Nkri's Point of View

After I shared few of the possible culprit yesterday, Mang Demetrio wasn't surprised. Sabi niya ay ganoon din ang hula niya. Pero kahit ni isa sa kanila ay wala siyang maituro. Me, on the other hand, had already a prime suspect in mind.

First, their farm is almost near the beach. Second, I know this creature lives near the sea to lure sailors to destruction with their bewitching songs.

Lastly, neighbor island nila rito ay ang Negros. The island were visible in the eye even from my room. It is only across the ocean. Malaki ang posibilidad na nandito sila nakatira o 'di kaya'y nasa kabilang isla.

I yawn for the last time before getting out of bed.

After I folded the blanket and adjusted the pillows, I stretched to relax my muscles. Tense muscles are what lead to poor posture. By keeping up with regular stretching, we are relaxing and lengthening our muscles which keep our back in better shape and improves our overall body posture.

Sumilip ako sa labas ng bintana. A smile instantaneously plastered upon my lips when I realized the weather is fine. Pumasok ako ng bathroom at naghilamos. It took me a couple of minutes before I decided to go out of my room.

Pagdating ko sa sala ay hindi ko nakita si Dash. Marahil ay tulog pa 'yon. Ang daldal kasi kaya naabutan silang dalawa ni Mang Demetrio ng alas nuwebe sa pagku-kuwentuhan. I shrugged my shoulders first and went straight to the kitchen to make a coffee.

I have to finish the book I was reading.

Alam kong malapit na. Pagkatapos kong magtimpla ay dumiretso ako sa veranda. Bitbit ko na ngayon ang libro. Sa kanang kamay ko naman ay bitbit ko ang tasa ng kape. When I entered the veranda, a morning breeze impetuously brushed against my skin.

I inhaled and exhaled before putting down my book and a cup of coffee on the table. Sa hindi kalayuan ay rinig na rinig ko ang tilaok ng mga manok. Dumaan ang isang oras at kalahati ay sa wakas ay natapos ko na rin ang aking binabasa.

Medyo masakit na rin ang sinag ng araw na tumama sa balat ko.

Sumilip ako sa wall clock na kaharap sa lugar kung nasaan ako. Mag-a-alas nuwebe na. My forehead was quick to furrowed in confusion. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa rin gising si Dash. Napaka-unusual naman ata. Ever since we arrived here in Talisay Beach, he's the first one to get up first thing in the morning.

At madadatnan ko siya rito sa veranda.

Ang kaninang nakakunot kong noo ay mas lalong naging doble. Why am I suddenly become concern of Dash? I was quick to shake my head to shove the thought away. But no matter how I persisted to shoved, it keep on coming back. I groaned in frustration. Padabog akong tumayo sa pagkakaupo. I have to check on him for the betterment of my sanity. I hate it when I am like this.

Naglakad na ako papunta sa kuwarto ni Dash. On my way there, I stopped midway when I saw a huge bird's shadow in my peripheral vision. Sa halip na i-check si Dash ay dali-dali akong lumabas ng bahay. I have the feeling this is the culprit that Mang Demetrio dying to know.

And I have a hundred percent feeling that my hunch was right.

When I got outside of the house, I looked upon the sky. Panandalian pa nga akong napaiwas nang saktong tumama sa mata ko ang sinag ng araw. I compose myself. Hindi naman nagtagal ay bumalik ang paningin ko. At muling tumingala sa langit.

Dalawang ibon ang sumalubong sa mata ko. They are too high from where I am. But that didn't change my suspicion. Because what I am seeing right now can be very different from how it seems and appears to be.

I can't just stand here and do nothing to prove that my suspicion is correct. That's not in Athena's offspring's vocabulary. Mabilis akong kumilos nang mapagtanto kong malapit na itong mawala sa paningin ko. Dire-diretso lamang ako hanggang sa makalabas ako ng gate.

I gasped for air when I felt the beach sand touch my bare foot.

I made a quick glance to the sea before locking my eyes to the two birds flying upon the sky again. In my ears, I could hear the calm waves crashing against the shore. The sound of seagulls from afar that seemed to be looking for fish to remedy their hunger.

Patuloy lamang ako sa paglalakad. Buong atensyon ko ay nasa langit lamang, takot na baka mawala ang mga ito sa paningin ko. Or else, everything would be in vain. In a war, understanding or knowing your enemy is one of the main strategy before striking. It is not all about violence, but wisdom.

Well, not Ares' case, I believe.

My jaw tightened when I lost them. But that won't stop me. That means, those birds just landed on a three branch. And I am pretty sure, they are here inside this forest. Well, I don't know if this is a forest but it seemed like it.

Subalit mabilis din akong napangiwi nang mapagtanto ko kung ano ang papasukin ko. I mean, majority of these shrubs are aroma. These trees are spiny, reaching a height of two to four meters. Branches are more or less zigzagging, lenticel, with sharp stipular spines, one to four centimeters long; branchlet spines are smaller.

