《Abyss of Silent Heroes》 1 It Started with a Well DISCLAIMER: This story is fiction. Everything is fictitious and were just created by the author inspired by her great grandfather Mr. Krause (mother''s side), an American-German soldier. But any names, events, positions, places in reality to fall similar within are purely coincidence. "Kabang is one of the best places laying on the creepy valley behind mountains surrounding Tikaban - a well-known haunted village. In 1902, the tribal leader hunted the entire village through his desperate people - trying to awaken the sleeping god in the bosom to one of its deepest caves, guarded by thousands of bats and slaying wild dogs. The god was said can pronounce miracles and heal people''s loneliness aside from being a redeemer. Desirous to be called living god himself, datu Gansal got annoyed and called them all subversive, treacherous and ungrateful people. Out of reprisal and retribution, datu Gansal put everyone young and old from that old wrecked village to tie one another, kneel and pray to their god unceasingly and wait for him to save them all. But if no god or deity can do it for them, in the next day, every one will be thrown and dumped in the villagers'' biggest well. Dreadfully, all were slaughtered like animals and the datu''s men threw them all, taking the time from pulling them out of the field going to the well, starting from sunrise till sundown. The well - was referred as the mass grave by the folks who escaped and survived. One of them had me." As recounted and narrated by Lolo (grandpa) Sibal, one of Tikaban''s local farmers who have escaped, survived and returned to the village after the 1918 - 1920 plague had stricken the place that killed all the settlers under the reign of datu Gansal. " Wow! you were one of those who survived?" Magee gripped her hands with such amazing look to her grandpa. " Yes, we were only five. We crawled like centipedes in a man-sized hole. There were raveged wild dogs we fed with potions as we crossed the daffodils in the opening of the said cave. We coated ourselves with snakes'' oil and ran there without turning back our heads as the ravenous dogs got dizzy and suffered for just seconds of panic and illusion. It means they saw us like the way they were. So then... crawling straight towards the opening of that hole till getting inside was indeed unbelievable but getting out was more likely a miracle. It was a dream, a beautiful one. Though, only five of us returned safe to this village without seeing our family members at all. With our safe return, I''ve got everything on this barren land. And you knew that you''re not my biological granddaughter ever since, but I''ve adopted all of you around. It was a relief. He looked at her and smiled with his wrinkles. " Wonderful! But where is the passage, where is that place, where did you hide that no one from datu Gansal''s men found you? I want to go there and come out after this Japanese war would end, Lolo, where''s the entrance, the gate? where''s that place where you hide for 20 long years? Lolo, I hate getting married to that man I am scared of. " Magee was tearfully holding her grandpa''s hands and pressed them for him to spill out the answer, but suddenly... "Magee! Magee! Get me some water from the well, our clay tub''s going empty now, where are your siblings strolling again? Anyway, come out and fetch me some, do it now! Here''s the wooden bucket, faster! Tomorrow''s your wedding, (December 30, 1941) don''t you know that? We''ll all be dead meat with your Japanese fiancee eyeing at us like criminals. The voice of a furious and hopeless mother. " Yes Ina ( equivalent to mother) I''m heading there right now." The 20 year old Magee immediately stood up and grabbed her palm-made slippers and signalled to her 62 year old grandfather that he''ll just come back quickly. Then off she go. The skies shed the bushes along with the windy night as she walked under the big trees next to the ruins of a castellan gazebo. Petrifyingly, the quirks of the norturnal birds in chorus started to outpour up high, while the winds were hovering on the branches of trees covering the entire grounds beneath her. It sounded more creepier even then as she shuddered in the bumpy terrains where sensely altogether straight to her frenzied eyes and luring her thoughts to nearly cripple while the crickets silenced - and the world seemed had stopped. It stumbled her heart further to endure because the well disappeared out of its post that backed her off a little to run. Not to wonder, she had been looking for it almost an hour yet found nothing. Needless to say but suddenly she noticed that the shrubs and clinging vines everywhere were gleefully swaying like hanging cobwebs had their symmetrical movements that intensely chilled her austerely. " Where''s, where''s the well...where?" Magee murmured and whispered to herself while chilling out of fear and sweats were communing on her forehead and on her neck pasted some of her hair strands she never worry at all. While the golden minutes had passed from covering herself behind the century old mabolo tree, she noticed a splashed of light in the sky turning out to be a silhouette of a figure she cannot distantly resemble. With so much amazement she breathtakingly followed the silhouette that eventually moved toward her. A shadow appeared in front of her with a speed of light, passing through her way that impede the sight of the direction where she was heading and the bumpy-clayed ground haven looked like a magnetic field for her barefooted paces after she had lost her slippers from running. Ironically, she religiously stayed beside a pulpy mabolo tree like a dead bystander; with trembling nerves, numbing thighs and peculiarly feeling lost while she desperately moved again slowly going backwards. Then... " Ahhhhhh!" Her ankle was accidentally twisted when she guesstimated to move backward but with her hand tried to grasp the balite tree''s roots and seemingly climbed on it like went out for wall climbing. With all the sweats assembling on her forehead and enough weight on it, little by little she weakened her arms to depend to the balite tree''s roots. Despite tension, she still get the chance of transferring to the next roots nearby while her sweats had multiplied and her veins seemingly erupted like volcanoes. Getting to her balance, she felt the walls of that hole began to give in and shrink, where some of its rocks were falling. In an instant, assuming that it''s her last minute to rely on so she thought to loudly shout for help and wishing someone could hear her from above. " No, not!" In her mind she thought that to shout for help means to loosely weaken her strength more and more so she managed herself to pull out another bigger roots and grasped them carefully. Then after a while she felt a very cool wind getting out from underneath that passed by to her like a welcome touch of death. But still with her thiniest hope she drew closer to the rocky wall and tried to sense everything on it before she leap to decide for her next heavier swing that could bring her on the edge of the wall. Sparingly, she knew that she''ll really dive in alive there anyway. " I don''t like to marry that Japanese man, this is maybe oddly my chance to get out from the setup agreement, but why do I need to die this way?" She sobbed and with her runny nose and a long waggling hair caused her a lot of a whining bothersome situation. Notwithstanding with that hopeless moment of struggle, she tried again to reach or touch anything from the hole''s rocky wall and finally swing her body twice in order to reach its rocky surface with more roots attached that she could probably transfer. But the balite roots she was clinging with - gave up. Appallingly, Magee''s voice contained painstakingly the emptiness of the place, as it goes louder and banged all over into an abyss where she fell like a lifeless leaf and gone to its depth succumb with sudden flashes within her memory lanes, each those happened within her youth and the unforgettable sighs as the spotless light swallowed her. 2 Accident in the Foxhole Flashbacks, memories of her place, the wilderness and gunshots, the dead Filipino people on the river of bloodstreams, hiding guerillas, betrayal of ''makapili''s'', the Japanese officer as her fiancee who threatened her mother and she was part of the hopeless agreement. Undaunted, but all these were imprinted in her mind converted into tears, cascading to her eyes while she heard likely some noise around, still her auditory sense was weak to clearly hear the source of clatters. Yet, she never opened her eyes and pretended to be that still and pondered in disbelief. " Wait...I fell in that hole, maybe...this is heaven. But I am on a bed, my back could feel a very smooth cloth. My feet have...what could be those things worn by my feet, socks, they''re awesomely so soft. Why my body is thickly covered, who did it? Why he/she/they took good care of me? Are they nice? Could this be heaven? What happened to me after that accident? what was that hole for? where was the well? what was the silhouette all about? what day is it today?" Magee asked all by herself and was confused about everything. Minutes later, she thought she''s already alone due to the absence of noise. Though, she could just only hear a huge sound of flowing waters from nowhere but there had been no paces of heavy footwears stamping on the wooden floors. Unintentionally, she was able to open her eyes. " Ahhhhhh!" Magee heavily shouted and covered her entire face while looking at the faces of big men in clean cut - hair cut and all''s wearing brown military uniforms. Her sweats goes out again on her forehead and neck like pebbles as she palpitated, turning her eyes around looked like mutated marbles. " Shh..." One of the men signaled her to calm down. Then someone waived a hand to another army guy in his mid 20''s who stood at the doorway, somewhat inviting him to interpret something, so to help them all communicate better. Then that Filipino guy motioned toward them and seated beside Magee. " Hmm...Narciso tawag nilan kanak, former music teacher, taga Tikaban isab ako sang-awon, unan pangan mo bubay? ngani gahuya mga guerilla nato. Aw ini silan, mga Germans, awon isab mga Americans consultant ta. Lima isab kaming Filipino guerillas yagahuya ngani, ang iban yaga panaw-panaw o under secret deployment. Then he smiled at her as a sign of reassurance and safety. " Lumon, Magee pangan ko...yahulog ako sang kadakol na butas, pasingod ako sang balon para maghakot sang yeel, pagkatapos, yatanak kanak tsinelas, kamangon ko pa sana adon, aw, yahulog da ako sidtong butas." Narciso turned his head, stood up and winked an eye to all of them, smiling. " Strange. She could speak more than three dialects at a time and I presumed she''s educated." "Yes, she is!" George and Albrecht curiously interrupted. " What does that mean? Can we trust her too?" Michael exclaimed. " Of course!" The Captain looked irately to Michael. " Maybe we can trust her. Its just two weeks since the Japanese invasion had started and I''m pretty sure they have not penetrated well in the village. But I guess we''ll just question her little by little then later ask her some information we need to know when she''s fully rested. She slept for two days long." Narciso smiled to the men in uniform. " Wow! can''t imagine how many dreams she''d got." The American soldiers laughed at Narciso. One of the Germans called Bruno, stood up, and stopped them from laughing. " You guys have to allow this lady to rest, she''d suffered a lot from your damaged foxhole. It was just a miracle that she survived. Good Lord she made it here on her way sound and safe." " Thank you Sir, I never thought it''s a foxhole that my grandpa kept telling us. I was just looking for the well with my bucket but I was lost. So...so thank you all for making me alive." Then she cried. "Hey, hey...you can speak English? sounds fluent though, you also can speak your mother tongue and the rest of your dialects here? Who taught you with the English alphabet?" The American soldiers rushed beside her. " My grandpa. He''s not actually my biological grandpa but he taught us a lot of manners, values and of course, anything within the limits of intelligence. He kept so many books and took them out when he''s giving us lessons. He''s a great writer and storyteller." Magee smiled at them " Beautiful! " As mentioned by a German soldier Bruno. " What''s beautiful?" The Captain''s eyes flared and asked. " Uhm, her story is beautiful Sir, getting educated in a certain crash course, home-based and that''s also why she''s craving to learn more dialects and likes to explore learning." Bruno explained. " I see, okay gentlemen. I want to meet all of you, outside!" " Yes, Sir." Then all of them marked their salute. " Lady, stay where you are, don''t worry, you''re safe here." Then all the men in uniform got out and followed their captain while she was left alone, analyzing things. " Consultants. I think they are spy eyeing and tracking the Japanese movement. Whatever, but thank God...I''m out of their agreement now. Marrying someone against my will is a terrible suicide." Magee thought as she recalled all her struggles inside the foxhole then tearfully sighed. Meanwhile, someone came in. " Hi Magee, I''m George, from the US army. I''m one of the occupants here and one of my role is more of briefing visitors and recruits . Can I sit down, and orient you around?" " Sure." She smiled at him. " Thank you." " We are under Japanese invasion and I presumed you know that. All of us who came had some hunches that the pearl harbor had been their target last week. Likewise, I''m sorry because you''ll never know the 90% information about our special orders in the army and the rest of our plans. However, since you fell from our burrowed foxhole and joined us inside this 200 square meter rocky space inside where you really need to put a little sacrifice on this. But when this war is over, of course, you can freely go. There''s only one entrance and exit - and that''s the water falls, it serves as our door here. Once a member gets inside, he would really take a shower from the waterfalls same as when he go out which will take the sideways going down. The manner of sending communication is through bow and arrow. The member would write the message on a paper, using codes, insert it in the arrow and send it here, after reading it and if it requires a response we''ll do the same way. Everyday we burrow another hole to a different direction and shall have another passage as exit soon. For now, these men inside serves as the planner and we have different men who executes outside. When you were sleeping for two days, we tracked your fostet family and found out that Hakanori, the head combatant was your fiancee. I''m sorry to tell you but everyone in your family were executed and died.... " What? that''s not true!" Then she heavily cried. "...it was just yesterday after Hakanori knew that you were not on their wedding and thought that you escaped. Our commander was saddened by your situation and we''re sorry we can''t send you back home. Again, I was assigned to guide and train you around so please...just ask me whenever you need help, though our Captain was asking the least if what you can do to help us or do we need to ask you to join hands with us. Magee got out from bed and sat down on a bamboo chair. She was still in deep sorrow thinking the great loss her family do not deserve. " This is the saddest news I ever have. Days ago we still joyfully shared our - last dinner then I fell into the hole and they all died." " True. By the way, we are at war and you need to be strong-willed. We don''t compare our pains because they''re all heartbreaking but we all need to move on. By the way, at 1500 hrs today there''d be a meeting outside. We''re informing you ahead of time so you know where you stay when they arrive. We set this small corner for your privacy. Supposed in the next days you''ll be ready to help us, please let us know, Magee." He smiled and almost tap her shoulder. 3 Secret Alliance in Triad She roamed around inquisitively and was looking for George, the probable relations officer. Confused which semi-cubicles of wooden slabs separated all their topsy-turvy sleeping spaces so she was carefully checking which space belongs to George. One of the pillows were piled up with grenades and calibrated guns, the next place was filled with big army bags and combat accessories. " George!" She was calling his name again. " Yes." George went out from his place whose sleeping pad was made of a flattened surfaced bamboo slices; too closed on the ground and was just a meter away from her corner. " Hmm yes, I''m just next to you. Maybe that''s also the reason why I was assigned to assist you aside from being the spokesperson around." Then he smiled. " Hmm...I just wanted to ask if ...where will I take a bath and where''s the comfort room." She awkwardly asked. " This may be unbelievable, but we all take our shower at the falls, though, Albrecht tied some sort of alom poles to design a place where you can privately take a bath, meters away from the bathroom, he began to install those poles yesterday and walled it with some leaves. He was an architect before joining the army so he has the challenging ways for that assignment. Likewise, we have a nice comfort room, it''s located at the end of this small alley but no one is allowed to take a bath there. So even if you''re the only lady around and we''ll consider you as the youngest comrade still you have to adapt the military way in order to survive here. Hope that wouldn''t upset you to forcibly stay with us or die outside. Anyway, this war will not take a longer way, hope so." Then he smiled while giving to her the coconut shell water dipper, his extra long sleeves and the rest of lady''s necessities that Albrecht had solicited from the messenger. " Thank you, I appreciate all of your efforts and concern, including these things on my feet, they look great." Despite her reddish and sullen eyes she smiled at him. " Ah...those are good socks. It''s good to have it to protect your feet from chilling since it''s really cold down in here, the waterfalls freezes us." He grinned on his smile. " George! Sibaya''s here, new stocks are coming! come on here!" " Great! we''ve been waiting for these goods to reach here, for a while Magee, I need to record the goods in the ledger as a budget officer does." He smiled while moving away and left on Magee''s palm a piece of dagger. " Why...huh, this looks like I''m really in the army now..." She whispered to herself and looked around as if she wants to get an explanation for the dagger. So she returned to her place, sat back on the bamboo surface, pondered about it and suddenly she heard a sound of the Japanese fighter plane from a distance. For weeks it has been one of the noise in the skies. She bowed her head and looked at the dagger that George has given her. " Hmm...we are at war with those enemies. But I could still recall Lolo Sibal''s biblical words, " Thou shall not kill." This dagger may just help protect myself, right...but I need to learn how to use this. Though last week, I saw how the invaders threw those babies and caught it below with those sharp bayonetes. Those were really sharp ones enough to kill those innocent Filipinos. They were murderers! If the parents were guerillas, why they included the innocent babies!" She sobbed and rubbed her eyes carelessly without knowing the dagger accidentally hit her wrist. " Jesus!" She shouted so loud but then covered her mouth. The blood burst like fountain and she immediately pressed it with her palm. She was sweating and loosely put herself on the rocky ground. Despite panic she looked around to look for anything to help her control the blood. " What happened, oh dear...wait, I''ll grab some kit, I''ll be back?" The German soldier Albrecht returned after minutes bringing along with him an emergency kit and applied some ointment on it. " It hurt too much, right? it was stabbed almost half an inch, how could you do that to your wrist." Albrecht said. George rushed and appeared in front. " How''s the pulse!" " It''s almost hit, almost..." Albrecht confirmed as George knelt and looked at it curiously. " Please wrap it now, it was badly hit. By the way Magee, can you return that dagger to me now, you might misuse that again." George opened his palm and waited for the dagger to be placed on it while Albrecht continuously wrapped the wound with a safety cloth. " No, just teach me with self-defense. I wanted to join in the army. She smiled before she collapsed. The two soldiers immediately put her back on bed and while waiting for Magee to wake up, George was beside her and Albrecht prepared some herbs with food for her when she wakes up. " Huh! she can''t even use it well and her endurance failed then how much more with the military training. Aside from that, her wrists are too small to join in the army." He smiled and pityingly looked to her pale face. Someone came over and handed a piece of paper to George. He received and read it. " Copy, I''ll be there in a minute." There were almost 10 Filipino guerillas who arrived and additional American soldiers in uniform on their combat head gears and shields. Some fourJewish Germans who just migrated to the Philippines via Bihol have heard the recruitment and joined in. They were so tired climbing the watetrfalls enough to put their guns on their lap and altogether squat on the rocky ground. " Water...was there any solution to get rid of this creepy shower that almost every now and then kills me. It seems a ton of it destroys my back everytime I come and leave." Simon funnily said. " The hole up there seems to be the solution. I''ll share the preliminary details when the rest will be here." The Captain announced. George opened the ledger for the meeting and started to prepare for his notetaking. " Checking the participants for the agenda; Mabolo tree; another ground exit point - west bound; ammo reserves; toolkits; new recruits; continuing education and communication." All''s in quorum at 1500 hrs and Magee started to open her eyes. She noticed the bamboo mug with a coconut shell filled filled with food as laid beside her. Then she heard somebody was approacheing her place. " Hi, how are you?" The Captain knew already, I told him about the accident. " Sorry for my carelessness. I''d be more cautious next time." " We have an informant who added more infirmation of you. You''re from UST taking philosophy, you returned home upon hearing the war to rise in December and he said that your grandfather was a respectable man in the village too. " Hmm...it was just a dream now, educating a native in a university is nothing at all. I better try in the warzone and see myself grow for our land. Those were the days, when lolo Sibal almost had sold everything just to send me on my 3rd year in Manila. He said I must be educated there, safely return and help the indigenous people around. " He also learned that your father was a German soldier and yes, the informant told us everything about him, but the informant was wrong. " I...I wanted a private life. Can you please stop there and may I learn some physical training so I could also help my country soon." Magee smiled to George. "Haha...sure. Actually, the Captain has approved it already. He said you have no choice but to join the army. Besides, being on the enemy''s wanted list is never a joke. So c''mon, eat this food and thanks to Albrecht, our chef." George smiled at him. 4 Bagakay as Weapons On the next day, George showed to her the actual back view of the waterfalls covering the cave. " Wow! this is truly amazing! I knew this exist but everyone above are clueless that there''s a cave behind the middlepart of this falls. By the way, how long have you been staying in this cave? if you won''t mind me asking." He just smiled at her and signaled her to follow him till they reached the bathroom area. " See that?" George pointed his index finger above. " Ow! there''s a big net and what''s that hole, it''s so dark above." " It''s where you fell from. I was patrolling nearby your area next to the well that you were searching. I was at the gazebo and when you almost notice me, I turned on my flashlight , pointing it up high and there, you ran and I was a bit shaky thinking the captain might put me to death, haha." " Eureka! so it was you who''s making fun of me. Now I know on what that silhouette''s all for. But I''m just curious if why the captain has to bring us here." Then she sadly remembered her family. " Are you not mad?" " No, I''m not mad of landing here and have slept for two days having some mild concussion. Anyway, if that''s a big hole, how it was finely covered?" " That night when the three of us moved out, we came out on that hole but you arrived so silently so we were also surprised as we lost each other so untimely. " Aside from patrolling we were also instructed to transfer your family and bring everyone here, it was the captain''s order, I just don''t know why do don''t ask me. But since you fell down and we''re aware of the net, thinking you''re just safe so we just proceeded to your house. Reluctantly, your fiancee was already at the balcony and was angrily looking for you so we retracted and covered the hole with the big rock and pile of grasses and vines. It took us for almost 30 minutes to arrange it. We checked the Mabolo tree as well, do you know about it?" " What''s in it?" " Hmm, nothing...but one day, we can reach that part and will burrow it inside as our exit." " Can''t imagine it now yet." " Yeah, sort of. But our captain was insistent, and on the westbound adjacent to that 200 sq meter cave where we are occupying, he wants us to burrow it to reach Kabang''s multi faceted caves below following the map''s diagonal trail. Only nine of us knew this. And true, we already reached that part seeing just stones and sandy loam, three months more to go and touch down to Kabang''s legendrary caves. " Wow! that''s interesting!" " So, where shall the training starts." " Are you serious...hmm, don''t be offended but your wrists are too small and frail, do you think you can endure the in-between life-and- death training. Well for sure I''ll not be the same person to do it, it would be I think - Edmund, Srgt. Edmund, just do break a leg with your training. He''s overly strict, loner-type and expert in martial arts. But still I''ll monitor your training routine since I was told to do so." " But...can I volunteer on something?" " Go on, say it." " I, I wanted to conduct a general cleaning to all the soldier''s hub. Yet, before I do it, I need everyone to secure those sensitive weapons first." " Hmm, that would be difficult. You may open up that idea this noon time after our lunch." " Thank you, George." Then she went back looking at the falls before tying her hair and started to fix her own area. She noticed some trashes under her bamboo bed so she collected it all, dug the ground just below her bed and bury those trashes. " Good that not all surfaces here are rocks, so meaning, every one''s trashes can just be buried, later, when they''ll approve this proposal. Anyway, after the war, we can just retrieve the trashes and throw them properly. This idea may basically save spaces and could practically create a peace of mind despite war." She thought it persistently. "Hmm...I think of something out of your pastime." George whispered while looking at her carefully digging another hole on the other corner. Then continued. "You put all the waste in place without any traces anymore. What if we''ll put some dummy grasses above with an empty hole below to trick the Japanese and will simultaneously release the pulley in both ends to get them down on some sharpened ''bagakay'' below. Then the remaining Japanese soldiers following will be caught by arrows. Then no one will go for fire but retract. In that way, we can save more lives and weapons." He raised his head and looked up as he put his camouflaged uniform on his shoulder. Magee looked at her and smiled. " I don''t have any idea on that military tactic but somehow it''s something to ponder on. Brilliant! I am more interested to join the army." George turned his head and smiled. I don''t think so but you better proceed being a logical presenter of ideas. Okay...I''ll get going and check the German team digging the westpoint of the tunnel going to Kabang area. Thanks for showing me something this morning." He smiled frantically on her. " Wait, George, I need some jeans do you have extra jeans? If it''s too long I''ll just see it, I know sewing a little." She smiled. " Yeah, I''ve got one extra, just repair it though, Its my turn to go down to the shore next day, I''ll trade secretly for just one lady''s mini skirt for you. Don''t worry, back in US, I had my sister of your age. I know a lot of ladies tidal luxuries too. She''s talkative like you are." He pulled out some two pairs of soft jeans he barely used and left to her the sewing kit too. " Okay, enjoy your day. See you when I''ll be back." 5 Into a Doomed Warzone Lunchtime and everyone digging could not easily return so someone had to ferry the food and water on the area. " Albrecht, I don''t know how to exactly describe all these, but one thing for sure, you''re one of the best cook I''ve ever seen in my entire life. A mixture of ginataang sayote young leaves, squash and banana saba in chunks with a lemon grass ribbonette and dried fish. Hmm...I''ve tasted it squarely and it''s truly one of a kind. Who taught you on this?" " The captain, honestly, he''d got all what it takes to be a cook of all times. But hey, you''re firing me with your plan. Don''t you dare to feed those soldiers digging below, the place is scary and they''re having a quota, a target. If you get there, I''m sure they''ll gonna stop and listen to your storytelling, that''s procrastination. The captain will really scold us. That''s given." " They seem takes care of me due to the captain''s order, and why?" She curiously thought. " Here, please take these three big coconut shell bowls of viand in the long bamboo table. Start practicing to be careful in placing these bowls on three bamboo shell ports in the middle, so it will not tilt. Likewise, soldiers are too hungry now so you may take your share before they arrive. Some comes from the tunnel below and the rest from the Mabolo tree sculpting, you know, carving a living tree isn''t easy so expect them to eat like real hungry ones. " " I got it. No worries, I''ll get a little share and will stay there... at the last seat." " Where were you this morning? Haven''t found you with us during breakfast. Sorry we were damn busy with the exercises and meetings these days, our nights turned out a little sober with plans here and there." " I noticed that too. That''s why I just proceeded doing anything that could help everyone. I''m a native here so it''s my duty to just consider myself in the household." " Gotcha! It''s helping me a lot. Tenants here just eat and leave all the utensils, so with you around, my dear bamboo and coconut shell utensils will live a longer way. But hey, by the way, did you try using my construction design in your bathroom?" " Ah, yes. I forgot to tell you after I have tasted your ''ginataang gulay'' but honestly, it''s a great nook for me, thank you Albrecht. Thank you. But then how is it spoken in German?" " What line?" He asked while finalizing the coconut shell plates on the table with wooden spoons. " Thank you, how is it in German?" Albrecht looked at her with sarcasm. " Ah...it means, "ich liebe dich." As simple as that, for example, George gave you something, Jacob, Edmund or Michael or Bruno, etc., tell them with a smile, " Ich liebe dich" "Ah, I see, Ich liebe dich Albrecht!" Then she smiled to him. Did I say it right?" " Aha, yes..."bitte", sure, good girl!" " What''s "bitte"? Magee asked him again. " That''s in short for "you''re welcome". Interestingly, Albrecht felt like being tickled by thousands of butterflies inside a dungeon when the rest of the soldier''s arrived with their tools and sloppy shoulders, exhausted and immediately seated while holding to their respective utensils. Moments later, there was a roll call followed by a short prayer led by Narciso before they finally had their lunch. Noticeably, the captain was not around and in lieu, George gave the directive for a week''s preparation as they were fully informed during their latest meeting. " Anyway, no one shall get out from the cave, except for Bruno, Narciso and Jacob who will be picking out the sacks of coconut charcoal and sweet potatoes from the contacts and they''ll be dropping it soon down here, through the abyss. On the other hand, the captain, Anthony and Baldur will be around after five days from now or maybe within a week long. " Hmm...by the way, the girl here has a suggestion, hope you''ll be interested of it, Magee, go on." " Madayaw na araw! I am proposing to conduct general cleaning within our sights. I will do it myself as volunteer since everyone''s busy. And if you like this idea, just separate first your rifles, grenades and other weapons from your places. Or maybe put all those stuffs here on the table while I do the cleaning, with this I''m pretty sure, you''ll fight for this war with an organized mental state. It''s nice to sleep on pillows and clean blankets. I got an idea of digging and burying all the trashes from centuries that I may collect from your places. Don''t worry, I will not disturb nor will seek your helping hands, I''ll try to do it myself. Hmm...I''ll be touching your things hopefully you include to separate your secret belongings. So anyone, please raise a hand if you agree on this?" Then she smiled. Everyone smiled and raised a hand including George. " I''d start cleaning after lunch today. That would be better, Ich liebe dich all." The men in uniform stopped from eating, they turned their heads on her and covered their mouth from silently laughing. No one spoke yet George angrily glanced to Albrecht - the prime suspect. Magee was stuck thinking if what was it on her last few lines. Albrecht stood up and proceeded to the dirty kitchen as George followed him. " Are you crazy? She''s just 20 and the captain wants her to be here. If you have been tired of guarding her for the past months up there, don''t make her like an idiot now that she''s already with us. Have a little respect. Go! tell her the real meaning of what you just taught! and keep the secret as secret, you know what I mean." You''re a family." " Yes, Sir!" Albrecht removed his apron and approached Magee in her place. She was sitting blankly on her bamboo bed. " Magee, hmm...I''m sorry, ah..."Ich liebe dich" means "I love you" and not "thank you". I kidded you thinking you''ll not use it. I was shocked that you mentioned it in front of my comrades. I was shocked too and dumfounded. Please, don''t tell the captain about this. It''s, it''s just a joke." Then he left while she was just silent, recalling those men in uniform was laughing at her during lunchtime. She cried silently and decided to leave the cave. When all the soldiers returned to their respective posts and tasks, Magee just finished washing the dishes then readied herself to get out. " Dying outside is my punishment. It''s okay, I''ve lived for twenty years already, not bad. But telling those men things I must not suppose to say means idiocy. That''s why too much trust makes an indigent like me looks like a scratch. I felt very discriminated for I began to trust them, but look what I''m doing around. My country is at war and I''m just here inside hiding. I even stopped my studies and fooled Lolo Sibal that the school calendar had changed after I heard from the student leaders of UP that the Japanese infantry would come on December 8. Yes, they did and called us all in the tribe as ignorant. I thought of fighting against them but look where I am. I got stuck with these men around and told them all I love them. Well, there''s nothing wrong with it, it''s just that I looked like an idiot!" There she sobbed and wiped the last batch of teardrops while looking at the waterfalls. " Which way shall I pass, right or left." She thought. " Right." George moved closer and stood by her side. " When you go to right, you''ll immediately see the Japanese barracks in a distance. If you go left, you''ll be seeing the jungle heading to the center of Kabang. Hmm...is Albrecht the only reason for you to revolt against us too? You can''t leave without the captain''s order, so please, don''t resent too much. The Japanese had been looking for you even until now. That fiancee of yours was badly looking for you and here you are willing to surrender to him this easy. You''ll be imprisoned there, don''t you know that? Come, I am about to inspect your general cleaning proposal. Let''s get going, we all must survive and don''t be too sensitive, okay?" George wanted to tap her shoulder for consolation but opted not, thinking it would just mark down another discriminatory suspicion against her womanhood. Then suddenly, a huge sound of mortar blasted just approximately 100 meters away from the waterfalls. She immediately knelt, covered her ears and bowed on the ground. But George was standing-still and put his hands at the back. " See if you have successfully escaped from this doomed warzone, running men in uniform are just below us and abusing women, some are even looking to this waterfalls right now and checking all over. This is why you need to stay, Magee." " George, I''m sorry if I offended you. Yes, I''ll stay." She cried and ran towards her place. 6 Living the Military Ways George was just observing while Magee sobbed silently on her bamboo bed. After an hour, she headed to the bathroom then got back with a towel on her head ; she had freshly combed and tied her long hair. With so much energy she was holding the broom and a rag. While George was just keeping an eye on her. " What are you doing now." " I''ll start cleaning." She smiled at him. " Hmm...is it heartily or you still have plans of escaping. You can only escape when this war is over, okay?" " Opo." Magee smilingly persuaded him. " Which place do you like to start cleaning? and don''t forget I can lend a hand supposed you need help." " I''m done with mine. Your place is next. Hmm...don''t worry I''ll just do it alone and I''ll have this clockwise." " Okay. You are welcome there." He was just staring at her working for his place and it took her for an hour to get it done. " Wow. I thought my preliminary touches were already outstanding. There I see you made it looked like a hotel room. Bravo!" " Thank you. It''s just that I arranged some pictures of your family around. Your parents, this one, hmm...she''s beautiful." " She''s my sister. I missed my family a lot these days." Then he sighed. " Just keep hanging in your dreams, is this a part of it and then age like a veteran?" " Sort of, when you''re in the military, chances are you can help your country and the security of tenure is promising. This also brings me here in the Philippines and saw someone who was very afraid of the flashlight''s puppet shadow show and dive into the abyss." He smiled. " Now I''m really about to escape." She jokily put off the broom and rag then got out of George place. " Hey! haha...I was just kidding and it''s not at all a grave offense, you know. We''re just very busy stalking you up there all the time. Can you recall when you were talking to a frog alone and you called it, "Hey comrade, one day when I become a soldier, I will throw dozens of grenades to the Japanese barracks. Yes, it was one dusky twilight when you were overlooking at it from a distance. My tummy aches from laughing while listening at you and so with Albrecht. But just forgive us anyway, we did not spread your funny stories around. We just honestly followed what our captain told us to do, "Guard that girl, it''s my order." See that." " Really? I was talking to a frog alone? Ah...Yes, I remember it now." She smiled. " What are the others." Reveal now all the illegal stories you''ve kept." " You stood horrifyingly on the edge of the well and it was really breathtaking when you shouted so loud, something like " God, give us rain! Our well is empty, I hate this droughttttt!" Then I actually almost to rescue you because I thought you''d really get suicide and throw yourself inside the well when I almost run going to you, Albrecht pulled me back and I smooched on the grasses. When you turned your head towards us, sensing of some noise, we were both somewhat hiding in the battlefield. " Haha! really...I was always afraid of my Grandpa''s stories of creatures around that''s why I always panic. Stories of tikbalang, manananggal and kapre. Hmm...but why is it really that your captain seriously deployed you to protect me? give me some hint, I will not tell anyone, promise." " Sorry, but I don''t have any idea either. We just follow his orders and that''s all." " Hmm, I see, it''s okay." Then she transferred to the next place till she was done at 9''oclock in the evening. She did not join with them during dinner instead only after when they''re all done at the table, but still she skipped dinner. She felt so tired and could not even chew the food so she told Albrecht she has to sleep. So then they left her to get a sound rest. George was not able to sleep quickly thinking of the captain had in his mind that there''d be some Filipino guerillas coming and would be joining with his company in the cave. " The trail going down to connect us to the legendary cave of Kabang would help us a lot. We''re already thirteen around. It would be very difficult to move and considering we''ve got one prisoner of war. Hah! what a thought I have, no not, I''m getting insane to this woman and her pastime haha. I almost lose my job today. Thank God I caught her before she''d successfully escape. First time in my life that someone attempted to escape in front of the soldiers and it''s obviously during daytime. " He thought with a smile till his droopy eyes retired and fell asleep. " Hey, hello...good morning. George? George?" " Yeah, why?" He seemed in a hypnagogic state and like he rose from the dead. " Here, read this. A message from the arrow spotted on the board. We haven''t opened it yet." Albrecht sat down beside him. " Prepare the place, I''ve got six Filipino men as new recruits forwarded to me by station two. We''ll get a good timing to climb there. Though, ideally, we have to let them go up there tomorrow night while we need to return to the barrio. You know what to do . Likewise, to update you all there, five women were found dead this morning, the usual case. Please, protect that girl on my behalf." " Hmm...good thing that Magee had a general cleaning yesterday. Coming are the new recruits, praise God! And he should not worry about her, I should be worrying her too much, haha, right, Albrecht?" " Indeed, but she''s good. She works very hard, it was sincere I know." " Where is she?" George asked. " She woke up very early and went out to get sayote leaves." " Whattt?" He slipped off out of his blanket and ran notwithstanding the cool foggy waterfalls showering him. A little while, he saw her picking sayote leaves on sides while he was chilling with his jacket. " Magee, come...don''t go there, it''s dangerous,you see, it''s a cliff. Come back here, they might see you there, come!" Magee immediately moved towards him and he quickly grabbed her hand so to hide her from the waterfalls and finally got inside. Albrecht prepared a towel for the two of them and served the hot water from the kettle doused with ginger. " Grrrrrr.....whew! so...so cold! Albrecht, I might die. You knew I just woke up and had a suicide bathing , tell me if I can survive this one, whew!" George was immensely chilling. " Why you''re still standing, go, go wash yourself, Albrecht give her a towel too, please." George urged her to change . " Ha? no, it''s okay. I even love to go back there, bathing is great in the morning. It''s okay Albrecht, I''m fine. Here, take your ''salabat'' George." " Whew! I''m still chilling....grrr, yeah, yeah, let me have it please, thanks. Magee...why you did not wait for me to wake up. You should have waited." He was still worrying while sipping the salabat. " I told you yesterday I will not escape anymore I was just craving to eat sayote leaves and put it on top of Albrecht''s rice, boil it a little that way then dip on a lemon with a small amount of chilli. It''s the only thing I wanted to happen." " I just do not know, it worries me. Next time, just request anybody around to do it. It''s a cliff you know. It''s s cliff." " Okay, I will not do it again. Stop worrying about it anymore." Magee smiled in shyly. " What''s this blood on my hand?" George was asking Albrecht. " It''s my wrist''s wound you have heavily pressed when you''ve grabbed my hand. But...it''s okay, I was also about to look for "kamunggay" leaves outside but to no avail. This has been bleeding since last night that''s why I skipped dinner too. But here, Albrecht, I''ve got these leaves, please boil them for me, these are good for breakfast, loved them." " Yes please, these leaves makes me crazy too watching both of you squirming under the waterfalls. Give that to me." Albrecht pouted and put the leaves on top of the rice. " Did you wash it Albrecht?" " I didn''t, you already washed them when you get back under the falls, these are the reasons someone might die while chilling" He said. Magee was just smiling while looking at the two men worrying a lot. " Okay, go change now George. I will prepare for breakfast. Albrecht, please assist him." 7 The Captains Order After George had changed, he continued to sip his ''salabat'' while seated beside the long bamboo table and watching Magee with Albrecht preparing the breakfast. " I''m fine now...even if no one is asking. By the way, where are the guys around?" George put down his wooden mug. " Still sleeping, last night they said they dug some meters far and found some developments. I guess they''ll be reporting to you after breakfast the overall updates. In contrary, the men assigned at Mabolo sculpting needs some emergency water containers and packed food to bring, they said they''ve almost reach the man-sized opening, as targeted, so they don''t need to get down often within a day. They eagerly like to make it up as one of our exit points the soonest time possible. The Mabolo tree is the easiest exit to reach the village." Albrecht said. Magee had a wake up call to the soldiers and one by one they stood up bearing some muscle pains. On the other hand, George had a brief physical exercise while Albrecht and Magee still distribute the salabat'' to each of their wooden mugs. " We ran out of sugar." Albrecht declared. " Don''t worry, our house have a lot of sugar, salt and white beans located in our storage under the kitchen. Its all buried in the ground and contained within the three big jars." " That''s good. Who would love to volunteer to go up there to retrieve and bring the goods here?" Henry, Derek and Michael raised a hand while Edmund decided to continue digging the tunnel going Kabang and Bruno''s very eager to continue the Mabolo project. In both ways George approved the voluntarism of the three to get possible stocks in Magee''s house. " You all just need to be cautious, it is possible that Hakanori''s men can be possibly there, manning the area. Check first your automatic rifles before proceeding tonight." George reminded. " Yes, Sir." As they pay respect to George, the current officer in-charge of the team. The team sumptuously enjoyed the breakfast and Magee excused herself to return to her bamboo bed and plan out to go with those soldiers going up at midnight. " What about going there? our house...haven''t seen it for days, my family...where are they right now. This is so painful. Can''t imagine I''ve lost them all in a day or two; and it''s all because of me. Dear God, may their souls rest in peace." As she thought while her tears were scattered on her cheeks. " Magee, excuse me, let''s gonna eat, c''mmon." George opened her cubicle and got stunned seeing her crying again. " George...I missed my family. They died because of me." " No. It''s not your fault. Even if you got married to Hakanori, still it may possibly happen. Just a thought, so please, don''t blame yourself too much. The captain might reprimand me if he''ll find out that I made you cry." " What? That is too much already. The more I am impressed by how your captain takes care of me. Sometimes he could fire you and reprimand you...what else." She smiled and reluctant to what George had been telling him about the captain. " That''s cool, okay if you always consider this way, I''ll never loose my job, thanks." George invited her to really get up and not to skip the breakfast. " So, this means...I don''t have the chance to visit my house and be with the team tonight." " Exactly. I will not allow you. That''s my order." " Okay." Magee just bowed her head and silently returned to the table. Soldiers who will be going to Magee''s house must sleep and rest all day so that you can gain more energy when you get out tonight." " Yes, Sir." " May I also request to please... if you could include some of my personal belongings that you can just grab. Please, my room is upstairs, facing sunrise." The three soldiers nodded and told her to write anything she wants them to bring for her and agreed that she''ll hand the list before they leave. At 10:00 am, Abrecht processed some ''kalamunggay'' leaves and he placed the extracted juice in a small plastic cup. " Hi, can we put this in your wound on your wrist, unwrap it first and let''s put this in. Oh dear, it''s not healing yet." Albrecht commented. " I considered putting ointments may never be effective unlike herbs and leaves. But Albrecht, thank you...aha...it is absorbing now. I''m sure tomorrow I would be fine, I was just worried about the infection that I could possibly acquire, but with this extracted juice of ''kalamunggay'' I''m more confident it will be healed quickly. It''s the best antibiotic. By the way, where''s George?" " Ah, he told me he will visit the tunnel below but he''ll be right back before lunch." Albrecht reasoned out. Lunch came on but George did not show up. Momentarily, the three soldiers who have missions at night just woke up to dine and then they slept again to restore more energy. At eleven in the evening, the team were already prepared to go out through the passage going up. There was a ladder beside the big net so they climbed and waived their hands below them and when they almost reach the top cover Albrecht told Magee to get back on her bed. While alone on her bed, she was thinking where George was, till she fall asleep. Midnight came and all the candles were off except to a small candle placed on the ground. George was still in uniform when he slowly came in bringing a big ''buyot'' (coconut leaves bag weaved by natives). He stopped beside Magee''s place and took an approximately one meter stick in order to touch Magee''s hair. After a while she almost shouted after noticing a shadow (her weakness) using a stick to wake her up, so George right away told her that it''s him. " Hey, it''s George. Calm down." He whispered. Though he was still standing outside her place. " I got your stuffs from the house. Tell me if I got them right." Then he lighted a bigger candle and showed to her what he''d grabbed. " Ow my heavens! you grabbed all of these by pair? so thankful..." She smiled at him. " Yeah. I got them personally because I could still recall the stuffs of my sister way back then. Those men who followed there does not even know what to retrieve or they might end up to your mother''s array of baro''t saya. Besides, I took the things you usually wear for three months long of my stalking." He smiled. " This melts my heart. Thank you. You even brought the ''sungka,'' how did you know it''s exact location?" " When you were playing with your siblings before at the balcony, I usually hear you shout, " Get the ''sungka,'' it''s just inside the rupero!" So that''s why I know where to get it." Magee historically looked at him in an almost one a half meter distance and paused for a while. " Your captain must be very proud of you. Hmm...but it looks like no one instructed you today to do so, don''t tell me your captain asked you to get my stuffs....but regardless, thank you very much, George." Then she smiled and was impressed to see her belongings. " Gosh! of course it''s already given and part of my job, it all goes along with it. Your safety, health, needs and all." His defenseless statement as they both laughed. So it was then when he salute to her, took off his hat and proceeded to the long table and talked to Albrecht. " When they got out I also entered bringing all of those. They will be throwing sacks a little while so as usual. You go up once they get inside and carefully return the rock and arrange the grasses and vines covering on the surface then you go down and enter the waterfalls to return here. Just imagine that you''ll take a bath at 1400 hrs." " Haha, I can bear that though I''d be much happier to see the stocks coming. Seeing some loaded salt, beans, sugar - heavens! they''re my blessings. I can dip through that water easily. So how''s the house?" " There was only one Japanese guard on post but he stayed at the entrance of the compound." " What happened?" " He''s dead. He was the same one way back a month ago, that voyeur! the peeping Tom on her. He was also the same guy who abducted and killed Magee''s younger Filipino full-blooded brother, an hour before Magee fell in the abyss. So I instructed our team to be careful although there were no traces. God forbids!" " Hmm...you can do impossible things for her. Is this still part of not losing your job?" " Absolutely yes. I know she''s persistent to go back there to get her things, so I just did it. Albrecht, the villagers, most of them were imprisoned. A lot had been happening and I saw them plunging with new war facilities and equipment. They''ve hit the pearl harbor I guess, the captain did not only reveal to us. Then he unbuckle his uniform and took the ''salabat'' that Albrecht gave him. " Why we can''t use the radio until now. We have it." " No! again, they might intercept our signal, they can easily locate us. Besides, we are still installing and a need to further prepare for our plans. No using of radio. Period." George insisted. 8 New Filipino Recruits The stocks from Magee''s house has arrived and the team safely returned. Meanwhile, the new Filipino Recruits coincidentally met with Jacob, Narciso and Baldur who picked up the sweet potatoes and charcoal sacks and have successfully threw these stuffs into the abyss. " Hi!" I''m 1Lt. George" Albrecht went to Magee, seeking for help in interpreting the conversations while Narciso was resting. When Magee was already in front of them, she started the Dinabaw accent Mandaya. But to those native ears, she spoke a mixture of dialects. " Mano, mano da siguro tawag ko kanmo. Mano, ini laong lang nilan, pero madayaw isab kung ilaong ko kanilan laungon mo kanak, singud isab kung awon silan ilaong kamayo, para katigaman dayon nato." " A forty year old man smiled. " Iso, pigpakani ako sang lumon ko, aw! adi kaw. Yagkan¨¬ da kami kay wa da gyuy pag-asa nami ngadto, yapun¨° da sang mga hapon kanami b¨¤ryo. Yatanak da gyud kanami pag-asa, amo da ini, ngan¨¬ da kami pasingod, tinun¨°. Pakilaong kanilan sa¨¢n." " Kon tinun¨° da gayud katigam da ya¨¢n silan, pigpakan¨ª da gud kamo adi b¨¡y, aw langub kad¨ª nil¨¢n o kon di da, duton dibaloy, timanom da bahala kanato sini." She smiled. " Amo gayud. Aw ni, nanga sa awon pigalaong mo na wa pa ako katiyab sa¨¢n, unan yaan?" " Ah, mixed o sagol da ini kanak dayalekto Mano, kadaigay kaistorya ko sang-awon idtong iso pa ako, klase-klase da, awon manobo, tagak¨¢wlo, aw b''laan isab. Pero kadaigay bisaya. O sige, Mano, amo lang ba idto laungon ko kanilan?" She turned her head to the soldiers and said, " They''re hopeless and through his account, the Japanese then had penetrated their place so there''s nowhere else to go and they want to join in your force as backups." " Please tell them the backups would stay in station 2. I''m heading to the area in two days after their full blast orientation here today. As of now, tell them I need three Filipinos, younger ones to be left here to completely enforce the alliance. We need additional locals to help us understand the terrain and possible root crops as food." Please tell them this is station 1. One thing, no one among us shall fire the enemies considering our mediocre weapons, instead, we''ll disarm the prospective Japanese soldiers visible to our sites. By all means and if we are equipped enough, we then can squarely fight. " Narciso woke up after a short nap out of the tiring sacks they''ve carried and helped in orienting the new recruits. " Sir! We have Elias, Gador and Amado as new Filipino Guerillas joining us comprised of two farmers and one medical graduating student from UP." Narciso reported. " We will fight like shadows and get the proper timing in the event of attacks. Everyone must learn the value of patience, focus and endurance. Imagine, it is not through grief and anger that we could truly save this land, it is through life preservation and through the art of war tactics. We have to study our enemies. What they eat, who they work with, when they usually gets out, their weaknesses, etc. Once they''ll be on our baits, it''s our turn. We should not fall short to their bombs and canons firing everywhere, those are damned bitter invitations and meeting them with anger face-to-face on that spot is suicide. Gentlemen, your first mission is to fully study the surroundings of station 1 and those who''ll be assigned in station 2. We''ll not be in a hurry to end this war, it will just end itself. Though in the process, let''s save more Filipino prisoners, bring them to stations 3 or 4 and all together survive as we develop our own weapons." After his talk, everyone rested except for Albrecht and Magee who were busy preparing for the sweet potatoes for lunch. " Can you recall the plants in Kabang that the Captain has told us? When are we going to get them?" Albrecht curiously adjedto George. " Ah...those that looks like a morning glory bearing dirty white flowers with a yellow shade in the middle, yes. Maybe after the new recruits will be settled to different stations, we''ll get those plants. Don''t worry, the Captain''s journal is with me and the formula is there." " Where can we find those flowers?" Magee asked. " It''s in Kabang. There are lot of it that grew just at the cave''s well-known entrance. The folks even called that cave as hell but for Captain, it''s heaven." George smiled. " Sadly, people thought there were bad spirits, slaying dogs and sleeping gods in it so even to draw near the place means death to everyone. Death to the intruders, though, still a few locals believed of the ''luck'' that place could give. " I see...so no one knew the real story of that place, except to the Captain, Magee''s grandpa and the three anonymous persons who survived inside." Magee immediately seated beside George and as if a little child who was very eager to listen to the story''s ending. She even urged him to quickly continue. " George, since young, I''d been hearing that story but it has full of hearsays. What was really the truth behind that cave of Kabang, why it''s well-protected by spirits? is it true?" Magee curiously looked at him. " No." He smiled back to her as he stretched his hands before he stood up. She pulled his uniform going down that made him seated again while Albrecht was smiling, looking at her. " Please...I''m dying to hear that cave story. A lot believed but no one dares to step inside its cave. I''m already 20, but still confused of the different versions of it. If the foreigners like you and the Captain knew the real story or have some scientific explanations of it or whatever, kindly provide me some." She smiled dryly. " Ha? haha...sure. I can tell." Albrecht said. " Albrecht, sshhh...I will tell her enough to connect some of the cave''s stories to her life. But one day is not enough for the storytelling. Though, I have heard Lolo Sibal was the first whistleblower. But I was just kinda wondering when he was relaying both the ''legend'' and the ''plague survivors'' stories. 