4 Chapter 3: Her Circumstance

Flashback: May 1994

"Who's there?" Calista enthusiastically ran towards the door located at the back of the kitchen. Suddenly, her Lola grabbed her and held her back.

"Don't open the door, apo." her Lola whispered. " Go with your Papa and get to your room."

Her father carried her in his arms. Calista could feel the uneasy feeling in the air. His father was sweaty and her Lola, the ever-smiling one was pale and terrified by the knock. Her Lola grabbed her father's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. Alas! She was not able to hear it. Her father hurriedly strode towards the room while she heard two more loud knocks before the sound faded into the noise of the rain.

Later that evening, the rest of the family gathered around the long table. The Andres' clan were all present during the dinner time. The house was crowded with children but no one was making a ruckus. The dinner table was solemn as if a novena was undergoing. Everybody was focused on their food, not even pausing to start a conversation. Her father, who was known to be loud and boisterous during their family gatherings was very timid at that time.

When everyone had their fill the adults were gathered in the living room and asked the children to stay inside her Lola's bedroom. It was the first time Calista went inside such a huge bedroom inside the house. The bedroom rivaled that of the living room by its size. There was a wooden cabinet installed at the right side of the room when you entered. It was vast, at the end of it was a mirror as tall as her father. It was old and tainted but still gave a good reflection when she tried to view it. Her Lola's bed was an old At Chay branded bed made of sturdy wood. Across the room, there was a huge altar. The altar had images of Birhen Maria, An old wooden crucifix, broken saints, and wood-carved Holy Trinity with unlit candles and a withering Sampaguita hung over a mini Santo Nino. It also housed trinkets and bottles with roots and unknown liquids.

Calista and her cousin Nica opened one of the bottles, the liquid spilled a little bit in Nica's dress. It stank horribly. Her cousins Boknoy and Terio teased Nika for opening the bottle, Nica was about to cry when Manoy Justin intervened and scolded them for teasing Nica. The adults have not finished their conversation yet and most of them are getting drowsy. Manoy Justin being the eldest, huddled them up in their Lola's bed and tried to settle them with a story. Calista had no idea of what stories one would tell in the province. She knows about princesses and castles and all the glittery Disney stuff. She wondered if it'll be the same?

"Uy! This story I will share with you came from Manong Ambing, about the manuktukay ." he started as the other children huddled closer together.

"Manuktukay? What's that? Is that a princess." Calista curiously asked him.

"Prinsesa?!There are no princesses on Manong Ambing's stories!" Boknoy retorted. " Those are for babies." as he stared at Nica and purposefully made faces to tease her.

Manoy Justin flicked Boknoy's forehead and sternly told him to just listen. " Ahh..Yes, Calista, a manuktukay is a ghost that haunts houses..." while intimidating the girls with his scary voice.

The girls embraced each other tightly in fear. Justin was pleased to see this reaction and continued along with the story.

" Mang Ambing told me that about a night ago, while he was sleeping peacefully in his nipa hut, he heard a faint knock on his door. He got up immediately and out of his grogginess he asked if who was there." Justin made a pause and looked at his audience as they longingly waited for the rest of the story.

Boknoy and Terio were attentively listening to him not even moving and each while their eyes demanded to continue the story. Justin glanced over the girls who were huddled to each other, not moving as well and their eyes asking for the story to stop. Justin felt a sense of accomplishment delivering a tight story. After a minute of silence, he continued.

"There was another knock and so Mang Ambing, sat up and asked again. The third knock came and so, he decided to open the door. As he was approaching the door, he realized how late it was and no one was answering his question. That's when he remembered about what his mother used to warn him as a kid. When you hear a knock in the middle of the night or stormy weather, never ask who's knocking and never open the door, the manuktukay lurks behind the other end of that door."

Terio butted in to the story with a question, " So, why is the manuktukay scary?"

"Good question." as he was clearing his throat. "The manuktukay is a messenger of death. When someone is about to die or you get chosen to die, the manuktukay would knock on your door three times. If they hear a voice from inside that house, they will never stop knocking until you either open the door and accept your fate or until the first rooster crows in the morning."

"Manoy Justin, so what happened to Mang Ambing?"Boknoy asked.

