Chapter 7: Talampas ng Daloy

13th Day, Sa Panahon ng Daloy:

Nababalot ang paligid ng dilim. Sa ikalabing-tatlong araw sa Panahon ng Daloy ang mundo ay pugad ng dilim at liwanag. Ang Liwanag na unang bunga ng Daloy ay tumatanghoy sa mundo ng kalikhaan. Kalikhaan na unang bunga ng Dilim. Dilim na bunsong anak ng Daloy. Mula sa Liwanag sa araw na ito, umusbong ang Labintatlong Bantay. At kumalat ang Liwanag sa sangkalikhaan. Malalaki, maliliit, sa lupa at sa tubig, maging sa himpapawid, ang bawat nilikha ay sumailalim sa lakas ng mga Bantay. Batid ng labintatlo ang lakas na taglay at ang iisang mithiing ibinahagi ng Liwanag sa kanilang paglalang. Mithiing puro at kalooban ng Daloy. Sa kaniyang pagsang-ayon at pagtugon sa kagustuhan ng Daloy, and Dilim ay lumikha ng Talampas na siyang magiging tahanan ng mga Bantay. Talampas na nakaugnay sa sangkalupaan. At ang Daloy ay nagalak at ipinamahagi ang Daloy sa mga Bantay. Sa Daloy na ipinamahagi nabigyang uri ang mga Bantay. Sa Labintatlo umusbong si Hanginon, ang Panginoon ng Hangin. Sa Talampas ng Daloy siya ay pumalagi. At sa pagtuklas sa ugnay na hatid ng Talampas, nabatid ni Hanginon ang kalangitan. At dito pinamahagi ang Hangin ng Buhay. At ang mga nilikha ay naging kabahagi ng pagsilang, pag-usbong, pag-habi at pag-ikot ng hangin. Sa dugo ng lahat ng sangkalikhaan nanahan ang Hangin ng Buhay...

Sa Mga Huling Araw ng Daloy:

Sa labintatlo, si Hanginon ay naging palalo. Dahil sa ugnay na hindi mapuputol sa sangkalikhaan, nabatid niya ang kapangyarihang taglay. Sa mga huling araw ng Daloy isinilang ang sangkatauhan. Sa lahat ng nilikha, tanging mga tao lamang ang may diwa na nagmula sa Daloy. At dito umusbong ang kanilang pag-tuklas sa mundo na pinagbunga ng mga Bantay. Sa buong sangkalikhaan natuklasan ng mga Bantay na ang diwa na tanging sa Daloy lamang makikita ay sa tao ipinagkatiwala. Sa mga huling araw ng Daloy ang mga Bantay ay nawalan ng lakas at naidlip sa dilim ng walang hanggan. Tanging si Hanginon na natuklasan ang lakas sa ugnay na natanto sa sangkalikhaan ang kumawala sa pagtulog at naibahagi ang sarili sa Hangin ng Buhay. Ang Talampas ng Daloy na pinamumugaran ng mga Bantay na naiidlip ay muling kinupkop ng Dilim.

Sa pag-usbong ng Sangkatauhan sa pagtatapos ng Panahon ng Daloy, ang Palalo ay sumabay sa pagtuklas ubang ibalik ang dating lakas na taglay. Dahil ang Daloy ay hindi mawawala at sa halip ay ipinamahagi lamang sa nilalang na tinawag na Takda...

5:02 PM 11.16.2009 Starbucks @ATC

"Meira?" the barista shook my shoulders.

"Are you okay? I saw you fainting on your seat a moment ago."

"I'm fine, thanks. I must have dozed off." I said.

"I should have given you pressed coffee instead. It's pretty strong" he smiled back to me.

"I think I will next time." I said.

"Alright, if you needed anything just ask, I'm Jerby by the way."

"Thanks Jerby, that's very kind of you."

"You're always welcome." he said and he went back to the counter.

