When Back In Time

ESPERANZA OPENED her eyes.

She sat up and noticed she was laying on a soft mattress.

She looked around and learned she was sleeping on a four-poster bed with dr.a.p.es and a canopy. This was not totally her bed, nor her bedroom. Where was she?

She felt a searing ache on her head. Holding her forehead, she noticed it had bulged.

"What is this?" Esperanza asked as she touched it. It felt like fabric. Tracing the fabric wrapped around her forehead using her fingers, she learned that her head was bandaged. 'Why?' she asked herself.

The door opened and a woman came in, wearing a full wide dark blue 'saya' or skirt that has a long train, a 'tapis' which is a knee-length over-skirt that hugs over her h.i.p.s, a white bodice which is known as 'camisa' (a collarless chemise which hem is at the waist), and a 'panuelo' or a big square cloth folded triangularly which she worn as a collar.

'That dress she wears,' Esperanza thought to herself as she eyed the 1800's outfit, 'Why she's wearing that?'

The woman looked like at her 20's. She has slightly dark skin, a beautiful round shaped eyes, she has a long straight black hair, she is tall and extremely beautiful.

On her hand, she was holding a wooden tray with food and water.

'Who is she?' Esperanza asked herself.

The woman smiled at her and greet, "Gising ka na pala. Ipinagluto kita ng almusal, nawa'y magustuhan mo." (You are awake. I cook your breakfast, I hope you like it)

Esperanza started, "S-sino ka? At nasa'n ako?" (Who are you? Where am I?)

The woman laid the tray on the mattress and sat next to Esperanza. She said, "Ako si Clara Ibara at nandito ka sa tahanan ko." (I am Clara Ibara and you are in my house)

Esperanza clutched her forehead, "Wha----- A-ano'ng nangyari sa'kin?" (Wha---- What happen to me?)

Clara answered, "Tanghaling tapat kahapon, ikaw ay nabunggo ng isang kalesa at nawalan ng malay. Buti at hindi malubha ang pagkakatama ng iyong ulo sa bato." (Yesterday noon, you were hit by a calash and lose your consciousness. It is great that you didn't hit your head badly on a rock)

Esperanza staggered as she tried to remember what happened to her yesterday.

She remembered she was trying to turn the hands of her wristwatch but in vain. She tried it with pliers and after a lot of attempts, the wristwatch malfunctioned and started to rotate its hands in a counter-clockwise, nonstop. And then there was a tornado s.u.c.k.i.n.g and destroying everything, then darkness, light, she was running and then she was hit by that kalesa, a horse with a carriage at its back.

Clara asked her, "Maari ko bang malaman ang pangalan mo?" (May I know your name?)

"E-esperanza ho, Esperanza Valdez," she answered.

Clara asked, astonished, "Valdez? Kakaibang apilyedong mayroon ka. Mukhang isa kang dayuhan dito sa bayan. Maaring malaman kung taga-saan ka? Nasaan ang mga magulang mo?" (Valdez? You've got a weird last name. You look like you are not from here. Where are you from? Where are your parents?)

Esperanza looked at Clara. The way Clara talked to Esperanza perplexed the latter.

Esperanza held her hand in confusion and noticed something. She touched her right wrist and noticed 'it' was missing. She looked at her wrist and looked around.

Where was it?

Clara, as she looked at the worried face of Esperanza, asked the latter, "Ano ang hinahanap mo?" (What are you searching at?)

"Relo. 'Yong relo ko nawawala," Esperanza said and looked all over the bed. (Wristwatch. My wristwatch, I can't find it.)

"Relo? Ito ba iyong kakaibang maliit na bagay na hawak-hawak mo kahapon? Ito ba 'yon?" (Wristwatch? Is it that weird small thing you were holding yesterday? Are you referring to this?) Clara took the wristwatch from the drawer near the bed.

Esperanza immediately took it and stared at it. She heard Clara mumbled about not only the wristwatch was weird but also on how Esperanza dressed herself yesterday.

After a few moments, Clara left Esperanza. Esperanza looked at her room and at her wristwatch. The hands of it were no longer moving. She tried to move the crown but the hands were still not budging. Why? Why the wristwatch was not working?

She looked around. 'What's going on?'

Esperanza decided to go outside the bedroom. The interior of the house was weird as she noticed it while descending the wooden stairs.

Esperanza noticed the weirdness she felt before. The way Clara talked to her was weird. The way Clara speak purely and deeply was weird. And how she dresses was weird.

After Esperanza went outside the house she noticed buildings she once saw in Philippine traditional movies. No----- they were not just buildings but houses.

The 'bahay na bato' or stone houses were constructed with stones and bricks, timber and other wooden materials that elevated the house. The houses had brick lower walls as a foundation, with an overhanging, wooden upper story with bal.u.s.trades. The sliding windows of each house were not made of glass but made by woods. The roofs were also tiled.

These houses or 'bahay na bato' were totally from a different era.

Esperanza looked around. The people around her were wearing traditional clothes. Men wore Barong Tagalog (a collarless shirt that had designs on its pina fabric and laces). Meanwhile, the women wore "Maria Clara" dress, just like the dress Clara wore.

Now, they are weirdly wearing dresses from a different era.

A woman, who was holding a basket full of vegetables, passed by.

Esperanza drew next to her. "Excuse me?" she started.

The woman looked at her with furrowed eyebrows, not understanding what she just said.

"I mean----- pwede ho ba ako magtanong? Anong taon na po ba ngayon?" (I mean------ may I ask you a question? What year is it?)

The woman who was skeptical answered her that it was the year 1892.

This was taken Esperanza aback. Year 1892? Not 2019? But... Year 1892? What's going on?

Esperanza heard a loud thud sound behind her.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

She looked around and tried to determine where she heard the sound.

"Iha (Child)," an old man spoke. Esperanza looked at her left and saw an old man on his 60's wearing the same Barong Tagalog. On his hand, he was holding his wooden cane. The old man spoke again, "Nahulog mo ang iyong panuelo." (You drop your panuelo)

"Panuelo?" Esperanza asked. She asked herself, 'What is a panuelo?'

She looked at her foot and saw a big handkerchief, which was supposed to be on her neck, was now laying on the ground. She looked at the old man and thank him.

Esperanza sat down and picked it up.

The old man tapped his cane on the ground loudly and vigorously.

Then Esperanza felt the temperature dropped.

She felt chills.

A deep and loud voice spoke, "Tapping the time is forbidden for a human. You, who toyed with time carelessly shall perish. Receive your consequence, human. Forever be trapped in this time."

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.