CHAPTER 2 [Note: There's a short mention of adultery, depression, and and death by one’s own hand in this chapter.]
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSIPOIDXjX
Mir was glad to report that, before she melted under the scorching sun, she found salvation in the form of a black pickup truck that stopped in front of them. The front passenger door opened and a man of medium height and build stepped out, smiling broadly.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡohXIAscpG0
“Vina, my niece!” he exclaimed, wrapping her in a tight bear hug.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAu3jqCpOl
Vina, not one to back down, returned with an even tighter bear hug while cheerfully exclaiming, “Uncle Lito!”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKozwQ5N0o
The man squeaked in pain, yelling out,
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW881o7Xaf0
“Ow, ow, OW! It hurts! You’re so thin, but why are you so strong?!”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgFAhrHPAs
“You’re fine, you’re fine,” Vina said sweetly, though her eyes glinted menacingly. She stepped back while smacking her uncle's arm repeatedly, as if the damage she had inflicted wasn’t enough.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJsgytOaq6t
“Ate Vina, Ate Mir,” a lively voice interrupted.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDw9Yz26Nq
Enzo, Uncle Lito’s only son, climbed out from behind the wheel to greet them and help with the luggage.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvda3d8MKBk
“Enzo! How are you, cuz?” Vina answered, abandoning her suffering uncle to hug her cousin quickly. She gave him an appraising look before flashing a grin and a thumbs up. “Looking great, I see.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJt2HFNUoln
Enzo laughed. “Thanks, I guess. It’s been so long – you should really visit more often”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbPQ9ecyqc
Then he and Uncle Lito turned to Mir who was standing quietly to the side observing them.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzqu59MKba
Uncle Lito had, unsurprisingly, gotten older, but he still looked strong and energetic. Enzo had gotten taller, and his features had become much sharper. He looked like the male version of his mom who was quite the beauty.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMBWNhamZp
“Mir, I’m so glad you could come,” Uncle Lito said warmly.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6v4SWUd5Ag
“It’s nice to see you again, Ate Mir,” Enzo added.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJ7kfm7255
Both embraced her in welcome, though Uncle Lito was far gentler with her than with Vina.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx8CQLdKZQK
“Thank you for having me,” Mir said with a smile.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoItrzY9G1L
“Still timid, I see,” Uncle Lito teased as he and his son began gathering their luggage.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9c5EXfSCe
They didn’t bring much, so their luggage was all stashed away at the back of the pickup in a jiffy. Mir and Vina got into the backseat of the vehicle.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65uY8GJBL8
“We’re really glad to have you here,” Uncle Lito started again as they pulled away from the airport.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpuIt7x8JC
“Ate Vina said she worked hard to take you along,” Enzo chimed in, talking to Mir. “I hope you weren't burdened.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDy0HNnT5y
“No, I’m glad you still remember me,” she responded sincerely. “Thank you for inviting me, too.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAAG7Dm7Lv
“Oh, you’re no stranger. Please visit us anytime – with or without Vina,” Uncle Lito laughed heartily.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQ8N8LQTnB
“By the way,” Vina interrupted as she stared ahead, clutching her seat belt. “Are we going to be okay? Can Enzo really drive? I’m scared.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhKr9XklN7
“Excuse you!” Enzo huffed. “I’ve been driving for a couple of years now.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyvsQkbY7j
“You sure?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJZAyEDsju
“I let him drive so he can get used to it,” Uncle explained. “It’s good to have someone to take turns on long trips.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrFwhYbYmC
“Well, I guess you can make him useful somehow,” Vina teased.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZ9rzjtnJ6
“That’s mean! I've always been useful!” Enzo protested.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYp7ByZX9d
“Sure you are!” Vina chuckled, then turned to her uncle. “Anyway, be honest with me.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgU4Qd9voS
“What?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZrn5J1NYa
“Although Ate Ena made the plans, you’re the one who insisted on this visit, aren’t you?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoNqrYshWd
“What? ‘Course not.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGn7t6XeuW
“And the reason is… you miss my mama, right?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvp34u73eW
“What makes you say that?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLctz6WJZR
“That's why you wanted to see my face!”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPW4TP303H9
Uncle Lito huffed.. “Well, I can’t really take time off work, but since Ena’s alone with her husband away on business, the timing was perfect. Can you blame me for suggesting it?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBFMW1LD1J1
“Don’t sweat it, Uncle,” Vina said with a laugh. “I know you just miss Mama—and me.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmi3NhrKpa
Uncle Lito clucked his tongue as his eyebrows furrowed.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO62U3zJRtE
“Even though we keep in touch, I still worry about you living alone. That bastard, your father... I pray your mama haunts the living daylights out of him.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEd60Nv3N42
Vina burst out laughing. “Come on, Uncle. Let mama rest in peace. She doesn’t need to waste her time on that sorry excuse of a man.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzpa727atd
Since it was a family matter, Mir – who knew the story anyway – looked out the window to give them some semblance of privacy, especially Uncle Lito, who had gotten a bit emotional.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYW1YlH6buy
Vina’s father had cheated on her mother. The man hadn’t even bothered to be discreet about it. Everyone in the neighborhood had known, which added to the humiliation her mother felt back then. Confronting the man only drove him further into the mistress’ embrace, and when she found out he had even fathered a child with that woman, her mother lost it. Her mental health took a nosedive and... unfortunately, she ended her own life.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIT06TmHO7
