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Chapter 19

/19/ THE DARE

In my deepest

wound, I saw Your

glory and it dazzles me

- Augustine

.

KHEL'S POV

.

Laiya, San Juan Batangas

Finally, nakarating din kami sa beach resort. For almost three hours on the road, we're here.

Pinarada ni Brint ang van sa gilid ng isang cottage. Excited na tinanggal ng magpinsan ang kanilang seatbelts. They're giggling as they slid the backseat's door and rushed out of the camper. Pailing-iling na tumawa ang kaibigan ko, saka siya sumunod na bumaba ng sasakyan.

As I hopped out of the vehicle, my shoes hit the surface. Sand and ground beneath my feet. Inayos ko ang aking jacket, saka nagpamulsa.

As I looked around, I saw a bunched of trees on the side. Most of them are coconut trees. There are also cottages, nipa huts, and benches located a meters away from the shoreline. But what outstands the place is the golden carpet of sand, plus the spectacular ocean view of sapphire waves. Breeze blowing with a touch of warmth from the sun's blaze.

I walk towards the shore, with camera hanged on my neck, and biting my lip while scanning the beautiful surrounding. What a peaceful place. There's no people around. No visitors. Just the four of us.

Nadatnan kong nagtatampisaw ang mga paa nina Meera at Narri sa tubig-dagat. They're laughing and splashing waters to one another, as though silly kids playing by.

Napangiti ako at inangat ang aking camera. Click! I took a picture of them without being noticed.

Later on, Brint came after me. May dala siyang isang malaking box. He grinned as he approached me.

"Khel, my friend! Do you wanna build a camp tent~" kanta niya at bahagyang tinaas ang bitbit na kahon.

I frowned at him. "Build it yourself."

"What?! Aba! Ke-aga-aga, bro, at nagsusungit ka? May mens ka ba? Daig mo pa babae sa pagsusuplada, eh." Tinaasan n'ya ako ng kilay.

Mas lalo akong nairita. "Tch. Mamaya ka na magtayo n'yan. Maaga pa."

"Pero---"

"Kung gusto mo, ikaw ang magtayo n'yan mag-isa," I rested my case.

Bumagsak ang balikat ng ungas at ngumuso. "Haysh! You're so mean. Pero... sige! Ako magtatayo nito mag-isa! Watch and learn!"

He squinted his eyes at me. Tumalikod si Brint at nagtungo sa gilid ng isang coconut tree. Doon niya binaba ang kahon, saka nilabas ang mga gamit para magtayo ng tent. He, then started building it on his own will.

I smirked. He's serious about building that tent, huh? Well then, good luck to him.

Time flew too fast.

10:33 am on my wristwatch.

Sa wakas, natapos ni Brint ang pagtatayo ng tent. He's so proud of himself after doing it, that he even boasted it in front of me while laughing out loud.

"Oha! Kita mo iyan! Ako nagtayo niyan!" ani ng ungas, manghang-mangha sa nag-iisang tent na itinayo n'ya. Parang ewan lang.

"Tch," I scoffed.

Maya-maya'y lumapit ang magpinsan sa direksyon namin. Narri has a seashell on her hand, while Meera has her sunny smile on her face like she always has.

"Naks naman! May pa-tent tayo, ah?" Pinasadahan ni Narri ng tingin ang tent, saka ito bumungisngis. "Sinong masipag na nilalang ang nagtayo nito?"

Bring stepped forward with a confident grin. "Sino pa ba? Siyempre, ako na 'yon! Ang poging Brint Almirano! Hahahaha!"

Pogi? My eyebrows raised in amusement to his stupid confidence. Tss.

"Pogi mo mukha mo!" angil ni Narri, sabay bato ng seashell sa direksyon ni Brint.

Mabuti na lang at nakaiwas agad ang ungas, saka humalakhak. "Pfft! Duling ka naman bumato! Hahaha! Bad throw!"

"Ah, duling pala ha?!" Pinatunog ni Narri ang kaniyang kamao. Then she immediately attacks like a thunder.

Brint, out of surprise, bolted away as fast as he can. Narri chased after him. As a result, they began running across the seashore, like a cat and a dog giddily chasing one after another.

"Napaka-kupad mong tumakbo! Haha!"

"Humanda ka sa'king Brint ka 'pag nahuli kitaaa!!!"

Tawang-tawa naman si Meera habang pinapanood ang paghahabulan no'ng dalawa. I was watching her sweet laugh when she suddenly turned to me. Kaagad akong nag-iwas ng tingin.

