The Mysterious Woman

CHAPTER 2

When morning came, the Montefalcos prepared themselves to continue their journey to Sitio Malaut. Their night at the resort went well. Mang Jose came back at the exact time as promised. He fetched their belongings from the cottages and fixed them back in the car.

The resort owner extends his gratitude to Don Francisco Montefalco for choosing his resort. He was very grateful to the family, especially when Don Francisco paid him in full cash. It was rare for him to earn that much in just one night.

When the family was back on the road again, each of them became busy with their gadgets. No one was speaking to one another. Don Francisco and Donya Esmeralda were busy checking their emails and couldn't stop themselves from checking their business. Francesca was busy taking videos of the scenery outside and posting them on her social media, while France was busy playing on his mobile phone with a headset plugged into his ears.

“Mom, are we still far?” Francesca suddenly asked her mom when she became bored taking videos and pictures outside. The scene outside doesn’t fascinate her anymore. All she could see were tall trees and mountains, sometimes she could have a glimpse of the ocean and some houses along the road.

Donya Esmeralda looked up and took her attention away from her work. “I think we are almost there. I can almost see the arch at the entrance of the Sitio,” she answered.

“Yes, Señorita, we're almost there, we've already passed by our house,” Mang Jose excitedly interjected.

“Really? I didn't see any house Lolo Jose. We've been traveling for a while but I didn't see any houses, except for the dilapidated sheds we passed by,” Francesca replied to the old man.

“Oh, Señorita, you couldn’t see it on the road. It was near the courtyard in our Sitio. There’s a crossing on the road that we’ve passed by. It goes to the center of our Barangay. That's where our house is. Here in Sitio Malaut, most of the houses were covered by tall trees, so you couldn’t notice it from the road,” Mang Jose explained to the girl.

They were about to enter the arch of Sitio Malaut when France suddenly spoke, “What was that?” he exclaimed, jerking from his seat. He looked out the window, and his eyes were fixed on something on the pillar of the arch. Everyone turned to him in surprise, even Mang Jose looked at him in the rearview mirror.

“What was what?” Francesca returned the question to her brother. Her brow crossed in confusion. She traced her brother's gaze at the arch.

“Didn't you all see it? There was something or someone behind the arch,” France stated, his eyes still fixated on the arch with the signage of Sitio Malaut. The arch was made of stone, and it was covered with moss and grass. The tall trees were covering the foundation of the arch on each side of the road.

“There is nothing there, Iho,” Donya Esmeralda said. She was also trailing his son's gaze, checking on what he saw that could surprise him.

“I saw something or someone there,” France firmly said.

“I think your eyes were just playing tricks on you. Stop playing on your mobile phone and rest your eyes, that’s why you are seeing things,” Don Francisco scolded his son.

France was taken aback by his father's scolding. His lips tightened to stop himself from retorting back at his father. Instead, he just put his headset back on, leaned back against his seat, and turned his face to the window. He had already stopped playing games when he heard Francesca ask their mom if they were near. The volume of his music was so low that he could still hear what they were talking about, he was just pretending not to listen and was uninterested. When his mother pointed to the arch, he followed his gaze at where his mother was pointing. He saw the arch with the signage of Sitio Malaut. It was made of stone and covered with moss and grass, and its pillar was located at the foothills of the mountain and was surrounded by trees. A movement near the pillar of the arch caught his attention. At first, he thought that the sun was just creating a sparkly reflection using the shadows of the trees and the arch. Since they were still far away, he couldn’t decipher if the movement was created by the shadows of the trees.

When they finally passed through the arch, he was startled by the thing that he saw. The movement wasn’t the shadows of the trees. It looked like a man, but it was covered by a bright light from head to toe. Its movement was so fast that in just a blink of an eye, it disappeared behind the pillar of the arch. But it looks like he was the only one who saw it, none of his family members noticed it. So, instead of pursuing the topic further with his family, especially his father, he chose to remain silent. Maybe his dad was right, his eyes were just playing tricks on him. With a sigh, he adjusted his seat and leaned back. He closed his eyes to pretend to sleep so no one would bother him. He didn’t realize that he would fall into slumber.

