*Seaso's P.O.V.*
My heart is beating erratically in my chest as Collin opened the car's backdoor. "Hey." Collin said with a smile that's full of worry, of course, Sean told him. I immediately hugged him, hopping it would help me come down. "You'll be fine." He whispered when he gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"What if I won't make it? I'm not ready." I said when we let go of the hug.
"You can." That was Sean who just came out of the car. I pivoted out of Collin's embrace and faced my brother.
"Just in case I don't... I love you. And I don't really hate father, Sheena, and Sheila too." I said and my brother just shook his head.
"Don't loose hope." He said, hugging me.
"It's hard not to, when you're not really certain of what you're going to do." I said, tightening my hold on him.
I saw Teodoro, motioning for me to come to him, so I did. "So, you had an initial encounter with the dwarf here, right?" He asked.
"How did you know?" I asked.
"I saw it when I was checking on you, that is how I knew everything." He explained.
"Yes. But I wasn't sure of what I saw until you showed up and told me that I'm cursed by a duwende." I confirmed, trying out the tagalog term on my lips.
"Then you can call him out just by his mound. You need to be alone though." He instructed as we walked by the porch, rounding to the left side of the property while the others tailed us.
"Teodoro, I'm not sure how much tagalog I can understand and use." I said honestly.
"Season?" I turned when Collin spoke. The afternoon sun kissed his features, pronouncing his handsome face. "I have a lapel. Maybe we can use it to aid you." He suggested and a ray of hope lit me up. I turned to Teodoro and he nodded in approval. So he ran inside the house and we all anticipated his return, which didn't take that long. When he returned, he handed me the lapel and I wore the earbuds, clipping the microphone thing under my collar while he held the speaker.
"I best be going." I announced, taking a deep breath. I didn't listen to what they have to say, lest I'd be emotional all over again, and I want this to be done as soon as possible, if it actually works. Not that I doubt Teodoro and his suggestion. I took a shaky breath as I felt a different sensation when I neared the mound. Maybe because I know the elf or the dwarf that resides there just cursed me. That thought alone irritated my throat, making me cough. Gosh. But maybe it's something else that's making me feel this way? Like, the cool breeze on a hot afternoon, perhaps?
I don't have time to fret about those things because I finally am standing right in front of the mound. Just like we practiced, I called out to the little old man, sounding as tagalog as I can. Cause my western accent really prevails, if you get what I mean. "Nuno? Nuno?" That's what they call him, nuno sa punso. Yes, I am still struggling to pronounce it correctly. When I didn't hear an answer, nor did I see him pop out of the mound like he did the other day, I called out again. More demanding, this time. "Nuno, alam kong nanjan ka. Nais kitang makausap." Okay, that is as far as my tagalog can go actually, I mean that's the introductory part that we rehearsed earlier. If he doesn't show up by this manner, Teodoro would have to step in, as he said. But it's too soon for that. I was gonna call out for the third time when, the soil at the top of the mound broke, as if a little volcano just erupted, it's just that, it wasn't lava that came out. But rather, a grumpy looking, little, old man emerged, glaring at me fiercely.
"Ano ang kailangan mo?" He all but spat at me. I understand that, he's asking me what I want.
Now, let me articulate this properly, as best as I could, of course. "Paumanhin kung nagambala kita, at kung may nagawa akong mali sayo at sa minamahal mo." I started. Although I'm not so sure if I sounded sincere or a bit funny with my accent because his grumpy face turned grumpier. But he sure is listening so I might as well continue. "Ngunit nagawa ko lang 'yon para iligtas ang kaibigan ko. Sabihin mo, paano mo ako mapapatawad?" Wow, uttering those statements feels like eating a foreign dish, tastes so different, especially coming from my own mouth.
"Sabihin mo, kapatawaran ba talaga ang nais mo o, ang lunas sa sakit na binigay ko sayo?" He asked, eerily calm. Now, to hell with this, I don't quite understand him now.