9 Pandemic Survivors of 1918 George assured to relay the true accounts of the story when evening comes. He said it is half-baked to share it during daytime due to the newcomers and there''s still a lot of things to attend to. A little while, a huge sound echoed from nowhere. It was a warplane mercilessly dropped down dozen-like killer bombs in the area not far from them. It made Magee covered her ears as she suddenly ran back to her place. It was such a desperate shocking reaction of a civilian like Magee. Out of pity George followed her instantly. " Hey...are you okay?" He was just standing outside her place and lean his chin on her round timber cubicle entrance door. " Why there''s a lot of bombs horrendously being dropped today. Its destroying our place, too much. This destruction is really toying our habitat, our lives, everything that we have. What was our sin...we even did nothing over their power." She stoically whispered to him, terrified and deeply breathe while on her bamboo bed. Then there''s a huge blast again and it''s too close to their cave. The tremor eventually shook the gallactites ceiling and rocks beside the waterfalls. George bowed down his head and so confused on how to comfort her from shedding tears. The new recruits and the rest of the soldiers we''re just very still, waiting for the next attack. " Magee, everything will be alright when this war is over." George tried to talk to her despite her silence. She looked at him and sighed. . After an hour, the deafening sound of warplane was gone and she signaled him to return to the new recruits on the table and reassured him that she''s fine. Lunchtime came and Magee did not join with them. It was Albrecht who gave her three pieces of sweet potatoes and had it wrapped with green banana leaf. Unlike George, he entered straight and seated beside her without removing his apron. Since Magee was smooching her face on her knees while wrapping her tiny hands on her feet, Albrecht disturbed her so she can have her lunch. " Here, eat this. I''ve got some water for you too." George was just outside her place, looking at Albrecht trying to help. A little while, George signaled Albrecht to back off and give her a space. In the kitchen, Albrecht was busy segregating and arranging the newly arrived stuffs while George was sitting down so silently. Albrecht got tired of waiting for him to talk yet George was staring to nothingness. " Hi. Is there anything that I can help for you?" Albrecht asked and seated beside him. " Hmm, what if, I''ll persuade her this early on the storytelling about Kabang that I promised to relay to her tonight." George glanced to Albrecht. " You''re too softhearted on her. But I guess, it''s also helping if you tell her what you know about Kabang, as well as Captain." " Hmm, not about Captain, we don''t have any right to reveal anything yet. Besides, he''s coming back for her. I''m just interested to entertain her about the controversial cave of Kabang. Who knows, she might take a bite of your sweet potatoes." " Hopefully. Go then, don''t worry about the men around, I can manage them." He stood up right away and took a bath first before proceeding to see her. Still reluctant if she''d let him in, so he preferred to stay inside her place, just beside the door which was approximately half a matter distance from her. He then placed a small bamboo chair he brought and smiled at her before looking at his watch. Its 1700 hrs and he felt she''d calmly get back on her bed too after taking a bath and sip the ''salabat'' that Albrecht offered her. " Magee, how are you?" " Here, I''m trying to understand things. But what brings you back?" Magee smiled and asked. " The story I promised you. I guess it''s nice to start this early." Her eyes rumbled in glee as she was still combing her hair and sat properly on her bamboo bed. She smiled like there''d be no tomorrow. " Wow...I''m so excited. Here, I''m ready to listen now." " Whew! I''m a soldier Lord, don''t know seeing myself sitting down here for a storytelling. But if this is helping I''m leaving to you my men for a while." He smilingly thought. " Yes, I''m listening now." She pressed her hands after putting down the comb. " In 1917, Captain was assigned not for war but some local but official mission here in the Philippines and still, for some military purposes. His badge had gone through as far as his travel could go. So he reached Tikaban in 1917. Since Philippines is under the American occupation even until now there''s always a joint force between the Filipino-American militia. But anyway, the Captain had found a great friend in Tikaban, and that''s Sr. "Sibal" Siballio, a much respected personality in Tikaban. He was an educated man sprang from a well-known Filipino-American descent that turned out as native of this province and secretly writes several books. His hospitably welcome the Captain to his own house. While that time, Albrecht''s father, a German Jewish refugee from Europe considered Tikaban as his hiding place and with her was his young Filipina wife, Albrecht''s mother and two sons. Grandpa Sibal welcomed the five strangers in their house till there was an announcement of the global public health crisis on Spanish flu, otherwise known as "trancazo." According to history, this pandemic was worst among others because of its three-wave outbreak against Filipino people. The first wave was sometime in May of 1918, seconded after the sixth month. Then the third wave followed on the third succeeding month. That time almost everyone in Katabata province, a neighboring province of Dabaw, Katabata was badly hit and the place was almost a ghost town, yes, almost 90-95 percent were ill. I don''t know but, that same year, two countries had been in chaos if which of them was the exact spot where the flu originated. But let''s go back to Albrecht''s father''s story. Everything was a little better not until Albrecht''s father went to Manila on March, 1918 to send a letter to some relatives who stowed away in Spain. He personally handed the letter to his Spanish friend who worked in a ship that was scheduled bound to Spain and stayed a night or two in the ship and when he was about to return here in Tikaban, he was charged of some kind of flu by the authorities that later found out that he has acquired the deadly Spanish flu. Due to some contacts of the Captain in Manila he immediately found out that Albrecht''s father could not return anymore in Tikaban and that the American authorities started to include everyone in the family should be quarantined. Their family was identified as the carrier of the deadly Spanish flu in the Philippines. Due to that rumor, the Captain as convinced by a bachelor granpa Sibal who then both decided on not to wait for the authorities to locate the wife and children but to hide the family in a safe haven in Kabang. Lolo Sibal packed a lot of beans, nuts, root crops, sacks of salts, sugar and many more. He brought books and in short he brought almost everything in the cave that no one in the locals knew. The Captain also had no way out but to hide and quarantine himself since he had a travel history and similar house with the infected person. Although, the Captain and Lolo Sibal knew that he may have acquired it when he went back to Manila. Some of the Captain''s closest contacts also said that there was a rumor that there were a few angry Filipinos in Manila who would like to kill the family of the infected German Spanish flu carrier. Though it was just a rumor spreading but the Captain had made a decision that later lost temporarily his career. No one from the Tikaban locals knew that Sr. Sibal, the Captain, Albrecht''s mother, Albrecht and Baldur secretly hide in the cave for twenty long years. " Wow...and then?" Magee got down from her bamboo bed and took right away the folded ''binandahan" empty sack, put it on the ground, comfortably sat on it and fronting George who was exhaustingly sitting down on a bamboo chair. At least he was moving his neck towards another direction, otherwise it''s a grave stiff neck. " Do you really love to hear this story? It''s so heartbreaking. I still have time to retract." George bowed down his head and smiled. " No, no, no....I''m here, I can listen. Hey, hey, Albrecht, good that you''re here. Come, sit down here, c''mmon." Then Albrecht immediately moved inside and sat beside her. "Whew! this is so heartbreaking in my part. Facing you both is painful. There was an embezzlement in the air for Magee. Can''t even imagine how my sister cried when I told this story to her. Hmm...but this moment is more...I don''t know." George started to be teary eyed. " Why?" Magee asked her curiously. " Shh...Albrecht lightly slapped her hand. Just wait for his turn to speak. Keep silent." " You have just slapped me! George, Albrecht slapped me, did you see it?" " I can even slap you again and again. Quiet!" " Shh...calm down. Enough. I will not continue if you''re both noisy." George smiled at them. 10 Albrechts youngest Sibling " Sr. Sibal had a very loyal servant named Lolita who took good care of the house while he told her he''ll be going back to Manila with some friends." " Wait...Lolita, that''s Ina." " Shh...quiet..." Albrecht jokily slapped her hand again. " What...why you keep on slapping. What''s your problem, ha?" Magee was irritated with Albrecht as she resort her mood to just randomly pick out and had some bite with the sweet potatoes that Albrecht gave her. " Uh...ho...I will not continue, I need focus, please keep silent." George interfered. Then the thin air invaded their silence following the breathtaking excitement. " At first, the entrance of the cave was creepy and even creepier when Captain saw the dark semi-curtains on top of the entrance that resembled into live bats during nighttime and looks like curtains on daytime. I actually saw the place, its foggy and there were wild dogs around. There''s that river in front of it where leeches live and waits for bloods to suck. Above the river were hundreds of plants like morning glories and were said to he hallucinogens. So any one who can survive from the slaying dogs, leeches and bats could hardly survive from their hallucinations when they smell those weird flowers. No one can see the inside part of the cave from the top, even the planes since even if it''s summer, fogs won''t go. The place is always covered with fogs. But Sr. Sibal was indeed a genius. He had his secret ways on how to safely draw closer to the cave; taming all the dogs and prevented the leeches to attack them while sailing the boat, heading to the cave''s entrance. He put a lot of animal oils to all of their bodies, including that with the Captain. There, grandpa Sibal gave a temporary potion to the wild dogs as they all fell asleep. In so doing, they went inside the cave while all the sacks were tied with ropes as they crawled going inside. But before that, they destroyed the boat as it sank in the river while covered with big stones and logs. It took them for one hour to reach inside. Finally, they arrived there in the morning of April 1, 1918, it was, when the world had this Spanish flu pandemic. Inside was a Paradise. They never knew that the hiding place they thought creepy in all sorts was a beautiful place. They saw a lot of berries, fruit-bearing trees and a great haven. The inside part of it looks like a well surrounded by steep mountains with century old trees and estimated a hectare land inside. The Captain, who decided to save the family felt the blessings of God upon seeing the islet of paradise. He thought that despite a deadly situation still led them into that beautiful place. Days turned out a couple of joy when the Captain fell in love with the widow and took good care of the children as his own. In 1919, Magee was born and her mother died for a risky labor. Desperate yet the Captain took good care of the little baby girl....." " Stop." Albrecht embraced her and they were both in tears. " Magee was just very still and sobbing. " No need to worry now. We''re reunited. You don"t need to resent because not even a week that we visit in Sr. Sibal''s place just to check you. George just pause for a while and bowed his head. " Can''t imagine how this story would go. So what happened next to my mother''s death, how I was sent away and separated from my brothers." She was sobbing as she urged George to continue. " You were sickly so the Captain and Sr. Sibal decided to send you to Lolita or else something bad could have happened. Lolita that time was still single and she secretly took good care of you while Sr. Sibal got back to the cave. Appallingly, the captain would sometimes check you by himself and came back to the cave telling to his brothers your progress in growing up. Lolita fed you with enough maternal care and love. Time came the Captain has to leave you for good on her care and brought your brothers in the US, back then, he trained them both to become soldiers. Knowing about this war, he urged your brothers to grab the opportunity of seeing you around. However, they could not get back to the opening of the cave anymore, its already close. The captain just wondered because the rocks that fits to the cave''s opening has naturally locked itself. It sounds like it was a live rock and grew and filled out the entire entrance. To make the story short, we were batchmates with your siblings back there. Even if they have not finished proper schooling but because of Sr. Sibal''s tutorial, they compete with the rest. Three months ago we arrived to this place. I began to like everything in here despite this war." Then he smiled. Baldur approached them bringing a bigger candle. " What happened to our little sister, you''ve given her enough baggage to think about this time, but anyway, thanks George." Baldur joined them as he winked an eye to George. Baldur was 22 years old and obviously the middle child. It was his first time to touch her head smooched by his hand. " When we first saw you after several years, we felt guilty. So we just watched you from afar and it started three months ago till the time you fell into the abyss. We didn''t even have any plans of giving you to Hakanori. That''s something you never knew that these guys in front are updating your life from time to time. Especially this handsome guy here who kept on checking ..." Baldur''s revelation was cutoff. "Whoah! the storytelling was transfered on me now, haha. But it isn''t funny. Magee, it''s a pure mission. I was only task to guard you." " Dad did not even tell you to secretly gather, collect and provide some firewood everyday so that Magee could easily get some. But anyway, yeah, it''s part of the secret mission." Albrecht looked to George with sarcasm. Magee was smilingly staring to George who was placed under interrogation. It''s different, there must be no misunderstanding here. It''s a plain service, it''s part of my career." Then he left, giving space between the siblings so that they can properly talk, reminisce things and plan out together. He could hear them chatting joyously and sharing issues and experiences. Finally, the siblings were reunited after long years of being strangers. It made him smile while leaning on his hands at the back of his head, looking up on a dark ceiling of rocks, following the shadows coming from the candle that the siblings are using. " She''s like sunlight, no matter how dark this world is, she shines in my heart like no other. She perfectly impressed my soul and brought me to heavens and makes me the happiest. Ironically, I''m just helpless on what to do with my feelings but this must not also supercede with my job. Their values here is a total reverse to ours and even if I get the approval of the brothers, her...her temper seems so cruel on men. She may probably like me in the future but I know it would take me to a dungeon of a longer process...gosh! by now, I will just be enjoying with her company, act like a real strict head around, otherwise she''ll notice me or...fire me immediately. It shouldn''t be. I can''t bear it. I liked her a lot, even most of the times she''s talking to the waters at the well while being alone, yelling at the "bagons" hanging, smiling to the flowers in the woods, crazily cried in front of the tree where I was trapped at the back of it as she released her anger to the Japanese soldiers, especially to Hakanori. Her innocence is killing me so softly..." He gallantly smiled and fortunately had slept while seeing her again in her dreams. 11 Rigid Physical Training Its 1600 hrs at the wilderness while heading to the lagoon, northeast of Tikaban, George and his men tried to go across the lagoon where a certain peaceful field was located and its geographically facing the sea. While they reached the destination, the platoon sergeant immediately install himself on his post and signaled the squad leader to dive in to their weekly training. A little while, soldiers from stations 2 and 3 just arrived and hurriedly ran towards the first platoon and right away filled out the second platoon. Two sergeant leaders started to inspect everyone, including the newly arrived recruits. The physical training followed with the rest of the orientation and reminders. While in the cave, Magee woke up and she was looking for the people around. " Albrecht, are you there? " " Yes, breakfast is ready now. Come and get some." " Ah, yes, where are they?" " They''re just somewhere and doin'' some stuffs but they''ll be here tomorrow. By the way, your water is a bit warm now, go and take a bath first before you join me here in the table. I''ve got your favorite boiled sayote leaves with lemon and salt as its sauce." " Wow. Yes, I''ll be there in a minute, I like it." Magee was tiptoeing towards the bathroom that Albrecht made for her. " Careful, it''s a bit slippery there." The older brother Albrecht reminded her, not just twice but thrice. While Albrecht was alone in the kitchen and fixing the table, he has heard a loud blast of canon. Albrecht paused for a while and deeply prayed . " Lord, please protect my friends and brother in the field now. Shield them with your mercy." His worry increased and thought about them that were mostly unarmed. Thirty minutes after she came out and she immediately sat on the table fronting him. " You''re my brother. You should have opened up early when I was still in my foster family. I should have showed to you my study room built by Lolo Sibal for me." " Hmm...I saw it many times. I read almost every book you were fond of. You did not even know that you were spied by a Japanese soldier in that room so before you entered we silenced him, threw and bury him by the river. " With George?" " Yes." When it comes to protecting you, George was a crazy warrior, he does not know how to think sometimes." " My God...I should have taken cared way back then. Honestly, I never thought even once that someone has already intruded my place." " You should. We are at war and if you are with people, with men, especially soldiers, chances are very high. But you can count on George, hmm, he likes you I know. But the other guy did not know that, Baldur, our eldest. Baldur is very strict and hot-headed but still loving while George is a great guy you know, you can really trust him. So in my absence, you rely on him. Dad has even voted on him before you know it. Its just that his pride is somewhere in Mars, haha." " Whoah! yes I do, I noticed that too." Magee smiled at him while sipping the ''salabat''. " Will he suit to your standards." Albrecht teased her. " Hmm..I don''t know. It''s not my priority yet. Besides, I''m still young and I am still on the process of absorbing all of your revelations last night, hmm..." " Obviously. By the way, hey, if I and Baldur will still be alive after this war, you go with us back to States. I can''t allow you to stay here alone, your biological family is there and it''s reasonable since your foster family were gone. I forgot one thing, your admirer is a full-blooded American too, he''s just one block away from our house, haha. I mean it, he likes you a lot." " Hey! you really teases me loudly ha." Magee complained. " No one will tease you around, Baldur looks like a tiger and acts like a grandpa. He seldom smile too but he loves you a lot and would always look for your safety and welfare. Twice when George had a flu, because he''s allergic when overexposed to water. Baldur was twice my buddy in guarding you from a distance. He''s very boring and I kept on yawning, haha. When I cracked jokes he never smile, he''s really serious I''m telling you that, just in case. We grew up together." " That really sounds interesting. So let''s just adjust whenever he''s not in the right mood, anyway, he''s the middle child, you''re the eldest and I''m the youngest. This is really a relief, finding out that I have my biological family, a father and brothers mean a lot to me." She smiled. " Uh, in the next few days, our lives here would have hectic schedules and we might seldom meet in a week. If Dad would arrive, he may send me there in station two. He had plans early on that I must coach one soldier there. Dad had a problem in station two regarding food budget. " Then...how about me? Albrecht, teach me with self-defense. How is it? Please." " Don''t worry, George, Baldur and I will protect you. Don''t think too much about it, you can help us in some other ways but not with the physical training. Did you hear what George had said? you''re too light and your wrists are too small. Look, see that, we can even lift you up with just one hand. My advice for you is, you need to eat much and sleep better, okay?" He took Magee''s empty coconut shell that serves as plate and he gave her some water to drink. " Hmm...is that so. I''m too small and weak. So, are you really decided not to teach me with self defense, okay, I got it." " That sounds rebellious." He sat down and smiled at her. " It seems that your mind now is filled with so many plans, aha, right? I''m warning you, we have a leader here, in the army we follow orders. If you break the orders of the leader, even if he/she is your family, you will still be punished. It''s part of giving a disciplinary action so someone must learn a lesson. Do you like it?" " Hmm...Ina Lolita always nag at me before and I notice there''s a lot that looks like her around." " Haha, it''s because you do what you think you like the most. That''s why. Promise me, don''t attempt to escape. We''ll be dead meat to Dad. He wants you to be safe here, do you get it?" " Opo." " They enjoyably spent the whole day with chitchat; they also played sungka and when evening came he was on post to guard her. It was midnight when Magee went out to the bathroom but he saw him with wide eyes asking her. " Where are you going?" Then he smiled. " I''ll go to the comfort room." She took the candle and brought it there. " He really suspected that I will escape. I just wanted to see the moon, outside the waterfalls - there''s a moonlight, just wanted to breath some fresh air there, outside." She sadly thought then sighed. " I can hear your sighs from here, what is that for..." " No, nothing. I''ll go back to sleep then." She passed by on his post and left the candle to him. " Albrecht, what date today?" " You sleep first, I''ll answer that question tomorrow." " Okay." Then she fell asleep smiling. 12 In a Hurry to Return George was the first to return in the cave, he was actually running in doing so. " Albrecht, at last I''m here! You may go back to sleep now, you see, the dawn is dwindling your eyes right now. It''s still 1600 hrs and you''ve waited long enough and besides I can''t sleep anymore time to take my turn on post." " Where did you pass through?" " Into the abyss, I told Baldur to cover it when they''re done and the last two men will go down and use the entrance of the cave, the usual." " I see, okay sure, I''m also sleepy. But hey, try to look after her, the lit''le rascal maybe have plans, careful." Albrecht jokily warned him. " Uh, you''re so mean on her." George smiled and went to his place and changed. After relaxing a little, he stood up outside Magee''s place and interestingly looked at her. " Beautiful." He thought. " Aha, stay away...I caught you. She''s sleeping, she might wake up and if that could not return to sleep we''ll become anemic after the war, you''ll be the storyteller again and what a drastic change of career." Albrecht was laughing silently. " No, nothing. I was just checking." Then he quickly returned to the long table in the entrance part of the cave and grabbed a bamboo mug container filled with ''salabat''. He was very silent, recalling how some of the Japanese soldiers found them in the field. Though they have silenced the mouth of the three roving soldiers but the tension has begun. It is well preempted that they''ll be charged as murdered by local vigilant troops in revolt. " It seems that they''re within the custody of Hakanori and if he''ll find out the stations two and three (God forbids), station one might be sacrificed too. Though, that''s just possible. But there must be an alternative, hmm...we''ll get going, the team shall bring here the ''bagacays'' (bamboo poles) before the sun will rise and we''ll work night and day till the designs will be set right before forthnight. In an hour, I guess everybody would be here and hopefully, they shouldn''t be late or else the Japanese soldiers might track them when they arrive on daytime, we''re just in a kilometer radius with the enemy lines." His worrisome thoughts jumbled. He paused for a while upon hearing a sound from the abyss then Baldur appeared. " Sir! permission to report. More than thirty Japanese soldiers I guess were searching for their lost comrades and retrieved the cannon left by their comrades at the border checkpoint, bound to eastern part. They probably will use the same field for their training." Baldur exclaimed. " Good that you pulled out the troop quickly." " Stations two and three occupants maybe will reach their respective posts thirty minutes from now. While these men with us back here inclusive of the new recruits are twelve." Then Baldur gave a hand salute. " Good job. We''re all safe now. We''ll continue some of the fitness works here after breakfast and we''ll attend to the bamboo pole weapons to be sharpened right here." " We''ve got a hundred of them." Baldur said. " Good." " Where''s she? I need to see her." Baldur smiled. " She''s in her place and still sleeping. The other one felt being pestered by her curiosities but hey, she''s adjusting. We just need to be patient then later everything will be alright." " Hmm...Dad is coming, she has to behave, anyway, I''ll go and talk to her." Baldur tiringly smiled at George while placed his army bag on the bamboo chair. " Wait! do we have options?" George asked. " He told me that he might take her to the exit door, in Indonesia. He mentioned that he had Talaod friends willing to assist his ''unica hija.'' It''s where the other option would be, there''s an American infantry nearby it''s seaport that he''s maybe trying to reach to keep her there. I dunno, I don''t even believe that he''s in Manila right now. Don''t you wonder about the travel time, huh! that''s Dad, you know him." " Would that be gamble? She''s..., and we can''t trust just anyone. This is war! she''d be exiting alone there with strangers! How come..." " Are you mad at Dad? it''s his plan. She''s not even safe here. Anytime if we''ll be attacked by the enemies, she''ll be captured horribly and will forcibly make her family surrender. Well I don''t even know. Honestly. Of course, I pity her, she''s too young and innocent to be with us here. I dunno, I don''t even have any idea how to take care of her, honestly. Well I hate this war!" And he punched someone''s cubicle. "Hey, hey! Baldur! Shh, we''re too loud here. Calm down, visit her first and take a rest, okay?" Albrecht was wrapping his blanket around his body and quickly moved closer to George. " What happened?" " No, nothing, go back to sleep, it''s alright, there''s nothing wrong." George whispered and slowly tapped his shoulder. Albrecht returned to his place while George was left alone at the long bamboo table. Inside Magee''s place, Baldur sat beside her. She was still deeply sleeping while he sadly thought. " Be strong. We''ll show you our house somewhere, we''ll bring you there. George is right, he''s right. Indonesia is not safe. For now, let me just leave you around with George and Albrecht while I''ll check the small cave - our childhood hideout in Kabang. Only me and Albrecht knew it and soon will involve George, so if time comes that we can''t contain you with us, its the safest place for you to hide. The place is the safest for you since it has both entrance and exit. So keep hanging for us." He thought as he arranged her blanket and left. It''s already daytime and the waterfalls gave them it''s wonderful prism, such wonderful colors that reflects inside the cave and giving them enough light. Magee was still sleeping and hiding inside her blanket. However, it''s Albrecht''s turn to allow George to sleep after a long, sleepless hours. " You may sleep now." " Great! okay, I''ll get there." Then he smiled with droopy eyes. He hurriedly proceeded to his place when Magee saw her. " Hey, good morning George. Can we stroll for a while, I wanted to see the sunrise, just 10-15 minutes. " Ha...okay." Then he just closed his eyes and waited for her to finish combing her hair. " Here we go, she had slept well so she''s got enough energy to use in exploring the terrain today and I''ve got zero minute of sleep. But still, its a great time for collecting sayote leaves around. Sure that''s her primary menu again." He whispered to himself but giggly smiled. " Oh here...I will tell you something today. Come." They passed by to Albrecht and she whispered something to his ear. " Okay, okay...but don''t distract George, keep with his company, is that clear? " Albrect told her. 13 Rare Fencing Technique Albrecht knew that George was really very tired and could not pass through the falls so he tried to approach Elias - one among the new recruits who fortunately just woke up. " What are you doin''?" George asked Albrecht. " ...will request Elias to accompany her outside, you''re sleepy right? you haven''t slept yet." Albrecht complained. " She eavesdropped and understood the situation. " Uh, sorry. Ah, we''ll go out in the afternoon. Would that be okay?" Magee tried to seek some kind of confirmation. " Magee, it''ll not take a longer time to wait, we''ll spare him a day to rest, he ran going back here." " Oh, that''s too sentimental, I feel of crying." George smiled. " Yes, I almost forgot, you''ve been away for some field works, sorry. But in the afternoon it''s okay." Magee bowed her head and had her breakfast. It was such a relief for George though he has to shortly give orders to some assignees for the ''bagakay'' bamboo pole sharpening. Others had to wait for the message that will be attached to the arrow if the ropes from station two are ready for pick up. In sync with both orders Baldur raised his suggestion for tagging two soldiers bound to get some flower potions outside Kabang. " Good that you''ve mentioned it, I almost forgot, yes, that''s given in our plan, you may select your buddies going there. Anything?" George asked. It was then when the three groups parted where one of the groups, composed of the new recruits (Elias, Gador and Amado) remained inside. " We have abundant bamboo poles around." Elias smiled and started to follow the instructions and had his first sample cut size. Beside him where the two eager minds and curious about how it will be installed under every hole. Elias, who had some ideas on it tried to explain a little concept of ambush. " Really? but how about the others, what if they walk by two''s or three''s, the rest in front and those who will be following could already detect the attack?" Amado nosily queried. " We''ll attack by four. That means one is to four ratio. Shall we say, if four got stuck in the hole with these stuffs, the other four in front will be arrowed by one of us, the four at the back will be shot by our soldier''s automatic rifle, the next four would have the QF attack, using that 2.95 - inch mountain gun and the rest will be shouldered by station two troupe''s other field artillery. Grenades will be thrown in perfect timing considering to hit four from the opponent. But we have reserved tactics, only 1Lt George will give it following some protocols." Albrecht simplified the way of the concept attack. " Wow! that''s notably striking but this has to be studied seriously. The chain of command must be very spontanous because the enemy''s infantry have two live tanks and several aircrafts." It was Amado''s interaction considering some possibilities of mass attack of troops to their terrain. The three new recruits and Albrecht were having interesting discussion and shared ideas and they quickly finished the sharpening task at exactly midday. Albrecht served them lunch and instructed them to rest to their respective posts. While Magee was waiting for George to wake up, she approached Albrecht and pointed her finger to tge two small bamboo poles. " For what? what are you planning to do?" Albrecht sarcastically looked at her. " There''s nothing serious, hmm...please." She smiled at him like he has no right to refuse. " Well, I have nothing to do with it anymore, you''re already holding those stuffs right now, go and take it." " Yey! and please, cut the two poles by one meter each." Magee grabbed the bamboo poles and placed them inside her place. Around 1400 hrs George sat down and felt a little slackening aura then he stood up hurriedly after remembering their appointment with Magee upstairs. With so much haste, he brought his towel, put it hanging on a bamboo chair meters away from the cave''s entrance and directly had a gargantuan shower in the waterfalls. Magee, who was then sitting beside Albrecht at the kitchen was stunned by looking at him bathing. Of course the men around seems find it a casual scenario but for Magee it was something unusual so she turn her head and suddenly Albrecht teased him. " What...why are you turning your head at me." " No, nothing. You promised to give me a snack...I''d like to ask some." Then she blushingly smiled. " Here''s your sweet potatoes, you return to your place now because that guy bathing will then pass by on this side before going to change. Go! " He teasingly ordered his sister to pull back. " Huh!" She stood up and was running toward her place while bringing her sweet potatoes. When George was done he grabbed his towel and passed by at Albrecht who was very busy cutting some veggies for dinner. " Hey buddy, what''s our viand tonight? That looks a Filipino menu again ha, great!" " This is ginataang sitaw at kalabasa. By the way, hey, you might have forgotten, we''re not all men here. That lit''le girl saw you blabbering with gogo bubbles and waters underneath, she even turned her head and tried to hide after seeing you enjoying the waters. Careful." Albrecht meaningfully smiled at him. " Uhm...I did not know that she''s just around. Yeah, next time, thanks for telling me." He smiled back and proceeded to change. Momentarily, Magee was busy preparing herself for their walk outside. She braided her waistlong hair and was tightly holding the two shorter versions of ''bagakay'' bamboo poles. Even if she had heard him doing something in his place next to her but she opted not to talk, thinking she might disturb him. After a few minutes, she heard him moving closer to her entrance door and stood up looking at her. " Hi! I''m done. Shall we go now?" She smiled and thrown to him one of the bamboo poles. " Let''s have a fencing duel. If I win, tell Dad to bring me back my sword I left in the dormitory or buy me one secretly." " What?" " You''re a soldier, I know this was part of your training, like sparring, right?" " Oh, no. You''re kidding me now, tell me. I can''t. I can''t have a duel with a braided hair." Then George bowed down his head, furtively smiling. " Uhm... consider us just playing, I wanted to help someday. Please help me recall my college pastime in the Dormitory, it might help me too if worst comes to worst. I heard those men sharing concepts this morning about war tactics." " But Magee..." " Let''s try, give me a try." " Okay, okay..." Then he smiled. They moved outside and luckily only Albrecht stayed alone while busy extracting the coconut milk. Albrecht was just silent observing at them and to his surprise, after series of strikes, his master''s bamboo flew away. George turned his head and signaled to Albrecht that she''s not an easy opponent. " Wow! how did you do that Magee? George, did you just intend to do it and preferred to throw it away? If not, it''s amazing! We never knew that you learned that already." " Isn''t it acceptable, you two must be honest." " Your movement is extraordinary, how did you do that? Why you have alternates while fencing you also hit the opponent''s body parts and your speed is unbelievable. I was even a little dizzy while watching, great fight. Come, give me that fake sword, I''ll do it, George out!" He smiled to George. The duel between siblings had started and they never knew that Amado was watching hideously. " Unbelievable! that small girl could do it. ( Aw di katoohan!, yaang bobay katigam kad¨ª saan)." He whispered to himself. " (Ang hain?" (Which one?)" Gador stood up and saw the intense duel of a 5''9" soldier and a 5''4" skinny lady. Out of the blue he cheered. " Mad''yaw! (Good!) "Gador applauded. George was amazed and even rubbed his eyes. He felt he was hallucinating. " Albrecht''s bamboo have blown away three times despite his control of holding it tightly but Magee speedily attacked the wrists most of the time that disallow the opponent''s arms to get through it till the opponent weakens and drops down the weapon. As proud eldest brother Albrecht carried her on his arms and cheering with the new recruits. When he put her down he was filled with sweats. " Wow! you made me so tired lit''le rascal. But I''m amazed how you fight like doin'' some ballet dancing, you also tiptoed and there''s graceful turns I noticed. You are not giving focus to the opponent, right George, have you noticed that too?" " Yes, she waggles her braided hair and she dances. Now I know if why she braided it, haha." First time to see it, never knew that within three months if stalking. And see, she didn''t even got tired of fighting at us." " Haha, it''s because I''m skinny. I was even afraid at first, considering the giants in front of me. But still, so thankful. Amado came closer and smiled at her. " Hmm...nasipog kami kanmo, pig-unan mo idto? Lumon mo ba yaan silan? Nanga sa wa silan katigam sang-awon, doun pa ngan¨¬?" (We''re shameful on you, how did you do it? Are these guys your siblings? Why it seems they never knew that ability of yours before and just discovered it here?)" "Language please." Albrecht grumbled. Magee just smiled at Amado that was so badly impressed of her footwork with swaying and turning styles of fighting that distracts the opponent. " That''s my sister! I never knew all of these, for Christsake! Mother''s so proud of you now, and Dad!" Albrecht led her to sit down. 14 Unexpected Attack They both went out from the hole at 1800 hrs where a glittering moonlight gleefully welcomed them. Ironically, the surrounding was at rest yet the crickets were partying. " Much of it, still I can''t believe what I had witnessed today. You''re a very tricky fighter, where did you learn it, who taught you? Why you''re not answering to us early on." They both leaned on at the Mabolo tree while facing to the glamorous sight of the moonlight. " Beautiful! it''s nice to see the moon again." " But hey, Magee, where on earth you''ve acquired that modernized fencing. " Beside our school''s dormitory in Manila was the house of my college friend, they''re well-off and her father had circle of American friends who were equally good sword fighters. They come together every weekends and since first year, my friend brought me there to watch her father''s social fencing duels. Hmm...but I liked it more seeing the couple in duel after their friends left. It thrilled me, it''s my first time to see a Filipino woman fights that way too . She really enjoyed fencing and the place was filled with their laughter. Their daughter and I also had small swords with us, my first attempts were so tiring, until I learned to hold the bigger ones after two years. She taught me the tricks and not to wonder she was a famous ballerina, she quickly turns to deceive the opponent and she lightly moved her body." " Uhm...so from them you learned your skills in fencing. It was so unexpected of you to quickly touch the wrist without the opponent knowing the sudden attack. Wow! so I''m getting more interested of you now." " Interested?" Magee smiled. " I mean, you are interesting, life, your pastime when you''re away from home, how about your favorite music?" " Music, I do. But I know you knew these things, you were in our mini library right? You''ve maybe read everything in my diary." She mumbled and smiled at him. " Yes, I know, hmm...probably sung by Josie Collins and Kitty Kallen, haha, all jazz!" " Haha...yes jazz for Kitty''s songs, I''m a fan of her, but don''t you ever mention all these songs." She jokily warned him. Under the moonlight they comfortably shared stories and after two hours of chatting, he told her to have a look of the old house so that they can return to the cave before midnight. " I missed that house, so much. I missed my foster family and everything out there. But still, I''m grateful for the memories they have given me. " So, let''s proceed to the waterfalls now, you''ll be bathing again, take note. " You too. I saw you this afternoon, you enjoyed the waters a lot, men can do it whenever they want but women hides when they take a bath. See the difference. "Ouch! those were big words but hey, never attempt to bath in the waterfalls, don''t try it, understand!" "I''ll break that rule soon. By the way, we''ll harvest some sayote leaves before we return inside the cave." " Ah, I know, okay." " Are you not afraid with that cliff we''ll pass by?" " Not at all." She smiled. " Boom!" A sound of cannon blasted in not-so-far. Estimatingly, at around a thousand meters away, someone was desperately running, followed by the enemies. They both saw him reached the dead end and stopped helplessly. He was sadly hit by a gunshots on his head and in a minute silence crumbled the place again. Meanwhile, the enemies grabbed his camisa tsino and pulled him lifelessly away from the area. Magee was very angry as George tried to pacify him. " They''re horribly disgusting! the native already stopped and begged but still they killed him. He was powerless, he even don''t have any weapon." She was teary-eyed. " Hmm...there''s nothing we can do anymore. Let''s leave now." " Wait, I''ll get some fresh ''rosal'' flowers to give an offer to the bloodshed, on that spot where he was murdered. The soul was still in shock beside it now, no family bade him goodbye...I want to show some respect to him and pray for his eternal rest." Then she gathered some rosal around the area and put them all beside the bloodshed. " Am¨¢ nami, dalha ngawon kanmo ining is¨® mo, ining lumon nami. Ikaw da sini bahala kanya. " ( Our Father, bring your son and our brethren with you. In you, we entrust him.") She knelt and solemnly bowed her head on the ground. " After that short prayer and offering, George grabbed her hand while noticing some lights coming in a not-so-distant far. While hiding her in an upland safer place, he immediately returned beside the bloodshed, took Magee''s offering and placed them all inside his pocket. " Why you brought them in your pockets?" Magee whispered to him. " They might suspect that someone''s staying around. The flowers will be the lead. Report says that no one''s already staying in their houses but all''s in prison cells and they''ll think about the flowers deeply. Their soldiers won''t offer it that way nor the Americans - so they''ll search for more natives around, it''ll be more sacrificial to your fellowmen. Think about it." " Hmm...you''re right. So why they returned to that spot?" " They might cover the blood. I dunno know if what does that mean. Hmm, they''re almost near to the spot, there''s around two of them. I guess, this is a good opportunity. Magee, go up to this mansanitas tree, slowly. I''ll get back to you after I can get them." George whispered to her. " No, no...no. They have their guns." " It''s okay. I''ll get back, careful here." While George tried to draw closer to the enemies, Magee was looking for bigger rocks where she planned to use if George would need a backup. Though, she was chilling in fear but she''s willing to help. But George crawled like an alligator, furiously attacked and smacked the mouth of the soldier tailing the other other one and twirled his neck backward causing a silent kill and hurriedly threw a dagger to the first one and the dagger hit in between the neck and shoulders that made him fell him so quickly. Magee covered her mouth and stunned to what she saw. She back off crawling and relaxed a bit under the mansanitas tree. While inhaling and exhaling, she had observed him relocating the bodies in a direction heading to the river, twice he returned then after approximately an hour, he was already heading toward her bringing some enemy uniforms as part of their collection for the major plan. " George..." " Huh! our sight-seeing turned out as an attack demonstration." He had a deep breathe for a while, sat down, closed his eyes and leaned his body on the mansanitas tree. " How are you?" He smiled and asked her. " You did great and I was amazed by your sudden attack to the enemies for just a minute or two. You are so...brave." " We have no choice. It''s unusual to have two enemies in a silent place like this. Since they came so I did. I am a soldier and by all means will do my contribution to fight." She smiled at him. " O, what is that look all about? why you''re...removing your sweater? Hey...hey...." He back off and she drew closer to him and put the sweater on his back filled with sweats. Magee arranged the sweater and left it there while he noticeably covered his face. " Hello? what are you thinking? I never thought you were born malicious." Then she walked away running, heading to the cliff while George brought the soldiers'' uniforms and smilingly followed her. She slowly and was gently trekking on the slippery trail by the cliff, directing to left side of the falls without looking below the rumbling noisy river. She trudged the slippery trail within ten minutes. Albrecht immediately wrapped a towel on her after she came in chilling. Minutes after, George followed leaving to Albrecht the enemy''s uniforms. To his surprise, Albrecht threw the uniforms to Gador who was sitting on the long table. " Hala, sanina man ni sa mga kalaban, ang lietenant ba ang nakapatay nila? siya ra usa? pirting isuga." ( These are our enemy''s uniforms, did the lieutenant hunted some? by himself? He must be very brave)." Magee, you go and change now. George, tell us everything." He sat down and shared what happened in their sight-seeing. " Good heavens, peace be with them." Elias seriously lamented. " By the way, Gador, I will assign you to wash all these uniforms and hats and put them when dried in a rupero, Albrecht knew that storage. Interestingly, we''ll use these uniforms later, as planned. Albrecht offered to George a hot salabat while being amazed to the story of his attack at the enemy lines. " Don''t tell me she saw you." Albrecht crosschecked. " She did. I have no choice, the enemies were too close at us. I can''t just rant nor blameful of myself if I miss the chance." " Urgh! she''s going to think and rethink and ruminate about it tonight. I''m pretty sure of that." " Calm down, I''ll talk to her after she could change." George reassured the eldest brother. 15 Philippine National Anthem Series of recalling on the hunting catch in front of her seemed a memory of fierce and fury. " But I''m okay, I''ll be okay. Tomorrow, I''d be okay....huh!" She suddenly turned her head after hearing the creaking sound of the small door in her place. " Sorry...uhm...can I get inside or I''ll just stay here outside." George breathlessly had spoken. " Ah, come, settle yourself here." She smiled blankly and cannot even spare an eye to eye contact. " I don''t know how to start but i''m sorry for what you''ve witnessed. Hmm...it might be too intense but it''s a way of defense." " That''s why...you have to teach me with self-defense." " What..." " Yes, I wanted to die fighting just like what you did, regardless of what could happen, although the basic goal here is just survival." " Are you not afraid?" " Yes, I am. I may not be as brave as you, with your energy, determination and strength but I could be able to support my country in such a way that I can still partake even a little. Unlike what had happened tonight that I just collected stones and wanting to throw those to the enemies, it isn''t funny but it''s how I reacted while I was looking at you fighting." " Oh my...you should have thrown some of those stones to them, at least." He uncontrollably smiled at her. " See that, just because I''m helpless and you''re now trying to bully me." " Hmm...no, not, it''s just that I''m making you smile despite how intense things had shown to us tonight." " But George, modesty aside, I was shocked seeing you fought so determined. You lost your enemies within a minute or two and I knew it''s how fast you were. But even then, you''re afraid I might be distracted to it, no! I will adapt and if it''s my first psywar experience, I''ll immune my mind to fit in. I promised that to myself even before you approached me. I don''t like to be a psychologically lame Filipino on this war. If this is also helping me to fight for my country then I must do everything that I need to learn within, so teach me." She felt relieved while expressing her thoughts and for also reassuring him to calm down from worrying. " Thanks. Your remarks would make me sleep better tonight. Just call me if you still can see those scenes in your mind, please. Albrecht and I will find ways to ease your fears. We are responsible to it. When it comes to your request of learning the physical defense. I have to decide for - yes. But in one condition, you have to increase your weight a little, okay?" He smiled to her. She smilingly drew closer to him and attempted to embrace him as a sign of thanking him too much but George surprisingly stood up and was looking outside. " No, no, it''s okay. I have already received your thanks, bye for now, sleep tight, sweet dreams. Tomorrow''s Monday so wake up early, we''ll have our flag ceremony." He was waiving his hand at her while having some complicated thoughts. He went back to his place still smiling and fell slowly to a very tight sleep. In the morning, Amado and Narciso were holding the Philippine flag hanged at the end of a bamboo pole while Baldur and Albrecht were holding the American flag. While they sang the two national anthem simultaneously they were teary eyed. Likewise, there''s no amount of wisdom comparable to the lyrics of the Philippine national anthem that energized the Filipinos who are fighting for freedom. Our land was first occupied in 1500 to 1800 then in the beginning of the 19th up to 1940 following the most painful was in 1941 where the WWII barged for Philippines where succumb an in-depth story. But why do they want this land more while they have theirs? It''s just how exasperating a war is - killing each other just to prove who''s powerful over a clannish defense where in the end, it is more of deaths and pains. Injustice to the tyrants of their own land, bloods over innocent illiterate bodies, cries of ancestors who were punished inhumanely and the stain of being a Filipino itself made each inhabitant somewhat a coin in one''s pocket. Not much to that, but still the lyrics of the last few line of the national anthem states how a Filipino prepares himself / herself to die for his/her country. " I wanted to see her smile again." Magee was still teary eyed after the ceremony. " Who?" Albrecht heard her murmured it. " My country, this land." Then she carefully brought the flag and silently returned to her place. When she felt she''s alone, Magee started to press the folded flag with her tiny hands and cried. Albrecht went to her running but shook his head upon seeing her sobbing over the flag that winnowed her tears. Out of pity he just left unnoticed for her to pent up for a while andeprepared some bamboo mug filled with water. After an hour of being silent, he slowly handed it to her. " Take this." " I wanted to be trained. He said he will." Magee insisted. " But he''s out nowhere without even telling us." " How about me? I might be able to train you better than him." He jokily grinned. " Really? Are you serious?" " What do you think of me, I''m a soldier, I''m Dad''s favorite ranger." " But your kitchen, who''ll prepare for meals if you train me?" " Come on, it would be an advantage if the soldier - chef cook attends to a newbie. Throughout training, I can calculate more the amount of food I need to serve so my trainee would have a stable and balanced diet, what do you think? Will you still enroll in my academy?" " Haha, cool! I''m enrolling now, how much would I pay?" She suddenly burst into laughter. " Ah, convert your payments for maximizing the sayote leaves, boiled, law-uy and paksiw would be the options, hey, Narciso is smiling over there." " I can''t breath from being tickled seeing you kidding your sister. That''s too much now. Magee, katingon da kaw, singod gyud siya saan. Mad''yaw man isab yaan ngani, matigam yaan, na!" ("Magee, just relax and trust, its how joker he is. But actually, he''s good and knows it, really!") " Language please!" Albrecht was staring to Narciso. " That''s something you have to learn too. Look at your sister, we did not even know that she can speak English fluently, you''re also Getnan and a half-blooded Filipino, oh boy! But anyway, I''ll be your backup. Once the chef will retire for meals, I''ll get in." He offered himself as a supporting trainer. " I''m in!" Magee agreed. " So what do you want to learn first? Your preference is based on how comfortable you are at it. Tell me." Albrecht was staring at her. " Hmm...escrima! likewise, I wanted judo, but I''m too skinny." She sighed. " That''s why the sayote leaves paksiw is the ration for lunch, do you know that? You''ll get a VIP double serving which the rest could not, that''s your first assignment. You have to increase your food intake." " Haha...sure, I will. But by the way, where are the others? Amado''s left with us, hey, come, I''ve learned your name from eavesdropping during the orientation." " They''re in the tunnel and he Mabolo''s almost done." Narciso said. " Thanks. But you looked great with fencing. I saw your footworks and your graceful moves, they''re amazing. Hmm...but escrima is great as well by fighting not too close to the enemy and I guess you can learn that easily since its fighting principle is quite similar with fencing." Amado''s opinion showed logic and they smiled. " Interesting!" Albrecht and Barciso nodded. " I can volunteer to be your escrima coach." Amado humbly spoke. (...to be continued) 16 Laborious Escrima Training Men found an easy way in giving her a starter warm up while Albrecht led the execution where no one else is exempted. They all performed it from the tedious beginning down the halfway, though, its not just for escrima but for all the military physical training and fitness. Auspiciously, since Amado was a medical student so he aided the squirms of the team to copiously breath in and out and especially to properly bend the extremities to maintain the body''s mechanisms for endurance. Aptly, when it comes to training, lack of endurance means the endpoint of self-discipline and physical wellness. ( ) Lkewise, the use of stick as part of the Filipino weaponry has long been practiced in the country. A stick appears to be too small but somehow deadly depending on how a fighter uses it. " So where''s your stick?" Albrecht was asking her. She ran to her place, took the bagakay sticks and tossed the other one to her elder brother. " Not bad. So let''s start." Albrecht beckoned that they''ll be starting. He allowed her to grasp on her right hand the stick in whole and instructed her to carefully watch the head gesture and shoulder movements of the opponent. Cautiously, the stick had to blow, blocking the direction of the opponent and lash it to initially hit the scrawny and frail areas. Most importantly, when the opponent''s stick falls it''s a sign of a shameful defeat. Then Albrecht ensure that Magee followed the instructions. "Questions?" " For now - I''m ready." She seem sheltered with amazement and excitement. " Ahh!" You hit me always, I''m just a newbie, huh!" " So what is in a newbie? this is a proper training, c''mon. Look at Narciso and Amado, they''re sparring too." " Policy here is no wasting of time, no idle breaks, let''s get moving. Quick!" " He said Baldur is very strict, but I guess he is the one who humbly owns the label!" Magee pouted and nitpicked in thoughts. " He''s really good in handling sword or stick, she''s incredibly a good fighter, not bad, I just need to feed her more and gain more weight. Huh! its almost 1100 hrs now. Argh! Why, why, its so painful! Wow, you just blew my wrist so badly, if it gets swollen you would miss your dinner share, take note!" Albrecht jokily said while pinched her ear. " Ay! haha! I wouldn''t stop, I''d like to play more." She insisted. " Play? you''re really still young. You even almost have killed me. I''ll prepare for lunch now." " Magee, I''ll take that place in lieu of your brother, Narciso, ingkod una ngawon." ( Narciso, you may sit down for a while there)." Amado volunteered. " Sure Amado. Here''s your stick." He smiled and they both bowed the suddenly he hit her waist." " Ouch! It hurts." Magee looked at him with a gritty plan. After a minute of regular dustancing and blowing of sticks she attacked Amado by turning twice going towards him, put her stick in her armpit, stamped his feet and technically elbowed him while the middle part of the stick on her armpit prodded and jostled on his face that pinned him down. Its a perfect timing when George arrived and rescued Amado with a bloody sentido. " Magee! why..." Albrecht ran and helped Narciso and George as they carry him on his place. Then Albrecht returned to Magee who was hiding in her space. " Shh...calm down! he''ll be fine there. George applied some herbs to help him get back to his senses. You lit''le rascal, haha." And he arranged her hair and pinched her ear again. " Just stay here, I''ll just bring you your food and getting the prize of being the grand slam winner of this morning''s duel, for that, you''ll get enough share and Dad must be very proud of you." He smiled and left her still worried for Amado. A little while, she has heard George seemed busy in his place relaxing a little and proceeded to her door and smirked. " Hey, hmm, I''m speechless." " Why..." She bowed down her head and a little sneaky. " You''re good in fencing as well as in escrima. But careful you might end up killing your comrades around." He sighed. " I thought he''ll avoid that attack. It surprised me when he did nothing when I already got closer on him. There''s I guess some encantation here that prevent him from moving." " Argh! haha! That''s the result of the storytelling of Lolo Sibal. But hey, no kidding, Amado''s not in good shape now. He bumped on the stick too close on her head." " Oh...sorry. I''ll go to him. She was teary eyed." " No, let him rest. How are you? Are you tired?" " No. I''m not tired. I was just worried of Amado." " Hmm...then let''s fight at 1400 hrs. Let''s continue the escrima." He smiled. She smiled and drew closer to him by the door, barefooted. " Really?" " Baldur showed me to see one of the safest caves of Kabang that its exit would lead you inside that paradise. Its beautiful. He stayed there and would wait for us with Albrecht, their old house was still inside. So, bring your sticks and let''s have our duel there tomorrow again, after this afternoon." "Wow! is the place creepy?" " Haha! no! it looks like a paradise, flowers inside were very rare ones, I''m telling you." He smiled at her. "Okay everyone, lunch is served." Albrecht announced in the kitchen so George proceeded to the kitchen. Elias and Bruno just arrived from digging in the tunnel. Narciso just took some food and went back to Amado who''s still on bed. After knowing that everyone had their share so Albrecht brought some food to Magee. " Hey! here....you''ve got the best share today. Here''s one bowl of your favorite boiled sayote leaves, a sauce is there too, dried fish, just drink plenty of water afterwards, hmm, and ginataang shells with kangkong leaves. Here''s your plate of rice, okay, you may start digging on your food now." He smiled and while looking at her he was reminded on how quick her body moves in both fencing and escrima duels. While he thought about all these things, George told him that they''ll talk outside. Then Magee was left alone and really finished her food. " Wow. Its nice to have a brother that feeds you something like this. He''s really a great cook, should I say. Where did he learn all these Filipino recipes? I thank God for the food, for my brother and hope I''ll gain a little weight within this month. I need to qualify on their standards and can join the combat like them." Outright lunchtime she prepared herself again for the training through the offer of George. Finally, when all the soldiers left on their respective assignments, George and Magee started the duel, Albrecht was on his motionless waive at them and oblivious to what he would cheer on when prior to the duel George informed him that he will knock her down so to disappoint her. Albrecht felt strange, he pitied how his sister dreamed if becoming a combatant and now just because she''s a woman, she''d be deprived and the 1Lt will even dismay her to retreat. He silently bowed his head and just waited for the outcomes. But she''s witty. " What are you doing?" " Since Amado was injured and you think of maybe giving me a punishment or teach me a real lesson, let''s have a deal." George gazed toward Albrecht and sheepishly smiled. " Hmm...and what''s the deal all about?" " She''s making me crazy!" George funnily thought. " Albrecht will be our arbitrator. The duel will remain as it is but let''s change some rules, like, since I am to shirt and small and you''re 6''0" in height, chances are, you will just grasp and dump me like a popcorn. Thus, if you''re caught touching or directly hold your tiny opponent, you''re automatic declared as - loser. The winner will only merit the lashing and hitting of body parts with the use of these sticks. Deal?" " Ahh...why change of rules? Okay. Deal!" George has nothing to do anymore but subscribe to the newly set rules. Without them knowing, Albrecht snickered and smiled secretly. " She''s clever, Sir 1Lt, you''ve got your new headache, haha." Albrecht thought. So the duel formally started. " If I will attack his left body parts he ''ll be protecting his right body parts to attack my left side. Geez! he''s crazily tall and his shoulders looked like a giant. I''m pretty sure he''s thinking I look like a kitten here. Well, its time. I''ll gonna get his right wrist once and for all." Magee thought. She turned her body once and unexpectedly lashed his right wrist that made him kneel but he quickly stood up and hit her left knee but she ran into him and hit his left wrist. It was too close and because the rule says no touching where he should have grabbed her on that spot. The arbitrator decided for a short break and they got back again. Noticeably, in the second attempt, George just maintain his shielding strategy and never spare for an attack against Magee and he kept shielding from his stick. The duel lasted for almost two hours and as if Albrecht knew where the fight is going so he finally declared the result. " I hereby announced that its a tie! both got an outstanding escrima performance. Congratulations!" Albrecht smiled. Magee silently left and proceeded to her place while Albrecht and George left smiling and making some hand salute. 