This attack is baffling. The word, "Hanginon" is still written on the second page. It must be giving me a warning. I knew that creature I saw a while ago is a manifestation of Hanginon. I must confide to Madame Tuscon she would know what to do. I grabbed my bag and put the notebook inside and went towards our booth.

I was about to enter our booth when I realized that the direction that creature has headed was actually our booth. If it is a creature of the wind it must use a medium to be able to commune with humans. I've learned this from my Ancient Creatures and Possesseions book given to me by Madame Tuscon. If so, then anybody could be a target even Madame Tuscon herself.

"Meira?" Madame Tuscon said from inside the booth.

"Come in child." She addressed me. She would usually call me child when she's about to lecture me on something.

"I'm comin Madame." I said.

I'm not sure if I should enter or not. I knew something wasn't right. And as if she knew I was about to leave, Madame Tuscon went out and grabbed my arm.

"Meira, I know you have it. Give it to me!" Her voice was so deep like that of a man's. And her eyes were all black. She's been possessed.

"Let go of me!" I said as I pulled my arm free. Then I ran towards the Cinema area. As I ran, I looked back and saw her fainted on the floor. That creature must have left her and now looking for a new medium. I need to find a safe place.

One thing I've learned from Ancient Creatures and Possessions is that the creature is usually limited by the ability of its medium. I need to hide from it while I sort things out. I've headed towards the ticket booth and bought a ticket on the 5:35 PM movie, "Drag Me to Hell". I then went to Cinema 4 and chose the middle seat amidst some teenagers. This is a rather awkward movie choice. The movie has scenes on possessions. I was hoping to reach Dell on his cell but there was no signal inside the theater. I would have to finish this movie so I could go with the throng of people later to better hide myself from that creature.

Inside the Men's Restroom, Cinema 4 @ATC:

"Pre, nag-start na ata yung movie." a man on one of the urinals said.

"Oo nga pre, magrorounds na ko baka masita pa ni boss. Iba na raw kasi kabataan ngayon, kahit cellphone ginagamit pang-record." said the man on the sink.

"Sige, pre goodluck!"

As the man on the sink splashed water on his face he suddenly went limp and fainted on the floor.

"Pre, okay ka lang? Ano problema?" the man on the urinals went to aide his friend.

"Ayus lang, cge mauna na ko." the man near the sink said as he rose and grabbed his flashlight. He went towards the Cinema.

To be continued...

Chapter 6: Hanginon

5:00 PM 11.16.2009 Starbucks @ATC

"Shaylam", I knew it was him. He has been in my dreams for the past 2 days and this notebook. I never thought it was more than just an old tattered diary which was what I first intended to use it for...

Weird things started to happen about a month ago. It started with a dream of me flying and yet falling to a dark abyss. All was red until I saw sharp protruding spikes coming out from deep within the earth. I knew I'm gonna die any second from that fall but then I've blinked and all of a sudden I'm in the clouds. No, space was more like it. I was all in white, brilliantly white...sitting on the clouds and staring at the skies. Black and white, that was what I first thought. The sky is pitch black and the clouds were so white and blinding. I don't know what to make out of that dream but when I woke up I realized that I'm inside the National Library. I was doing research on Medieval Witchcraft which happened to be Madame Tuscon's expertise. I guess I've always wanted to impress her. She told me I have the gift, the eye actually was her exact words. But I'm lacking the technical background in fortune telling. Yes, it was technical and it was Math, I never thought that foretelling the future was deeply rooted in Mathematics. I must have dozed off while reading this old book on ancient equations. Then when I was about to return the book to the shelves, I saw this old leather-bound notebook lying on the floor next to my seat. There was no inscription and no text whatsoever, just yellow old parchment papers bound by an intricately woven copper spine. It was as small as my old Catleya notebook and surprisingly as light even. As I turned on the first page and ran my fingers on the parchment...bizarre symbols appeared. I'm not sure what language it was or what type of symbology was used but when I squinted and tried to see any recognizable letter there it was, the word ORAKULO. It was almost six in the evening and I was the only one left on the third floor. I shoved my stuffs in my bag together with the notebook and hurried home. I was hoping to know more about this book, there was no ISBN sticker or bar code so I was pretty sure it was not from the Library.


