Missing Home

Kabanata Bente Ocho

AS a child, happiness are just little things. Playing with friends, eating your favorite food, binge watching favorite cartoons, and a loving family. Little things matter, she only wished to have her parents by her side. It's been a year since the last time she saw them. Her parent's went somewhere away from her, they said it was for her. But for her, she only wants them.

The house was filled with Christmas decorations, from the Christmas tree, the mistletoe and the lights. The house was filled with warm decorations. She could hear, children singing to lovely tunes of Christmas song.

But why does her little heart hurts?

Why does she feel like something is piercing to her baby heart?

"Bakit malungkot na naman ang aming Prinsesa?" malambing na saad ng kanyang Yaya at maagap siyang niyakap at ginawaran ng halik.

"Hindi po ba uuwi si Mommy at Daddy?" she asked a hundred of times wishing her Yaya would answer will change.

Napabuntong hininga ang kanyang Yaya at masuyong hinaplos ang mahaba niyang buhok, "Alam mo naman ang sagot hindi ba?"

Naglapat ang kanyang mapupula niyang labi at ang kanyang mata ay may luhang nagbabadiyang pumatak. Hindi niya pa rin maintindihan kung bakit ayaw magbago ng mga sagot ng kanyang Yaya.

"Anak, alam mo namang nasa ibang bansa ang iyong mga magulang. Nagtatrabaho para rin sa ikabubuti mo, nais lang naman nilang magkaroon ka ng magandang buhay."

"Hindi pa po ba maganda ang buhay ko ngayon?" she asked innocently.

"Anak kasi maliit ka pa para maintindihan ang lahat. Kapag malaki kana at magkakaroon ka na ng sarili mong pamilya, maiintindihan mo ang hirap ng pagiging magulang."

"Bakit naman ganun? Masaya naman ang mga kaklase ko pero hindi naman malayo ang Mommy at Daddy nila? Bakit sa 'kin kailangan nasa malayo pa? Hindi pa pwede nila akong isama? Para masaya rin ako?"

"Hindi ka ba masaya sa piling ko, Anak?" malungkot nitong saad.

Ang mga butil ng luha ay nag-uunahan ng pumatak. "Masaya pero mas masaya kapag kompleto

kayo!"

"Darating rin ang panahon na kompleto kayo. Darating rin ang panahon na magkasama kayong magpapasko pero ngayon ako muna kasama mo puwede ba 'yun?" masuyo at malambing nitong saad at hinagkan siya sa noo.

"Dalawa lang tayo, Yaya. Dapat mas marami mas masaya. Hihilingin ko Santa na uuwi na sila at magiging mabait ako!" she even pouted her cute little lips.

Her Yaya chuckled. "Alam mo basta magiging mabait ka ibibigay ni Santa ang gusto mo!"

"Mabait naman, ako!" she even raised her right arm.

"Hmm. Minsan pasaway ka kaya. Ayaw mo kumain ng gulay, ayaw mo maligo!"

"Kasali ba yun?"

"Oo kaya! Dapat mabait ka talaga, susundin lahat ng sasabihin ko. Dapat aalagaan mo ang mga bulaklak sa hardin at huwag mong puputulin. Kasi magagalit 'yun! Baka kainin ka o kaya gawin ka ring bulaklak."

"'Di naman totoo yun," she squinted her nose in disbelief.

"Totoo kaya! 'Di ba nga sabi ko, ang mga halaman ay may nararamdaman din. Sila ay inaalagaan ng mga dambana," kumislap ang mga nito sa tuwa habang nagkukwento.

"Nagbibiro ka lang naman Yaya, eh! Hindi ko naman sila nakikita gaya ng sabi mo." She crossed her arms and pouted.

Ilang gabi na siyang palihim na sumisilip sa bintana ngunit wala naman siyang makitang mga maliliit na taong may pakpak. Her Yaya would always tell her things about magical world, how pixies flies freely in the air. How dragons roared and spit out fire. And how her Yaya always tells her about the power of love, how King and Queen rule their kingdom. How a prince save a helpless princess in a tower! It was all magical but she will not believe it unless she see it with her own eyes.

"Naku hindi kasi sila nagpapakita sa mga batang pasaway kaya hindi mo sila makita. Maging mabait ka muna bago sila magpapakita sa 'yo."

"Ilang sleep pa ba need ko para maging mabait ako?" if it is the only answer she'll have to witness magical things.

"Mga marami kasi pasaway ka, eh!"

IT was the she tried to believe in the power of magic. But she stopped believing again when her Yaya died, it broke her heart again. The person who loves her the most died, that's the only hope she has before her Tita Love decided to take care of her full time. It took her a while to open her heart again, she was too afraid to love her Tita. She's afraid of being left again, her parents only gave her wants and extravagant things. But she didn't receive the love she wanted.

She felt lose with Prince Vard's eyes. The her heart might let him in, she don't want any other heartbreak. She had enough with all shits she had been through.

She glanced at the Prince who was sitting right next to her. They decided to eat the fruits left from their lunch. Masyado na rin silang hapo sa paglalakad. They all decided to sleep on the ground. Her fear is eating her again, she don't want see the Prince in different light. She don't want to risk, hindi siya nagmula sa mundong 'to. Iyon ang pilit niyang isinisiksik sa isipan niya, but the more she thinks of Vard's eyes. She felt lost.

The Prince is making his way break every walls in her. He may not be trying to do anything but he is effortlessly making her heart flutter. Hindi niya maipagkakailang gwapo ang Prinsipe. Masama ang ugali nito, palagi siyang inaaway at inaasar but he has this thing that makes her believe that he isn't just a stupid Prince. But he is a Prince charming in a fairytale, ang kaibahan hindi ito fairy tale kundi reyalidad.

"Matulog ka na at huwag mong masyadong titigan ang aking mukha. Baka ikaw ay mapaibig ko," pagbibiro pa ng Prinsipe.

She just stared at him blankly. What does the fate really wants from her? Do they want her to fall in love and get hurt or killed? Or they want her to help the Prince become the King of Ardeun?

ANG KANILANG PAGLALAKBAY sa kadiliman ay patuloy pa rin. The rope comnecting them together is still there, nawiweirduhan na ata sila sa kanila. But they kept quite, gutom na gutom na sila ngunit kailangan nilang tipirin ang prutas hanggang sa makalabas sa sila sa kuweba. Wala silang imikan, parehong pagod at gutom.

Lahat sila napahinto nang yumanig na naman ang lupa nang napakalakas. They had to stay still, the ground was moving too hard.

Lahat sila ay natumba dahil sa lakas ng pagyanig. She groaned in pain, bugbog sarado ang katawan niya. Hindi pa nga nakabawi ang katawan niya sa mga galos na natamo mula sa pagkakahulog niya. Ngayon ay dahil naman sa lindol, her body hit the cave wall. The pain strucked her back, that she could only groan and cursed mentally.

Lahat ng mga kasamahan niya ay natumba rin dahil sa sobrang lakas ng pagyanig. Ang Prinsipe nakaupo at itinukod ang espada upang maibalanse ang katawan.

Ang pagyanig ay unti-unting huminto, ngunit para paring inaalog ang ulo niya.

Ngunit lahat sila ay napanganga nang biglang huminto sa harapan nila ang napakalaking ahas. Nanlilisik ang mga mata nito at tila handa na ito upang gawin silang pagkain. It was hissing like crazy, lahat sila ay napabalikwas mula sa pagkakahiga.

She froze when she meet the snaked gaze, it's eyes were different.