17 Secret Inland Paradise Albrecht covered her with the thickest sweater and carried her bag too. " Your bag seems heavy, what''s inside this one?" Albrecht broke the silence. She never replied anything but was curiously looking to a certain direction nearby. " Are you okay?" George asked her. " There''s a light. There are people in the area we are heading to. Even if its tremendously foggy but I felt those are the enemies around." Magee whispered while she''s blowing her breath on both palms to make her hands warmer. "Albrecht, did you bring the bow and arrow?" George asked. " Yes, I had it." " I''ll deceive them to another direction so we can go across that area going to Kabang. " I''ll do it. I''ll climb a little on that tree." Albrecht volunteered as he added his own sweater on her shoulders. The wilderness was filled of cricket cicadas producing hubbubs and thousands of fireflies dazzling around. While George and Magee were sitting on a dead branch filled with firelies, he spoke to pacify her chills. " Do you know that male fireflies are the ones that can fly while females just await for their light signals. A lot of experts on it tried to decode the light frequency of their conversational signals but mostly, the light signals are posing strangely different from one another. And usually, according to observations, female fireflies usually await signals from the male fireflies whether its feeding time, battle time and pollinating time. Its interesting, right?" He wanted to hold her hands to keep her warmer but she was too defensive to shrug and shrug her shoulders while being irritated to mosquitoes on her. " There are so many mosquitoes." Her smiles on him was dryly. " Magee, there are no mosquitoes, you''re thickly covered by your brother from head to toes, haha, its okay, no worries." He shamefacedly stood up and went closer to Albrecht who, that time was done releasing the arrow. Expectedly, the enemies lambasting the trail they''re heading have evaporated and went to the place where the arrow had targeted. " We''re safe now, let''s head on to the trail going down." Albrecht said. They started to trudge the area and found some traces of smokes left and empty cans. There was a dead body of a woman meters away. Magee was teary eyed and covered her body with some dried leaves around. She knelt and recited a short prayer. When they left she still looked back and sighed over her soul to have peace. " They were insane of raping and killing her that way. Why?" She kicked everything she passes by and when one of the branches bounced at her strongly so she was seemingly blown by its force that made her roll a little. " Hey, hey...shhh...quiet...don''t shout...I''ll pick you up." George picked her a meter away and he found her awkwardly smiling. " There might be some encantations here, are we now in Kabang?" " Haha...quiet, we''re almost there, Albrecht is now looking at us, c''mon! quick!" He whispered on her as he was still unknowingly holding her chilling hand. The moonlight still shines at its best so Albrecht could clearly see them both. " Albrecht, we''re here." " Yes Sir! I saw you holding my sister''s hand." Albrecht was smiling. " Oh sorry." He then slowly removed his hand while looking at Magee and felt himself a little naughty. " Uhm! its almost dawn." George looked up the skies. They continually walked and crossed some daffodils. " Wow! daffodils with so many flowerettes around. Based from the description of the place, we''re almost in Kabang, right?" She sniggered jokily. " Haha, yes, you''ll almost see our little house inside. See that rocky door? Dad and grandpa Sibal made that for us and as they also covered the old entrance in front of the river with so many leeches and slaying wild dogs." " Is that the entrance? I couldn''t see any passage but just a mere rock." " Okay, we''re here." " Albrecht knocked a plain rock for three times when it moved slowly. He then signaled both of them to follow him inside. Baldur was behind the wall and when they''re all inside he properly closed it using some rocks to support it. " Wow, there are also two big rocks horizontally locked and protecting the wall from bending. Its maybe created for years." George was amazed. " Yes, Dad and grandpa Sibal made this for eight years. While me and Albrecht grew up inside, they engineered these locks and made it as their pastime." Baldur smiled and gave to Albrecht the lighted candle as they walked a little and finally got out from the secret cave in a foggy beautiful morning in the paradise. " My God!" George astoundingly appreciated what he just saw. " Lovely! wonderful!" Magee was speechless as they followed Baldur and Albrecht on a small path beside a small river till they reached a two-storey house with a balcony upstairs. Magee ran inside and even checked upstairs. Noticeably, the floor was slippery due to the evening fogs. She saw her mother''s picture on a frame, Albrecht and Baldur''s biological German Dad and the Captain, her father. He saw Lolo Sibal''s picture as a teenager on a separate shelf too. Indeed, the house was filled with unseen history that mimicked a beautiful story of love, friendship and trust. " You looked like a little of our mother but you were after Dad''s the most. By the way, do you like it here?" " Yes, yes, I loved to stay here. I can live here till I grow old." " Albrecht went closer to her and pinched her ear again." " Ay! there you go again, this is your third time pinching my ear." " How can''t I? when you said you''d love to stay here? Our mother even died after giving birth for you then you''d like to grow old in here?" " Hmm...giving birth is not a problem anymore these days. Magee maybe just said it here because she likes to stay here for the memories or maybe wants to feel the breath of life here with this beautiful nature. Hmm, sounds nutty, but I favored this place very much too." George smirked in agreement with her. She left the men from chatting as Magee roamed around the house. She visited the third room upstairs and she saw a diagonally-shaped map of the place that filled out the entire wall. " There were red dots on the former entrance, eastern part, one beside the river, other dots on both sides of the river again. Geez! but wait, there''s one more exit going to the sea, southern part. Its maybe a dangerous exit point due to the skull sign. Hmm...its diagonal. The place deceives people, it franticaly looks like that this is a dead end steep mountain with no island inside. I see, that''s why its foggy up there too and there''s a little sunlight that gets around. Wow." " When she went down she noticed Baldur was the one preparing for their breakfast. Fish, you''re frying a fish, Wow!" So this is the kitchen where Albrecht first learned on how to cook, right?" " Exactly, both of us." Baldur smiled at her. " Baldur, this house and place is beautiful, can''t wait to stay here for good and the place seems erases my dream to become a combatant." " Combatant? haha, no! you shouldn''t be. Just enjoy your youth, be who you are and ignore the bombs outside. Better you learn on how to swim than being a combatant like us, understand?" " Why can''t I?" " Dad, Albrecht and I agreed that you may raise a family of your own here, even if the war continues. Dad said he will not compromise your life just because you can''t get out to Indonesia. It''s one of the options, but its negative. The seaport there was also infested with our enemies." " Ow? how can I marry when I escaped from my fiancee?" She smiled sarcastically. " You''ll never know, there might be blurry-eyed souls of this war who would find you attractive around. If not, we''ll adapt the match-maker arrangements of the Filipino ways, its not a problem." " I shouldn''t be saying this but, I''m still very young and besides I need to work hard for something I don''t know yet. If I wouldn''t be a combatant, what would I be? Well that''s my big problem, haha!" The siblings never knew that George was just hiding behind the door. But Albrecht caught him eavesdropping. " Hey George, come let''s join with them, I guess the breakfast is ready too. When they were in the kitchen George saw several kitchen utensils and all''s made of hard woods. " A drainer made of hard wood?" " Yes, our Dad made it for us, its a red wood hardwood actually." " I feel honored to reach this place and see these things around. I guess, I''m the only and first visitor around." " Yes, exactly." Baldur placed the three pieces of fish, fried rice and tinolang manok in front of them. A little while, Magee recited a short prayer and Baldur invited them to enjoy their first breakfast in the place the family called - Malapague. 18 Slaying Wild Dog "George, if you won''t mind me asking, hmm, before you joined in the warzone, what was your career?" George blew some of the soup elsewhere after hearing the question. " Ha?" He smirked while sipping a bowl of tinolang manok in a rush. " You''re not answering me." Magee curiously waited for his answer. Baldur and Albrecht were just looking at each other. " I worked in a community hospital, as a nurse." " Wow! that''s why you''re good in first aids. You are lucky. Hmm, I haven''t even finished my philosophy, but still, I''m grateful." " Nevertheless, your course is nice and besides after the war, you can still continue and finish it." George added. " That depends if how open-minded his husband would be." Baldur reacted. Nothwitstanding the calmness of the place and how delicious the breakfast have been but George neither choked or spilled his food every time the brothers would talk for their sister''s life and pre-marriage plan. " I don''t know why you''re talking about those things, they''re too heavy to think about. Anyway, the thing is, how''s Dad?" Magee asked everyone. " Haven''t heard of him yet, but I guess he''s on his way going down here. He''s monitoring some spy working for the invaders." " Its a tough job, indeed. So how is it going on now. Why you guys brought me here? Its blessing in disguise that I also like the place but there must be a reason for bringing me around, isn''t it right?" " We''ll hide you here first, after orienting you in three days. You will be alone for a month without any contact of us. You have to survive and this is the safest place." " Oh, heavens." Magee glanced blankly outside the window. " What are you...planning to do. Aren''t you afraid here being left alone?" " Somehow, but I''m sure all of you will help me learn some few things to live by here before you go. You are all soldiers, people closed to you must think twice before they hold your collars down without considering your oath for duty. Our country, ideals, the people, our fight, are more important than being selfish. I must survive. The guys were speechless and immobile as she collected their empty wooden plates, soup bowls, forks and spoons. " Are you just seriously okay, no hurt feelings?" Albrecht crosschecked. " Yes, as long as you would teach me on how to lock the two big heavy horizontal rocks that I guess are heavier than me." A cynic point from her. " Enough." George went up to the balcony while Albrecht and Baldur followed. " What do you think? She''s not even arguing nor disagreeing." " Interesting, she''s not easy to deal with. Can we not just bring her back and make here the way she wants. Oh no, I''m getting hooked up by overthinking." Baldur bowed his head. " Let''s relax first and we''ll leave tonight. I guess George is right." Albrecht suggested. The siblings went inside to their old rooms and George was left alone in the balcony. He was overlooking on a small river away from the spring with a crystal water flowing, teeming with white stones on its labyrinth. The water was very inviting just as the fogs enveloped the place even at daytime. While communing his sleepy thoughts with the nature, he has heard some small steps on the stairs going up then stopped in an empty room where the map was laden. She thought George slept too so she was busy pointing her index finger on interesting areas " She''s lookin'' at the map." " What is she thinking? I''ll try yo ask her if she can swim, according to Baldur, the other exit here needs to follow this river bed, going to the sea. It could be her way out if emergency occur." " Hi!" George disturbed her from being too serious pointing to different spots and legends on the map. " Oh, I thought you were relaxing with my brothers. Hmm, what are you up to?" " Just curious if do you know how to swim?" " No, I honestly don''t know. But its okay. I''ll try my best to learn on how to swim." " But we can stay for days and teach you that." " Why worry. I think you''re all in a hurry to leave here. Besides, I know you''re all busy for the attacks." " Hmm you''re upset." " Excuse me, I have to look around nearby. Stay here and get a sound sleep before you leave tonight." She hurriedly left and he saw her running away, following the small path towards the closed old entrance. He was doubtful of her so he silently followed. She stopped after running at around eight hundred meters path. " Huhuhu! Huhuhu!" She sat on a rock fronting the old cave and throwing tiny stones on its hole where later she moved backwards and George saw a brown-black dog angrily moving towards her with bulging reddish eyes, salivating on its gnashing teeth. He would have shouted but she took something on her leg and waited for the dog to attack. He hurriedly ran as fast as he could to rescue her upon finding out the dog''s dead body beside Magee. Outrageously, she was still holding the dagger buried on the dog''s bloody chest while she had scratches'' traces and noticeably, her left hand was filled with bloodstains too. " My God! Magee, wake up, don''t close your eyes." Then he carried her going back to the house. " Don''t get my dagger..." She whispered. " Yes, yes, just hold it, we''re almost there, I''m running! hang on! Baldur! Albrecht! wake up! Get me some herbs around, its a dog bite, she''s attached by a wild dog, get me some herbs, c''mon, hurry up!" George was yelling to catch their attention and sibling soldiers did not anymore used the stairs but they got down out of the balcony to get some herbs. " Brother, how about this." Albrecht asked Baldur while with his trembling hands. " Yeah, yeah, it''s ''serpentina'' leaves, that''s it, add some more leaves to give her an overdose of that, let''s say twenty regular leaves. Those were venomous wild dogs, quick! go up now, run! wash the leaves first and let her chew some of those while I boil water downstairs." While in the bedroom, George stripped some portion of her blouse scratched by the dog''s claws and used a small towel to remove the blood covering on her neck part and below as he washed her hand with water ang gogo. He tried to check his bag if he brought some medicine but to no avail. But suddenly, he was surprised when she slapped him on his left cheek before she collapsed. " Why oh why!" Albrecht was shocked upon seeing a patient just slapped the rescuer. " Its nothing, it''s trauma-related. That''s why I transfered the dagger on her left hand otherwise it could have hit me. She passed out because of tension and exhaustion, the dog was too heavy and she gave her strength. What''s those leaves?" " Serpentina" Is it just good for snake bites?" " Its also good for dog bites, Baldur reminded me on this." Albrecht said. Baldur came in and brought a mug with boiled water and he soaked the leaves into it waited until the water turns out green. " I will lean her body on the pillow, wait, and give me a spoon please, she can''t drink that through the mug, its too hot." George was sweating. " Magee...Magee...wake up, sip this herb, c''mon, wake up." She slowly opened her eyes and sipped the spoonful of it. At first she spilled it and almost vomitted. But George helped her drink the rest until she had sweat. She''d slept after sweating too much and George didn''t have any option but dressed her through the consent of the brothers. George also tied two big wounds on the left arm, its where she used as a shield when she was attacked and the other wound was on her right elbow. " Good that she has that dagger. Who gave it?" Baldur asked. " I gave that to her. But I never knew that she''s always bring it and even made a purse of it on her right leg." " Gracious Lord! she''s really my spartan sister, good that she had it." Albrecht smiled exhaustingly before he sat facing his head on the ceiling. This day isn''t a joke, I almost died upon hearing your yells where I thought was just part of my dream. What if, she''s alone here experiencing this? huh! I have to relax first, I need to think a lot." " She stabbed the dog''s chest and even bury the entire dagger on its chest." Baldur ran outside and went to the site where Magee was attacked. " My God...this isn''t a joke. Its quite big and the pangs were terribly scary, I guess, this is the oldest vagrant here. She only stabbed her once, but it was a full blown catch." Baldur pulled the stray dog in front of their house. " Whoah! Is that the culprit? that''s too big!" Then Albrecht went down to closely see it. " Baldur, can you estimate if how many kilograms that evil dog is?" " Maybe around fifteen kilos, I guess so." " Gosh! look at the talons! its a killer dog! I could not imagine our little rascal has slaughtered it!" " I''m a combatant but when I saw her being attacked I was so scared. I don''t know why, its a terrible attack. I was just following her after being upset and she just cried there when that dog horrendously attacked. (...to be continued) 19 Anaconda in a Cold Rainy Nigh Albrecht made a porridge mixed with bird''s egg for her dinner while she''s still closing her eyes - lifeless and complained some pains caused by her wounds. A little while, George carefully offered her a spoonful of porridge soup and she tried to have some perks of it. " George, don''t confiscate my dagger, give it back to me." She whispered. " Yeah, of course, its in your bag, I put it there. Outright recovery, you can have it again." " Next time, don''t wander in those areas, its truly dangerous." Baldur commented. " I know...but even if I stay inside nor outside, still I don''t know if what would happen to me. Today was luckily my accidental rehearsal being alone and its kinda deadly. I''ll be more cautious next time." " Why did you slap George that much? its too harsh, he''s just helping us you know." Albrecht reminded her. She stopped from eating and bury her head with another pile of pillow over her. George smiled and put the bowl filled with porridge. " Albrecht, don''t worry, I''ll leave very early tomorrow, I''ll go ahead of you. Anyway, I''m not any longer needed here." He winked an eye to Baldur. Baldur and George went to the balcony. " George, thanks." " We''ve got a problem. I have to pick up Dad two days from now and Albrecht needs to go back there in station one, you know, as custodian of the budgeting of stocks. You''re also needed there as our head but can you just stay here before I return, my sister needs a friend. We''ve already decided to leave her alone but she''s a bit clumsy and that accident even happened today." " Hmm, sure. But you saw how she slapped me." He sheepishly smiled. " Still she likes your company, I could feel it." " Okay, both of us here? for two days?" George looked at him with some worrisome thoughts. " I''m also confused but - I don''t know at all." He hardly pressed his head with both palms. There was a deafening silence then George spoke. " If my stay can help, I''m also willing to extend my presence." He tapped Baldur''s shoulder then he returned to her. When he opened the door she quickly covered her face with a blanket. " Ehm...why you''re hiding, what have I done?" She was quiet, attentively listening and likewise busy looking at him through a small hole of the blanket. " I''m your resident nurse and bodyguard tonight so hope you drink again the bitter ''serpentina'' leaves before you sleep. Wait." He suddenly went downstairs and poured out the kettle''s boiled water in the mug and returned to her with ''serpentina'' leaves tea on it. A little while, she removed the blanket covering the face and smiled at her. " Please sit down, have some tea and this will help regain your energy. She slowly returned the cover on her face but he removed it again." " You changed me without my consent and while I was unconscious." " Ah, I asked consent from your brothers and I covered you with towel, haven''t seen anything, promise! besides, its an emergency." He blushed. " Really? Good." She looked at him straight. " Yes, pretty sure. I can guarantee and you don''t need to worry." " So, you''re leaving tomorrow?" Magee asked. " There''s a change of plan. Baldur will fetch your Dad and Albrecht ought to check all the stocks in station one. They requested me to stay with you while you''re still recovering. But if you don''t want me to stay, I''ll leave tomorrow." " It depends on you if you want to stay or not." She smiled. " She wants me to decide if I stay or not. She''s naughty." He thought. George was smiling sneakily and offered the mug to her. Without hesitations, she drank the tea like a cold coffee and her face was filled with shaded wrinkles. "Its the worst tea I''ve ever tasted in my whole life. Try it." He tasted the last drop from her leftover and yelled. " Waaaaaaa! what....the worst herb! Hah!" " Hahaha...now you know if why it wrinkled my face." He stood up and breathe as they both laughed. The siblings were chatting at the balcony. " I''m worried for Dad, his travel was extended and this is inusual, what do you think is the reason? Baldur said. " Don''t worry too much, he maybe just dropped by to stations two and three and it delayed him even more." Albrecht pacified him. " Grrr...its too cold in here, let''s get inside now." Baldur was chilling. " How about them?" " He''s pleasant to her eyes, just leave them alone. There''s nothing to worry about that guy over there, hmm, c''mon!" They locked the doors below, closed all the windows and chilled like in a freezer on bed. While upstairs, Magee chilled a lot just as George felt so she covered her with more blankets, his clothes and anything that can cover her. Out of curiosity he got out and checked and its all blurry but its the cotton-like fogs that has occupied the entire house, the wooden floors were already slippery and he could feel the breeze from the sea behind the rocky wall nearby. He was even worried with his lips felt like cracking and peed many times. So he got back beside her and lighted a candle on a small table and saw her face unwell and still chilling. With his increased worries he rushed to the kitchen and boiled some water and hurriedly gave her a mug of it. " Here, drink some and go down to pee. Don''t stock your urine, its not good to your health. Grrr....the fogs here are terribly serious. Okay, drink it now before it gets cold again." When she''s done she slowly stood up and held his hand to accompany her going to the bathroom. The candle has a cover so it gets them safe movin'' downstairs. It heavily rained outside and the onset of an extremely intolerable that worsened the temperature too. Meanwhile, she installed him to stand by outside and wait. But momentarily, he noticed a huge log-like object movin'' under the kitchen table which was estimated almost three meters away. He shook his head and was tremendously shocked after finally identifying it as a big green anaconda snake silently sleeping underneath. Nevertheless, to avoid panic he tried to control his pulses on the rise and waited for her to get out. When she''s done he immediately grabbed her hand and they hurriedly went back, passing the slippery stairs and they''re both chilling with cranking jaws. Magee slowly got back to bed and covered her entire body with piled up of blanket. " Whew! it''s as big as my legs, for God''s sake! What if that keep coming'' here and she''s already alone? " He thought then he slowly took the ''sundang'' or long knife beside the cabinet and determined to return downstairs into where he found the big anaconda. Despite the chills, he has smelled its very strong odor and finally located it promptly as it opened its eyes and eventually attacked him mercilessly but his long knife had cut its neck that made Baldur and Albrecht ran to get out after hearing the noise. They saw him still holding his breath and leaned on the wall. " Heavens! what a big fuss this snake is doing to a combatant. But I''m serious, how come it gets in this hour when we locked all doors and windows!" Baldur commented as he shook his head. Despite their tension, the siblings drew closer and touched the snake''s body in horror. Observably, it took for minutes before its body gradually moved till it dropped down dead. " Its not just three meters buddy, its five meters!" Baldur spoke in amazement. " Wait, I have to check her for a while. But wait, can we keep this from her? She musn''t." George whispered. " Wow, what are we going to do with this meat, the locals loved it, been hearing them talking about this mixed with extracted coconut milk and lemon grass." Albrecht had plans of bringing it to station one. When George reached on his mat which was located below Magee''s bed, he sat down and was pacified. " Thank God, she never saw it and never knew it exist around, otherwise, the first unforgettable guests she had here would be those wild slaying dog and five meters green anaconda, you lit''le rascal with rascal guests." Then he smiled. 20 Ancestral Home The morning breeze titillated his ears and a little sunlit passed through the hole from the window which tickled his eyes. He right away stood up from his mat on the wooden floor to check her but she''s still asleep under the rugged blankets and piled up of used clothes. " Magee, Magee, its already 9 o''clock, its time to check your pulse and body temp." " Hmm...what time is it again George? I maybe have slept tight." She''d shrugged her messy long hair like cobwebs then leaned on the two piled up pillows on her back She still closed her eyes but spoken. " Don''t pinch my ear." Then she sneered like a child. " Haha, its already 9 o''clock, c''mon, come closer. Let me check. Aha, your pulse rate and body temp are both okay, no worries." " How ironic, you never had any apparatus, how come you felt I''m okay." " Hmm, its a little secret...we''re having our manual process also, you know." He smiled at her. After the manual checkup she grabbed a towel, malong and other stuffs then they both got down. " Slowly...." George had been very gentle in aiding her to get down. " Hmm, the table''s all set. Where are my brothers?" Magee was looking around. There was a note on the table for him. " George, we brought the sacks of chicken to station one for our comrades. The area is a bit clean, just check it out. We''ll fetch you in the coming days, I''ll carry out the men in your absence, don''t worry. Please take care of our sister. In Christ, Albrecht." A piece of note from the eldest among the siblings he''s with. " I''ll take a bath first." Then there she go. He went outside and found a spring in front of the house, he hurriedly took his towel from the second floor, got back running as well and enjoyed the unlimited flowing waters on his coconut shell water dipper. As soldiers does, they easily do things to maximize their time and after changing, he got back on the table. She''s not yet done so he waited a little and concentrating on the viand next to her. " Is it not the anaconda I slaughtered last night? Hmm, I could smell a lot of lemon grass on it. I doubt. It seems its it. Let me taste it, oh my...its just like a chicken!" He smiled for tasting an adobo snake for the first time. " What''s that?" She''s done bathing and just wrapped around her hair on top. " Ha? chicken isn''t good for newly healed, I''ll cook something for you. " Your eyes are lying, haha." Its not true, it seems that its tasty and you''re afraid to share me some, isn''t it?" " Whoah! okay, sit down and taste this." " Hmm, its chicken, the slices are big enough. Its it, its the message of Albrecht to you that they brought sacks of it in station one. Good that they left us some. She took one, then two until George never knew already if how many slices she''d got. " George, let me ask you. Why you''re such as close to my brothers, especially to Albrecht?" " Hmm, its because, he''s the fiancee of my sister, that''s why. They''ll get married after this war. Aside from that, we''re also neighbors in the US, its just block away and we''re great buddies. My father works in the Marines and he''s the closest friend of the Captain. Its how our family intertwined. Its also the reason why they trusted me too much since they knew where I live, supposed I''m going to abduct you. Are you afraid of me?" He naughtily smiled at her. " Ah, I see, a family friend and I''ll be your future sister-in-law. No, I''m not afraid of you, Albrecht actually told me you''re trusted." " So, since there''s sunlight around, I will dry you a little outside. Its been a week that you''re hidden in station one, so you need vitamin E. Its sunbathing!" " Most possible, I need it. Don''t worry, I can just pose there and you may leave me supposed you still have to do something else." " I can''t leave you like that. You''ll be exposed under the sun for five minutes only and you''ll get back upstairs while I''ll do some general cleaning, from the second floor going down. Okay, here''s the wooden chair, sit down in here and start bathing underneath." Magee then stayed underneath for around five minutes while he was watching at her enjoying the heat of the sun that gas passed tgrough the renaining fogs above. Then she stepped out smiling. " Will it not hurt my wounds?" " No, don''t worry, the nurse is on duty." " Wow! I feel like a very special patient. " Exactly you are. Okay, since you''re done so let''s go up now. While recovering, that balcony is your ward." He locked the main door then they go up. " Just stay here, enjoy combing your hair and read books. Anyway, before I''ll do the general cleaning, I''ll send here some books I noticed around. I know you like books so I can easily bribe you with them." " Haha, that''s fine for me, go and feed me some." He immediately returned bringing some books and put them in front of her. To her surprise, she saw some of Lolo Sibal''s handwriting on one of the journals that George has found out. She became silent and seriously reading. She''d got mixed emotions. At times she sighed, cried and mostly laughed at Lolo Sibal''s humor. He write those things until he got back to Tikabanand when the Captain, Albrecht and Baldur went to America and left him alone. Even when he''s already in Tikaban, he mentioned in the journal that he kept coming back in this secret house in Malapague, inside Kabang, and ensure that he can write something memorable for Magee and her family.Then Magee cried again and again until George tapped her shoulder. " Hmm...let''s share our lunch now, or else, Albrecht might come back this early and will pinch your ear once more, which one? Come." While they were in the table she was still very silent. " I became emotional about Lolo Sibal''s writings. Without us knowing, he kept coming here to write and write with those old memories with my family. He had written things I was doubtful of; like, father have buried three separate gold bars in the well, yellowish bamboo and under the catsbao mango tree. Those three spots were dangerous too because there were equally mines on top of them. Seriously, the one that he brought given by my father was already enough for my education. Hmm...I missed him so much." " He''s more than a biological family member, that''s how the Captain described him. He took good care of your brothers while you were taken cared by Lolita. Its how he blamed himself after the death of your mother. He blamed himself for the lack of help and incapable enough as a friend. It made himself pay by devoting all his time to all of you and when your family went to US, he then focused on your education, its how I understand. So there, hey, you eat some more. I still have to continue cleaning and you still need to read at the balcony." He then put some more food on her plate. Lunctime went well and George got back mopping the wet rags all around the wooden furnitures and swept the inner part, harvesting the cobwebs. Magee did not know that he''s into suspecting if there might be some family members of the green anaconda. That''s seriously the reason if why he conducted the general cleaning. With all his wit and strength he finally finished at 5 o''clock in the afternoon. He felt like being dehydrated after carrying, moving and transferring some few things in the house to another setup and direction; looking if there''s some kind of anaconda eggs. But nil. His body was full of sweats and tried to relax on a wooden chair at the sala when Magee asked went closer and gave her a small towel. " Take this. I will just pass by and will try to cook for our dinner. You''re too tired to do it." " No. stay put, that''s an order. I can do it and I''m just inhaling and exhaling to regain some strength. You just sit down, okay? I''ll just call you up when the food is ready." " What can I help?" " Nothing. Just wait." "Are you angry?" " No. I''m just a little tired." Then he smiled at her. 21 Another Foggy and Breezy Nigh The owls'' nocturnal sighs were like growling of tigers while the breeze from the sea transported by the wind to their cozy place through the cottony fogs rolled over the dim-lighted mountain top of Kabang. " Magee, are you comfortable with your blankets?" " Yeah, but still its too cold. I''m also distracted by the night''s cranky noises outside, its so creepy. I can''t imagine my brothers lived here for quite a long time. I, I loved to stay here because there''s that war outside though I would want to fight too. We''re just thankful we haven''t seen any killer snakes around, huh." " Ehem...don''t think too much on that, snakes stay on bushes and in big trees." " Awoooooo!" One slaying dog was just nearby. " Oh God...what are these animals doing nearby." " Grrr.....I have to go down I guess, there are blankets inside your brothers'' room and I may use them. I''ve got three blankets already on me but still I''m trembling, grrr." " Seriously, I wanted to share with you all these stuffs, but still it wouldn''t be enough either, grrrr. Why our sound is grrrr, haha...it seems we''re angry, my goodness. I was just following your roar, like a lion - grrrr!" " And they both laughed. " Ow, where are you going? don''t leave me here." " You can''t go down its too cold, the fogs even stays inside this house at nightime. Hmm, wait, I''ll wear you your socks, grrrr!" " You grrrr again, haha. You naughty girl. Well, its here, you show your feet, quick." When she showed her feet, George wore her the socks and he offered his hand for her to hold so that she can go along with him downstairs. " Whew! now, its doubly slippery compared last night, careful, grrr." " You used that sound again, haha." Magee jokily commented. " Haha...keep quiet, shhh. Wait here. I''m going to take them out. Don''t move." But she really went inside with him and even closed the door. " Why you closed the door? " Shh...listen." Then George immediately blew the candle and they were silently listening to the growls upstairs, it seems that there were two wild beasts rumbling in their room. Magee stayed too close to him and he whispered in a very low tone on her ear. " Don''t move, calm down" As he held tightly her hands and put them on his face so t warm them at the same time. " The beasts moved downstairs and proceeded to the kitchen but upon reaching underneath the table, where the green anaconda''s blood was still stinky, the first beast ran going back upstairs and the other followed in rage. Magee was sweating and tightly pressed his hands, she was even chilling so badly. " Shh.....they''re gone." He whispered softly on her ear. " Not yet, we haven''t heard them jumped outside the balcony, did you?" " No. But I need to close the door upstairs so that they can''t come back. We''ll just stay around, besides, its a little warmer here." " Don''t move." She sobbed. " Did you bring your dagger?" " No, its still in my bag." " But George insisted to go out and fight with the beasts. " Hmm...don''t move, donnn''t." She almost choke him as she pulled him back slowly to sit down. " Oh my...okay...calm down. I''m not moving, I''m not." He bowed his head and pretended to fall to sleep. He noticed her moving too close to him and even clasped his right hand with her hands and leaned her head on his right shoulder. He still pretended to have slept. After almost an hour, he has heard a loud sound leaving the room upstairs and going out to the balcony as it jumped. He never heard if the second one so he presumed it was still in their room. Another two hours had passed, the other one left also jumped out in madness. He inhaled forcibly and put her on bed behind them. But her hand still holds him but he removed them and covered her with a blanket. He almost forgot and gently put off the socks. "She''s got the intuition. I almost decided to leave her there because I''ll get the blankets but she really accompany me down here. When she told me she never heard them jumping yet out of the balcony - she''s true. Hours after before the two beasts finally jumped out and when she pulled me back with just a hand and I sat back, haha! No one has done it yet, hmm." He was looking at her impressively. " Thank you for protecting me tonight." He just sat down and kept holding her hand since he can''t light a candle. Seconds after, he stood up and heard such hissing sound from above that''s slowly going down. " What....is that the green anaconda''s partner and planning for revenge? No, not this time...she''s deeply sleeping, not this time. The bolo is up there and I can''t even get it." He thought while opening the door a little to see the hissing sound, though he had only seen the tail part. He assumed its the male. " What a maze! I thought last night was the largest but this one''s the worst, huh!" He locked the door again and turned his head and glanced to her. Still with his composure and tried to silently touch under the bed, thinking he can squeeze a little hope in finding out any machete, bolo or what. But the hissing sound continued till it stopped beside their door, the tail waggled so heavily and lashed it to their door. He felt disgusted of having no weapon at hand. Magee was awakened by the noise on the door so she covered her mouth and moved backward. Enveloped byvtension but she tried to open the window beside her but two of the wild dogs were just nearby while their eyes were ravenously craving. Magee immediately closed the window and motioned closer to George who was then busy finding for any tool he could use. " Geor...George, the beasts were outside looking at us here. I''m terribly scared." In a split second he thought of using a small wire he could use to slit a little his arm and could attract the dogs of his blood while he''ll instantly close the door tightly so that the dogs will find a way to get back inside the house and will surely meet the vengeful snake. Magee was beside the door and still putting so many things to block it when George slit a little of his arm, put it on a piece of blanket and threw it towards the dog. Off they go and crashed to get back to the balcony as these beasts climb the coconut tree beside the house and flew like bats inside the balcony. While hearing all these Magee was overly scared while George waited for the beasts to go down. Then it happened. While the snake kept on smashing the debilitated wooden wall, one of the dogs rapaciously flew at the back neckpart of the snake and the other on its belly. The incredible triad match lasted for an hour - then silence followed. Magee seemed bathing with her sweats despite the cold night and George almost lose all of his energy in covering more wooden piles, old cabinets and sacks of books on the door. At 1300 hrs, in the face of tension, certain footsteps moved nearer toward the house and there seems to have tinkling and jingling sound they both heard. George drew near her and forced her to hide under the bed and whispered. " Whatever happens, don''t move, don''t follow me supposed I''m taken. If everyone has left, wait for an hour. At dawn you escape, take all the pics up there, journals, and climb as far as you could go up and bring some ropes. Go to station one tell no one, except for Albrecht and Baldur only. Move, lay down under and I''ll bury you with these sacks, faster." " But George..." She sobbed. " Faster! Endure all these, you can." Then she started to crawl and lay down under the bed as he speedily covered her with bodega objects. He was about to get out of the room and brought a piece of wood when a familiar sound rebounded in all corners. " Madeillene I missed you crazy and every day is like a century!" Without any muddling thoughts she shouted with loose voice. " Albrecht!" " Yes, its me, open the door I successfully delivered the chicken!" Magee has heard of his brother''s voice do she''s struggling from the pile of objects and George helped her out too. " Albrecht, just come at the back part, in front your window, faster!" " Hey, I''m here, what happened? open the window now and this worry me ha, quickly! where''s my sister?" When the window was opened he immediately looked for Magee who was then sitting on bed and full of dusts and cobwebs while George had some fresh blood which continuously flowed from the slit of his arm and he''s still pressing it, trying to control the blood flow. " Why? what happened to both of you? did you fight? ha? does it reach thus point? you''re both scary!" " Shhh...help us remove these objects that are obstructing the door then open it. Did you bring a rifle. Prepare it. Don''t talk too much now, we''re really, really tired." " Okay! this makes me crazy." Then after he successfully unblock the doorway, he opened it and could not see anything but a black object thwarting in front of him. All''s black. He backed off. " George, what is this? Tell me." 22 Ghosts of the Infantry " Look for it, yourself." " But it blocked the entire door, its stinky, there''s slimy and something''s furry and....George? where''s the candle? I have my match here. " When he lighted the candle, he saw the snake''s dead body and over it was a dead wild dog so he closed again the door, jumped outside the window and forcibly opened the main entrance door. He lighted more candles and saw the other dog was also at the head part of the snake. " Magee, I need to help Albrecht, you stay here, we''ll just have to fix all these. Don''t be scared now." He gently arranged her hair and covered her with a blanket, stay put." " George, I''d like to vomittt! This snake looks like a composition of 50,000 chicken and it really stinks. Good Lord, this can be a good one month stock but can''t carry this for just a day. But seriously, I can''t imagine all these creations rushed inside just to fight? They can freely fight outside, why not?" " After we can transport all these outside, I''ll tell you everything that had happened and my plans over their clan. We''ll recruit all the beasts around for this war, I''m a little crazy now." " Hmm...I don''t have any idea yet. Let''s give it out a lot of chopping. " Magee! Magee! get out at the the window and just pass by here in front. Go to the kitchen and boil some hot water, use the bigger one." " Magee, no! just stay there, if you can do just sleep - then go, sleep. I''ll do it Albrecht." " Okay, its fine, its fine..." Beside the kitchen furnace , George took two bolos and gave the other one to Albrecht. " Let''s start. Its still 1400 hrs. Let''s see if how much time we''ll consume to get this done." George murmured. Magee tried to relax her mind and leaned on the pillows despite her tangled hair and dirts all over her body. " I need to survive, I need to endure." Then she fell asleep. Dreaming of beautiful flowers around her watching at the river teeming with fishes and saw a silhouette nearby she had followed, till its gone. Its already 1900 hrs that had passed by but still the soldiers were not yet done slaughtering the meat. They have already used ten blankets to contain all the chopped snake meat but still counting. " George, hah...yesterday, I received a message at station one that the Captain was worried to return to Manila. Gen. Nathan Plainwright planned to retract the less than seventy thousand Filipino and American soldiers out of the war''s barricade. Though, still the Island of Corregidor, mist of us flocked, with that strong alliance still unfolded their fight and it went well. Nevertheless, Gen. Plainwright instructed including the Captain to return for a certain allied decision and this worry him. He put on the message that you have to stay put and bring on what is necessary. George, if the General will surrender all of us to the Japanese, what do you think?" George angrily chopped the meat as if he just started to do it. " Let''s join hands with the guerillas and will make a local revolt. Imagine, we can''t go back to our country either. We will not surrender, they will still murder all of us." " Oh my Madeleine, when can I see you again." He''s really sleepy and exhausted. " Enough, haha...she can''t hear you now. Reserve those reveries in your wedding. For now, let''s chop this all into pieces and throw them to the Japanese den. We''ll surround their place with all these as baits for the ghost infantry to attack them. While they''ll be focused to the ravaging ghost infantry, we''ll release the prisoners southeast. We have thirty Japanese uniforms in our storage; some thirty Filipino will wear it and they''ll be assigned to release the prisoners while we''ll be the backups of the ghost infantry. Most of our guerilas lacked proper training, so definitely we can easily be defeated at war when only a few were trained as combatants. So we will not risk lives, we will fight as ghosts and use backups. We talked about it with Baldur and he''s good at it. The Captain, otherwise, don''t have any choice now but following the higher ups. If Gen. Plainwright surrenders all, the Captain as well. Hmm...but the war would end. I will, so our country will soon see us back. Some die for our country while fighting, we will live for our country while fighting. Our goal, underpin the enemy with our ghost attacks. Station one is the nearest to the enemy''s den so we''ll meet up there tomorrow afternoon." " Would you still marry Madeleine?" " What a question, I told you that answer, several times." " Okay! haha, for the love of Madeleine!" " Ow! she''s getting outside." George announced to no one. " Wow! my lit''le sister, can''t believe you survive the whole night listening and looking to their fights. " Lunch is ready now, we have porridge along with papaya and mangos left by Baldur." Then she sadly left and went back upstairs to fix the mess caused by the two wild dogs on her bed. While she was trying to fix and pack her things, she pitily thought of herself. " I feel like futile. I guess I have to do something." She was teary eyed, dried her hair and leaned on the wall till she fell asleep again. Its already afternoon when she woke up. " Hey, Albrecht has left and brought a sack of it and he dried some. Are you can okay, we''ll go back to station one tomorrow. " You go back alone. I''ll stay around." Then she cried. " What happened? What have I done!" " Nothing. Its just that you left your men just because of Dad who ordered you to guard me and it turned out as your mission. Its not anymore a military task as my Dad made it personal, its against the law. I''m a baggage, I''m upset because l can''t move, and your responsibilities are compromised while I''m around. I''m one of the locals here and I must survive. You move on and just leave me alone here." " No." He was firm is telling her. " Then I don''t want to see you." She covered her face with a blanket. " You have to come with me tomorrow whether you like it or not." " What if I insist not to go with you." " What if you can really go with me, what if that would really happen." " Fine. Just dream about it then I''ll go back to sleep too." He drew closer and seated beside her on bed. She showed her face and asjed him. "Uh! Why are you staring, I looked like a cadaver here with my guardian praying for my soul." " Haha, it seems you''re upset on something, let me interpret." " Don''t attempt to interpret either, you can''t guess." " And why I can''t guess?" " Get out now, I''ll sleep and wait for the next wild dogs to come." " Okay. Sure, take your time." When George went out she took the dagger and put it back on the purse on her right leg, braided her hair and tied it with a hanky. She slowly got out of the room and tiptoed to go out to the balcony and slowly pushed her bag below without her knowing that George also slowly catches it while he stay hidden. After meticulously looking at the stairs and ensure that George was not around so she slowly slipped herself below and to her surprise George catched her, so perfectly on her waist with his gentle hands. Her eyes terribly looked like grenades, staring too close on his face while she''s being pulled downward. After all, he carried her inside the house, with her bag and put them together on the long wooden chair. " Don''t talk. Dinner is ready and let''s eat together." George locked the main door and proceeded to the kitchen. She slowly followed and saw him putting some steamed sayote leaves on a wooden plate with a calamansi sauce and salt. Its a little relief having her favorite viand despite failure to escape. They were very silent till she collected the dishes while he was just a meter away, watching. " Am I really a prisoner at war? Good heavens! he''s so tight in guarding me. What will I do?" She thought. He looked scary now and serious, is he infected with the wire he slit on his arm? A possible tetanus?" " What is she thinking right now. Is she suspecting me on something? Hmm, whatever. As long as I can protect her, its enough for me. She''s really trying to escape." He smiled. She piled up the utensils then left toward the kitchen going to the bathroom. After thirty minutes she got out and when she almost go up the stairs, George slowly grabbed her hand toward her brother''s room. " You sleep here, I aready fixed everything. By the way, Albrecht brought my emergency kit, come closer, I''ll apply something in your wound." Then she allowed him to treat her wound. After a while she started to lay down and covered herself with a blanket. " If you''re not comfortable with my presence, I''ll go out. Then she blew the candle and went outside the room. He brought just one blanket to protect him from the freezing night and he saw the fogs started to gather inside like cottons. " It seems I''m in heaven." He smiled thinking of her perfect catch then he fell asleep. 23 Trail Back to Station One "Magee, Magee...wake up. Let''s prepare now, its already 1500 hrs, time to go. Go change, your hot water is ready and here''s your coffee before you wash." " No. I''m still sleepy." Then she suddenly stood up. " I locked the door, where did you..." " I told you by all means you''ll go with me. If I need to break walls I have to, and so I did. It''s more of a responsibility." " All saints in heaven! let me understand all these...hah! but everything is already stressful, oh Lord, okay, I''ll go change." She sighed and deeply breathe. " Are you done? It''s almost dawn, please, the Japanese soldiers can detect us if we come out late." " Coming now, yes, it''s still cold despite the hot water you poured in here, whew! Where are you?" " I''m already here outside, I''m carrying your bag. Here, I''ll wear you my sweater, take it easy, aha, do you like it?" " Sort of." She smiled. " Let''s go. Come, hold my hand, let''s start our walk." " And why, Albrecht commented last time when you were holding my hand, that means we shouldn''t." "But you were clasping my hand when you were scared of the snake and wild dogs. Does it mean, I should be afraid of the Japanese soldiers so that I can hold your hands? Only when someone is scared, holding is an exemption? But let''s go straight, the reason why I''ll be holding you is this: you might ESCAPE, get it?" " Ah, haha! yes, sir!" She stood up and pay a hand salute. So he looked at her and smilingly held her hand as they started walking. "How about the sacks of chopped snakes and wild dogs?" "Albrecht and Baldur will get them this afternoon." " Ah, I see. Oh, we''re getting out of the wall now." Magee was a bit scared. " I know and I sensed that you''re uneasy, but sorry to say that I need to be sure that you''ll not run away." " Run away? Grrr....how come I''d do that." It''s still foggy outside and the path seems slippery so he carried her but she slapped her heavily. " Ouch! Why? why? that small right hand seems metallic, why you''re enslaving me, my goodness." He whispered. " Don''t carry, hold me whenever you want, ask it from me, if I say so, and for what reason ''coz I just wonder if why you do that to me." She whispered her reply. " Okay, I got it!" While he took some extra hat from his bag and put it on her head and meaningfully smiled. " Oh, oh! don''t slap me again, it''s just a hat, it drizzles already so you''ll need it." " Okay, I won''t." Then she smirked funnily. Stopover happened as he fixed some laces, but he quickly grabbed her hand again and they breathlessly continued to walk really fast. " I''m tired." " You know already if what would happen if you''re tired,could not walk and could not slap anymore. We badly needed to be in a hurry this time, it''s past 1700 hrs, the sun is about to rise now, we might meet the Japanese soldiers on our way. They reached a cliffy, craggy and stony plateau where both sides a hundred meters going down. Though, there were also trees as shades for the locals to pass by safe. But it''s a kind of place that gives anyone some goosebumps especially when you walk and look down the far-out flowing river below. But Magee''s running and enjoying the fogs and George tried to run following her when a man''s voice echoed in every corner of the neighboring mountains. " Yameru!" (Stop!) George was sweating and for the first time, he felt he had lost his energy to fight. Despite the fogs he saw she raised her hands so he slowly put down the bags and hide behind the tree. He was just approximately two meters from her when he heard a gun readied to shoot when Magee spoke. " Setsumei sa sete kudasai, watashi wa Hakanori no fiansedesu." ( Please, let me explain, I''m Hakanori''s fiancee.) Suddenly, he just saw her pointing a finger on the other side of the mountain where the Japanese soldier has to turn his head and when he did, Magee pushed him and he rolled shouting, crashed it''s head to some rocks before its dead body landed on the raging waters. George rushed to her and grabbed her hand as they ran heading to station one''s Mabolo tree and right away removed the surface and let Magee slithered herself down. He was left clueless and hurriedly covered the surface again following her inside, but he passed through the waterfalls. " George, here''s your towel." Albrecht instantly covered his back. " Where''s Magee?" "She proceeded to her place, clasping her hands and chilling. Wait, I''ll boil some ''salabat'' for a while." George right away changed and proceeded to Magee''s place. " Hey, are you alright?" She gawkily smiled but was teary eyed as she breathe on her palms, warming her sweaty face. " George...George...." She sobbed and covered her face with a pillow and heavily cried. He entered in her place but just sat silently a meter away from her. " It''s fine, we''re at war with them, he wants to kill you and better you got him first, that way." Almost all soldiers around gathered together in the kitchen and quietly asked Albrecht about Magee''s early tantrum. " I don''t know if what happened." Albrecht reasoned out to them. It''s almost an hour when Magee stopped from crying but when she opened her eyes, she saw his brother''s face beside him and George sitting a little bit away. " Magee, I''m just curious if what did you say to the Japanese that caused his death." " I was looking and shouting faraway, " Hakanori Koko ni kite kudasai." ( Hakanori, come here please). Then the soldier turned his head to the place I pointed and so I pushed him with all of my might. " Oh dear. It was so intense. But it''s a great job." George smiled with relief. " Wow! good job! I''m proud of you. Take it easy, we''ll not surrender, we have so many means, and yours is the most powerful using tricks. Albrecht wiped her tears and hugged her, "we will not give up, we will fight." He shed tears too. Then Albrecht stood up to prepare breakfast. " You abandoned me." She spoke slowly. " Abandoned? it''s you who left me and ran so fast, you abandoned me. If he had seen me there, he should have killed you right away and won''t listen to you anymore." She smiled seeing him a little upset. She waggled her toes to reach him but he stood up and went to the kitchen and he never see him smiling." " Hey! George! I was just kidding!" " Ow! what happened. Have you heard of the rumors around?" Albrecht smiled. " What rumor." George helped him in cutting the sayote leaves. " Rumors about your relationship with my sister." He smiled while putting sugar on his ''salabat." " What?" What did you say? If she would hear that joke she''ll kill me. She''s that sensitive you know." He whispered. " Hmm...that''s why I told them you''re a gay, so, is that okay now?" " What? why everything turned out blue, goodness!" He smiled and threw him some of the sayote branches. " I''m not a gay, just tiptoeing. You know how tough she is when she''s mad. She can even push an armed man in the air and stabbed a hungry beast with her hands. She needs a not so easy way, she needs respect, time and a great balance in life. She is someone I always been looking and you know that, someone that can always make me the man that I am. Hmm, supposed I will court her, what do you think?" " My goodness. Did you not court her yet? For those three days we gave you, with full consent and with open arms from Dad and Baldur?" Albrecht whispered him angrily. " Hmm, don''t look at me that way, I felt like a candle." George blushed. Albrecht then chopped the spices heavily and spoke. " I don''t know with you George, you''re too slow. I''m not sure if you''re telling me the truth or not, but..." He whispered. " Just wait, just a little more. Madeleine loved you very much that''s why you''re both my headache. But your sister does not even know what love is, what liking is, whatever. She treated me like a great bodyguard, sometimes a best friend, older brod, a grandpa and a saint, haha." " Why saint, that''s funny?" Albrecht laughed. " Listen, when the anaconda snake and two wild dogs were fighting outside the room, she moved too close to me and hide almost in my armpit and pressed my hands, chilling in fear and told me, " don''t move and so I did, yes, I didn''t move." He laughed. " Aha, she''s got the aura of Dad and why grandpa." " Because I was a little upset that I cannot explain her some things, I bury her under the bed with sacks of clothes and books just to hide her. I thought she would resist but she didn''t. Afterwards, she got out bearing the cobwebs and dirts on her body, she''s typically obedient to me." " And why bestfriend?" George stood up and moved closer to Albrecht and demonstrated her by grabbing his collar, forcing him to sit down by just using one tiny hand. " Really? did she....treat that scary 1Lt of my batallion, that way? Is she not scared of your fierce in fighting? Haha, wow, that lit''le rascal." " And why a bodyguard?" " She slapped me on my face because I carry her when the place was slippery, telling me to really ask her in times like that. Her hand was just like a metal, its my first time being slapped by a girl for not asking a consent, consent at that. Ha!" " That''s terrible! what a bitter life you have been in Kabang with the snake, wild dogs and with my sister. Ouch! And why grandpa?" " That I shouldn''t hold her hand because it seems you won''t like it, " it seems Albrecht won''t like it when he saw you holding my hand." He quoted. " Ha? hahaha...I was smiling when I said it, I was teasing but I wasn''t angry." " Yeah I know, I know. It''s just a defense mechanism, that''s why, she isn''t easy, she have so many reasons." He bowed down his head. " Whew! with your revelation, I will just help pray to all the ghosts around to potion that girl, haha. We cannot help you anymore, we have given you both days of space, considering that this is war time. Huh, but I''m proud of my sister, she''s just very young but strong-willed, hmm, thanks George for waiting. You take good care of her, love her as much as you want. Oh, she''s coming, careful." Albrecht whispered. 