POV Fairy

Para akong isang movie actress na slowly and gracefully drowning to the depths of a deep, black sea. Ganun talaga kapag artista, bawal malunod nang ngetpa. Dapat parang natutulog lang. Calm demeanor pa rin kahit wala nang hininga habang may maliliit na bubbles na tumatakas mula sa mini-matangos kong ilong. Para akong princess sa ilalim ng dagat na naghihintay ng underwater prince charming. Not syokoy mind you.

Ganun ang pakiramdam ng kabilang-buhay. A slow descend into the abyss. Wala akong naiisip. O nararamdamdan. Sensation lang ng dahan-dahang paggalaw.

Hanggang sa ayun na nga, like there is a strong hand that gripped my arm and pulled me out of the water. And for the longest time, I breathed air.

I momentarily looked at my surroundings. At napansin kong nasa isang kwarto ako. Wait, I'm already dead, right?

"Tangina. Ano 'to?" Said the boy na ngayon lang siguro nakakita ng kasing-ganda ko.

Tulaley. Kwarto niya siguro ito. But doesn't look like a boy's room. Well, at least my idea of what a boy's room would look like with all the maruruming medyas and hanging under wears by the bed posts. Not that I have been into any boy's room. But the boy in front of me is very much alive.

"Ahm. Tangina to you too? And sino naman you?" No response.

"Hello? Earth to, ahm, whoever you are? Nasaan ako?" No response. Blink-blink lang ng eyes in disbelief. I tried to walk around to feel the room but I stopped a few inches from where I am supposed to be standing. Supposed to be standing.

Because look, o! I don't have feet! Instead of legs, they were joined into one. Like yung buntot ng genie. O wait. I frantically turned around, looking for a mirror. And there I saw what I really became of.

I'm a flame in the candle. I look like a freaking genie in a candle.

"Hey, what did you do to me?" Tanong ko sa batang lalaki na nakaupo pa rin pero unti-unti nang nagkakaroon ng kulay. Hindi tulad kanina na as white as a blank sheet of paper. May sinasabi siyang hindi ko maintindihan. Wait. Is he like, praying? Tanginang tao 'to!

"Hoy gago. Anong tingin mo sa akin, aswang? Multo?!"

Kasabay ng galit at pagtaas ng boses ko, naramdaman ko ring lumakas ang apoy ko. So immediately, I calmed myself. Kasi parang mas natakot yung bata sa harapan ko. Ako, alam kong deds na ako. That is why he is shit scared. Happy place. Happy place. Whoooo.

"Hello. Sorry. Natakot ba kita? Sorry ha. I have no idea rin kasi what's happening here. Maybe you can help me figure this out?"

Tumango-tango siya. Okay. Naririnig niya ako. Naiintindihan niya ang sinasabi ko. I thought there's like a ghost language or something.

"So ano bang nangyari? Alam mo kasi, deds na ako. For how long? Hindi ko alam eh. Time stops when you die. Basta ang sure ako, I'm already dead. So what am I doing here?"

Slowly. And veeeeeery painstakingly slow dahil hindi pa nakaka-recover ang kuya mo die to the utter shock of meeting such a lovely lady like me, and the unlikely event of meeting a dead girl in a candle, he told me what happened.

This guy is a candle stealer. Which I guess, is a big no-no. Kasi from what I know, candles are supposed to guide us spirits to reach the our final-final destination. And he kind of like, took that away, so I was misled. My spirit disturbed. And so here I am.

All of this trouble dahil gusto niya lang mag-aral. Wow. Para lang mag-aral, magnanakaw ng kandila. Can you believe this guy? Like whatever happened to electricity? Did I end up in the old times? But then he told me na their electricity was cut-off. While he is telling his story, I saw this candle at the floor.

"Uhm, kinuha mo rin yung kandila na yan"?

"Ay oo nga." Saka niya mabilis na ginrab ang candle. "Oo, sabay ko kayong kinuha. Pero namatay din ito kanina agad. Please. Wag mo akong sasaktan. Ibabalik na lang agad kita sa sementeryo." Tapos lumuhod siya sa harap ko.

"What? No! Di ba mag-aaral ka pa?" Pasalamat siya, I'm in a particulary good mood kahit na medyo disappointed ako due to the fact na kung ganito rin lang naman bakit hindi na lang si Richard Guttierez ang nagnakaw ng kandila ko? Or maybe, this exact situation pero in, States! Bakit hindi na lang si Taylor Swift ang candle stealer ko?

"Mag-aaral ka pa di ba? I'll help you. And, maybe after that. Kapag may kuryente na kayo, you can return me."

Almost immediately, parang bumalik lahat ng senses niya. Mabilis siyang tumingin sa kanyang relo. At sa mga notes niya. Saka dinampot ito at binuksan para basahin out loud. "Nag-review siya like all of this did not happen. Like I'm not a ghost. Mukhang mas takot pa ata siyang bumagsak kaysa dito.

Tsk. If there's one thing I sure did not miss while I'm alive, it's definitely studying.

"Nga pala. Sorry to interrupt." Inangat niya ang mata niya sa akin habang nagmememorize pa rin ng some terminologies. "I haven't introduced myself."

Huminto siya sa pagsasalita. Then proceeded to ask me, "Ano nga pala pangalan mo?"

"Fairy. Just call me Fairy." Then I smiled. Then pointed at his notes to let him get back to studying.