My Nation

Main Cabin

Chapter 6

Nakatingin lang ako sa hallway kahit na tuluyan na siyang nawala sa paningin ko pero agad din akong napabuntong hininga at umikot pabalik sa dining room para tapusin ang kakainin ko nang...

“That was really touching, Yani dear.”

Nanlaki ang mga mata nang lumingon ako sa nagsalita. Oh shems. “Uh-uhm Ki-king Gabi,” nauutal kong saad.

“Good thing I can understand Filipino,” sabi niya at ngumiti ng nakakaloko.

Shacks. Of all people, “Ho-how long have you been there?” nautal kong tanong.

“About a minute ago,” sagot niya, still hindi pa rin nawawala ang nakakaloko niyang ngiti.

“You heard everything?”

“Yes,” Ano ba naman yan King Gabi.

“So, going to your room for a bathroom break huh? Nice excuse my dear,” he smirked. Grabe. Halata sa boses niya na nang-aasar siya. Hindi na lang ako umimik.

“So, you can feel him?” tanong niya bigla ng seryoso.

Bahagya akong nagulat dahil sa biglang pagbago ng expression ng mukha niya pero naintindihan ko ang ibig niyang sabihin. Ang totoo niyan…

“I think,” sagot ko dahil hindi ako sigurado.

“Mm-hmm. Maybe, just maybe…” bumalik ang ngisi niya. “Finally! My son has a soulmate.”

Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. “No King Gabi, it’s not what you think—”

“What do you think of my son? Handsome right?” singit niya with matching up and down pa ng eyebrows niya.

“King Gabi, please enough of this” medyo naiirita kong sagot. Hindi na nakakatuwa.

“Haha. I’m just making fun of you,” ngiti niya ng sobrang saya. Wow lang ah King Gabi. Para siyang isip bata.

“So, ready to go?” tanong niya.

“Ready for what?” tanong ko pabalik.

“For the tour.”

Nagtaka ako at nag-isip bago ko nalaman kung anong ibig niyang sabihin. “Aah right, Main Cabin tour. Yes, yes. I’m good to go,” masaya ko pang sagot.

“Really? It’s like you are not,” sabi niya sabay tingin sa paa ko kaya napatingin din ako.

Oo nga pala, nakabarefoot lang ako. Sige Yani. I-push mo yan. “Ah hehe. Sorry but I’m not really comfortable with my shoes”

“If I were you, you shouldn’t have said that,” sabi ni King Gabi.

Huh? Nalito ako sa sinabi niya.

“You are not comfortable with the shoes?!”

Napalingon ako agad dahil may nagsalita. Oh shacks! Muli, sa lahat pa ng tao, “E-Edmondo, I-I mean Prince Edmondo.”

“What’s wrong with the shoes?!” tanong ni Prince Edmondo at lumapit pa sa akin.

“Hah? Well uhm...”

“Is it big? Small? Too tight? Tell me!”

Ang desperada mo naman pre. Sandali lang kasi. “Uhm well… it has heels,” sabi ko.

Napatahimik silang dalawa nang sabihin ko yun at kita ko pa na pinipilit ni King Gabi na hindi tumawa. Oo na, alam ko ang babaw ng rason.

“Heels? What’s wrong with the heels? It’s too short.” Oo na Kuya. Nahiya naman ang paa ko sa iyo. “Sorry. I’m not used to it,” nahihiya ko pang sagot.

“Okay. I’ll change this quick. Wear something first while I take-off the heels” sabi niya, kinuha ito at kumaripas ng takbo.

Wow siya na ang adik. Talagang kina-career niya ah.

“Sorry for that. Edmondo gets worried once his customers are not really comfortable with his works. He’s a perfectionist actually,” sabi ni King Gabi.

“I can see that,” sagot ko naman.

“Yup. Each of my sons are special at something and most of them wants every little thing to be perfect.”

Napalingon ako sa kanya ng di oras. “Is that so? Does that mean that each of the prince have uhm talents?”

“Of course they are unique from each other. And as their father maybe I’ll tell you their unique characteristics later in the tour”

“Really? That’s great,” sabay napangiti ako kay King Gabi.

“So, what shoes will you wear?”

“Ay oo nga pala” sabay pumasok ako sa kwarto at kumuha ng flat shoes. Sinuot ko ito agad at lumabas. “I’m ready,” ngiti kong sagot.

“Good. Come follow me,” sabi niya sabay naglakad siya at sinundan ko naman siya.

Habang naglalakad kami, “So before I tour you around the Main Cabin, let me give you a brief introduction of this place itself,” sabi niya sabay binukasan niya ang isang pinto.

