Let Him Come

With this hand, I will lift your sorrows Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine With this candle, I will light your way into darkness With this ring, I ask you to be mine — Victor Van Dort [Corpse Bride, 2005]   As the door opened, she took a deep breath and gracefully walked between rows of visitors. She made eye contact and smiled at few in front of her. She could feel the pride and love of those present tonight. She did not rush, savouring the moment. Pure happiness was written in her face as she could not take her eyes off husband-to-be. It was surreal. Tonio could not believe his eyes. The music was enticing and the soft lights he did not knew where it came from added flight to the imagination. The guests were all beaming. And the bride, she was beautifully mysterious. He could not see the Groom for his back was on him. Tonio was not invited but he was there, anyway. He did not know anyone and no one knew he was there, stealing a look. Under the full moon, there was the wedding happening in his barn. *** Tonio lifted his shirt to wipe his tears from his weary eyes. She should not see it, he thought. He stole a glance to her side, Luna contently sit at the bamboo bench while playing with the stick on her hand. “Pa, when will we eat?” a tiny voice called out. “Soon,” he assured her. It was second day now that they have not eaten a proper meal. Yesterday,  Berta gave them overripe bananas. “Wait here.” And off he go behind their tiny nipa house. He entered the barn. He scavenged the nests where once their chicken laid their eggs. They have sold some their chicken while some were cooked. “Please, just one egg,” he prayed. But no eggs. He left the barn and went behind it. Not far, he heard the running water of the river. He will try his luck there. She was not saying, but Tonio knew her daughter is starving. It pained him to think how he cannot afford a good life for her since her mother, Anna passed away when she was just two. Tonio always dreamed of Anna, his beautiful and kind and loving Anna. He wanted her back, badly. Only if he was not selfish, his wife would not die. A longing husband, Tonio felt a familiar agony in his heart. He sat on a big rock, Anna’s favourite rock and let his tears fall unceasingly.  A splash in the waters brought him back to reality. Near the riverbank was a pigeon, a fat pigeon. “A grilled bird,” Tonio imagined. Slowly, Tonio sneaked near the bird. As if it sensed him, the bird opened its wings and prepared to fly. It lifted but stumbled against the rocks and fell to the water. The bird has broken wings. Tonio immediately rushed to the river to claim the bird even if it struggled to escape. “Sorry, but my child needs to eat,” he whispered. He returned to the house while clutching the bird. Luna will eat heartily, he smiled to himself. Tonio suddenly stopped as cold air brushed his neck. He turned to look around. He listened but all was quiet, even the rushing of the water seemed to rest, no leaves were moving but the cold air continue to envelop him, now almost his entire body. He felt something he could not explain. “Go home, now!” He was not mistaken, it was Anna’s sweet voice. Did she come back? No one except him and his bird were around. “Go!” It was a voice in his head. Tonio hurried to go home. She watched him as he walked away. She smiled.    Her smile and the twinkling of her eyes made Tonio to not give up his life. It is Luna who made him strong. He looked at her as she took a big bite of the grilled pigeon. They were seated at the dining table. A plate of grilled pigeon and a jug of water. A serving of rice would go very well with the bird. But at least, they could sleep with their stomach full. “Pa, Risa has a new uniform and new notebooks for this school year.” “Don’t worry, we’ll do something,” he touched her hair, “Just eat more so you could grow strong.” He handed her the leg part and contented himself with the wings and the neck.  The night before, Tonio was thinking of finding work in the town. The town is just a one-hour ride but since he had no fare to take the jeepney, it would take him most of the morning to walk. He would leave Luna with Berta. Or maybe I could get a hitch with Erning in his carabao, he thought. He hated the thought of leaving Luna alone but he could not imagine her sleeping with empty stomach. Just for few days, he consoled himself. Tonio’s plan changed when the man came to visit him before dusk. Their place were the last place a neighbour would visit, except for Berta. Before he knew the man was standing outside his door. The man was wearing long sleeve shirt, pants, shoes, wide-brim hat – all white that seemed to glow in the twilight. Tonio could not see his face but he could smell him. The smell was so sweet like flowers he picked in the woods. “I need a place for a wedding,” the man said without preliminaries. “Sir, but this is no place for such,” Tonio told him. “All I have is a rundown barn that could not fit 10 people.” “That’s near the river, right?” “And the woods,” Tonio added. “That’s a perfect place,” the man said. “I’ll pay you ten bags of your kind of money. The wedding will be tonight.” “Whatever you say.” The mention of money excited Tonio. “But give me time to clean the place for you and put some gas lambs.” “No need. Just stay away from the barn the whole night. Whatever happens, do not disturbed us. You’ll find the money inside the barn in the morning.” Then the man turned away and walked into the dark before Tonio could asked for a name. *** As the Bride offered her hands to her Groom smiling, together they moved towards the man in golden robe. The light from somewhere lit his face. Tonio, wide eyed, stepped back from his post. Shock consumed him so he lost his balance and tripped over the pile of woods he collected that afternoon. He quickly crawled, trying to escape from the place before they discovered his intrusion. However, the noise caught their attention. The guests broke out from the barn and into his hiding place. Before Tonio was able to come to his feet, the mysterious man and all the wedding guests stood over him. Frightened, he was unable to say anything as the light from the full moon illuminated the features of all the visitors and the mysterious man stood in front of him. Tonio discerned that around him were not ordinary people. They were Engkantos. From behind, the Bride and the Groom emerged and stopped to look down the man who disturbed the event. “A biraddali!” Tonio gasped as he took a closer look of the beautiful Bride. And as he shifted his gazed, he caught eye to eye with the Groom. Tonio supressed his shocked by biting his fist. Beside the beautiful woman was a Tambaluslos – a burly creature with a freakish grin but what set him apart is his long wrinkled p***s and dangling testicles that almost touch the ground. Tonio knew about the biraddali – a fairy-like creatures that reside in the forest and river not far from his home. In fact, this is the second time he sees one. But the Tambaluslos!   “You must pay for your hard-headedness,” in a cold voice the mysterious man said. “Please, I am just a poor man, I have nothing to give,” Tonio pleaded. “I warned you to let us be.” “I’m sorry. Please …” he begged more. The mysterious man gave him an unsympathetic stare. Tonio was in tears. The biraddali held the mysterious man’s arm and whisper something. The tambaluslos just grinned some more while the rest were watching him intently. “You must pay, human!” his voiced thundered, while the creatures around him snickered. Tonio sobbed, “If you kill me, please just …” “I want…” and he aimed in the direction of the house. Tonio followed his gaze and he saw, standing in the open door was Luna.