"BEHIND THE ILL"
"There's something strange i feel inside me since we interacted towards nanay ester." Said my friend Finn while staring to the silver of the full moon holding a pair of drinks as mine.
"It's already midnight! I am preparing this conversation for a long time, I am being careful that someone might hear us." Finn
"What should we do then?" I said.
"We need to observe that old woman before everything turns into trouble." Finn
"I will help you along this journey." I said.
Finn was known as an intimate diligent man among the people in our town of san Isidro village. He has an antics that people made him favor. He's good at interacting towards people that he just newly acknowledged. He also won many competitions due to his unbearable talents.
As we were enjoying drinking , memories suddenly came flooding back.
Silently, his pale blue eyes watch my face as my fingers trace the sun's patterns on the bottle I'm holding. I long for this depth of intimacy, this level of pain to each moment of my life.
He was seating beside the small bonny stage when everyone heard his respective name.
"Congratulations Mr. Finn for winning the first grandeur! It was really an honor to have you here, until next time."
During that time, everyone was fortunate. Celebrating and clapping for him. His parents made a pretentious celebration for him.
And here I am watching and cannot help but to cry because of insecurities and disappointment I felt inside myself. Everyone's attention was on him. He has the abilities and knowledge that everone was proud of.
"I wish, I am able to make my parents proud too." I whispered to myself.
We went back home as if everythings didn't made me doubts.
Finn and I became friends since we're in our 8th grades. We used to be together since we became neighbors. I have witnessed his darkest times and I became his shoulder to cry on in terms of whirlwinds. But when his parents died due to an unfortunate accident, the emptiness of ages in his face, and on his back, the burden of the world that full of griefs and sorrows to Neptune and despair. Since he became an orphan, my parents started to adopt him.
In our quite town of barangay san isidro, an old woman who was new to the community has taken up residence in an old abandoned house nearby where we are located. Nobody knew about her except that she kept to herself and seemed to value her privacy greatly. Since she moved in, people in our town of san Isidro started noticing little by little the strange towards her. There's something weird in her spirit.
What prompted these speculations is when everyone in our village heard about her folks circulating that she was a sorcerer, a practitioner of dark magic that had the power to harm people.
From that rumors, everyone started to feel scared.
In the midst of the thunderbolt buzzy night, it was heavily rainy and indeed a bad weather. Finn was totally sick laying on the cube cot with me and my parents. They were so fluster for they have no idea about what's happening on him because he is known as a clever, naughty man due to he's oftentimes getting an illness.
But this feeling of sickness were something strange in his entire life of being alive. My parents took a medicine and a wet warm towel and placed it on finn's forehead. He's became a little bit comfortable until he felt asleep.
On the next day, finn's disease became worse and worse. His body was filled with bruises that cannot identify where they came from. He was always lying in bed serving food in order to live. Upon watching my parents feeding my friend. The glass coming from the table suddenly fell and broke without anyone beside it.
"A bad luck". I whispered myself.
I started to investigate little by little, to the point where I found out her personal identifications. She is from the town of barre, living with no kids and partner.
After what happened to finn during that mazy night. I started worrying from that satanic night, I can feel the displeasure and temper for I have this idea that everything's happening for Finn's involved that old woman we interacted then.
When the dainty sun started to rise, there's nothing in my mind but to eradicate what's behind her house. At this point, I am planning to go and observe what's inside her house for I'm pretty sure that my instincts are precise and accurate.
I searched for the best spot where I am fearless and I can feel safe to observe. Here I am laying prostrate with these trunks of grass and I can smell these stench of the ground holding my explicit telescope nearby at these narra trees next to me.
"I will do everything just to protect my Bossom friend". I said impatiently.
From where I am laying, I saw her outside her opening her door to throw a garbage with her black witch dress holding a basket." Strange right?" I suddenly ask to myself. I have no idea about what will she do with the basket. She started to look around to see if there was anyone. "Oh! A wallet on her left hand side. Is she going to market?." And then she walked away from home.
