1 Chapter 1: In My Present Time

The year 2020, I am on my way home from Ava. It's a long journey of life where I was separated from my family because of a sad turn of event in my life four years ago. I need to work alone, far from my love ones. But it is over now, I am now stepping in the island of Orient at the time of night where everyone is expected to be deep in their sleep. The flight has been rough for the weather has not been gentle for the last few weeks. Thunder struck the night sky, and rain graces all over the place, it is cold and gloomy, but I am happy. I am nearing home. I did not call or even texted my family that I was already on the same island that they are, for I want this to be a surprise.

Two hours from here I shall reach the province of Panab, so I walk to where the bus terminal is, but to my disappointment, it is empty. No busses, no people around. While I wait for a bus to arrive, I wanted to change clothes for I am wet due to the rain, but even the ones in bag are wet, so I had no choice but to bear with my wet clothes. Stupid me! why do I forgot to bring the umbrella! And until the time struck eleven, nearing midnight, no bus came. So, I just decided to sleep the rest of the night here, and wait until morning come. I put my bag beside me and made it my pillow for the night, trying to make myself comfortable. The cold was sipping to my skin, the wet clothes due to the rain will sure make me sick in the next following days. I settled in the middle row of the terminal seats, the area is covered and no rain can reach me, but the wind still keeps me awake. I was alone, but luckily, they left a bulb on, for me not to be scared in this place. After an hour I got so sleepy, the wind turned to be a lulling sound that brings calmness in the whole area.

The quietness is deafening and I stand in the middle of a forest. Lush shrubs surrounding me, with different kinds of trees, tall, short and some are wide, while some don't have even a single leaf. I know this place, somewhere in my mind I know I have already been here. There's fog that creates the morning dues, and enough light to show me the surroundings. As I walk straight and into nowhere, I heard a rustling of leaves, I turn around to see if something is in my back but there's nothing, then after a few seconds, it's there again, I can hear it. Something is there, so I turn to my left and right, suddenly my surrounding circled, my vision turning blurry at the speed of the rotation and then ouch! My butt touches the wet ground of a cave. Bats started to fly away from the spot where I am. It was so dark that I can only recognize them through the sound that they made. Using my hands, I touch the things around me to move forward. Hoping that somewhere in this place I'll see light and yes, there it is after a while I found something shining not so far from my left, they were yellow, inching closer I found them to be more of a golden shade glittering in the dark.

I wake up to the sound of a loud horns. Slowly opening my eyes, I realized I am in the terminal, and it is just a dream. My back aches due to the position I was in the whole night. Stretching my back and legs to sit straight up, I saw the busses making their way to park properly in their designated area. People are slowly filling the terminal. My eyes scan the busses once more to see the signage, I really want to go home and see my family. Finally seeing the right one, I pick up my bag and decided to be the earliest bird to ride in it. Sitting two rows behind the driver's seat, closest to the window, I put my bag at the floor where my feet can rest. The seat is not soft but much comfortable that the metal seating in the terminal. I waited for the bus to leave; I am so excited. When the time comes, I felt my heart beating fast, but I didn't mind it. It's just the excitement. The view was amazing, expanse of greenery that touches the sky, then it shifted so that the expanse of the blue ocean now is the one touching the sky at the horizon. It's so peaceful. Everything was doing okay; I am even singing to the music chosen by the driver playing at the background. Singing happily, until halfway to my destination, things went out of control. Passengers like me are all shouting, someone is praying, some are holding on to their seats, some already at the floor. Different things fall from the compartment. Then, everything starts to be slow motion in front of my eyes, the sound of their yells and the sound of our bus crashing seems to be so weak in my ears. I then realized that we are dying. The bus fell on an abyss. My last memory was that I am thinking, I could never see them again and I felt that I cried, then nothing, the absence of light engulfed me.

It was so near yet it does not turn any bigger, what kind of light is this? I am so close to it, so I stretch my hand to touch it, then suddenly I heard a loud growl, is it a Lion? A tiger? I got so shock and scared that I shouted to the top of my lungs and run, to what direction I don't know any more I just wanted to scape whatever I have encountered. I tripped on a stone because it's so dark but I got up and then tripped again that my knees hurt so much, but now is not the time to think about pain. I need to get out of here, I need to save my life, I need to go back, I need to … breathe.. I inhaled deeply and released it after a few seconds. Yes breathe, slowly regaining my consciousness and normalizing my breathing I opened my eyes. I am in the forest, in a lush green forest and I am feeling so dizzy that the view in front of me blurred and swirl, I turn to my right side to vomit all that I ate from the past hours mixed with some blood. And I vomited more upon seeing and smelling it. Turning back to my first position which is lying on my back and facing the sky which is hindered by some branches and leaves, I smiled. I am alive. Still alive.

I am Ludeen, and this is the story of my fate.