The Invisible City

The Maharlika Falls

It took me thirty minutes from the tricycle ride to reach Maharlika Falls. There are a few people around already taking their selfies when I get there.

Maharlika Falls looks majestic even if it's not as high as Niagara Falls. I have to walk for five minutes to get there. The stream below looks glittering. It might be because of the reflection of the sun from its water.

Now I'm not so sure how to get to the mansion of Tandang Tiago. Romina told me that it's located inside the falls. Does it mean that I have to get all wet from the falls to get in?

I have no idea! But I have to try. I want to learn more about Tandang Tiago's story before I go to Biringan City tonight. If it's true what they said about the place, I have to learn from the person who went back.

The lake under the falls looks inviting. But I'm not here to swim or take a selfie. I'm here to find out more about Biringan City before I take the ride to bring me there. It will be helpful for my story to have as much information I can get.

I started to walk from the left side of the lake. Maybe if I try to stick in the dry part of the falls, I can also be the same. I need to make it as fast as I can. The tricycle driver is waiting for me. I have to make sure that I can have a ride if I stay longer than expected.

Careful now, I stepped in different stones with different shapes and sizes. It's not that hard. Just a little bit more, and I can be near the falls already. But it looks like I don't have a chance to get back dry.

I'm trying to focus on every step I take and taking a glimpse of the falls to see how close I am already. But it seems a little further now that I have to go around the lake. I can no longer see some people I saw earlier.

It started to feel creepy now. All I can hear now is coming from the rustling water of the falls. As I concentrated on my steps, I noticed that the stones are now gone. It looks like crystals now. Or is it diamonds?

No way! I have to dismiss that thought. As much as I wanted to pick up to inspect, I have to keep my hands with me. Some urban legend told me not to touch or take anything from nature. It will upset the entities living from the ground or water.

I look in the direction of the falls again. This time, I think I saw an older man coming inside the falls itself. Maybe it's Tandang Tiago. I have to move fast, or I might lose him. I don't want to call him out and disrupt the solitude of nature.

If my eyes are not playing tricks on me, I saw the older man walking inside the falls. But the water seems not to touch him. That means he didn't get wet from all that water rushing from the falls.

I'm closer now, but the problem is, how can I get inside the falls? But I have to worry about climbing the massive rock formation first. I have to risk getting dirty and wet. After all, I can get back to my room from the Inn after this.

There's no trail or stairs to climb the rock formation. Luckily, I saw a root from a considerable tree showing from where I stand. I have to use it like a rope and start climbing. But before that, I have to pay respect to the spirits of nature.

"Tabi tabi po apo...Makikiraan lang po apo…" (Pardon or excuse me. Please let me pass through.)

I chanted those words and grabbed that vast tree root, and started to climb. That chants I've learned from childhood to excuse myself from the entities living in the woods are useful for this situation.

The last thing I want is to become an urban legend victim just because I didn't say the chants. The elders advise their grandkids to pay respect first before touching anything with life from nature. In this case, I have to touch the root and use it to climb.

Thankfully, I've reached the top of the rock formation. I have to brush off some dirt from my clothes. Now I can see that there is a walkway from where I stand to the falls. Excited, I immediately walked towards the falls. But I have to be careful since the part near the falls looks slippery.

I'm right about the walkway near the falls. This massive rock formation is all covered with algae. It's natural since it's always wet from the water. I've decided to take off the sandals I'm wearing. I have to go barefoot to avoid slipping from the rock.

As I continue to get nearer to the waterfalls, the roaring sound of it is loud. But then, I saw an opening that looked like a cave. The water from the falls is just covering it. That's why the man I saw earlier still looks dry.

I went inside the cave, and urgently felt that the temperature was dropping. It might be because of the cave walls. The limestone and other minerals are present in this cave. The more I went deeper, the more mesmerizing it looked.

Just as I thought that the fantastic cave would never end, I now see a mansion that looks like it's also made from the limestone of the cave. The cave is just like an arc to get inside this beautiful mansion. It looks like the Garden of Eden. Without Adam and Eve, though.

It's a fantastic sight, and I have mixed emotions about this place already. As if I am hypnotized and never mind that I am trespassing. The mansion looks magical. The flowers are all in full bloom from the garden, and when you look back from the cave, it seems like just a part of the landscape.

"Hello! Tandang Tiago, are you home?" I shouted and realized I shouldn't. The roaring falls seem to still affect my ears still.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? " a husky male voice said.

It made me jump a little. He just suddenly showed up right in front of me without any warning. Maybe my ears are still trying to recover from the loud sound of the falls. I didn't hear him coming.

"Hi! I'm Liz, and I'm a writer. Romina told me about you. I just thought I have to visit." I informed him, so he will not think that I'm an intruder.

"Romina? The fruit vendor? " he asked. I nodded. "That woman keeps on giving me away to anyone!" he said, looking irritated.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir. But I have to ask you about Biringan City. "

I was expecting the usual terror that she would say the name of the place. But he did not even look surprised anymore.

"Sure, another adventure seeker! Are you planning to go for their feast? " He asked and led me to a bench near the sunflowers. "Let's sit down and talk."

I feel ecstatic! He wants to talk. It means that I will know more about the invisible city before I even go here. This is exciting!

"Honestly, yes. I'm planning to. You see, I'm writing a novel about Biringan. I wanted to do that for the longest time. But I don't have the time to get here before. " I stared.

"You need to be invited to go there. I'm sure you already know about that."

"Yes, and I have an invitation from Mayor Corazon." I honestly said to him. I want to tell him the truth in case I need his help in the future.

Tandang Tiago looks amused and chuckles. "She's posing as a mayor now, huh? Well, it seems like you have already decided. Why do you even have to see me? "

"They said that you're the only one who was able to go back. I want to know about your experiences there. Maybe I can do the same to get around. " I answered.

"Everything they said about Biringan was all made up. Aside from the fact that almost nobody was able to leave the city," he said, looking nostalgic.

"But you did have your gold and diamonds from there according to them. Is that true?" I asked.

He laughed and said, "I may get a hold of some treasures when I get back. But I never told them the real story of my stay in Biringan. Many people are not able to return because you wouldn't even want to get back."

"What do you mean? The story goes that the residents of Biringan are fairies and other dark creatures. Does that didn't scare you?" I asked back to fulfill my curiosity.

"My dear, you will experience it once you get there. But if you have time, I can tell you about my adventure from the invisible city. " He offered, and I nodded with hopeful eyes.