Chapter 8: Of Nightmares and Curses, when Promises were Made

The trio arrived in the house, with Lumi telling Matthos that she'd wake at sunset. The normal term "nap," and that was enough to intrigue Barney.

"You don't drink ale," he deadpanned as the two carried barrels inside the house.

"I don't, but she does."

They were distracted by the honking outside. It was Mrs. Williams in a truck; the clothes were here. At the sight of the boxes, Barney's eyes widened.

"What are these?" he said as he carried one inside, Matthos following while Mrs. Williams chattered, complimenting Lumi and her beauty. It didn't take a second question for him to pick up, and it just baffled him. His friend made big purchases for someone he didn't know well. Then again, that was the Trems in a box.

Advocates for the poor, needy, weary, they were considered the saints of the organization. They always volunteered, despite how stupid the mission is just to ease the worries of the complainants. Matthos was no exception.

"All of these are machine-friendly," Mrs. Williams grinned as she exited, "tell Lumi I'd love to see her again!"

"Of course you would. He basically spent thousands of dollars," Barney muttered, then he accused him, "You didn't bring out your black card, did you?"

"Nope, the system couldn't handle black cards," Matthos shrugged and opened the boxes. He started sorting out the clothes in front of his friend, who just wanted to throttle him. Giving up, Barney left to retrieve his luggage and get the rest of the groceries.

He started the laundry and let Barney settle himself in the second bedroom. After all, he was the adopted son. Everyone in Physma knew Barney as the Trems' "adopted son" and respected him. Hence, the welcoming band and crowd.

"Seriously though, why did you do it?" Barney brought out the multimillion question when Matthos exited the laundry room. He knew at some point that he'd have to answer the question.

"I had a premonition. I had glimpses of the fountain months before, but I thought it was nostalgia," he confessed. "But when I got here, something was calling me outside. This house is blessed, both by a *Babaylan and a priest. The being needs to be strong to summon me outside. It has to hold significant power to call me, a non-seeing but sensing human, and show me visions."

"Fudge," Barney cursed, "that's not unheard of, but it's rare. A being that strong, huh." He rattled his brain. His brown eyes sharpened in contrast to the kind twinkle it showed to Lumi before. So far, Lumi does not really look any different to him, save for the different hair color. Other than that, there wasn't anything to point out. That made things difficult.

"You know, I can't think when I'm hungry," he confessed," can you please start cooking dinner?"

"...Bastard," Matthos sighed and went to the kitchen, preparing food while his sibling from another crib lounged on the sofa, later on falling asleep while deep in thought.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Lumi was sleeping soundly—until she wasn't. Her breathing suddenly started to slow down. Like a hundred snakes were on top of her, invisible ropes wriggled as she tried to move. Her muscles tightened, and her airways felt restricted. She wasn't under the condition of a normal nightmare.

On the first floor of the house, Matthos just finished putting the lasagna in the oven when something whispered in his ear.

"Lumi"

He wasn't the only one, seeing as Barney suddenly jumped from the sofa with a bewildered look on his face. Sharing a look, they ran upstairs, where they saw Lumi in a catatonic state. She was a foot above the bed, and it baffled them how something could materialize in the blessed house.

"This didn't happen before?" Barney asked

"Nope, it didn't," Matthos answered, debating if he should go near and pull her down or stay and watch. Before he could decide, a soft voice suddenly echoed within the room.

The two suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness, making them lean on the doorway.

But Lumi? She woke, and she was terrified.

"Please, let me go," she pleaded, " I don't know what you are aiming for or in need of, but I have nothing to offer." Tears started to stream down her face.

Her words woke Barney, who ran and pushed her down. The voice stopped singing, and Matthos looked disoriented as he watched his friend close to Lumi.

"Lumi, do you know what year it is?"

"It's 2021, Matthos told me."

"What year do you remember being awake?"

Lumi was surprised. Did Matthos tell him?

"1845—but I saw glimpses of wars, I think? There were hunks of metals that moved, and then there was dancing," she described.

"When did this start?"

"I don't remember."

"How old are you?"

"I do not know, nor do I know what I am. I only remember being in a box and being stabbed repeatedly. There were people in white robes who watched over me."

Matthos groaned, crawling to the bed and catching up to the conversation. "Is it a cult or a secret organization?"

"I'm not sure," Barney replied, "But she's cursed. The being was able to penetrate a house surrounded with salt, blessed by a shaman and a priest."

Lumi wanted to plead to stay, but it would be selfish to put the two of them in danger.

Contrary to what she's expecting, Barney suggested, "She's safe here until we find out what curse she's carrying. We need to hide her. But you talk too old for your appearance," he directed his attention to her.

"Yeah, Lumi. You need to catch up with the times," Matthos commented. "It is for your survival."

"But I'm cursed," she whispered, elated at what she heard but feeling as if there was a catch.

"Well, my little cupcake, curses are our specialty," Barney rubbed his hands, a gleam in his eyes that surprised her so much. Shouldn't he be afraid? She's not human!

"So, how are we going to deal with this?" he asked.

"Teach her how to survive the modern world and try to contain the curse. We can find out what it is later." Matthos answered

"My dear bologna, you mean I will teach her the modern world. I'm here to tell you that you have a distant mission."

"What?"

"The high order wants you to do research. Your grandfather's files. How to contain curses, as it seems that even this impenetrable house has become a jelly fort."

"These will be like the old times," Matthos sighed in nostalgia.

"Like the time we took a green snake as a pet?"

"You what?" Lumi interjected, her impression of Matthos and Barney forever shattered as their conversation went on.

"Yeah, we even helped a burglar steal a television—we'll explain what it is in the future." Barney offered.

"In the meantime, just try to live life!"

For a long time, Lumi ran away, escaped, captured, tortured, repeat. But now, in front of two men, she felt safe. A foreign feeling that she hoped would never leave her again. And in that day, a promise was silently made and kept until someone's last breath.

**********

Dictionary

Babaylan - Filipino shaman. Babaylans serve as communication channels between gods and humans. With the power given to them by the gods they serve, they can heal illnesses and even protect a whole tribe.

Babaylans are revered as holy, and a role not just given to anyone. There were many gender variants existing in the pre-colonial Philippines. Hence, Babaylans are also said to be transgenders.