Parang sasabog ang utak ko sa nalaman ko. Pasimple kong hinanap ang 'yong lalaki kanina. Bakit naririnig ko ang boses nya sa utak ko? Bakit bigla-bigla na lamang siyang sumusulpot at nawawala?

I don't know what it was, but something made me look at the large doors of the reception hall. Nakita ko roon ang lalaki. Nakasandal siya sa tabi ng pintuan, nakapanuod lang sa mga tao. Nobody paid him attention. I think...they really couldn't see him.

Nagtama ang paningin naming dalawa. He smiled and touched the tip of his hat. Saka siya umalis sa pagkakasandal at lumabas ng reception hall.

I had no intention of following him outside. I don't know the guy and I'm a bit scared kasi baka nga multo sya! Pero...parang biglang nagkaroon ng sariling buhay ang mga paa ko.

Hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili kong mga paa sa pagsunod sa kanya. Sa likuran ng reception hall ako napadpad. Nakita ko siya roon, nakatayo sa tabi ng isang lumang balon. I didn't even know that this place has an old well. Dahil sa katabing lamp post, kitang-kita ko ang lumot na nakakapit sa balon. The guy raised his hand and made a 'come hither' gesture with his forefinger. I felt a tug, like I was being pulled closer.

I began to panic when my feet started taking steps. Pinalo ko ang mga binti ko. Stop walking!

"Don't fight it, Mina. You'll only get hurt," the guy told me.

That sounded like 'just surrender and I'll make this easy for you' which made me more panicky. Iwinasiwas ko ang mga kamay ko sa harap, dahil baka nga naman may taling nakakabit sa 'kin na hindi ko nakikita.

The guy suddenly burst out laughing. He's cute but he really has this unsettling vibe. Di ba may mga serial killer naman na gwapo? My heart hammered against my chest. Kahapon lang, pakiramdam ko ay galing ako sa isang aksidente. Ngayon naman, pakiramdam ko, may papatay naman sa 'kin. Ganito ba parallel universe na 'to? Araw-araw akong mamamatay sa iba't ibang paraan?

Before I fainted in fright, I suddenly realized something.

I can move! Nawala yata sa konsentrasyon 'yong lalaki nang bigla syang tumawa. I can feel my feet again! Dahan-dahan akong umurong at nang tingin ko'y medyo malayo na ako sa kanya, sumibat ako ng takbo.

Pero hindi pa man ako nakakalayo ay parang nanigas naman ang buo kong katawan. It's like a force field suddenly enveloped me, trapping me in that mid-running pose. Then, I heard a snap of my fingers and the world turned around. Or rather, I turned around.

Napaharap ako sa kanya.

"You know, it's rude to turn your back on someone who's talking to you."

Nakahalukipkip siya, seryoso ang mukha.

I opened my mouth to say something but no words came out. He sighed and snapped his fingers again. Bumaba sa lupa ang isa kong paa na nakaangat kanina. I was freed from...whatever it is that was holding me earlier.

"Who...are you?" I asked

He took two steps forward and I took two, back. He raised his hands as if telling me that there was nothing to worry about. Well, that's easy for him to say. He has the upper hand. I'm lost, confused, and scared. And he has magic tricks.

"Will you promise to listen and not run away?"

"Uhm...no." I'd run like hell if I felt like I was in danger, even if running is futile. At least I tried to save my life.

"Mina, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"How can I be sure of that? And why do you know my name? Ano'ng nangyari kanina? Bakit bigla na lang akong naglakad papunta rito—"

"Isa-isa lang, pwede?"

I huffed. "Fine. Why do you know my name?"

"Because I know you," he answered. It sounded as if I knew him too. "I've been watching you since the day you were born."

A shiver ran down my spine. Since I was born?! Creepy!

"What are you?"

"I'm the angel."

"The angel?"

He beamed and it looked like somebody poked his cheeks. Those dimples look really cute. Focus, Mina! saway ko sa sarili ko. "The angel of love, Karmina. My name is Cupid."

I didn't mean to be rude...pero bigla akong natawa. I mean, seriously? Of all the characters he could portray, he chose Cupid?

The guy, who calls himself Cupid, pouted. "You don't believe me."

