Resurgence

CHAPTER 01

CHAPTER 01:

MASAYANG naglalakad papasok ng eroplano ang tatlong tao, dalawang babae at isang lalaki. Ang isa sa dalawang babae ay batang nasa limang taong gulang palang, mahahalata ng kung sino man ang makakakita na isa silang masayang pamilya.

“Mommy I’m exwited!” – nakangiting saad ng batang babae at natawa nalamang ang kanyang magulang dahil sa pagkabulol padin ng pag-sasalita kanilang anak, but they know for a fact that it makes her cute.

“Me too Astrid, because we are about to show you where your father and I first met” – nakangiting saad ng ina ng batang babae. Lumawak din ang ngiti niya at tinaas niya pa ang kanyang dalawang kamay upang ipahayag na talagang masaya siya. Ang lalaki, na kanyang ama naman ay hindi napigilan ang pamumula ng kanyang mukha dahil sa kilig na dala ng sinabi ng kanyang asawa.

Kinarga nalang ng lalaki ang kanyang anak upang matago ang pamumula ng kanyang mukha, pero hindi din naman ito nakaligtas sa kanyang asawa kaya tinawanan nalang niya ito. Nang makapasok na sila ng eroplano ay agad nilang hinahanap ang kanilang pwesto. Ng makita na nila ito ay agad silang naglakad papunta dito at saka sila kumportableng umupo.

“Astrid, you can sleep for the whole ride since it will take us hours before we could reach Barcelona” – saad ng lalaki sa kanyang anak at iiling sana ang batang babae dahil gusto niyang makita kung papano sila umakyat papuntang kalangitan at ang mga ulap na kanilang daraanan pero bigla siyang humikab na ibig sabihin ay oras na nga ng kanyang pagtulog.

Maaga din kasi siyang ginising ng kanyang magulang dahil maaga ang kanilang byahe kaya naputol ang kanyang tulog.

“We will wake you up before we can land, so that you can see the clouds and the buildings” – pakunswelo ng lalaki at mahina nalamang na tumango ang batang babae and in just a few seconds at nakatulog na ito sa bisig ng kanyang ina. Tumawa ang mag-asawa dahil sa ka-cutetan ng kanilang anak

•

NAGISING ang batang babae dahil sa malakas na ingay sa paligid. Pagkamulat niya ng kanyang mata ay agad na bumungad sakanya ang mukha ng kanyang mga magulang na nag-aalala.

“Mommy, Daddy, what’s gwoing on?” – takang tanong ng batang babae habang kinukusot niya din ang kanyang mata upang mas lalong makakakita ng mabuti

“Listen, Astrid. Whatever will happen today always remember that we will always stay beside you physically or spiritually. All you have to do is close your eyes and make sure that you’ll survive, alright?” – nakangiting saad ng ama ng batang babae, nguntit sa kabila ng kanyang malawak na ngiti ay nakakubli ang takot at pag-aalala sa kanyang asawa at anak. He silently prayed that his wife and daughter will survive the tragedy that is about to befall the passengers of the plane. Na kahit sila lang ang makaligtas ay okay na para sakanya, he does not want his daughter to be alone in such a cruel yet beautiful world, not to mention that she’s still young.

“My precious daughter. Promise us that you are going to do everything to live on, okay? Because we are going to do everything in our power to save you” – saad naman ng ina ng batang babae, hindi ito nakangiti at puno nadin ng luha ang mata at pisngi nito. Halatang-halata na kanina pa ito umiiyak.

“Mommy, Daddy? You did nwat answer my qwestion” – the little girl said while looking confused of how her parents is currently acting. It was really weird for her because she is used to seeing her parents laugh and smiling. Her parents did not dare to utter another word, and when she is about to ask again, a loud explosion interrupted her. The little girl flinched because of the sound and her mother immediately hugged her which made her calm a little bit. However, when she gazed outside, fear corrupted her system when she saw the wing of the airplane on fire and there are no clouds, nor buildings because they are surrounded by water.

“I’m scwared. Are we gwoing to die?” – the little girl whispered na malinaw na narinig ng kanyang ina. The mother cried even more because of her daughter’s remarks and she cannot do anything to reassure her daughter that everything is going to be alright because they are not. Also, she knows that their daughter is not stupid to not realize the situation they are in.

“We are going to protect you. We will make sure that you’ll live” – the mother and the father of the little girl said simultaneously and they both gave their daughter a strong hug and the father begins to assist his daughter in putting on the life jacket to increase the probability of saving his daughter.

“I love you” – he mouthed to his wife with a sad smile on his face

“I love you more, honey” – his wife replied and even though there are tears on her eyes and her face is already damp, he thought that she is still gorgeous. As they hugged each other, and as the two loving parents comfort their scared daughter, they also silently prayed that everything will be alright and that they could be saved.

They repeated the same prayer over and over again and because they are engrossed in their prayers, they did not feel anything when the plane they are in crashed the water. The windows shattered and little by little the water filled the insides of the plane. Other passengers are getting hysterical and they are crowding the exit of plane for a chance to escape the tragedy. But before the door could even open, the water of the ocean consumed the entire plane

“Hold your breath Astrid we are going to swim” ­ – the little girl’s father said to her and she immediately followed and that’s the last time her father spoke to her and the last thing that she saw are the people swimming towards a hole.

•

NAGISING ang batang babae dahil sa matinding init na kanyang nararamdaman na tumatama sa kanyang mukha. Bumangon siya mula sa pagkakahiga at agad na hinanap ng kanyang mata ang kanyang mga magulang.

“Mommy? Daddy?” – she called out to them but no one answered her call. Tumayo na siya at tska niya din pinagpagan ang kanyang sarili dahil puno ng buhangin ang kanyang damit.  Naglakad lakad siya at sa bawat pag lakad niya ay siya ding  pagtawag niya sa kanyang magulang

Hanggang sa sumapit na ang kadiliman at ni walang isang anino ng kanyang magulang ang kanyang nakita. Napaupo nalang siya sa tabi ng isang malaking puno at tska niya niyakap ang kanyang sarili.

“Where are you, mommy? Daddy?” – she whispered kasabay din ng pagpiyok ng kanyang boses at doon na tuluyang tumulo ang kanyang luha. Lumipas ang ilang minute at kusa nading tumigil ang kanyang luha pero nanatili siyang nakatingin sa kawalan, iniisip kung saan niya mahahanap ang kanyang magulang.

“What are you doing here all alone?” – biglang saad ng isang di pamilyar na boses. Agad na napa-angat ang kanyang tingin and there she saw an old man looking at her with a worried look, the same look her mother had when they are on the plane.

“Hey little girl, are you lost?” – tanong muli ng matandang lalaki, bumukas ang kanyang bibig para sabihin sanang hinahanap niya ang kanyang mga magulang, pero walang boses ang lumabas at sa ikalawang pagkakataon ay bumuhos muli ang kanyang luha.

At ang estranghero ay agad na naawa sa kalagayan ng batang babae. From that moment, he knew that another plane crashed in the middle of the ocean and there is a possibility that the parents of this little girl did the best they could to help their child to survive. Just like what his parents did to him before. And from that moment he decided that he will raise the child and teach her how to survive for her to live on because he knows that he will not last a year anymore. He also promised to himself that he will not watch a person die before him again.