CHAPTER 2 [Note: There's a short mention of adultery, depression, and and death by one’s own hand in this chapter.]
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZbRvwzNHv
Mir was glad to report that, before she melted under the scorching sun, she found salvation in the form of a black pickup truck that stopped in front of them. The front passenger door opened and a man of medium height and build stepped out, smiling broadly.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNIv5XFVG9O
“Vina, my niece!” he exclaimed, wrapping her in a tight bear hug.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSUErfo9nq
Vina, not one to back down, returned with an even tighter bear hug while cheerfully exclaiming, “Uncle Lito!”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBG6eLRd06A
The man squeaked in pain, yelling out,
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmcdAeqHI3
“Ow, ow, OW! It hurts! You’re so thin, but why are you so strong?!”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfYuhHxP8Y
“You’re fine, you’re fine,” Vina said sweetly, though her eyes glinted menacingly. She stepped back while smacking her uncle's arm repeatedly, as if the damage she had inflicted wasn’t enough.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofNZDsGVFs
“Ate Vina, Ate Mir,” a lively voice interrupted.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNDAfgIAqcX
Enzo, Uncle Lito’s only son, climbed out from behind the wheel to greet them and help with the luggage.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO9bOpNQPqE
“Enzo! How are you, cuz?” Vina answered, abandoning her suffering uncle to hug her cousin quickly. She gave him an appraising look before flashing a grin and a thumbs up. “Looking great, I see.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLttKKwgypF
Enzo laughed. “Thanks, I guess. It’s been so long – you should really visit more often”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5qmlrk25n
Then he and Uncle Lito turned to Mir who was standing quietly to the side observing them.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ152dcyNhY6
Uncle Lito had, unsurprisingly, gotten older, but he still looked strong and energetic. Enzo had gotten taller, and his features had become much sharper. He looked like the male version of his mom who was quite the beauty.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadrWArhMJ2
“Mir, I’m so glad you could come,” Uncle Lito said warmly.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGIyQB2qjyL
“It’s nice to see you again, Ate Mir,” Enzo added.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUD9gtBnFcQ
Both embraced her in welcome, though Uncle Lito was far gentler with her than with Vina.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMfa0SQtx5
“Thank you for having me,” Mir said with a smile.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjG9bITuNS
“Still timid, I see,” Uncle Lito teased as he and his son began gathering their luggage.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUu6ki6q4c
They didn’t bring much, so their luggage was all stashed away at the back of the pickup in a jiffy. Mir and Vina got into the backseat of the vehicle.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhi0D1Zgns
“We’re really glad to have you here,” Uncle Lito started again as they pulled away from the airport.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQeSDxRrljZ
“Ate Vina said she worked hard to take you along,” Enzo chimed in, talking to Mir. “I hope you weren't burdened.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtynQTGiL4
“No, I’m glad you still remember me,” she responded sincerely. “Thank you for inviting me, too.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhg5oeByzH
“Oh, you’re no stranger. Please visit us anytime – with or without Vina,” Uncle Lito laughed heartily.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMk5BDe9Jy
“By the way,” Vina interrupted as she stared ahead, clutching her seat belt. “Are we going to be okay? Can Enzo really drive? I’m scared.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfvLHGpvqGr
“Excuse you!” Enzo huffed. “I’ve been driving for a couple of years now.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32LRclS5dk
“You sure?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75z6PJ7CaW
“I let him drive so he can get used to it,” Uncle explained. “It’s good to have someone to take turns on long trips.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5lRkWxG9b
“Well, I guess you can make him useful somehow,” Vina teased.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlyWodtiWF
“That’s mean! I've always been useful!” Enzo protested.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0aOZZ5Xiqo
“Sure you are!” Vina chuckled, then turned to her uncle. “Anyway, be honest with me.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeb0SyatC4c
“What?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjkTFIYI9T
“Although Ate Ena made the plans, you’re the one who insisted on this visit, aren’t you?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdvVbAwqXm
“What? ‘Course not.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNElJ0zUSNQ
“And the reason is… you miss my mama, right?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOyAKtwqrEH
“What makes you say that?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMhBFFjUjx
“That's why you wanted to see my face!”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuCsTDeXLl
Uncle Lito huffed.. “Well, I can’t really take time off work, but since Ena’s alone with her husband away on business, the timing was perfect. Can you blame me for suggesting it?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9GzvfkXbg
“Don’t sweat it, Uncle,” Vina said with a laugh. “I know you just miss Mama—and me.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgZIIhusD0
Uncle Lito clucked his tongue as his eyebrows furrowed.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMencSdYiSP
“Even though we keep in touch, I still worry about you living alone. That bastard, your father... I pray your mama haunts the living daylights out of him.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoKzp1YPPl
Vina burst out laughing. “Come on, Uncle. Let mama rest in peace. She doesn’t need to waste her time on that sorry excuse of a man.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3onG9dJKk
Since it was a family matter, Mir – who knew the story anyway – looked out the window to give them some semblance of privacy, especially Uncle Lito, who had gotten a bit emotional.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2UpVIF9el
Vina’s father had cheated on her mother. The man hadn’t even bothered to be discreet about it. Everyone in the neighborhood had known, which added to the humiliation her mother felt back then. Confronting the man only drove him further into the mistress’ embrace, and when she found out he had even fathered a child with that woman, her mother lost it. Her mental health took a nosedive and... unfortunately, she ended her own life.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNAoL6WMpd