Its scientific name is vachellia farnesiana.

Napatingin ako sa aking paang walang sapin. Mabilis kong iniling ang aking ulo. Confirming my suspicion is more important than having my feet getting injured by the spikes. Ikinuyom ko ang aking mga palad. At patakbong pumasok sa gubat.

Nang makapasok ako ay tumambad sa akin ang maraming puno ng aroma. Sa dami nila, malabong hindi matinik ang paa kong walang suot na tsinelas. Sa hindi kalayuan, kitang-kita ko ang talahiban. Sa likod ng talahiban may nakasilip na tila abandonadong gusali.

Kitang-kita ko rin ang naglalakihang puno ng manga sa hindi kalayuan. Sa kaliwa ko naman ay may dalawang malaking puno ng talisay.

Dahan-dahan akong naglakad. I was watching my every step, preventing myself by getting pricked. A scoff impetuously escaped from my lips when I saw several bird's feathers scattered everywhere. Napangiwi ako nang bigla akong natusok ng tinik dahil sa sobrang abala sa pagsunod sa mga balahibo.

Sumilip ako sa aking kanang paa. It's bleeding. But I was quick to hide myself behind this huge tree when I heard a pair of wings flapping sound. Base on the sound, papalapit nang papalapit ang mga ito sa kinaroroonan ko.

They are coming towards the place where I am hiding. For that matter, my heart skipped a beat. Sumilip ako. There I saw creatures that were depicted as human sized vultures, with dirty black plumage, gray talons and wrinkled pink necks. Above all, they have human heads.

"Sirens," I whispered to myself.

"Thelxiepeia, what are we gonna do next?" the other one asked.

I heard one of them flap her wings twice. "We can't wait any longer until the harvest," I believe it was Thelxiepeia who answered. "We must need to destroy those disgusting greenery especially now that the demigods are here to stop us!" Sigaw niyang dagdag sa naunang sinabi.

Napasinghap ako dahil sa narinig. I was about to scold myself when both of them went silent. Tila ba'y narinig niya ang aking pagsinghap. Tinablan kaagad ako ng kaba nang marinig ko ang pagsinghot nila. Dahil dito ay napatakip ako ng aking bibig.

"A demigod, Parthenope!" Tila tuwang-tuwa pa nitong saad. "It's near," I heard the other one whispered.

An instant sigh of relief escaped in my lips when a lizard fell from a tree. Ang sumunod kong narinig ang malalakas nilang huni. Tila ba'y pareho silang nagtatawanan. Couple of seconds passed, they flew away.

Kinuha ko ang pagkakataong ito na makaalis sa lugar na 'yon.

Tinakbo ko na ang daan kung saan ako dumaan kanina. Hindi ko na inalintana ang sugat na natamo ko sa mga tinik ng aroma trees. Tanging nasa isip ko lamang ay sina Dash at Mang Demetrio, pati na rin ang mga empleyado ng kaniyang sakahan.

Kahit na ilang beses na akong napangiwi dahil sa sugat ko sa paa ay nakabalik ako sa sakahan. Napahawak pa ako sa dalawang tuhod ko habang hinahabol ang hininga. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Dash helping the three old women pulling out the graminoids.

Napapangiwi pa ako kapag aksidente kong natatapakan ang mga maliliit at matatalas na mga bato. Pero hindi ko hinayaang makasagabal sa gusto kong iparating kay Dash at Mang Demetrio. I have to warn them so we could prepare ourselves from battle.

"Amega kaha 'tong babaye nga kauban ni Sir Dash sa?" (Kaibigan kaya ni Sir Dash 'yong babaeng kasama niya?) rinig ko pa nitong bulong sa katabi niya.

The other one just shrugged her shoulders.

"Ambot uroy wala ko kahibaw," (Ewan ko hindi ko alam.) sagot ng babaeng binulungan niya.

Habang ako naman ay walang naiintindihan sa sinasabi nila. Hindi ko na lamang sila pinansin pa't nagpatuloy sa paglalakad. Nahinto lamang sila nang mapansin nila ang presensya ko. Maging si Dash din ay napatingin sa 'kin.

Ang akala ko'y magtatanong siya sa 'kin. Subalit tinignan niya lang ako. Tila ba'y sinusuri. His eyes grew wider when his gaze went straight to my bleeding feet. Bumalik ang tingin niya sa mata ko na tila ba'y nagtatanong.

Before he could voice it out, I preceded him by grabbing his wrist. Mabilis ko namang ipinagpasalamat dahil hinayaan niya lang akong kaladkarin siya papunta sa kubo. Kung saan temple din ito ni Demeter.

Before I could enter the temple, he asked, "Saan ka ba nagpupunta't nagkaganito paa mo, Nkri?"

Tinignan ko lang siya sa mata pagkatapos ay pumasok na kaagad.