"I don't," I said with a nod. He looked like a young cherub, the popular depiction of Cupid, but what would Cupid do here? And to think na magpapakita sya sa 'kin? I mean, what's so special about me?

"I know this is a lot to take in—"

"Uh...yeah!"

"Do you want proof?"

Without even waiting for my answer, he poised himself and closed his eyes. A part of me wanted to take the opportunity and just run, but the curious part of me won. I stayed. I told myself that if his proof didn't convince me that he was who he said he was, then I was out.

Pinagdaop niya ang mga palad at itinaas hanggang sa katapat na noon ang mukha niya. He muttered something that I couldn't understand. And then, tiny red flickers seemed to be drawn to him. I don't know where they came from. Bigla na lamang silang nagsisulputan, parang mga maliliit na alitaptap. But they're not fireflies. Fireflies don't have reddish lights and they're certainly not that tiny.

Pinalibutan si Cupid ng mga maliliit na ilaw. Tapos ay nakita kong pumasok ang mga ito sa magkadaop niyang mga kamay. Cupid opened his eyes and slowly opened his palm to reveal a floating red liquid orb. I was immediately drawn to it, like moth to flame. There is something so...mesmerizing about that thing, whatever it is.

I walked towards him and reached out to touch the orb. Cupid stretched the floating orb in two opposite directions. He shaped it into an arrow. And then, he conjured a bow made out of light, placed the arrow on it, and pointed it at me.

Napatigil ako sa pagsulong.

"Don't come any closer," he warned.

"But I have to...touch it," wala sa sarili kong sabi. I mean, I sort of know what I'm doing and I know that it's bad, but I want to do it anyway. Para akong lasing.

Cupid lowered the bow and arrow. The bow disappeared while the arrow went back to being an orb. Then he crushed it in his hands and the orb slowly seeped into his system. Kasabay ng pagkawala noon ay ang pagkawala ng epekto noon sa akin. I'm only two steps away from him when I woke up from the trance. Agad akong umurong, ibinalik ang distansyang namamagitan sa amin kanina.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"My proof."

"But what was that?"

"It's called amare, the purest, most concentrated form of love. It is the substance that ignites the senses, the thing that triggers the five stages of connection. Humans know this as a spark," he explained.

"Spark?"

"You do know what spark is, don't you?"

"Of course, I do!" I answered, feeling a bit offended by his question. I write about that stuff! Sa mga istoryang isinusulat ko, kapag nagkaroon ng spark ang dalawang characters, automatic, sila na ang magkakatuluyan, because that's how romance works in fiction.

"So you do believe me now."

Umiling ako. I do believe him, but not entirely. I made a gesture with my thumb and forefinger. "Slight," sabi ko.

Cupid sighed. "I guess that'll do for now."

"If you're really the angel of love, then why are you here? And why am I seeing you? Why can't they see you? And the strings—"

He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand and said, "I told you to ask one question at a time!"

I bit my lip and tried not to laugh. I guess he was looking a bit exasperated. Pasensya naman, Cupid! He can't just appear and do those things he did without expecting me to ask a lot of questions later.

"Okay. I'll ask this first: am I in the real world?"

"Yes." Mabilis niyang sagot.

"Am I...alive?"

He looked at me blandly. "Well, of course. You're here, aren't you?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Pinch yourself."

I did...and it hurt. Okay...so I'm alive and I'm not dreaming. I'm also in the real world, apparently. I know I can't take his word for it, pero sino naman ang tatanungin ko? Baka kapag sina Kuya ang kinausap ko, sabihan pa nila akong baliw.

"So, you're the stranger here," I told him.

Tumango siya at ngumiti. "I am."

"Why are you here?"

"I'm on a mission." He put his hand in his pocket and retrieved a small, empty jar. He stretched out his arm towards me so I could take a closer look without him breaching the safe distance between us. The jar looks ordinary. It has a cork that has a gold string tied around it.

I don't get it. What's so special about this jar and what's its significance to his so-called mission?

"This is not an ordinary jar, Karmina."

"I was just going to say that it is. It looks ordinary to me," I admitted. "What's it for?"

"For your mission." Naalerto ang tainga ko sa ginamit nyang possessive noun.

"My mission? Teka...akala ko ba nandito ka para sa misyon mo? Bakit naging akin bigla?"