24 Baldurs Bad News "It''s nice to see these sayote leaves again. It makes me hungry. " Hmm, Albrecht, she must not join with us during the meeting. You know what I mean. "Magee, sit down." George offered her a seat. " Thank you." " Albrecht, how did you cook the snakes when it reached here?" " Ah, did you not..." Albrecht looked mysteriously to George. George cut his statement and spoke. " They usually mix it with coconut milk with a lot of lemon grass. Haven''t you tasted it?" " Not yet but I''m curious. Albrecht, there are still a lot there left, and I feel that it has to be taken out tonight or else it might be damaged. Anyway, George put salt around those sacks to avoid it become putrid. When Baldur arrives I''ll pick it up, the rest of it will be given to station two. "You might forget...some of it will be our baits." "Yeah, noted." " Albrecht, let''s gather the men this afternoon and prepare the map. Magee returned to her place as suggested by George and eventually until afternoon, the place was filled with so many soldiers and guerillas. The roll call began and there are around forty men attending from station one, two and three. Some are still coming. Baldur also arrived after lunch and right away shared the national crisis happening. He announced that the Captain, despite resistance to surrender his few armed men had experienced semi house arrest in Bataan. " However, he already had spoken to all of us that whatever happens, we have to remain fighting and preserve our lives against thousands of enemies. We are not fully armed and most were untrained as of today but if we remain faithful to our country, we will together raise our flags after the war. The Captain also left a message to me that 1Lt George will take his position once he could not go back for us - and consider ourselves as ''lost commando'', and cannot be traced anymore by our higher ups who are now arrested. We have to remain faithful and this is not for us, the American-Filipino German soldiers, but for this land. This afternoon, our present head to spearhead for our attack tomorrow and head on with our meta plan will take over." Baldur announced and was teary eyed. He then proceeded to his sister''s place. " Can I come in, how are you?" He was still teary eyed. " Baldur, is it true?" Magee looked at him so emotional. " Yes, do not expect anymore for him to return, I will not give you false hope." Then he gave a hug to her younger sister. " But why? why is it the General will give up these thousands of men for the Japanese? Why retract this early?" Magee sobbed. " From now on, you have to be very careful. Look at me. Even if we are telling everyone here to be faithful but this war might make them different to the extent of betrayal. You are our weakness, as heads of this lost command troupe so they can be a target. So always be attentive and suspicious, avoid telling secrets, keep our hideout and trust no one but George. Treat all of them sincerely but you must be very careful. From now on, we''ll transfer you from time to time to avoid traceability. Report circulated that Hakanori was very mad at you that made every woman he sees were out to prison. Therefore, some of the family members of those women who were here with us might betray a?d might barter you in lieu of their family members. Don''t be silly, always listen to us, when we tell you to hide - hide and do not make a move that will give us a difficulty. And, consider Dad, Albrecht and my decision as final. Since we are at war, we decided to send you off to George, as her partner. No matter how you interpret it, or you may call us crazy, but it''s how we decided things, even before Dad was captured, this has been our decision. We cannot look for you all the time, we need additional family member to watch-over and will make you someone special, we knew a lot of that man, he is very much trusted. Now, if you don''t feel anything yet for him, supposed you hate him, or you are not yet ready for any relationship, just - just stay close and make him as your bestfriend, okay?" We gave more caves to unlock for you, and no matter what happens, don''t tell anyone. Only four of us knew all of these. We''re busy tracing about the family members of those captured women, so to track whose guerillas we gave to be careful about. Tonight, you will return to Kabang, in Malapague, we will attack Tikaban tomorrow afternoon so we will again send you along with George back to that place. Do you get me?" His tears flowed on his cheeks while hugging his sister. " Baldur, why you"re giving me away." She sobbed. " He''s someone dependable, a good friend, a nurse, a soldier, Madeleine''s brother (Albrecht''s fiancee). You need one another despite this war, go and respect that man, don''t be a hassle to him. We have been following and observing him since September when you arrived here from Manila, when Dad gave him a mission to guard you, he sometimes don''t eat his meals and skip meetings here just to watch over you. He had been very interested on you so it made is easy to decide." " Baldur, I''m afraid. There are still things I can''t understand. He kept looking at me, every move, I feel anxious and felt I am a prisoner of war. Why he kept on looking at me and don''t tell me what he thinks he need to say." " But do you like him?" " Yes, I treat him as someone dependable, but if he moves closer I''m always afraid, does it change? I mean would I change if I grow older from now? Can you tell him to not carry nor hold my hands without my consent and he should not move whenever we''re near. Tell him to wait when I''m ready and older than now." She smiled. " And why you''re afraid of him when you''re together." " I don''t know too." " Maybe you liked him unconsciously, things like that." He arranged her hair and held her face with his rough hands. " Are you not afraid that we''re alone in Kabang, he might harm me there, he can do what he want. That''s why I kept tagging along with me my dagger. I''m afraid. I always palpitate whenever he''s around. " Haha, that''s why Albrecht kept pinching your ear, at twenty, you still think like thirteen years old. But hey, you prepared a dagger for the person who gave it to you, hmm, sounds ironic. " You''re thoughts are trying to tell me that you liked him, it''s just that you''re under denial stage, haha. But still, you''re correct. You''re not ready yet for that serious relationship, I can feel it. " Baldur, there was one time I slapped him and his face turned out reddish. Was he mad at me? " What? why you slapped him? That seems to be a sad courtship. " Well it''s a corny story, though. Hmm, ask him then." He smiled. " Baldur, have you been in love?" " Hmm, yes, I''m a married man already at a very young age of 22, last year we got married, she''s an American but we never had a baby yet." He smiled. " Wow, that''s why you spoke things cleverly, even if it sounds like bearing any serious adult content." She smirked. " Serious adult content. I see. But you''re twenty already. In US, twenty is already a real adult. " But I''m a Filipino." " Yes, me too, we are. But continue to be who you are, it''s how that man likes you - a lot." " Hmm, did he love me already?" " That is something I don''t know, maybe later you can talk something about that, when he could feel of telling you but I think you have to wait and never ask him, hmm, I guess, maybe." " But I can ask him if how he feels of me." " That is something you don''t need to say first, I guess. Just remember, do not understimate every man''s way of liking someone he''s spending his adorable time with." He smiled. " Hmm, so did I like him?" " Why you ask that. Maybe." " But you said you are not ready yet, so just wait for the right time. Take it slowly and gently. Things will come out the best in it''s natural way, it''s true love, so just enjoy your togetherness, okay?" " So what can you advice on me based from your perspective." " I thought I have given my advice already, haha." " Not yet, you''re telling me a universal advice, I need a straightforward and specific advice from a brother." " Just be easy to deal with. Just be with him. But I guess I need to talk to both of you tonight when we reach Kabang, I guess Albrecht and I shall go there too. After that , maybe I can give you both a specific advice." " Thank you Baldur, you seemed so good to explain things to me, thank you brother." She hugged him again. " I''m a family, I stand as your brother, sister, father and mother. You are the only female around and George grew up taking good care of his sister. That''s why he''s dependable. Okay, tonight, we''ll talk seriously about our lives in Kabang. George is already a family, let''s not make our lives difficult." " Yes, I got it. I''ll try." 25 Live a Beautiful Life with Her Everyone seated around the table at their ancestral house in Kabang for an in-depth discussion about pre-arrangement on their relationship. George was beside Magee while they were facing the insistent brothers, Baldur and Albrecht. "Tonight, in behalf of our parents, I do solemnly bless my sister, with my brother Albrecht to allow her live with you George. This may be unusual in both Filipino nor German ways, in spite of this war but still as a family, we need to settle things with formality. However, let me begin with asking questions, George, do you like our sister, Magee, despite her faults, imperfections and negative attributes?" George flushed and grinned while clasping his hands and looked at his comrades. " No. I don''t just liked her, but I loved her very much." As he stirringly bit his lips and worried about how she would think of it. "How about you Magee? Do you like George or do you love him? He''ll go in the battlefield tomorrow, at least he would know your response now. " Let me speak first and explain my side. Hmm...I, I have this mixed emotion. I cannot extract my responses right away, but I guess it''s not NO. " But do you like / love him or can you live with him?" Albrecht asked it again. " Yes, I like to depend on him and stay close with him, as long as he won''t move and do silly things." Then she looked outside closing her eyes in shame. " So George what do you like to happen between you and Magee, tell us now. " I won''t force her to accept me on a larger scale for just a shorter period of time. I want her to slowly accept the heavier side of her decision because it is both a choice and a mission. She may have the difficulty of understanding things right now but I''ll do everything to make her accept the man that I am who''s purely wanting for her love. But the waiting isn''t boring, I enjoy with her company and in front of you I would really admit that I wish one day, I could live a beautiful Life with her more than yesterday and today. '' Magee, were you not pressured of this setup?" " I''m kind of shocked but deep within me feels better. Though, I just wanted to clarify, hmm, we still have to talk about this together. Right now, I can only say yes that I can be with him." George extremely blushed and looked at her. "Are you not scared of me anymore? " Of course yes, just " don''t move" if you wanted to get closer to me, at times when you''re serious. If you break that, we have witnesses in front. But this rule shall change over the course of time. I promise to grow as adult quickly and do my part. So if I have questions, you slso need to help me too. And why all of you looked at me that way, do you think I''m a difficult person? No. I called myself as a ''late maturer.'' I spent so much time to play, roaming around and thinking before the war, so I got this ''delayed'' emotional acceptance. I need a little time. " Well that is given. Any questions? before we leave to bring the baits for tomorrow." " If she likes me still after this war and I may survive as a soldier, I will formally marry her." " What do you think Magee." Baldur said. " It depends on how we can arrange things from now on. I think with all these big words I''d been hearing since this morning I guess I have to really,really run as fast as I could so that I can level up to your expectations. " Good! now we are settled, we''ll pack up back to station one. George don''t forget to orient her to the cave eastbound. And be sure to reach there tomorrow noontime, at least." " Yeah." After the brothers separated the wild dogs and snake meat, they then waived a hand to the couple. " Can we talk?" George requested her as they sat on the long chair at the receiving area. " Yes, me too, I''d like to understand all these." " I mean, I was surprised they brought out a proposal this early. Although, this has been what we have planned months ago when the Captain was still here. But as I think, maybe due to our attack to the Japanese den tomorrow. But I should have proposed to you personally. Are you angry?" " Why should I be angry?" " I was just embarrassed in front of my brothers, I don''t know." She smiled. " Embarrassed for? It''s something we should be proud of, they helped us decide so quickly so that we''ll not be bothered, see how fast they gave their blessing." " You''re moving closer to me right now, I''m seeing it. Consider that as a breach of contract. Imagine how shocked I am today." " Okay...I''m getting back now. So, if you''re shocked and embarrassed, it''s also how I feel. Imagine that I facilitated the meeting the whole afternoon. We talked about, ambush, weapons, post assignments here and there then we eventually walked out going here where I thought the goal is just to get the sacks but then I learned that I was blessed as your partner. I was even happy hearing you said you liked me too." " Now, my heart beats so fast while we are sharing our thoughts. Explain this." " Yes that''s liking...maybe for you. Maybe you liked me but I doubt if it''s love already. Liking and love in reality is separate. I still subscribe to your denial feelings you suspected. What do you think." " But how do you say you love me when you have not even told me even once but several times you reasoned out it''s your job, Dad as reasons why you were overprotective of me, get it? " Now, I see how upset you are." " Well, here. You never knew how I followed you almost every day since September. I loved your charm, your passionate ways, your innocence over wit, your childish ways, your humor and skills, your silly look on me that awakens my heart and you''re stunningly beautiful." He clasped his own hands, stood up and transfered on a farther seat. " And why you''re moving too far, how can we seriously talk with that far with just this small amount of light from our candle?" " It''s how love works, you can''t understand. When one think of breaking rules but it makes someone maturely thinks more of what is necessary. Near and far, it''s still the same, it''s how I feel. But if I only like you, I would always break rules and wouldn''t think of the consequences whether you''ll agree or not, I''ll follow what is ephemeral. It''s not love. I need you to love me slowly a hundred times where I''m ahead of. That''s what I wanted you to know, between what is love and liking. I can''t properly sleep, your presence disturbs me, your voice wakes me up like a song and your face lasts in my memory. Your anger tickles me and your slap were my terrible gifts, oh yes. At least when you''re scared you come closer to me always that''s why I always wish scary creatures will come out every now and then so that we''ll sit down together, side by side, holding each other and dream together." " You''re maybe sleeping right now, it''s okay." " No, I''m not. I''m listening. Can I investigate my emotions. Can you come and sit beside me, let me countercheck my feelings if I liked you or loved you. Let''s try to sit together. He drew near and sat beside her, too close and she held his hands. " How do you feel.?" " I''m not feeling any better." George confessed to her. " Hmm, maybe because you''ll be in the battlefield tomorrow. You better sleep now then she kissed his forehead. In an instant he almost held her hand out of extreme longing but he opted not and he just sat down for a while. " I felt like I was choked with grenades and bullets when she kissed me and so I feel how unfair the world is. At least, and I love her more and more." He thought as he sighed and bowed his head. He followed her to Baldur and Albrecht"s room. " Here''s your mat, blankets and pillows, then she sweetly smiled to him, " Goodnight George and God bless for your fight tomorrow." 26 The Smiling Skull Swiftly around 1400 hrs, he dumbfoundingly woke up and discovered her sitting lifelessly on bed while seemingly sifting some thoughts in her mind. " Go back to sleep now, it''s still very early to ruminate high-end things, the whatnots and sizzling arguments thereon, inside." He urged her enough to turn her head on him. " George, are we married? What are my brothers doing to me." A query full of disbelief. " Why you asked that. Hmm, it seems it is the framework of this since your brothers already blessed us nonetheless we really needed a church wedding, why it bothers you this early? Stop worrying about being scared of me too, promise, I will forever be faithful to our agreement, I''ll wait for the right time. For now, go and sleep." He yawned like freezing, covered himself with a blanket and returned to his mat below her bed. " I can''t understand my feelings, it seems I don''t like you to go to the battlefield." She worryingly said. He immediately sat down, bowed down his head and sighed. " Don''t leave me alone, I want to go with you." She insisted. " Hmm...but it''s dangerous out there. Calm down, just wait for me to come back safe. In my return we''ll go play fencing and escrima beside the river, we''ll make it a priority." He looked at her, smiling. She lay down on bed with her head peeping below towards him with her droopy eyes filled with tears, reflected the prism of the candle light twirling in the thin air between them. " My goodness I''m not going to die yet grrrr, everything will be alright, don''t fret and lament too much so go back to sleep now. I''m chilling to death here so just cover yourself and add some more blankets that I put beside you early on." He was grumbling on his mat and even added more stuffs on his feet. " She seriously thinks I''m her bestfriend who would go for a vacation, hmm. She''s scared of me but she doesn''t like me to fight in the battlefield." He chillingly smiled and thought till he got back to sleep after adding more blankets as the foggy night swallowed his complicated random thoughts. Sunrise warmed the place a little so he stood up and noticeably, she was not anymore on bed. He rushed outside and looked for her and just in time when he was about to go down, from the balcony''s sight, he saw her swimming in the river. " There you are. She knows how to swim better than I expected. Good girl!" He smirked and applauded in his thoughts. Still adamant to move yet he remembered to prepare himself for the startup fight in the afternoon; he disemboweled his gun on the table with limited ammo in his pockets. Subsequently, he pulled his towel and decided to join with her in the river. " Hey, George, do you see that?" Magee pointed to the cul-de-sac signage. He did not remove his camiso tsino shirt and long pants as he mmediately swim. " Which one?" He spoke while removing some fizzy water out of gogo extracts he put on his face. " If you meticulously look at the map upstairs, you''ll see that blind watery alley has a skull sign. I feel that there''s no actual danger on that part, the skull is something different. Haven''t you noticed that it''s a ''smiling skull.'' She moved to the stony part where she can go up to the waterside and hurriedly pulled her towel and malong. " Really?" haven''t seen anything like that on the map. " If you''re done, you may go up and I''ll wait you there. Let''s analyze together the map showing that skull sign." Although he''s carefully listening to her talking but his heart glowed like a popcorn while looking at her moving back to the house. However, he goes back to the controversial smiling skull. " Hmm...a smiling skull. Let me see it." Then he directly squeezed and sprinkled his army cut hair then rushed to go up to the waterside. They''ve met in an empty room upstairs where the map was located. " Hmm...Western part, next to its edge is a walled rocky mountain where it''s bottom passed through the waters from that river, coming from the mainspring...hmm...your hair, its...its slapping on my face right now." " Ow, sorry, but this signage, see this, come, look closer." " Yeah. Why on earth a skull sign would smile when there is danger. But it could be possible that the artist made a mistake while doing this." " That couldn''t be. The two danger signs at the main entrance (where wild dogs and leeches with planted land mines) and the main spring ( land mines) have two skull signs with serious aura. Only at the bottom of the river chasing the seawater bed have a smiling danger sign." " Interesting! When I come back I"ll check it. Warning, I know how super curious you are, but listen, you should not go there. Understand!" She just smiled and funnily looked at him. " Your comrades are maybe waiting for you now, there are almost a hundred of them in station one, so let''s have our lunch, it''s almost midday." " Your look are suspicious. Magee, please, don''t go to that area. I know your feet are itching now to discover if what''s in it. Magee, what if it''s a land mine again." " What if there''s a door, a cave that contains ammunitions or guns what if there are some exits out there that would help us one day." " Please. don''t do it alone. Its gamble, otherwise. I will return here right away for that, don''t worry." He was filled with worries while calming her mind to obey. " Okay. As you wish, just come back immediately after your mission there at their barracks." " Good. You''re helping me to relax so that I can have focus in our attack." " They both shared the lunch together and told her to hide in a cave adjacent to the house, a few meters away from the mainspring. 27 Slaying Dogs and Snakes After lunch, George showed to her the cave where she''ll hide while the troop will attack the Japanese den. " This is where you hide. It smells garlic around since snakes hate it. Baldur put this yesterday night while Albrecht swept the entire place to make you confortable and there''s a mat out there, beside are your food, utensils and water. This is just 50x50 in width with seven feet and five inches in height so as you see I can stand up straight. " It echoes around." She smiled. " You stay here as long as I return if I die, your brothers will pick you up." " Where''s your dagger?" " I put it in here again." She right away showed to George the purse on her right leg where the dagger was placed. " Oh no, no, not that. It''s okay, I forgot, but I know where it was placed. Sorry." Then he smiled. A little while she sat on a mat when she spoke again. " Please, you have to live for me, don''t die in this war." She was teary eyed. He sneered at her and made a hand salute. "This is for the love of my country and Philippines where I found the girl I used to love, without her knowing. So! I''ll go now." " Yes, take care." " I''ll go." " Yes." " I, I better go." She smiled and threw some pebbles chasing him while he blocks a bigger rock on the cave''s doorway. He''s gone. There was a small hole where she can see outside, two meters from her was a flowing water, it looks like a daffodil where it provided her oxygen inside. George also left her a small lamp and a reserved candle. She had thicker blanket to warm her as she was reading the journal of grandpa Sibal where silence was deafening. On the other hand, George had carried the three sacks of snakes and wild dogs one at a time, Edmund, Henry and Baldur who just waited around 300 meters away patiently waited for the sacks. When they have met in the site, they helped him forward the meat by leaving piece by piece, starting from the haunted old entrance of Kabang, going to the locals'' path in a separate direction. The blood was still flowing from every chunk of meat they left on the grasses as they speedily moved towards the place of the Japanese. As planned, a kariton alone with a horse - filled with decayed wild dogs and a sack of chopped snake will travel going down to the Japanese area, passing the shortcut path away from the gates will leave the bad smell to attract the wild beasts after dusk. Some of the sacks will pass from the abyss going out and some guerillas as arrow men will post in the heights of taller trees to send the meats through their arrows, hitting inside the Japanese barracks. Everyone were on their posts; the 30 men wearing the Japanese uniforms have been readied. During the attack of beasts, no one shall get inside. When silence will take place, all 30 Filipinos wearing the the Japanese uniforms will free the prisoners and shoot all Japanese soldiers they see could survive from the animals'' attack and pull them out to be thrown in the river using the kariton. In the Eastern part, Bruno, Albrecht and Elias headed the 15 men and in the Western part Michael, Anthony and Gador headed the other 15 lost commandos and in the northern part, Baldur, Amado and Edmund handled the 15 men and the southern troop was led by Narciso, Derek and George. Apart from them, Jacob and Henry led the 10 arrowmen, 10 were installed to destroy the artillery and weaponry nooks, confiscate and bring the guns and ammunition back to station one, the nearest for exodus. However, there were 2 guerillas instructed by George to temporarily but heavily cover the abyss that it could not be suspected as a hole to be highlighted by leafy plants and put anything natural in order to perfectly hide everything inside it. With it, George had foresights that after their attack, a ''no man''s land'' order will follow so everyone needs to retract after the operation without leaving any traces. Arrows need to be restored by the 10 men from the task force. The attack will be recorded as animals'' attack and all the prisoners will be transported to far flung places and hide. Everyone were on post trying to observe the sunset and ensure that each of them had the potion on their uniforms and clothing disguises. As planned, only eastern and northern troop and the arrowmen shall first do the move whenever possible because they have the telescopes that could sparingly signal for readiness. In estimation, there were approximately 40 Japanese soldiers on target. At around 6:20 pm the arrowmen started to hit the barracks'' borders by bloody chopped meats of green anaconda and wild dogs. Minutes after, everyone safely hide but they were shocked by what they saw, they thought it''s already the end of days when the big snakes, wild vengeful dogs, around a hundred flew over the fences of the barracks and when the gate guards were first killed, many of the wild beasts have successfully entered as they growled in madness while killing those Japanese soldiers. But the most of it, few big snakes appeared and attacked the cottages and all centers in the barracks. They expected that the radiomen would transmit the message to the provincial post, successfully they did. When the silence took over, the 30 men guerillas in Japanese uniform started the tactic as they successfully infested the place. Impressively, the remaining survivors have sought their attention, thinking they were Japanese comrades. After silencing the remaining few, the Filipino prisoners were freed and they were instructed to follow someone and would not run elsewhere but to proceed to station three. George and the rest of the soldiers just observed from afar if they still needed to go down but as far as the sound of silence enveloped the place, he signaled to retract and meet at station two. At station two, the kariton filled with weapons were disembarked. There was cheering and most of them congratulated George and to his plan. On the brink of the celebration, Baldur and Albrecht asked him about her as he slowly exited out of the crowd and it took him almost an hour to reach Kabang. He was kneeling beside the cave where Magee was left and whispered to her. "Magee, Magee...it''s me." " George?" " Oh dear, here...come out. Just leave everything there, I''ll just pick them up tomorrow." He used so much energy in pushing the rock back to its place with so much sweat and he was tremendously chilling. " George, thank God, you''re back." She wrapped her blanket on him but as she got out she felt the chills too and they both ran going back to the house. He made him seated while she boiled some water to warm him and wash up. He moved closer to the furnace and warmed himself a little while he felt such a relief. Outright boiling the water he washed up with gogo and dried himself in front of the furnace. After a short while, Magee then urged her to go to bed and when he did, she put some warm socks on his feet. " Thank you." George broke the silence. " It''s nothing compared to what you have done for me. It''s just that I''m very happy that you''re alive but you made me worry a lot." Then she was teary eyed while slightly slapping his feet. " Hey, brothers told me they warned you not to slap me anymore, aha." He jokily complained. " They''re not around either." " Yeah, we''re all alone." He smirked. She blew the candle light and went to her bed but she seated first and gave to him some of her extra blankets. No, you need this more than I do but she returned it to him and vise versa so they landed laughing. " I missed your voice. Hearing your voice from afar is already my huge reward tonight for coming back." " You nailed it and I''m very proud of you. Forty plus enemies isn''t easy to destroy, your men must have felt their efforts and trust were well spent and managed by their competent leader. That valor in your heart is a great honor." Then the wind blows charismatically outside with the rustling of the waters from the spring down to the river. There was a total silence. Then he tried to look up if she''s already sleeping to her separate bed - and she did. 28 War Mission Over Family The next day was a fun day. Magee shook his hair and slowly put a fencing stick on his calloused hands. " Why, what''s this..." His eyes were still closed while murmuring. " You promise me a lineup of activities like, fencing and down to explore the smiling skull." " Hmm, but I''m still sleepy and so inexplicably tired." George later had his push up so to energize and open his eyes. Likewise, it''s helping to frantically wake up despite body pains out of running sloppily over hitting some logs and rocks on his way going back to Kabang last night. " That''s good, higher, higher - repeat." She''s making fun of him doing some push-ups. " Hey, haha...you go out first, go out, haha! you serial silly girl!" Then she hastily ran outside while he locked the door and steadfastly arranged his mat, blanket, pillows and packed them up going back to the century-old like cabinet. Their sumptuous breakfast followed. Served were riped papaya, tisa with paksiw white beans and sayote leaves, boiled banana and black snails with coconut milk mixed with horseraddish. " You made a lot of it this early." " It''s not ''early'' anymore, it''s past 10 o''clock." " What?" " How did you know? " " Got it from your wrist watch." " Hmm, I see." Then he slurped his first try with her soupy recipe on snails. " What do you think is it''s taste?" She asked nosily. " It''s delicious and pleasant. There''s this lemon grass potion that makes the entire breakfast a kingly experience. Being a cook runs in your blood, Albrecht''s a great cook too, so do with Baldur and Dad - of course, the Captain." He sadly smiled. " Dad. He must be somewhere else right now, suffering. He''s already old to be tortured by the Japanese soldiers, why can''t he just keep away from the general''s decision? If he surrender the soldiers to the Japanese and if they fight it''s just the same, still the enemy''s way to win is to slaughter them all. Why go for suicide and end up losing your competent men in war. Dad could have said NO and got back here until the war is over." " Haha, he''s a captain, don''t forget but at least he lectured to me first the arguments that I must fight for. Seriously, there''s one secret you must know so that you won''t blame the military ways - and Dad. Most of the men fighting against the enemies were unarmed and lacked military training. Only a few among the soldiers are combatants. Why the Captain has surrendered? This is what he thought, if he surrenders his men will be charged ''splitting,'' to simplify the idea. Splitting goes to losing one another as a command or troop, loss of contact and considered powerless. If he will not surrender, he will be traced and his men''s whereabouts and the enemies will assume that he still strongly fight for the federal order and combat''s command. Dad chose the first one as he planned this already. Along with him in his last travel going there, he brought one pair of my uniform and all army accessories with it, same goes with the rest and he left only two to three dummy survivors in low-in-rank under his lost troop. Hmm...we are considered dead already. He prepared this Kabang hideout for the people we''ll have to save. Right now, all the station heads have oriented the newly released prisoners to prepare themselves to vacate in a safer place - here. So this is our last day with your parents paradise, before they come tomorrow, we will leave tonight going back to the waterfalls. It was not part of the plan but we will have you stay with us - our family, in that falls. We cannot guarantee your safety along with the rest of the locals and guerillas, they''ve lost their family members just because you were Hakanori''s fiancee. That''s why Dad wants you to be my automatic wife, or call it a partner, girlfriend, whatever. There''s already some arrangements done months before the war. Other than that, this place will be converted to a training hub and this is where we house the natives and locals left. They will have our special force on duty everyday and most of the soldiers will have their shifting mode of guarding here. The rest of the soldiers will go out mostly at night, like ghosts that will ambush them one by one. The people can survive here, there''s enough food and springs, they can build houses only that they have to follow the strictest rule - SILENCE. The Captain, Dad has planned all of these." " Hmm...now I know if why you look after me like your own. You should have told me earlier and made me understand things quickly. This war really gave me goosebumps which has full of surprises." She looked at him. " Hopefully one day soon, you''ll accept the changes." " You seemed too close to Dad." " It started three years ago when they''ve met again with my father over some drinks. They were at the backyard sharing stories he had in the Philippines and collectively showed to us pictures of his children, including your picture sent to her by grandpa Sibal. I have stolen one and it''s always in my wallet. I spent my free time in your house with brothers, we tagged along very well too. " Really? Did grandpa Sibal secretly sent pictures to Dad?" " Yes, till such time that he jokily pre-arranged us to my Dad, and same goes, the marine man liked the idea. So there''s not a single day that I missed looking at your photo until such a time that the military heads got the early info that the war will traverse in the Philippines. So the Captain knew that this country is one of the safest and there''s no reason for us to back out, it''s our duty. So in September, we arrived peacefully just as peacekeepers but Dad brought us down here after knowing that you left the dormitory. He ordered me to guard you and give him updates. It''s how I tracked you." He winked an eye on her. " Wow! Sound so serious but there''s nothing wrong with it. I just can''t believe that these are happening and I just began to sink in thoughts that might help. It''s midday. After washing the dishes, let''s go to the waterside and bring your mighty swords." It''s already foggy and they started the duel. He enjoyed a lot watching her hitting him just as her amazing speed and acuity blowed up his mind. " Wow!" that''s why you never had any relationships in school because you studied fencing very much!" " What?" " Haha! nothing, you''re adorable!" He noticed how attentive she was in the duel where equally competent with the experts. As time passed by so fast, he urged her to stop so they could rest. He put some cloth on his back to prevent him from sweating too much just as she placed a piece of cloth on her back too. " Wanna help?" He said. " No, it''s okay. I used to it. When I play or working household chores I do it and used to do it." While sitting on the waterside and amiably looking at the foggy surrounding, the feeling was mutual. " I enjoy with your company." He giggly smiled. " Me too." She pulled a strand of a pandan grass and threw it to his face." " Hmm...and why you burdened yourself too much to the proposal." " It''s something, I can''t imagine. You missed the protocol. (...to be continued) " 29 Magees Hunch There''s not enough sunshine but not very cold and with a little wind caressing the shades of cottonny fogs and nonchalantly massaging their faces - the world seems carousing and rejoicing within their smiles. "Finally, we''re done with the fencing so we''ll continue with the escrima." He jokingly reminded her. " But I think we can set aside first the escrima for today and go directly to the danger sign at the end of this river." She insisted. It seems someone had punched him right on his spine, down below after hearing it that pumped his blood to death. So there, he waved himself away, like a little pro, powerless to say no for the woman who chuckles with his heart. Though, moving towards the end of the waterside with a smiling skull signage is something that scared him off. In the military, a skull sign is mostly a danger zone, restricted area or with deadly chemicals and a representation of death. " But it''s a smiling skull she''s very curious about." So there, following the waterside, there''s a little entryway going to a lower ground slope area where he shook his head and swallowed some saliva to trickle his throat. " Hmm...here''s the most hazardous place to hangout with." Then he was sweating as she unknowingly passed by on him like a speed of light. " Hey, this terrain is slippery, careful." He tried to give her a halt but he hurriedly followed. " Something is really inside, a hunch - it could be Dad''s way to show us a clue and confuse others. Hmm...I''m almost near!" She smirked. Precariously and without any hesitation, George gave his might to stop her from moving too close to the signage. Forcibly, he pressed her shoulders and wrapped her his belt, locked up and carefully put her back on the waterside just a few meters away from the signage. After a while, Albrecht and Baldur arrived and called him from a distance. " George! what are you doing there! don''t you see pirate Buccaneer on that signage? are you crazy? Come out!" Both of the siblings drew closer to urge him to get out from the area but surprisingly, they saw their sister locked up in a belt and sat on the ground. " Magee, why you''re here? They unlocked the belt and immediately pulled her out of the area and returned her to the house. She was just silent telling them to return and help George. However, Albrecht winked an eye to Baldur that he''ll watch over Magee. On his way, Baldur was wondering if what happened so he moved quickly and found him from afar, attempting to open a certain rocky wall. " Ow! Ow! George you''re a dead meat there, calm down! what is it that you''re looking, there''s nothing over there but land mines. Don''t you see the sign! Brother! Stop!" But he''s insistent and told him to get a harder tools enough that could be used to slide a small opening on the upper side of a semi-square passage. " Don''t worry! just go, it''s an order!" George was already sweating and still analyzing the design built and if on how tedious the sculpting was. When Baldur reached the house he quickly investigated Magee. " Magee, did you tell her to search that area? he''s never been as crazy as that! What have you thought?" She was just silent. " What did he say?" Albrecht asked. " Tools, anything but not a bolo. Can''t understand when he looks like a Goliath there pushing and crinkling the Noah-made rocks, huh! I need bigger tools. Then both of you, be ready to vacate this area that might explode in a while. We''ll just disembark the land mines!" He angrily pulled out some tools below the furnace and left. While Baldur was looking at him from a distance he noticed that he was already pulling out a piece of rock, s1o he ran and saw a man-made door and passage going inside a cave, facing another passage going out to the sea. Inside the cave were sketches of safe routes following some nautical miles to turn to and the unexpected artillery and Spanish guns, ammos, hundred of swords, two small boats, dried powder of the potion plant in sacks, hundred of piled up blankets, a big jar filled with real jewelries, nice men and women''s clothing and so many basic items finely packed. " Oh my...what is that! Great heavens! Hahaha! this has been my residence for long but its just this time that I found all of these unexpectedly, brother! you''ve not just found a real fortune but the weapons here could really save us all. Almighty God!" " Hah! got it, thanks to the lady out there." George squatted on the ground and smiled at him. " Did she really pushed you to open this vault? Where did she learn about this? But anyway, this gives me enough hope." " Please let them come. Magee really wants to see the smiling skull signage and wants to prove that there''s no land mines here." " You go. I scolded her and the other one got scared of me. I was just very disappointed of her to let you do things that are risky and deadly. Next time, don''t be too obedient on her. George sharply looked at him." " Ah, haha...I mean, it''s also good that you have to be obedient, see what happens, you found all these." He smiled then quickly left to get his siblings. After a while, he was very happy seeing her coming towards him. She was smiling not to him but toward the stuffs found inside. " Wow!" She was overjoyed. " You''re right. Sorry for...putting that belt on you, it was such a horrible decision I made for too much fear, that I might lose you. Sorry." It seems that Magee have not heard of anyone talking to het. Despairingly, Baldur got out and breathe some fresh air. He could feel the tension inside and felt who''s really very upset. " Hmm...Mags, look at this, there are so many bracelets and necklaces! these looks good on you." Albrecht broke the silence but Magee was never interested in the jewelries he had showed her instead she quickly took a piece of sword and was overjoyed." " Real ones!" She also touched the nice women''s clothes and went near the passage going out to the sea. George was just immobile and was staring on the ground. Speechless. Then after a while, Baldur called them to get out and temporarily returned the door, though, Magee brought one of the swords. While they were walking towards the house, no one dared to talk. As if everyone allowed the space to radiate and relaxingly breathe the soothing air of the foggy twilight. " So, we''re here. Baldur, we''ll just stay up to midnight, wrap up some things of our folks and good we have that new cave to move all of these." " We''ll have a meeting: we need to better exchange the things from this house going there and everything there, except the gold jewelries must be transported here. The people we can save shall use everything we have found. The jewelries belonged to the three of you, when the war is over, take them. Are my suggestions clear?" " Yes, We agree on that." Albrecht said and Baldur nodded. " Magee, how about you." George asked. " I subscribe to what my brothers have decided." She said. "If this is all then, let''s start the restoration and at midnight, Magee and I will leave this place and go back to station one. Once we almost reach station one, Albrecht, you lead the men back here. See to it that no one is left so that I could bring Magee inside. Baldur, you stay here and take the command when the soldiers could come as well as the locals that we have saved that are just right now in station three. Albrecht, did you tell our soldiers not to leave their things there too? " Yes, I did." " Likewise, as a family, our secrets remain the same. Let''s also remove the map upstairs and transfer it to the newly found cave." Momentarily, Albrecht prepared for their dinner. Still there was that deep silence but noticeably, Magee put some viands to George''s plate before she put some to her brothers. " Did you all - still hate me?" She smiled. The men around looked at each other and laughed. 30 Goodbye Old Memories The dinner was eventually satisfying to George especially after realizing that she really find ways of reaching out and ease their anxieties for telling them she''s okay. " I liked her way of reassuring us. Much as when she easily forgives." He thought and smiled while transferring some of the things to the newly found cave. On his night sight-seeing, George opened the rocky door facing to the sea. He gasped while looking at the flickering lights from the horizon too closed to the skies. " It could have been pleasant if there''s no war in between, it could have been lovely for families to keep one another in every household and children are sharing the best time with their parents and comfortably grow." Then he sighed and closed the rocky door while still hearing the upsurge of seawaters. Meanwhile, there were some echoeing footsteps slowly motioned toward him. " George, you may get some rest for a while and hours from now we''ll be heading back towards station one. Likewise, Baldur''s done in ferrying all the stocks and even deeply snors right now while he''s as tired as a bee." Albrecht smiled. " How about her." " Sleeping, but she told me earlier to wake her up once you give us a signal for departure. She''d completely packed her things too." " Good." Geoge silently blurted. The two both locked the rock-strewn door and walked side by side going back to the house and entertained by a deafening silence while trudging the foggy waterside when Albrecht spoke. " Hmm...regarding her, you have to hang on, she''s really insistent in so many aspect and spawning surprises. I understand if you would possibly give up, don''t you fret." He desperately looked at George. " Hahaha! What? No. She''s, she''s someone who belongs to my future. Nothing''s goin'' to change, not even this war can cause it. Don''t doubt. I''m crossin'' over guns and bullets and take her with me. I love her - very much." " Ow!" I''m getting sleepy George, you''re going somewhere down the lane again, huhum!" Such an outbreak of yawning. " Hmm...you''re provoking me then you tease me, go then and sleep." George jokily said. George preferred to occupy the receiving area''s seat until 1300 hrs. By the time when he was still sleeping, Magee has prepared and packed up carefully some native food (duma) like boiled kamote, cassava and karlang. A little while, George woke up and saw her tying some dried banana leaves filled with duma and finally had set everything for travel. While on the other hand, Albrecht and Baldur were already ready so George stepped out of the kitchen and got hold of the door as he yanked it open. Magee was the last to get out; turned her head and looked up facing the dark balcony that pressed a hard thought of memories within and behind, her siblings, parents and Lolo Sibal have joyfully lived in that house with random encounters. " Goodbye old memories and shelter our countrymen with your might, be good to us all and live long!" She fluttered her hands, a little teary eyed as she scrubbed her cheeks lightly with her tiny fingers. George moved nearer and gently put his fedora on her head and arranged her tangled hair. " It says, " Yes." Then he smiled at her. Everyone had a deeper breathe, gone too silent and Albrecht got emotional too. A few minutes later, George cracked the quietness. " Hmm...Baldur, a little while you may fetch them from station three. Take care, brother." He carefully tapped Baldur''s shoulder and the three of them left him beside the house while holding his rifle. Their paces started going down the slope and up again until they got out from the secret entrance which Baldur would close the ( internal doorway) and retain the (external door accessible to the four of them) in case of transient stay. Even if they already moved a bit farther but Magee still turned her head and spare to look at the silhouette of the mountain, stunningly and uniquely engraved by nature like there was never any village inside it. Its too high and steep with a little opening on its central part. No one was interested to climb it since its all rocky and tilted unlike the valleys and mountains on its sides. If you see it from afar it is but piled up of rocks and generally a geological creek. When they were almost on that part where Magee pushed the Japanese soldier, they have heard various footsteps along the windy morning. Instantaneously, George slowly pulled back Magee. " Shhh...Japanese patrollers, quiet." George whispered as they hide and covered their bags with leaves. They hanged on the branches and tree roots by the edge of the cliff. Above them was just a two-meter-wide path, with ''kugons'' ( hairy-type grass which can even be used as roof by the locals) laying on the ground''s surface. " Don''t look below us." George warned them There were approximately 20 soldiers assiduously passed by and were carrying guns. On the otger hand, George and the siblings were like bats hanging as they tried to support their feet with the protruding roots of trees they felt could save them. Not until Albrecht''s hand slipped a little due to his weight as his left hand gave up too and his body dived in the eerie shortly. Good that his right hand was holding a bigger root so he was able to get back. But all of his veins seemed to burst for controlling his balance and had sweats multiplied. In a way, Magee was just steady but disobediently looked below the gnashing, flowing river and breathe in and out. " What are you doin''?" Albrecht angrily looked at Magee. " Shh...they might come back. Be still." George referred to both of them as he extended his hand to get her small bag hanged on her waist that added up more weight and risks in hanging. But Magee removed his hand right away. " Why? its a bit heavy, I''ll carry it for you." He whispered. " These are the latest journals of Lolo Sibal, they''re a bit lighter, just worry not." She smirked. After few minutes they crawled going up and since Albrecht had the most desperate position and experience so George assisted him to go up. " Good heavens! hah! what a day where it began with hangin'' on a cliff, I''ve lost all my sweats. But I thank God, I''m still alive - for Madelleine." He winked an eye to George. " Argh! let''s get movin'' its almost dawn, c''mon Magee, here''s your bag. Albrecht, get yours so let''s proceed!" When they were almost at station one, they again hide Magee on a safer ground and she saw George and Albrecht helping the soldiers get out of station one. After almost fifteen minutes, everyone flee and Albrecht was on a stand by while George assisted Magee to get in as they covered the books and journals very well while passing through the waterfalls. 31 Civilians Exodus January last week, 1942 Early at dawn Baldur led the way for the newly-retrieved locals to climb at the top using the three long big ropes, tied with small slabs which serve as surfaces they could sit on. Through it, they could get inside yet its terribly tedious and hazardous. Nevertheless, when living at warzone, simple subterfuge in such a way could make the existing entrance door safer. Prior to this local migration, Albrecht and Baldur gave this bird''s eye view to George, teling him that for quite some time in the past, they have learned from the grandpa Sibal that one of the leads why areas are suspected of being inhabited are due to the grasses fronting secret doorways or gates. These flattened grasses tend to copiously bend on the ground and usually the reason of people''s traceability for hiding inside the area. It was a very natural and practical way of tracing, thus, if the current migrants would enter the entrance, definitely, the way of locating and finding out is easier. This, then was part of their hard-earned decision, considering there were younger ones, women and individuals on their 40''s and a few elderly. As per Baldur''s record, they reached to 50. These 50 heads will all go for that steepest hill. Otherwise, they will use the old entrance with several slaying dogs. " Henry, Michael and Gador you go up with me first and we''ll take all these ropes on the other side and tie it firmly there. Similarly, Bruno, Narciso, Jacob and Elias, the four of you will catch the opposite end of the ropes right on this spot and keep looking upward with extra care." Baldur instructed. After a while, Edmund hurriedly ran towards him and whispered. " The Japanese soldiers are coming and there''s around 50 of them in front of the river, fronting this mountain." Baldur signaled all the locals to back off and gather in one place while the soldiers and guerillas had to cover up. Despite oozing tension of the locals dealt with trauma they experienced in the Japanese prison hubs, they stayed trembling and waited for Baldur''s orders. However, their silence was disrupted by the sound of a vehicle machine gun on the opposite side and noise of grenades and recoilless rifles in separate dimensions. Out of curiosity, Jacob moved closer and whispered to Baldur. " There''s a smoke." " Those are flamethrowers. Why they used it? So we are not the target. Let''s just be extra careful. Hmm...I suspected that they sued the slaying dogs and revenged their comrades'' death. Okay, men! let''s draw back, check any traces and leave the grounds. Let''s get back when its clear and bring everyone in between this mountain and station three." Baldur whispered facing everyone. Most of the soldiers accompany the 50 locals and only 9 soldiers and 5 guerillas were left. The gunshots and grenade blasts were slowing down." " They seemed have launched their equipment and weapons in that area." Anthony murmured. " Yeah, I almost can''t count the different shooting echoes and powder blasts. They''re powerful and outnumbered too. But we are more blessed if we can keep the locals alive, even after war. Hmm, they''re moving out. But let''s wait the golden minutes to drive our grounds safe." Baldur slowly said. The sun has risen and they noticed George was on his way towards them. " What happened?" " They destroyed the slaying dogs'' den, but they just moved out." " Okay, men! kindly gather around. " Baldur moved closer to him and whispered. " George, don''t! I reserved that for my sister''s safety. Everyone from the locals might kill or hurt her anytime, give her a safer haven to survive from this war. We even give up what''s inside. With just two pieces of this mountain were left for her. Remember that." Their comrades felt they needed space so they left the two officials talking. " But look! she''s safe there, she''s my responsibility already, so listen! Relax." " The locals will climb to this rocky mountain, there are eldelry and women, they''ve been into tortures and terrible captivity, do you think they can still go on with their grit and endurance? No. Brother, you can''t expect them all alive to get inside. Let''s go for plan B which could surely support our primary goal in facing this war. The preservation of lives we are protecting while we fight. She''ll be fine. Don''t overthink. Leave her to me. We can still preserve our family''s safety while we look after the welfare of these people. Please." George sought his permission to open the secret entrance. Baldur bowed down his head and sighed, "As long as you keep her tightly safe. The war has just started." George tapped his shoulder as George called everyone in front. " Okay, men! We''ll have a mission. Come, closer." George told him to breath in and out and chill with the morning while he gave instructions. He was looking at the sunrise and still worried of everything. Magee''s safety, the captain''s whereabouts and his wife he had left alone. " I missed my wife, I must see her again. Yes, George, we''ll preserve lives for the people we are protecting." Baldur thought. George motioned towards him. " We''re done." " Ows! you go on with that plan B. Oh, ho, no! why are they slashing that black blanket?" " We''ll cover tightly the eyes of all entrants, turn their entire body two times before they could enter the secret door. Only these nine soldiers and trusted guerillas must know where this passage is. Good that these are six American soldiers and three guerillas without any family members in Tikaban. They could never be a threat to Magee. I told them that cave and entrance secret door is at the same time the nook of the lieutenant and his wife ( just a sweeping statement). I also informed them in advance that we''ll reopen the old entrance soon, if not, make wooden stairs going up, the safest. How is it?" Baldur smiled and gave him a hand. Your plan B still looks like much better and safer than plan A, its great! Thanks!" 