Opposite

Chapter 9

The time had already started.

"s**t," Tyson whispered as he touched the keys.

What was wrong with Dukeh? Did he really have to do this with him? He would accept if the punishment was only for him, but no, once he failed, damay rin si Harlow.

He observed the keys and felt his heart. Minsan kasi ay malakas ang pandama niya sa isang bagay. But still that wasn't enough for him to accomplish the misssion.

One minute had passed already but he didn't know still the right key to choose. Masyadong mahirap lalo na't wala naman siyang batayan. Dukeh didn't gave him a clue or even a single sign. All the keys were just the same at kahit tatlo lang ang pagpipilian, mapanganib pa rin.

Actually, he didn't want to believe Dukeh and everything that was going on. Para lamang siyang nananaginip pero totoong-totoo. He wasn't believing in magics anyways, ngunit bigla na lamang nangyari ito. Sa sobrang komplikado, hindi na niya maipaliwanag.

Nag-unahan na sa pagtulo ang mga pawis niya nang tatlong minuto na lamang ang nalalabing oras at hindi niya pa rin alam kung anong susi ba ang dapat niyang piliin. Kinapa-kapa na niya ang mga ito sa bawat sulok. Ala 'Detective Conan' na rin siyang kumilos, pero nakapagdududa pa rin.

What if Dukeh was using something to trick him?

Two minutes left and the atmosphere inside the room was going more intense. Ang kaninang kalmadong kuwarto ay puno na ng matitinis na tunog ng mga susi.

He was slowly losing his patience so he throwed away the keys, but picked them up right away. Weird.

Only a minute was left and he finalized his answer. He wasn't still sure of it, but the time was running so he had to put an end on this.

"Time is up!"

The moment he heard that, he held tight the key he chose. Then, Dukeh appeared in front of him.

"Maaari lamang na ibigay mo sa akin ang dalawang susi na hindi mo napili," he said.

He took a deep breath and gave him the two keys. He still had the doubt but he also believed in himself. He was hoping he made the right choice.

"Ngayon pa lang, nais na kitang batiin sa katapangan na ipinakita mo. Hindi biro ang iyong ginawa, ngunit sinubukan mo pa rin at ngayon nga ay tapos ka na," aniya. "Handa ka na ba sa resulta ng larong ito?"

Lumunok siya. "Handa na ako."

"Ihuhulog ko ang dalawang susi na hawak ko, at kapag ito'y nabasag, ibig sabihin ay tama ang iyong desisyon sa hindi pagpili rito."

He breathed deeply.

Dukeh then raised the one key and dropped it. Fortunately, the key broke. "Magaling," ika niya.

He smiled a bit; however, he had as well a hard time to breath because of the extreme nervousness. Mas nakakakaba pa ito kaysa sa malaman ang resulta ng Math test mo. He held the key the tightest he could do. He had to trust himself. Dalawang susi na lamang ang natitira at magkakaalaman na.

"Ang nabasag na susi ay ang buhay mo. Ibig sabihin, ligtas ka na," Dukeh said. "Ngayon, sa dalawang susing natitira ay nakapaloob ang buhay ni Harlow. Ihuhulog kong muli itong isang natitirang susi sa aking kamay at kapag ito'y nabasag, maaari ka nang magsaya. Ngunit kung hindi, maaari ka nang magpaalam kay Harlow."

He prepared himself as Dukeh raised the other key. Rinig na rinig ang malalakas na t***k ng kaniyang puso habang pinagmamasdan iyon.

The pressure was so real especially that Dukeh's face was that scary, hindi man lang nito magawang ngumiti. From his fingers, the key slowly moved apart from it. The world seemed to be moving slowly as it was passing through the air.

He looked carefully at the key that was soon to drop on the floor. Habang palapit ito na palapit sa sahig ay pabilis naman nang pabilis ang t***k ng kaniyang puso. He blinked his eyes and when he opened them again, the key was already on the floor...

unbroken.

A tear was forming in his eyes as he realized he failed the task.

"Binabati kita," Dukeh said.

He looked at him and got confused. He lose the game, but Dukeh still managed to greet him? Nang-aasar ba siya?

"Nagawa mo ang larong ito. Magaling!"

He was about to speak when he decided to look again at the key that was dropped on the floor. This time, it was different; the key was broken. He blinked his eyes many times and even wiped them, then he looked again at it. Really, it was broken. But how come? Sa pagkakaalam niya, hindi ito nabasag iyon sa unang kita niya. Namalikmata lang ba siya?