Almost a month has passed and I still see nothing in the notebook. I never shared it to Madame Tuscon or to anyone, not yet. But then just last Saturday when I thought I was sleeping, I saw him Shaylam on that same dream I had in the Library, he was falling too and he suddenly vanished. I realized that I've fainted. I was in my room when it happened around 2:00 AM. It was Dell's unfortunate birthday the day before. It was Friday the 13th and I've branded his Friday the 13th birthdays, "unfortunate birthday" back when we were still in grade school and now this year would not be an exemption. We went to a bar in BGC right after our sumptuous dinner with the Ramirez family. I got home around 1:00 AM and could not remember what happened until I woke up from that dream with Shaylam. Then today at Starbucks Pioneer, I knew it was him I've bumped into. Finally the notebook has revealed new texts right after my encounter with him...

"Sa simula ay liwanag at sa liwanag nagmula, 
dumaloy, umusbong ang bunga ng bathala
Labing tatlong bantay sa mundo itinakda,
walang hanggang daloy Kaniyang pinamahala."


He was so polite with me and thought I was in a trance. Perhaps that's what this dream, this attack is. I made up a story on how narcoleptic I am so as not to sound weird. But I remember vividly calling him Shaylam just before he woke me up from that trance. The weird thing about this trance is that I can't remember anything other than me uttering his name.

"Grande Non-fat Cafe Misto for Meira!" yelled the barista.
"Thanks" I said offering the barista my receipt.
"Welcome Meira" he said to me as he gave me a wink. I just smiled back.

Not a few seconds after my first sip when I saw this dark breeze passing by the window straight to our booth. Yes it was a breeze or at least how it will be when it's visible to the naked eye. It was like a big smoke only that it was moving swiftly.  I was about to get my things when I felt this numbing sensation. I could not move and was forced to sit down. I hope nobody was seeing this but I'm having a trance again. As I put down my coffee and rest my arms to the chair, I've dropped my notebook and it landed on my lap. My fingers brushed on the second page and I saw before I lost consciousness that the phrases written right after my encounter with Shaylam dissolved and new texts started to form...Hanginon.


To be continued...

Chapter 5: The Chase

7:45 PM 11.16.2009

Good thing I have no work tomorrow otherwise I wouldn't have said yes to Dell tonight. Truth is, I needed to talk to someone. To share these unexplainable encounters I had for the past 2 days. Dell's invite came in handy. Other than the fact that he is my friend, he would be the least to think that I'm going crazy with all these mysterious apparitions and ghost talks.

Just two months ago, I went with Dell on his short trip to Corregidor. After reading a friend's remark on a picture of the lighthouse in Corregidor posted in FB, Dell asked me to accompany him to take pictures. The lighthouse in the picture which was quite faded as the focus was on the person at front, shone bright yellow beams of light despite the fact that the picture was shot at noon. Unfortunately Dell and I went there when there was typhoon signal number one in Manila so we got stranded overnight and forced to stay at the hotel in the island. Dell being the adventurous person that he is, insisted on taking pictures at night in the Malinta tunnel. So he and I went with the night tour together with some stranded Japanese tourists. It was really awkward how a lot of Japanese would still tour around the island despite the grim history the old Japanese empire has brought to this place. Anyway, as we toured inside the tunnel, Dell suddenly took snap shots of me while I was staring at a nearby life-size diorama. At first we thought the little blue balls in some of my pictures were just spirit orbs, then on his third shot he caught bright blue lights surrounding my body. And if you look closer you will see that the blue light was actually due to perhaps thousands of these little blue orbs in tight contact with my skin. I don't know what to make of it as I didn't feel anything standing there. Mysteriously it only registered on cam. Since then Dell became obsessed with lights and on how they register on cam. Consequently he also got interested on how I might possibly have third eye or some ability that will explain these bizarre orbs.

