moonwashed [ 02 ]

❝i think you hung the moon❞
to think that someone
is completely perfect.

"Ano'ng ginagawa mo rito?" tanong ni Amaris. The girl gripping on the railing looked more scared than shocked, and she felt kind of bad. She must have scared her, but she had to ask her something first to make sure. "Ikaw ba 'yung sumisigaw?"

"H-Ha?"

"Kanina pa kasi ako nakakarinig ng sumisigaw," sabi ni Amaris. "Akala ko nga multo, e."

The girl's mouth opened, then it closed, and then suddenly she was blushing. Napatawa nang mahina si Amaris.

"Hindi ako 'yun, Amaris," sabi na lang ng babae, kahit alam ni Amaris na nagsisinungaling lang siya. Napansin niya na parehas sila ng suot ng uniform at parehas sila ng kulay ng ID lace, kaya parehas siguro silang fourth-year sa iisang high school.

"Ah — wait, paano mo nalaman pangalan ko?" sabi niya nang nakatawa.

"Ha? Ano'ng —" She was flustered and she looked as though she could jump off the railing anytime. "Hindi! 'Yung ID mo kasi—"

Amaris just laughed it off because the girl seemed so fidgety and nervous for no reason. "Chill! Are you always that tense?" Lumakad siya papunta sa railing saka sumandal doon.

That's when the girl finally breathed. She relaxed her shoulders and swallowed, before holding the railing and facing the sunset again.

"T-To be fair, ginulat mo kasi ako," sabi niya. The girl was still reddening.

"Sorry," sabi ni Amaris, but if someone else was on the seaside and would suddenly hear a girl's screaming from the lighthouse, they'd definitely check to see, too. Napalumbaba siya. "Ako pala si Amaris — Maris na lang. Ikaw? Same grade lang pala tayo pero ngayon lang kita nakita."

"I-I'm not very . . . I always blend in the background, kaya baka hindi mo lang ako napapansin," sabi niya. "I'm Mizuki. Mizu."

"Hala. Ang cute naman ng name mo," sabi ni Maris. "Both our names start with M, too!"

Mizu smiled for a bit, and Maris thought that was refreshing. At least she didn't seem anxious anymore.

Maris never experienced 'blending in the background'. She was always the center of attention whether she likes it or not — maybe it's the palm sized birthmark on her left cheek, or it's just her loud energy that attracts the attention, she wasn't really sure — so she didn't know how Mizu felt about barely being noticed in a crowd.

"I don't think you've ever blended in the crowd, though," sabi ni Mizuki. "I think it's because of your birthmark."

It's as if Mizuki could read her exact thoughts. She laughed. "It's kind of one of my biggest insecurities."

Napakunot ang noo ni Mizu roon. "What? Why?"

Maris returned the frown, but with an unsteady chuckle. "W-What do you mean why? It's hideous."

"I think it looks pretty."

In Maris's life, her birthmark was never called pretty. It was always either unique or weird or the synonyms of big but it was never called pretty. When Mizuki said that so casually with the most genuine look she'd ever seen, she didn't know it was possible for a heart to flutter that much.

"A-Anyway," she said, changing the subject. She was never good at taking compliments. "Hindi mo pa sinasagot tanong ko," sabi ni Maris saka bumalik ang tingin sa langit. "Ano'ng ginagawa mo rito?"

Napababa ang tingin niya sa mga kamay ni Mizuki na nakahawak sa railing. Her hands looks pretty, she thought.

"I was waiting for . . ." There was a pause. ". . . a shooting star. "

"Shooting star?" ulit ni Maris. She had never even seen one. "It's 6 PM."

"Gusto ko rin kasi makita 'yung first star."

"Why?"

Mizu blushed. She was so pale that colors rush up her face so easily. "Promise you won't make fun of me."

Maris couldn't promise that. "Promise."

"Sabi mo ah." Mizu smiled at her before looking up. "I-I'm trying to make a wish."

Suddenly, Mizu is the most interesting girl in the world. Napatuwid ng tayo si Maris saka tiningnan si Mizu nang maigi. "A wish? Huh."

Maris thought of the last time she made a wish. Sa pagkakaalala niya, noong birthday pa yata niya noong nag-ihip siya ng kandila sa cake na binili ng ate niya. She rememebered wishing for a friend that won't treat her like an accessory.

That wish never came true.

Saka siya may naalala. "Why not wish on the night of the festival? Light a candle."

"Eh . . ." Napakamot si Mizu ng pisngi. "My wishes never really come true when a lot of other people wish, too. I think the moon — the moon god — goddess — whatever — wouldn't be able to hear me."

