Chapter 1: Destination: Philippines

Perhaps you haven't met nor even want to meet me but I was fully aware that canhandle this situation calmly(I was obviously lying).It was midnight-I was in a firstclass, plane, sitting in a cross-legged position in a highly modernized, queen-size-halfbed, vintage, brown,2029 edition, it can change either into a chair or a bed; reading abook, hard bound, with a maximum pages of 210-Yeah...I'm normally the type ofperson that always want to look and observe the last page.

I was also the type of person who wanted to stay in the land to read my book,considering the fact that nobody seems wearier than me-for most of all I was the typeof person who always wanted to wear short that is smooth and warmth, same goes tomy polo-I was wearing it right now, my short is brown with a majestic leather ofcotton, my polo that is precisely green and also cotton. Philippines history‖ was thetitle of my book.

My pale skin has been shivering for a long time that I almost lost it-luckily I was able toheat up myself and my faith in being so patriotic about my mother land that gave methe edge to leave on with this awful temperature.

Next to me was my grandpa, Federico Higolton who doesn't want to talk about his age,and was very likely to wear pants and T-shirts with all kinds of varieties written on it.

His weight was in the scale of an average person but his size was more that his weight.He had been a soldier in 1941, the time when the Philippines were fighting forresistance of their country under the Imperial Japanese army

I always love his war story even though is often and rarely about the bloodshed ofmany people who barely suffered and wanted to have prosperity, dignity, security andsovereignty

"Can I get some bottled water please?" my grandpa asked with a soothing voice.

"―Oh...yes certainly sir! Right away sir!"

The stewardess replied anxiously to get her job done as sooner as possible.

She was wearing a blue and formal uniform with white sleeves and long, blue-pantswith a hat especially with a symbolic sign of an airplane

Then my grandpa touched my shoulder and said. ―Why are you in a bad mood today? The question sounded like a math problem that I can't really answer therefore I wastrap in my conscience to think about the question or make something up

"―No grandpa I'm fine, there is nothing wrong with me."

I replied with a tiny white lie. "―I don't buy it, you'd better loosen up or I may just callyour parents and send you back to America where your reputation is notorious." mygrandpa said with a semicircular crooked smile and a punch or bitterness irony undermy chest but I think it was mostly my sternum.

My reputation in my old school barely causes my life to experience shame and dishonorto my family, literally, but the most crucial thing is that I did it after the half-lastsemester.

My grandpa nodded and laughed at the same time. "―I'm just kidding. I wouldn't sendyou back to your most abashing moment of your very existence, ha-ha-ha-h-aha-!"

I sigh and said. " Uh...thanks grandpa, I think?"

We're waiting for my grandpa's water and has just heard the tray moving, it was thestewardess who was approaching us to serve the bottle of water to my grandpa, aftera few seconds the stewardess was already at my grandpa side serving a fresh,mineral, bottled of water to my grandpa.

"Here you go sir," she replied with a happy smile in her face. "Please enjoy it while it'scold."

"You have a crystal clear water here miss," My grandpa commented

"Well, thank you sir," she muttered. "How about you sir, do you need anything?" Ifaltered, indicating no, and she went to her working place.

I chuckled with my foot moving. "I think she likes you" My grandpa replied and sighonce more looking directly in my face. "Such a shallow fellow"

I paused for a minute and began putting a random cellophane bookmark at my book sothat I wouldn't lose any track of it in the pages that I just read. After another fewminutes my grandpa interrupted my thoughts and began telling a story about his goodall day, he murmured with a taste of ecstasy,

"It all started one sunny evening, sky was blue, birds chirping and I was in my scoutuniform drinking a cold beverage of soft drink-I was in my beautiful yet simplebrown, wooded, brown, carved, house.

My house was really small back then about 1 hectare the perfect size for me of course ,it has only 2 floors where I can remembered-the windows was always shoved outbecause of the scorching sun who was always looking for me, therefore I didn't get achance to repaint the ceilings of my house.

I don't have a guest room because I didn't have any friends and extended familynearby. The storage room downstairs was very messy-the bats were like living thereforever, the boxes and envelops was pile up in an ascending order, but I was living anice and simple lifestyle.

I was in my astonishing room just 10 feet away from my garage; inside the room wasmy decorative color purple floor, my newly painted white small ceiling that I havejust save from my monthly salary, my bed was also carved by woods except thecomfy blue leather mass tress, green bedding, my white soft pillow cushion a smallbrown desk with an old typewriter in it, and one small decorative pencil holder.

Inside the pencil holder were my pencils and one tiny two-color horizontal flag withthe same bands, wherein the color horizontal blue was always on top of the colorhorizontal red, but was in opposite side when war is being encountered, theequilateral hoist; in the center of the golden yellow sun was full of rays to brighten

the soul of our heroes and not forgetting the 3 vertex stars that are representing ourcountry's 3 main regions.