Teodoro and mama must've noticed that they didn't really teach me the translation of that statement because I heard the albularyo's voice through the earplugs. "He's asking you if you want his forgiveness - kapatawaran, or the cure for the curse he gave you - ang lunas." Well, that translation just gave me a new reason to be confused. First of all, if you want me to be honest, I'm still torn between being guilty that I killed someone and being happy that I saved another. So, I don't really know if I really am sorry for killing that manananggal, and what's there to forgive when you're not really sorry? Secondly, it's obvious that I don't want to die just yet, not this way. However, if I choose the latter over the former, he'd think that I am selfish and unworthy of being saved from this curse. What am I to answer?
Well, I could say; you know what nuno, I do feel guilty that I killed somebody at the same time, it's no secret that I came here for the cure. So, I'm begging for your forgiveness so that I'd be healed from all of this, no matter what kind of healing that is. And it would sound really humble that, he might as well consider healing me, right? Problem is, how the hell will I translate that? I heard Teodoro say something through the earpiece however, I didn't quite get it as I was startled when the nuno spoke again.
"Ano? Bakit hindi ka makasagot?" He challenged. I was hit by the gentle cool breeze and something strange happened. I felt a light sensation inside my head and when he spoke again, "Hindi ka ba iimik?" I understood! I really did! He asked if whether or not I would say something! Wow, whatever happened to me is a miracle.
And when I spoke, I can't believe what I heard! " Nuno, pinagsisisihan ko po ang nagawa ko sa babaeng iyon, kahit na ginawa ko iyon upang maligtas ang kaibigan ko. Alam ko naging makasarili ako sa parteng iyon at hindi ko na lang sana sya pinaslang. Ngunit aaminin ko rin na nandito nga ako upang magsumamong pagalingin mo ako, na tanggalin mo na ang sumpang ito sakin. Dahil totoong nagsisisi ako, maawa ka." Wow! That tagalog didn't taste so different. I am certain that I am hearing my voice but I don't believe that I can speak tagalog that fluently or that I would sound more tagalog than English, given the limited amount of time that I had in learning the language. Is it really me?
I heard the shock that my family and friends felt when they heard me say what I just said, oblivious to the fact that I feel that same shock too. But, it's pleasing to say the least, because I saw a flicker of emotion on the nuno's face and he spoke. "Kung gayun, nais ko malaman mo na lahat ng gusto mong makuha ay may kapalit." He started. I nodded, understanding fully well, still very overwhelmed by this new found ability, or whatever it is, as long as it's helping me right now. "At kung gamot ang gusto mo, may ipapakuha ako sa iyongisang sangkap. Sumama ka sa tahanan ko." He continued, offering his smaller hand.
"Go, but be careful." Teodoro said. I took a deep breath and took his advice, taking the nuno's hand and as soon as I did, it's like a tornado sucked me in to a different realm. A realm where I became of the same height as the previously, little old man. I looked around in amazement to the place that we're in. It's as awestruvking as Lumayan, it's just that, the fact that everything here seems to be covered in gold is the main reason why I'm awestruck. This nuno is freaking rich!
"Ito ang aking tahanan." He started off after I viewed the place, his home, at a 360 degrees angle and concluded that everything in here is really gold. He started walking towards the biggest building that I saw and I followed him. Even if he's walking infront of me, I can tell that he's keeping an eye on me, and yes, my eyes wandered from left to right, amazed by the carvings made in the gold railings and eventually on the pillars and the walls. If I thought Lumayan is fairy tale land, hell! This place is golden land hahahaha, the gold diggers would find heaven here, for sure. "Humahanga ako sa pinapakita mo." My roaming eyes went straight to his when he spoke, but did I hear him correctly? "Ibig ko sabihin ay, malikot ang kamay ng mga tao. Nais nilang mahawakan ang mga bagay na kinamamanghaan nila. Ngunit, hindi mo man lang ginalaw ang kamay mo upang haplusin ang mga rehas na dinaanan natin." I nodded in understanding, perhaps it's against the rules to touch anything in here.
"Hindi naman ako nandito para sa mga yan. Sabihin mo, paano ko makukuha ang lunas sa sumpang ibinigay mo sa akin?" I said in a rather demanding manner, woah, is that really me?