"Ngayon ay hawak mo na ang Susi ng Misteryo. Ipagkakatiwala ko iyan sa'yo hanggang sa matapos ang lahat ng laro. Ngunit iyon ay kung magtatagumpay pa kayong dalawa."

"At saan ko naman gagamitin 'to?"

"Malalaman mo kapag nakalabas ka na sa lugar na ito." After he uttered those words, the walls began to change their formation again.

Parang nagpagulong-gulong muli si Tyson at nakaramdam siya ng pagkahilo. Pagkatapos ay bumalik na rin sila sa dati.

When they were back at the Plesingko, Tyson noticed Harlow first. He felt relieved seeing her safe at sarap na sarap pa nga sa pagkain. He walked closer to her and sat beside her.

Meanwhile, Dukeh went back to the counter.

The moment Harlow saw Tyson, she offered him her foods right away, but he refused and said he was still full. She was a bit sad about it, so she just talked and asked him what was the punishment.

Tyson wasn't sure if he was going to tell Harlow everything that had happened, so he looked at Dukeh fist for assurance. But, Dukeh wasn't giving him a certain emotion; naka-pokerface pa rin ito. How would he know his say?

In order to get more of Dukeh's attention, he formed his eyes into circle that made Dukeh shook his head.

"Hoy," Harlow tapped him on his shoulder, "okay ka lang?"

He turned his gaze to her. "Okay lang. Na-receive ko na 'yong punishment. It's not that hard tho."

"Weh?"

"Oo nga."

They were in the middle of the conversation when Dukeh walked near them and offered them more foods.

Harlow's eyes shined the moment he placed the foods on the table. Mukhang madadagdagan siya ng isang daang kilo dahil sa rami ng pagkain sa Plesingko. "Kung gan'to rin lang karami at kasasarap ang mga pagkain, hindi na ako aalis dito," she said.

"Ang takaw mo naman," Tyson said. "Pero mukhang hindi ka tumataba."

Harlow glared.

Dukeh didn't mind them and just went back to the counter after he served the foods.

Meanwhile, Tyson sat closer to Harlow. "Hinay-hinay ka lang sa pagkain. Hindi pa natin kilala si Dukeh. Hindi natin alam baka mayroon siyang hinalo diyan," he whispered to her ears.

Napabilis sa paglunok ng pagkain si Harlow. She didn't think of it, not even once. Masyado siyang nadala sa pagkain kaya hindi na siya nag-isip ng gano'n. But when Tyson told this to her, bigla siyang nagduda. Simula n'on ay hindi na niya ginalaw muli ang pagkain.

After a minute, Dukeh joined them in the table. Napansin niya yatang natigil sa pagkain si Harlow kaya rin siya napatanong. But the two managed to pass through his question. Presently their topic was changed.

"Bago tayo magpatuloy sa paglalaro, gusto ko muna kayong makakuwentuhan kahit saglit lang. Hayaan n'yo akong tanungin kayong muli."

The two hemmed.

"Batid n'yo ba kung paano kayo napadpad sa lugar na ito?"

"No," Harlow said. "I can't remember anything bago ako mapunta dito. Basta isang araw nagising na lang ako na nasa ibang lugar na ako. I don't know why."

"I also don't know," Tyson followed. "So I'm sure my parents are now looking for me. Kaya kung maaari, gustong-gusto ko nang lumabas dito."

"Me, too."

"Gaya nga ng sabi ko sa inyo, kailangan n'yo munang tapusin ang mga laro."

"Ilang laro ba ang meron?" tanong ni Tyson.

"Hindi ko maaaring sabihin, ngunit sigurado akong mahihirapan kayo sa mga susunod."

"Why are you doing this?" Harlow asked. "Puwede mo naman siguro kaming palabasin nang hindi pinapahirapan."

"Ang buhay ay hindi lamang ginawa para sa kasiyahan. Ang buhay ay ginawa rin para sa mga problema. Hindi tuwid na daan ang inyong tatahakin para lamang masabi na may buhay kayo. Bagkus, daraan kayo sa isang bundok na baku-bako. Hindi lahat ng bagay ay kailangang panandalian."

"But we've already experienced a lot of hardships."

"Hindi ka nakakasigurado diyan."

Tyson spoke. "So, if your purpose is to give us hardships, then why? For what? Aside from to learn lessons."

There was silence. His question seemed to be hard answering gayong hindi na lamang nakapagsalita agad ang kausap nila.

Dukeh stood up and turned his back to them. He was about to leave but before that, he spoke. "Nararanasan ninyo ang mga bagay na ito dahil wala na kayo sa dati n'yong mundo."

Their was a pucker between the eyebrows of the two.

"Bagkus, nasa mundo na kayo ng Heallven."