1 Under the Mango Tree

Alexandra Trese was aware that she didn't do much during her off days because she usually found herself working on the account books or reading the new books that her older brother who was a professor in the country's top university sent to her.

She would usually stay in the azotea of their old, ancestral house in the Trese family compound under the cool shade of a mango tree. Even if it was the hottest summer day in Metro Manila, it would always be cool and refreshing under the tree's large branches.

They had a small marble table set up in the terrace with a couple of chairs. It would always be her favorite spot.

She didn't realized that she had drifted off to sleep.

When she was six years old, she loved to sit under the mango tree to daydream, play and sleep. Her parents told her that they would always find her talking to the nature spirits, playing with the ghosts of kids and enjoying the company of the mango tree who was fond of her.

As the youngest of a brood of six and with four older brothers, she didn't have any playmates of own age so it was only natural for her to attract the denizens of the other world to play with her.

She thought it was normal for her friends to slowly fade away in front of her or to be visible only at certain times of the month. But her parents saw them and accepted them too.

Alex remembered a time when she was seven-years-old when her parents sent her away to Batangas for her safety. She was left to her grandparents who lived in a small, obscure town while her parents dealt with the threat.

She loved her grandparents very much. They lived in a large, sprawling house that looked like it belonged in the horror movies. It was filled with old furniture made of dark wood and lots of curiosities that was passed down to every generation of their family. When it rained, little Alex never ran out of things to play with or dark rooms to investigate.

On sunny days, she would explore outside to visit the fields, the seaside and the town. She would get to know the other kids in the neighborhood and the nature spirits who lived in the woods. She met the sirenas, the diwatas and the other creatures who looked after her secretly.

After lunch, Alex would often go to a field of wild grass to sit on her favorite mango tree. She didn't know why she loved mango trees so much.

She adored it when the tree would lower it's branches so she can climb up to the top and then lower it again so she can jump down. Sometimes, she'd take a nap while lying down on the branches but she would never fall to the ground. The sound of the rustling leaves and swaying branches was her lullaby.

One day, she was surprised to see a young boy around her age sitting on her spot. It was very high up on the tree and impossible for mortal human boys to reach. She frowned when he grinned down at her.

"You're sitting on my spot," she said flatly.

The boy's smile widened. His excitement was palpable. "You can see me!"

"Duh. Your disguise is plain as day. Anyone who has eyes will see you." Alex crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning.

"Lolo told me that I have to practice my glamour everyday," he told her with a proud grin. "You think I'm just a regular kid. I win!"

"You're not a kid. You're something else." Alex replied. The leaves rustled as the mango tree slowly lowered one of it's branches to reach the ground beneath her feet. She stepped on it and proudly kept her balance as the branch returned to it's original form several feet above the ground.

His eyes were like saucers. He clapped his hands excitedly. "Wow! That's so cool! I had to climb up but you got the tree spirit to get here. Wow!"

She sat down and dangled her little legs at the edge of the branch. The other boy sat down beside her and kicked his own legs excitedly. She wasn't surprised to see hooves instead of feet.

Alex watched as he shed his glamour spell. It slowly melted off the little boy until his true form was revealed. She was now staring at a foal with ebony skin, dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. She was correct in assuming he was a Tikbalang. Only a Tikbalang could jump up that high to sit on the top branches.

"What's your name? How old are you? I just arrived yesterday from Makati. Do you know where is Makati? My papa is so mean. He told me that I have to live here with my cousins until school starts in June." Alex thought that he was very talkative. He looked so excited to meet a new friend who could see him. "But I don't like them! Iglap is a bully and he doesn't respect me. Doesn't he know that I'm older than him? I couldn't beat him up because I'm older so I have to be more understanding! That's so unfair!"

She smiled a little at that. She often heard the same complaint from her own brothers. They were still in Manila because they're focusing on their craft. She was in danger so she was sent here.