France opened his eyes, his brow creased when he realized that he wasn’t in the car anymore. He was in the forest. The odd thing is he seems familiar with the place, and he feels like he always goes there. As he was about to call for someone, he realized that he was walking. His feet seemed to have a mind of their own and know where to go. He tried to stop walking, but his body wasn’t following his command. His feet continued to take steps farther into the forest, trailing the path that he felt so familiar with. After a while of walking, he could see a hut at the end of the trail. He instinctively smiled when he saw the hut. He felt happy just by seeing it. In France’s mind, he was confused, but his heart and body were reacting differently. The two-floored nipa hut gave a sense of familiarity. He felt that he had often been there before.

Even the interior of the hut didn't surprise him. He seemed to be there so much that he already recognized each corner of it. It has a combined living room and a dining area on the first floor, since there was not much space. The only furniture in the living room is two sofas made of bamboo and a small table. There is a small cupboard filled with some things and it has a mirror on top. At the other side of the room was the small bamboo dining table with a pair of two long bamboo chairs that could seat three people each. On the left side of the dining table are the sink and the copper plates and bowls. It also has a large clay jar to hold water. Some dried plants are hanging from the roof and there is a pile of bananas and a basket for leftover dishes.

There was a small door at the corner going to the small dirty kitchen at the back of the house. Charcoal and wood are the only fuels used for cooking there. Next to it are some pots and pans, as well as various sizes of pots and wooden ladles.

Outside, beside the dirty kitchen, there is a small shed made of sawali. Inside the shed was a hole covered with wood that served as a toilet. It has two large water storage jars and a tabo to use.

The second floor of the hut was for the two bedrooms. Beneath the bedrooms are the cages for chickens and ducks.

France was so confused about why this hut was very familiar to him. He couldn’t ignore his feeling of excitement and happiness while checking the whole hut. Even the trees that were planted outside he seemed to memorize it all.

The chicken's sudden clucking caught his attention. His feet immediately went out of the house to check the source of the commotion.

He saw a woman. She was maybe only in her forties or older. She was crouching in the chicken’s cage and fetching eggs from their nests. France thought that she was almost the same age as his Mommy. France approached the woman curiously, but she was oblivious to his presence. Then suddenly the woman turned in his direction, and a smile appeared on her lips.

France couldn’t help but return the woman’s smile. He felt that he knew the woman, but couldn’t figure out who she was. He felt a sense of familiarity in her. It’s as if they were acquainted. Then the woman stood up and stopped getting the chicken egg. She shook her soiled hands in her shorts, then her smile grew wider while she was looking directly at France. He saw her waving at him to come to her, France smiled widely at the woman too, then he started to walk his way toward her. But he was surprised when out of nowhere a younger woman approached and hugged the older woman.

France was so stunned that he couldn’t move from where he was standing. He was surprised to feel his heart skip a beat. It was pounding loudly in his chest, and he thought it would burst out from it. Seeing the younger woman made him giddy, although he couldn't see her face because her back was to him. France thought that he was connected to her, she was someone who he knew dearly.

When he saw the two women enter the hut, France decided to follow so he could catch a glimpse of the face of the younger woman. He took a step forward to follow the two, but to his surprise, he couldn’t move. He tried to move his feet but no matter what he did, he couldn't even lift them. He was glued from where he was standing, his feet felt like there was a heavyweight in them.

France started to panic. When he looked at the hut, it was gradually moving away from him. He remained glued to where he was and couldn’t move a muscle. He grunted in frustration while looking in the direction of the hut that was moving further and further away from him. It gradually became smaller and smaller while it was moving further away, then the darkness started to engulf the place where the hut was previously standing. He gave the hut one last look until it was gone and he couldn’t see anything at all except darkness. He looked at his body and was glad that he could still see it, but as he stared down at his feet he saw that the darkness started to creep up on his body. It was slowly engulfing him, starting from his feet, creeping up and up into his thigh, into his waist up to his torso. France’s panic intensified, and for the last time, he tried to move, but still, to no avail. He wiped his hands into his face, frustrated. But when he felt something sticky stick in his face, he looked at his palm. He screamed his lungs out as he realized that his hands were wet with blood.

