The Balete Tree

I walked around in circles trying to find the direction of the pull. It took me a while to find the general direction of that pull.

The sky is starting to get dark, and the street lamps are starting to light up.

Because of the quarantine, the once lively streets are now devoid of life. As I walk towards the direction of that mysterious pull, I reminisce about the past. How fast the world can change. I thought. It feels like it was just yesterday when the streets are filled with vendors, pedestrians, kids playing tag, and vehicles passing by.

You won't imagine that a few months have already passed.

Now you can't even see a single soul.

Or so I thought...

When I thought that there isn't even a single soul, I started to feel something weird. It feels as if someone is staring at me. So I looked back and saw something horrifying. An old man, who seems to be in his 80's is looking straight at me, smiling.

I thought it was just my imagination, but he suddenly moved towards me.

"Hey boy! Is it your first time?" The old man asked.

"Who are you? What first time?" Kali asked warily.

"Me? I'm a wandering soul. Just like you." the old man uttered.

"A wandering soul?!!?" Kali exclaimed.

"Yes. You seem to be confused. I suppose it is your first time. Why didn't you ascend?" The old man asked.

Kali realized what the old man just said. The old man must have mistaken him as a dead person. After all, he is just a soul right now.

"I'm not yet dead. I'm still alive." Kali denied the old man's claim.

"Oh? But that is what those who just died always say. Would you now tell me why didn't you ascend?" The old man asked insistently.

"Ascend to where exactly?" Kali asked, curious as to where it is he didn't ascend to.

"To Kaluwalhatian, what you people call the heaven..., well it isn't exactly heaven, but that is where dalisay na nu goes to." The old man said.

"Kaluwalhatian? Dalisay na nu? What?" Kali seems to get more confused with what the old man said.

"You don't need to ask. You'll know it soon enough, once you go there, to the place where your soul is begging you to go. Though I just want to remind you, there isn't just me in here. There are other souls and other creatures that can see and do harm to you. You must take care. Farewell now." The old man told Kali.

"Huh? Ah- Ahhh..." Kali wanted to speak, but the old man suddenly vanished from his sight.

Unable to understand what just happened, Kali ruminated over the old man's last word as he continued his way to the source of the mysterious pull.

Kali was walking further out of the view. The old man who mysteriously vanished re-appeared at the same spot Kali saw him. The old man quietly spoke, "A new manlalakbay-diwa (dimensional traveler) has appeared." "I wonder if he can survive the malignos (evil spirits) on his way." He added.

...

A few minutes later, as Kali continuously threaded forward while feeling the mysterious guiding force far in the distance, he heard a screeching sound from his left. Alerted by the sound, Kali stopped and peered into the dark alleyway to his left.

Kacha! Kacha! Kacha! What is that? Kali thought, shocked by what he saw. He saw a bloody and disfigured creature, reminiscent of a human being and a demon. Kali didn't know that what he encountered is a maligno, an evil spirit that feeds on the soul of humans. Kali as a soul is drastically vulnerable to its attacks.

A maligno can morph into any form, but usually, they are seen as just like humans. As such, Kali didn't know what the creature is, but it radiates extremely sinister energy. Kali felt an instinctual danger.

"Oh, fucking Jesus Christ! You evil thing surprised me!" Kali unknowingly exclaimed as he was overwhelmed by shock when the maligno abruptly moved towards him. Thinking of what he needs to do, Kali didn't realize that the maligno was already upfront to his face.

The maligno raised its claws then slashed towards Kali's neck. The cold, gleaming, and blade-like sharp claws appeared as if they were trying to rip his head off of his neck.

Cold shivers run upon Kali's soul body. Driven by instinct to escape, he somehow blinked out 100 meters away from the maligno.

Kali realized what just happened. Terrified of the maligno's claw attack, Kali stood rooted on the spot for a second before quickly running away as fast as he could. Kali knows that it is not the time for questions as he saw more and more malignos hurrying towards him from all directions.

Three whole hours later, Kali saw a luminescent tree 5 meters ahead of him. It seems as if a dome of light encompassed his severely injured soul. Injuries he acquired from fending off numerous malignos that surrounded and attacked him.

The tree is big, tall, and spacious. Lush green leaves adorned the tree with long and soft vine-like structures extending from its branches. At the bottom-center of the trunk, a massive and door-like hole can be seen emanating a gentle but warm and sacred aura, making it an eye-catching sight.

The dome-like light that encapsulated Kali seemed to heal his wearied and injured soul. The one thing that Kali didn't understand is, why did this tree change? This tree is the famous balete tree. Kali always passes by balete drive, and he never saw the entrance-like hole in the tree nor the light radiating from it.

It's weird, Kali thought. He often hears about the balete tree and the balete drive haunted by a white lady. Spirit of a woman died of r*pe, often haunting theirs and other rapists, traveling within the balete drive. With such cases and rumors going around, the balete was supposed to be the evil spirit's hide-out.

Now that Kali is standing in front of the tree himself, he found such notions ridiculous. How would such a sacred tree for souls be evil?