The moon shone its yellow-orange hue tonight. It felt comfortable standing here at my balcony. I asked mom to provide access to this area by installing a spiral staircase so everyone can get in and out without the need to pass by my room which has direct access to it. When I'm depressed and feeling out of my self, I usually go here and relax, and take in as much fresh air as the night can offer me. As I stared to the moon, I suddenly felt the same sensation I had whenever that boy in white appeared. There's something familiar to the moon tonight, something I've always seen and tried to hide most of the time. The orange hue is forming a golden crescent on the yellow moon. Same crescent I have in my left eye.

"Shay! Hey man what are ya staring at up there?" yelled Dell. He brought his red Camaro tonight.
"Nothin, I'll be right there in a sec." I replied.
"Good evening Tita, miss ko na specialty lumpia niyo." Dell told my mom.
"Di ka pa rin nagbabago, always full with flattery." my mom said.
"Shay, di mo naman sinabi Dell's coming tonight. I should have prepared his favorite."
"Uh, sorry Mom, I forgot. We're actually in a hurry, we'll just check his cousin's booth in ATC tonight."
"Yeah Tita, sorry I can't stay long but I'll definitely come back and have some of your specialty."
"Alright, mag-iingat kayong dalwa. It's already late."
"Nite mom." I said as I kissed mom on her cheeks.
"Bye Tita." said Dell.

Somewhere in SLEX...

"I've been trying to reach her man but she hasn't replied yet." said Dell
"Meira, your cousin?" I asked
"Yeah, I told her I'm gonna pick her up with a friend earlier. Then suddenly the line got cut off."
"Hmm, hasn't she sent any text message?"
"Nada. It's weird it's very unlike her. She insisted on me coming tonight on their booth. Oh well, better think of plan B if she's not there. The moon's beautifully bright tonight and perfect for a night shoot. What say you Shay?"
"Fine with me but I actually have some things I want to share with you and probably with your cousin too, though I'm not sure if she's that girl I saw earlier today at Starbucks."

"Beethoven-5th Symphony" playing as Dell's cell rang. He pressed the speaker icon. "Hey cus, been trying to reach you all night, where are you now?"

"Cus, I think I'm in trouble, Madame Tuscon's acting weird. I'm not at the booth, pick me up near Outback area. Hurry!"

The line got cut off.

To be continued...

Chapter 4: 4,096 Likes

4:20 PM 11.16.2009

4,096 Likes in just 10 minutes! Definitely unbelievable but does it surprise me still? Nah, not with my friend Dell.

Almost uwian time na and yet it feels like time is running so slow. I'm done with my tasks for today even my friend and seat mate Avs and now like what most of the people here in 15th floor are doing during these hours, FB! They say the project is lenient naman about employees browsing FB but sometimes I feel guilty. Anyhow, what has started as a weird day with a disturbing encounter with that girl in big copper rimmed spectacles has turned out to be boring as the hours went by.

Dell just posted an after gym picture and friends and people went crazy on his profile. 24 years of age, mestizo, average height and built, the guy is just so lucky. He's one of my online friends to whom I shared interest in photography with. He's a freelance photographer on his leisure hours. Yes, coz he doesn't need to work. Actually, he can spend his lifetime doing nothing and yet still live an extravagant life. He's half Italian, one fourth Spaniard and the rest Filipino, hence the Adonis creation and gift to all ladies in the world. Their family business is in realty here and in the US and of course the very popular source of great income to their empire which is probably one of the finest winery in the world, Tuscany Elixirs. This was once rumored to have Sorcerer's stone effect...immortality back in the 14th Century and now one of the luxurious must haves to the rich and famous.

