After We Said Goodbye

THE MOUNTAIN

By the time Maya reached the mountain road, the rain had thinned into a fine mist.

The paved road had ended nearly an hour earlier, leaving the vehicle to navigate a narrow trail between the trees. Its tires sank slightly into the wet earth with every turn, and the branches overhead brushed against the roof as they climbed higher. The mountains were quiet after the storm, their slopes covered in a gray haze that made the familiar landscape seem almost unfamiliar.

Maya sat quietly in the passenger seat, watching the trees pass through the window.

The driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

"Should we stop here?"

Maya looked ahead. A fallen branch had blocked part of the road.

"No. We can pass."

The driver slowed and guided the vehicle around it before continuing uphill.

Maya knew these roads well. She knew which turns became dangerous after heavy rain, which bridges tended to flood, and which paths connected the settlements without requiring anyone to travel through the larger roads below.

She had spent enough time in the mountains to recognize the changes in the landscape even when the weather obscured it.

When the first lights appeared through the trees, she straightened slightly.

The settlement was beginning to emerge from the mist.

A few people were still outside despite the weather. One woman noticed the vehicle and raised her hand.

Maya smiled and waved back.

The vehicle stopped near the center of the settlement.

Before Maya could open the door, a young boy came running toward her.

"You're back!"

Maya stepped down just as he reached her. She caught him by the shoulders before he could run into her.

"Slow down."

"You were gone all day."

"I know."

"Did you bring anything?"

Maya smiled.

"Nothing for you."

The boy's face immediately fell.

Maya reached into her bag and pulled out a small wrapped piece of bread.

His expression brightened.

"I knew it!"

She laughed softly.

"Go home before your mother starts looking for you."

He ran off with the bread in his hands.

The driver removed Maya's bag from the vehicle. Before she could take it, an older woman approached.

"You're late."

"The meeting took longer than expected."

"Is it bad?"

Maya looked toward the mountains.

"Yes."

The woman's expression tightened.

"Another attack?"

Maya nodded.

The woman glanced toward the houses around them.

"Come. The elders are waiting."

Maya followed her.

The settlement was quieter than usual. People stood beneath covered walkways, speaking in low voices while watching the road. Some greeted Maya as she passed, while others waited until she acknowledged them first.

She stopped several times.

A man asked whether the injured from Mabini had received the medicine that had been sent from the lowlands.

"They received it yesterday," Maya answered.

The man nodded with relief.

A woman asked whether the government was planning to send soldiers.

Maya didn't answer immediately.

"Not tonight."

The woman looked relieved.

"For how long?"

Maya hesitated.

"I don't know."

The relief faded slightly.

Maya continued walking.

As they passed through the center of the settlement, she noticed the empty space where a small wooden house had once stood.

The family had lost it during the second attack, and the remains had already been cleared away.

She stopped.

"How are they?"

The older woman beside her knew immediately who she meant.

"They're staying with relatives."

"Have they received the materials?"

"Some."

"Then send the rest tomorrow."

The woman nodded.

"I'll arrange it."

Maya continued toward the council house.

The building stood slightly above the rest of the settlement. It was old, with wooden walls that had been repaired more than once and a roof that had been replaced after the last typhoon. Warm light spilled through the windows.

Maya entered.

Six elders were already seated around a long table.

They looked up when she walked in.

One of them smiled.

"You came."

Maya removed her damp shawl.

"I said I would."

The eldest among them gestured toward the empty chair.

"Sit."

Maya did.

Someone placed a cup of warm tea in front of her. She wrapped both hands around it, allowing the heat to settle into her fingers.

For several moments, no one spoke.

They were waiting for her.

Maya understood.

"The government believes the attacks are being carried out by a faction operating within our territory."

The elders exchanged uneasy glances.

"How certain are they?" one asked.

"Certain enough that they're preparing to enter the mountains."

One elder's hand tightened around his cane.

"Soldiers?"

"Yes."

The room immediately grew tense.

"We cannot have another military operation here."

Maya looked at him.

"They will enter with the council's cooperation."

"And if we refuse?"

"They may enter without it."

The elder lowered his gaze.

Maya continued before anyone could interrupt.