32 Briefing Inside Malapague Camp Chilling. That''s the exact description for people putting their hands akimbo, moving their jaws, warming hands inside pockets and bandanas. Their widely held question pertained to the small amount of light above when its intolerably warm outside. Snooping eyes looked around and everyone were amazed by the natural structure of the secret mountain. Some also pinpointed the ceiling-type rocks in tilt with a long and vertical slit on the sideway - beside the mountain-edge facing the sea. It showed them a unique trait of its natural contour and habitat where most of the places inside were covered by a gradient ceiling of rock bravura. Likewise, they were astounded by the well-arranged formation of fruit bearing trees, root crops and lovely flowers sprouting gleefully like in a subway modern park charmed by the motherspring that flows melodiously. In a moment of inquisitive guises around, there''s one of the elderly queried Baldur. " Who made all the arrangements inside? such awesone distance from one tree to the other is splendid." " Its my Dad who planted the trees and grandpa Sibal tilled and maintained them. When he sowed each of the fruit seeds, he was thinking and smiling if who among from his children would climb at it first and thought one day, his grandchildren would have them. These fruit trees were not even the pioneered ones; they cut those once every ten years aside from star apple, mabolo, marang and durian - those are perennial fruit trees they retained and take note Lola, I watered almost everything you see when I was small." Baldur smiled. " Really? What''s that one, the tallest with oblongated green fruits?" The old woman smiled. " Its breadfruit, I loved it! Lolo Sibal called it ''kolo,'' in Lolo''s mother tongue and ''rimas'' in other dialect. Its just like a staple food, you can survive years for just eating it as a primary food like rice, and its carbohydrates." " So its ''kamansi.'' " The old woman insist. " No Lola, they belonged to just one species but in different varieties. Kamansi is breadnut and tastes like a combined potato and cassava, but its just a little soft and sticky while kolo is breadfruit. Kamansi is only good for viand; best when mixed with coconut milk, garlic, onion, ginger and lemon grass and whose seeds are like nuts. Yes, nuts." He smiled. " Haha, you''re good in Filipino food but you can''t even speak tagalog and mandaya, right?" " Haha...I''m in a hot seat around. Hmm...I spent 85 percent of my life here but there were only three persons I grew up with. They all spoke in German and English." They never teach you to speak our national language, it has been approved for use since 1937." The old woman smiled at him. " But I''m an American soldier now." " Still, you are a Filipino because you carefully watered the trees of this beautiful land." Then she left him puzzled with his imaginary goosebumps. " Yes, Mama is a Filipina. Isn''t this frightening enough? No one taught me, its not my fault! Just wondering why this grandma did not even know the difference between breadfruit and breadnut or whether this breadfruit without any nut inside - is on her land. You caught me wrong Lola, I am a Filipino. There''s just a misunderstanding on that point you think I''m not. He thought smiling while rubbing his arms. When Baldur continued to check everyone, he saw the faces contently filled with soft smiles. In noon time he assigned them to areas where they can put a temporary shelter since not all can be accommodated inside the house. Some were busy in the kitchen for hidden sips of hot water just to warm themselves and from afar he saw George picking up glowing white flowers. He got out and teased him. " What are you doing to the Captain''s flowers? that''s stealing. He just planted that last September for her daughter''s wedding." " That''s the reason why I''m picking all these to freshly deliver to his beautiful daughter in his absence." He stood up and smiled. " Good. We''re lucky we have you for her, are you both god and, dating well?" Then he gave him a hand. " As usual, I respect her rule on social distancing. Dating, yap!" He was silent but recoiled their dating encounters in his thoughts. When they were supposed to just sit down and watch the moon but unexpectedly, two Japanese soldiers passed by and he seemed demonstrated to her on how to cleverly defeat the enemies with physical attack and a dagger. Another dating happened when he sat down stoically after she forcibly pulled his collar down during the attack of the slaying dogs and green anaconda in the house. They were too close but she was chilling in fear to the sound of huge animals fighting outside the room. Third, when they were swimming and she insisted to discover if what''s inside the smiling skull and he locked her shoulders with his belt; the last dating encounter was when they hanged at the edge of the cliff when the Japanese soldiers where on their shift, with sweats all around coupled with flaring arteries and veins as he still gently readied his body to clip her sideways supposed she''ll fall. " Gosh, I dated her with those typical timing." He thought and sighed. " Hey, you were too silent and sighed. " Ah, its nothing Baldur, let''s talk for a while before I take my exit at around 1800 hrs." Then he placed all the daisy flowers on his lap. They both sat on a log beside the flower garden. " What''s that." Baldur asked. " I''ll try to peep from the mabolo tree the estimated number of backups after their fallen comrades." " The mabolo''s passable?" " Yes. Its hole above can only accommodate one person at a time. From its hole to the ground also runs to fifteen feet high." George told him. " I tried helping there thrice in the past, its chancy. There was one time when the chisel fell and it hit to the right shoe of Edmund. So its four months in the making." He smiled. " That''s our ear and eye with its door facing the cliff." " Thank God!" Its a grace for defending this place and its people." Baldur bent his head on the ground. 33 Escapade in the Darkest Nigh Twilight started to infiltrate the windy mountains outside Kabang and the crickets invaded its silence. He had packed several fruits contained in coconut leaves designed basket, however its not durable so someone has to tightly hold it with both hands. He also carefully organized around 30 daisies leaning on the ''anahaw'' leaf surrounded by the green banana leaves. Once done, he left the secret entrance and Baldur securely closed it while he covered the doorway with withered leaves. On his way going back to station one, he did not use anything to light his way but walked straight and ferociously heard the sound of the Japanese aircraft carrying machine guns. He walked so fast and reached the cave almost 1900 hrs. Upon his arrival, Albrecht gave him a towel and he relaxed for a while. " Where''s Magee?" " She''s in the comfort room." " Ah, I see. How''s Malapague?" " People felt it homey. The elderly chanted and kissed stones, whatsoever. They''re overly excited to stay there. Our team were busy cleaning and checking the guns from the cave number two." He smiled to Albrecht. He closed his eyes a little and decided to take a nap but he paused for a while. Albrecht, is she not finished yet? we''re already done chatting for around fifteen minutes but still she didn''t show up. Will you please check her there." "George! George! she''s not anymore here!" "My goodness!" George rushed and climbed to the mabolo tree going out to its entrance, facing the cliff. But he has to go back to get his dagger. When he reached his place again there was never any dagger anymore. " She brought my dagger and hers?" He ran and climbed back upstairs to the mabolo door and slowly followed the trail towards the ground. Upon reaching the ground, he then descended and had a battle with the tall grasses without any footwear and with just his loose jeans. In the bushes, he walked off more careful because he already had bruises out of the tree branches, grass thorns and ant bites. He was on his way to Magee''s house and his speculation was correct, he saw her through the lamp''s lit crawling on the ground while biting a dagger in her mouth. George was sweating, seeing that scenario where the Japanese soldiers played some games just a few meters away. In addition to his tension was the moment when she rolled off to the other side and gently pushed the floor where it opened so easily. She stood up and there she was lost out of his sight. George shrugged his shoulder with trembling hands and shaky heart coupled with sweats dazzling around his body. In any minute he''s ready to fight against approximately 3-5 soldiers equipped with hand guns. He bit his lips and with fainting face he breathe in and out. When he looked back to the house again, Magee was already in the kitchen and seemed putting something on the table then immediately got down the floor and went down on the ground. Still tiptoeing, she reached where George was hiding and when George removed the dagger out from her hand she suddenly slipped and glided down, took the other dagger from her leg and stabbed his thigh. " Argh!" He badly felt too much pain. "George?" She whispered while squatting on the ground. " Out of fear, she attempted to remove the dagger but George gently swayed off her tiny hands away from it. Instead of getting the dagger buried in his thigh he grabbed her hand and they left the place. Albrecht was waiting and prepared the bamboo stairs going up to the mabolo tree. He was shocked after hearing from George the situation. " I''ll get back to check the blood on your way here." " No need. It will rain. Magee, you go up first." When they reached inside the cave Albrecht operated it under the supervision of George and underwent at least 6 surgical stitches. "Magee, come." Albrecht angrily called her. "Albrecht, don''t pinch her ear, don''t hurt her. Its my fault because I did not make any sound first." George said. Magee was so apologetic and even teary eyed. Instead of going to her brother she went on his side inside his place. "I''m very sorry." She said. " Don''t go there anymore Mag, Hakanori will imprison or kill you, please, stay here." He put his fingers to some hair covering her face. "See, your hair are full of dirt. There are leaves, pebbles, small sticks because you rolled like an army girl on the ground." He smiled at her while crying. Then she stood up and went to her place just next to him and sat down on bed. " What did you do there?" " I put poison in their viand."She replied. " It''s too risky." He commented. "You better joined the combatants assigned to Russia or in Guam. Good if you have enough hand guns, or a warrior of an aircraft machine gun or a tank operator. Your feet maybe could be freer to fight enemies unlike this time, you almost kill your husband." Magee and George were very silent on their separate places. No one from them has attempted to talk anymore. Albrecht was still flaring with anger and sat down on the kitchen table still murmuring. " That''s the problem now. Even if how tight our security is, if someone from us does not know how to protect others, still the unprecedented plan could easily become a turmoil. Hopefully, tonight is a lesson. She went out and drew closer to his brother. "Albrecht, I''m very sorry, I just hate those soldiers from staying and using my house." " I don''t care! Its just a house! What we''re fighting for is more than your house. Don''t be silly!" " O, take care of your victim! and I can''t guard you anymore, you''re more than a hard-headed child." " Albrecht don''t go." " You stabbed him so you have to treat him well, apply him some medicine from the kit. Imagine! you''ve just stabbed our 1Lt, he''s a lot of tasks to do with his combatant men but you paralyzed him. What have you done Magee?" She moved more closer and talked to him deeply and whispered. "I admit all my faults but honestly I had no idea that he''ll go after me. I''m sorry in multitude." 34 Fear to Compartment Syndrome That night, Albrecht got out and reported to Baldur the situation. Since its already midnight when he reached Kabang while it drizzles and still crazily mad with his little sister so Baldur brought him beside the spring and they both sat down on rocks beside it. " Imagine she deceived me that she''ll use the rest room but she went as high as the mabolo tree and she seemed had carried the alpha and bravo company and the entire insular of commonwealth and the states. Imagine, we''re almost into vain now? George will rescue her, they''ll both in prison cells so the more we lose our command. Huh! She never knew how powerful the imperial Japanese army these days. Pun''s not intended here but should I tell you that she only brought a dagger and was too close with our enemies; she opened their food containers and she dropped poison bombs! So there!" He looked up sighing and shook his head. "Sometimes, some women are like that. The more you tell them not to do it the more they''d insist even if its risky. Maybe she was just too focused on what she want because she never heard anything highly technical from us. Or should I say, just simply teach her, make her drown with exercises, push ups, let her carry small sacks and treat her like a soldier to keep her busy. Let her cook! haha, sweep the ground and all." Baldur laughed. "But the other guy you know. He''s too forgiving when it comes to her. Haisst, when my soup was salty he even got me down with undying push ups but when he was deeply stabbed by Magee, he said this, " Albrecht, don''t pinch her ear, don''t hurt her....." sort of, and I almost laugh hearing those lines." "Shhh...haha, look how inexplicable love is. She fell in love to a woman she barely understands. Is that how you shared to me before? But its his decision too that he''ll take her all. Hmm, so how long the stab is?" " Its just one and a half inches." " My God!" Baldur backed off." " Why? Do you think I''ll come this far at midnight to just tell you a tale? Huh! this is even an emergency!" " Ridiculous!" Baldur ran toward the house and took his jacket and gun then he grabbed Albrecht and left some orders to Michael and Henry as guards on post before they finally left. "Hey, how deadly such one and a half thigh stab Baldur?" "Compartnent syndrome, the worst outcome of its complication. I saw one in the training center before who have the same condition. Such case needs proper surgery." " I did it when he ordered me to do so, that''s the reason why I was very mad to Magee." "Run as fast as you can, c''mon!" Baldur was seriously urging his older brother to be in a hurry. Despite slippery path due to the forest rain, there were times they slipped off but still they got back and ran again till they slowly walked by the cliff going inside the waterfalls. As they reached inside, Albrecht immediatelly grabbed some towels and they both changed. " George! George! wake up!" Baldur pulled down the blanket and checked his thigh. George then moved upward and leaned on the wooden wall. " Its nothing Baldur. It did not hit the mid anterior thigh so don''t be afraid of any compartment syndrome or whatsoever. Besides, Albrecht performed pressure dressing to control my thigh from bleeding and its wholesome." He smiled at him while tapping Baldur''s shoulder. " Don''t joke this time, this musn''t happen." "You guys should not worry. Better send here Amado two days from now and help me reopen it to possibly detect haematoma and operate for its removal. That''s just possible. He''s that medical student, right? Anyway, the stab went sideway and not in the central part. I already have some medicine intake for protection and injected myself too." " Huh! Baldur stood up and went to Magee''s place, leaned his chin on her door then sighed. "She sleeps like an angel but she''s good in ambushing. Shall we convert her to a combatant?" He sarcastically smiled. " No. Leave her there." George ordered. Baldur got back beside his bed and covered his body with a blanket again. "Hah! I''ll get back to Malapague and Amado will be here two days from now. Take care." When he was about to get out from the cave Magee ran towards him; held his hand and pulled him back to the kitchen table. They sat side by side. " Where are you going. We haven''t talked yet. Magee sheepishly said. "Hmm, and what am I going to tell you when you lethally stabbed your husband who heartily harvested Dad''s flowers just to give them for you. Did you see how he had arranged them? Albrecht, Albrecht where did you keep the flowers?" " I threw them!" Albrecht yelled facing on his pillow. " That''s it. I don''t have any comments anymore, in fact, I can''t think anything to talk about. Go nurse him! supposed he''ll have symptoms of fever, ask him on what to pick out from the kit." " Baldur, I''m very sorry." She''s teary eyed again. " That''s why its difficult to comment. I know its not your intention but you were not supposed to do it. All these reshuffles in my mind and wants me to call Dad, Papa and Mom." She slowly took his hand, placed it on her head and left it there. Out of shock, he was teary eyed, nestled his palm on her head and caressed her hair like a sober lonely pet with his tears dropping heavily on his cheeks. "Baldur, I''m very sorry, please don''t hate me. Its difficult to squarely adjust, I tried to resort for help but I know I landed wrong. If you hate me like what Albrecht felt against me, so where shall I go to speak up my weaknesses? That''s why I hate this war and the more I hate the enemies. They killed my youth and future, they dislodged all my life." Baldur bowed his head then for a while compressed her shoulders with both hands and looked at her eye to eye then asked her. " So what do you want to happen, tell me." Still his tears were flowing out of pity on her. But she bent her neck with all her hairs following and had a deep sigh facing on the ground. In a moment, she looked at him and said. " I cannot tell you because I know all of you won''t like it." "Okay, by now, just keep it. One day ahead, tell me everything about it, okay?" He took his hand again and placed it on her head then she smiled to him. " You musn''t hate me with Albrecht, I need a family. I missed my friends, my dogs were brutally killed by the enemies. They ruined all my books in the room and murdered my foster family. I missed school." She cried. " School. I''m sure that day will get back on your way." " But I''m a problem here already, hmm. George was injured because of me but I don''t know how to comfort him. Isn''t this life a bit strange? I know nothing and I''m always afraid of the war, afraid of..." " Afraid of what..." Baldur curiously asked. "No, nothing. Its still the same thing I couldn''t open up to all of you. But one day ahead, I''ll speak up for that." She smiled while wiping her tears. " So what do you want me to do now." " Please stay. I know Albrecht hates me now. I need your help in dressing - George''s wound. At least, someone can help me attend to him before Amado could come." He smiled. "It seems I can sense a little if what is it troubling you about. Don''t overthink. Just relax. Everything is fine, okay?" "Baldur, the wound has deeply hit him. I''m guilty." " Hmm, okay. Let''s say, I can only stay for help up to this evening, is that alright for you?" " Wow! thank you Baldur." She smiled and attempted to return to her place. " Wait!" She turned her head and looked at him. " The flowers were not thrown. Stay here for a while." Baldur went to Albrecht''s area and sought for the flowers. Albrecht then told him if where exactly the daisies were placed and he told him its inside the bamboo flower vase beside the kitchen. Then Baldur returned to her who was then waiting beside the long table. "Okay, you may go now to your bed and I''ll move your flowers there. I still have to look for it." She smiled and followed what he said. When she passed by at his place and saw him deeply sleeping she slowly went inside and arranged his blanket. Unknowingly, she stayed a little bit and had a smiling stare on his face. " The wound must be very painful, please endure it for me." She thought. "Ow! here''s your flowers, they''re very nice. I was a witness on how he bent his body for this harvest. He even left nothing for us there." He smiled. "Wow, they''re beautiful!" She looked to Baldur while smelling the daisies. Without her knowing, George smiled and winked an eye to Baldur. Then she smilingly stood and returned to her bed bringing the flowers. 35 Northern Part Bomb Blasts The waterfalls served as a lullabye that brings them into deep sleep and the sweetest alarm clock that wakes them up in the morning. Whilst, in everyday it is the sound that relaxes and energizes them inside the cave. " Hi. How''s your sleep?" She curiously asked. " I''ve slept well." He sheepishly replied and hung up a little nod. "Hmm, thanks to your flowers. If I wasn''t in my pique to rush for trouble, it could have been lovely if I received it fresh from my benefactor. Peace!" She thoughtfully smiled at him. " You sounded so sweet today and what made the air twisted this instant? Do you think I''m dying and you became reversely nostalgic. Please come." He gently scooped from his pocket some white daisy petals, put them on her tiny palm and folded it in order to profusely keep the flowers that she have just desired to be given personally by her benefactor. "Wow! You intentionally reserved these petals?" Then she blushed. " Yes. The moment I could stand on my feet again, maube tonight, I think I have to fully put a space between us and focus on my men that needs me. So always check these petals in your keeping. Once you see them fading each day, it will also meaningfully describe my heart, torn by the wrath of time and space for losing my soul. He sadly smirked while looking at her. " But, why?" " No one needs me here." " Who said that?" " You said it, last night. I''ve heard last night that you only need a family. It seems I wasn''t a family member here so I need to situate myself because in the end, no one would even care of how I feel." " I mean it differently." She apologetically and softly said. " I must understand so I need to find myself too. No one believes me here any longer and even Albrecht was very noisy last night." He shook his head and bowed on the ground. " I don''t like to be a burden here and can''t anymore wait for Amado to nurse me so I must leave tonight for Malapague, in Kabang. I also need a family to take care of me but since I don''t have, then there, people might help and nurse me." He bent his spine and went back to bed. " But Baldur is here." Magee reasoned out "Baldur needs to work hand in hand with Edmund and Michael, we have to attack the barracks next month and need to burrow some holes at night. He need not to stay here, only Albrecht can watch over you. I will still visit you once a month. I know you agree with it, right?" She left and went back to her bed and desperately cried facing on her pillow. " I didn''t say I don''t need him. I just don''t like all of them to call him my husband when we''re not even married, I was just afraid and can''t barely understand the pacing of the whole event. Everything came in a soeed of light. I wanted to start with the flowers and on little beginnings, its as simple as that. But my brothers even want us to stay together. I think, I''m a little confused. But this war is not forever, getting a partner just because its wartime is nonsensical. You go and I''ll go my way." She thought while sobbing. Hours rolled so fast and she''d slept with too much pain crumbling in her heart. When she woke up she has heard voices chatting in a little far then disappeared. " He''d left. He left me. He made it real." She speculated then sobbed again. That dainty feeling pushed her to doze herself into dreaming more dreams and hide from the nightmares of reality. " 35 Nursing Issues The waterfalls served as a lullabye that brings them into deep sleep and the sweetest alarm clock that wakes them up in the morning. Whilst, in everyday it is the sound that relaxes and energizes them inside the cave. " Hi. How''s your sleep?" She curiously asked as she jerked her head down.. " I''ve slept well." He sheepishly replied and hung up a little nod. "Hmm, thanks to your flowers. If I wasn''t in my pique to rush for trouble, it could have been lovely if I received it fresh from my benefactor. Peace!" She thoughtfully smiled at him. " You sounded so sweet today and what made the air twisted this instant? Do you think I''m dying and you became reversely nostalgic. Please come." He gently scooped from his pocket some white daisy petals, put them on her tiny palm and folded it in order to profusely keep the flowers that she have just desired to be given personally by her benefactor. "Wow! You intentionally reserved these petals?" Then she blushed. " Yes. The moment I could stand on my feet again, maybe tonight, I think I have to fully put a space between us and focus on my men that needs me. So always check these petals in your keeping. Once you see them fading each day, it will also meaningfully describe my heart, torn by the wrath of time and space for losing my soul. He sadly smirked while looking at her. " But, why?" " No one needs me here." " Who said that?" " You said it, last night. I''ve heard last night that you only need a family. It seems I wasn''t a family member here so I need to situate myself because in the end, no one would even care of how I feel." " I mean it differently." She apologetically and softly said. " I must understand so I need to find myself too. No one believes me here any longer and even Albrecht was very noisy last night." He shook his head and bowed on the ground. " I don''t like to be a burden here and can''t anymore wait for Amado to nurse me so I must leave tonight for Malapague, in Kabang. I also need a family to take care of me but since I don''t have, then there, people might help and nurse me." He bent his spine and went back to bed. " But Baldur is here." Magee reasoned out "Baldur needs to work hand in hand with Edmund and Michael, we have to attack the barracks next month and need to burrow some holes at night. He need not to stay here and only Albrecht can watch over you. As for me, maybe I''ll still visit you once a month. I know you agree with it, right?" She left and went back to her bed and desperately cried facing on her pillow. " I didn''t say I don''t need him. I just don''t like all of them to call him my husband when we''re not even married, I was just afraid and can''t barely understand the pacing of the whole event. Everything came in like a speed of light. I wanted to start with the flowers and on little beginnings, its as simple as that. But my brothers even want us to stay together. I think, I''m a little confused. But this war is not forever, getting a partner just because its wartime is unbelievable. You go and I''ll go my way." She thought while sobbing. Hours rolled so fast and she''d slept with too much pain crumbling in her heart. When she woke up she has heard voices chatting in a farther then a little while disappeared. " He''d left. He left me. He made it real." She speculated then sobbed again. That dainty feeling pushed her to doze herself into dreaming more dreams and hide from the nightmares of reality. " Magee! Magee! wake up, its already 6 o''clock in the evening, time for dinner. Magee! come out now. There are fruits that George brought you last night. Have a bite first then you may go back to sleep. Albrecht almost impatiently called her attention. " Mag, have your dinner now." " George?" She stood up right away. " Yes. I''m still alive, Why? Ah, Baldur and Albrecht didn''t allow me to return there with my situation. I insisted but only Baldur went out this afternoon. Anyway, I progressed a little, I can now sway my leg and can step on the ground without any support. It only hurt a little." She hurriedly went out from her place and went to him. "Why...as if you found a ghost with your stares. It makes me more conscious." He awkwardly smiled. " Nothing. I just can''t believe seeing you around. I thought you already left. I thought you were heartless for already leaving me. But look, you''re still here." She was teary eyed and kept wiping her tears with her hands. Just in time when George extended a handkerchief to her. "What have I done to you? If I go near its forbidden, it makes you braced in fear like you are with an evil, If I go far and will hide from you, then you''ll weep and treat me like abandoning you. I''m... I''m getting crazy not from this war but from what you''d like me to do." " So tell me...what else you''d like to say, i''ll listen." " Do you think I can nurse you with that wound I created? No. Its not because that I wanted to stay away from you but fir being guilty to nurse my victim. Guilty of being weak, childish and incorrigible. I need you but I cannot explain, do you know that? I loved to start from small steps, little by little. War is not the sole reason to rush." " Why are you so afraid of nursing me? its just a wound. My goodness. Just think that its just a wound. Pretend that you feed me like a cat and blanket me like a friend. Just dress that wound like I''m a total stranger. Its also as simple as that. Think that I''m a patient that needs to mercifully survive. I need help. Albrecht''s hand is shaking." Near his door, Albrecht was listening and pressing his head. "This is WWII-b between this two. Gosh! we have so many problems and even dressing a wound is a contagion. Better to focus with my food stocks." 36 Guilt Over Responsibility She tried to reassess what George had said and realized its all true. Then he went to the kitchen and checked if what Albrecht had been preparing. " Hmm, what are you lookin''? " Nothing. I just wanted to assist him for lunch. "Better. You''re just in time. I''m also a little busy in preparing the red peas for dinner. Do you know that I''ll go to Kabang tonight? A priest will officiate for a thanksgiving and George is supposed to be there. Anyway, he could not really attend to it, he''s still incapable to move his thigh." ''But he''ll be okay soon." " Whatever. Anyway, here, it has long been prepared and you may bring this to him now." He handed the bamboo tray and pat her shoulder. " Okay, thanks." She smiled at him. On the rampage she rehearsed on her mind selective topics when she can get there. George was the one who opened the door so that she could get in without hassle as she was so focused balancing with her posture and shakily holding the food bamboo tray. " What is that for. Just leave it here and take your lunch with Albrecht." " Hmm...I''m supposed to wait whether you''ll ask some ... water." "Then why she did not just bring along with this spacious tray the water she''s suggesting when its what she thought would I need next haha." He thought and implicitly smiled. "You smiled." " Why not, the food tastes better. Chef Albrecht''s getting older and smarter enough to send me this food delivery package." " Hmm...what is that sarcasm for?" She stood up and wants to get out to get some water. " Hey, don''t leave me yet. I''ve heard...that there''s a priest among the occupants of Kabang. I''m thinking of bringing him here to officiate our wedding. But, but - you want to get over these things first, start in simple paces and getting to know each other more and more..." Then she left him smiling and after a single step she turned her head to him, " You need to plant more rainbow flowers for me and plant one significant fruit tree in Kabang, if it bears fruit one day, that''s our wedding date." He was speechless and bite his lips in nervousness. " Wow! this is terrible! She''s difficult! What a challenge." He''s screaming inside his mind, smiling. (...to be continued) 37 Trap for a Trap Albrecht arrived first in the safe zone. When George told him about the possible logistics of her escape, both abruptly set plan B for such a wabbly critical situation and maximizing the golden minutes. In a short while, Edmund and station two guerillas were approaching them, bringing the woman who allegedly escaped from the barracks. " Edmund, Albrecht was preparing the destination, you have to rest for a while and consider the travel time plan. You talk about it quickly so that I can ask her a little." Then one of the station two guerillas volunteered to interpret. " We better stay beside this mango tree so we can comfortably stay on this log underneath while Albrecht and Edmund could smoothy talk about the travel." He then started the questions to rule out. While the guerilla interpreter and the woman kept exchanging topics,the interpreter relayed it to George but he felt a little confused and decided to terminate the interview aside from considering Magee who was at risk with the beehive or she might move or touch it, could somehow be the end of silence. "Alright, I got it, I guess Slbrecht and Edmund were done with the travel plan too. Thanks." Then he ended the session and urged them to start walking where Edmund and Albrecht took the lead and on their way to station four " The interpreter asked." " They will be meeting there at midnight, why?" Albrecht turned his head to him. " Ah, nothing. I thought they''re all there right now." " I see." Then without their knowledge they already passed by at Kabang but heard nothing and it seems no one is inside. At the safe zone, George felt uneasy and wondered if why Magee did not yet show up. Then he slightly hear the bending of ''bugang'' branches and there were few approaching and skulking footsteps as it all stopped behind him. When it suddenly attacked him, Magee quickly slithered downward and stabbed the spine of the Japanese soldier who was at the back of the other one who grimly attacked George. But George disarmed the mugger and twisted its neck to the right that cramped the soul to die on the spot. It was gut-wrenching. He pulled those dead soldiers beside the cliff and threw the bodies in the flowing river. Without any moment he hurriedly checked Magee who was just very silent leaning her body back to the mango tree, gasping her breath and filled with sweats all around her. Still with her shaky hands and knees. " Magee!" He whispered. "Let''s go, Let''s follow Albrecht and Edmund, the station two interpreter betrayed us and that woman''s a bait." " No need. I already told Albrecht to terminate the mission once they reach there. Bring all men excluding the interpreter and the woman and pass by at the back of station four and then reason out that they''ll pick up the rest of the team to go there. Its a bluff. No one will do it but Albrecht and Edmund will save the station two guerillas and bring them all to Malapague, inside Kabang. ''" I see, its a relief." " The interpreter and the woman have secret affairs. I saw their rattan bracelet bonds when Edmund''s flashlight accidentally lighted both of their wrists. " I also saw it from above. He secretly extended something to her hand but I know Albrecht noticed it." There were already walking back to the path bound for station one when there''s a huge noise of multiple footsteps, following Albrecht and Edmund''s men. They quickly hide and when the soldiers have passed by in a distance, he grabbed Magee''s hand and continued to walk. He felt the sudden pain of his thigh but still turning his head towards Albrecht and Edmund''s direction. " Your hand..." She whispered. '' Ah...okay, sorry." Then he took away his hand from holding her wrist so tight while they were walking so fast. " Magee, if you can hear a mine blast, don''t think bad about it. Albrecht and Edmund will blast two to three mines on that site so they can escape back to Kabang. Its just that they''ll climb to get in. If they go back to the path heading to the secret door they''ll meet those soldiers who were chasing them. They followed because of the smoke that the interpreter had released while they were walking. Haisst! traitor!" George angrily said. 38 Getting Stronger with Her Magee woke up earlier and she prepared for his breakfast. Its sauteed red beans and boiled cassava. "You really followed Albrecht''s menu board." He commented. "I have no choice, he tied all the stocks and exposed only the food due in a day''s meal." "By the way, thank you for peering and for taking good care of me last night." " Its nothing. Here, have a sip of this soup, its not on his menu board so better go dip immediately your spoon, otherwise he might catch us stealing his assets in the kitchen. Luckily, I found these three pieces of quail eggs on his winnow. To make the taste more dramatic so I put a small amount of water, garlic, onion, a little garlic and lemon grass. Try it!" "Haha, you''re really humorous. Sure, let me taste it. Wow! it tastes better, you get some and let''s eat together." There was a balloon of silence and they just see each other like there was never any war happening. " How''s your wound?" She asked. " I''m getting stronger with you as my nurse. But seriously its getting healed. He naughtily smiled at her. " So what''s gonna happen today, ha." "I''ll teach you some physical works, hmm, self-defense, do you like it?" " Wow! is that final? She sounded excitingly. " Yes, of course." She quickly fixed the utensils used for meal and promptly took a bath. When she''s done she stood up outside his place and looked at him locating for the kit. Then later. "Oh! for a while, I''m dressing my wound." "I''ll do it. Come, we''ll ckean it at the triage area." " Triage? you''re a whole lot knowledgeable even in our medical terms and in so many things. But wait, why should I go that far when I''m already here?" He pouted. "Okay, you clean your wound." Then she proceeded to her place." " Haha! I surrender, let''s go to the long table; at the triage area." He seriously agreed. " Whoah! Its almost healed. Good boy!" She glanced at him and smiled. " Hmm...I suddenly looked like a boy now, haha! Ah! ah! why you pressed my wound?" He gently asked. " Its because you''re very noisy. Shh...keep quiet, don''t move - just stay still." Then she ran to the kitchen and boil a water. " What''s that?" " You sterilized the dagger?" " Magee!" " Hey, keep quiet, there''s a bigger pus I need to remove and afterwards let''s have it with hot-compressed. I don''t know the logic but its how Ina Lolita was doing when my siblings have burns and wounds. Lolo Sibal taught him a lot. Hmm, you want me to nurse a nurse, so here I am, happy to have served you." She smiled. " But its not the proper tool. It must be scalpel to cut the part you want to open, not that dagger, I feel like a chicken." " I won''t cut any part. I''ll just press the swollen part in order for the pus to come out." 39 Thanksgiving Time Its sundown when they reached Kabang and he informed the soldiers on duty that his wife is in his place. Magee have readied some books she brought, pillow, blanket, oil lamp and placed them on a mat. The daffodils from a small spring from the outside passes by inside then goes out its flow towards Malapague, inside Kabang. Its her only source of air and a water to drink is possible. She put some balabad and smiled. " Its like in the waterfalls, its too cold and she''d pressed her own shoulders and closely placed the oil lamp beside her. " Amazing! this place is totally locked but I could breath well. If I put something, it echoes right away. Everything inside here is a souvenir. Oh! what''s this, wow! a snail, so I have a companion here. Hmm...how is that guy claiming I''m his wife, when he spoke it my goosebumps appear. But I liked him." She smiled while funnily talking to the snail. " Oh, I feel homey in this place then she decided to sleep first before starting to read some books. When she was about to close her eyes, she felt the rocky door facing inside has slowly moved. Her heart beat grew faster, her pulses crumble and her blood started to rise. The strange person who slowly came in sat behind him and put something on the floor. It seems a porcelain plate and stainless spoon and it smelled like a viand. She flipped her body facing the intruder and found him smiling - its George. " Hah! I was so scared. You should have made a noise to warn me." " Don''t worry, times like this, I readied myself to really protect my body from your stabs, haha." " Its not funny, next time you should at least call me, ha." " What are these..Ina! Wow...thank you, they''re all delicious George." She smirked and tapped his shoulder. "You eat now. I''ll stay here for a while. You have no one to talk to." She already started her first bite with the fried fish when she smiled and spoke. " No, you''re wrong. I have a cute companion around." George''s eyes were as big as a rugged stone and looked around angrily." " Hey, what are you doin'', you''re scaring the snail." George bent his body and bowed his head. " Huh! I thought its one of my men around. I warned them not to get inside so hearing what you said made me angry. I know Baldur and Albrecht could not come since they''re busy with the brief bible sharing. By the way, where is that snail, haha...let me bring that out." " No. Leave it here, haha. You''re jealous to a snail?" " Absolutely!" Then he smiled while wiping his sweats on the face. " You sweat a lot. Okay, you''re time has come. You go back and join with them. "I won''t go out." He stood up and looked at the ceiling. "Now...I need my dagger visible. Get out!" She smiled and pushed him outside. But he turned his head and told her he''ll get back to bring her an army uniform that Baldur manually made for her. "You have to wear it when you go to the ancestral house. You''ll sleep there and I will return you back here tomorrow morning. " By the way, we already started drinking ''tuba.'' It''s very sweet and I don''t know if how Baldur processed it. Its one of a kind. Hmm... I just wonder why it hit me so badly, but I told Baldur to fetch you when I can''t anymore do it, okay?" 40 General Meeting with the Locals The sun''s small amount of light shed to them inside Malapague as it blissfully gave enough smiles to the folks who terribly experienced from the extreme cool temperature. Inside the house, its a perfect timing when Albrecht was preparing some food for his sister but he left it for a while inside the kitchen when he saw George with his droopy shoulders and disgustingly walked like a zombie. "Hey, you slept in the cave last night? Did he not slap you? Or..." " I was scared of her dagger so I wasn''t able to properly sleep but I just lean on the door." He sat with his sullen expression. " Haha!" Albrecht sat by his side and wrapped his arms on his shoulder. " She told me last day that I need to plant rainbow flowers for her and grow one significant tree, and if it bears fruit, that day would be our wedding date, she said." "Aw! that''s too inhumane. That cruel girl." Albrecht is almost going to the cave when they heard some sound in the kitchen. To Albrecht''s surprise, Magee was in uniform and used her hand in eating instead of using spoon and pretended they''re not around. George grabbed his arms and they returned and sat back at the receiving area. "Shh...don''t say anything. Whatever you comment would bounce back to me. Better keep quiet if its all about us." " Oh boy!" " I''ll start planting flowers before I take a bath and kindly give me a seedling of a fruit-bearing tree." "Ask it to Baldur, he''s good in planting trees and helped Dad in planting those flowers around. Anyway, I''m speechless, I don''t know anymore." Then Albrecht put his hands over head and nodded. "It''s just a month. I''ll still wait for my tree to bear a fruit, haha, bye! I''ll never waste my time, I''ll start farming now." Then George smirked, went out, instructed Albrecht to lock the door and he searched for Baldur who was then checking the new occupants around. "Hey George, what''s up?" " I''ll talk straight, help me find a fruit-bearing tree seedling now, I''ll plant." " Haha, why such...hmm, okay! let''s select among that bears the earliest, c''mon! I''ll show you the mini nursery." Baldur still turned his head on him while they''re heading to the mini-nursery. " Don''t annoy me with that look, haha! Don''t ask me any word relating to it, this is strictly for no interviews!" " Ah, ha, yeah!" "Oh here we are. These are the trees that grows healthily here, they loved the cool temperature with a little sunlight. Hmm, from the top we have lanzones, rambutan..." Baldur enumerated a list of it but George intervened him. "Brother, the earliest...to bear fruits, lead me to it." " Ah, yeah, but..." I''m thinking of a banana, hmm." " How many months or year does it usually give us fruit." " Hmm...around five to six months. I''m just confused if its really a tree." Baldur rubbed his face. " But if its really a tree, its impressively in a shorter period." George insist. " So will you get me some, at least 10 if its available. I''ll plant them right away." " Just wait here, I''ll go and separate them first from the mother plants. (...to be continued) Note: Editing to all chapters are in progress 40 Angel Fruit or Banana? The sun''s small amount of light shed to them inside Malapague as it blissfully gave enough smiles to the folks who terribly experienced from the extreme cool temperature. Inside the house, its a perfect timing when Albrecht was preparing some food for his sister but he left it for a while inside the kitchen when he saw George with his droopy shoulders and disgustingly walked like a zombie. "Hey, you slept in the cave last night? Did he not slap you? Or..." " I was scared of her dagger so I wasn''t able to properly sleep but I just lean on the door." He sat with his sullen expression. " Haha!" Albrecht sat by his side and wrapped his arms on his shoulder. " She told me last day that I need to plant rainbow flowers for her and grow one significant tree, and if it bears fruit, that day would be our wedding date, she said." "Aw! fruit? not even during the flowering stage. Gosh! that''s too mean. That cruel girl." Albrecht is almost going to the cave when they heard some sound in the kitchen. To Albrecht''s surprise, Magee was in uniform and used her hand in eating instead of using spoon and pretended they''re not around. George grabbed his arms and they returned and sat back at the receiving area. "Shh...don''t say anything. Whatever you comment would bounce back to me. Better keep quiet if its all about - us." " Oh boy!" " I''ll start planting flowers before I take a bath and kindly give me a seedling of a fruit-bearing tree." "Ask it to Baldur, he''s good in planting trees and helped Dad in planting those flowers around. Anyway, I''m speechless, I don''t know anymore." Then Albrecht put his hands over head and nodded. "It''s just a month. I''ll still wait for my tree to bear a fruit, haha, bye! I''ll never waste my time, I''ll start farming now." Then George smirked, went out, instructed Albrecht to lock the door and he searched for Baldur who was then checking the new occupants around. "Hey George, what''s up?" " I''ll talk straight, help me find a fruit-bearing tree seedling now, I''ll plant." " Haha, why such...hmm, okay! let''s select among that bears the earliest, c''mon! I''ll show you the mini nursery." Baldur still turned his head on him while they''re heading to the mini-nursery. " Don''t annoy me with that look, haha! Don''t ask me any word relating to it, this is strictly for no interviews!" " Ah, ha, yeah!" "Oh here we are. These are the trees that grows healthily here, they loved the cool temperature with a little sunlight. Hmm, from the top we have lanzones, rambutan..." Baldur enumerated a list of it but George intervened him. "Brother, the earliest...to bear fruits, lead me to it." " Ah, yeah, but..." I''m thinking of a banana, hmm." " How many months or year does it usually give us fruit." " Hmm...around five to six months. I''m just confused if its really a tree." Baldur rubbed his face. " But if its really a tree, its impressively in a shorter period." George insist. " So will you guide me where to get them, at least 10 if its available. I''ll plant them right away." " I''ll go alone, just stay and wait here, I''ll separate them first from the mother plants." Baldur left him pondering. " Is banana, a tree?" An hour after Baldur returned and brought all of the ten banana shoots on his arms. "Its here. I''ll show you where to plant them where it will grow healthy." They walked on a slopy part of the area, crossing a daffodil then they stopped. " So, its on this spot?" George asked. " Oh, yes it on this part where the sunlight goes straight and there''s water flowing that serves its drainage. " Thanks brother." He smiled. " I don''t know about this but hey, I need to go back to the house for a while and get some towel." Baldur said then walked toward the house. Then Baldur hurriedly went back to the house and immediately looked for Albrecht, who was then sitting at the kitchen. " Albrecht, do you know what''s happening?" " Ask me anything." " About this planting issue." "Ah, sure. Its our sister''s added agreement with him that he has to plant a tree then set of rainbow flowers here before they''ll get married. At least the tree must bear a fruit first, before wedding date. Its as easy as that." " Gotcha! that''s why, I see. So this is part of ''pamanhikan stage,'' though her ways is more longer. She really followed the traditional process of settling down, despite the absence of elders and war." Baldur whispered. " I partly think of it too and thought its of no use considering its wartime." "Hmm...but its part of the local tradition here that we must respect as a family. "But I''m just...just, ha! the war! planting, watering and caressing of these plants need George, the head of the soldiers himself, right? Does it mean he has to stay here to take care of those. How about her safety!" Albrecht was a bit heightened. " Calm down. I''ll go and talk to her." "She''s inside our room, sewing." "knock knock!" Baldur knocked on the door thrice before he opened it. "Hey Baldur, come!" She smiled. "Hmm...we''re planting trees with the people now because it rained successively, I''m just a bit tired so I''m getting my towel back here. We still have lots of banana tree to plant for our survival here. This war is so taxing!" "Hmm brother, banana isn''t a tree, its technically a herbaceous plant, a herb because it has no woody tissue and botanically speaking its a berry and not a tree. Better you plant the ''sinta'' angel fruits (papaya). They grow easily but will take 8-9 months to bear fruits but its nutritious. She smiled and bite the thread. " Ah, that''s a good suggestion. He slowly grabbed his towel then when he stepped out of the house, he ran towards George." " Brother! let''s terminate planting that one, I''ve got a source tellin'' me that banana isn''t a tree but angel fruit is a bit acceptable over it." " We''ll be wasting a lot of it." George sighed. "No, don''t worry, I''ll tell some from our team to plant all of these somewhere ." Without much delay, Baldur took some ten papaya sprouts from the nursery and handed to him. " Brother, how''s the distance between them?" " Hmm, around two meter distance. George, after you plant all of these today. Be sure to water them, every two days and if they grow taller approximately 24 inches - months from now, just water them twice a week to sustain its growth until flowering stage. During rainy season, push the soil closer to its main body so that the lower part around it will serve as its drainage. They hate too much water. " Copy." George reassured with sweats flowing from his neck and forehead. After a couple of minutes, he''s done planting and immediately watered them. He was not contented yet but sought another guidance from Baldur if on how to plant a white daisy. "The white daisy is rare. In fact, we only have five mother plants and they''re really sensitive. You cannot just easily separate the young runner from the mother plant. If you are interested at it, go kneel, bend your body and carefully look at the bottom part and meticulously pull and discord them. Likewise, be sure that you selected a young runner with roots below it. Better use a knife in doing that and get a proper sleep to get a good eyesight." From afar, Magee was looking and smiled to him with bended body and carefully transfered the new runners to another area. Henry approached him to help but he seemed signaled that he can do it by himself. Note: Editing to all chapters are in progress 41 Search and Rescue Operation From the cave, George transferred her things going to Baldur and Albrecht''s room while they moved upstairs. As usual, when they''re in that room, George had to sleep on the wooden floor with his mat while Magee would stay on the bamboo bed or ''katre'' or ''kama'', that''s still their expectation. At 4 o''clock in the afternoon George called for a meeting with the people and after it, there''s a separate meeting with the soldiers and guerillas. The weather was good so everyone just squat on the ground in front of the house. " I''m glad you responded and everyone''s perfectly here. Though, your recent experience at the Japanese camp was quite unforgettable yet we''ll pray little by little to have a peaceful heart here. The owners of this one hectare place are just with us as they inherited this from their parents and surrogate father. Thus we have to stay here with gratitude and take care this abundant land. We all know that this is the only place left safe so I hope no one will go out and betray. Remember that the small amount of favor you get from betrayal bounces doubly. As a village, we have installed guards/ soldiers on post. Suppose the soldiers will go out for some mission, any civilian interested as long as capable can help. As agreed, you have to maintain silence and if possoble don''t cook anything that can be smelled outside. Strong smell of onions, garlic and anything goes are forbiddden. We have received a report that there are couples here, your relationships are not forbidden but Amado and I are your automatic Assistats when you labor or give birth in the right time. Due to limited resources, in cases of breech birth, chances are not assured but we''ll try our best. With fit and balance, everyone can live in a normal life inside and just be patient until this Japanese occupation and war would end. Sadly, we do not have rice so please let''s help one another in planting more carb-root crops. I encourage the women to help their partners in improving the quality of life inside their ''bahay kubo''s.'' Be productive. Instead of recalling sad experiences and present ordeal, try to think ahead and plan out. In setting some plans, be assertive, talk to us to possibly help you. Moreover, this house at my back is currently handled by its owners so let''s respect their privacy. However, there is one part here, on the left side was converted into an office. Baldur, one of the owners of this place will serve as ''puno'' or ''kapitan'' of this place. He is by blood, a Filipino-German. 