Mir remembered as if it were yesterday. Vina, who had always been like the sun – bright, joyful, warm – had become a violent thunderstorm after her mother’s death.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMpZZuNmjX9
At the wake, right by her mother’s coffin, she had pointed a finger at her own father, called him a murderer and swore that if Karma wasn’t fast enough, she’d take revenge herself.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRFCKKM6SV
In front of the many mourners that came to pay their respects, she had taken out a knife and charged. Her father had to flee in terror, tripping and scrambling along the way.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMr2eWhzsT
No one had helped him—no one wanted to. People only halfheartedly slowed Vina down, enough to keep her from stabbing him, because no one wanted her thrown in prison over a worthless creature.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxVrniFtyw
After the burial, Vina had changed again. From a violent thunderstorm, she had become an endless rain—gloomy and cold.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBE82iwt2Mq
She had been a teenager then, but she politely refused relatives who offered to take her in. Because of one person, her trust in blood and family had been tainted. In the end, she had accepted financial support, but lived a solitary life.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7tn2kyYlC
A year later, the cheating couple had gotten married. They had invited her to join them, but she sternly told them never to approach her again – or she would hire a mangkukulam.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqax5MmFsvF
To seal the threat, she lunged at their heads, pretending to pluck hair for a curse.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelfHPxs5XV
Mir laughed at the memory. The shrieks from the woman and the terror in the man's face – they were priceless.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0JIqDSdut
It was one of Mir's most precious memories.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGZuoySVy8
"Mir’s laughing by herself!" Vina accused, though she had a good idea why.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa1cwkb4xI
It’s fortunate Vina hadn’t stayed in darkness for too long. With the help of her friends and relatives, Vina had been able to move on and was now building a happy life for herself.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskNuAXT83q
“I was just remembering something,” Mir chuckled.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHFH4mPzhv
“Oh! I think I know what it is,” Uncle Lito said with a grin, giving Mir a high five. She laughed harder.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUqdqPF0zB
Ah, that pandemonium—Vina hurling herself at the couple like a wild animal, causing screams, falls, bruises, overturned furniture, and unnecessary panic—it was pure chaos, and unforgettable.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMibkUsFsB
When the laughter subsided, Uncle Lito sighed.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXGkXi8tam
“I’m always worried about you living alone. Maybe you should move here with us?”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk7qXb96VJ
“I like it better there, Uncle – and this is the hundredth time you’ve asked!” Vina laughed. “I’m happy as long as that man stays far, far away.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnK3H9YDQmA
Uncle Lito shook his head, still looking concerned, but did not press the issue. Instead, he said,
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKg9d2QXrhZ
“Well, just remember—you’re always welcome here. Both of you. Come anytime you need fresh air.”
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mxYSzQdWc
“Thanks!” Vina chirped.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6hGfznWeE
“Thank you,” Mir echoed.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLccJfYWDD3
The conversation carried on as the pickup sped through the small town. Mir mostly listened, content to look at the scenery outside the window.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0m3l2CfJLq
Between the airport and their destination, there wasn't much to see. Lining the road were humble homes, little shops, plots filled with vegetation, and occasional small-scale rice paddies. Through gaps in the trees and structures, she also caught glimpses of the sea and the faint silhouette of a mountain.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxAZB7S2BU
The drive wasn’t long. Soon enough, the pickup rolled to a stop at their destination.
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKemLsH54pG
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsi2N1Ob5p3
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYE98IIFEKl
NOTES:
1. mangkukulam – black sorcerer or witch who casts curses on their victims with the intention to harm, may sometimes even end in the death of the victim
2. ate (Name) [AH-teh] - (Ex. Ate Ena) an honorific that means “older sister”, may also be used for any female who’s a few years older than the speaker, blood-related or not
3. Western Visayas (mentioned in Chapter 1) - an administrative region in the Philippines located in the western portion of the Visayas archipelago [The Philippines has 3 major islands: Luzon (north), Visayas (middle), Mindanao (south)]
26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8PgrQZgZI
AUTHOR’S MESSAGE:
Hi! I’m Vanda and I really want to introduce Philippine folklore to the global audience. Each book will feature Vina and Mir + guests (depending on where they are going), and a mythical creature or a local belief or concept. This is not intended to be a hardcore novel, by the way. This is more like a simple story-telling of what happens when two best friends go on trips, but somehow experience weird situations. Each chapter will only be 1,200 – 1,700 words because I’ve learned from a previous project that I need to pace myself or face burnout. Yep, definitely learned my lesson.
I also need to explain that I’m just a novice writer with no backing. Naming may cause trouble, so I can’t drop names, locations, or even use precise landmarks – just the acceptable general direction (ex. an island in Western Visayas, a popular lighthouse up a hill, an old church famous for its bells from 1700s, etc.). The Philippines is a country full of different ethno-linguistic groups. For now, I will be covering creatures that are considered national rather than regional. And in the future, if it becomes possible, maybe I will receive the right to talk about the more indigenous ones. Let’s see where this takes us. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. 26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPc3Ka4MQB
and then Add to home screen.