The Mysterious Woman

Year 1995… Elora was enjoying the cool fresh air outside their house. She was lying in the hammock that was tied to the barks of two mango trees beside their house. Their house was surrounded by different types of trees and crops. There was no fence surrounding their land. It's not a trend among the people of Sitio Malaut. They were not subject to modernization like other places. Sitio Malaut was located at the far end of Santa Isabel. It was one among the others that could be said to have a typical provincial lifestyle. Their Sitio doesn't have a power line yet. There was no electricity in their houses except just at the exit where their Barangay Hall was. The houses were also far from each other. Elora's house was alone in the middle of the towering trees. Their next neighbor was a few meters away from them. Behind their house, there was a wide forest where they could get wood that they could use for cooking. It also had a path to the stream where they bathed and washed. They also get their drinking water from the natural spring that comes from the mountains. It was almost late afternoon, and she was thinking about going inside to make dinner. Her father and mother were still in the fields, and soon they would come home. They live a simple life in the town of Santa Isabel. She was in her last year of high school. It's only a year until she can go to college. They were not rich, and their life was difficult. So, she hopes to finish her education to help ease their family's financial burden. She plans to take a teaching course at the only university in town. Being the only child, her parents could be able to sustain her studies through farming, but still, it's not enough. Elora is a simple Filipina girl, many would say she is very beautiful. Her brown skin is so smooth, and at the age of seventeen, her body is already beautifully shaped. She was not tall, just five feet two inches in height. Her hair was so long that it reached her waist. Elora's mother didn't want her to cut it, because she said a lady should know how to take care of her hair. Her nose was small, it wasn't straight but it complimented her dark brown eyes. Her thin red lips finished her overall beauty. She was a true beauty of a Filipina. A lot of men were interested in her, but she didn't pay them any attention. She was more focused on her studies. She wants to achieve her dreams for herself and her parents. It was almost dark. Elora decided to get up from the hammock and went inside to prepare their dinner. She was about to enter their house when a hand grabbed her arm. “Gabriel, what are you doing here?” her eyes widened in shock. “Visiting you, of course,” Gabriel answered with a lopsided grin plastered on his face. “It's already late and it’s getting dark... Um…w-what do you need from me?” she asked, trying to suppress the tremble in her tone. She was looking over his shoulder to check if her parents were coming. “You know my intentions with you, Elora, why are you so hard to persuade?” Gabriel grimly asked her. “I already answered you, Gabriel, so you can leave now!” she answered, raising her chin and looking directly into his eyes. “I will not accept it, Elora! You are mine and you will be mine, whether you like it or not!” Gabriel's eyes sharpened. He was clenching his jaw while his grip on her arm tightened. “What the hell Gabriel, let go of me! It hurts!” Elora shouted. She tried pulling her arm into the boy’s grip, but he wouldn’t budge. Gabriel was strong, his body was taut and firm because he was used to working at the farm. He was also big for a boy at his age. So Elora's struggle did nothing, because the more she struggled, the more his grip on her became tighter. Gabriel dragged her away from their house. He pulled her forcefully inside the path towards the mountains. His stride was so long and past that Elora was almost running, trying to keep up on his pace so she wouldn't stumble to the ground. “Gabriel let go of me!” she shouted at him, still trying to pull her arm from his grip. She tried beating his arm with her free hand, slapping and punching him. But Gabriel didn't seem to care what she was doing, he seemed unfazed by her beatings. Instead, he continued dragging her further and further into the forest. “Gabriel, please… let me go, I-it's getting late… and my parents will be looking for me. They will be home any time… Gabriel p-please… let's talk again tomorrow,” Elora begged at the boy. “Shut up! You can't go home, because tonight you will be mine! Hahahaha!” Gabriel said to her without looking at her. His face was full of malice, he continued to drag her forcefully at a quick pace into God knows where inside the forest. “G-Gabriel please…” Elora begged Gabriel once more, tears flowing down her face. But her lamentations were of no use to the boy. He was deaf to her pleas. He did not pay attention to her struggles and cries. Instead, he just continued walking deeper into the forest. His stride was fast, and his every step was precise. It looks like he knows the inside of the forest like the back of his hand. He was sure where he would go. On the other hand, Elora's parents had already returned home from the farm. They wondered why there was no light inside the house. They knew that Elora never left their home without their permission. When the couple entered their home, there was no Elora to greet them. The gas lamp was left untouched. The house stood in darkness. There was no trace of any combustion in the kitchen, which meant Elora didn’t cook any food for their dinner. Mang Berto lit one of the gas lamps that were on the table. “Elora!” he shouted, but no one answered him. “I don't have a good hunch, Berto. It's not your daughter's habit to leave without our knowledge,” Aling Elsa worriedly uttered. She was pacing back and forth in front of her husband. She took another gas lamp and lit it up to check the entire house. Their house wasn’t that big, so she knew that Elora wasn’t there. She just wanted to check again. Maybe their daughter was just asleep. Aling Elsa’s heart was pounding loudly in her chest. Her thoughts were going places but she didn't want to accept it. “Don't worry Elsa. I will find our daughter. Maybe some of her friends or classmates had come to fetch her and she just didn't have time to ask us for permission," Mang Berto comforted his wife when he saw her worried face. Mang Berto took the machete that was hanging on the wall of their kitchen and hung it around his waist. He also lit a torch to light his way outside. There was no moon to guide his path tonight, and it was dark outside. The Barangay proper was too far from their house but he was willing to walk that far to fetch his daughter. Mang Berto was worried and angry at his daughter at the same time, but he was determined to find her even if he needed to go from one house to another just to find her. “Ask everyone that knows our daughter, Berto. Don’t go back without her. I am worried,” Aling Elsa said to her husband. She clasped her hands to stop them from shaking. “It is uncommon for our daughter to leave without us knowing,” she added, her voice so low that Mang Berto almost couldn’t hear her. “Don't worry, Dear. I will fetch our daughter and bring her home safe and sound,” Mang Berto consoled his wife. He gently patted her back to assure her and never let her see the worry in his eyes. As they both walked out of their house, a shrill scream broke the silence of the night. Mang Berto and Aling Elsa stopped in their tracks. They looked at one another, their eyes talking for a second, then Mang Berto bolted inside the forest, while Aling Elsa was left at the front of their door, stunned, tears starting to flow in her eyes.