Ancestral Home

The morning breeze titillated his ears and a little sunlit passed through the hole from the window which tickled his eyes. He right away stood up from his mat on the wooden floor to check her but she's still asleep under the rugged blankets and piled up of used clothes.

" Magee, Magee, its already 9 o'clock, its time to check your pulse and body temp."

" Hmm...what time is it again George? I maybe have slept tight." She'd shrugged her messy long hair like cobwebs then leaned on the two piled up pillows on her back

She still closed her eyes but spoken.

" Don't pinch my ear." Then she sneered like a child.

" Haha, its already 9 o'clock, c'mon, come closer. Let me check. Aha, your pulse rate and body temp are both okay, no worries."

" How ironic, you never had any apparatus, how come you felt I'm okay."

" Hmm, its a little secret...we're having our manual process also, you know." He smiled at her.

After the manual checkup she grabbed a towel, malong and other stuffs then they both got down.

" Slowly...." George had been very gentle in aiding her to get down.

" Hmm, the table's all set. Where are my brothers?" Magee was looking around.

There was a note on the table for him.

" George, we brought the sacks of chicken to station one for our comrades. The area is a bit clean, just check it out. We'll fetch you in the coming days, I'll carry out the men in your absence, don't worry. Please take care of our sister. In Christ, Albrecht." A piece of note from the eldest among the siblings he's with.

" I'll take a bath first." Then there she go.

He went outside and found a spring in front of the house, he hurriedly took his towel from the second floor, got back running as well and enjoyed the unlimited flowing waters on his coconut shell water dipper. As soldiers does, they easily do things to maximize their time and after changing, he got back on the table. She's not yet done so he waited a little and concentrating on the viand next to her.

" Is it not the anaconda I slaughtered last night? Hmm, I could smell a lot of lemon grass on it. I doubt. It seems its it. Let me taste it, oh my...its just like a chicken!" He smiled for tasting an adobo snake for the first time.

" What's that?" She's done bathing and just wrapped around her hair on top.

" Ha? chicken isn't good for newly healed, I'll cook something for you.

" Your eyes are lying, haha." Its not true, it seems that its tasty and you're afraid to share me some, isn't it?"

" Whoah! okay, sit down and taste this."

" Hmm, its chicken, the slices are big enough. Its it, its the message of Albrecht to you that they brought sacks of it in station one. Good that they left us some.

She took one, then two until George never knew already if how many slices she'd got.

" George, let me ask you. Why you're such as close to my brothers, especially to Albrecht?"

" Hmm, its because, he's the fiancee of my sister, that's why. They'll get married after this war. Aside from that, we're also neighbors in the US, its just block away and we're great buddies. My father works in the Marines and he's the closest friend of the Captain. Its how our family intertwined. Its also the reason why they trusted me too much since they knew where I live, supposed I'm going to abduct you. Are you afraid of me?" He naughtily smiled at her.

" Ah, I see, a family friend and I'll be your future sister-in-law. No, I'm not afraid of you, Albrecht actually told me you're trusted."

" So, since there's sunlight around, I will dry you a little outside. Its been a week that you're hidden in station one, so you need vitamin E. Its sunbathing!"

" Most possible, I need it. Don't worry, I can just pose there and you may leave me supposed you still have to do something else."

" I can't leave you like that. You'll be exposed under the sun for five minutes only and you'll get back upstairs while I'll do some general cleaning, from the second floor going down. Okay, here's the wooden chair, sit down in here and start bathing underneath."

Magee then stayed underneath for around five minutes while he was watching at her enjoying the heat of the sun that gas passed tgrough the renaining fogs above. Then she stepped out smiling.

" Will it not hurt my wounds?"

" No, don't worry, the nurse is on duty."

" Wow! I feel like a very special patient.

" Exactly you are. Okay, since you're done so let's go up now. While recovering, that balcony is your ward."

He locked the main door then they go up.

" Just stay here, enjoy combing your hair and read books. Anyway, before I'll do the general cleaning, I'll send here some books I noticed around. I know you like books so I can easily bribe you with them."

" Haha, that's fine for me, go and feed me some."

He immediately returned bringing some books and put them in front of her. To her surprise, she saw some of Lolo Sibal's handwriting on one of the journals that George has found out.

She became silent and seriously reading. She'd got mixed emotions. At times she sighed, cried and mostly laughed at Lolo Sibal's humor. He write those things until he got back to Tikabanand when the Captain, Albrecht and Baldur went to America and left him alone. Even when he's already in Tikaban, he mentioned in the journal that he kept coming back in this secret house in Malapague, inside Kabang, and ensure that he can write something memorable for Magee and her family.Then Magee cried again and again until George tapped her shoulder.

" Hmm...let's share our lunch now, or else, Albrecht might come back this early and will pinch your ear once more, which one? Come."

While they were in the table she was still very silent.

" I became emotional about Lolo Sibal's writings. Without us knowing, he kept coming here to write and write with those old memories with my family. He had written things I was doubtful of; like, father have buried three separate gold bars in the well, yellowish bamboo and under the catsbao mango tree. Those three spots were dangerous too because there were equally mines on top of them. Seriously, the one that he brought given by my father was already enough for my education. Hmm...I missed him so much."

" He's more than a biological family member, that's how the Captain described him. He took good care of your brothers while you were taken cared by Lolita. Its how he blamed himself after the death of your mother. He blamed himself for the lack of help and incapable enough as a friend. It made himself pay by devoting all his time to all of you and when your family went to US, he then focused on your education, its how I understand. So there, hey, you eat some more. I still have to continue cleaning and you still need to read at the balcony." He then put some more food on her plate.

Lunctime went well and George got back mopping the wet rags all around the wooden furnitures and swept the inner part, harvesting the cobwebs. Magee did not know that he's into suspecting if there might be some family members of the green anaconda. That's seriously the reason if why he conducted the general cleaning. With all his wit and strength he finally finished at 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

He felt like being dehydrated after carrying, moving and transferring some few things in the house to another setup and direction; looking if there's some kind of anaconda eggs. But nil. His body was full of sweats and tried to relax on a wooden chair at the sala when Magee asked went closer and gave her a small towel.

" Take this. I will just pass by and will try to cook for our dinner. You're too tired to do it."

" No. stay put, that's an order. I can do it and I'm just inhaling and exhaling to regain some strength. You just sit down, okay? I'll just call you up when the food is ready."

" What can I help?"

" Nothing. Just wait."

"Are you angry?"

" No. I'm just a little tired." Then he smiled at her.