When I finally got the chance to investigate what's inside it, I hasted and run towards her devilish house. I tried to open the door but feels like it's locked. I think of hard tools and either things I can use for it to unlock. From where I'm standing, I saw a tiny rock and strike it many times against the shoggy bolt. Then there I am finally able to get inside.
The air was thick with the scent of burnt herbs, a strange symbols were painted on the walls in blood red ink appeared to me. I slowly walk around the old house with it's blacky color that has so much pictures inside, I started to round around the house and probably saw nothing.
"I don't think this is a great idea" - I insisted
I was about to walk away when I suddenly noticed a weird old thin door that looks like a cabinet. A trapdoor that led to the basement which was locked tightly shut. Out of curiousity, I pushed it and suddenly broke the trapdoor. A stairs that full of insects and spider web appeared at me. At this moment, I am starting to feel scared because of oddness. I slowly went to the lowermost while covering my mouth for I am avoiding even a little bit of noice.
As I walked towards the walls, I met a shocking discovery. The basement was filled with all sorts of sorcery material. From animal bones and dried herbs to vials of dark liquids and strange unrecognizable objects.
It surprised me for what I just saw that made my blood run cold- a small lockbox containing a lock of hair that looked exactly like the hair of my friend finn. It's scared me to death.
I knew that the old woman was indeed responsible for my friend's sickness and needed to be stopped.
I tried to observe around and flip the pictures individually. I haven't seen these individuals in my whole life and they doesn't seem familiar to me. "So much victims". I walked around and suddenly saw this one at the edge. Obviously a small count of hair with a name, it was Finn's name.
My instincts was accurate, I finally saw it in my own eyes. I wonder how would I will broke the strap to ruin it and get everything back to normal.
"This is insane". - I desperately whispered.
There's a texts nor letters that has been written but I don't think I can read it because the texts and the language used are something unfamiliar to me and they looks scary and confusing. I got a goosebumps upon observing.
In the midst of observing under the basement, I heard a footsteps walking on the stairs. My heart was beating so fast.
"I think she's already at home." I whispered
I hide and slowly ran to the place where she can't saw me but I don't think she didn't noticed me.
"Do you want to play with me? Do you think I am fool enough to not recognized you in my own house?." She laughed while playing with her knife and some frightening tools. My anger came first and I couldn't wait anymore. I have no time to hide, I will make things back to normal. From where I'm hiding, I saw the tool where I used to get the door unlock and get out from where I'm hiding.
"What are these?. I said while pointing to the evidences I found.
At first, she denied everything and claimed that she was innocent.
"oh! so this is your secrets right? Being a sorcerer and victimized the people in my town?. I said while walking at her back.
I can't deny the feeling of being scared and wanted to run out of the house. But I remember that I am doing this because of finn who's now fighting a deep sickness.
"You know you're the next." She said.
A goosebumps I felt throughout my body. "Don't you dare to get close to me."
She abruptly ran towards me holding her frightening tools but I blocked her.
"Kill me if you can." I said
I quit beating around the bush and attacked her physically. I strike her the hammer I'm holding and hit her at the head, that cause her fell on the floor. I think I got it stronger that cause her that impact.
While laying on the floor, she tried to come up but at the moment but sudeenly, she lost consciousness.
I didn't have any injuries and ran quickly outside the house and called help to other people. In every steps I make, I am shouting help. People get confused about my situation and I told them that the old woman who was new to our community is a devilish sorcerer.
When we returned to the basement, the old woman disappeared into the shadows and never seen again in our town of san Isidro. The people witnessed the materials for sorceries and burnt all those.
While I have this feeling of relieved that I got finally gotten justice for my sick friend.
From that day on, no one in our town dared to talk about sorcery that will get back the trauma of my friend and I made a vow to protect my family and community from anyone who dared to use dark magic for their own gain.
And the town slowly forgot about the old woman and life returned back normal again to everyone.