PROLOGUE
BILLY was blinded by a shock of light. He slowly opened his eyes in pain. He wander around with his eyes, turned to his left and right in awe.
Lights were dancing like the auroras that pleased his imagination.
Stars were hovering in the dark.
A small ball of light with an array of color in its tail swiftly rounding, alluring him. It is like pointing a direction.
Billy erected and paced for four and one more as his eyes glued on the small ball of light. He looked at his feet, as he used to walk. He was shocked and loss his breath trying to reach something, like a flapping staff.
The small ball of light turned to a bright giant ball of fire sneezing a crumbling array of color. Its mouth was as wide as the circumference of the Earth with its black sharp teeth ready to grind him like a dust.
As he was falling, the giant ball of fire became bigger and bigger as it was ready to burst. He swooped and dropped into nowhere. He began to feel the heat in his body, and flamed like comet. His cloths were burnt up. Totally naked. Still falling like no ends. He wanted to shout but no sound. In his mind, "I gonna fall like a dirt to nowhere!"
And the giant ball of fire exploded and fissioned all the celestial bodies into debris and dust. And summoned by the black hole - where the ancient dragon came out ready to tear him apart. He was almost caught by the ancient dragon, but a green light caught him up, and whirled into and hurled him down. Debris pelted his face. Gravity pulled him down but the air dragged him up. Friction turned him upward and twisted turning downward.
And then he saw that he had gone away from the dragon.
He breathed once at a time. His sight was lossing and his memory was fading. He was totally weakened not by what he saw, but by fear. He was freely dropping down like no hopes to survive. And continuously dropping and more...
A minute passed, he peeped from the corner of his shutting eyes a bluish wide horizon. Nearly dropping down onto the water, in his perception. He's about to be plunged...
Suddenly an irritating alarm rang, and he roused in shock. He was panting as if he ran a mile. "It was just a dream!" Held his pounding head as he jump off the bed to prepare himself for the awaited day of his life.
He looked at the clock. It was 7:00 P.M. "She might be upset again!" He whispered.
He swiftly groomed himself, and run downstairs, "Uncle Manoy, heat the engine!"
"We're waiting for you Mister groom. It's already 7:00 in the evening." Ben teased him and went in the car.
"I've been knocking for almost an hour but you're not responding so I thought you were in the shower room. So, I didn't bother to open the door, and we decided to wait you here." Ally spoke without pausing, the way Ally asked Billy why are you just now?
"I'm sorry I napped," He sighed, "and it was bad nap."
"Don't tell us that thingy, tell Grace." Ally stared at him like she's saying, don't reason out.
Billy just nodded and went closer to her.
"She was at the hotel already. She was upset." Ally sounded at parking lot, dressed up with her favorite white Sheath dress - a gift from her mom. "Oh, my boy. Look at you." She fixed his tie and collar, "I thought you're grown-up."
Billy ignored the jest.
Billy looked at her phone. It was Grace's miscalls. He held his head and scratched three times. "Let's go!" He was in a rush.
"Where is Brail?!" He was annoyed to no-one but to himself, and disconcerted because he promised to be there at 6:30 P.M.
"I am sorry, I just peed." Brail got inside.
"You got my goat!" Billy blurted out.
"Sorry..." Brail shrank in fear, and just shut up.
"Pap, I'll be the one to drive." Ben resisted but Billy insisted. "Pap, we're late. Don't you trust me?"
"Okay. But you'll turn over the steering wheel in Ifugao." Ben trusted Billy in driving, not because he has license but he trained him. So they switched.
They pass through short-cuts roads, but it was 8:00 P.M. and they were still in the premises of Baguio City.
"Bil, turn over the wheel to me..." Ben uttered as he was glimpsing at the side-mirror.
"Why pa? It's not yet in Ifugao..." Billy spoke, focused in the road.
"Someone is coming after us..."
"Pa. We're in the national road. That's usaul." Billy jeered.
***
At daybreak or earlier they should be there to rest and to shoot the beauty of the sunrise. That should be their last photo shoot for February 20, 2015 - the unity of two lovers. Billy and Grace chose Bananue, Ifugao as their final shoot and the venue for the garden wed to fulfill Billy's grandpa's wish when he demised, "You have to say your vow to a lucky girl here, apo."
