The House of the Unholy

Hushed Whispers

It has been past midnight when the raging typhoon finally retreated leaving a sweet smell aftereffect. The constant raining triggered mists that embrace the air from the wet soils; while drops of rain water still linger in the fields and the wind still delivers chilling breeze.

It’s twenty three minutes past three in the morning when Chuy opens the sliding window on his room and takes air in, he holds it longer as he gently closes his eyes as if feeling his lungs expand inside his chest. He can feel the air traveling over his body when he finally releases a sigh as he opens his eyes. Through his sliding window he sees the rice fields still damp from the evanescent deluge; the sky still painted grayish blue looking like a child that has just hushed from sobbing hard with its eyes still swollen. Neither the moon nor the sun has their trace in the sky; and even the stars are nowhere to be found.

From his room in the wooden second floor of the stone house, Chuy sees smoke coming out of the kitchen, its scent has already made its way into the atmosphere, overpowering the damp smell of the rice fields. The old man smiles as he takes in a very familiar scent being prepared; the scent of coffee beans being brewed.

Chuy stares at the kitchen door longer as he contemplates that morning. It has always been his habit to wake earlier than the residents of the stone house since he has been expected to be always hours ahead. Every morning, he knows that every lamps that were lighted in the evening have to be put out at exactly four fifteen before the sun rises. Chuy also knows when the lamps are about to run out of gas and when to refill them. By five thirty every afternoon, Diego and Utoy have to light them again before the sun sets in the evening. The stone house has to be lighted before the residents settle for dinner.

Chuy also knows in advance when the carriage will be needed. Although mostly Teban, the resident coachman handles the carriage, Chuy still sometime takes the rein and drives the wagon. He also knows by the way the carriage runs if it needs some fixing. From how the wagon swivels up to the creaking sounds the wheels make, Chuy can anticipate which parts of the carriage needs replacement.

During harvests season, it has been expected of him to know by heart the number of sacks of rice that were milled. He can also estimate the number of sacks of rice the zaguan and the back porch can accommodate and Chuy oversees the sacks of rice, sacks of pineapple and sacks of corn that will be delivered to the public market and to be sold at the port of Banate. When Ditas and the other kitchen servants make wines, the old man sees to it to keep track of the number of jars that were produced with pangasi, basi and lambanog wines.

The old man accomplishes all these tasks without being noticed much as he likes to fulfill his job silently, when no one else are paying attention. Ditas even commented that Chuy is the phantom of the stone house which roams the halls and its wooden floors quietly; as every old houses require to have one, she believes; listening silently to every conversations but rarely comments on them except when his are being asked for. He and Ditas have known each other for decades and he was still a coachman when Ditas assumed the role of Donya Alejandra’s personal maid. When Ditas became the head cook, he was just promoted as the head servant. He has to wake every morning earlier so when the sun rises in the morning, the stone house is already prepared to function like the day before.

Chuy carefully walks through the wooden floor as he leaps through the dining room. For decades that he has been working in the stone house, he still puts an effort until this day to make his footsteps as light as possible and as inaudible as possible out of fear of waking the residents; though his age and his frailty challenges him now.

From where he is walking, he hears murmurs coming from the asotea. He pauses walking to confirm the voices that he hears, he even quiets his own breathing to take a clearer hearing of the murmurs. He confirms the voices coming from the asotea of a man and a woman. The man has a higher tone than other men with deep voices, he sounds young; while the woman has a softer voice, she sounds like she has been smiling as she speaks.

Chuy hides in the dim part of the living room as he takes a glance at them. There he sees them and listens stoically;

“I have not been called that name for long,” Ana Rosa whispers,

“I knew it was you, Nimfa,” Teo responds at the lady who is standing with her back against him.

“This will be the last instance that you will refer to me with that name, Teo,” she pauses, “And nobody should know that you and I have known each other,”

“Nimfa,” Teo whispers,

“My dear, I have been waiting for you” a deep voice interrupts from the dim part of the living room opposite from where Chuy is hiding.

As the figure walks closer towards the asotea, where the lamps are still burning, Chuy sees Teniente Leon approaching. His gaze locks at Ana Rosa and Teo

“My dear, I got lost finding the kitchen. Fortunately, Segnor Teo here has just arrived and showed me the way,” Ana Rosa smiles as she excuses herself from Teo

She rests her arms around Teniente Leon’s waist as the couple walk away from the asotea. Chuy can no longer see Teo’s reaction who also leaves the asotea shortly after. Chuy walks away from the dim part of the living room to the well-lighted asotea. He stares at the lamp burning and after a moment, puts out the flame.

The head servant remains nonchalant as he shrugs off his shoulders despite what he heard; he knows it’s better not to put his nose where it is not needed. While walking towards the caida, the foyer in the entrance hall, though he may appear silent but inside him he has questions rapidly surfacing through his consciousness. How did the two know each other?, Did Teniente Leon notice his lady being familiar with his nephew? Then he recalls Fray Luciano teasing his segnor and segnora Ana Rosa back in the dining table, the friar spoke of the two like he was implying a connection between them, a connection between a man and a woman; and now that he saw them in the asotea, it somehow makes sense. Does Fray Luciano know? As his usual demeanor, Chuy instantly shut the voice inside of him that is firing these questions. He feels it is unbecoming of him to even entertain these thoughts. He calms himself by one simple answer to his questions. He agrees that they might have known each other back in Manila; from what he heard from the servants, segnora Ana Rosa was originally from the city, she must have been from a wealthy family in Manila. The city is just small and people might have been bumping into each other on a daily basis. There, that must have been the reason how Ana Rosa and Teo knew each other.

The old man carefully descends the stairs through the zaguan. When he reaches the front lawn, he sees how the mud got worse as the protruding stone pathways were almost devoured and sunk in thick mud. As he cautiously hops through the protruding stones, he sees two civil guards stationed at the gate, they must have been staying awake since last night. One of the civil guards has his back against the fortress, taking advantage of its massive structure to rest. The other civil guard can be seen yawning as he settles himself seated at a large stone near the fortress.

From the kitchen, two servants come out holding a tray each. One servant holds a tray where there lays a hot coffee pot while empty cups lay beside it. The other servant holds another tray with suman on bamboo stem; puto and bibinca. Chuy gestures for the servants to stop as he approaches them. The old man pours two cups of coffee, and asks the servants to follow him as they walk toward the civil guards,

“Hot coffee is best consumed this early morning, Segnor,” Chuy greets the civil guards and hands them the hot cups of coffee

The servant also offers suman, puto and bibinca on the tray

“Thank you, mister” one of the civil guards smiles as his deep sunken eyes stretches.

“You sacrificed a good night’s sleep to make sure ours are undisturbed, I think we should be thanking you instead,” the old man smiles, “and a cup of coffee is all we could offer”

The civil guards hold their cups in the air to imitate a toast; and nod their heads toward the old man and his servants.