"Kaya aasa ka na lang sa bulalakaw?"

"Better than nothing, honestly."

"Ano ba wish mo?"

"Secret ko na 'yun!"

Maris thought for a while. She licked her lower lip as her fingers tapped on the railing.

"How about I offer you an alternative?"

Then Mizu looked at her. "An alternative?"

"Have you heard about the wish after one-hundred airplanes?"

Mizu looked interested — tumagilid talaga siya para diretsong matingnan si Maris. "No. Ano 'yan?"

"All you have to do is to count airplanes, and you'd get to wish on the one-hundredth that you'd see," sabi ni Maris. Humangin nang malakas at hinawi no'n ang mga buhok nila. "I swear, it's fun!"

"That sounds like a lot of work. I can't be looking at the sky all the time," sabi ni Mizu saka inayos ang hinanging buhok.

"Well, oo, pero para sa akin, it's more than just making the wish," sabi ni Maris. Lumapit siya kay Mizu saka tumingala sa langit. "It's about the anticipation. How it slowly forms at the bottom of your tummy as your one-hundredth plane comes closer."

Mizu's eyes seemed to sparkle, though that may just be Maris's imagination.

The waves from the beach were starting to get noisier, and the stars were multiplying up in the sky. Hinayaan na lang muna ni Maris si Mizuki na pag-isipan ang alternative na in-offer niya. While she was lost in her thoughts, Maris just took the chance to look at her.

She looked as though she was trying to ponder deeply on what Maris just said, with her brows furrowed and her fingers tapping her chin. She was taking the wishing stuff way too seriously, and Maris thought that that's adorable.

"Haven't thought of it that way," sabi niyang bigla. Her hand formed a knuckle and she slammed it on the railing. "Sige! I'll start now!"

"Dapat magkaroon tayo ng competition," suhestiyon ni Maris saka pumalumbaba ulit. "Whoever gets to count to the hundredth airplane first would get to ask the other for anything."

Mizu gasped. "A-Anything?"

"Yup!"

Mizu fell silent again for a moment, and it was enough time for Maris to appreciate where she's standing right now. She had always looked at the lighthouse, but it was the first time she's ever entered it. Madalas kasi ay kasama niya ang mga kaibigan niya na ayaw pumunta sa mga gano'ng klaseng lugar. They'd always whine about how scary it looked, baka raw may kumapit sa kanilang multo . . . and it's funny how Mizu, on the other hand, just casually yells around while waiting for a falling star.

"Okay," sabi ni Mizu. "How about we . . . we meet each other again here? On the festival night?"

Maris smiled.

She was waiting for her to ask that.

"Okay."

When she got to school the next day, she went upstairs where she could overlook the grounds, to see if Mizu would be around. Siya na mismo nagsabing nagbe-blend siya mismo sa background kaya mukhang mahihirapan si Maris na hanapin siya, pero susubukan niya pa rin. She was already familiar of her face anyway. She was sure she would spot her as easily as she spotted her on the lighthouse.

She didn't.

Napabuntunghininga na lang si Maris saka sumandal sa pader. She even left her friends just to look for Mizu, tapos hindi man lang niya mahahanap. Was it wrong that she couldn't wait for the festival night to come so she had to see her already?

Gusto lang naman niyang i-brag na nakahanap na agad siya ng twenty airplanes.

She wondered if Mizu had seen more than her. It was easy for Maris to spot airplanes because the view of the skies from her room was clear. She would quickly beat Mizuki in no time!

When the bell rang, Maris made her way to her classroom, thinking if she'd seen 21 or 22 airplanes. She wanted everything to be as honest as possible. Noong bata kasi siya, sinubukan niyang dayain ang pagbibilang ng isang-daang eroplano, tapos hindi natupad ang wish niya kaya nagsimula ulit siya sa umpisa. Amaris learned the hard way.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely even noticed Mizuki passing by her by in the hallway.

Maris's eyes widened.

First thought that came to mind was to smile and greet her. Second thought was how shy she suddenly felt. The third is how did she recognize her face so easily?

She was about to call her name, but as she watched Mizuki continue her way through the hall, her tongue seemed to freeze. Napakurap na lang siya saka isinara ang bibig. She looked at her own fingers, then up at Mizu, who was still walking away, and she thought of one thing.

Maris didn't have anything to wish for yet.

What did she even want?

She looked at Mizuki again, the figure of her back slowly disappearing into the distance, then suddenly, she felt as if she already knew.