Pagkapasok namin, ang dilim. Pagkasara ng pinto, automatic na biglang umilaw ang kwarto. Wow amazing. Hindi siya ganun kaliwanag at kadilim. Tama lang para makita namin ang isang malaking machine sa gitna.

“Come here, Yani” alok ni King Gabi at lumapit ako kung nasaan siya. “So ready?” tanong niya sa akin.

“Yes. Ready na ready!”

Ngumiti siya. “So, Welcome to Eullenuum Nation!” sabay may pinindot siyang isang button. Pagkapindot niya biglang lumabas ang iba’t ibang structures ng mga bahay, siyudad and as in lahat. Hindi ko maipaliwanag eh.

Basta para siyang mga transparent diorama na gawa ng ilaw na galing sa malaking machine kung saan siya pumindot. Yung parang sa mga pelikula lang na may nagproproject ng iba’t ibang bagay mula sa ilaw pero hindi siya sa screen. Parang mga lumulutang na stuctures na buildings. Anong tawag na ulit doon?

 “Everything you see in this hologram is the whole of Eullenuum Nation...”

Ayun holograms! “…it is a nation that is especially made for extraordinary people like you that can control different elements,” pagpapaliwanag ni King Gabi.

“Wow. Awesome,” para akong bata na naiigno sa ganda habang tinitignan ang mga ito.

“And this is what we call the Main Cabin...” sabay pinindot ang hologram ng isang malaking gusali. “...it’s just a big establishment in the outside but in the inside, the whole of the Main Cabin is like a city. And by the way, we rather call them cabins rather than cities.”

Hindi ako umimik dahil namamangha pa rin ako. Nagniningning na nga ang mga mata ko sa mga pinapakita niya.

“I hope you are listening.”

“Hah?” bumalik ako sa katotohanan. “Uhm yes. It’s just... amazing.” Kahit paulit-ulit kong sabihin ang ‘amazing’, hindi pa rin sapat yun para maipaliwanag ang mga nakikita ko. Grabe naman kasi ito. Sobra pa sa iniimagine ko.

“As you can see, the Main Cabin is the biggest cabin of all. Here, you can see everything in it like the hospital, different rooms for the maids working here in the Main Cabin, different stores and shops that are lined up for our consumers, the biggest stadium for different events, of course my office and other more. It’s really, really big so as to put everything we need in place.  And don’t worry, you’ll get to see them in real after this...”

“Uhm King Gabi, what are those?” sabay turo sa walong nakahilerang pinto.

“Oh that, those are special rooms. I hate to spoil you so I’m not going to say what’s in there first because it will be a surprise later once we get there,” sagot niya sabay ngiti.

Aww, ano ba naman yan. “Okay.”

“Don’t pout. Don’t you get excited?”

“Yes. I’m actually excited” at nginitian siya. Ayaw ko rin naman ng mga spoilers pero maganda naman kung sabihin niya ngayon di ba? Parang ang ironic ko. Ipinagpatuloy niya ang pagsasalita.

“Now, the Main Cabin is connected to eight different cabins. Each ruled by my son.”

“Oh. No wonder they are princes,” komento ko.

“Yes and actually whenever I give a tour to someone new, I give the details to each cabin except to the cabin where they belong.”

Napatigil ako at prinoseso muna ang sinabi niya. Hindi ko na-gets. “Huh?”

“What I mean is, if for example you’re a water girl, a girl that can control the water element only, then when I will tour you, I will give a brief detail about the different cabins except for the water cabin because you will be toured by the prince, specifically by my son Eaux, the water prince, in the water cabin. Get it?”

“Aahh…” while nodding my head as an agreement. “…but why?”

“Because once you are ‘just a water girl’, you are forbidden to go to the other cabin. You’ll understand it later once we dive in to each cabin but for you dear, since you’re not a water girl and you can control all eight elements, I suppose you will have a tour to all the cabins and the princes will be your tour guides to introduce the cabin so all I have to do is just give a brief description about each. The details will be their responsibility.”

“Ah okay. I’m getting it but still confused,” sagot ko.

“Don’t worry you’ll fully understand it later” sabay may pinindot siyang bagong hologram. “So for the next cabin, we have the Water Cabin. Just a plain beach but if we dive deep… there it is, the Water Cabin.”

Wow. Underwater city, I mean cabin pala. Underwater cabin. Grabe. Hindi ako makahinga sa sobrang ganda ng lugar na ito. Itong Water Cabin astig na, paano pa kaya yung iba?

“Then next, the Air Cabin. Their land is located up the sky supported by big puffy clouds…”

Ooohhh... “Then the Earth Cabin, located between mountain ranges…”

Woooww... “Then we have the Fire Cabin which is located inside a volcano that’s why it is so hot…”

Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. “Wait, I have a question” singit ko. “What if the volcano exploded?”

