2 Underneath the Floors

I opened my eyes, and I was at an unfamiliar and a small Market. Everyone was wearing old clothes. Nahagip sa aking mata ang isang babaeng nakahandusay sa daan. I went to see her face but hindi ko 'to maaninagan her face was all blurry except sa mga tao dito. Gusto nitong tumayo pero mukhang wala siyang lakas.

Tutulongan ko na sana siya ngunit kahit anong gawin ko hindi ko siya mahawakan. But what I'm sure at is magka-edad lang kami, we have the same body structure and... height, since nakatayo na ito.

Isang lalaki ang tumakbo ng mabilis patungo sa akin, pero para lang akong isang hanging hindi makita, marinig at mahawakan. Lumagpas ito sa akin. Asan nga ba ako?

"Nandito na ang Mahal na Prinsipe!" Nagulat ako sa aking narinig, prinsipe? Anong prinsipe? As far as I know phillipines is a democratic country leaded by a President and not some King seating in it's throne. Dahil sa sigaw ng isang lalaki wearing an armor. Lahat ay nagsiayos at lumuhod. Maybe it's their way, paying respect to the prince. Kung may prinsipe talaga.

May nakita akong nagmamatigas at hindi lumuhod pero pwersahan silang pinaluhod at pinagpapalo ng latigo. That is too brutal. This is illegal, assaulting people is a crime!

Napatingin ako sa daan, and men with armors lined up habang nagmamartsa. Habang hawak hawak ang isang magarbong karwahe.

Nilapag nila ang karwahe at binuksan ang pintuan nun. At bumungad sa akin ans isang lalaki pero parehas ng babaeng nakita ko kanina hindi ko rin maanigan ang kanyang mukha. Mukhang ito ang itinutukoy nilang prinsipe.

I was shocked, nang nakita ko ang babae kanina na tumakbo patungo sa prinsipe, pipigilan ko sana siya pero naalala ko na I can't touch everything, It was like, I was only meant to watch this scenario.

Lumuhod ito sa harap ng prinsipe at niyakap ang kanang binti nito.

"Mahal na prinsipe nagmamaka-awa po ako, dalawang araw na pong hindi kumakain ang pamilya namin, tulungan niyo po kami." Pagmamaka-awa ng babae. Naawa ako sa kanya she has too many wounds.

Pero sa aking gulat ay walang pag-aalinlangang iwinaksi ng prinsipe ang kamay ng babaeng hawak-hawak ang kanyang kanang binti. Fudge!? That's too cruel! Nanghihingi na nga ng tulong hindi pa tinutulongan. Walang kasing sama ang lalaking yan.

"Ang isang maralitang kagaya mo ay walang karapatang hawakan ang anumang parte ng aking katawan! Mga kawal ialis niyo sa palabas sa pamilihan na ito!" Utos ng prinsipe. Gosh ang Arte niya.

"Wala kang kasing sama, mas masahol ka pa sa lahat hayop, hindi ka nararapat na maging hari!"

Napabalikwas ako ng bangon. I was breathing heavily. Iginala ko ang tanaw sa kabuuan ng kwarto.

It was a spacious and classy room, a king is fitted to sleep here. But I find this room boyish like it was owned by a boy.

Hinawakan ko ang lalamunan ko I think, I need to drink some glass of water.

Lumabas ako ng kwarto and headed to the kitchen. Nilagok ko lang ang isang baso dahil parang uhaw na uhaw na ako. And everything that happen at that portrait came gushing down into my brain, from the massive, old, creepy mansion to the handsome guy in the portrait and to me being unconscious, unexplainably. Bakit nga ba ako nahimatay?

Mukhang kailangan ko nang matulog it's so creepy here, tsaka I think everyone is asleep now. Tinignan ko ang malaking orasan sa salas and it's 12:30 in the morning. So I was awake in the middle of the night.

Pumasok na ako sa kwarto. At humiga na, I grab a comforter at tinakpan ng bahagya ang aking katawan.

Pero kahit anong sabi ko sa sarili ko na matulog I can't. My eyes won't close. I tried every position in sleeping pero hindi talaga, hindi talaga ako makatulog.

Nahagip ng aking mata ang isang malaking bookshelf filled with books. Tumayo ako at lumapit dun. Maybe a book can make me sleep? I guess?

