl staring blankly at him, no emotion whatsoever betraying her face. He saw her as somewhat indifferent, maybe bored even, with the situation his loyal servant is in now.
The servant falls to his knees, clutching the stump, writhing with the pain that suddenly ensues. He coughs, trying to clear his throat, trying his best to scream his lungs out. With a sudden episode of violent coughs, the servant spits out blood, teeth, and to his horror, his tongue. As a final ditch to escape, the servant bolts for the door only fall back again to the ground. Then he saw it. His legs have been severed.
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