"They don't want another conflict."

"Soldiers always say that."

"I know."

The answer was neither defensive nor dismissive.

Maya simply looked down at the tea in her hands before continuing.

"Then we should give them a reason not to create one."

The oldest elder studied her.

"What did the commander say?"

Maya looked toward him.

"He understands that the faction is not the tribe."

"And you believe him?"

"He has no reason to accuse the entire tribe."

One of the elders frowned.

"Governments have accused us before."

"I know."

Maya opened the folder she had brought from the meeting.

"But this time, the investigation is focused on specific people."

She placed the list on the table.

The elders leaned closer.

Several names immediately caught their attention.

One elder pointed toward a surname.

"I know this family."

Maya looked at the name.

"Where are they now?"

"East settlement."

"Do they still have relatives here?"

"Yes."

"We'll speak to them tomorrow."

Another elder pointed toward another name.

"This one disappeared."

"When?"

"Three months ago."

Maya looked up.

"Before the first attack."

The elder nodded.

"Do you think he's involved?"

"I don't know."

She closed the folder.

"Then we'll find out."

The oldest elder remained quiet for a while before asking the question everyone else seemed to be avoiding.

"Who is commanding the soldiers?"

Maya's fingers rested on the folder.

"Captain Adrian Vale."

No one spoke.

The silence that followed was subtle, but Maya noticed it.

The oldest elder lowered his gaze.

Another shifted in his seat.

Finally, the elder beside the window spoke.

"He will be leading them himself?"

"Yes."

The elder nodded slowly.

Maya looked down at the table.

"He believes the attacks are connected."

"And you?"

"I believe he is right."

The elders considered her answer.

One of them leaned back.

"What does he want from us?"

"The names of people connected to the faction."

"And what will happen to them?"

Maya looked toward the window.

"I don't know."

That answer seemed to trouble her more than the others.

The oldest elder studied her.

"You are not afraid?"

Maya looked at him.

"Of what?"

"Of bringing soldiers back into the mountains."

Maya was silent for a moment.

Then she answered honestly.

"Yes."

The elder's expression softened.

"But fear doesn't make the decision for me."

He nodded.

The meeting continued.

They discussed possible routes through the mountain territory and which settlements could accommodate soldiers if the operation lasted several days. Maya pointed out areas where heavy rain could make travel impossible and explained which communities could provide temporary shelter if civilians needed to be moved.

She listened carefully whenever the elders spoke, even when she disagreed with them. When they finished, she would ask questions rather than simply dismissing their concerns.

Eventually, the rain began falling heavily again.

The meeting came to an end.

Maya stepped outside beneath the covered walkway.

The air was cold, and the smell of wet earth filled the settlement. The mountains had disappeared once more behind the clouds.

"Maya."

She turned.

The oldest elder stood behind her.

"Yes?"

"You should rest."

"I will."

He looked toward the mountains.

"Tomorrow will be difficult."

Maya nodded.

"I know."

He studied her for a moment.

Then he said quietly, "Do not carry everything yourself."

Maya gave him a faint smile.

"I'll try."

He left her there.

Maya remained beneath the roof, watching the rain.

The settlement had begun settling for the night. A few lamps remained lit in the houses, and smoke from cooking fires drifted upward through the damp air. Somewhere nearby, children were still laughing despite the weather.

Maya looked toward the mountain paths.

She wondered how many of those homes would still be standing if the faction continued its attacks.

Then, without intending to, she thought about Adrian.

She wondered whether he still checked every door twice before sleeping.

She wondered whether he still woke at the slightest unfamiliar sound.

She wondered whether the years had changed him in ways she could no longer recognize.

She stopped herself.

Those were questions she had no reason to ask.

Maya turned away from the window and returned inside.

The folder was still on the table.

She opened it again and began reviewing the names.

She marked the families she knew and made notes beside several others.

One name made her pause.

She knew the surname.

Not the man himself, but the family.

She remembered them from years ago, before the fighting had ended and before the mountains had become quiet again.

Maya stared at the name for several seconds before closing the folder.

"Tomorrow."

She placed it beside her bed.

Then she extinguished the lamp.

---