The Tikbalang nodded enthusiastically at her story. "I was nearly kidnapped when I was only three-years-old! It was a bunch of Aswangs but my parents kicked their butt..."

She nodded while listening to his story. Without realizing it, she'd already dropped her guard and she started to enjoy herself.

It wasn't long before they jumped off the top branch of the mango tree to drop into the ground. He landed on his feet but she was saved by a tree branch at the last minute. His laughter was infectious. She apologized for making the tree worry but she ended up laughing too.

Her new friend couldn't help but show off the famous speed of the Tikbalang clan. He raced around the field and made dust clouds. She had to close her eyes so she didn't see it. They were both laughing when he came back covered in dust.

Alex took him to the river in the woods to dip their feet in the cool water. Diwatas came out of the woods and the water to play with them. Alex was soaking wet after they splashed around and played in the water. She also realized that the water spirits can control the water level so neither of them were in danger of drowning.

She'd never had so much fun in her entire life.

In the following summer days, she spent her afternoons with her new friends.

They flew a kite. She taught him how to ride a bike. She often lost to him in a game of tag but she won when it was time to play hide and seek in twilight. They played shadow animals, traded ghost stories and pretended to cook dinner using leaves and stones.

He was welcome in their house so her grandparents also fed him taho, turon, peanut butter sandwiches and pancit canton for merienda. When the ice cream man came, they also ate as much ice cream as they want. They would sometimes watch cartoons on their ancient tv set.

When summer ended, Alex's parents came back to collect her. Her grandparents told them about the young Tikbalang foal that was her new best friend. They were glad to hear that she made a new friend before she left.

What was his name?

She saw him in her mind's eye.

A Tikbalang foal sitting on a mango tree's branch with a wide smile, waving at her.

He was my best friend, she thought frantically. I wasn't able to say goobye.

There was a blinding flash of light.

Alex slowly opened her eyes. She didn't realize that she'd fallen asleep in the azotea. It was late in the afternoon. Golden sunshine filtered through the mango leaves. She stretched and sat up straight on the chair.

She could hear the Kambal talking inside the house.

A small, sad smile slipped into her lips. She had a dream that was both happy and sad at the same time. She was dreaming about a golden afternoon in her childhood...

"Hi Alex!"

Her concentration was broken when she heard his voice. It was coming from inside the house.

Then she saw him heading towards her with a serving tray that had a plate of turon and two tall glasses of iced tea. The setting sun blinded her for a moment.

She blinked three times before she regained her vision. When she looked at Maliksi, she thought that she saw a young foal with ebody skin, dark hair and the brightest smile she'd ever seen...

It can't be.

Alex was quiet when Maliksi laid the tray on the marble table in front of her. She stared at her favorite snack as if she'd never seen it before.

"I thought you might be hungry," he said cheerfully. "I thought I'd prepare your favorite turon with langka."

"How did you know it's my favorite?" Her voice was low and full of wonder. I only know one Tikbalang who knows my favorite merienda, she thought furiously.

"I asked the Kambal and they said it's turon," Maliksi replied proudly. He set up the table for her and tucked the tray under his arm. His eyes stared at her lovely profile longingly but he held himself back.

Alex looked up, surprised.

He smiled at her gently. "We didn't get to say goodbye before you left. I'm glad we met."

The Tikbalang princeling nodded to her before he turned around to walk away. He dropped the glamour so she could see his tall, proud form in all of it's beauty. He also knew that she would be seeing the young foal who befriended her all those years ago.

One of his powers was entering dreams. He accidentally walked into her dream while she napped. It also jogged his memory to that season where he met a lovely little girl with a serious frown and eyes that saw through his glamour.

Alex blinked as her eyes welled up with tears that threatened to fall. Her chest tightened and her hands clenched. How could she be so blind? A long tear traveled down her smooth cheek.

How strange to have a reunion under a mango tree in a hot summer afternoon.

How peculiar to know that she'd fallen in love.