Malediction

The Anonymous

The hotel Andrea lived in while she waited for me to heal was cramped but clean. It was a tidy small space. It had minimal décor with a weak attempt to attract tourists with framed pictures of beach spots nearby. We had to pack our bags and leave here immediately. They were waiting for both of us, especially our boss Mr. Gomez. He needed an interesting story, that's the only way Andrea can keep her job and its benefits of free travel. For me, I was a liability they needed to keep in check since I was new in the job. Putting interns in a sticky situation like this was not wise, but it was never new.

And there was one thing, I saw the woman in the jacket again. It was when we were in a tricycle going to the hotel Andrea stayed in. The sky was high in the afternoon heat. We passed by lots of stores from the main market to the destination with a wide lifeless space of land in between. Ten minutes in traveling and she was there standing, alone in the middle of an empty roadside full of dried grass on her feet. Our eyes met but I was unable to catch what she had tried to say. Her form was only a glimpse as the vehicle zoomed its way past until she was a tiny blur. I wanted to stop the vehicle, but the tiny black blur of her was gone. It was only dried yellowing grass on an open roadside again.

My eyes were probably playing with me. As it did at one time the mirrors tried to warp my face to the soiled face of Chris.

I tried to forget that so I kept myself busy with checking and packing my things. Andrea booked a plane ride for us and did all the papers three days ago since I kept getting mistakes on the forms. I've been putting something else on the paper, which was pretty eccentric. It made her confused as to how I came up with a whole different kind of data in less than an hour. “It's like a different person,” she said that time. I honestly didn't know it was wrong until she said so. The things I remember were weird because it felt involuntary. If only I could just remember everything to give me clarity.

Dead Chris. The mirrors warping my face with his. The fear of my life from the threat of a dead man that just disappeared creeps in me. My peace was by the string as warned by some strange woman. My attempt to not think about the weird things miserably failed. And it wasn't even all of it.

As I zipped my luggage, something protruded on the lower side of it. Nothing would have done that blunt curvature on my belongings but we would run late if I had. With my thoughts, I didn't have the energy to look it up.

But I wish I had.

________

“Why would you fully trust a goddamn anonymous tip?! Might as well walk blindly on a rope between unsteady poles!” Our direct supervisor, Rick Gomez, was steaming red as he walked around his small office roundabout, trying to calm himself down. We just came to the Sun Bulletin, which was located in Quezon City, a highly urban city in the center of commerce. Andrea and I just stood there as he scolded us about safety and proper journalism after Andrea told Boss Rick she only had a tip and a picture from an anonymous person trying to help her for months in this investigation. It was always from this mysterious man that she had her stories, but it was never a problem since she delivered them well. Andrea wasn't that lucky this time around.

"I've let you travel straight to your stories for I trusted you to be smart enough with your decisions. But not like this." His little circle walk ended him back to his desk. He sat on it and sighed deeply. I wanted to interject but Andrea stopped me. " I've thought about this thoroughly. Forget the anonymous tipper and you'll stay." Andrea was shocked but held back. "You're going to be on desk job for a while. It's better than suspending you." He said. Andrea kept her lips sealed and nodded. "And you, intern." He pointed towards me. " You're going down with her. Better be sure not to do anything more troublesome." He didn't say another word and returned to his seat. He gestured to the door beside us.

Andrea walked fast from Rick's office door to the hallway where all the other journalists of Sun Bulletin ran about, busy with their own articles to make. I kept walking, slightly jogging to her speed. She didn't say a word until she stopped at her station and sat down. My space was five columns away from her station in the hundred square-meter office but I sat beside her. She looked like she was about to cry. I offered a box of tissues I found at the other table. She rolled her teary eyes and said, "I'm not crying." I shrugged and returned the tissues to its place, not believing the words she just said. "Your call. Just coming in prepared." I said. She was already sniffling a minute after. "Okay, I actually need that." And took a couple of them. She was still holding back and clenched the tissues in her hands, I scooted my chair closer. "It took one f*cking mistake to take me back to this stupid boring desk job, where dumb 'What kind of bread are you?' articles are made." She said ranting in a harsh whispering voice as she removed her computer from its sleeve. I listened. "I've made this media company come back to the top with my stories for the past three years, I just can't believe they would put me back to something that can rot my brain." She continues as she opens and turns on her computer.

"I think Boss Rick probably did his best at saving you from being fired. This could've been a big thing for other media companies if it leaked out." I rationalized. "And it will only be for a while, so don't worry." I added with a smile. She glared at me but thought about it. "Fine. I can go back up again and do better. I'll see you later." She sighed. I kissed her hand and stood up. She smiled, the first since the morning we woke up. It made me happy. I walked to my little space and turned back to her. She wasn't looking at me from afar. Her eyes were glued to the bright screen. Shocked. I wondered what it was, but work was already calling me.

I avoided the mirrors. Chris' face from the island was constantly reflecting back at me whenever my eyes wandered from it. The blue veins popped and his eyes were red. Both his clothes and hair were disheveled, like someone who lost a fight. My movements in the mirror was same as his but he was smiling. His lips curved a malicious smile.

___________

It was humid inside the little dingy room made out of cheap plywood and bare cement floors that he calls his room. He removes his jacket and shirt then opens a stand fan. He sits down and opens the bag of his devices he brought along to Hotel Masfino earlier this morning. He takes the SD card from his camera and puts it inside his laptop. He got another great piece of information again. Ms. Sison will love this.

He may not be able to successfully take out his old friend from the previous tip, but he'll make sure this will do it.

He types, 'The Hotel Masfino, San Rafael, Bulacan. Next week Wednesday. They're planning something.' He attached the pictures he got as evidence. Being anonymous was a lot of work but he believes it will pay off in the end.

He signed it as Manunulat.