I think with the rate of Likes he's getting in FB, he'll be one of the biggest names on whatever industry he'll plant his personality on or better yet, his picture. Sometimes I think he doesn't need to travel anymore just to find that elusive subject he was always telling me about, his picture would be enough. But what really strike me when I first met him, is his true passion when it comes to photography. He hasn't formally opened his gallery yet but he shared with me a sneak peek of his latest masterpiece, "13", as simple as that. Thirteen pictures of elements you won't believe to have very deep effects to people who have great passion on the arts particularly photography like me. This may sound corny but I felt with him after looking at those pictures. The pieces are like different plays on light and shadow and surprisingly wind. Yes, I don't know how he did it but the illusion of the wind as invisible as it may seem  through the naked eye has somehow materialized on those pictures. It was eerily genius for me as I told him.

"Shay!", always with the exclamation. Dell pinged me on FB.
"FB during work hours?...tsk tsk tsk :-)" he said.
"4,096 likes in 10 minutes...latest Guiness Record?" I joked around.
"Haha, okay u got me, what's up man? Last time we talked you were telling me something about a boy in white?" he said.
"That was just the half of it, he communed to me through my mind." I said
"Whoa! Third eye finally open? I told ya you're different Shay. Remember the aura on one of your pictures?" he asked.
"Yeah, I remember but I don't know Dell, there's something more to it. I haven't told you the rest."
"Wait man, mom's calling. She went to her annual Europe trip... Okay let's catch up later, I'll pick you up tonight 8PM?
"Alright, but where to later?"
"Nothing fancy, jan lang ATC there's this Tarot booth I wanted to check out too, my cousin Meira's bugging me for weeks now to see her craft and I think she had another "attack" as she calls it earlier today she texted me. Don't ask, even I don't know what these "attacks"are. I'll introduce you to her, she's a killer, lol underneath all these eccentricities surrounding her."
"Ah..Mm alright."
"Great! See ya later man."

"Meira?" Could it be that girl..."attack?" Hmm, okay I take back what I said earlier about how boring this day is.

To be continued...

Chapter 3: Meira

"Sa simula ay liwanag at sa liwanag nagmula, 
dumaloy, umusbong ang bunga ng bathala
Labing tatlong bantay sa mundo itinakda,
walang hanggang daloy Kaniyang pinamahala."


I've closed my cell's Color Note and slowly the phone displayed its Blue Romance live wallpaper showering my room with fading blue light. I've been restless for the past 2 days. Ever since that boy in white spoken to me through my mind, I couldn't help but wonder how he meant by these lines..."liwanag...bunga ng bathala...labintatlong bantay...daloy na pinamahala". I couldn't make any sense out of these phrases. But I guess what has been really bothering me for the past days is his eyes, the golden crescent in his left eye similar to mine. What could this mean?


20 degrees in yellow LED light but still it felt warm in my room. My body was aching to surrender to that deep slumber but my mind couldn't help but process the message the boy in white has given me. "Orakulo?" I wondered if that was his name. If so, he must have been telling me something about the future. "Liwanag", light like how it has always depicted God in stories. "Labintatlong bantay"...I wonder what these meant or to whom these are referring to.


8:15 AM, 11.16.2009


"Hi Shay! Grande Caramel Macchiato Non-fat?" asked the Starbucks' barista Jill.
"Morning Jill! Yep you know me." I've beamed back to her.


"Hummm...Sa simula ay liwanag at sa liwanag nagmula...hummm...dumaloy, umusbong ang bunga ng bathala..." someone was whispering behind me. As I turned, the girl behind me was humming and appeared to be in a trance. She was holding an odd looking notebook in her chest. I looked around the cafe and realized that we were the only people inside. Jill and her co-baristas even Manong guard seemed to have gone somewhere. I've tried to shook her by her shoulders. She was so cold.


"Miss, miss?" I said.


She slowly opened her eyes. She was wearing big copper rimmed spectacles. She said "Meira" as she dropped her notebook on the floor.