41 Search and Retrieval Operation From the cave, George transferred her things going to Baldur and Albrecht''s room while they moved upstairs. As usual, when they''re lodged in that room, George had to sleep on the wooden floor with his mat while Magee would stay on the bamboo bed, known as ''katre'' or ''kama''. So at 4 o''clock in the afternoon George called for a meeting with the people and after it, there''s a separate meeting with the soldiers and guerillas. The weather was pleasant so everyone just comfortably squat on the ground, in front of the house. " I''m glad you responded and everyone''s perfectly here. Though, your recent experience at the Japanese camp was quite unforgettable yet we''ll pray little by little all of you would have a peaceful stay here. The owners of this one hectare place are just with us. They inherited this from their parents and surrogate father. Thus we have to radiate a positive life here with gratitude and with take care of this abundant land. We all know that this is the only place left safe so I hope no one will go out and betray this secret place. Remember that the small amount of favor you get from betrayal bounces doubly. As a village, we have installed guards/ soldiers on post. Suppose the soldiers will go out for some mission, any civilian interested as long as capable can help. As agreed, you have to maintain silence and if possoble don''t cook anything that can be smelled outside. Strong smell of onions, garlic and anything goes are forbiddden. We have received a report that there are couples here, your relationships are not forbidden but Amado and I are your automatic Assistats when you labor or give birth in the right time. Due to limited resources, in cases of breech birth, chances are not assured but we''ll try our best. With fit and balance, everyone can live in a normal life inside and just be patient until this Japanese occupation and war would end. Sadly, we do not have rice so please let''s help one another in planting more carb-root crops. I encourage the women to help their partners in improving the quality of life inside their ''bahay kubo''s.'' Be productive. Instead of recalling sad experiences and present ordeal, try to think ahead and plan out. In setting some plans, be assertive, talk to us to possibly help you. Moreover, this house at my back is currently handled by its owners so let''s respect their privacy. However, there is one part here, on the left side was converted into an office. Baldur, one of the owners of this place will serve as ''puno'' or ''kapitan'' of this place. Hevis bu blood, a Filipino-German and the adopted sons of the American captain. In so doing, Fr. Matias, our priest here is very much welcome to give us all a Sunday bible sharing or whatever he thinks could help our spiritual struggles and calm down our spirits from pains. He is by blood, a Filipino-German. From now on, instill in your minds that our goal is to survive. We cannot fight against the enemies by using our bolo, but in another way, we do our fights secretly. Whether you like it or not, the existing American occupation prior to the Japanese would end one day, so you remain the last natives to raise your flag. In connection, we''ll have all a flag ceremony every Monday, its the singing of the Philippine national anthem and just allow us to sing ours after you go. For those who are lonely out there, don''t lose your hope, give us your landmarks and we''ll try to look for your families, retrieve them, that if they''re still alive. During alternate days of conductibg search and rescue operation, we''ll go from one place to another and bring in new survivors/Filipino tenants. Tomorrow, you''ll all meet with Baldur and discuss your policies within and hopefully be agreed by everyone. He knew much about this place and even lived here for a longer period of time. I guess this is all I can say for now. Thank you and good afternoon. The people has left and went back to their respective bahay kubos but the priest approached George. " I''m the priest they say under the Dominican order. Thank you for the plan of keeping us here, as a community. In my end, I''ll try to help by officiating mass and conduct bible sharing, its just that they confiscate my bible and sadly burned it." " That''s not a problem Father Matias, that house has the bible." " Praise the lord! thank you." " Ah, by the way Father, tonight after our meeting with the soldiers snd guerillas, I''d like to ask a favor from you. "Sure. At any time, just let someone call me." Then he smiled and left. Fifteen minutes before dusk, the soldiers and guerillas gathered in front of the house. " We''ve lost our command, but because we are still a force capable to fight - we remain servants of this commonwealth. I''ll give you three days to rest, after that, we''ll get out for the search and retrieval operation. We''ll go westbound and find out some places with possible survivors we need to transfer here. "We''re ready Sir! But just to report from the previous station two Guerillas, they said the Japanese soldiers were saddened to the six soldiers who died of poisoning in the house of late Sr. Sibal. They accused some guerillas for doing it." Michael fed the information to everyone. "Its my wife who did it and its the reason why I was stabbed." He thought. " Sir, we''ll return to station three and check whether the traitors have already repented. "We''ll go back there and try to bring them in as long as they''ll promise to regain faithfulness." Elias said while stayed close with Gador who remained silent. "Copy, though they also have their reasons but the safety of a hundred is more important to me as of this time. Anyway, we''ll consider them if they remain in station three after a week. Still mandatory that no one is allowed to get out. We have period of operations intended for our orders and mission." "Yes, Sir!" Subsequently, when his men returned to their places he finally went inside the house but when he attempted to enter their room, its already locked. "Magee! Mag, can you please open the door, I''ll get my towel." She replied. " I , I...put your things outside, you sleep there.'' " What?" But I''m your stand by guard, you know that." He had sensed that she moved nearer to the door inside and spoke. " Shh...keep quiet. Tell me its okay. Tell me." " Oh my...fine! I''ll stay here the whole night and freeze like a snow." Then he was silent. In a while, an earsplitting sound from Albrecht summoned them for dinner. "Table is prepared, everyone please come." " She opened the door and silently passed by to where George was standing; he became speechless and dumbfounded while looking to her wearing such lady''s plain dress. He soundlessly followed her who then seated beside Albrecht. " Wow! my beautiful sister...am I correct, George?" " Yes, of course, she is." George replied. Baldur joined them and commented after noticing her outfit. " Did you fight?" " No!" They both answered in chorus. " Ah, haha....nothing, just checking. My wife put so much perfume when she''s making me jealous or when doing some petty revenge." Baldur smiled. She moved closer to George''s seat and smiled at him. Then she put on his plate some vegetable salad mixed with white beans. "Thanks." He meaningfully smiled at her for giving him the coconut-coated veggie salad. "After this meal, I must sleep right away, I''m so tired for today''s farming. Albrecht, you can''t expect me to help you with the dishes." " Don''t worry bro, I''ll do it." Albrecht replied. They all got up and she proceeded to the restroom. After she washed up then freshly returned to the bedroom, but she saw him sitting on her bed - waiting for her. " Sit down." He calmly said. " What is this for?" She sheepishly asked. " Are you mad at me?" " Who says I''m mad with you?" She smiled. " Nobody. I presumed, you were terribly angry since you send my things out, I felt like horribly dispatched in the North pole alone. " Hmm...you can sleep anywhere inside, there were still available rooms. Why do you really like to stay within the room I''m using." " ...but I was on the floor." " If you elevate the mat and put it next to me, we already sleep together, see that?" " But I already planted the tree and began taking care of the flowers." " You only planted white flowers, I said rainbow flowers." " Hmm...I shall decide what color that fits you and white matches - everything in you." She sweetly smiled and moved to the door. " Why. Why are you guarding the door? He can''t explain his feelings if he was happy or angry. Seeing her with the sweetest smile but wants him to get out seems unbelievable. He slowly got out and puzzled but when he was at the doorstep outside he turned around and blankly asked her. " Why? were you mad because I was drunk last night? What have I done?" She covered her face and smirked then she closed the door. He ran upstairs and joined to the siblings on their bed. "Oh! heyyy!" "Hey, anyone, help me!" He shared to the brothers what happened and Baldur was laughing. " Why?" George asked. It means, she''s starting to maturely like you - as a woman. But since you are under moratorium haha, under pamanhikan, you will expect more surprises. " What is that?" " You have to fetch water for her to bath, maybe carry some things for her if its heavy, plant a tree and wait for it to bear a fruit or plant rainbow flowers, get the moon and the stars, haha!" Baldur hife inside his blanket and Albrecht smiled. " Good luck George!" Welcome to the family, you''re almost there, keep going. I''ll never tell you to give up now because its very clear that she likes you based from what you said. And take note, the more she''ll hide her face from you while smiling, the more she''s controlling her heartbeats. You''re too lucky, you just awaken the brothers and made them interpret their sister''s lovelife. Good night George, I missed Madelleine!" He got down slowly and seated om the long chair, beside Magee''s place. The he smiled to himself and made his hands as pillow while looking above. " Pamanhikan..." Till he slept wearing a smile while thinking of her. 42 Westbound Evening Bomb Blasts He was awakened by the impact of successive bomb blasts westbou nd that made him rushed outside. " What is it? would that mean, there are also troops or guerillas hiding at westbound that the Japanese are targeting? Or if they exist, the Japanese may have assumed and mistaken them as the ghost troop - referring us that they manuever two days ago." He sadly thought. Outside, some of the residents curiously looked up outside their bahay-kubos and as another high calibered bomb was horrendously dropped, the ground had shaken and its echo remained scary. " Sir, that part where the blasts come from was the barrio of my mother''s clan and its certainly just three kilometers away from here." Narciso told him as he put his hands in his pockets. " Narciso, I''d like to estimate that direction and if you like you can come with me, let''s climb uphill. I need to get my gear." " Yes, Sir." Narciso replied. He then hastily returned inside the house to change the wobbly jeans into his army gear and tagged his daggers and ropes. When George had returned, Narciso was bewildered if which part of the mountain they would climb. Minutes after following George in their trekking, Narciso thought he would die of tension and they have gone fairly high. Sir, good that we''re already here I thought I''ve lost my gut. Such a steep climb. But its worth it, we''re here. " The problem is, everything''s blurred in the horizon in front of us covered by fogs. Turn around, did you see what I see?" George smiled. " A good rendezvous during daytime I guess." Narciso complem ented with a fascinating chill. "That''s the Japanese barracks nearby station one." George clarified. " Boom!" " Gotcha! Its the third bomb, we''re seeing the exact place now. Just ensure your buckle or anything that sparks should be kept, otherwise they might see its reglectin overhead, careful. By the way, it gets me being more curious and there''s no point of being early to get down. Anyway, before the majority transferred here, how many foxholes have you dug for bamboo traps?" " There were around 17, but mostly smaller ones. Seeing something in it." Narciso meaningfully asked. " Yes, have you seen the distance between the Japanese barracks and that barrio? That place you called good as rendezvous and the barrio is approximately six kilometers. This mountain we are in is the epicenter. Therefore, I have to stay here up in the sunrise to possibly see the vehicular routes or please get me some binoculars to Baldur." " Sir, so I had to climb again." Narciso smiled. " No, you won''t get back here but just tie the binoculars on the rope''s tip and I pull it up. What do you think?" "Interesting, I haven''t thought of it, haha." They both smiled while chilling. In a while, Narciso slid down on a rope while George aided it to fall slowly. (...to be continued) 42 Westbound Midnight Bomb Blasts He was awakened by the impact of successive bomb blasts westbou nd that made him rushed outside. " What is it? would that mean, there are also troops or guerillas hiding at westbound that the Japanese are targeting? Or if they exist, the Japanese may have assumed and mistaken them as the ghost troop - referring us that they manuever two days ago." He sadly thought. Outside, some of the residents curiously looked up outside their bahay-kubos and as another high calibered bomb was horrendously dropped, the ground had shaken and its echo remained scary. " Sir, that part where the blasts come from was the barrio of my mother''s clan and its certainly just three kilometers away from here." Narciso told him as he put his hands in his pockets. " Narciso, I''d like to estimate that direction and if you like you can come with me, let''s climb uphill. I need to get my gear." " Yes, Sir." Narciso replied. He then hastily returned inside the house to change the wobbly jeans into his army gear and tagged his daggers and ropes. When George had returned, Narciso was bewildered if which part of the mountain they would climb. Minutes after following George in their trekking, Narciso thought he would die of tension and they have gone fairly high. Sir, good that we''re already here I thought I''ve lost my gut. Such a steep climb. But its worth it, we''re here. " The problem is, everything''s blurred in the horizon in front of us covered by fogs. Turn around, did you see what I see?" George smiled. " A good rendezvous during daytime I guess." Narciso complem ented with a fascinating chill. "That''s the Japanese barracks nearby station one." George clarified. " Boom!" " Gotcha! Its the third bomb, we''re seeing the exact place now. Just ensure your buckle or anything that sparks should be kept, otherwise they might see its reglectin overhead, careful. By the way, it gets me being more curious and there''s no point of being early to get down. Anyway, before the majority transferred here, how many foxholes have you dug for bamboo traps?" " There were around 17, but mostly smaller ones. Seeing something in it." Narciso meaningfully asked. " Yes, have you seen the distance between the Japanese barracks and that barrio? That place you called good as rendezvous and the barrio is approximately six kilometers. This mountain we are in is the epicenter. Therefore, I have to stay here up in the sunrise to possibly see the vehicular routes or please get me some binoculars to Baldur." " Sir, so I had to climb again." Narciso smiled. " No, you won''t get back here but just tie the binoculars on the rope''s tip and I pull it up. What do you think?" "Interesting, I haven''t thought of it, haha." They both smiled while chilling. In a while, Narciso slid down on a rope while George aided it to fall slowly. (...to be continued) 43 Emergency Attack When George was done with his ocular inspection uphill he right away returned below and immediately proceeded to the house while his shirt was pasting with sweat. He changed, rested and took a bath. After which, Albrecht offered him some breakfast while the house seemed so silent. " Where is she?" George asked. " She''s done with her meal and said she''ll sew one of your damaged uniforms. Yes, repair. Exactly, yours alone - not including ours." Then uncontrollably George smiled. While having his breakfast he shared to Albrecht what he has found out and some plans for it which eventually Baldur joined them and set it right away. They were at the receiving area chatting when she called his name. " George..." It was too slowly. "What is that? Is there another George inside?" Then Albrecht attempted to move his ear on the door but Baldur pulled his belt to return to his seat. "You''re not supposed to be the eldest you think backwardly. Leave her alone, she''s maybe taming this man in front of us. Albrecht calm down and behave." Baldur seriously commented. "Shh...its our little secret so that you two will be used to it." " What''s that?" They asked in chorus. " She talks and mumbles while sleeping. So you probably heard her calling my name while eyes closed right now and probably dreamt of me." He smiled and blushed. " Oh c''mon! haha!" Okay, I have nothing to say about that anymore I felt some ants are biting my feet, are there any ants below which are biting you too, Baldur? I''m more interested on the ambush next day and the physical training today." Hmm..." Albrecht smiled. "He still stare to nothingness, sighed and smiled and slowly spoke. " She''s making me dumb and melting me like the sun that melts the foggy mountaintop up there." "George, you''re 25 and the head of this command. Someone might hear you, c''mon! haha!" Baldur felt being tickled. He got back to reality and saw them smiling and staring at him. "Hey brothers, can we look for a bigger angel fruit? something like as tall as a 5 year old child and I''ll replace the smaller one. How is that." Hmm...we also think about it but she already saw what you have planted. Sadly, the tallest stands around 6 inches, its really for 8-9 months of waiting." " Heavens! 8-9 months, that''s too far!" Then he shook his head. " But the ambush brother, where are you going to assign me. Am I a frontliner or a gunner or what?" Albrecht jokily intervened. "Brother, everything''s fine...its just that it takes time but you''re already on the first phase, its a tradition she''s following, better let''s stop from planning the ambush and resume tonight. Me and Albrecht will facilitate the physical training and sparring. Just relax first. I know you''ve got a hard time up there plus you heard her calling your name when the room is always lock. Come Albrecht, let''s water the angel fruit, that''s the only way we can help." Baldur put his arms around Albrecht''s shoulder then they got out from the house. " Gosh! what will I do? Dad (Captain) had me for her, the brothers as well. The situation gives me a headache. Seldom I''ve heard a story like this exclusively my life with Magee." He bowed his head on the ground. " George! are you there outside?" He did not move for he thought she was just dreaming again. " George!" Magee called him twice so he stood up right away in front of the door. " Yes? I''m here." " Here''s your uniform, Please take this. I need to go to the kitchen and can you stay a little farther, away from the door or you may join with them in exercising outside." " Ha? They told me to relax in here, I have no sleep yet." " Oh, I see. Okay you stay here inside, take your sleep on my bed." " Really? Thanks." Then he entered the room like a lightning. Magee smiled and went to the kitchen and boil the breadfruit that Baldur just harvested. She put fair amount of sugar and 5 cups of pure coconut milk into a pot of breadfruit in chunk. While waiting for it, she took a bath and when she got out she''s startled by his presence, standing in front of the bathroom and he''s too close on her. Magee smiled dryly and spoke. " Sit down. I''ll shout if you move closer to me. We agreed already and its final. Why you worry a lot when I''m just around, ha? Find your seat." She then smiled. " You let me wait in your room." George expressed with his deepest voice. " Did I tell you that I''ll be back there while you''re inside? I will sleep at my brothers'' room tonight and they''ll stay in the room where the map is. Haha....I know you like that room very much, I''m giving that to you." " Why you can''t look at me straightforward." " Its nothing. Just wait for the breadfruit, its almost done. I guess you''re just hungry. Here''s the delicacy of Tikaban and this is really for you, George." " " 43 Mandatory Physical Training When George was done with his ocular inspection uphill he right away returned below and immediately proceeded to the house while his shirt was pasting with sweat. He changed, rested and took a bath. After which, Albrecht offered him some breakfast while the house seemed so silent. " Where is she?" George asked. " She''s done with her meal and said she''ll sew one of your damaged uniforms. Yes, repair. Exactly, yours alone - not including ours." Then uncontrollably George smiled. While having his breakfast he shared to Albrecht what he has found out and some plans for it which eventually Baldur joined them and set it right away. They were at the receiving area chatting when she called his name. " George..." It was too slowly. "What is that? Is there another George inside?" Then Albrecht attempted to move his ear on the door but Baldur pulled his belt to return to his seat. "You''re not supposed to be the eldest you think backwardly. Leave her alone, she''s maybe taming this man in front of us. Albrecht calm down and behave." Baldur seriously commented. "Shh...its our little secret so that you two will be used to it." " What''s that?" They asked in chorus. " She talks and mumbles while sleeping. So you probably heard her calling my name while eyes closed right now and probably dreamt of me." He smiled and blushed. " Oh c''mon! haha!" Okay, I have nothing to say about that anymore I felt some ants are biting my feet, are there any ants below which are biting you too, Baldur? I''m more interested on the ambush next day and the physical training today." Hmm..." Albrecht smiled. "He still stare to nothingness, sighed and smiled and slowly spoke. " She''s making me dumb and melting me like the sun that melts the foggy mountaintop up there." "George, you''re 25 and the head of this command. Someone might hear you, c''mon! haha!" Baldur felt being tickled. He got back to reality and saw them smiling and staring at him. "Hey brothers, can we look for a bigger angel fruit? something like as tall as a 5 year old child and I''ll replace the smaller one. How is that." Hmm...we also think about it but she already saw what you have planted. Sadly, the tallest stands around 6 inches, its really for 8-9 months of waiting." " Heavens! 8-9 months, that''s too far!" Then he shook his head. " But the ambush brother, where are you going to assign me. Am I a frontliner or a gunner or what?" Albrecht jokily intervened. "Brother, everything''s fine...its just that it takes time but you''re already on the first phase, its a tradition she''s following, better let''s stop from planning the ambush and resume tonight. Me and Albrecht will facilitate the physical training and sparring. Just relax first. I know you''ve got a hard time up there plus you heard her calling your name when the room is always lock. Come Albrecht, let''s water the angel fruit, that''s the only way we can help." Baldur put his arms around Albrecht''s shoulder then they got out from the house. " Gosh! what will I do? Dad (Captain) had me for her, the brothers as well. The situation gives me a headache. Seldom I''ve heard a story like this exclusively my life with Magee." He bowed his head on the ground. " George! are you there outside?" He did not move for he thought she was just dreaming again. " George!" Magee called him twice so he stood up right away in front of the door. " Yes? I''m here." " Here''s your uniform, Please take this. I need to go to the kitchen and can you stay a little farther, away from the door or you may join with them in exercising outside." " Ha? They told me to relax in here, I have no sleep yet." " Oh, I see. Okay you stay here inside, take your sleep on my bed." " Really? Thanks." Then he entered the room like a lightning. Magee smiled and went to the kitchen and boil the breadfruit that Baldur just harvested. She put fair amount of sugar and 5 cups of pure coconut milk into a pot of breadfruit in chunk. While waiting for it, she took a bath and when she got out she''s startled by his presence, standing in front of the bathroom and he''s too close on her. Magee smiled dryly and spoke. " Sit down. I''ll shout if you move closer to me. We agreed already and its final. Why you worry a lot when I''m just around, ha? Find your seat." She then smiled. " You let me wait in your room." George expressed with his deepest voice. " Did I tell you that I''ll be back there while you''re inside? I will sleep at my brothers'' room tonight and they''ll stay in the room where the map is. Haha....I know you like that room very much, I''m giving that to you." " Why you can''t look at me straightforward." " Its nothing. Just wait for the breadfruit, its almost done. I guess you''re just hungry. Here''s the delicacy of Tikaban and this is really for you, George." " " 43 Kabang and Tikaban Woman When George was done with his ocular inspection uphill he right away returned below and immediately proceeded to the house while his shirt was pasting with sweat. He changed, rested and took a bath. After which, Albrecht offered him some breakfast while the house seemed so silent. " Where is she?" George asked. " She''s done with her meal and said she''ll sew one of your damaged uniforms. Yes, repair. Exactly, yours alone - not including ours." Then uncontrollably George smiled. While having his breakfast he shared to Albrecht what he has found out and some plans for it which eventually Baldur joined them and set it right away. They were at the receiving area chatting when she called his name. " George..." It was too slowly. "What is that? Is there another George inside?" Then Albrecht attempted to move his ear on the door but Baldur pulled his belt to return to his seat. "You''re not supposed to be the eldest you think backwardly. Leave her alone, she''s maybe taming this man in front of us. Albrecht calm down and behave." Baldur seriously commented. "Shh...its our little secret so that you two will be used to it." George whispered. " What''s that?" They asked in chorus. " She talks and mumbles while sleeping. So you probably heard her calling my name while eyes closed right now and probably dreamt of me." He smiled and blushed. " Oh c''mon! haha!" Okay, I have nothing to say about that anymore I felt some ants are biting my feet, are there any ants below which are biting you too, Baldur? I''m more interested on the ambush next day and the physical training today." Hmm..." Albrecht smiled. "He still stare to nothingness, sighed and smiled and slowly spoke. " She''s making me dumb and melting me like the sun that melts the foggy mountaintop up there." "George, you''re 25 and the head of this command. Besides, you''re not a teenager anymore. Someone might hear you, c''mon! haha!" Baldur felt being tickled. He got back to reality and saw them smiling and staring at him. "Hey brothers, can we look for a bigger angel fruit? something like as tall as a 5 year old child and I''ll replace the smaller onenthat I''ve planted. How is that." Hmm...we also think about it but she already saw what you have planted. Sadly, the tallest stands around 6 inches, its really for 8-9 months of waiting." " Heavens! 8-9 months, that''s too far!" Then he shook his head. " But the ambush brother, where are you going to assign me. Am I a frontliner or a gunner or what?" Albrecht jokily intervened. "Brother, everything''s fine...its just that it takes time but you''re already on the first phase, its a tradition she''s following, better let''s stop from planning the ambush and resume tonight. Me and Albrecht will facilitate the physical training and sparring. Just relax first. I know you''ve got a hard time up there plus you heard her calling your name when the room is always lock. Come Albrecht, let''s water the angel fruit seedlings, that''s the only way we can help." Baldur put his arms around Albrecht''s shoulder then they got out from the house. " Gosh! what will I do? Dad (Captain) had me for her, the brothers as well. The situation gives me a headache between het principles. Seldom I''ve heard a story like this, hmm." He bowed his head on the ground. " George! are you there outside?" He did not move for he thought she was just dreaming again. " George!" Magee called him twice so he stood up right away in front of the door. " Yes? I''m here." " Here''s your uniform, Please take this. I need to go to the kitchen and can you stay a little farther, away from the door or you may join with them in exercising outside." " Ha? They told me to relax in here, I have no sleep yet." " Oh, I see. Okay you stay here inside, take your sleep on my bed." " Really? Thanks." Then he entered the room like a lightning. Magee smiled and went to the kitchen and boil the breadfruit that Baldur just harvested. She put fair amount of sugar and 5 cups of pure coconut milk into a pot of breadfruit in chunk. While waiting for it, she took a bath and when she got out she''s startled by his presence, standing in front of the bathroom and he''s too close on her. Magee smiled dryly and spoke. " Sit down. I''ll shout if you move closer to me. We agreed already and its final. Why you worry a lot when I''m just around, ha? Find your seat." She then smiled. " You let me wait in your room." George expressed with his deepest voice. " Did I tell you that I''ll be back there while you''re inside? I will sleep at my brothers'' room tonight and they''ll stay in the room where the map is. I know you like that room very much, I''m giving that to you now." " Why you can''t look at me straightforward." " Its nothing. Just wait for the breadfruit, its almost done. I guess you''re just hungry so here''s the delicacy of Tikaban and this is really for you, George." " I''m not hungry yet. I''ll just stay around and watch you with the breadfruit." He insisted. " Ah, I see. Hmm...how''s your white daisies, I''ve heard that one of the roosters destroyed your newly transplanted runners, is it true?" "Who said that? Then he ran to check if its true and its terribly frustrating, seeing those plants that are already uprooted and laid on the ground helplessly. Without wasting his time, he right away looked for some bolo and replanted. After a short while, he watered the risen white daisy plants and stood up with joy. Ready to proceed back to the house when a lady approached him. "Sir, I think you need to put small drainage around them and constant watering is needed for daisies. You are fond with flowers, isn''t it amazing? Most guys don''t do it." '' Ah...my wife loves them." She smiled to her. " Wow! she''s dearly loved and she''s very lucky having you as her responsible husband. Do you know the meaning of that? by the way, which place she''s a native of? because people''s tradition here depends on its origin or clan. " Just mention three barrios around this place and feedback me what their traditions on planting for their wives mean." He curiously said. " In Gabok, its where the bombs were dropped last night has an adorable meaning of it. Wives told them to do it so that their deities will bless their firstborn with blessings ahead. For a Tikaban woman, although its not meant for his husband anymore, but to his fiancee - asking him to help her preserve her purity before the wedding and that she''s indirectly teaching him to carefully take care of the flowers he''s planting because it represents their relationship and bond. Once the man don''t water the flowers mean he stops loving the woman. If the woman noticed that the flowers are not taken cared of due to impatience - the woman will drop the agreement and conclusively finds him as irresponsible and legitimately not a good husband. For Kabang tradition, a woman requires her fiancee to plant flowers so to ask him to follow the pamanhikan process. It usually have two - way scope. First, they asked men to plant a tree and if it bears fruit, she''ll marry her. She will always monitor him if he''s taking care of the tree, if not, or if the tree dies, the man will be dismissed from the agreement. Second, the woman will ask to the fiancee some rainbow flowers (its a trick). The woman really needs one color that a man must pick, not randomly. If the man picked a color she have chosen too, it means, she will serve the man like a husband but only on that level but she still will stay away from him - till the day before the wedding. Thank God, Kabang women vanished long time ago, not anyone survived from the 1918-1920 Spanish flu pandemic. They were like Spartans, brave and determined. Men can''t touch their hands if they''re unmarried, its a sign of grave disrespect and a major offense." " Wow! you are well-versed, what are you into?" " I studied anthropology but I wasn''t lucky enough to graduate. I joined the revolution even before the war. I was included in the pool of captives after being caught." " Sorry to hear that." ''"By the way Sir, its clear to me that you''re planting for your firstborn, congratulations in advance!" She smiled then left. " Wait, we''re going to Gabok two days from now for a search and retrieval operation, if you like you to see your hometown, you may join us." " I''m George." " Yes Sir, sure, I''ll go. By the way, I''m Guida, its my name." She smiled then left. He was left alone sighing. " She combined the two traditions. Hmm...maybe because she lived in Tikaban and was born in Kabang, interesting! But still, the more I was drawn into our agreement. Huh! better I''ll join the exercises, there''s a lot to think about." " 44 Search and Retrieval Operation "Why you haven''t conducted the search and retrieval operation outright the bomb attacks?" Magee curiously asked as she arranged his uniform and put some packed food in his bag ready and ready for pick up on the wooden chair. " The enemies usually left to man the area to execute full extraction so we better extend a little while to ensure safety. Calculatingly, most of the locals gets back to their places after the loss and hiding so we might find some of them to bring in here. " Hmm...I see. Take good care. She smiled at him waving her hand. He bowed smilingly, shook his head and bite his lips then returned to seeing her lovely smile that glued his heart. However, he remembered something. "The flowers and trees, I need to water them first before leaving." Then he quickly grabbed a coconut shell dipper and a bucket filled with spring water before proceeding to his angel fruits and daisies. After watering, he then again moved up the soil around the daisies so to create a drainage around. Magee saw her doing it but someone approached George. " Its that woman again, huh! She has a bag too and seems going with him in the operation." Her heart beats faster so do with her pulses. In a minute, George returned inside the house and Guida just waited outside together with the rest of the soldiers and guerillas. " Mag, Magee..." He whispered. " She''s inside and moved closer to the door. " Y...yes." " I''m leaving, we''re leaving bound to Gabok. Can I see you before I go." Then she opened the door slowly. When they looked at each other face-to-face and after a minute or two, he spoke. " Stay beautiful in my heart." Then he winked an eye on her and moved out. But she had been chased by her pulse rates and called him. " George...who''s that woman." She whispered softly. " A guerilla from Gabok, she''ll help us on our way there." George explained. " Ah, really, careful." She waved her hand towards him while smiling and he finally left with the troop while climbing the mountain, going out. " Hah! I''m free. My brothers are with him so I can go back to station one and solely proceed to my mission." She hurriedly wore his well-suited army uniform given to her by Baldur that she repaired, packed her things and brought her dagger. The two soldiers guarding her were busy chatting in front of the main door so she took her exit at the back of the comfort room. Gradually, she was moving a little farther then eventually skulking beside the rocky wall going east. She could not pass through the secret rocky door due to the two soldiers manning it so she decided to camouflage to the lanzones tree nearby the wall. When she looked up she smirked and thought that one of its branches was just next to the rocky wall that if she could just reach that exact branch, it would just be approximately 21 meters high climb in order to get out. To slither going down was not anymore a problem because she brought along with her a rope. "God! help me with this one. This is for my country, please send me there with your mercy and forgiveness. She was teary eyed while started climbing the lanzones tree. She had climbed approximately 30 feet high and almost going to reach the branch she wad eyeing below. She breathe deeply and continued to walk on a branch nearing the wall like a flying trappeeze performer; balancing both hands sideways and finally reached the edge of the wall. Her sweats were all around her when she continued climbing again on the wall by just grasping the bulging rocks. Some of it fell so she made sure that she could deal with it till the mountain top. When she reached there, it was breathtaking and gasped repeatedly. "Wow! how beautiful the scenic aerial view is. Oh, that''s exactly my house!" Then she smiled. After being rested for a couple minutes, she tied the rope on a bonsai-like tree; put her hands to it and started to slink down. Done wit her gliding adventure so she hide the tip of the rope on some tree roots leaning on the rocky wall. 45 Spying the Barracks He woke up early and found her still sleeping. " Hmm...she sleeps like an angel but she just destroyed the Japanese camp last night and scarily warned me not to step in her place and hide herself to the next room when I slid my feet to get inside her place. Aw! what''s that..." He thought. "George...something''s moving in my hair, I guess its a...snake." Magee just woke up due to the titillating hissing sound. " D...don''t move, don''t talk, calm down. Its...my God...just don''t move, I''m getting inside your place, may...I?" " George, yes, no...and when the snake moved out passing through her arm she quickly held its neck and with all her strength she threw it away. George proceeded to where it was thrown and slain it. " Hah! where is it?" Magee stood up and ran towards where it was slain. " Its quite big, are you okay?" " Yes I''m alright. Just can''t believe it nestled in my hair." She grabbed her towel and ran to bath. " Ow! Why you''re bringing your dagger in bathing." George smirked. " Nothing." Magee replied in a distance. " Mag, what do you want for breakfast? Just sayote leaves, there ate new sprouts I guess in front of the waterfalls, just boil it for me please." Then he has heard her dipping water successively. " Mag..you may take a bath under the showery waterfalls. I''ll just climb at the Mabolo tree for a while, isn''t that your wish before." He smiled. " No, its okay, I''m almost done." Then he went out to get some sayote sprouts when he saw from a distance a lot of Japanese soldiers patrolling. He got back immediately and boiled the leaves. Magee got out from her place and joined with him at the kitchen table. "You''re so silent." " The Japanese soldiers are patrolling up there." " Ah, I see. I''m waiting for your sermon." " There''s none, I understand you." " Next time, just tell me of your plans. Honestly, they''re awesome. Your plans to fight were just practical, simple, so natural yet effective. She smiled while eating the sayote with breadfruit. " How is that mixed with sugary breadfruit?" He asked. "Its tasty." " By the way, I told Guida you''re my wife and she thought I planted the flowers for our firstborn." " Ows! You lied to her." She smiled. " Its just that she has to know I''m tied so to block whatever her plans are, isn''t my idea amazing?" " I''m beginning to follow your footsteps. By the way, did you climb in the rocky wall of Kabang in order to get out?" George asked. " Yes." " Mag, its too dangerous. Please don''t do it again." She''s just silent and listening. "Just wanted to help. But I have my next plan." " Oh dear, what''s that." " There''s a wooden bridge going to Gabok, since its no man''s land now due to their attack to the place that brought threats to the people so we can freely infiltrate our plans like loosening the wooden bridge. It can accommodate persons to pass through but the vehicle could not really resist on it. We need to destroy their vehicles." " Hmm...its a good idea. Don''t worry, I''ll tell my men to work on it." " 46 A Perilous Travel Death-defying. Its exactly synonymous to what George and Magee have thought before crossing the border between Tikaban and Kabang. Astonishingly, they noticed a post with 5-6 soldiers on guard and were heavily armed. Roughly its ten meters away from the waterfalls as they descended downhill on the right bound to their destination. They were really extra careful on tramping by the cliff where tree roots hanged over the rock bars and brims. Chances are, if one cannot firmly grasp the tree roots or branches, there''s a possibility of dwindling down tragically or any worst accidents may occur considering its 50 feet elevation above the ground. Its in no point of no return too since they do not have any available food inside the waterfalls. " George!" She whispered while following him. He turned his head and stopped for a while. "Yeah!" " I''m tired..." She awkwardly smiled at him. " Ha...but we''re exactly in a place below their guardpost, they might notice us around." He whispered. " I thirst too, I did not bring water I thought we''ll not be delayed." She breathlessly spoke. " Wait, here, drink this." He extended to her his small water container. " Have you drink on that today?" With her sweats popping on her face. " Not yet. I''m healthy, I don''t have any contagious diseases, haha!" He smirked by closing his mouth. He paused to think a little and looked at her, analyzed it badly and looked back on her while consuming it all, till its last drop. " Hah! thank God!" She bent her back on a bigger branch. "Mag, I forgot...I''ve sipped some water from that bottle a little before we climbed here." He jokily told her. He lifelessly pinched his arm, heavily wiped her mouth with her jacket and left him. In spite of the struggles they''re experiencing but George can''t help being tickled and silently laughed over the cliffy place that looks like the great wall. " Should I say this is the worst dating place ever in the entire world. In the future, I''ll really tell my children about what their mother had been doing to me now - joyful penitence." He smiled and quickly followed her. They were already in the middle of their trekking when she stopped and moved one step downward; picked some riped guavas and gave him some. 47 Forgiveness to Edmund As usual, he slept on the long wooden chair in front of Magee''s room. It was almost 2''oclock when he woke up with Magee''s voice again fleeing in the chilling air. "George" She whispered. He covered his ears and smiled. It was even twice the detail. " George, get out." She whispered. "My goodness, I''m here, you know, just outside." He thought then silently sneered. But the sound inside her bed was intense till there was a man''s voice panting from pain. It made George forcibly opened the door while bringing a lighted lamp and unbelievably found Edmund on the ground - bleeding. In a second, Albrecht and Baldur hurriedly went down and surprisingly saw Edmund inside their sister''s room but still as comrade, they picked him up; brought him outside and attended to stitch including meds for his wound. No one from the brothers asked nor blamed him. She was teary eyed upon looking at him pulling a chair and sat on it nearby the edge of her bed. " I''ll listen. Tell me." George asked. " Nothing." " What happened, tell me." His voice was a bit deep and husky. " He attempted to open my blanket. I thought its you so I called your name but there was never any response so I removed the blanket out of my face; he right away covered my mouth but I grabbed my dagger and... stabbed him. When this war will end?" She sobbed and much as he want to comfort but he was hesitant and just bowed his head while listening to her sobs and chills. After she have ferret out pains and fears George covered her a thick blanket. " Hmm...your mummy-type blanketing is helping. Can you show me how did you do it?" He jokily asked her that made her smile then slid herself inside and hide. " Thank you. I feel better now. Do not worry anymore. Just please close my window that it could not be opened anymore. He passed through it. " Copy. I''ll talk to Edmund too. He has to learn his lesson." " I have forgiven him already. I know it isn''t easy for men to live within a warzone but at least he should have checked that I was hiding inside. I did not provoke to be liked by anyone. Someone loves me dearly and he''s about to get out now. " She ended that way. " He bowed his head smiling while putting his chilling hands in his pockets. " I''ll just cover your window tomorrow early. Your sleep might be distracted if I''m going to hammer it now. Sleep tight Mag." He then left smiling. " Oh....come! help us." Albrecht was running and urged him to go up. " What happened to him?" He got up and saw his bleeding ear and thigh, pleading for mercy. " Sir, forgive me." Edmund cried. "Don''t worry Edmund, experiencing all these is already a lesson. I thought you were just stabbed but look, my wife even bit your ear. Don''t worry, my brothers and I will keep this as a secret. No one will know that you attempted to molest my woman. Remember, having this mistake isn''t just the basis of our friendship to break, this case is isolated and she even would want you to know that she''d forgiven you. Just don''t do it again. If you are interested on marriage, I''ll introduce you to someone I know." He gave him a glass of water and a tablet so that he can sleep and get rid out of pain. " Thank you Sir. S...sorry again. Its the first and last." Albrecht forwarded to him the emergency kit and assisted while Baldur was just observing and stand by errand to further needs George might look for. It took them for an hour to finish the last stitching procedure.Aqaqa " Hmm...just don''t be curious about us, our relationship being a couple is romantically unique, haha. Okay." He tapped his shoulder and looked at his damaged ear before he left. " God...his ear was almost ripped into two pieces. How did she do it, stabbing and biting at the same time, huh." He shook his head and headed back to the chair outside Magee''s room. " 48 A Messengers Repor Elias - was among the shortest among all guerillas and was trained to spy. Apart from that, he swims and runs like no other and knows the orient''s terrain. Apparently, out of Baldur''s order, he was assigned to find out the deaths during the fire at the barracks and foxholes'' tragedies. md soldiers at the barracks fire? plus 10 foxholes'' morbidity counts made it 37. Is this reliable El?" Baldur asked. " Yes, Sir." Three of their present captives were from Gabok. I''ve met them by the river to laundry wash and in fact, they''d like to join us. They said, there''s just around 15 Japanese soldiers left into their new camp beside the burnt barracks. Two machine gun carrier vehicles were also damaged during the fire. They said another batch of soldiers will be dispatched next week." Elias reported. "Meaning, for one month, we''ve knocked down almost a hundred Japanese soldiers including our first attack with the slaying dogs. Our militia is not this easy." Baldur turned his head to George. " That''s why we must let them feel we''re invisible. Its useless to attack the ocean using just one boat. And here, keep pointing station two as the hideout. Thanks Elias for telling it the same. " Then who attacked and burned the barracks?" Guida asked. " My wife. She''d killed one at the safe zone, another one by the cliff and burned the barracks with 27 deaths." George confidently answered. " That pregnant?" Guida crosschecked. Albrecht was laughing at the back and had his exit going back to the house. "Another thing. Next mission will be led by Edmund and Guida. The details will first be discussed with them tomorrow. They''ll only bring 10 men for that mission." George added. " Okay, if you don''t have any question, let''s dismiss this meeting and thanks to Elias, Baldur will jot down your contribution to your country. So if anyone will shamelessly betray, that''ll be written in our journal too. Guida walked closer to him after the meeting. But George approached Edmund who was then sitting beside Baldur. "Guida, he''s Edmund. Edmund, she''s Guida. You two will loosened the wooden bridge next week, its a good timing where the new Japanese troop will arrive. Our main target are their vehicles filled with stocks and facilities. The net will be prepared one kilometer away. We''ll retrieve it nighttime after the incident and overhaul the stocks we could get. Eventually, it has to be planned out well since there might be grenades and other sensitive potential stuffs that could blast. " Interesting! thank you for letting me in for this job, Sir." Guida gratefully remarked. " For now, I will leave you both for a dialogue with your mission next week and feedback me later." " Thanks, Sir." Edmund said. Then George left wishing their dialogue would hit two birds at the same time. Assessing a probable silent attack which can be charged as natural and not man-made and a hope both could start a good relationship." While they were left under the shady sampaloc (tamarind) tree ( its where they usually sets gatherings and meetings) Edmund was just silent so Guida broke the silence. " Hi, Sir George told me you''re wounded during the battle with the Japanese soldiers, glad I''ll be working with you." She extended her hand and he had it smiling. They enjoyably talked when Guida asked him. You came in first, have you seen that pregnant wife of the lieutenant? "She''s very brave! don''t attempt to sneak and discover her face, she might kill you." " Haha! and why she''s hiding? she''s maybe not attractive, unlike her husband." " She''d got what a man wants. She have blue deeper eyes, chiseled nose, divided chin, pouty lips, perfect forehead, gorgeous brows, waistline straight hair, heart-shaped face, her body is perfect and smiles like an angel but she murders like a beast. She''s outspoken with more than 3 dialects and studied in Manila prior to the war - she''s intelligent. They just usually fight with the lieutenant and sends him outside their room when she''s mad at him. Rumor says, the lieutenant was madly in love with his wife." Edmund gossiped to Guida. "Ows! she must not underestimate him too much. He might replace her." " That''s impossible, haha! She was her dream woman." Edmund laughed. " Aw! and we can''t do anything anymore at it, haha, Anyway, how''s the plan for the bridge silent extraction, where are we going to start?" Guida shifted the topic. George was watching at them from the balcony and suddenly got back in front of Magee''s room. " Mag, can I come in?" George sought a permission. " Is that urgent. You may." He silently smiled and shook his head. " Yes, it is." George seriously groomed his voice and answered. He then ooene the door and gently sat down, fronting her. " Aha...what''s that handsome smile all about, ha?" Magee boosted his energy to start telling a secret while sewing his shirt. " Ah, I''ve been telling myself not to keep anything from you. For me, its what a couple must do to earn more positive mutual trust and respect. Hmm...there''s this woman Guida I felt was interested of me. This is maybe a mistake but I sensibly felt her motives all the way. Its also the reason why I did not continue to go with them in Gabok because she pressed my back." " Hmm...continue." She then so serious listening and even stopped from sewing. " She''s so straightforward and a type of person that will find ways just to get what she wants, she partly said it when we were walking going to Gabok. I don''t know what her plans are but I want you to be careful of him or she might attempt to ruin us. Both of us must prepare against her. I told you this is wartime, we don''t know our enemies. As a leader, I could not just kick her out or she can be a potential traitor. Mag, I''m telling you all these so we shouldn''t let our guards down. Extra careful. 49 Edmund and Guidas Wedding On the second day of Edmund and Guida''s companionship, they declared themselves as couple and already scheduled their wedding, witnessed by everyone. There was a short celebration and Baldur gave in his ''tuba'' ( extracted coconut juice) at night when the men were gathered. George went back to the house and sought her permission for a drink. " Just don''t overdrink, okay?" " Sure." He smiled and left her while closing tightly all doors. An hour after, while hearing the cheerful moments of the celebration she happened to watch a lighted part to one of the villagers'' houses and she thoroughly observed a man, transferring from one house to the other. Blurry, but she could only see his silhouette horrendously cutting heads of people. Magee rubbed her eyes then get back to seeing it. The man knocks every door and since he''d part of the village so everu household knew him better. At least she had witnessed for only 3, but he seemed harvested the households after minutes so Magee back off and whispered to herself. " Ina! amok ini ( Mama! this is amok - killing more than 3 persons and seemed simply harvesting deaths). She thought maybe because of the traumatic experience of that man had been. With do much tension, she right away wore her military uniform, bkack shoes and cap then ran to get first her family and still terribly trembling while holding her sword. "They''re all down, my goodness. George? Albrecht? Baldur?" She desperately whispered. Since it was dark, she tried to one on one checked them and finally found George first - asleep. She heavily pulled him first like a log heading to the second secret cave facing the sea, opened it with a smaller slit that they could just pass through and left him leaning on a sack. She ran back holding her sword and still hearing some metal cut on heads. eventually, she found Baldur and grabbed him towards George as she was filled with sweats all around. Her tremor was intense but looking for her second brother Albrecht was a bit difficult. Still shaking in fear but she was gratified seeing Albrecht filled with vomit beside the chair. Regatdless of the smell, she pulled him to the safer cave, slowly since she already saw the man in ''amok'' had finished everyone in the houses and he was just relaxingly traveling heading to the army and guerilla''s banquet. Magee had successfully place his eldest brother in, so she closed it carefully. She was teary eyed hearing the chopping of the man on each body he passed through at the banquet but to her relief, the soldiers guarding the secret entrance cave have seen him doing that act, so they shot and hit his right arm. He ran while Henry and Amado (guards on duty) sued him but he was heading to Magee''s direction. The man was a bit taller so she hide behind a smaller tree and when he passed by a meter away, she ran and stabbed him from his back. Magee knelt on the ground and cried while listening to the man''s dying request. " Ne, kadtuhi kanak anak ngadto... Gabok, yagkalintura idto...wa ko da kitai, iso pa idto ne, lumon sidto pigpatay isab nilan...saang mga hapon ngawon... yaga inom." (Ne, visit my child who has a fever there in Gabok. Haven''t seen my child, still so young, the other sibling was also killed by them, those Japanese soldiers over there...drinking.)" Then his words were gone with the fogs around. When Henry arrived he wanted to shoot him again but Amado blocked his way. "He''s maybe dead. We better save our ammo." Despite her exasperating experience with a psychologically driven murderer but she got up and removed her sword out of his body. Her tears still flow but told Amado to surely check his pulse. After a while, Amado confirmed him DEAD. " Henry, Amado, they''re piled up of dead people under that tamarind tree. Let''s try to check to some we could still save." Then she heavily cried. Henry, go up to the house, get Albrecht''s flashlight and emergency kit in that room fronting the balcony. Amado, please start removing the gravely murdered on sides and those who are still breathing please start saving them. When the two left she ran and went back to the second cave. It was very dark so she lighted the candle on the wall. " George! George she whispered him." " Mag...where are we?" something bad came up, please help us outside. Before you get out, you listen first and don''t panic. Breathe in, breathe out and go back to your senses. She was shaking while recalling the memories and sweating all over her body. " Mag, am I not dreaming? He killed almost everyone due to a wrong vengeance? Can you slap me twice? you mean almost all the people we saved are almost dead?" " Yes, yes....huhu! yes, they''re dead." He stood up and ran towards the tamarind tree and proceeded to the houses blankly. He knelt on the ground in front of the houses and cried. Someone got out alive, its Fr. Matias. " George, I thought you''re all dead. I was in the comfort room due to food allergy and have heard the screams of people side by side. Its Balaslao, his mind went wrong after hearing the celebration. His child was one of the captives. Where is he right now?" " He''s already dead Fr. Matias." Magee answered. " Oh God, peace be with his soul. Forgive him." The priest looked up to heaven. " George hurriedly returned to the tamarind tree and found 47 dead soldiers and guerillas with 28 civilians. He cried again on his knees and Magee comforted him. " I had the same feeling when I saw with my eyes the actual killing and it even made me so scared but I was thinking of saving whoever I can grab with. I have only saved the three of you." Then she cried and collapsed. " Mag...Magee! He carried her back to the house and put some towel on her back. She''s still unconscious so he called Amado to help him. When Amado checked her pulses he said there''s nothing wrong and she was just very tired. " Who would have lingered this far after pulling three big soldiers on the riverside and from stabbing a murderer with a sword. It was so traumatic on her. Let''s just allow her to relax, Sir. He left her in the house and ran to tge second cave and awakened the siblings. " Brothers, wake up!" George breathlessly oriented them the scenario outside. " Magee pulled us going here, one by one though she told Henry and Amado that she left us on the riverside. She also stabbed the murderer. Right now she''s unconscious and in the house. I want you Albrecht to stay by her side and Baldur, you go with me and let''s help Amado and Henry in identifying the corpses. Father Matias is right there too." 49 Edmund and Guidas Tragic Wedding Celebration On the second day of Edmund and Guida''s companionship, they declared themselves as couple and already scheduled their wedding, witnessed by everyone. There was a short celebration and Baldur gave in his ''tuba'' ( extracted coconut juice) at night when the men were gathered. George went back to the house and sought her permission for a drink. " Just don''t overdrink, okay?" " Sure." He smiled and left her while closing tightly all doors. An hour after, while hearing the cheerful moments of the celebration she happened to watch a lighted part to one of the villagers'' houses and she thoroughly observed a man, transferring from one house to the other. Blurry, but she could only see his silhouette horrendously cutting heads of people. Magee rubbed her eyes then get back to seeing it. The man knocks every door and since he''d part of the village so everu household knew him better. At least she had witnessed for only 3, but he seemed harvested the households after minutes so Magee back off and whispered to herself. " Ina! amok ini ( Mama! this is amok - killing more than 3 persons and seemed simply harvesting deaths). She thought maybe because of the traumatic experience of that man had been. With do much tension, she right away wore her military uniform, bkack shoes and cap then ran to get first her family and still terribly trembling while holding her sword. "They''re all down, my goodness. George? Albrecht? Baldur?" She desperately whispered. Since it was dark, she tried to one on one checked them and finally found George first - asleep. She heavily pulled him first like a log heading to the second secret cave facing the sea, opened it with a smaller slit that they could just pass through and left him leaning on a sack. She ran back holding her sword and still hearing some metal cut on heads. eventually, she found Baldur and grabbed him towards George as she was filled with sweats all around. Her tremor was intense but looking for her second brother Albrecht was a bit difficult. Still shaking in fear but she was gratified seeing Albrecht filled with vomit beside the chair. Regatdless of the smell, she pulled him to the safer cave, slowly since she already saw the man in ''amok'' had finished everyone in the houses and he was just relaxingly traveling heading to the army and guerilla''s banquet. Magee had successfully place his eldest brother in, so she closed it carefully. She was teary eyed hearing the chopping of the man on each body he passed through at the banquet but to her relief, the soldiers guarding the secret entrance cave have seen him doing that act, so they shot and hit his right arm. He ran while Henry and Amado (guards on duty) sued him but he was heading to Magee''s direction. The man was a bit taller so she hide behind a smaller tree and when he passed by a meter away, she ran and stabbed him from his back. Magee knelt on the ground and cried while listening to the man''s dying request. " Ne, kadtuhi kanak anak ngadto... Gabok, yagkalintura idto...wa ko da kitai, iso pa idto ne, lumon sidto pigpatay isab nilan...saang mga hapon ngawon... yaga inom." (Ne, visit my child who has a fever there in Gabok. Haven''t seen my child, still so young, the other sibling was also killed by them, those Japanese soldiers over there...drinking.)" Then his words were gone with the fogs around. When Henry arrived he wanted to shoot him again but Amado blocked his way. "He''s maybe dead. We better save our ammo." Despite her exasperating experience with a psychologically driven murderer but she got up and removed her sword out of his body. Her tears still flow but told Amado to surely check his pulse. After a while, Amado confirmed him DEAD. " Henry, Amado, they''re piled up of dead people under that tamarind tree. Let''s try to check to some we could still save." Then she heavily cried. Henry, go up to the house, get Albrecht''s flashlight and emergency kit in that room fronting the balcony. Amado, please start removing the gravely murdered on sides and those who are still breathing please start saving them. When the two left she ran and went back to the second cave. It was very dark so she lighted the candle on the wall. " George! George she whispered him." " Mag...where are we?" something bad came up, please help us outside. Before you get out, you listen first and don''t panic. Breathe in, breathe out and go back to your senses. She was shaking while recalling the memories and sweating all over her body. " Mag, am I not dreaming? He killed almost everyone due to a wrong vengeance? Can you slap me twice? you mean almost all the people we saved are almost dead?" " Yes, yes....huhu! yes, they''re dead." He stood up and ran towards the tamarind tree and proceeded to the houses blankly. He knelt on the ground in front of the houses and cried. Someone got out alive, its Fr. Matias. " George, I thought you''re all dead. I was in the comfort room due to food allergy and have heard the screams of people side by side. Its Balaslao, his mind went wrong after hearing the celebration. His child was one of the captives. Where is he right now?" " He''s already dead Fr. Matias." Magee answered. " Oh God, peace be with his soul. Forgive him." The priest looked up to heaven. " George hurriedly returned to the tamarind tree and found 47 dead soldiers and guerillas with 28 civilians. He cried again on his knees and Magee comforted him. " I had the same feeling when I saw with my eyes the actual killing and it even made me so scared but I was thinking of saving whoever I can grab with. I have only saved the three of you." Then she cried and collapsed. " Mag...Magee! He carried her back to the house and put some towel on her back. She''s still unconscious so he called Amado to help him. When Amado checked her pulses he said there''s nothing wrong and she was just very tired. " Who would have lingered this far after pulling three big soldiers on the riverside and from stabbing a murderer with a sword. It was so traumatic on her. Let''s just allow her to relax, Sir. He left her in the house and ran to tge second cave and awakened the siblings. " Brothers, wake up!" George breathlessly oriented them the scenario outside. " Magee pulled us going here, one by one though she told Henry and Amado that she left us on the riverside. She also stabbed the murderer. Right now she''s unconscious and in the house. I want you Albrecht to stay by her side and Baldur, you go with me and let''s help Amado and Henry in identifying the corpses. Father Matias is right there too." 50 Bloodstains were Everywhere Its already 5''oclock in the morning and its only more than 30 soldiers and guerillas left, including Henry, Amado, Baldur, George and Fr. Matias who, then, were still awake piling up the corpses. With such incident, Baldur was busy writing on the journal all names of the murdered soldiers, guerillas and civilians inclusive of the murderer. In a moment, Edmund and Guida got out from their ''bahay kubo'' and were shocked from what they saw. Guida just blankly knelt and sobbed. She noticed that most occupants from the northern part of the place were 99% slaughtered. The southern part where the soldiers and guerillas stayed were saved especially those who slept early after the formal celebration - including the newlywed on their honeymoon. Those who were drunk and slept under the tamarind tree have tragically died. Around 6''oclock, George and company slept, those who just woke up continued the cleaning bloodstains and digging for the mass grave. The place began to look like the way it was found. A sad episode of their war story stuck with it and many lives were wasted. Still - it was due to that war. The remaining few had to start all over again. The smiles of the civilians they have just rescued faded, their dreams of facing the bigger sunrise together was not anymore realized but all''s forgotten, beginning that sad brand new day with more than 100 deaths wad such a history. George was saddened again when he woke up. He felt incapable of his leadership. "If only I listened to you, on not to overdrink. We maybe can rescue the civilians before they''re butchered." He cried in front of Magee who was just very silent sitting so blankly next to him. " George, its not your fault. Their time has come, this all about time. As I observed, even if all of the soldiers were not drunk, still the number of deaths would be the same. The murderer just did the crime so calmly and even bowed his head before he killed them all, one by one. That''s how I see it. At first glance, I was not even sure if he really had killed those people, he even knocked the doors respectfully. George, this is in connection to what you have told me, its about trust issue. This is a war. Manong Balaslao maybe had suffered from a war shock that turned him that way and ruined his mental state. The loss of family, children per se is never a joke. By which he was also triggered by the joyful noise while he was in pain. Yes, those who have died never thought that they''ll not be murdered inside in this safe grounds. I guess, it is something that we need to instill to people next time. Limit the trust at warzone. This place is paradise but all who joined us here have seen killings and tortures so they''re already in trouble of their psychological states. Many have survived and partly moved on like Guida and Edmund, but beyond what we see are scary ones. Things like that George. He bowed his head and smiled. "Thanks for saving us. For pulling the three of us put me into shame. You should have yelled over our weaknesses." George shamelessly admitted. " The world is round and I don''t own a day as mine. Next day, I don''t know how many will lay their lives for me too. Besides, we are a family. " She smiled. Momentarily, Albrecht was running, informing George that everyone outside is ready for the send off so they all went out, excluding Magee. In front of the mass grave, there''s a humdrum silence coupled with tears. A mass for the departed souls was officiated by Fr. Matias and he barely made his voice louder due to stress and stomach pains but still he made it through the end. Apparently, they burned some of the coconut husks and all of them had to step over it before they can go back to their places. Narciso approached George and boosted his leader''s courage to man the remaining few. " Sir, I still have the confidence to continue with our fight. I stay faithful under your command." He smiled and tapped his droopy shoulders. " Narciso, thank you, I honestly need it." " 51 George and the Siblings Calculations To dole out the suspicions and find out if its reliable so George suggested to help upkeep the level of recording and shred right away the traceability and involvement of the suspect/s. "Baldur! go up here immediately upstairs! let''s begin now!" Abrecht called out. "Wait a second." Baldur replied. Magee was beside George and seemingly her thoughts spun and jammed off inside while staring to nothingness. "Mag, you''re too silent." George was looking at her with a quick twist of his neck that echoingly pricked in a second. " Oh my God! you startled me with that sound!" She smiled while the brothers just joined them bringing a small table. They started the meeting on top of the rough encounter earlier at the mass grave but each were eager to find out the truth. Majority chose to settle in that room fronting the balcony - and Baldur started to open the command''s journal to evidently show the traces. " C''mon George! they aren''t going to wait this long, I guess we have to really start now, I''m entirely curious on how things get along well with ''amok'' and poisoning. George shrugged his shoulders. " I feel like there''s another person or group that''s may be around us. That person or group behind this poisoning put it to selective food probably after the wedding and during the setting of ''tuba'' on the banquet." George suspected. " The poison were not distributed to you George, and so with my brothers, saving all that''s connected to me. The culprit wants me to involve me as primary suspect. Consequently, that person or group had a deep grudge against me and its highly possible. To recall, that night during the incident after I left you and got back to the area, I saw a person''s silhouette at the banquet but its suddenly lost out of sight." Magee recounted. It seems both ideas were possible so Baldur tried to crosscheck the journal as per data collected. "Here''s the breakdown among the victims of mass killing. All in all we have 102 deaths, 55 were wounded; 47 don''t have stabs but noti?eably vomited. Yes, 12 victims both have wounds and pitifully vomited some blood." Baldur said. " It looks like we have mysterious enemies inside, huh!" Albrecht commented and at the same time feeling groggy. " We have to call up Elias and study his reports if it still matches with the latter. George then sighed considering Magee''s safety. " Magee, you must be extra careful starting today. I think this has a connection to Hakanori. We''ll also need to use the connection of Elias to find it out. George, we''ll give Elias some rewards and start to give him one gold bar and become our ear and eye." Suggested by Baldur. " That''s a good idea brother." George smiled. " Is that reward too big for his sympathy over our family, but if I were Elias the Messenger, I''ll take the challenge. But Mag''s at risk here, I''m afraid to send you back to the waterfalls, there were a few from this command who knew that place already. That last cave is our safest." Albrecht bowed down his head. " Yeah. We''ll continue to hide pirate Buccaneer as our secret." " Here, I have a suggestion. Within 24 hours I know that mysterious enemy or enemies would attack us. Just a gut feeling. Some knew that I was sleeping outside Magee''s room so we have to reverse things first. Albrecht will sleep on Magee''s bed, Baldur will stay at the long wooden chair outside Magee''s room while Magee will occupy that wooden floor in between the bed and the door." " I haven''t heard of your name in that scene? I had a hunch you''ll sleep beside her." Everyone laughed and Magee pinched Albrecht''s hand. " He isn''t done talking yet, try to patiently listen." She spoke huskily. "Aw! okay, George, go on." " I will sit down the whole night at the corner nearby the window. No one should try messing us, otherwise, I''ll gonna lose them. Its something that shouldn''t happen. Okay, so that''s the process then we''ll do this within seven days. " George, I''ve heard they thought your wife is pregnant, since I will sleep as the wife on bef maybe I need to put something on my tummy so that it would appear bigger." Albrecht looked at them seriously. " Hmm, that''s a good point, we''ll set it that way." George smiled. "Ow, brother, your smile is contagious. It seems you really wanted your wife to be pregnant." " You again infects his mind, um! um!" They again laughed and Magee was following Albrecht downstairs bringing her stick. " See her reaction, hah! she''s always like that when Albrecht teases her." Baldur said. " Yeah, you''re right, can''t help fro laughing too when she said that I wasn''t done talking yet, haha! But seriously Baldur, are you considering Guida too?" George asked. " Yes, she seemed envious the way I observed on her. In fact, she was looking for Magee this afternoon and commented how come a leader''s wife isn''t helping the command too by just even attending the burial. Aside from that, there was one time I saw her inside this house already, standing. When I caught her, she said she''s looking for you." Baldur said. " She pressed my back when we''re on our way bound for Gabok." " What? that''s madness! how come she can do that to a man who''s already tied to someone else aside from being the head of the command. I won''t allow her to do that to my sister too. Never." Baldur angrily said. " Shh...yeah! I was even heightened when she did it but of course I have to hold my temper very well. I hope she''d changed after getting married to Edmund." George ended. " Guida''s a potential suspect aside from Elias too." " That''s why we''re giving him a reward more than that of his deceptions, if its true rather than leaving him to be taken away from us. Magee approached them for dinner that Albrecht had prepared. While moving down, Baldur went down first followed by Magee then George. He forgot and nestled his hand on her hair. To his surprise, she didn''t throw his hand away but turned her head at him and smiled. " You have to eat well tonight. I have the feeling that you''ll not sleep well again for guarding me. Thank you." Unexpectedly, she goes out of balance and good thing George held her shoulder with his left hand and his right hand supported her back and they meet eyes too close that instant while he pressed her hand twice but she turned her face away from him and hide inside her hair. "Hey, what are you two doing? the stairs are getting out of balance. C''mon! let''s go dig for our dinner." Albrecht called them smiling. 