“France son, we are here.”

“Huh?!” France woke up with a jolt. His eyes went wide upon seeing his mother.

“Thank God you’re awake. I've been waking you up for a while. You are mumbling in your sleep. I never thought that you would fall asleep when we were already near your granny's house. Your daddy and Chesca have already been inside the house,” Donya Esmeralda said.

“Did I sleep, long Mom?” France asked his mother, as he tried to get up from his seat. He felt very tired.

“Just a few minutes, we are already at the entrance of the Sitio when you took a nap,” Donya Esmeralda replied, “Go on now and get inside, your grandfather and grandmother are waiting.” After saying those things, she left France in the car and went inside the house.

France rubbed the sleep away from his face. He couldn't believe he only slept for a few minutes. It feels like he was asleep for too long, enough for him to have a nightmare. Fortunately, his mother woke him up. This was the first time that he had a nightmare that he could vividly remember and feel like it was real.

He scanned his surroundings. Their car was already parked in front of a bungalow house. Compared to their mansion in Manila, this house is very small. And there was no fence surrounding the whole house, except the trees and the bushes that served as its fence. He couldn’t even see any other houses near it. They don't seem to have any neighbors. Behind the house, he could see tall trees looming over it, and there is a path leading to the mountains.

“So this is what the province looks like,” France said to himself. A sense of calmness engulfed him. His tired body suddenly felt not being tired at all. “It's weird,” he thought, “I didn’t recall that I had been to this place at all, so why do I have a sudden feeling that I belonged here and I felt at home?” A sudden movement from the bush near the path leading to the mountains caught his attention. He got out of the car to see what it was.

“France, Iho!”

France was startled when Mang Jose spoke beside him, he came out of nowhere. France didn’t even realize that their driver was beside him.

“Glad that you are awake. Your Grandfather and Grandmother were waiting for you inside. You should get in and greet them,” Mang Jose said to him, patting him on his shoulder, oblivious to the shock that he was in.

Scratching the back of his neck, he stepped towards the house. He thought of returning to the woods later when he had greeted the elders. He couldn't explain it but it was like something in the woods was calling him. As he entered the house, he was no longer aware of a creature sheltering in the woods and watching his every move.

“Well, Emerson, is that you? Oh, my you are big now! The last time I saw you was when you had just graduated from elementary school. Your grandfather and I were still strong then, so we were still able to get to Manila. Now you are a young man and very handsome.” An old woman with a cane greeted him when he entered the house. She was smiling dearly at him.

“Mano po, Abuela,” France greeted the old woman. He reached for her free hand and put the back of her palm into his forehead. Then he kissed and hugged his grandmother. Only a few people called him Emerson. Mostly his acquaintances call him France, only his close relatives call him Emerson, and one of them is his Abuela, Lola Mameng, his mommy's mother.

As the old woman said, it'd been a long time since he had seen his grandparents. The last time that they visited them in Manila was at his elementary graduation. Since his grandfather got sick and was never able to travel, they stopped visiting. They just called from time to time to check on their grandchildren. Of their two siblings, France is closer to his grandparents, probably because he is the eldest grandson and the only boy.

This was the first time he set foot in his grandparent’s house in the province, but the sense of familiarity and the feeling that he was at home never left him. He can’t recall even once that he had already been there. His parents never thought of bringing him and Francesca here when they were younger. So, he grew up thinking that provincial life was bad at all. The truth is, he was reluctant to come here. He agreed at first to come here, so his parents wouldn't get angry at him, but seeing this place now, he wondered why he had never set foot here before. This place is truly beautiful. But apart from the beauty of the place and the fact that her grandparents are here, there is one more thing that France missed, but he can't identify what it is.

“Go and greet your Abuelo,” Lola Mameng said to him when she let him go. He kissed her forehead before going to his grandfather’s room. His grandfather suffered from a stroke. He couldn’t move or speak because of his illness. The old man needed help to take good care of him, so France’s parents hired a physical therapist and a private nurse for him.