That flag was given to me by my mother in secret two days after the proclamation of theflag law by the Americans. I went to my room and sat in a straighten chest and aproper sitting position in my chair, put the bottle of cola near the pencil holder andbegan typing the story of my beloved country the ―Philippines‖ that was the flag, Ihave been describing to you earlier.

I stayed in my room long enough to build the self-esteem throughout me to encourageme to stay away from procrastination and make my imagination in my thoughts be inthe best way it should have. I murmured in my thoughts but was not typing the fullstory at all.

For some reason I was not yet finished, until your grandma, mother, sister, and youcame to my life to give me some inspiration. I did finish my book but I wouldn't tellyou my story. Rather, I want you to make you own story so we can both tell our storyat right time and place.

"Well, that's all about it," my grandpa whispered at my ears and then I began to doze.

I was having a terrible nightmare

It was a dark and creepy, I was quivering and mentally unconscious at same time, I wasin a cave, blind folded- walking quietly without a single pebble heard. What was thistorture all about and why was I apart of this mayhem?

A nagging voice has appeared in my queasy head, asking me some question for the sakeof a secret fraternity that I should keepas a secret and protect with my own soul:

"Are you willing to die for your country? Kill anybody who revealed ourdocumentations in creating this group. Open your eyes in these violent environments,those who fear themselves are likely the one who will die!"

My legs were shaking. It was completely like hell burning in my trachea that I couldn'teven answer in this condition. Once more, a random voice has appeared in my head.The voice was crying in despair because he was not really prepared for what wasgoing to happen next.

"Please, sir, don't kill me! I have a family who are waiting for me to go home, I humblybeg you," a dreadful squeak in his throat.

"Fred M. Higolton. In order to pass the test, I will ask you to kill this traitor which asharp knife and slash his flesh. If you had to decline, we would have to kill you in abrutal and barbaric way... So, what will it be? Sacrifice your life in an early age orjoin our group and permanently exile this traitor with your bare hands." a familiarbut a confusing voice whispered in my ear menacingly.

"Can I least shoot him with a gun so I can make the pain less painful? He is going to dieanyway. Better to skip the slow and much more deadly process. I'm not promisingthat I have a straight shot, though. I will do my best to shoot this traitor."

A straightforward and proud voice was being opened to me because of this pressure."I'm sorry but you cannot disobey the rule and recommend something else!!!"

A high-pitched voice has entered again in my head, shouting in honor.

"No, he may do as he wish, I will allow his action for once," the mysteriouslyfrightening voiced turned calm.

I heard footsteps into my ear, he was coming towards me again but was wieldingsomething: it was likely to be metal because of its heavy sound, then it hits me andkicks me into my chest, I was asking a gun earlier so they approved it and gave meone.

"Here," an angry replied from a stubborn voice. "Don't you dare do somethingfunny?"

"I won't,‖ I smirked. ―Ok, I will now pull the trigger." I sighed and then pointed thegun unknowingly.

"Wait!" another strange voice has appeared in my head and he seems angry andfrustrated.

"May I know what have you done to our guest? Do you have any idea-the properdealing in handling our guest?" The voices were having a short argument betweeneach other.

"No I cannot tolerate such behavior this is not what we came for.

"I'm in favor with the supreme leader," he said delightedly.

Someone arrogant and persuasive voice has entered the meeting and interrupted.

"Pardon me compatriots, are we being too soft to our new recruitment. Yes, he isblindfolded and has no idea where he is, but we need to accept the fact that we toowere given a hard preparations and negotiations in order to enter this fraternity

Are we just going to wait and watch the traditions of our founders faded in the blinkedof an eye?"

The supreme leader was in rage. "How dare you interrupt this meeting?"

I thought about my grandpa for I have been far away from him. My mind has lead me toremember him as I was frozen in loneliness: Is my grandpa okay, he'll be find afterall, he has the experience of a well-trained soldier, then again he is very still old tofind me here in this mysterious place.

Might I be so selfish because I was just worrying for my own protection rather thanprotection of my own grandpa? I was so nervous that I stumbled upon some softrocks. My eyes were blurred and I have crashed my nervous system-I even heardsimultaneously shots.

After so many seconds I have blinked my eyes and I have recovered from mynightmare. The first thing that I saw was my grandpa sleeping in my shoulder- I wasso happy yet amazed because he didn't even wake me up when I was having anightmare but all was perfect, the sky was perfect, the temperature was perfect, and Ihave looked upon my window-I saw the sky scrapper of my country, they weredifferent variety of colors and most of them were glass made.

"Attentions passengers, we are now landing the Philippines please be aware of yourhand-carries and your luggage, and remember to have a safe arrival

My grandpa was having a hard time because one of the histories within the country hasbeen gain from his experiences, but that was a long story to talk about and he didn't even finished the story