☽ ♆ ☾

Nang sabihin ko sa kanila ang nalaman ko ay bumagsak ang kanilang mga panga. Kasabay nito ang pagngiwi ng aking mukha sa tuwing nilalagyan ni Dash ng rubbing alcohol ang paa ko. Mabilis na nagpaalam si Mang Demetrio upang pauwiin ang mga empleyado niya sa sakahan.

And I didn't disagree with that. Kahit na maging ako ay ganoon din ang gagawin ko. Nabaling ang aking atensyon nang maramdaman ko ang mga tingin sa akin ni Dash. I looked at him with a questioning look.

"Can you refresh my mind why these sirens had a grudge against my mother?" sa wakas ay naitanong na niya ang bumabagabag sa kaniya. Habang abala pa rin siya sa paglilinis sa mga sugat ko sa paa.

A sigh escaped my lips first before I decided to respond.

"It started . . ." pagsisimula ko pa.

Hades rarely ventured out of the underworld. Ngunit, sa ilang beses na ginawa niya, nakatagpo niya si Persephone. She was the alluring daughter of Zeus and Demeter. From the moment he first set his eyes on her, he was drawn to her and instantly fell in love.

So, nagpunta si Hades kay Zues upang kumonsulta sa kaniya.

Because Zeus had previously promised Hades one of his daughters in marriage. And when Hades told him that he wanted to marry Persephone, Zeus obliged. Pero alam niyang hindi papayag si Demeter, ina ni Persephone, na papakasalan ng anak niya ang diyos ng kadiliman. Hades was heartbroken that he would never be able to have Persephone as his wife.

So, the two brothers hatched a plan that would see him marry the woman he desperately loved. The next morning, Demeter and her daughter descended upon the earth. The two were incredibly close just as most mother and daughters are when girls begin to transition into womanhood.

Demeter is the life-giving goddess of agriculture, grain, and harvest. Therefore, she left Persephone with the nymphs of the sea to watch over her while she went to tend to her earthly duties.

Zeus knew that the nymphs would never let Persephone out of their sight for fear of Demeter's wrath. Dahil dito, nautusan niyang pinataniman si Gaea ng halamang kaakit-akit sa malapit na hardin. As Persephone wandered away from her mother and into the garden, she saw the flower and was immediately drawn to its beauty.

"Then Hades abduct her, right?" mabilisan niyang tanong nang huminto muna ako sa pagkukuwento sa kaniya.

Tumango ako bilang sagot. Siya naman ay nagpatuloy sa paggamot sa aking mga paa. At ako naman ay ipinagpatuloy ang aking pag-kuwento. "No sooner had she stopped to pick it, then the ground beneath her feet began to quake and a gaping crack soon appeared." At ako naman ay ipinagpatuloy ang aking pag-kuwento.

Napahinto siya ng ilang segundo. "Huh, 'yon pala gamit ng narcissus flower na 'yon," he commented.

"As the crack widened, Hades and his chariot of black horses emerged from it and began charging towards her. Bago pa man siya makasigaw ay nakuha na siya ni Hades at dinala sa underworld," I continued.

I heard Dash sighed. "I know where this is going," he once again commented. Sa mga oras na 'to ay nakatingin na siya sa akin sa mata. "Demeter's wrath rained down on the nymphs. At isinumpa niya ang mga ito, tama ba ako?" he asked.

Tumango ulit ako bilang pagsagot. He scoffed as a response as well. Pagkatapos ay iniling niya ang kaniyang ulo. Pagkatapos na pagkatapos niyang lagyan ng rolled gauze bandage ang dalawang kong paa ay siyang pagpasok ulit ni Mang Demetrio.

"Good thing ay hindi na nagtanong ang mga tauhan ko kung bakit ko sila pinauwi ng maaga," he said.

Tiningnan ko siya sa mata. I wanted to relay it to him that he did a good thing. Tumayo ako sa pagkakaupo't sumeryoso ang mukha ko.

"Do you have something that can perhaps trap the sirens?" tanong ko kay Mang Demetrio.

Mabilis siyang napatango. "I have Hephaestus' golden net. A dozen of them," he said. "It's a gift I received from Apollo after I was chosen to be the next host of the Spirit of Delphi. Kahit na replica lang ito ay gumagana ito katulad ng sa original," dagdag niyang sabi.

Golden net was forged by Hephaestus to trapped Aphrodite and Ares the moment they jumped into the bed behind his back. Pagkatapos niyang ma-trap ang dalawa ay ipinahiya niya ang mga ito sa ibang mga diyos.

"I think I have earplugs in my bag. We use them to resist the siren's bewitching song," I said. Bigla akong na-excite. Marahil ay gusto kong makita ang maging reaksyon ng mga halimaw na 'yon sa naiisip kong strategy. "And I have a plan how we defeat them."

Dash flashed a smile. Si Mang Demetrio naman ay lumiwanag ang kaniyang mukha.