New Filipino Recruits

The stocks from Magee's house has arrived and the team safely returned. Meanwhile, the new Filipino Recruits coincidentally met with Jacob, Narciso and Baldur who picked up the sweet potatoes and charcoal sacks and have successfully threw these stuffs into the abyss.

" Hi!" I'm 1Lt. George"

Albrecht went to Magee, seeking for help in interpreting the conversations while Narciso was resting. When Magee was already in front of them, she started the Dinabaw accent Mandaya. But to those native ears, she spoke a mixture of dialects.

" Mano, mano da siguro tawag ko kanmo. Mano, ini laong lang nilan, pero madayaw isab kung ilaong ko kanilan laungon mo kanak, singud isab kung awon silan ilaong kamayo, para katigaman dayon nato."

" A forty year old man smiled.

" Iso, pigpakani ako sang lumon ko, aw! adi kaw. Yagkanì da kami kay wa da gyuy pag-asa nami ngadto, yapunò da sang mga hapon kanami bàryo. Yatanak da gyud kanami pag-asa, amo da ini, nganì da kami pasingod, tinunò. Pakilaong kanilan saán."

" Kon tinunò da gayud katigam da yaán silan, pigpakaní da gud kamo adi bāy, aw langub kadí nilán o kon di da, duton dibaloy, timanom da bahala kanato sini." She smiled.

" Amo gayud. Aw ni, nanga sa awon pigalaong mo na wa pa ako katiyab saán, unan yaan?"

" Ah, mixed o sagol da ini kanak dayalekto Mano, kadaigay kaistorya ko sang-awon idtong iso pa ako, klase-klase da, awon manobo, tagakáwlo, aw b'laan isab. Pero kadaigay bisaya. O sige, Mano, amo lang ba idto laungon ko kanilan?"

She turned her head to the soldiers and said, " They're hopeless and through his account, the Japanese then had penetrated their place so there's nowhere else to go and they want to join in your force as backups."

" Please tell them the backups would stay in station 2. I'm heading to the area in two days after their full blast orientation here today. As of now, tell them I need three Filipinos, younger ones to be left here to completely enforce the alliance. We need additional locals to help us understand the terrain and possible root crops as food." Please tell them this is station 1. One thing, no one among us shall fire the enemies considering our mediocre weapons, instead, we'll disarm the prospective Japanese soldiers visible to our sites. By all means and if we are equipped enough, we then can squarely fight.

" Narciso woke up after a short nap out of the tiring sacks they've carried and helped in orienting the new recruits.

" Sir! We have Elias, Gador and Amado as new Filipino Guerillas joining us comprised of two farmers and one medical graduating student from UP." Narciso reported.

" We will fight like shadows and get the proper timing in the event of attacks. Everyone must learn the value of patience, focus and endurance. Imagine, it is not through grief and anger that we could truly save this land, it is through life preservation and through the art of war tactics. We have to study our enemies. What they eat, who they work with, when they usually gets out, their weaknesses, etc. Once they'll be on our baits, it's our turn. We should not fall short to their bombs and canons firing everywhere, those are damned bitter invitations and meeting them with anger face-to-face on that spot is suicide. Gentlemen, your first mission is to fully study the surroundings of station 1 and those who'll be assigned in station 2. We'll not be in a hurry to end this war, it will just end itself. Though in the process, let's save more Filipino prisoners, bring them to stations 3 or 4 and all together survive as we develop our own weapons."

After his talk, everyone rested except for Albrecht and Magee who were busy preparing for the sweet potatoes for lunch.

" Can you recall the plants in Kabang that the Captain has told us? When are we going to get them?" Albrecht curiously asked to George.

" Ah...those that looks like a morning glory bearing dirty white flowers with a yellow shade in the middle, yes. Maybe after the new recruits will be settled to different stations, we'll get those plants. Don't worry, the Captain's journal is with me and the formula is there."

" Where can we find those flowers?" Magee asked.

" It's in Kabang. There are lot of it that grew just at the cave's well-known entrance. The folks even called that cave as hell but for Captain, it's heaven." George smiled.

" Sadly, people thought there were bad spirits, slaying dogs and sleeping gods in it so even to draw near the place means death to everyone. Death to the intruders, though, still a few locals believed of the 'luck' that place could give.

" I see...so no one knew the real story of that place, except to the Captain, Magee's grandpa and the three anonymous persons who survived inside."

Magee immediately seated beside George and as if a little child who was very eager to listen to the story's ending. She even urged him to quickly continue.

" George, since young, I'd been hearing that story but it has full of hearsays. What was really the truth behind that cave of Kabang, why it's well-protected by spirits? is it true?" Magee curiously looked at him.

" No." He smiled back to her as he stretched his hands before he stood up.

She pulled his uniform going down that made him seated again while Albrecht was smiling, looking at her.

" Please...I'm dying to hear that cave story. A lot believed but no one dares to step inside its cave. I'm already 20, but still confused of the different versions of it. If the foreigners like you and the Captain knew the real story or have some scientific explanations of it or whatever, kindly provide me some." She smiled dryly.

" Ha? haha...sure. I can tell." Albrecht said.

" Albrecht, sshhh...I will tell her enough to connect some of the cave's stories to her life. But one day is not enough for the storytelling. Though, I have heard Lolo Sibal was the first whistleblower. But I was just kinda wondering when he was relaying both the 'legend' and the 'plague survivors' stories.