Chapter 10 : The Paoay Lake
1075 Words
Just before three o'clock, Fredd arrived. He was followed by Headmaster and a man with his late 40’s.
"I hope your trip will be smooth and your mission will be successful. He is Renos, a spatial user and he will take you where you are going," Headmaster said and introduced the man with him.
A few seconds later, Renos put his hand on the wall, and soon, a large black circle appeared.
"Let's go?" Joan told me. I just nodded.
Before we even got into the circle, I looked to Headmaster. He smiled and nodded.
As I entered the circle, I felt like a strong gravity that absorbs our body. It was the same when I first came into this world and eventually when we landed, I could not avoid being dizzy. It is okay to be dizzy than to fall anywhere.
"Where are we now?" Isagani asked.
I have surrounded my eyes and saw some people around. They are busy with what they do. Behind us, there is a large Old church. I've seen it before but I can't remember what to call the Church. So to find out, we walked and asked someone.
"Are you a tourist? You are now in Paoay, Ilocos Norte and the Church behind you is one of the oldest churches in the Philippines," answered the woman when we asked. We looked back at the Church.
Yes, I do remember! It is Paoay Church, one of the tourist destinations here in Ilocos Norte because of the beauty of the area and the magnificent style of the Church.
"Why are we here?" asked Joan
"Maybe the Headmaster knew where to find the miracle stone?" Isagani answered.
I just took the book that Headmaster gave us and opened it. There I saw a page with a picture of Paoay Church and read the inscriptions.
"Citizens have changed, cause of the sinking. Here you found, the stone of the waters"
"What does that mean?" Isagani asked.
"I think, the stone we are looking for is underwater but the question is, where is it? What does it say " Citizens change, cause of sinking. "?" my answer.
We just turned around and decided to start tomorrow. We call a car and asked the driver to drove us to a nearby hotel. We stopped at a house and the driver said he only knew this because there was no hotel/inn here. We paid the fare and went into that house.
We knocked on the door. A few minutes later it opened and an old woman smiled at us.
"What I can do for you?" She asked.
"We were looking for a place to stay for just one night," I said.
"Come in," she invited us.
We went inside and I could tell it was ok. The decorations are old-fashioned but it is clean.
" There's one room left. Someone has already vacated that room but the next day they will come so you can stay there," she said.
She accompanied us into the room. As we entered, a large room was exposed. There are two double-deck beds, also two cabinets and a large mirror, and in front of it is a statue.
"This is the room. There is a toilet here too, you can put your belongings in the cabinets. I'm your grandma Ines.” she said and we answer her with a smile.
When Grandma Ines left, we took care of ourselves. Fredd and Isagani were in the upper part of the bed and Joan and I were in the lower part. Our belongings were left on our beds as we were leaving tomorrow when our mission was over.
"So? What will we do tomorrow? Looking for what sank village?" Joan asked.
"I think there is a sinking part here that causes the soil to c***k or move so there is a form of water?" I asked back.
"Well. Let's just ask if there is a sink place in here that turned into a lake or ..." Isagani stopped talking when Grandma Ines came in with blankets.
"These are your blankets, children," she smiled at us.
She laid him on a bed and was about to leave but I stopped her.
"Grandma Ines, is there a place here that sank or something?" I asked her.
"Place that sank?" she asked himself.
"I do not know of a sinking ground but there is a legend here about a town sank," she replied to us.
"Can you tell us the story?" I begged.
She smiled at us and walked over to the bed and sat down. We even sat on the ledge and looked up at her.
In ancient times, Paoay Lake was not a lake, but a plain land. Many people live there who are rich and prosperous. Their homes are affordable, and women and men are a luxury. Lots of jewelry, decorations, and elegant attire.
At first, they were godly, kind, and indifferent. But with the rise of life, their attitudes changed. They envy, enrich, impoverish the poor.
But some couples have not changed. Paul and Rosa continued their routine of remembering God and their behavior. They remain humble and helpful to those in need.
One day, an old lady came asking for food to the rich. She seems to be hungry. Not only was he harassed, but he was also thrown out by the wealthy whom she approached. At the house of Paulo and Rosa, she felt at home.
The next day, a handsome man arrived in the village. In each house he visited, he was welcomed warmly.
The arrival of guests is the final test of people's behavior. Suddenly it thundered, in conjunction with the dazzling lightning. Heavy rain was pouring down.
"Let's go to the top of the mountain," Paulo and Rosa invited the villagers. "It may flood,"
Some poor people listened to them. The rich continued their rejoicing. Days passed, weeks. it is still raining. The water steadily. Because homes are so large, the wealthy are less concerned.
Take a few more days. The water was very high and the people knew that they could not move from their place. The area has become a lake. The people left there were drowned. Most are the wealthy who are indestructible in preference and comfort.
That lake is called Paoay Lake, the largest lake in the province of Ilocos Norte. The inhabitants of this lake are called “Dacquel a Danum” or large water. It is declared a national park by a law adopted in 1969.
We thank Grandma Ines for telling the story. When she came out of the room, we talked about the story because we believed that we could find there what we were looking for.
- Writer