"Sorry, I thought you were mumbling something and your eyes were closed. I was afraid you're going to faint or something." I said.


"Aah, I'm...", she dropped to the floor and retrieved her notebook, "Sorry, I'm narcoleptic and sometimes I'm having these unfortunate attacks."


"Ah okay, I'm Shay by the way." I said to her as I offered my hand. She stared at my hand for a few seconds and said, "Sorry, I'm already late. Nice to meet you though." And she hurried out of the cafe.


"Grande Caramel Macchiato for Shay!" yelled the barista Luke.


I took my coffee and went ahead to Globe Tower. "Meira", was it her name? There was something peculiar about this girl. It was the same familiar sense I've felt when I saw the boy in white in the river banks last Friday. Was she part of it all? The message from the boy in white. How can she possibly come by that very same phrase? I need to find her. She might be able to shed some light on this mystery.


To be continued...

Chapter 2: Orakulo

The boy in white was standing near the river banks. Despite the golden glow showered off by the setting sun, the boy's white clothes shone brighter. He was slowly being swallowed by a shroud of mist which seemed to be coming from the river. If it wasn't for the white brilliance emitted by his clothes, I wouldn't have recognized him. For the first time, even without my glasses on I can see his facial features. There was something peculiar about his eyes. It was like I've seen them before. Then it hit me. I couldn't believe what I've seen. He was a reflection of me. The golden crescent in his left eye shone brighter than the sun.

It felt like we were staring at each other for ages. Then suddenly he spoke to me...through my mind.

"Huwag kang matakot Shaylam" he said. "Bakit mo ko sinusundan?" I replied. He went on saying,

"Sa simula ay liwanag at sa liwanag nagmula, 
dumaloy, umusbong ang bunga ng bathala
Labing tatlong bantay sa mundo itinakda,
walang hanggang daloy Kaniyang pinamahala."


"Sino ang mga bantay? Anong daloy ang meron sila? Sino ka?" I asked.

The sun set completely on the horizon and the mist enshrouded the boy to oblivion. As I struggled to communicate in my mind the basic questions I need to ask, he said, "Orakulo...". Then the boy vanished.

"San po bababa?" asked the bus conductor. I was again covered in cold sweat. I didn't realize that I fell asleep in the bus. Everything was so vivid to me. "Pacita kuya" I said. Then I handed off a hundred peso bill.

"Orakulo" I said to myself. Was it a warning he was giving me? Was it just a dream?

To be continued...

Chapter 1: I Am Sha-y-lam

It was already two in the morning. I find it hard to sleep. 23 degrees in yellow LED was the only light in my room. I slightly brushed my fingers on my mac's touchpad, slowly the light touched my skin. It glowed like it always does when it's dark. My mom used to say, "pinaglihi kita sa singkamas, bata ka pa lang maputing maputi ka na.". I'm not convinced. Something was eerily unexplainable to me. It went beyond the glowing skin. I haven't told anyone but sometimes I do feel like I'm different. Ten minutes have passed. I should be sleeping already, tomorrow's work is gonna start at 1:00 pm. As I stared on the computer screen I couldn't help but click on the fortune cookie icon on my FB page. So I cracked it open and it says, "You have a mysterious smile.". Ha! I hope that's all that is mysterious about me. I brushed the touchpad towards the left top corner of the screen and the mac started its flurry screen saver. The colors always mesmerized me. Then suddenly it was pitch black.


Red dark clouds. The breeze is ice cold. I'm falling fast towards an abyss. Great red canyons surround me. As I go down I can see giant stalagmites protruding from the ground below. I'm falling so fast that I could not get sense of time. It seems endless. Then suddenly I see sharp pointed rock stakes. Any moment now...