Justin smiled. " According to Mang Ambing, the knock continued till the crack of dawn. It knocked his door in rhythmic three's pausing for a while then starting back again. He prayed using his rosaryo to ward them off but it kept on knocking until the first rooster crowed signaling the morning. " he paused again.

"So the next time you hear someone knocking at your door in the middle of the night or in the middle of the storm, never ask who's knocking and never open the door..."

"Oh, that's why Lola got so pale earlier when I ran towards the door when I heard a knock!" Calista exclaimed.

Everyone in the room stood still in silence, Manong Justin, Boknoy and Terio went pale while Nica just squeezed her tighter she was suffocating.

Suddenly the door opened, everyone screamed in chorus. It was just their Lola trying to check on them who got startled as well. Boknoy and Terio ran out of the room as quickly as they could, hugging their parents in the living room. Nica, on the other hand, had run to their Lola and sobbed.

Calista stood there motionless and wondered if the story could be true?

Present: April 2018

Calista woke up with another bad headache. It was worse than yesterday. It felt like her head cracked open or was smashed into bits. What made it worse was her body was aching too. As if every bone broke, shattered to pieces. She feels like shit.

She recalled how they danced and sang karaoke at the rooftop of an exclusive condominium. There was a pool there which she recalled pushing Mae over and making Dex dive along with their other batch mates to search for the sunken peso. It was a good time, but the rest was just blurry. She can't recall how she got home in her bed. She thought of asking Mae later but she doubts that. She recalled Mae hitting off with her former crush and God knows what they did after the party.

She slowly opened her eyes to adjust from the sunlight that might be shining blindingly in her apartment. She was surprised to see it was still dark so she closed her eyes again. Then she noticed how hard and damp her bed was.

She felt very embarrassed. In her mind, a 28- year old, office manager should not pass out on the floor covered in her own puke and urine. She felt so bad about how low she had fallen into. She cannot fathom the fact that she has reached this new time low in her life after she broke up with Tristan, Dex's fraternal twin brother. Her heart ached again and the memories began to flow back to her. The feeling was unbearable both her heart and body are singing in this duet of melancholy and pain.

Her tears began to flow down from her cheeks and she started to whimper silently. Calista cried every last ounce of tears she had then realized she wasn't sleeping in her vomit. The smell was sharp and metallic, it was sticky too, like blood. She sat up immediately but felt dizzy as her bed (or so she thought) started to shake.

" I see you're awake." a calm and soothing voice crept into her ears.

The disembodied voice sounded like a man. It sounded foreign yet with a bit familiarity but she felt unsure. Now her mind is racing. She is not certain if she might be staying at someone's place which makes it all the worse. Firstly, she possibly might've caused a scene inside some else's house. Secondly, she thinks she might've been kidnapped and now taken to some dark and damp bodega getting ready to be sold to traffickers or worse, getting butchered by some psycho.

She knows she might be overthinking, but, what else can she think about? Her heart now pounded stronger and faster than it ever was, she decided to open her eyes and to check the scene she is at.

"Finally, you opened up your eyes." said the man sitting in front of him.

"Wwwhoo.. aarree..yyou?" she mumbled, as she was still affected by her headaches.

The man did not answer. Instead, he just stared at her for a second and went back to reading a book.

"Who are..." she tried asking again but was interrupted by the man.

" You do not have to ask me again Lady Calista Andres." The man put down the book by his seat and elaborately placed his right hand into his left chest and slightly took a bow.

" I am Sidapa, I have dominion over death, and I..."

"Whaa...?" she was confused.

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WRITER'S NOTES

Greetings Reader!

You have reached the the third chapter of my novel which is truly amazing! I am happy that you reached this far ( I thought no one would) but here we are!

So, let's dive deeper to the world of Hiwaga ( Mystical) and get right into some of these words you might have encountered.

"At Chay"- brand of bed. Makers of sturdy and stylish beds in the 1900's

"Birhen Maria"- Virgin Mary. Since most of the people of the Philippines are Roman Catholics, her effigy has been a staple in household altars.

"Santo Nino"- Child Jesus. Another common effigy you will find in Filipino household altars.

"Rosaryo"- rosary. A prayer tool use by Catholics.

" Manuktukay"- an omen of death characterized by three spectral individuals that knocks on doors and dooming the poor soul who answers it with the prediction of their death.

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