49 Tragic Wedding Celebration On the second day of Edmund and Guida''s companionship, they declared themselves as couple and right away scheduled their wedding witnessed by everyone. There was a short celebration and Baldur gave in his ''tuba'' ( extracted coconut juice) at night when the men were gathered. George went back to the house and sought her permission for him to join them drinking ''tuba.'' " Just don''t overdrink, okay?" She smiled. " Sure." He smiled and left her while closing tightly all doors. An hour after, while hearing the cheerful moments of the celebration she happened to watch a lighted part to one of the villagers'' houses and she thoroughly observed a man, transferring from one house to the other. Blurry, but she could only see his silhouette horrendously cutting heads of people. Magee rubbed her eyes then get back to seeing it. The man knocks every door and since he''d part of the village so every household knew him better. At least she had witnessed for only thrice, but he seemed harvested the households after minutes so Magee back off and whispered to herself. " Ina! amok ini ( Mama! this is amok - killing more than 3 persons and seemed simply harvesting deaths). She thought maybe because of the traumatic experience of that man had been. With so much tension, she right away wore the army uniform Baldur made for him, black shoes and cap then ran to get first her family and still terribly trembling while holding her sword. "They''re all down, my goodness. George? Albrecht? Baldur?" She desperately whispered. Since it was dark, she tried to one- on-one checked them and finally found George first - asleep. She heavily pulled him first like a log heading to the second secret cave facing the sea, opened it with a smaller slit that they could just pass through and left him leaning on a sack. Outrageously, she ran back holding her sword and backed off a little after seeing a silhouette of person running away from the banquet. She was gasping and still hearing some metal cut on heads from a distance. Eventually, she found Baldur and grabbed him towards George as she was filled with sweats all around. Her tremor was intense but looking for her second brother Albrecht was a bit difficult. Still shaking in fear but she was gratified seeing Albrecht filled with vomit beside the chair. Regardless of the smell, she pulled him to the safer cave so slowly since she already saw the man in ''amok'' had finished everyone in the houses and he was just relaxingly traveling heading to the army, guerillas and civilians'' banquet. Magee had successfully place his eldest brother in, so she closed it carefully. She was teary eyed hearing the chopping of the man on each body he passed through at the banquet but to her relief, the soldiers guarding the secret entrance cave have seen him doing that act, so they shot and hit his right arm. He ran while Henry and Amado (guards on duty) sued him but he was heading to Magee''s direction. The man was a bit taller so she hide behind a smaller tree and when he passed by a meter away, she ran and stabbed him from his back. Magee knelt on the ground and cried while listening to the man''s dying request. " Ne, kadtuhi kanak anak ngadto... Gabok, yagkalintura idto...wa ko da kitai, iso pa idto ne, lumon sidto pigpatay isab nilan...saang mga hapon ngawon... yaga inom." (Ne, visit my child who has a fever there in Gabok. Haven''t seen my child, still so young, the other sibling was also killed by them, those Japanese soldiers over there...drinking.)" Then his words faded along with the melting of fogs around. When Henry arrived he wanted to shoot him again with flaring anger but Amado blocked his way. "He''s maybe dead. We better save our ammo." Despite her exasperating experience with a psychologically driven murderer but she got up and removed her sword out of his body. Her tears still flow but told Amado to surely check his pulse. After a while, Amado confirmed him DEAD. " Henry, Amado, they''re piled up of dead people under that tamarind tree. Let''s try to check to some we could still save." Then she heavily cried. Henry, go up to the house, get Albrecht''s flashlight and emergency kit in that room fronting the balcony. Amado, please start removing the gravely murdered on sides and those who are still breathing please start saving them. When the two left she ran and went back to the second cave. It was very dark so she lighted the candle on the wall. " George! George she whispered him." " Mag...where are we?" something bad came up, please help us outside. Before you get out, you listen first and don''t panic. Breathe in, breathe out and go back to your senses. She was shaking while recalling the memories and sweating all over her body. " Mag, am I not dreaming? He killed almost everyone due to a wrong vengeance? Can you slap me twice? you mean almost all the people we saved are almost dead?" " Yes, yes....huhu! yes, they''re dead." He stood up and ran towards the tamarind tree and proceeded to the houses blankly. He knelt on the ground in front of the houses and cried. Someone got out alive, its Fr. Matias. " George, I thought you''re all dead. I was in the comfort room due to food allergy and have heard the screams of people side by side. Its Balaslao, his mind went wrong after hearing the celebration. His child was one of the captives. Where is he right now?" " He''s already dead Fr. Matias." Magee answered. " Oh God, peace be with his soul. Forgive him." The priest looked up to heaven. " George hurriedly returned to the tamarind tree and found 47 dead soldiers and guerillas with 28 civilians. He cried again on his knees and Magee comforted him. " I had the same feeling when I saw with my eyes the actual killing and it even made me so scared but I was thinking of saving whoever I can grab with. I have only saved the three of you." Then she cried and collapsed. " Mag...Magee! He carried her back to the house and put some towel on her back. She''s still unconscious so he called Amado to help him. When Amado checked her pulses he said there''s nothing wrong and she was just very tired. " Who would have lingered this far after pulling three big soldiers on the riverside and from stabbing a murderer with a sword. It was so traumatic on her. Let''s just allow her to relax, Sir. He left her in the house and ran to tge second cave and awakened the siblings. " Brothers, wake up!" George breathlessly oriented them the scenario outside. " Magee pulled us going here, one by one though she told Henry and Amado that she left us on the riverside. She also stabbed the murderer. Right now she''s unconscious and in the house. I want you Albrecht to stay by her side and Baldur, you go with me and let''s help Amado and Henry in identifying the corpses. Father Matias is right there too." 50 Bloodstains on the Ground A morose dawn in the groovy place where only more than 30 soldiers and guerillas left. Among the survivors include Henry, Amado, Baldur, George and Fr. Matias who, then, were still awake piling up the corpses. With such dreadful incident, Baldur was busy writing on the journal all names of the murdered civilians, soldiers, guerillas, inclusive of the murderer. In a moment, Edmund and Guida got out from their ''bahay kubo'' and were shocked from what they saw. Guida just blankly knelt and sobbed. She noticed that most occupants from the northern part of Malapague were 99% slaughtered while the southern point where comprised of the soldiers and guerillas clustered were luckily saved. Noted survivors were those who slept early after the formal celebration - including the newlywed who spent on their honeymoon. Those who were drunk and slept under the tamarind tree have tragically died. The house was gawkily bare, except Albrecht who prepared for breakfast as he used to wake up early. Around 6''oclock, George and company who worked all night in the literal graveyard just slept and those who just woke up stayed scrubbing and washing the bloodstains on the grounds out of their limited buckets. Similarly, the digging for the mass grave continued. The place began to look like the way it was found. A sad episode of their war story stuck with it and many lives were wasted. Still - it was due to that war. The remaining few had to start all over again. The smiles of the civilians they have just rescued faded, their dreams of facing the bigger sunrise together was not anymore realized but all''s forgotten, beginning that sad brand new day with more than 100 deaths was such a history. The sun shone up high and its midday when George was saddened again when he woke up. He felt incapable of his leadership when Magee walked by his side and gently sat down beside him and he spoke first. "If only I listened to you, on not to overdrink. We maybe can rescue the civilians before they''re butchered." He cried in front of Magee who was just very silent sitting so blankly next to him. " George, its not your fault. Their time has come, this all about time. As I observed, even if all of the soldiers were not drunk, still the number of deaths would be the same. The murderer just did the crime so calmly and even bowed his head before he killed them one by one. That''s how I see it. At first glance, I was not even sure if he really had killed those people, he even knocked the doors respectfully. George, this is in connection to what you have told me, its about trust issue. This is a war. Manong Balaslao maybe had suffered from a war shock that turned him that way and ruined his mental state. The loss of family, children per se is never a joke. By which he was also triggered by the joyful noise while he was in pain. Yes, those who have died never thought that they''ll not be murdered inside in this safe grounds. I guess, it is something that we need to instill to people next time. Limit the trust at warzone. This place is paradise but all who joined us here have seen killings and tortures so they''re already in trouble begore they get in. Many have survived and partly moved on like Guida and Edmund, but beyond what we see are scary ones. Things like that George. He bowed his head and smiled. "Thanks for saving us. For pulling the three of us put me into shame. You should have yelled over our weaknesses." George shamelessly admitted. " The world is round and I don''t own a day as mine. Next day, I don''t know how many will lay their lives for me too. Besides, we are a family. " She smiled. Momentarily, Albrecht was running, informing George that everyone outside is ready for the send off so they all went out, excluding Magee. In front of the mass grave, there''s a humdrum silence coupled with tears. A mass for the departed souls was officiated by Fr. Matias and he barely made his voice louder due to stress and stomach pains but still he made it through the end. Apparently, they burned some of the coconut husks and all of them had to step over it before they can go back to their places. Narciso approached George and boosted his leader''s courage to man the remaining few. " Sir, I still have the confidence to continue with our fight. I''ll stay faithful under your command." He smiled and tapped his droopy shoulders. " Narciso, thank you, I honestly need it." George smiled to him. When Narciso left, noticeably, Fr. Matias moved sluggishly toward George and spoke. " George, I wanted to feedback you about my observation..Hmm...some of those who died didn''t have any scars of wounds, they simply have vommitted blood that looks like they were stabbed." George vibrantly looked at him with inquisitive eyes. "Fr. Matias, do you mean...please come with me inside the house. Then he called the siblings. "She''s Magee, my fiancee." Then George got back and smiled to the priest betore he continued. "My bestfriends, Baldur and Albrecht - her brothers." " Glad to meet you all here again. I usually see the brothers outside but first time to personally meet Magee." Then he smirked and wave his hand. " I set this emergency meeting for some verification. Here, Fr. Matias have something to share. " Last night, I joined the banquet for just a minute or two then left. But prior to leaving the table, I tasted a little sauce from the spoon but next to that, I hurriedly returned to my ''kubo'',opened a coconut then chew it and sipped its milk. Its what my mother told me whenever there are poisoning. So when I was trying to rescue myself from eating and chewing the coconut meat, I bumped to the comfort room and really had a distorted tummy. Its just a taste of sauce and as I remember, I even spit it. But I still thank to it because if not, it could have been that I was the second door Balasbao would have knocked. All of the sudden, Baldur opened the journal and found out that there were 47 people who died without stabs but vomitted blood and mostly stayed at the banquet. Around 55 were identified being wounded by bolo due to ''amok''. Of course there were 12 among those who vomitted and likewise wounded." " Fr. Matias, I think it would be all and thank you for sharing your observation with us." George ended then the priest had his exit. " 51 Mysterious Enemies To dole out the suspicions and find out if its reliable so George suggested to help upkeep the level of recording and shred right away the traceability and involvement of the suspect/s. "Baldur! go up here immediately upstairs! let''s begin now!" Abrecht called out. "Wait a second." Baldur replied. Magee was beside George and seemingly her thoughts spun and jammed off inside while staring to nothingness. "Mag, you''re too silent." George was looking at her with a quick twist of his neck that echoingly pricked in a second. " Oh my God! you startled me with that sound!" She smiled while the brothers just joined them bringing a small table. They started the meeting on top of the rough encounter earlier at the mass grave but each were eager to find out the truth. Majority chose to settle in that room fronting the balcony - and Baldur started to open the command''s journal to evidently show the traces. " C''mon George! they aren''t going to wait this long, I guess we have to really start now, I''m entirely curious on how things get along well with ''amok'' and poisoning. George shrugged his shoulders. " I feel like there''s another person or group that''s may be around us. That person or group behind this poisoning put it to selective food probably after the wedding and during the setting of ''tuba'' on the banquet." George suspected. " The poison were not distributed to you George, and so with my brothers, saving all that''s connected to me. The culprit wants me to involve me as primary suspect. Consequently, that person or group had a deep grudge against me and its highly possible. To recall, that night during the incident after I left you and got back to the area, I saw a person''s silhouette at the banquet but its suddenly lost out of sight." Magee recounted. It seems both ideas were possible so Baldur tried to crosscheck the journal as per data collected. "Here''s the breakdown among the victims of mass killing. All in all we have 102 deaths, 55 were wounded; 47 don''t have stabs but noti?eably vomited. Yes, 12 victims both have wounds and pitifully vomited some blood." Baldur said. " It looks like we have mysterious enemies inside, huh!" Albrecht commented and at the same time feeling groggy. " We have to call up Elias and study his reports if it still matches with the latter. George then sighed considering Magee''s safety. " Magee, you must be extra careful starting today. I think this has a connection to Hakanori. We''ll also need to use the connection of Elias to find it out. George, we''ll give Elias some rewards and start to give him one gold bar and become our ear and eye." Suggested by Baldur. " That''s a good idea brother." George smiled. " Is that reward too big for his sympathy over our family, but if I were Elias the Messenger, I''ll take the challenge. But Mag''s at risk here, I''m afraid to send you back to the waterfalls, there were a few from this command who knew that place already. That last cave is our safest." Albrecht bowed down his head. " Yeah. We''ll continue to hide pirate Buccaneer as our secret." " Here, I have a suggestion. Within 24 hours I know that mysterious enemy or enemies would attack us. Just a gut feeling. Some knew that I was sleeping outside Magee''s room so we have to reverse things first. Albrecht will sleep on Magee''s bed, Baldur will stay at the long wooden chair outside Magee''s room while Magee will occupy that wooden floor in between the bed and the door." " I haven''t heard of your name in that scene? I had a hunch you''ll sleep beside her." Everyone laughed and Magee pinched Albrecht''s hand. " He isn''t done talking yet, try to patiently listen." She spoke huskily. "Aw! okay, George, go on." " I will sit down the whole night at the corner nearby the window. No one should try messing us, otherwise, I''ll gonna lose them. Its something that shouldn''t happen. Okay, so that''s the process then we''ll do this within seven days. " George, I''ve heard they thought your wife is pregnant, since I will sleep as the wife on bef maybe I need to put something on my tummy so that it would appear bigger." Albrecht looked at them seriously. " Hmm, that''s a good point, we''ll set it that way." George smiled. "Ow, brother, your smile is contagious. It seems you really wanted your wife to be pregnant." " You again infects his mind, um! um!" They again laughed and Magee was following Albrecht downstairs bringing her stick. " See her reaction, hah! she''s always like that when Albrecht teases her." Baldur said. " Yeah, you''re right, can''t help fro laughing too when she said that I wasn''t done talking yet, haha! But seriously Baldur, are you considering Guida too?" George asked. " Yes, she seemed envious the way I observed on her. In fact, she was looking for Magee this afternoon and commented how come a leader''s wife isn''t helping the command too by just even attending the burial. Aside from that, there was one time I saw her inside this house already, standing. When I caught her, she said she''s looking for you." Baldur said. " She pressed my back when we''re on our way bound for Gabok." " What? that''s madness! how come she can do that to a man who''s already tied to someone else aside from being the head of the command. I won''t allow her to do that to my sister too. Never." Baldur angrily said. " Shh...yeah! I was even heightened when she did it but of course I have to hold my temper very well. I hope she''d changed after getting married to Edmund." George ended. " Guida''s a potential suspect aside from Elias too." " That''s why we''re giving him a reward more than that of his deceptions, if its true rather than leaving him to be taken away from us. Magee approached them for dinner that Albrecht had prepared. While moving down, Baldur went down first followed by Magee then George. He forgot and nestled his hand on her hair. To his surprise, she didn''t throw his hand away but turned her head at him and smiled. " You have to eat well tonight. I have the feeling that you''ll not sleep well again for guarding me. Thank you." Unexpectedly, she goes out of balance and good thing George held her shoulder with his left hand and his right hand supported her back and they meet eyes too close that instant while he pressed her hand twice but she turned her face away from him and hide inside her hair. "Hey, what are you two doing? the stairs are getting out of balance. C''mon! let''s go dig for our dinner." Albrecht called them smiling. 52 Albrecht as Primary Bai Outright their sumptuous dinner, Magee started putting innumerable clothes inside Albrecht''s tummy that protruded like it would anytime explode. Albrecht tried to control himself from chuckling, seeing his tummy that big. " How many number of months is this? Mag, its I guess ten months! He whisperingly called George who responded right away. George sought her permission to step aside; took over the task and she was religiously observing her gentleness in fixing Albrecht''s eight month tummy. " Oh brother, how many months is this? Albrecht asked. " Its just eight month, not a ninth month yet." He smiled. " Hmm...I''m convinced." " Wow! you''re an expert. Have you experienced assisting a Doctor in birth delivery?" Magee curiously asked. " Yes. I personally made the mothers gave birth even without the Doctors.'' " You alone?" " Yes, hmm...around almost a hundred of them." " I see. She smiled then went out to sit beside Baldur. The room was dim and Albrecht''s ready to play his role already. As planned, they just followed what has been set early on. With the fogs around beginning to emerge in every corner of the place and the spring flows going to the river emanates a more mysterious night. Appalingly, George was sitting on a chair, adjacent to the window when he glanced on his wristwatch after Albrecht whisperingly asked the time. " It''s past 11 o''clock." He moved closer back to Albrecht who then felt so uncomfortable to his role. A little while, George heard a sound from the kitchen. " Shh..." He pressed Albrecht''s hand to signal him to keep quiet and went back slowly to his post. In a while, there were lighter footsteps moving closer toward Baldur''s long chair then it stopped right there and Magee surprisingly crawled slowly going to George''s side. " Why Baldur didn''t say any word? I seemed to hear some irritable noise." George just tightly covered her ears and they both noticed that the window fronting Albrecht''s bed was slowly opening. George then moved forward and let Magee leaned back. Though she seemed kicking to go along with him but he turned his head and gently pat her shoulder which was enough to make her stay. Noticeably, someone sprouted from the window and before the person could step on the wooden floor when George attacked him by bending his hands backward and blocked his right foot to make the intruder fall facing the floor. Magee moved closer and covered the person''s mouth. Magee pulled the person on the corner and additionally tied both hands and feet. Despite their noise, Baldur did not bother to open the door to check them that made Magee anxious. But another person speedily came in from the window but George impatiently punched the intruder to cause a heady knockdown. Magee pulled the second person in the corner and quickly tied both hands and feet. Out of fear, Albrecht immediately stood up, removed the clothes and rushed toward the door and opened it to check his younger brother Baldur. Magee then hide behind the piled up sacks after George lighted a lamp and followed to Albrecht who unbelievably snickered while staring to Baldur. ;" Brother." You don''t need to speak and just wait here. I''ll get you some water, for a while. " Ows! Baldur, its alright! I''ll get back on you after I can call Narciso and Edmund to pick up these two intruders." But before George proceeded to move outside the house he told Magee not to get out nor interview Baldur. " Just stay here and hold your dagger." He whispered to her before he locked the window. Moments later, five from the soldiers and guerillas picked up the intruders that Albrecht had transfered to the receiving area. "Where is she?" George whispered to Baldur. " In the bathroom. I tied her securely." Baldur shrugged his shoulder and shook his head. " Is she the same woman I''ve told you?" " Yes, its Guida. He''s whispering to my ears your name. She thought I was you. But the door has opened. " Baldur, are you alright?" Magee smilingly asked him. " Mag, stay beside George, don''t get closer to me I still have to get this done and ask our captive few questions. " Baldur..." Magee pityingly looked at him. " Don''t worry. This is nothing, still part of my being your elder brod who should protect both you and George. Go back inside and relax. Magee." He urged her to get inside with his hoarse and voi?e. Then she followed. 53 "Im the Lieutenants Wife" At dawn, everyone we''re settled around the wooden table at the kitchen and started to interrogate Guida. " You were very eager to see my wife, here she is." With his gentle eyes looking at Magee seemingly awaken her heart for the upbeats . " She''s beautiful. I thought she''s a Filipina." Guida have finally realized how Edmund described her though she looked at Magee annoyingly. " Yes, I am. Just don''t look at me according to what you thought I am but on where I was born and raised makes me one - jus sanguines. Singod da sini kanato piga rason, kanami ini, pig singod nilan kami sini, pero awon isab kanato mission ngani ( this is usually our reason, this is ours, and they did it to us, but we also have our mission here ) then she gently put the folded Philippine flag on a white cloth in the center of the table). She is the reason if why we''re fighting against the real enemies. We need to protect this motherland - protect her. Its how a woman nourishes every family of her own. Yes, I am a Filipino. My mother is a full blooded mandaya, my father''s a foreigner but I don''t see any difference. Still, we''re both natives here." " Now, that you''ve met her I guess there''s no point of comparison now. Though I have a proposal to you. Once I could do it, will you stop the agony for your parents and anything else behind. I loved this family and ever since I belong to them." Then George gave a sort of half-smile. " What is that, Sir." She bowed her head pinching her finger. " I will try to take back your parents. If that''s the only way you''ll not betray us anymore." She''d avoid eye contact but still gone straightforward. " Its just that I liked him, not maybe exactly that point but seeing him watering and taking care of those flowers for his wife made me ran out of words. And when I learned that its you, Hakanori''s pride, thr woman who tormented my parents instantly turned me out sideswept. He disgust me too much because of you. She looked at her angrily. " I won''t challenge you anything childish, he''s already an adult and even knew you''re coming for him, but sadly you''ve got my married brother. Stop flirting to married people and let''s just team up to retrieve your parents. We don''t even tell Edmund about this, this is just petty. My man is mine but if he''ll loose me to catch you, my life would still be the same and will never be wasted. Think of that so if I were you, don''t tempt him anymore and stop pressing his back, it isn''t working. I won''t either be jealous. I''m not proud as a woman but I believe to only touch what''s mine. Stop getting envy of me, hmm...my foster grandpa, mother, brothers were murdered. My biological father is about to sacrifice his life for this war, my biological mother died for giving birth of me, my biological father was suspected of euthanasia, killed and was told had a contagious Spanish flu disease, I became wanted for escaping from the setup wedding, Filipinos want to slay me for thinking that I was the reason why their loved ones badly imprisoned. These have nothing to get envy with. Our lives are diff''rent, you run your time and I''m driving mine. You''re good on something while I''m worst at it but there are things I can do where you cannot. Its all about facing the reality now. You''ve got loved ones, I''ve got mine though we can still reach out to one another as a big family. Hopefully, katingon da kita, ining mga usog doon sa harapan ta wa da ga iglain kanato. Kanak mga lumon Filipino isab yaan silan. (let''s stop, these men in front of us didn''t anymore treat us - as strangers to them. Even my brothers are also Filipinos. (...to be continued) 54 George and Magees Wedding He rushed to hurriedly escape from his wicked kiss that made him stuck behind the breadfruit tree. " What have I done? What had happened to me? It could obviously make her furiously mad. Huh! But no! I can become her official I husband today, no matter what, I shall prepare her that way." Then he smiled and shook his head. He then proceeded to see Fr. Matias, informing that there''s a couple requesting him to officiate the wedding. " Who are they? haven''t heard anymore of a couple around. " Its a secret Fr. Matias, hope you won''t tell anyone." " Ah, okay. What time they would want me to officiate?" " At 6 o''clock, inside the sibling''s house." " Copy. I''ll be there." Then the priest smiled at him. He walked out heading back to the house when his feet could not send him in and bumped himself on a log outside the main door, in reddish face and chilling heart. While inside the house. " Mag, Mag...can I come in? here''s your dine in come rushing, a boiled cassava for a snack....." Albrecht rushed upon seeing her quandary situation sitting blankly at the back of her bed. Albrecht knelt in front of her after putting the plate of boiled casava on bed. " Mag? you''re crying? Who hurt you this way? Is it George, I''ll whip that lieutenant! George!" " Shh...stop calling him." She whispered while wiping her tears. " What happened?" Albrecht asked with two bulging eyeballs. " He kissed me." She slowly spoke while pointing her finger on the cheek. " What? Wait here." He looked at her like a madman and hurriedly got out smiling and perfectly found him that instant. " Brother! someone''s crying inside for her first kiss." Albrecht whispered to the guilty lieutenant. " Oh my! this is what I was thinking about and he pressed his head too hard then looked to Albrecht. " What will I do now?" " Nothing, its a big celebration. Dad would likely come home running." Albrecht smiled and teased him. " But this is a big deal for her, you know that. Oh! she''s calling you in! good luck brother." Albrecht went away and when he met Baldur bringing some bucket he told him to go back to where he come from. " What happened?" Baldur asked. " He kissed him, and its her first kiss. Wanna join the court trial? go on, go inside!" Then Albrecht smiled at him. " Ah, okay, I got it." He shook his head and told Albrecht to see his bean farm. . While inside the house. He slowly knocked the door of her bedroom. " Come in." She said. When he opened the door she told him to go to the bathroom, wash a small towel and bring it inside. He quickly did what she said then got back after a minute. " Here...what am I going to do with this." She wasn''t looking at him but instructed to come closer and he still followed. When he was a bit closer she showed the cheek he had slowly kissed and told him to wipe it thoroughly. While he was wiping that portion, it quickly became reddish and with her hoarse voice she spoke. " You should have asked me first." She bowed her head and cried. "Its reddening, your cheek''s in pain. I can''t wipe it anymore." He put down the towel and deeply sighed. Silence came in. " I''m very sorry, I should have waited. Its my fault, I didn''t ask a permission. But I was carried away. Its....its there in front of me already , but sorry." He bowed his head. "You should at least - talk before you do something." " What will I do next." He sheepishly asked. " You prepare the wedding. I''ll just prepare myself." " I''ve started already with Fr. Matias. Hmm...please smile for me, don''t mean it too bad. Don''t let me feel like I''m a criminal for doing it." She smiled at him while teary eyed. "Why?" "...because I love you! its what I thought when I did it, don''t you love me that way too?" He whispered and put her hand on his palm and used the other hand to wipe her tears. " Of course I love you too. Its just that..." She mumbled and he smiled at her. " You ran out of reason, right?" Its how I feel too, I cannot explain. I become idiot and troubled when it comes to you." " You are indeed naughty." She said. 55 The Loosening of the Bridge Edmund knocked on the door at 3 o''clock in the morning and sought the Lieutenant''s final approval for their mission with Guida along with the four men waiting outside. " Good morning Sir, everyone''s ready and we''re going now." He gave his salute to the officer then got out. He tapped Edmund''s shoulder as he waved a hand to Guida and company. " God be with you." George momentarily and sadly thought while seeing some last few men left while serving the Insular and the Philippine Commonwealth with him. He smiled and teary eyed - looking up; watching the fogs teeming up with the dusky groovy place. "Ow! I''m married! Great heavens! First day of being married! haha!" He grinned, took the flashlight bucket and water dipper then proceeded to the angel fruit trees and talked to them while squatting on the grassy ground. " You all should grow faster then eventually bear fruits...hmm, think that I''m already married today so, there''s just something that I wanna ask all of you. Please cooperate and spare me your flowers then bear fruits immediately. I know its not easy but you and I are goin'' to work hard. Okay, I don''t have a bolo now but here''s a stick, I can make a drainage again around. Just keep healthy. Later today, I''ll get back and will follow what Baldur is doing to his bean farm. I''ll create a little fire to give you a soulful smoke so that aphids can''t harm you, haha! yes, I know that, I''m learning. So goodbye for now and I''ll be back in the afternoon." He smiled after talking to the angel fruit trees and then proceeded to the daisies blooming. "There were only few white daisy flowers in bloom, the rest still needs tender care, but they''re growing healthy everyday." He thought then put down the flashlight and watered them sparingly. Fleetingly, he pricked and harvested the white daisy flowers and carefully brought them home. Its already 5 o''clock when he reached inside, he saw her in the kitchen boiling some water and hugged her from the back, giving her the white daisy flowers he just harvested. She smiled and have them on her hands and looked at him; their eyes meet again but the water was on its boiling point and stimulatingly bubbled like a time bomb and they both laughed and she took some vase, fill it with water and put the flowers in. "They''re beautiful! Thank you." She sweetly smiled at him while they both sat beside the table. While she''s looking to the flowers George prepared their mugs with boiled water and put some amount of ginger with a little sugar. She put her hands around the mug to get a cozy warm. "How are you?" He asked. " I''m in a state of adjustment." She smiled at him. " Me too, but isn''t it exciting." " Yes. But can I share to you a story. Hmm, my stigma to it lingers until now though one day, with your help, I can move on." " Sure. I''ll listen." George whispered while sipping the salabat. Abruptly, Baldur who then wants to go to the kitchen was kind of stuck up listening to her while hiding at the back of the kitchen door. " My foster mother, Ina Lolita was one among the beautiful natives here. In 1916, she''d met an American Naval soldier who docked his ship in the shore of Kabang and became Lolo Sibal''s friend. Whenever Lolo Sibal''s trading at the shore in Daba, they used to be with each other. Though it was just a one week affair when the American Naval soldier left her without saying anything. There was even no letter sent. Despite her missingness she survived and became pregnant. In order for her not to be cursed by people around so Lolo Sibal sacrificed by letting her stay inside his house and helped her give birth to a healthy baby boy. Ina loved that boy very much and gave her hope each moment she remembers the Naval soldier. Unexpectedly, when the baby boy was already one year old, the Naval soldier returned and took the baby without her knowing. Ina''s world has died, it died on that very catastrophic moment, but that time, the Naval guy left a letter. Lolita, I''m sorry but I''m a married man. My wife can''t bear a child but she had some terminal illness. Please let her see our baby and let me take care of her with our boy till her time comes to an end. I''ll keep coming for you and eventually will send back to you our son." Starting that day, Lolo Sibal took good care of her. She was totally depressed. When I was trapped in the abyss and when I learned that I wasn''t Ina Lolita''s child, I then thought that I was left to her in exchange of her son. I even thought that the Captain might be the friend of the Naval man because he sacrificed to leave his daughter to her, thinking that she could take good care of me. Considering he had two sons through my brothers who weren''t his biological children but he loved them so much like his own. Eventually, when I grow up, I was a witness on how she cried hard when she missed her little boy. She told me not to trust men when I become a woman myself and told me of her worst story drowned with her first love. George, its how I wad scared of. That Naval soldier who took away Ina''s little boy. He even promised to see her again, but he didn''t. He never knew how painful it was for Ina, so tragically painful! That almost everyday, she goes to the seashore and looked for ships to dock, hoping...but there was none. During the pandemic, she insisted to stay in that house. Lolo Sibal wants to bring him away but she refused instead, she wants to take care of the house, hoping that the soldier might be back with his son. George....its how it started. The fear and pity to Ina still lodged in my heart. I want you to understand. " Hmm...now I get it. He simply appeared then gone and took away their baby. What''s the name of that Naval soldier? I''m just curious, my father is a Naval soldier until now, who knows he knew that guy." George reasoned out. "That''s the reason why I tagged along with me the journals of Lolo Sibal that we found here when we first came." He clasped her tiny hands and put them on his face. " Mag, let''s take it slowly. I''m not in a hurry. I enjoy your company and I accepted all your weaknesses. In a way, I felt a deeper sympathy with your foster mother and it irks inside me, I don''t know why. She died without seeing her son." George bowed down his head. " Its not easy, right? when my logic serves me right, you''re also an American soldier loving me. But reason per se is depth, much as I recall reading the pre-Socratics Heraclitus on his ''life in flux'', leaving a lesson for all of us that the waters we step on the river at the moment wouldn''t be the same waters we can step on next days. You aren''t that naval soldier who made her miserable. That''s why I''m helping myself, seeing our day-to-day as a different experience, hope you won''t scold me nor hate my ways. Let''s be great friends as I''m totally yours now." She smiled. He bowed his head and smiled. " I feel like eighteen years old, but I like this. Then he kept caressing her hands and kissing them when Albrecht got down from the stairs and funnily yelled. " Hey, Baldur, why you''re eavesdropping behind the door? What are you listening at? Let me see? But Baldur covered his mouth and brought him to Magee''s room. George was laughing while Albrecht''s voice faded. "Shh...Baldur pulled him to my room." She smiled and touched his face. "I liked it." He whispered and she put his mug much closer to him. . " Here, you finished your ''salabat'' and you need to take a bath. I''ll add up some boiled water that you may use in taking a bath this early. I want you to clean our room." "Does it mean I can already stay inside?" " Hmm...you put all your things inside, give me permission to check your things and I''ll study them." She awkwardky smiled. " What? haha!" Okay, I''m giving you full access on my things." " Hmm...and then, you make another bed next to mine. Remember it should not be a connecting bed, its a separate bed." She turned back facing the kitchen stove." " Sure. I''ll do that today, sure." He moved at her back and surround her with his arms. She didn''t attempt to escape from his unpermitted embrace but told him softly. "Please sit down. I could not breathe, overdrinking ''salabat'' sometines isn''t good to my breathing." He right away stepped back and sat down. " Okay, its here. You may take this in that bathroom now. Tell me if it isn''t enough so that I can boil another one." 55 Secrets of Lolita and Son Edmund knocked on the door at 3 o''clock in the morning and sought the Lieutenant''s final approval for their mission with Guida along with the four men waiting outside. " Good morning Sir, everyone''s ready and we''re going now." He gave his salute to the officer then got out. He tapped Edmund''s shoulder as he waved a hand to Guida and company. " God be with you." George momentarily and sadly thought while seeing some last few men left while serving the Insular and the Philippine Commonwealth with him. He smiled and teary eyed - looking up; watching the fogs teeming up with the dusky groovy place. "Ow! I''m married! Great heavens! First day of being married! haha!" He grinned, took the flashlight bucket and water dipper then proceeded to the angel fruit trees and talked to them while squatting on the grassy ground. " You all should grow faster then eventually bear fruits...hmm, think that I''m already married today so, there''s just something that I wanna ask all of you. Please cooperate and spare me your flowers then bear fruits immediately. I know its not easy but you and I are goin'' to work hard. Okay, I don''t have a bolo now but here''s a stick, I can make a drainage again around. Just keep healthy. Later today, I''ll get back and will follow what Baldur is doing to his bean farm. I''ll create a little fire to give you a soulful smoke so that aphids can''t harm you, haha! yes, I know that, I''m learning. So goodbye for now and I''ll be back in the afternoon." He smiled after talking to the angel fruit trees and then proceeded to the daisies blooming. "There were only few white daisy flowers in bloom, the rest still needs tender care, but they''re growing healthy everyday." He thought then put down the flashlight and watered them sparingly. Fleetingly, he pricked and harvested the white daisy flowers and carefully brought them home. Its already 5 o''clock when he reached inside, he saw her in the kitchen boiling some water and hugged her from the back, giving her the white daisy flowers he just harvested. She smiled and have them on her hands and looked at him; their eyes meet again but the water was on its boiling point and stimulatingly bubbled like a time bomb and they both laughed and she took some vase, fill it with water and put the flowers in. "They''re beautiful! Thank you." She sweetly smiled at him while they both sat beside the table. While she''s looking to the flowers George prepared their mugs with boiled water and put some amount of ginger with a little sugar. She put her hands around the mug to get a cozy warm. "How are you?" He asked. " I''m in a state of adjustment." She smiled at him. " Me too, but isn''t it exciting." " Yes. But can I share to you a story. Hmm, my stigma to it lingers until now though one day, with your help, I can move on." " Sure. I''ll listen." George whispered while sipping the salabat. Abruptly, Baldur who then wants to go to the kitchen was kind of stuck up listening to her while hiding at the back of the kitchen door. " My foster mother, Ina Lolita was one among the beautiful natives here. In 1916, she''d met an American Naval soldier who docked his ship in the shore of Kabang and became Lolo Sibal''s friend. Whenever Lolo Sibal''s trading at the shore in Daba, they used to be with each other. Though it was just a one week affair when the American Naval soldier left her without saying anything. There was even no letter sent. Despite her missingness she survived and became pregnant. In order for her not to be cursed by people around so Lolo Sibal sacrificed by letting her stay inside his house and helped her give birth to a healthy baby boy. Ina loved that boy very much and gave her hope each moment she remembers the Naval soldier. Unexpectedly, when the baby boy was already one year old, the Naval soldier returned and took the baby without her knowing. Ina''s world has died, it died on that very catastrophic moment, but that time, the Naval guy left a letter. Lolita, I''m sorry but I''m a married man. My wife can''t bear a child but she had some terminal illness. Please let her see our baby and let me take care of her with our boy till her time comes to an end. I''ll keep coming for you and eventually will send back to you our son." Starting that day, Lolo Sibal took good care of her. She was totally depressed. When I was trapped in the abyss and when I learned that I wasn''t Ina Lolita''s child, I then thought that I was left to her in exchange of her son. I even thought that the Captain might be the friend of the Naval man because he sacrificed to leave his daughter to her, thinking that she could take good care of me. Considering he had two sons through my brothers who weren''t his biological children but he loved them so much like his own. Eventually, when I grow up, I was a witness on how she cried hard when she missed her little boy. She told me not to trust men when I become a woman myself and told me of her worst story drowned with her first love. George, its how I wad scared of. That Naval soldier who took away Ina''s little boy. He even promised to see her again, but he didn''t. He never knew how painful it was for Ina, so tragically painful! That almost everyday, she goes to the seashore and looked for ships to dock, hoping...but there was none. During the pandemic, she insisted to stay in that house. Lolo Sibal wants to bring him away but she refused instead, she wants to take care of the house, hoping that the soldier might be back with his son. George....its how it started. The fear and pity to Ina still lodged in my heart. I want you to understand. " Hmm...now I get it. He simply appeared then gone and took away their baby. What''s the name of that Naval soldier? I''m just curious, my father is a Naval soldier until now, who knows he knew that guy." George reasoned out. "That''s the reason why I tagged along with me the journals of Lolo Sibal that we found here when we first came." He clasped her tiny hands and put them on his face. " Mag, let''s take it slowly. I''m not in a hurry. I enjoy your company and I accepted all your weaknesses. In a way, I felt a deeper sympathy with your foster mother and it irks inside me, I don''t know why. She died without seeing her son." George bowed down his head. " Its not easy, right? when my logic serves me right, you''re also an American soldier loving me. But reason per se is depth, much as I recall reading the pre-Socratics Heraclitus on his ''life in flux'', leaving a lesson for all of us that the waters we step on the river at the moment wouldn''t be the same waters we can step on next days. You aren''t that naval soldier who made her miserable. That''s why I''m helping myself, seeing our day-to-day as a different experience, hope you won''t scold me nor hate my ways. Let''s be great friends as I''m totally yours now." She smiled. He bowed his head and smiled. " I feel like eighteen years old, but I like this. Then he kept caressing her hands and kissing them when Albrecht got down from the stairs and funnily yelled. " Hey, Baldur, why you''re eavesdropping behind the door? What are you listening at? Let me see? But Baldur covered his mouth and brought him to Magee''s room. George was laughing while Albrecht''s voice faded. "Shh...Baldur pulled him to my room." She smiled and touched his face. "I liked it." He whispered and she put his mug much closer to him. . " Here, you finished your ''salabat'' and you need to take a bath. I''ll add up some boiled water that you may use in taking a bath this early. I want you to clean our room." "Does it mean I can already stay inside?" " Hmm...you put all your things inside, give me permission to check your things and I''ll study them." She awkwardky smiled. " What? haha!" Okay, I''m giving you full access on my things." " Hmm...and then, you make another bed next to mine. Remember it should not be a connecting bed, its a separate bed." She turned back facing the kitchen stove." " Sure. I''ll do that today, sure." He moved at her back and surround her with his arms. She didn''t attempt to escape from his unpermitted embrace but told him softly. "Please sit down. I could not breathe, overdrinking ''salabat'' sometines isn''t good to my breathing." He right away stepped back and sat down. " Okay, its here. You may take this in that bathroom now. Tell me if it isn''t enough so that I can boil another one." 56 Couples Room The brothers helped him in constructing the bed and when Albrecht found out that its a separate one and not connected to hers, he commented. " What is really the difference in connecting this one and from separating." " Shh...keep quiet, she might hear you." George pacified his murmurs. " Madelleine is not giving me a rough time such as this, why make life difficult." Albrecht continued to voice out. " Albrecht, just allow her to decide for herself. They can take everything slowly, don''t be too harsh. Remember, she grew up without us." " I like that B¨¤ldur. Albrecht, you really have to marry my sister when you return there, I caught you several times kissing her everywhere. You there! So don''t talk too much." George threw him some light bamboo rolls. Albrecht got out running and laughing. " Huh! Did he? that shameless guy." Baldur asked and felt annoyed. " That''s why I also told Madelleine to also be careful. Hmm, but she''s also not listening. I saw her escaped out of the the fence and they''d met in the dark. Huh! That''s why I don''t like him commenting too much on this lady around. I like what she''s doing to me, it isn''t foolishness. Its all about preparedness and passion." He looked at Baldur filled with sweat on his face. " Yeah! She''s tough yet passionate on you. Its never one-sided. When you''re outside she''s always looking at you from a distance, smiling. You''re lucky man!" He smiled to George while nailing the last set of bamboo slice. " Really? Wow!" George was thoroughly inspired. " Oh it''s done!" Baldur was amazed by what the three of them has done. " Brother! Here''s my gift for you on your wedding, haha! this is really nice. I''m planning to make another one upstairs." Baldur said. Albrecht came back bringing a wet towel and rubbed it on the newly furnished bamboo bed, so carefully. " Oh, why you''re so concern of getting back here wiping this one." Baldur teased Albrecht. The lady out there wants me to do this job, she''s punishing me after hearing me on what I said, haha. But to be honest, she can''t get in because her husband is half-naked." He whispered. " Ows! I forgot, I removed my shirt because its already drowned with my sweat." George smiled then wore a new camiso. " Oh boy!" Baldur winked an eye to George. George can''t help smiling and shook his head and was left alone by the brothers. "I felt like always tickled and sometimes I smiled and laughed alone these days. So unusual of me. Ah, I need to arrange my things on that part. Exactly! her things were arranged near the door while mine will be adjacent to the window." He thought. 57 Its All About George "Why you liked it here? Of all the places and what are those old blank papers for?" The cliff overlooking the river the vastness of the sea. Its windy all over and the sun has hibernated. So they sat on a rocky surface where there was just a short guava tree above them that looks like umbrella. Then they exchanged glances and smiled as they sat side by side. " Why you liked it here? of all the places and what are those old blank papers and pencil?" He smirked while tying his hanky on her wary hair. " I''m going to interview you and will write a biography. Hmm...if you accidentally lost out of sight, I know where to find you and when people will ask your identity I can easily trace your whereabouts. Also, I will verify the facts to my brothers whether you are telling the truth or not. But I''m not saying you''re a liar, no, not." Then she smiled. "Haha! really? Wow! I loved it! So, I''m ready!" He pressed his head then winked at her. " You will only answer the truth." " Of course, I will." " Tell me about your parents, as a child and the place where you grew up." " I learned about bald eagles when I was young. My family always went on a summer vacation each year to the northern part of our state. We stayed at a place called Greenwood place in St. Germain. It is a six hour drive straight north from our home. It is in the "north woods"...an area of Wisconsin that is a great forest and many lakes. We stayed in a cabin right on the water''s edge. My father taught me the difference between bald eagles and ospreys. He said it was important to know if you were going to be a serious bird watcher. They are similar in size, live in the same area and have similar colors ( although the osprey is a little more grey in color). When they are soaring high overhead, they look almost identical because you cannot see the white head of an eagle unless you had a pair of binoculars. The way that you can tell them apart is the shape of their wings when they fly. An osprey''s wing is jointed in the middle which gives it a little bit of a "V" shape to the wing. An eagle''s wing has no joint, it is straight across. When either bird is flying very high in the sky, it is the only real way to tell them apart. Both of them are beautiful, wonderful birds of prey. I used to go out on our pier early in the morning and lie flat on my back and watch the bald eagles soaring overhead. They would always come out early in the morning when the lakes were quiet and calm. Bald eagles are great fisherman, They will soar and circle over the water for a very long time, never flapping their wings, just floating on the air currents. When they spy a fish close to the surface of the water, they swoop down and scoop the fish up in their talons. There are very large fish that they catch because eagles are very large birds. I was so happy for the eagle when they were very successful with their fishing trips. They often had youngsters, aren''t they called eaglets Mag? haha! then back in their nests that needed to be fed, so fishing was a daily routine for them. Their nests were enormous too. They were always in the very tops of trees and always in a dead tree, so they were very easy to see. The main reason that I enjoyed watching the eagles on their fishing trips was because more times than not, it took numerous catches before they were able to take a fish home to feed their young. 