"My mission is to tell you about your mission," he said to me. "This is for the hearts of the five pairs that you'll collect. In a span of one year, starting today, you will meet 5 pairs of people. Sila 'yong mga taong hindi pinagtagpo ng tadhana sa mga nakaraan nilang buhay. Your mission is to help them get through the five stages of connection to finally be one perfect being."

Nakamaang lamang ako sa kanya. Hindi yata ma-absorb ng utak ko ang mga sinabi niya. Unang-una, bakit ako? Bakit hindi ibang tao? Ano ba ang pakialam ko sa mga taong hindi nagkatuluyan sa dati nilang buhay? Yayaman ba ako sa ipinapagawa niya sa akin?

Sa pagkakatanda ko, my only mission in life is to get rich and die happy. Everything else will just be an instrument to reach those two goals.

"I know this is a lot to absorb, but I didn't choose you for this. Somebody else, someone more powerful, chose you. So kung gusto mong tumanggi, sa kanya ka sasagot, hindi sa 'kin."

He pointed to the sky and lightning flash. I jumped in surprise. Coincidence lang 'yon, pangungumbinsi ko sa sarili ko. Then came another lightning. Ngumisi siya nang makitang parang takot na takot ako. Well, I am scared! Langit na ba ang babanggain ko sakaling maisipan kong tumanggi?

"G-God chose me?" I squeaked. "But why?"

Tumingala si Cupid, parang nakikipag-communicate sa nasa itaas. Then he looked at me again and shook his head. "He told me not to tell you."

"Weh?"

Thunder rolled. Fudge! Napatalon na naman ako sa gulat!

"It would be best if you start believing that this is real. You know what happens if you don't believe, do you? The universe will take extreme measures to make you believe."

"Not God?"

"God doesn't control everything. Kaya nga may free will kayo. It means that you, humans, have the power within you to live your lives the way you want to, but ultimately, that power has limits. Do you know how powerful freedom is? And every action has a consequence. It's a ripple effect. You can't blame God for everything."

Tumango ako. I admit that it's easier to blame someone else than to own up to your mistakes.

"Does this mean that I don't have a choice?" I asked.

"You do...but only to an extent. You can't refuse this, Mina."

"And if I do?"

"You wouldn't want to know," sabi niya sabay iling. "Misery would be an understatement, Mina. And if you think na tinatakot lang kita, then we can test that." He looked up at the sky again as if to say that God could attest to everything he was saying.

I was a bit scared.

"So...uhm...what are the five stages of connection?" I asked, remembering that he mentioned something about that earlier.

"That...is classified information. But if you agree to do this, then I'd be happy to tell you about it."

I made a face. "Quid pro quo, huh?"

"Everything has a price. For that information, I only need your agreement."

"Like a contract?"

"A powerful one," he said with a nod.

Tumingala ako at bumuntong-hininga. Bakit pakiramdam ko bigla, tatamaan ako ng kidlat kapag tumanggi ako?

"For the record, I didn't want this. I don't want this. But I will sign the contract because I'm afraid of the consequences if I don't."

"Good." He smirked.

"Where do I sign?"

Tumawa siya at nagsimulang lumapit. I was about to take a step back but I can't move my legs again. When he was just a few inches away, he put the jar between us. I felt my right arm move. Inilagay ko ang kamay ko sa itaas ng jar habang nakapatong iyon sa kamay ni Cupid.

He closed his eyes and muttered something in a different language. Hindi ko pa rin maintindihan kung ano ang sinasabi nya, but my guess is that it is meant to summon a thick, gold ribbon because one just magically appeared out of thin air.

Pumulupot iyon sa mga braso namin hanggang sa magtagpo ang dalawang dulo sa gitna. Once it has enveloped the jar, it glowed so bright, I thought it was going to blind me. I felt power and warmth seep inside of me. I saw faces inside my head. Some were familiar. Others were total strangers.

I closed my eyes as memories after memories flashed in my mind. Nang maramdaman kong parang sasabog na ang utak ko sa sobrang dami ng nasa isip ko, biglang tumigil ang pagdaloy ng mga memorya. Tumahimik ang paligid.

When I opened my eyes, Cupid wasn't there anymore. Wala na rin ang gintong laso na nakapulupot sa amin kanina. What's left is the tiny empty jar on my hand, with my name engraved on the glass.