Binasa ko ang mga pamagat ng libro

And the following are the books that caught my eyes.

"Ang Monarkiya ng Xanderdaile."

"Ang Pamilya ng Maharlika ng Xanderdaile."

"Ang Batas ng Xanderdaile."

And...

"Ang Prinsipe ng Xanderdaile."

Yung nasa portrait! Maybe I can have some sneak peek of that guy. If I were to judge, pinagmamayarian talaga ang mansyong ito ng prinsipeng yun, and I might believe the gossip.

I pulled the book out of the shelf pero...

Parang naging isang pinto ang bookshelf and the next thing I knew I was in a small room with a stair pababa!? Merong Underground! Kinapa kapa ko ang bulsa ko and thanks god nandito parin and cellphone ko at umaandar. I clicked the flashlight icon to guide me here. I need to take the risk, I need to know the secret's underneath these floors.

Bumaba ako sa hagdan. And I can't deny I'm freaking nervous right now.

Bumungad sa akin ang isang napakalaking silid. The room was full of weapons and cobwebs. Napaubo nga ako dahil sa napakamakapal na alikabok.

There were swords on different kind of designs, armors, Bow and Archer, Shields at meron pang iba pero hindi ko alam para san yun. This is definitely a weaponry room. We're weapon are stored. And definitely this room needs to be clean. Nilibot ko ang silid at hinawakan ang mga sandata. Nasa kalagitnaan ako ng paglalato ng isang archer ng mahagip sa aking mata ang isang lever. Para san naman 'to. Nilapag ko ng maayos ang archer at nilapitan ang lever.

Should I pull it?

But what if something bad will happen?

Pero hindi ko kaya eh, sadyang pinanganak talaga akong curious na babaita. So I've come up with a decision I'll pull it. And there's no stoping me.

Hinila ko ang lever. At nagulantang ako nang may isang malaking kahon umaahon sa taas. This Mansion is far from bring normal.

Nilapitan ko iyon at hindi pala iyon kahon. It was a coffin. Na siyang mas nagpatakot sa akin. What if may patay dun. Yikes! I'm not looking forward to that. But curiousity hit me. Now I'm hating my self.

I need to open it. It's now or never.

Dahan dahan ko itong binuksan. At napatalon ako sa takot. Nagmamalik mata lang yata ako. Hindi naman yata yun totoo diba? Diba? Naghahallucinate lang ako diba? Because if it's all true then the gossip is true.

That the prince was really buried in here. Yes you heard me right, the prince is really buried here!

A corpse is inside that coffin. Pero ang ipinagtataka ko is kung sabi nila he died in the 13th century bakit hindi pa siya naagnas? Bakit buo pa ang katawan niya. Those face I saw in the portait is exactly the same what I saw here. There must be something that made him preserved.

With so much courage ay nilapitan ko ito ulit I need to take a closer a look.

Sabi nga diba nila mas nakakatakot ang buhay kesa sa patay.

Sinilip ko ito at binuksan naman ulit. Now I can see his face clearly.

Hindi nga nagsisinungaling ang painting, gwapo nga talaga siya, sobra.

I frowned when I see he was holding something. A very small glass bottle with a blue liquid inside of it. Para san naman yan?

Kinuha ko iyun sa kamay niya at may papel na nakadikit dun.

The words were...

'Drink this to Prince Edward'

Ano 'to ipapainom ko sa lalaking ito?

Then what would happen?

I had some predictions on what would happen, but let shake it off. Pero what if... Arghh this is not some horror story Zhae! na bigla bigla na lang babangon ang patay at hahatakin ka. At grabe naman ako pinag-iisipan ko talaga ng ganyan ang gwapong nilalang na ito? At tsaka maamo naman ang mukha niya imposeble naman yatang biglang nalang itong manghahatak diba? Diba?

Hindi ko namalayan na gunalaw na pala ng kusa ang kamay ko at ipinainom yun sa kanya.

Pinalagok ko ito sa kanya lahat, pero wala namag nangyari... Well epekto to sa laging kong panonood ng horror movies, kaya kinain na sa sitema ko.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!!" I shouted in fear.

Fuck! Fuck! His eyes it opened!

*Thud*

(Sound effect of Zhae collapsed.)

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A/N:

Well, the story is slowly getting thrilling Abangan sa susunod na kabanata ang Prinsipeng kinalimutan!

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