When Back In Time

"AM I..."

Esperanza looked around her. She was on the seashore.

In front of her was a balangay (plank boat) afloat on the water. On it was a familiar woman wearing a black grieving dress a black veil on her head. Even though her face was covered by the veil, Esperanza still remembered the goddess' face. She remembered the goddess walking n.a.k.e.d on the ship. She remembered this goddess who made that horrible storm that almost killed her and everybody else. The horrifying deeds she did to her still chills Esperanza.

Here, the goddess looked so calm and not horrifying.

Thinking what happened to Esperanza and that stormy day made her shivered, thinking that she almost died. But...

What's the point of feeling that way anymore...

"Yes," the goddess said, "after all the ruckus you've made from above, yes, finally you are dead."

Esperanza was shocked. "Here? Where?"

"Welcome to Sulad, the land of the souls," the goddess replied. "Souls..." Esperanza paused but then uttered, "So I am dead."

And then she remembered how Saragnayan's huge foot kicked her face with a massive force that breaks her neck. She held her face.

"Don't worry. Your face looked fine. Now, come in soul and I will ferry you to Sulad," the goddess Maguayen, the deity of sea and underworld, said.

Esperanza boarded the balangay and sat down on the bench.

The goddess started paddling the balangay. The balangay cruised on the tranquil and calm sea.

"So..." Esperanza started with disbelief, "Am I really dead?"

Maguayen only smiled melancholy.

The dead soul bowed her head and uttered, "After all my struggles to survive. But here I am, traveling towards Su... Su what?"

"Sulad," the goddess replied, "Or underworld where dead souls go."

Esperanza knitted her fingers. She sighed. "Do you... Do you know what is happening? Because I don't understand everything that is happening. Why did both Agustin and Jose Rizal having those peculiar black eyes? Who really is the villain here, is it Bangun Bangun or that monster? When I was still alive, did I do the right thing or was I only manipulated? I don't know what I'm saying, I don't know why I'm saying this to you... "

"You are confused, " Maguayen said. The goddess lifted the veil from her face and revealed her beautiful face.

"Tell me... Tell me the truth because I don't know what to believe anymore...."

The goddess looked at her in pity and started, "It is a shame that a human like you is a victim between gods' war." She let go of the oar and sat down face to face with Esperanza. The oar moved on their own accord, keeping the balangay sailing.

"The world above, or the mortal world is in a big mess after what had Saragnayan done. He tried to defeat Bangun Bangun but luckily he failed."

Esperanza inquired, "Who is Saragnayan? I... I once met him before and he was a good man who's looking for his wife and also a... how can he change into that monstrous feature? He was human a second ago but then he suddenly became like that."

"Saragnayan is a god too, like Bangun Bangun, like me. He is the god of Darkness, Chaos, Evil you named it. He can shape-shift but his true form was the last feature you have seen him, a monster with black skin, red eyes and tusks. His power can manipulate people or animals to bid to his wishes. He is an evil spellcaster. He can make a good man inexplicably do evil actions or why a peaceful community is plunged into chaos. He can also control or command malevolent spirits whom he commands to disrupt the community way of life and create war and strife throughout the land at night. He loves seeing chaos and bloodshed. He is almost invulnerable. That's why Bangun Bangun made a good choice of retreating because he can never defeat Saragnayan, no one can, to be more precise."

"All the stuff that happened to me," Esperanza said, "Is it his doing?"

The goddess only looked at her with melancholic eyes.

"That god always loves chaos and bloodshed," the goddess said, "Whatever he is doing, there's no rational reason for it but only bad intentions. That's why we are doing our best to prevent things to happen. But it is hard to defeat him because he is cunning and ruthless. And if his, after all this time, was Bangun Bangun, then the humanity and the world is in grave danger."

"Why is that?"

"If Bangun Bangun will be killed by Saragnayan, then there will infinite chaos. There will be no one who can go back to time and redo things, to prevent things from happening."

The mist was starting to lift. The voyage was getting darker and darker by the minute.

"Do... Do you know where this boat is leading us?" Esperanza asked curiously as she saw that Maguayen still wasn't holding the oar.

"Don't worry," the goddess assured, "We are here."

Suddenly from the darkness, light looms. Waterlilies floating on the water lit up. A path was made within the waterlilies that led to the biggest gate Esperanza had ever seen. It was a huge, golden gate.

Her mouth gaped in bewilderment.

The gate opens widely. On the port, flowers bloom and shine like diamonds.

The balangay stopped on the port. Maguayen said, "Disembark now, soul."

Esperanza leaps out from the balangay. When she turns, she saw Maguayen start stirring the oar.

"Wait.... Where are you going?" Esperanza asked.

"More visitors to attend to... Enjoy your stay in Sulad," the goddess said and turned her back on her.

"But...." she looked around the port.

"Don't worry, mama just have some business to attend to."

Esperanza turned around in shock and saw a beautiful lady, whose feature is similar to the goddess of the underworld, Maguayen.

"Who are----" but before Esperanza could continue what she's about to say, the lady replied.

"Hi, dead soul. My name is Lidagat. Welcome to Sulad. And I am here as your tour guide. Come, let's go inside the hotel," Lidagat said.

"What... What hotel?"