The Stolen Reference

Since I was a child, there has always been a game that I have wanted to play—going on a treasure hunt adventure and deciphering secrets and logical riddles.

It made me believe that I once felt like a detective, an inspector investigating a crime scene, or a lawyer uncovering loopholes in witnesses' testimony. It was a sensation I will never forget.

Doing so made me feel that I am a judge, a bringer of justice. ~

"Kaia," a vividly whispered voice tickled the shit out of Kaia as it echoed through her ears while she was taking a power nap—a lecture power siesta.

It was Sia, Kaia's ever-beautiful childhood friend, whom she believes is her ultimate accomplice in all her crimes throughout her life. A pale-skinned, timid lady, always looking out for Kaia's back whenever she's in trouble. Who she considers her best friend.

Though keeping her voice down, Sia gave Kaia a heads-up: "Mrs. Sanchez called you," she whispered while hiding her face behind a large open upside-down book.

Having just woken up, Kaia asked, "Huh? What did she ask?" feigning as if everything were normal, only trying to come up with an answer while scratching her head, looking up at the ceiling, and pretending to say something.

Meanwhile, concerned and worried, Sia's baby hair stood straight as if electrified when she nervously told Kaia the problem. "She asked what's your take on Bakunawa and the Masked Moon Goddess Tale," she replied, looking left and right, watching for Mrs. Sanchez's gaze.

Kaia was amused by her friend's reaction, got to her feet, and replied decisively to her instructor's question as her recitation.

"Bakunawa was accused." Kaia answered shortly, crossing her arms in front of her chest while maintaining a smug expression.

"And how are you going to support your claims?" Mrs. Sanchez, who was sitting in front, suddenly went over and inquired as she scowled and adjusted her spectacles as if disapproving of her statement.

I love this thrill; it makes me tingle with unmatched delight.~

Her exposed, totally visible reactions appeared as though her eyes were in sight of a grand firework display, providing light to a cloudy yet long and majestic night.

Kaia makes a throat-clearing noise before letting her voice out freely.

"Bakunawa was wrongly charged for her crimes," Kaia asserted. "Saying that she ate all seven moons was an exaggeration on her part when she only ate six," she added.

Mrs. Sanchez questioned, "And?" as if hurling blades.

In addition to making more assertions, Kaia was also asking questions as she spoke. "I once read a documentary that discussed Bakunawa's background and existence. The title of the documentary is Bakunawa: The Moon Eater of the Seven Moons, which I found to be erroneous. It is incorrect since, as you have probably noticed, there was still one moon left visible in the night sky. We also know that Bathala created seven moons to illuminate our nights since the beginning if we are basing our arguments on our nation's version of creationism. Then, why is there one moon left if Bakunawa ate them all?" As if addressing an audience and persuading everyone to accept her claims.

"And as for the masked Moon Goddess, I don't know," she continued, triumphantly beaming as if she had finished her justification.

Hotheaded Mrs. Sanchez's patience reached new heights as she began to display her usually hidden tendency to become irritated, saying, "So, you're arguing that we falsely accused Bakunawa of a crime she didn't commit, am I correct?"

"Partly yes, because we, ourselves, are witnesses that there is still one moon left in the night sky," Kaia responded.

"You're also claiming to know nothing about the Moon Goddess, Bakunawa's archenemy, aren't you?" Mrs. Sanchez seconded.

"Yeah, since-"

"Hep!" Her instructor interrupted her in the middle of what she was saying, "Ms. Galvez, It is proven that you weren't listening during my class because your claims don't match what I had discussed earlier while you were taking your time leisurely and having dreams throughout my lecture. Isn't that the right class?" She added, looking around the room as if persuading everyone to silently criticize her.

"Yes." Everyone responded in unison, throwing sympathetic looks.

Sia, who clutched a fist beneath the table in the distance, gritted her teeth in rage at the insult to her best friend.

Then, quick to catch on, Kaia glanced in Sia's direction, noticed her friend's worried expression, and gestured, showing that she didn't have to worry about her.

"You can now wipe your dried drool and morning glory," Mrs. Sanchez calmly said as she turned around and walked away, snickering.

Everyone chuckled, except for Sia, and Kaia sat down gloomily after answering boldly during the recitation.

"Class, I'd like you to know that researching something on the internet is good, but it isn't always right. And that is also the reason why you were in school, studying. Also, Ms. Galvez, Your second name was that of the Masked Moon Goddess; I hope you'll remember it."

The bell rang loudly after Mrs. Sanchez's lengthy slap on the wrist, indicating the end of the class.

Everyone started to leave the room and went straight to the door, carrying their books and slightly dangling backpacks on their backs, leaving Kaia and Sia alone in the four-cornered, enormous lecture hall.

Fidgeting, Sia asked, breaking the silence, "Are you okay, Kai?"

"Yeah," Kaia answered in a low tone with a visibly disappointed look on her face.

While seated, Kaia looked up at a standing Sia with puppy eyes and welling-up tears and began to explain her incomplete and unjustified explanations during Mrs. Sanchez's interruption.

"Bakunawa is indeed a moon-eater, because, yes, she ate six of the seven moons Bathala created, making her the monarch of all the deities in the heavens; however, that masked moon goddess was never included in Bakunawa's life story or existence; instead, it was Bulan who was the love of her life, a moon deity and a child of Bahala. So, I don't understand why Mrs. Sanchez does not acknowledge my points when, in fact, I am burning my eyebrows before every class. "

"I don't get it; I just don't get where it started to go wrong."

Sia was perplexed and all ears when she questioned, "So, you're indeed confident that your assertions were true, but how are you going to persuade Mrs. Sanchez of the validity of your statements?"

"I don't know," teary-eyed Kaia said, hugging and sniffling as she obtained courage from her friend's warm comfort.

Sia sighed and patted her best friend on the back. She is aware that her friend has a hyperactive justification process and won't be content until her claims are validated. Even though he needs to stay up all night to find the pieces of evidence she needs to support her claims.

She urged Kaia to get ready after a minute of solace, as they needed to leave the room before the next class came.

However, Kaia abruptly stood up from her seat, made her way downstairs from their inclined lecture hall, and walked straight up to the teacher's desk.

"Kaia, what are you doing?" Sia asked while following Kaia on her way.

Like a pup going out to pee around the tree, Kaia circles the table as if looking for something.

"Sia, help me!" she said while scouring Mrs. Sanchez's table.

Baffled Sia answered with a question: "What are you looking for?"

"It's the book!"

"Which book?"

"Mrs. Sanchez's reference book, the one she proudly claims to be the entire story of Bakunawa, is the source of my humiliation," Kaia explained while rummaging through her teacher's things along with her best friend Sia, who was erasing all of her traces.

Kaia looked through every drawer until she discovered it. Sheepishly exclaims, "Here it is!".

Sia anxiously clutched Kaia's hand as she heard footsteps approaching them. As if fleeing a crime, she ran while pulling Kaia behind her.