"Khelly..."

"Hm?" I raised my eyebrows without looking at her and pretend that I'm operating the camera.

"May natagpuan akong magandang tanawin do'n sa malayo. Tara, puntahan natin! Baka pwede natin 'yong isama sa content ng magazine," she excitedly said.

Kumunot ang noo ko at inangat ang mata sa kaniya. "Now?"

"Yes, now!"

"But..." I gave her a cold eyes. "...I'm not in the mood."

***

When I'm not in the mood, I am totally NOT in the mood. So, I don't know how did she do that. But I found myself tagging along with Meera's track.

"Bilisan mo, Khelly!"

She runs to an uphill ground with bed of grasses and flowers. The sun shines down to us and the wind blew strong.

Nakapamulsa akong sumunod sa kaniya, watching her energetic spirit as she twirled around with her pretty dress and looked back at me.

"Tara, dito! Ang ganda, oh!"

What kind of girl are you?

Meera has this invincible magnet that keeps me... I don't know... forcedly attracted in a way that it's difficult for me to resist her. Did she hypnotize me or something?

She stood at the top of the hill, then I stood next to her. Surrounding us are jaspered grasses, dancing with the wind's rhythm. Beautiful flowers, too. The sun's so high, lighting up the whole land and waters.

Below the hill, there's the glistening blue of massive ocean. My sight reached the horizon and all I saw were waves that twinkle with the sunlight, veiling the sea with its rays like a golden curtain from the sky.

Wow.

I've never seen such wonderful scenery like this before. This is the true beauty of nature.

"Genesis 1..." Meera uttered, her eyes are staring at the vast horizon. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so. God called the dry ground land and the gathered waters He called seas. And God saw that it was good."

As she finished her words, she turned to me. Her gaze met mine. Those hazel brown eyes reflect my presence as though a mirror of pure innocence.

"God is merciful. If you repent your sins, He will forgive you," she said and I listen. "God has amazing grace. If you put faith in Him, He will guide you through the right path. All you need is to jump from your comfort zone and believe."

Now I know where this topic is leading to.

I clenched my jaw and intently stare back at her. "Give me one... Just one logical proof that He exists and I will believe in Him. Just one."

I dared her with all my guts, but Meera seems not bothered with that.

She smiled and gestured her hand on the ocean's view. "Look around you. The shore, the water, sun, sky, clouds, the birds, and everything that the light touches. Where do you think that came from?"

What kind of question is that?

I folded my arms and sighed. "Those contain particles with different state of matter. Atom that bonds together to form such solid, liquid, gas, and plasma which are observable through scientific experiments. See? There's no God, it's science."

"And where do you think that particles or atom came from?" she added.

"From sub-atomic particles. Protons, electrons, and such," I said.

"And where those sub-atomic came from?" dugtong n'ya.

Napaawang ang bibig ko at handang sumagot, pero walang salita ang lumabas. I was cornered. She simply cornered me with that question.

There's a silence between us, when she immediately talked back, "It's kinda disappointing to know that people try to understand God's wonder through their own knowledge, making them speechlessly confused."

Tss.

And she exclaimed, "It said in proverbs that God says, do not lean onto your own understanding. But humans are so stubborn and keep on clinging with their futile brain. They try to push God away because they thought that they know all."

That hits me a big time.

"Quantum Physics has been a big topic for scientists and researchers from ages after ages. But none still figure out the bottom of the truth. Because they are looking for the truth in the wrong place..." Meera uttered with her eyes lifting up to the sky. "...in a wrong way, with the wrong sources."

Yeah, right?

Although I see her sincerity... I ain't still giving up my stand.

"Physics is still more legit than your God, because it undergoes studies and experiments," I countered.

"God doesn't need study nor experiments," she retored. "He's God for a reason. His works are not human's work. Bible, His words, contains prophecies. It predicts everything from first to its last moment."

I smirked and she frowned.

"Really?" I challenged. "Dare to give me scientific fact in the Bible and I'll consider its reliable predicts?"

There's a sudden silence between us. Wind howls and the swoosh of waves as background noise. Ilang segundo akong nakatitig kay Meera, habang siya'y nakatanaw sa dagat.

"If I tell you so, will you consider reading the entire Bible and trust every word in it?" And she slowly looked at me.

I was hesitant at the first place, but something inside of me pushes to answer and say... "Sure."

I never knew that that was the start of my downfall.

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