“Oh to tell you frankly, that is one of the best event in their cabin,” sagot niya.

“Best time? They are happy with that?”

“Yes. They are fire people anyways so they can withstand the temperature of the lava. The volcano remains dormant for a year and after it, the volcano explodes which in other words they call it ‘Explosion New Year’.”

“Wow. That’s new.”

“Yup. I was also surprised when I first heard that.” Grabe, una yung body temperature nung prinsipe which is 40 degrees tapos ngayon, may ‘Explosion New Year’ pang nalalaman. Kakaiba talaga sila. Pati kaya ang iba?

“So next, we have the Electric Cabin. A city full of lights and technologies. Most of their things are operated by electricity…”

“...then we have the Metal Cabin, everything is made of metal and their cabin is like inside a factory building. All living things in there are actually robots, even animals...”

“Cool,” komento ko.

“...next, the Nature Cabin. The city is the jungle itself and the trees are there homes…” Ay halata. Nature guys nga naman kaya aasahan mo na eco-friendly talaga sila.

“And last but not the least, the Ice Cabin. Every little thing in it is made of ice. By the way, see that beautiful ice palace?” sabi niya sabay turo.

“Yes” sagot ko.

“That is Jethro’s place and he made that all by himself.”

“Really?” hindi ko makapaniwalang sagot. “So beautiful.”

“Indeed. Everyday it’s winter in there.”

“Oh cool.”

“So that’s all the cabins but let’s go back to the Main Cabin. Do you ever wonder why we made this cabin?”

“Uhm…” napaisip naman ako sa tanong niya. “…for people like me, who can control eight elements?” tanong ko pabalik.

“Well that could be but you’re the only living person that has that ability but the main reason is that the Main Cabin is where ‘main’ events really take place. By what I mean ‘main events’ is that, do you remember what I told you earlier that some people are forbidden to go to a certain cabin?”

“Uuhh yes.”

“Then because of that, let’s take again the example that if you’re just a water girl, you can’t go to the Fire Cabin because once you go there, you might as well evaporate.”

Nagulat ako sa sinabi niya. “Really? Water people evaporate?”

“Uhm it’s actually a figure of speech meaning that they will die because of dehydration.”

“Ah okay.” Kung anu-anong naimagine ko nung sinabi niya yun.

“There are other more reasons and soon you’ll learn about it but once you are a water girl, mostly your close friends are water people but thanks to the Main Cabin, anyone can go here; fire people, water people, air people, you name it, so you will notice that this is a diverse cabin.”

“Yeah. That was great,” komento ko na lang.

“You said it and another thing, the Main Cabin is also the best place here in our nation to export products from your own cabin. For example, if Edmondo needs a delivery of clothes to a certain cabin, he can deliver it here in the Main Cabin by giving it to a delivery guy from the cabin where he wants to deliver it. That is why there are lots of markets and shops in here. You will see later the different products that they sell.”

“Oh okay.”

“So everything ends here” sabay pinindot niya ulit ang button kaya nawala ang holograms. “Now let’s go and check out what’s really in the Main Cabin. And also for you not to get lost in this big place” sabi niya at kasabay nun ay lumabas kami ng kwarto.

Gaya nga ng sinabi niya, tinignan namin lahat ng nasa Main Cabin. Yung mga shops and stuff. Grabe, ang ganda rito. Parang naglalakwatsa ka ng hindi lumalabas ng isang gusali, astig noh? Kaya kahit umulan man o umaraw, pwedeng-pwede kayong mag-shopping. Pagkatapos...

“Oh by the way, we have an underground office where only the princes and I can go in because any concern or happenings in each cabin are talked down there. We don’t want anyone to hear a single thing so purposely we locate it there.”

“Wow can we go?” tanong ko.

“Just like I said earlier, only the princes and I can go so the answer is clear.”

“Awww,“ I pouted. Huwaw. Parang bata lang.

“Don’t worry. There will come a time that you can go down there.”

Napabuntong hininga na lang ako. At kailan naman yun hah mahal na hari? Ay sandali, nakakapagtaka nga naman…

“Uhm King Gabi?” tanong ko.

“Yes dear?” sagot niya.

“I was wondering, what element can you control?”

Napatigil bigla maglakad si King Gabi at hindi umimik kaya napatigil din akong maglakad.

Oh wait, kapeng mainit. Isa rin ba ito sa mga tanong na hindi dapat itanong? Shacks! Paano kung sikreto rin ito tapos mamaya tulad din ni Jethro na may itim na aura na papaligid sa kanya? Waah! Mag-ama pa naman sila!

“U-uhm you see King Gabi you don’t really have to answer—”

“I can’t control anything,” singit niya na ikinatigil at ikinatahimik ko.

Continued...