When he entered Abuelo's room, he saw the old man lying on his bed. His therapist and nurse were beside him. Upon seeing France’s face, the old man smiled brightly. His grandfather signed to the therapist to help him to get up, which was immediately obeyed by the sturdy man standing beside the bed. The nurse plumped the old man’s pillow and arranged it into the headrest, so France’s grandfather could sit comfortably in his bed.

France approached the old man when he saw that he was seated comfortably now. “Abuelo,” he said with a smile to the old man. He reached out to the old man’s good arm and, just like what he did to his Abuela, he put the back of his palm to his forehead, and then he hugged and kissed the old man. His Abuelo hugged him back using his good arm and gently patted his back.

Don Francisco and Donya Esmeralda entered the room and saw the scene before them. They both smiled at each other and their eyes talked silently. “It seemed that bringing the children here in the province wasn’t bad at all,” Donya Esmeralda whispered to her husband.

“Uhuh,” Don Francisco agreed.

On that day, the once quiet house of the elderly Tonyo and Mameng became lively again due to the arrival of the Montefalco family. Because almost everyone in Sitio Malaut knows each other and is almost related to one another, the news spread very quickly in that small Sitio. Donya Esmeralda's relatives immediately learned that her family had returned home from Manila. Because she is one of the very lucky people who was born in Sitio Malaut and had a luxurious life in Manila, you would think they were an artist who was suddenly mobbed by their acquaintances.

Almost everyone at the Sitio came over to Antonilo's house to greet them. They even brought gifts to welcome them. Others brought local dishes, various fruits, seafood, vegetables, and other things. The quiet house of Tonyo and Mameng before became lively because of all the people that visited and greeted the Montefalcos.

France wondered where the people who suddenly flocked to her grandfather's house came from. He didn't see any houses close by, but there were more or less fifty people who came to Antonilo’s house today. All of them just wanted to greet and meet him and Francesca. Although he is not used to it, he is forced to mingle with them, especially when his parents introduce him. He can't even remember all the names of the people they introduced him to. There were young and old, men and women. His parents said that it was all their relatives. Every time that he was introduced, he just greeted them and kissed them, then even put up a fake smile for them. But the truth is, he was overwhelmed by the attention. He was not used to the limelight. When he looked back at Francesca it seemed that she was enjoying the attention.

When he saw an opening to get away from the crowd, he immediately seized it. He went to the kitchen to get some drinking water. He was very grateful to see that there was no one there. He exhaled in relief and went to the fridge to get his water. Right after he closed the fridge, he looked out the window. It was facing the woods. His desire to go inside the woods seemed to come alive again. He looked at the watch on his arm. It was five in the afternoon.

He turned to the living room and saw that there were still a lot of people. He didn’t want to go back there. He saw the door in the kitchen, and he sneakily went out and headed for the woods. He seemed to be relieved to be slightly away from the house. He entered the path that was leading into the mountains. But he did not try to go further, instead, he just sat on a fallen coconut tree that he found near the edge of a cliff. From where he was, he could still see his grandfather's house. He could also clearly see the beautiful scenery below the mountain. He looked at the sky, and he also saw the reddening of the sun, a sign that it was about to be dusk.

He took a deep breath and smelled the fresh air on his skin. He even closed his eyes to finally feel the touch of a gentle breeze on his face.

“It's beautiful here, right?” a soft and very gentle voice said near him. France immediately opened his eyes. His jaw dropped and his eyes went wide when she saw a beautiful young woman standing near the cliff. She had an angelic face with tanned skin and a petite form. She wasn’t even looking at France, instead, she was staring at the sunset. The reddish ray of the sun was directly hitting her skin, which gave an illusion that she was glowing. She was the most beautiful woman France ever saw in his lifetime.

“Who are you? Are you a fairy in this place?” France asked her when he regained his composure.

The girl turned to him and gave him a very sweet smile. France's heart skipped a beat when he saw it. He was mesmerized by the girl’s beauty. From then on, France thought that he suddenly believed in love at first sight.