"Tuwiran ka magsalita. Mainam. Halika, nandito ang nais mo." He said with a pleased nod as he led mo to a corridor. I noticed that we are the only ones in this expensive looking place, making me wonder if he lived here all alone. He opened a heavy bolted door and the blinding light of the treasures in there greeted us. "Sa silid na ito ay may isang pulang dyamante. Ang nag-iisang pulang dyamanteng matatagpuan sa lupain ko na may kapangyarihang bawiin ang sumpang napakawalan ko. Kunin mo ito at ito lamang. Kung lalapat ang kamay mo sa ibang bagay na nasa silid ay hindi ka na makakalabas ng buhay, naiintindihan mo?" His instructions made me inhale deeply.
"Opo." I said. Then he gave me one last look before he left somewhere. I don't know if I was just nervous but I feel a certain heaviness in my chest that had me coughing a few times. Gosh! I need to hurry before the temporary antidote's effect wears off. So, I did hurry. I didn't waste another second and stepped inside the room. I felt the air being sucked out of my lungs as I saw the amount of gold jewels glimmering in piles inside the room. How am I to find the red precious stone that he's talking about? Or let me rephrase that, how am I to find it without touching anything else? Like, what if it's under one of those piles? I decided to quit wondering and start looking for it. My footstep's echo is the only thing that I can hear and when I managed to walk past the first pile of gold that is twice my height, the heavy doors closed with a loud bang. Gosh! I'm trapped inside cause I'm not allowed to touch anything, how will I ever open it? My heart started frantically beating, torn between how I will find that precious stone and how I will get out of here. But I just took a deep breath.
I sharpened my vision as I examined every pile that's in the room. The first pile was all gold peices of various shapes and sizes. The second was the same, and so was the third. As I walked deeper into the room, the piles are getting higher and higher and the floor becomes thinner, as if it's a frozen lake, a lake with gold waters to be exact. I was inspecting the fourth pile when the ground that I stepped on suddenly cracked under my feet so I retracted my step. I need to be a little lighter and to do that, I need to move a little quicker. So that's what I did.
Using the techniques of martial arts, I moved as light as a feather through the thinning ice-like structure and when I was a few distance away from the massive fifth pile, I stopped altogether as I saw the needed red precious stone sitting at the very top of it. It's the only red thing in this place so it's impossible to miss it. However, it's hard to get my hands on it because of its position. I have to climb in that pile and hello? I need to used my hands to do that, unless I use another trick in martial arts that I'm not quite good at. But it's worth the shot. I stepped backwards, just at the base of the fourth pile and extended my right leg, preparing for the first step, which is the sprint. After a good intake of air, I made a run for it and when I am halfway towards the fifth pile, I executed the second step, the leap. I mode a powerful jump, hoping that I launched myself on an angle that would make me land at the very top however, I failed. I landed at just three-fouth of the height of the pile, thankful that there was a big, solid gold chunk that I was able to utilize as I landed on my toes, pushing back my weight again so I'd fall on the thin ice that produced a huge crack, due to the impact of my landing.
Yes I didn't make it the first time but, I ain't giving up because of that. And after three more tries, I found myself feeling as light as air in the middle of my leap, it's as if I'm able to walk on air itself. Maybe it happened for a fraction of a second but my hand was able to reach te red precious stone and I clung to it as I landed. I DID IT! I managed to land at the summit of the pile, touching nothing but the precious stone. Well that's a relief.
"Let's get you down then..." I murmured and when I made a move to displace the stone from its place, the gold pieces below me slid down and I almost slipped as I saw that the stone is actually of the same height as myself in this dwarf form. "How am I supposed to carry this?" I exclaimed, really stressed by now. I didn't have time to think about it though cause without the many gold pieces that are piled around its mid-section, the precious stone was out balanced hence its weight now leaned towards me, making me slip as well. I quickly held on tight to the precious stone as I, along with it, slid down the gigantic pile. When I reached the very bottom, the ground started to shake and the ceilings cracked. I realized that I accidentally touched a piece of gold. I mean it's impossible not to, after that fall. But the nuno said, if I touch something else, I won't be able to get out alive! But I can't succumb to defeat just yet. I pulled the heavy stone towards the entrance and marvelled how it slid on the ice-like thing. So when the ground shook more violently I mounted myself on the stone and used it like a surfboard so that I get on there faster. When I was midway to the blocked entrance, debris from the ceiling started falling and I had to maneuver around to not be smashed by them. Everything is crumbling down when I reached the close door, since the room is about to shatter anyway, I broke the rule. I touched the door handle and pushed it open with all of my strength.
