When Back In Time

SHE ONLY had 3 days and less than half the day to finish the quest.

As she and Pepe traversed their way out the forest, they met someone.

A handsome man with a jet black hair. He has dark well-trimmed eyebrows, charcoal eyes, and neat Barong Tagalog. He looked on his 25 or 27.

He was looking around, looking lost. He raised the cane he was holding in frustration.

Esperanza noticed that men in this time period used cane even though they don't have any disability or even sprain their ankle. They used it as kind of like their fashion or something.

He stepped back and comb his head. "Tsk!"

"Umm," Pepe started.

The handsome man looked at their direction and beamed widely.

Pepe asked, "Mayroon po bang problema ginoo?" (Is there a problem Mr.?)

"Ah!" the handsome man inched towards them, "Hinahanap ko kasi ang magandang asawa ko. Eh, hindi ko siya makita. Sabi niya maghihintay siya dito sa gubat. Pero... Sadyang ang laki ng gubat na ito hindi ko parin mahanaphanap ang minamahal ko." (I'm looking for my beautiful wife. I can't find her. She said she will wait for me in this forest. But... This forest is so huge I can't have a chance to find my beloved)

Pepe and Esperanza frowned. Why would they meet in the forest anyway? That's kind of strange.

"Ngayon mukhang nawawala na ako. Hindi ko na alam kung papaano makakalabas sa gubat," he said. (Now it looks like I'm lost. I don't know how I could get out from this forest)

"Uh ginoo," she started, "Papalabas na din kami dito sa gubat. Kung gugustuhin mo, mamari kang sumama sa amin."(Uh mister. We are going outside the forest now. If you want, you can join us)

The handsome man looked at Esperanza and was shocked to notice her for the first time. This made her eyebrow raised.

The handsome man apologized.

He introduced himself to the two. His name was Saragnayan.

Esperanza remembered the beautiful woman she met before, Yawa, she was also looking for her husband just like Saragnayan looking for his wife.

Esperanza asked Saragnayan if he knew Yawa.

The handsome Saragnayan's eyebrows furrowed. He scolded her for uttering such bad word.

She was taken back. What did she do?

Saragnayan warned her, "Binibini, huwag na huwag mo ulit babanggitin ang maruming salita na iyon." (Miss, don't you ever say that bad word, ever)

She was startled, "Bakit naman po?" (Why? )

He said it's a curse word. A young lady like her should never use such filthy word. "At isa pa, kapag babanggitin mo ang salita na iyon ay para ka na ring tumatawag sa demonyo. Dahil ang salita na iyon ay nangangahulugan na 'diyablo'" (And one more thing, if you utter that word it is as if you are summoning a demon. Because that word means 'devil')

Chill ran through their spines.

'But,' she reasoned to herself, 'I'm not calling out the demon or even cursing. That's truly her name.'

The three continued to walk. Saragnayan noticed the bandaged ankle of Esperanza and fingers of Pepe, and also the bloody mess on his forehead and nose. Moreover, the scratches and wounds on their body and their torn clothes.

They said it was a long story. They trip, they get injured, they lied.

They could not tell Saragnayan the truth about the two civil guards chasing them from Luzon up to here in Visayas. He might start to ask more questions and dig up that Pepe was a rebel who's being chased by the government.

When they finally went outside the forest, two people awaited their arrival.

It was the two men in blue uniforms with red wool collar and cuffs, had black hats on their heads with tortoiseshell visor.

One of the cops hit the poor Saragnayan on his face with the b.u.t.t of his rifle. Saragnayan fell to the ground, with a bleeding nose.

'Oh no!' she thought to herself.

"Ngayon," one of the cops said and looked at the Esperanza and Pepe, who were starting to step back, "Hindi ka na makakatakas pa sa amin." (Now, you can no longer escape us)

.....

Esperanza only had 3 days, 7 hours, 59 mimutes and 1second before deadline.

Tic. Toc.