Mir remembered as if it were yesterday. Vina, who had always been like the sun – bright, joyful, warm – had become a violent thunderstorm after her mother’s death.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGNQaMp0eF
At the wake, right by her mother’s coffin, she had pointed a finger at her own father, called him a murderer and swore that if Karma wasn’t fast enough, she’d take revenge herself.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAkHuTQK5p
In front of the many mourners that came to pay their respects, she had taken out a knife and charged. Her father had to flee in terror, tripping and scrambling along the way.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2Hozmd0Tn
No one had helped him—no one wanted to. People only halfheartedly slowed Vina down, enough to keep her from stabbing him, because no one wanted her thrown in prison over a worthless creature.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtkeSSOoEo
After the burial, Vina had changed again. From a violent thunderstorm, she had become an endless rain—gloomy and cold.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nPa03mUCt
She had been a teenager then, but she politely refused relatives who offered to take her in. Because of one person, her trust in blood and family had been tainted. In the end, she had accepted financial support, but lived a solitary life.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQtu4UmIHK
A year later, the cheating couple had gotten married. They had invited her to join them, but she sternly told them never to approach her again – or she would hire a mangkukulam.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJHd0YtDhs
To seal the threat, she lunged at their heads, pretending to pluck hair for a curse.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tEOEg7B1T
Mir laughed at the memory. The shrieks from the woman and the terror in the man's face – they were priceless.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJmqDsynpx5
It was one of Mir's most precious memories.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDByDqbATe
"Mir’s laughing by herself!" Vina accused, though she had a good idea why.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6l7pYkQDy
It’s fortunate Vina hadn’t stayed in darkness for too long. With the help of her friends and relatives, Vina had been able to move on and was now building a happy life for herself.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5BDbGIvMQ
“I was just remembering something,” Mir chuckled.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nbcmGRdkO
“Oh! I think I know what it is,” Uncle Lito said with a grin, giving Mir a high five. She laughed harder.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLuVluQnGKH
Ah, that pandemonium—Vina hurling herself at the couple like a wild animal, causing screams, falls, bruises, overturned furniture, and unnecessary panic—it was pure chaos, and unforgettable.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZeTVFOFX4
When the laughter subsided, Uncle Lito sighed.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoMyuBDRWf
“I’m always worried about you living alone. Maybe you should move here with us?”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaeP0gmGCf
“I like it better there, Uncle – and this is the hundredth time you’ve asked!” Vina laughed. “I’m happy as long as that man stays far, far away.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxQxkpfk5K3
Uncle Lito shook his head, still looking concerned, but did not press the issue. Instead, he said,
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFtZp3vuSlY
“Well, just remember—you’re always welcome here. Both of you. Come anytime you need fresh air.”
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfXRfUngKw
“Thanks!” Vina chirped.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSxBUZAxpAd
“Thank you,” Mir echoed.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfOrhSaurt
The conversation carried on as the pickup sped through the small town. Mir mostly listened, content to look at the scenery outside the window.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6OwpXSnwGF
Between the airport and their destination, there wasn't much to see. Lining the road were humble homes, little shops, plots filled with vegetation, and occasional small-scale rice paddies. Through gaps in the trees and structures, she also caught glimpses of the sea and the faint silhouette of a mountain.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQnSO7Ia3S
The drive wasn’t long. Soon enough, the pickup rolled to a stop at their destination.
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZNYnm6usEw
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHg6dmHvKl
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpzUYTrcyyt
NOTES:
1. mangkukulam – black sorcerer or witch who casts curses on their victims with the intention to harm, may sometimes even end in the death of the victim
2. ate (Name) [AH-teh] - (Ex. Ate Ena) an honorific that means “older sister”, may also be used for any female who’s a few years older than the speaker, blood-related or not
3. Western Visayas (mentioned in Chapter 1) - an administrative region in the Philippines located in the western portion of the Visayas archipelago [The Philippines has 3 major islands: Luzon (north), Visayas (middle), Mindanao (south)]
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJopaF066sV
AUTHOR’S MESSAGE:
Hi! I’m Vanda and I really want to introduce Philippine folklore to the global audience. Each book will feature Vina and Mir + guests (depending on where they are going), and a mythical creature or a local belief or concept. This is not intended to be a hardcore novel, by the way. This is more like a simple story-telling of what happens when two best friends go on trips, but somehow experience weird situations. Each chapter will only be 1,200 – 1,700 words because I’ve learned from a previous project that I need to pace myself or face burnout. Yep, definitely learned my lesson.
I also need to explain that I’m just a novice writer with no backing. Naming may cause trouble, so I can’t drop names, locations, or even use precise landmarks – just the acceptable general direction (ex. an island in Western Visayas, a popular lighthouse up a hill, an old church famous for its bells from 1700s, etc.). The Philippines is a country full of different ethno-linguistic groups. For now, I will be covering creatures that are considered national rather than regional. And in the future, if it becomes possible, maybe I will receive the right to talk about the more indigenous ones. Let’s see where this takes us. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. 122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGY9t3SEJk2
and then Add to home screen.