I managed to open it and the first thing that I did was make the precious stone roll outside. And when I was about one step into going out, the ceiling above me fell right on me! I thought that, that would be the end of me, however, I somehow managed to lean forward, making it fall only on my lower half, protecting my head. Gosh! Gosh! I tried to lift my lower half but it was to no use because that debris is very heavy. So I resorted to crawling my way out but, once again, I felt the energy draining out of my body and not even adrenaline can counter its downward pull on my strength. The ground in the room kept shaking and debris continued collapsing despite my loss of energy. I don't know if it was just me but I saw a pair of feet covered in buckskin and trousered legs infront of me. Before I could even think of looking up, I felt the weight of the debris above me being lifted away, and my body being dragged gently out of the room. I know my hips and legs are badly bruised that's why it took me some time to actually be stable on my feet but even so, I decided to just plop down on the ground beside the precious stone. I breathed in and coughed, I looked around to see who was that that helped me but, I found the hallway empty. Did I just imagine that then? And I cringed as my eyes landed on the, now broken room. Gosh! The nuno's not gonna be happy.
Just as I thought that, I heard someone giving me around of applause. And when I look at the hall infront of me, I saw the nuno rounding the corner, still putting his hands together, clapping. "Nakakamangha. Nakakamangha na nabuhay ka pa matapos ang nangyare." He said and for a second, I found it hard to decipher what he said but as surprising as the first time, I did manage to understand him.
"Nandito na po ang pulang dyamanteng hinihingi ninyo. Uho-uho... Maaari nyo na po ba akong paggalingin?" I heard myself responding although I'm still astonished. But yes, I do need the cure right now, especially because the temporary one seems to be wearing out fast.
"Nagawa mo naman ang pinagawa ko, kahit na medyo may nalabag ka, okay na lang din iyon." He nodded along his statement as he took the stone and positioned it the way that it was positioned on the pile earlier. It was only then that I was able to examine it properly. I noticed how there handprints on its shiny sides until the nuno asked me to place my right hand over a certain handprint and I did as I was told. "Napatawad ko na sya sa kanyang nagawa," he started as the stone lit up, "kaya nais ko na na bawiin ang aking sumpa. Itong karamdamang dumapo sa kanya ng bigla, ay maaari nang mawala." The stone glowed brighter after his rhyming phrases and a sort of a reddish mist surrounded us. It made me feel a healing caress hence I knew that he was true with his words.
When I felt like my sudden sickness has disappeared, the mist gradually faded and the stone stopped glowing. "S-salamat nuno." I stuttered out. His calm looking face turned grumpy all of a sudden.
"Ayan, magaling ka na. Maari ka nang umalis." Eh? Mood swings?
"Uhhh, pwede ko ba itanong kung paano ako makakaalis dito?" I asked reasonably. I mean hello? We just went 'pop' when we came in here earlier so, how am I to know the way out.
He sighed, clearly annoyed. "Nakita mo ang toreng iyon, sa likod nyan nanjan ang lagusan palabas. Tumalon ka lang at makakalabas ka na." He said with a devilish grin that made me doubt his statement. But then again, I don't see anyone else here, so I just have to listen to him. Speaking of him, he swiftly walked away, carrying the stone as if it weighs nothing at all. Damn! He doesn't look quite heartbroken and grieving now by the way, or was it just me?
Anyways, that's not my concern right now as I started heading off to the tower he pointed earlier. "Ahh!" I groaned as my lower back started aching really bad as I walked. Even my legs felt a burning sensation. Fuck! What did I expect after that ceiling came down on me anyway? I just tried to bear the pain, limping my way to the back of the tower which wasn't very far. I was out of breath when I managed to reach my destination though but my breath caught in my throat when I saw the really deep ravine stretching infront of me and all the sharp edged rocks that protruded on its sides. The nuno's devilish smile appeared in my mind and his instructions that told me to jump on this horrified me.
I don't know if it was the bad bruises or the really scary ravine but my heart started beating at a rate so fast that everything because unbearable and eventually, everything faded away in thin air.