"Guadalupe!" yelled the bus conductor. I'm all sweaty yet cold. Was it what they call "bangungot"? I shouldn't have stayed awake late last night. I wouldn't normally want to sleep while riding the bus but too much lack of sleep made one do so. As I looked on my right side, a boy in white was staring at me. He was standing right beside a street vendor who was also a bit oblivious about the boy. I can't make out his facial features. It was all a blur but his stance and the brilliance his white clothes emitted is blinding. I tried to take my glasses out of my bag and put it on. But when I looked back he was gone. I couldn't find him anywhere. Was it a ghost? an angel? or was it the all too popular reason to everything that is paranormal, a "guniguni"? His presence made me snap out of my "bangungot". Had I stayed a few seconds more in that dream, it would have been gruesome.


Five minutes before one in the afternoon. I would be late for the meeting. From the bus stop in Pioneer, it was still at least a ten minute walk towards the office. I so hate this place. We shouldn't have left Ayala. I've always felt unsecured here. So stressful with so many people and the lack of trees made the place quite hot. Which reminded me how come it felt like summer when it was almost the Christmas season? I guess it was not only me that was weird, the weather was pretty much so.


Just in time for introductions. The new team I rolled in to was quite small. A group of 10 people. From the org chart on the screen I could see that we have two teams, each with 3 developers, 2 team leads, an AM and a manager who they said was currently in the US. I'm quite thrilled to work in a corporate setting. This was something new to me as I grew up from the province. My cousins would joke around when they find out I worked in a big time company. But I know deep inside they would be just too envious of me. "Shaeeelam? Did I pronounce it correctly?" my team lead asked. I said, "you can just call me Shay for short" and flashed my brightest smile. "Okay then, welcome to the team Shay." he said. The person right beside me nudged at me and said, "You're not a Muslim aren't you?". I almost said, "Does it matter?" but I politely said "No, I'm not" instead. Here comes the awkward part in introductions. One of the team leads started to sound casual and decided we become comfortable with each other by sharing something unique about each of us. Some said something about activities you wouldn't think they do, like collecting antique stuffs. One of the girls said she sometimes help in their family business, a mortuary. Now that's creepy. Someone mentioned something about nude painting which really brought laughter from the boys and smirks from the girls. A person mentioned something about ghost hunting and I went last. I couldn't think of anything unique about me other than my color. So I decided to share one of my secrets which is not really obvious unless you take a better look. I have a golden crescent inside the iris of my left eye. It's not that obvious from afar because I have light brown eyes but one of the girls decided to take a closer look and said, "oohh creepy meron nga!, may lahi ka bang asong lobo?" which brought another round of laughter from the team, and then I said, "yeah, something like that."


It's "Sha-y-lam" I said. One of the girls who happened to be a team mate of mine was insistent to pronounce my name right. I said, "I really would prefer if you will just call me Shay". She said, "Ok, call me Avery, Avs for short.". "Doesn't it sound like six pack Avs?" I said, joking around. She was all laughters. She just said, "I wish, sa katawan ko ba namang ito, good luck if meron ka makapang muscle.". And it was instant chemistry. We became close friends right then.


At five in the afternoon, I started to pack my things. This was a weird start. First day at work and it was a Friday, Friday the 13th to be exact. I said goodbyes to my team mates and went straight to the rest room. I was splashing water unto my face and then he was there, the boy in white. I saw his reflection in the mirror and when I looked behind me, no one was there. I suddenly heard someone flushed the toilet and my team mate Mat went out. He said "Hey Shay, uwi ka na?". I said, "Yeah, mahaba pa biyahe." "Ah ganon ba, sayang Friday pa naman, gimik day. Next time sama ka samin mag-videoke." I said, "Sige pre, next time."


I still couldn't shake off the weird sensation that boy in white has given me. It was beyond creeps that I'm feeling. I felt more uncomfortable like I'm in trouble or something. I kept on thinking about a warning. Something about his gestures was giving me that vibe like he wanted to warn me. It was a nice sunset, as the bus passed by the Guadalupe bridge the sun is showering off a golden glow on the river. Then when I thought the weirdness ended right there in the office, there he was again standing close to the river banks, all in white.


To be continued...