58 Missing Gabok Wooden Bridge It was already evening when they both glided down from the surface. Magee was just very silent and hurriedly went to their room. On the other hand, George went to Fr. Matias and asked the names of the punong barangay of the next barrio after Gabok and the governador before the war had started. " He''s Governador Ramon and Punong Barangay Crisostomo. Only the Punong Barangay is reachable and stayed with the guerillas next to Gabok but the Governador is a captive in Daba. That''s what I''ve heard when we were also captives in Tikaban. Why, any problem?" "Fr, my wife wants the paper be signed by some authorities too in order to make our paper more legal." George said. " Oh. Bring me to her. Wait, I''ll bring my papers, I got these before you took us here, they only confiscated my bible. Yes, bring me to her." When they reached the house. He left the priest to her at the receiving area and George excused himself for a while and went to Narciso. " Narciso, are they already here? I mean Edmund, Guida and company." " They''re not yet here, Sir. We are still waiting for them." Narciso replied. " Okay, I''ll be back for some updates of them." When he was on his way to the house, he saw her already smiling while chatting with the priest. "Its alright now George. I showed to her my Dominican order paper that I''m authorized by the Church to officiate marriage. I told her after the war, I''ll right away register your marriage. But as far as the blessing and rites, its all done. We even had 5 copies of your marriage certificates where I manual write each of them. I already explained things on her." The priest smiled and tapped his shoulder before he walked out. " During dinner time, she asked the brothers. " Hmm, Baldur, how long have you been a friend of George?" " Around three years I guess, going four years, so do with Albrecht. Did he had someone left there aside from me." George was just silent, smiling and concentrate on his dinner meal. " Ah, that guy? he was always looking at your photo that Sr. Sibal sent to Dad. He never had anyone there but so busy getting angry to the boyfriend of his sister. I guess most of the time. Why?" " Hmm...I see. You Albrecht..." " He''s always in the house. He''s always getting updates of you through Dad. I just wonder why his father gave him to Dad." " Haha!" they all laughed. " You''re not realy serious." " Well, honestly he''s often in the house and helped Dad most of the time. When we''re in the army, he''s always with Dad, and even told his comrades that he''s going to be the husband of my daughter and his biolohical Dad just laugh or smile. I just can''t understand why the two Dads are really close. Then when we were ready going here, he just said, "see you there", why is that George, will you explain please?" "Haha! I don''t know either. I just feel I have two Dads. My wife''s Dad kept hugging me before I became his son-in-law." " See that! its obvious!" Albrecht smiled while Baldur wad smiling and took his plate and mug. " And so how about your relationship with Madelleine." Baldur asked. " Oh, my Madelleine! I missed her a lot." Albrecht was closing his eyes. Then Magee was laughing while looking at him so serious reminiscing of his girlfriend. George pressed his head and smiled. He was a bit settled while looking at her enjoying and seems not worried anymore. 58 Guidas Oldest Brother It was already evening when they both glided down from the surface. Magee was just very silent and hurriedly went to their room. On the other hand, George went to Fr. Matias and asked the names of the punong barangay of the next barrio after Gabok and the governador before the war had started. " He''s Governador Ramon and Punong Barangay Crisostomo. Only the Punong Barangay is reachable and stayed with the guerillas next to Gabok but the Governador is a captive in Daba. That''s what I''ve heard when we were also captives in Tikaban. Why, any problem?" "Fr, my wife wants the paper be signed by some authorities too in order to make our paper more legal." George said. " Oh. Bring me to her. Wait, I''ll bring my papers, I got these before you took us here, they only confiscated my bible. Yes, bring me to her." When they reached the house. He left the priest to her at the receiving area and George excused himself for a while and went to Narciso. " Narciso, are they already here? I mean Edmund, Guida and company." " They''re not yet here, Sir. We are still waiting for them." Narciso replied. " Okay, I''ll be back for some updates of them." When he was on his way to the house, he saw her already smiling while chatting with the priest. "Its alright now George. I showed to her my Dominican order paper that I''m authorized by the Church to officiate marriage. I told her after the war, I''ll right away register your marriage. But as far as the blessing and rites, its all done. We even had 5 copies of your marriage certificates where I manual write each of them. I already explained things on her." The priest smiled and tapped his shoulder before he walked out. " During dinner time, she asked the brothers. " Hmm, Baldur, how long have you been a friend of George?" " Around three years I guess, going four years, so do with Albrecht. Did he had someone left there aside from me." George was just silent, smiling and concentrate on his dinner meal. " Ah, that guy? he was always looking at your photo that Sr. Sibal sent to Dad. He never had anyone there but so busy getting angry to the boyfriend of his sister. I guess most of the time. Why?" " Hmm...I see. You Albrecht..." " He''s always in the house. He''s always getting updates of you through Dad. I just wonder why his father gave him to Dad." " Haha!" they all laughed. " You''re not realy serious." " Well, honestly he''s often in the house and helped Dad most of the time. When we''re in the army, he''s always with Dad, and even told his comrades that he''s going to be the husband of my daughter and his biolohical Dad just laugh or smile. I just can''t understand why the two Dads are really close. Then when we were ready going here, he just said, "see you there", why is that George, will you explain please?" "Haha! I don''t know either. I just feel I have two Dads. My wife''s Dad kept hugging me before I became his son-in-law." " See that! its obvious!" Albrecht smiled while Baldur wad smiling and took his plate and mug. " And so how about your relationship with Madelleine." Baldur asked. " Oh, my Madelleine! I missed her a lot." Albrecht was closing his eyes. Then Magee was laughing while looking at him so serious reminiscing of his girlfriend. George pressed his head and smiled. He was a bit settled while looking at her enjoying and seems not worried anymore. Before bedtime. It was raining outside and George covered her with blanket before he sat down and thought of Edmund, Guida and company. " He pressed his head and pulled out his army bag." " What are you doing." She whispered. " I''d like to go and find out what happened to them." " Come." She said. He moved near and stood beside her. " They maybe proceeded to Gabok to find some friends or what. Just don''t worry. See what they''ve done, they already loosened the bridge or maybe caused damages to the Japanese vehicles. Just wait for them, okay? just calm down." She smiled. "Good night." Then he kissed her forehead before she could hide in her cocoon blanket. "Haha! hide! go! " He whispered on her while she was laughing inside. Minutes after he got out with a flashlight and checked his angel fruits trees. "Good that there''s a little rain, you can grow well. Your drainages are good and I love you all, just think of that wherener you''re lonely. I can''t water you tomorrow, you''re all wet now. Great job girls, your leaves are now showing gorgeously." He left smilingly and proceeded to the daisies. " Wow! they''re all blooming." While he was putting some additional drainage, he has heard a noise from their bedroom so he ran toward the house and immediately got inside and took out his dagger. When he entered he saw a man filled with blood and on top of Magee. Albrecht and Baldur rushed downstairs and were shocked looking at Magee''s condition too for having one stab on the side in between buttock and chest. George immediately took her out of the blanket and scissored the part of her dress where he can clearly see the wound. Albrecht brought him a bucket with water to wash his hand and Baldur hurriedly boiled some water to use for sterilization. While boiling the water, Baldur called Elias, Amado and Narciso who were guard on post. " Comrades, someone came in and stabbed the lieutenant''s wife. They''re rescuing my sister right now. " Who''s that intruder Sir? I don''t know, please help me identify the person." Then he first brought the boiled water beside George and he pulled the person outside. When the three saw the face, still it was Guida''s older brother. " He''s already dead." Amado declared and he went inside to help George in the operation. Without any word he sat down and covered his face with a handkerchief. George looked at him and was teary eyed while the sweats on his face was inexplicable. Amado told Albrecht to get a clean cloth and wipe George face. "Sir, we can do this." " Amado, please." He was sweating all over. The operation took around 1 hour and Albrecht put his back flat on bed, Amado leaned on the wall and slept while George went on her bed, tidy the bloodstains and dressed her. After a while he put her head on his arm, teary eyed and smiled. " She fought not to be touched that killed a man tonight. With her small wrists, how did she do it? She''s really my wife." He thought. It was 9 o''clock in the morning when he woke up and she slowly told him to awaken Albrecht and Amado. " Yes, yes." George immediately told them to get out. When they''re alone she told him to move closer to her. He did. Then she lifelessly pinched his ear. " You...you undressed me. Why you undressed me while I was unconscious. You could have scissored the cloth on the wounded part." She fainted again and tried to pacify herself. He pressed her hand and apologized. " The man''s blood bursted on your face and and in front of you. Of course, Amado didn''t do it, so I did. You haven''t seen it, its worst. She cried. "No, no....don''t cry. I closed my eyes. I didn''t see anything I swear! I swear!" He shouted and the brothers came in. " Shh...Mag..." Baldur came in. " Please be good to George. Your condition last night was fatal. Knowing you''re alive now is already a blessing. Calm down Mag." Baldur touched her hair. "She was still teary eyed and slept. George wiped her tears and arranged her hair on sides. He also put some water on her lips that cracked of dehydration. Amado came in and brought camote tops juice with lemon in it. Sir, let her drink this when she wakes up again. She had lost a lot of her blood. "Thanks Amado." After a while Albrecht arrived bringing some porridge. "Brother, stay strong. You eat this one and the other is for the ugly survivor. I hate her now. People are working hard for her to live and she''s thinking differently. Huh!" George smiled. " I can''t explain but we should be happy for her. Actually she''s funny." " Funny..." Then Albrecht got out pouting. Starting next week after recovery when she gets out she has to cover her face. 59 Magees Recovery Period "Finally, I''m happy you''ve woken up." George shrugged his shoulder and overawed by her smiles on him. She''d slept almost whole day and woke up just at twilight. "George...I want to eat...porridge." She whispered. " Yes, this seems to be a great news, but this bowl''s not fresh anymore, I''ll cook for another one. You wait here." But her resistance plumbed him. "No...don''t leave." She''s teary eyed and held his camiso and pulled him back. " Don''t worry, sure. We''ll have it. Albrecht! Albrecht!"George called out. In a second Albrecht arrived and blankly stood up - asking. "Please make us some porridge, your bestfriend is asking." " I see, sure. Good that the ugly girl had risen." Then he smiled. When Albrecht left, George sat down because she still grasped his camiso and her hand ascended to his hand and put it on her forehead. Then there was silence. "It hurts...George, my breathing is limited. Don''t leave me." She was still teary eyed. " You have some meds to drink after meal. I''ll give you another shot of antibiotic too and sorry Mag, I wasn''t around when it happened. It hurts me seeing you suffer this way. She touched his head and sobbed. " Yes, no worries. Sorry that I also shouted this morning. I was so upset when you were so doubtful when I said I closed my eyes and see nothing. But I understand." " I''m sorry too. I won''t do that anymore...if it upsets you. I''m just trying...to protect myself." " Shh...yeah, I got it, shh...let''s wait for Albrecht, just relax." He pressed her hand and put it on his face. "This beautiful hand slapped me this morning so hard and I was kinda blown outside." He naughtily smiled on her. She silently chuckled and pinched his ear a bit. " The wound is very painful, its biting inside." " Yeah, I know. The anesthesia we gave you last night wasn''t enough." "We?" who? you''re not alone in operating my wound? who were with you?" "Amado and Albrecht. It wasn''t just an easy wound, its wider, so we need to team up in the procedure." "Hmm..." She sighed and had a deep breath. Albrecht quickly got back and gave the bowl of porridge to George. When Albrecht left he fed her with porridge and he tasted first the juice given by Amado before he gave it to her. " Just tell him I drink it...but please get me the same leaves mixed with lemon...and you personally process it for me. Albrecht knew how to make it I guess. Hmm...just boil and when its lightly warm, that''s the time you pour the extracted lemon juice, for a mug, just extract 3-4 lemons, the iron will be produced by it already." She smiled. " Science tells it otherwise." He grinned. "Shh...its a roar of cannon elsewhere." George paused for a while. Its just once but he was positive that its never in Tikaban area, its too far. 60 The Man Behind Lolita 17 February 1916 I brought her to the shore, we''re alone - together but seems apart and miles away. I was expecting things about us but she was asking me of him again - his whereabouts. I left speechless." --------------------------- Then he went forwards, quickly read the contents to as many as ten pages. " Mag, did he anyhow shared a bit of his story? You may be have forgotten some. It appears here that he had been into a lot of pains but this woman seemed so senseless of not finding out how much he loved her. Huh, I got to go for a while, I''ll be back after an hour. Albrecht and Baldur will stay here to continually read these journals for you." Then he kissed her forehead. " Don''y stay long outside, you come back immediately." She told him while he rushed outside as he waved his hand on her. "Hmm...he urgently met his men this hour, why?" She thought. "Knock! knock! I''m the next storyteller called for duty. " Haha! kuya! ( kuya is a Filipino''s label for older brother) She accidentally called Albrecht that way while slowly laughing and holding the bondage on her wound. "Aha! I slowly become "kuya" and I''m a puppet these days, you''re enjoying with my company, ha. Okay which page shall I read then. Oh dear, hmm...haven''t thought that Sr. Sibal have so many stories untold though I noticed him before when I was still young, he oftentimes sigh at the balcony." "Really? I''m curious if who''s that woman he felt in love with and who''s Chuck that woman fell for." "This is interesting!" He smiled while picking out his old-fashioned eyeglasses. " What? at your young age." She smiled. " Ows! age doesn''t matter to blurry eyes, heh! just keep quiet." Then Albrecht seriously scanned the next page that George had marked with. But he laughed again looking at her smiling at him wearing his old fashioned eyeglasses. "Knock! knock!" " Shh...yes? who''s that?" Albrecht answered. Someone knocked on the door and Albrecht looked at her still smiling and covering her mouth. "Its Amado, she''s bringing something for Magee." Baldur said from the outside. Magee signaled for "no." Instantly she was looking at the empty bed next to her. "Ah, I''ll just get out to pick it for her. She''s yawning right now and sleepy." Albrecht winked an eye to her. Then outright Albrecht got out and Amado handed to him the camote tops juice. " Thanks Amado." " I''ll go then, I''m part of the meeting. The lieutenant now have waited for me." He whispered then left Albrecht who was inanely holding a mug of juice. He looked at Baldur sitting beside the door holding his hand gun. " Brother, why he risked his life preparing this juice to a married woman." Then Albrecht shook his head and brought the juice inside. "What do you have in mind, kuya?" " Nothing, I don''t like to be malicious like you - thinking so much." " Hmm...look at me. When you were assisting them on my wound that separate bed is already there, right? He must have thought something." " Yeah! I got it. Its because you are silly!" He whispered. "Here, when he comes back tomorrow, tell George to flap his bed away for a bit then just allow Amado to come in so he could see that you married couple stays in one bed. Is that a brilliant idea?" "Wow! you think better now. Hmm...I''ll tell George about it. " Hey, let me see his juice, I''ll teach George on how to prepare it for you." " I won''t drink it and please help George to prepare its formula, I told him already." " Hmm...Amado''s a good man and educated. Its just that he really wanted to extend help, that''s it." " Whatever. But its good to be cautious, Ina Lolita always remind me of that. By the way kuya, please continue reading the next page now." 16 March 1916 " She was inside her room and told her to just go with me at the seashore (even if we drop by there several times). I was saddened again by the arranged marriage I''ve had with her...." "Stop, Albrecht, are you not rephrasing the lines, don''t put some joke on it." "Of course, not! I simply read what I see, and why?" " Lolo Sibal wasn''t married, never been." Magee intensely blurted out. " But its here! its here! Where''s my eyeglasses. "It says, " I was saddened again by the arranged marriage I''ve had with her." Then he looked at her with twirling big eyeballs. She laughed unceasingly holding her bondage while looking at him and called Baldur. "Baldur! Baldur!" " Yes, what happened? Oh Albrecht, what''s that you''re wearing? haha! Shh...Magee, quiet, your wound. Its not good for you to laugh too much. Albrecht, you stay outside." "Huhumm..." Magee then yawned while still smiling. " See that! she''s sleepy, its not anymore my fault." Then he removed his old-fashioned eyeglasses. "Hey, goddess. I''ll go now, you sleep tight." Don''t worry too much to Sr. Sibal, I saw him very happy staying with us before, get it?" Albrecht then kept his eyeglasses and tapped her shoulder. " 60 Arranged Marriage 17 February 1916 I brought her to the shore, we''re alone - together but seems apart and miles away. I was expecting things about us but she was asking me of him again - his whereabouts. I left speechless." --------------------------- Then he went forwards, quickly read the contents to as many as ten pages. " Mag, did he anyhow shared a bit of his story? You may be have forgotten some. It appears here that he had been into a lot of pains but this woman seemed so senseless of not finding out how much he loved her. Huh, I got to go for a while, I''ll be back after an hour. Albrecht and Baldur will stay here to continually read these journals for you." Then he kissed her forehead. " Don''y stay long outside, you come back immediately." She told him while he rushed outside as he waved his hand on her. "Hmm...he urgently met his men this hour, why?" She thought. "Knock! knock! I''m the next storyteller called for duty. " Haha! kuya! ( kuya is a Filipino''s label for older brother) She accidentally called Albrecht that way while slowly laughing and holding the bondage on her wound. "Aha! I slowly become "kuya" and I''m a puppet these days, you''re enjoying with my company, ha. Okay which page shall I read then. Oh dear, hmm...haven''t thought that Sr. Sibal have so many stories untold though I noticed him before when I was still young, he oftentimes sigh at the balcony." "Really? I''m curious if who''s that woman he felt in love with and who''s Chuck that woman fell for." "This is interesting!" He smiled while picking out his old-fashioned eyeglasses. " What? at your young age." She smiled. " Ows! age doesn''t matter to blurry eyes, heh! just keep quiet." Then Albrecht seriously scanned the next page that George had marked with. But he laughed again looking at her smiling at him wearing his old fashioned eyeglasses. "Knock! knock!" " Shh...yes? who''s that?" Albrecht answered. Someone knocked on the door and Albrecht looked at her still smiling and covering her mouth. "Its Amado, she''s bringing something for Magee." Baldur said from the outside. Magee signaled for "no." Instantly she was looking at the empty bed next to her. "Ah, I''ll just get out to pick it for her. She''s yawning right now and sleepy." Albrecht winked an eye to her. Then outright Albrecht got out and Amado handed to him the camote tops juice. " Thanks Amado." " I''ll go then, I''m part of the meeting. The lieutenant now have waited for me." He whispered then left Albrecht who was inanely holding a mug of juice. He looked at Baldur sitting beside the door holding his hand gun. " Brother, why he risked his life preparing this juice to a married woman." Then Albrecht shook his head and brought the juice inside. "What do you have in mind, kuya?" " Nothing, I don''t like to be malicious like you - thinking so much." " Hmm...look at me. When you were assisting them on my wound that separate bed is already there, right? He must have thought something." " Yeah! I got it. Its because you are silly!" He whispered. "Here, when he comes back tomorrow, tell George to flap his bed away for a bit then just allow Amado to come in so he could see that you married couple stays in one bed. Is that a brilliant idea?" "Wow! you think better now. Hmm...I''ll tell George about it. " Hey, let me see his juice, I''ll teach George on how to prepare it for you." " I won''t drink it and please help George to prepare its formula, I told him already." " Hmm...Amado''s a good man and educated. Its just that he really wanted to extend help, that''s it." " Whatever. But its good to be cautious, Ina Lolita always remind me of that. By the way kuya, please continue reading the next page now." 16 March 1916 " She was inside her room and told her to just go with me at the seashore (even if we drop by there several times). I was saddened again by the arranged marriage I''ve had with her...." "Stop, Albrecht, are you not rephrasing the lines, don''t put some joke on it." "Of course, not! I simply read what I see, and why?" " Lolo Sibal wasn''t married, never been." Magee intensely blurted out. " But its here! its here! Where''s my eyeglasses. "It says, " I was saddened again by the arranged marriage I''ve had with her." Then he looked at her with twirling big eyeballs. She laughed unceasingly holding her bondage while looking at him and called Baldur. "Baldur! Baldur!" " Yes, what happened? Oh Albrecht, what''s that you''re wearing? haha! Shh...Magee, quiet, your wound. Its not good for you to laugh too much. Albrecht, you stay outside." "Huhumm..." Magee then yawned while still smiling. " See that! she''s sleepy, its not anymore my fault." Then he removed his old-fashioned eyeglasses. "Hey, goddess. I''ll go now, you sleep tight." Don''t worry too much to Sr. Sibal, I saw him very happy staying with us before, get it?" Albrecht then kept his eyeglasses and tapped her shoulder. " Hmm...you''ll be used to him he''s really that comic." Baldur smiled. The foggy night had chilled her again but put her to silently sleep and Baldur still waited for George. In another passing minute, the door opened and George came in while putting his handgun inside the cabinet. " She''d slept well. Albrecht made her laugh too much, I was thinking its effect on her wound." Baldur sighed. " Hmm...that old guy''s doing the same thing here." Then George smiled. " Amado came but Magee didn''t let her in. Albrecht received the mug of juice." " I see. Thanks Baldur." He nodded before Baldur got out. "He came here for that juice again. Hmm...what''s up with him. Interesting guy." He smirked while staying beside her bed. "She''s not inside in her cocoon now, good so I can see her face. Then he slept leaning his forehead on her bed." It was midnight when he was awakened by her laughter. He stood up and slowly covered her mouth. Then she woke up and slowly removed his hand away. " George? Why?" Magee asked. " You laughed too much, I''m worried of your wound. Its a silent harm. " Ah, its Albrecht, I dreamt of his funny eyeglasses." She smiled at him and slipped off in her cocoon but spoke. "Amado came." She whispered. "Baldur also told me of that. How''s the journal reading?" " Albrecht''s not serious on reading them, hmm...would you believe that he''d read one page only, its on March 16, 1916." "Don''t worry, we''ll read the whole journal tomorrow." George whispered but she''s not anymore responding. He just went to his bed and arranged his mattress the put his back flat on it while putting his hands as pillow. " Hmm...I got it now. Its maybe the reason why he kept on coming" He smilingly thought while closing his eyes. 61 Sr. Sibal and Lolita At dawn, she was awakened by the noise of bed that George had carried toward the corner and he also rearranged the setup of their things. " George, I''d like to take a bath. Perhaps, I can now stand by myself or maybe just give me a hand going there could help. By the way, what made you tidying this early." She smiled. " Amado will be coming again for sure. Let him get inside and we need to talk about the upcoming mission next week. Some Japanese infantry will be coming in Tikaban, as of now they repelled the reinforcements. Hmm, we''ll talk about it here inside." George said. "Ah, okay. So its timely that I can get out now." "But its alright if you''ll just listen to our conversation. So, here we go, I''ll take you there." " No, no, I need to walk going there now. The wound is getting better anyway." She insisted. But George still walked with her side by side in going out of their room." Appallingly, Albrecht was indeed ready in his kitchen but trying to prepare a little fir his boiled cassava and grated coconut mixed with sugar. "Wow! you were grating too early kuya, that''s a great meal." " Your lukewarm water is ready. Try if its just alright, tell me so I can add up an additional dipper of boiled water." George was waiting for her to come out and Albrecht offered him a mug of ''salabat.'' "When you get back to the US, you won''t have this anymore. I mean this lifestyle." He smiled at him. "Well, its okay, though I''ll be missing a lot of memories here. But of course, Madelleine''s there and waiting for me, still a great life." George was teasing him while sipping ''salabat'' and they''ve got series of topic discussed. She got out silently and George assisted her back to the room then he sat down on a chair, watching her. " Hmm?" He asked since she was staring at him. " Sorry but I''m not yet done, can you leave for a while." She awkwardly smile. " Ahh, sure, sorry." Then he immediately left her. Without the knowledge of Magee, Amado was already outside, bringing his juice for her again. Knock! knock! " Amado''s here." George said. " Ah, I see....let him come in." She was already on bed sitting on the edge when George and Amado stepped in. " George, come, please fix my zipper like you always do, I can''t reach it again." " Ah...yeah." Then he sat at the back of her and slowly zipped up the soft cloth while Amado was watching at them. "Amado, thanks for that juice, my husband would make me some tonight, its a hassle on your part doing it for me, but they all tasted well, thank you for the kindness. While Magee was talking to Amado, George was still busy arranging her dress at the back that made Magee so terribly conscious. Reasonably, George found out that the zipper began to open by itself so he needs to hold it for a while. But Magee turned her head and smiled. " What happened, you said you will have an urgent meeting here, you''re done there already. I''ll explain later." Then she looked at Amado again and continued the chitchat. But still, George was left so focused on the damaged zipper. So he just hang down her hair to cover her back, stood up and moved closer to Amado. But Amado was out of his concentration and frequently flips his head to Magee. Almost desperate with Amado''s curiosity, George was pissed off and Magee felt the same so she just got back to her cocoon and just folded her hair with a towel posed on her head and covered her face. It began to relax George while Amado was seemingly searching for the missing bed beside Magee''s bed. The conversation ended and Amado got out as George thanked him for the juice he gave. Then George locked the door. " Wow! this morning''s really a mess. Of all the days your zipper was damaged in front of me." Magee smiled while looking at him so desperate. " Don''t mind it, just give me another dress from the bag. Grab anything you see would suit me then leave me for a while. Just return after 10 minutes and everything will be alright." She teased him. " I''ll be back for the journal reading, mind you. Honestly, something made me interested to read it further." " When you''ll be back, we''ll read it together." He then grumpily went out then sat beside their door, waiting for her to call him back, pressing his head then ran outside and dived in the waters from the spring. "Hey, George! haha! you don''t have even a towel. Just wait, I''ll pick you one." Then Baldur went to the clothesline. " Here when you''re done just grab this." "Where are you going?" " To my bean farm." Then he left. When he was satisfied and has fully charged, he just wrapped himself going to the bathroom then proceeded to their bedroom. "Knock!knock! I''m getting inside and I''m half-naked please hide in your cocoon." Then he rushed in. When he''s done he moved closer beside her bed; took the journal and start flapping the page to March 16, 1916. "Hmm...you''re now safe to get out from your cocoon Mag. Just be careful with your wound then slowly move." George whispered and she emerged from the blanket smiling. " Good! So I''ll continue from March 16....I was saddened again by the arranged marriage I had with her. Its never my fault, she was still 15 and I was already 40. I can''t imagine her parents failed to pay me in cash so they offered her to me. I loved her then but after our wedding I was stuck up with pity on her. She even didn''t know that she was wed and blinded with what marriage was. Lolita...when are you going to treat me as your husband when you kept waiting the naval man you admired and who was also as old as me. I hope you''ll consider me one day. ----------------------------------------- "Its loud and clear Mag. Sr. Sibal and your Ina Lolita were married." "Its shocking, I can''t believe on this!" She blankly stare to nothingness. " But its here. Anyway, let''s proceed." 24 March, 1916 I better hide in this place and pour out my sentiments. If I lie to everyone about this place, God will forgive me I know. I just pity the young girl crying for her first love that isn''t her husband. ------------------------------------- "Oh my....Mag, do you wish to continue? it irks my heart with pity." Magee was teary eyed. " Continue, I need the whole truth." "Wait, last night when I read it, it says mid year Chuck will arrive. We''ll go directly to June or July of 1916. 25 June 1916 She cleaned the house because she knew he''s coming. I was very upset. I don''t know what to do but I cried in a day or two around. When I returned in our house, she never even asked me if where I come from. I simply exist and a sponge to her, a shock absorber. 62 The Most Painful 15 July 1916 I''m here. Chuck arrived and in his advantage - lodged in our house. I better left and spent my timeless solitude, honing my pains. Though, I could not imagine how happy my wife is - as they both shared reveries right now. I loved her this much. ----------------------------------- "What?" George yelled to himself. Magee was teary eyed. " Who''s that guy she was with! You go on George. There''s no stopping here, its still spotless." Magee urged him. "This is so upsetting. I hate their story. How come a husband at that allows his wife to be with another man, how insolent?" He was reddish and a bit angry. "Please...Lolo is a very patient man. He''s just giving sufficient time without realizing he had been overstepped. Yet Ina had personal reasons too, I''m sure." Such a deep seated emotion for Magee. "Okay. Here''s another page." 21 July 1916 I was gone for a week, thinking everything''s fine and when in my quick return, I saw her running, heading towards me, hugged me while crying too hard. She told me he''d left back to Wisconsin.... "Mag?" " George...its just maybe a coincidence, just continue. Then he looked at her, deeply sighed and shook his head, then he continued. Why I''m thinking oddly on this, huh! -------------------------- ...and I was the gallant shock absorber again that I never knew. Till she slept on my lap. --------------------------- 05 August 1916 I made a bahay-kubo next to our house, it was her request. She stayed there during daytime and had her manual knitting and sewing activities. It was too small but she comfortably spent in a day''s stay and she loved the meals and merienda I prepared for her whenever she''s busy. Sometimes, she wants me to sit next to her. I''m just as subtly happy as that and when she unknowingly slept in her bahay kubo, I fetched and brought her back to our house - in her shipshape room. ----------------------------------- 18 September 1916 I was enormously upset but still happy for her. I had her checked in the barrio fir vomitting and found out she''s pregnant. Its absolutely not mine. We never slept together, ever since. In short, I carried her in my arms when she held my hands and shouted for joy. She even shouted with happiness that she wants a baby boy for us. I nodded and smiled with her and was teary eyed but she softly told me not to cry and wiped my tears. Yes, I was completely crazy over my 15 year old wife. ----------------------------------- "Oh dear, Sr. Sibal''s life was too glum and morose, how come he kept on smiling and laughing in his house and making fun with you and the two mestizo boys, even before the day they were murdered. Poor man." " Hmm...if Ina Lolita is Lolo Sibal''s wife, who were the father of my foster brothers, John and Rod?" Magee glanced at him while thinking loud too. "Lunch is served! here''s your boiled sayote leaves with lemon sauce and salt my little goddess and to my lieutenant - nothing, you just eat the whole grated cassava mixed with sugar. But we also have mushroom with horseraddish soup. Enjoy your lunch! Masarap yan! ( That''s delicious!) Then Albrecht got out and keft the bamboo tray. George bowed down his head and laughed. " Your brother Albrecht is indeed humorous, he always tickle me even in the warzone. " Yes, likewise. He''s really funny. Anyway, let''s have our lunch together, hmm, they''re well cooked by our chef." Magee commented and they both laughed. While they enjoyed the food George looked at her and spoke. " Mag, would it be possible that I was her child?" He smiled. " Its not possible. How can it be when the baby''s here and you lived in Wisconsin?" She smirked while putting some sayote leaves on his plate. " Hmm...yeah, you''re right." He nodded and took some bite of the crunchy boiled leaves she gave him. After lunch he aided her to the bathroom and while waiting they chatted with Baldur who was still enjoying his lunch. " Baldur, you lived with Sr. Sibal here for quite some time. Did he stayed here straight starting 1918 down to that time when all of you got out?" George asked. " Hmm, yes. Ah no! there was one time when he and Dad handed our sister Magee to Lolita, his adopted. It was after our mother died for giving birth. Subsequently, we''re all male so Dad decided to find a woman who can take care of her. Dad and Lolita were already friends, I''ve heard that." " I see." George sighed and Magee tapped his shoulder. "Let''s go in." Magee whispered to George as she smiled to Baldur. " Baldur, if you have vacant time this afternoon, can you visit us inside. Hmm, we have so much to ask and you might help us." " Yeah, after my siesta." Baldur replied. When they reached the bedroom, he tied her hair with his handkerchief while she''s sitting on her bed and fanned her with an anahaw leaf. " Refreshed now?" Then he kissed her forehead. " Hmm...thank you, so sweet of you." She smiled. " Ouch! okay, haha! let''s continue reading. " This time I''ll read it but after I get tired you''ll be the next storyteller." So they agreed. --------------------------------- 29 October 1916 A three month pregnant. I bought and cooked the food she wanted to eat and wants me to continue talking to the baby when she''s already sleeping. It made me so touched - an angel, and my wife''s baby. So its going to be my child too, a blessing. ----------------------------------- "Hey! you''re upset or what... c''mon." Magee carefully rubbed his head while leaning his face on bed. " Nothing. It bothers me knowing there was such a man like Sr. Sibal. At first he''s a bit weird and he even upset me but he''s kinda saviour at this point of his journal." "You''re right. Here, another entry for 25, 1916." ----------------------------- The baby is now kicking, I could now hear George, at last!" Magee stopped and he hugged her tight. "Isn''t that still coincidence, Mag..." He was teary eyed. 62 A Miserable Husband 15 July 1916 I''m here. Chuck arrived and in his advantage - lodged in our house. I better left and spent my timeless solitude, honing my pains. Though, I could not imagine how happy my wife is - as they both shared reveries right now. I loved her this much. ----------------------------------- "What?" George yelled to himself. Magee was teary eyed. " Who''s that guy she was with! You go on George. There''s no stopping here, its still spotless." Magee urged him. "This is so upsetting. I hate their story. How come a husband at that allows his wife to be with another man, how insolent?" He was reddish and a bit angry. "Please...Lolo is a very patient man. He''s just giving sufficient time without realizing he had been overstepped. Yet Ina had personal reasons too, I''m sure." Such a deep seated emotion for Magee. "Okay. Here''s another page." 21 July 1916 I was gone for a week, thinking everything''s fine and when in my quick return, I saw her running, heading towards me, hugged me while crying too hard. She told me he''d left back to Wisconsin.... "Mag?" " George...its just maybe a coincidence, just continue. Then he looked at her, deeply sighed and shook his head, then he continued. Why I''m thinking oddly on this, huh! -------------------------- ...and I was the gallant shock absorber again that I never knew. Till she slept on my lap. --------------------------- 05 August 1916 I made a bahay-kubo next to our house, it was her request. She stayed there during daytime and had her manual knitting and sewing activities. It was too small but she comfortably spent in a day''s stay and she loved the meals and merienda I prepared for her whenever she''s busy. Sometimes, she wants me to sit next to her. I''m just as subtly happy as that and when she unknowingly slept in her bahay kubo, I fetched and brought her back to our house - in her shipshape room. ----------------------------------- 18 September 1916 I was enormously upset but still happy for her. I had her checked in the barrio fir vomitting and found out she''s pregnant. Its absolutely not mine. We never slept together, ever since. In short, I carried her in my arms when she held my hands and shouted for joy. She even shouted with happiness that she wants a baby boy for us. I nodded and smiled with her and was teary eyed but she softly told me not to cry and wiped my tears. Yes, I was completely crazy over my 15 year old wife. ----------------------------------- "Oh dear, Sr. Sibal''s life was too glum and morose, how come he kept on smiling and laughing in his house and making fun with you and the two mestizo boys, even before the day they were murdered. Poor man." " Hmm...if Ina Lolita is Lolo Sibal''s wife, who were the father of my foster brothers, John and Rod?" Magee glanced at him while thinking loud too. "Lunch is served! here''s your boiled sayote leaves with lemon sauce and salt my little goddess and to my lieutenant - nothing, you just eat the whole grated cassava mixed with sugar. But we also have mushroom with horseraddish soup. Enjoy your lunch! Masarap yan! ( That''s delicious!) Then Albrecht got out and keft the bamboo tray. George bowed down his head and laughed. " Your brother Albrecht is indeed humorous, he always tickle me even in the warzone. " Yes, likewise. He''s really funny. Anyway, let''s have our lunch together, hmm, they''re well cooked by our chef." Magee commented and they both laughed. While they enjoyed the food George looked at her and spoke. " Mag, would it be possible that I was her child?" He smiled. " Its not possible. How can it be when the baby''s here and you lived in Wisconsin?" She smirked while putting some sayote leaves on his plate. " Hmm...yeah, you''re right." He nodded and took some bite of the crunchy boiled leaves she gave him. After lunch he aided her to the bathroom and while waiting they chatted with Baldur who was still enjoying his lunch. " Baldur, you lived with Sr. Sibal here for quite some time. Did he stayed here straight starting 1918 down to that time when all of you got out?" George asked. " Hmm, yes. Ah no! there was one time when he and Dad handed our sister Magee to Lolita, his adopted. It was after our mother died for giving birth. Subsequently, we''re all male so Dad decided to find a woman who can take care of her. Dad and Lolita were already friends, I''ve heard that." " I see." George sighed and Magee tapped his shoulder. "Let''s go in." Magee whispered to George as she smiled to Baldur. " Baldur, if you have vacant time this afternoon, can you visit us inside. Hmm, we have so much to ask and you might help us." " Yeah, after my siesta." Baldur replied. When they reached the bedroom, he tied her hair with his handkerchief while she''s sitting on her bed and fanned her with an anahaw leaf. " Refreshed now?" Then he kissed her forehead. " Hmm...thank you, so sweet of you." She smiled. " Ouch! okay, haha! let''s continue reading. " This time I''ll read it but after I get tired you''ll be the next storyteller." So they agreed. --------------------------------- 29 October 1916 A three month pregnant. I bought and cooked the food she wanted to eat and wants me to continue talking to the baby when she''s already sleeping. It made me so touched - an angel, and my wife''s baby. So its going to be my child too, a blessing. ----------------------------------- "Hey! you''re upset or what... c''mon." Magee carefully rubbed his head while leaning his face on bed. " Nothing. It bothers me knowing there was such a man like Sr. Sibal. At first he''s a bit weird and he even upset me but he''s kinda saviour at this point of his journal." "You''re right. Here, another entry for 25, 1916." ----------------------------- The baby is now kicking, I could now hear George, at last!" Magee stopped and he hugged her tight. "Isn''t that still coincidence, Mag..." He was teary eyed. 63 He Named him - George! 28 February 1917 I lost some appetite to send out entries here, George kept me so busy of him. Today, I made a crib and some wooden toys and we put it in his Ina''s bahay kubo. Lolita smiled why I knew its a boy. I said I felt it. This way my life had changed, from being dull into a full-time father. I don''t know but there''s this happiness I can''t explain. --------------------------------- " Mag, I can''t almost believe all these. Dads have overload of secrets." Still he''s teary eyed pressing his head that later puts him to series of sobs. Magee then leaned his back flat on the bamboo chair next to her bed. Terrifyingly, he''s sweating and paused for a while. It allows both of them to deep breath and brought in silence. A hammock of space in between led him to speak again after an hour. " Let''s get going, I wanna hear how that boy was born and grew up." George said. She nodded. 24 March 1917 Its our second wedding anniversary and glad she cooked for my meal and discussed with me how we''ll arrange George''s baptism. Its a cozy afternoon in that kubo she''d a long list to do even after the baptism as it made me more visionary with our farm''s harvest. I worked harder. George kicked too strong these days, he wants to get out and would maybe join me in our farm. This thought makes me smile though, I want him to go far and bring back a degree. Funny! but I''m really excited to personally see this boy kicking his mother''s tummy like a combatant. " George..." She whispered. He never sounded anything against so she pursued the next page. 23 April 2917 George! the heaviest and the most handsome boy in Tikaban. We''re both happy of you. I will raise you like my own and prepare your playground in our secret place in Kabang. We''ll surprise your Ina Lolita of our new house there, can''t wait anymore. Hmm, you''re chubby because you''ve eaten a lot when you''re still in Ina''s tummy. Now I''m cuddling you like I''m in heaven, so happy! You cute little boy, so sweet as you seldom cry. --------------------------------------- 29 May 1917 Sleepless nights but exciting! George wanted me to carry him always in my arms, if I put him down he tantrums so badly. It made me so proud and he likes no one but his ''ama'' (father) smell alone and that''s me. There''s just an eyesore mole he has under his right armpit, if I lose him at the mercado I can easily locate him with this mole. His eyes were droopy even after he just woke up and his nose looked so sharp and he''s really a white boy. We tend to cover him almost all over when going outside. People might wonder I''m a Spanish father with an American boy. Anyway, he''s more heavier today and he can gruffly grasp his wooden toys I made as he smiled and twinkled his droopy eyes; looked at me begging for milk and accidentally spanked me with his toys. 64 Virulent Epidemic in History 28 May 1918 I went back to Tikaban and fetched Lolita but still - she''s waiting for her son and lover to come back. I sniveled beside her and begged in multitude, but she was very silent with sullen eyes. Instead, she told me to return to where I was hiding because there were only a few around who remains alive. The datu and kapitan del baryo informed everyone to self-quarantine in their houses and refrain from roaming around to avoid risk. It was enough to leave the sack of food I brought for her. Appallingly, she also informed me that there was one soldier who came, looking for his head and left a letter. Then ¨¤fter I bade goodbye to her, I took the letter and gave it to the soldiers when I reached back in the secret place. The American soldier was so down, knowing the woman''s husband has died in Manila due to the alleged Spanish flu and that his family were on a wanted list. The soldier opened it up to the wife and she was terrified on what she''ll do with her children without his husband. I was in a state of shock and forcibly stayed side by side with them. ----------------------------------- 03 June 1918 Tension is everywhere due to the Spanish flu. So we seriously shared ideas with the American soldier that formally introduced me his name as - 1Lt.John Krause. On this morning hay day we seated on a grassy streamside, he divulged that he''s Chuck''s bestfriend. With a sudden madness, I stood up and fuming but he was so straightforward to kneel and apologized in behalf of his bestfriend. When I calmed down a little, he explained to me about Chuck and his ill wife. Interestingly, he assured me that he''ll be the way for George to return to us. I looked into his eyes and it seemed there''s hope. Edward, 1Lt. Edward Krause. I can sleep tight tonight with a smile. ----------------------------------- " It''s our surname now. Ever since, Dad was already a saviour, hey Dad, wherever you are right now, come back for us. I miss you so much." Albrecht whispered to himself. A little while Baldur came, bringing some porridge for Magee. "Hey guys, I''m not so much with food so just cook on your own. I only had one bowl for Mag and I''m pretty sure its salty or whatever." Baldur said and everyone laughed. Magee had her lavish dinner and when done, she slowly walked off to the bathroom while aided with George, listlessly. He has heard Magee''s waters and its squelches inside that brings him to the present. " Hmm...I forgot to mix it with boiled water, great heavens!" " Grrrr....I''m in the North pole right now George. Why you did not tell me, haha!" " Will I boil some, sorry I forgot, I was thinking of so many things, sorry." " Its alright, I''ll cross the bridge but I need to shout, otherwise I''ll die." " Oh my...no! don''t, just wait a second. I can boil right away. Wait a second. Don''t shout, I''m telling you." George warned her on his gritty voice. "Uh yes! I''ll wait." She replied sheepishly; wrapped around her towel and hunker down on the flinty ground. While George was instantaneously putting some firewoods underneath the kettle he thought. " Its possible that my name is still a registered Filipino citizen here, the baptism date entry in the journal shows its in triplicate copy. I''ll find it out soon or maybe after the war." Then the firewood began to boil the water in the kettle. He then transferred it in a bucket and knocked on the bathroom''s door. " Just place it on the doorway." " Its heavy." He said. " Don''t worry, I''ll just pull it here." " But your wound." He insisted. " I''ll handle it, just place it on the doorway." Then she smiled to herself while lighted by the oil lamp. He then backed off and waited outside. Still thinking of the journal. " He could have been a great father. But for me, he''s counted as one of my Dads now. Unfortunately, I saw him between September to December but had no idea about all these secrets, "Am¨¢," he wants that to call him, I should have personally thanked you for craving to see me. I''m George! your little boy before." It irks his heart again. The bathroom''s door was opened and she emerged bringing the oil lamp and the towel. " He immediately took from her the oil lamp and offered his shoulder for a walk back to the bedroom. When they returned Albrecht and Baldur were laughing while holding and reading the entries of the third journal. " Hey, what''s up?" George smiled. " We''re here in the third journal, mostly our childhood experiences around were recorded. I even wanted to rip some of them." Albrecht smilingly said. "No way, Magee and I will still read them, we''re still within the entries of the second journal. 65 Perfect Plan George just had a great hunch for preempting the enemies to take her wife away from him. " Hmm...they used some ropes and slowly glided down. "One...two...three, good. He crawled towards the first trespasser near him who first landed. George chopped his palm at the back of the person''s neck and left noiselessly unconscious. He then proceeded to joggle the second, leaving the third prowler to bump head on with the second and crashed together on the sharp edges of rocks. He noticed someone slowly slithered down and he guessed it was the woman he has heard outside the boat. Breathless, but he''s jaw tight with a little pretense of mercy but its a different story then, his wife and family is too much disturbed. "Its time to lose trust when it could create a fireball, burning us all." Sweats were all around him as he buttressed his back on the rocky wall, camouflaged himself from the leafy short trees. The woman covered her face and bent while hiding the rope she had used but George grabbed her neck and choked her mercilessly. " George..." Its Guida and she lifelessly smiled. " Where''s Edmund!" George threw her on the ground. " I killed...all of them. "Those...useless...behind the suffering of my ....parents. That woman...you liked most was the main reason. Crashing me...is not enough, you have raised snakes around and ...will eventually snack her." Then she closed her eyes. George took her handgun and fired her twice. Consequently, he grabbed the four of them in front of the house. The guerillas and soldiers came over and were shocked to the four notable intruders. " Sir, our schedule." Amado whispered and reminded him. " We''ll not go there for now but kindly call Narciso, Elias and Gador to assist you in burying the four trespassers. Please seek the help of Fr. Matias again. When George was inside the house, he''s calling Albrecht. " Albrecht...Albrecht" Then Albrecht got out from the fox hole under the cabinet. " Such a long story. Three men came in and seems looking for something inside your bedroom. Try to see the mess inside. George, it seems two of them looks familiar. I''m not so sure but it seems its Gador and the other one was Elias. They were very mad upon knowing that Magee is not here. They threw her bed, look!" George sat down on the chair, pressed his head and sighed. But Albrecht drew near him. "Brother...I discovered something. When you were heading to the smiling skull, I accidentally ran upstairs to get my dagger but when I passed by the open room where the map was hanged, the small bell beside smiling buccaneer rang." " Ow! really?" Then they went up and brought an oil lamp and closed the door. " Look!" Albrecht whispered while pointing his finger on a small bell. " Hmm...it has a connection there in the cave. Maybe we have touched it there that''s why it rang here. The journals...there are a lot of things we still need to know. " Albrecht, look, there are four bells here so this means there are four secret hideouts around." He glanced to Albrecht. " Why we haven''t noticed these bells before. This amused me, hmmm. I knew all those fox holes below but I thought they''re just fox holes. Ah, maybe because Baldur was with them when they constructed those. I was busy cooking for them way back." He smiled. "Albrecht, our treasures?" George looked at him. " They can''t find it. Baldur and I safely keep it." He smiled. " Good. Can you cook some porridge for her, she''ll wake up in a little while and I''ll be a dead meat. When she comes, sure to offer her food first before I''ll be put into trial. 65 Guidas Silent Attack George just had a great hunch for preempting the enemies to take her wife away from him. " Hmm...they used some ropes and slowly glided down. "One...two...three, good. He crawled towards the first trespasser near him who first landed. George chopped his palm at the back of the person''s neck and left noiselessly unconscious. He then proceeded to joggle the second, leaving the third prowler to bump head on with the second and crashed together on the sharp edges of rocks. He noticed someone slowly slithered down and he guessed it was the woman he has heard outside the boat. Breathless, but he''s jaw tight with a little pretense of mercy but its a different story then, his wife and family is too much disturbed. "Its time to lose trust when it could create a fireball, burning us all." Sweats were all around him as he buttressed his back on the rocky wall, camouflaged himself from the leafy short trees. The woman covered her face and bent while hiding the rope she had used but George grabbed her neck and choked her mercilessly. " George..." Its Guida and she lifelessly smiled. " Where''s Edmund!" George threw her on the ground. " I killed...all of them. "Those...useless...behind the suffering of my ....parents. That woman...you liked most was the main reason. Crashing me...is not enough, you have raised snakes around and ...will eventually snack her." Then she closed her eyes. George took her handgun and fired her twice. Consequently, he grabbed the four of them in front of the house. The guerillas and soldiers came over and were shocked to the four notable intruders. " Sir, our schedule." Amado whispered and reminded him. " We''ll not go there for now but kindly call Narciso, Elias and Gador to assist you in burying the four trespassers. Please seek the help of Fr. Matias again. When George was inside the house, he''s calling Albrecht. " Albrecht...Albrecht" Then Albrecht got out from the fox hole under the cabinet. " Such a long story. Three men came in and seems looking for something inside your bedroom. Try to see the mess inside. George, it seems two of them looks familiar. I''m not so sure but it seems its Gador and the other one was Elias. They were very mad upon knowing that Magee is not here. They threw her bed, look!" George sat down on the chair, pressed his head and sighed. But Albrecht drew near him. "Brother...I discovered something. When you were heading to the smiling skull, I accidentally ran upstairs to get my dagger but when I passed by the open room where the map was hanged, the small bell beside smiling buccaneer rang." " Ow! really?" Then they went up and brought an oil lamp and closed the door. " Look!" Albrecht whispered while pointing his finger on a small bell. " Hmm...it has a connection there in the cave. Maybe we have touched it there that''s why it rang here. The journals...there are a lot of things we still need to know. " Albrecht, look, there are four bells here so this means there are four secret hideouts around." He glanced to Albrecht. " Why we haven''t noticed these bells before. This amused me, hmmm. I knew all those fox holes below but I thought they''re just fox holes. Ah, maybe because Baldur was with them when they constructed those. I was busy cooking for them way back." He smiled. "Albrecht, our treasures?" George looked at him. " They can''t find it. Baldur and I put it in a safely keep." He smiled. " Good. Can you cook some porridge for her, she''ll wake up in a little while and I''ll be a dead meat. When she comes, sure to offer her food first before I''ll be put into trial. Albrecht, can you please entertain the soldiers and guerillas under the tamarind tree. Just do something to attract their attention while I''ll bring your siblings back." Then he tapped his shoulder. " Copy, brother." Then George went down to the fox hole and he emerged nearby the smiling skull. In a short while, he opened the rocky door and saw her already awake but was just silent. " Baldur, Mag, we need to return to the house now." Then George carried her again on her arms and he was thankful that there was never any refusal or outbursts. She was just silent and wrapping around her arms on his shoulder and leaned on her chin beside his neck and left ear. "Ow? This is impossible? What had happened when I was gone?" He thought smiling while passing through the tunnel and got out to the fox hole inside their bedroom while Baldur assisted him. Its really a unique hole because you have to open not the door of the cabinet, but the left side of its wall. When you''re already inside the cabinet, you have to turn left a little, open another small door then stoop down to see the floor with 24x24 inches fox hole. The other side of the room was a plain space. No protrusion. But the secret illusion in the carpentry was perfect because its double walled by 24 inches, between George and Magee''s room and the next room before the kitchen. They reached the house exactly when Albrecht was done entertaining the guerillas and soldiers. He put her carefully on bed and he apologized. She was just quiet and clasping her hands, so still. Minutes later, Albrecht came in, bringing a bowl of porridge and she quickly sat back straight on her pillow. She quickly had a spoonful of it then finished the entire porridge with a little salt and lemongrass and when finished, she looked at his husband''s wristwatch and spoke. " Its 2:00 am." "What did Baldur told you why you didn''t scold me." He smiled and took the empty bowl out from her hand. " He said we have to pray that you''ll get back alive." She uttered. " What else did he say?" George curiously asked. " There''s none. I was so scared. Just imagine I just woke up and that''s what he''s saying - so seriously." She smiled. " Hmm....we''ll just talk about it tomorrow. Come, you have to use the bathroom, your hair have sands and soil when we passed through the tunnel. I''ll carry you there. Come." Then she moved closer to him and he carried her all the way to the kitchen. "Wait for a while, I''ll check the bathroom first." Then he called Baldur to guard at the back of the bathroom and Albrecht was guarding the frontal area of the main door. Finally, he put some boiled water on a bucket then left it on the doorway and she just pulled it inside. Then the surrounding got back to its peaceful toll. The earliest bird chirps already, serenading them all as if there were never any harm and the people around are at peace. Magee ended up calling him and she got out refreshed. He returned Magee on her bed and put the socks on her feet again. "I''ll change the gauze tomorrow I know its itchy now on its wound." George covered her the blanket and she smiled. "Thank you, George." " He moved closer on her face and she was prudently looking on his tantalizing eyes seemingly falling on her lips but she''d rather sleep and slid on her cocoon like the speed of light and advancely imagine to see him in the morning. He hanged out on a thin air smiling and shook his head, looked up and put his hands on waist, sighing. " Hmm...Mag.." He smirked. " Yes." " Nothing. Sleep tight. He got out and told Baldur and Albrecht to sleep. When he was alone guarding, he tried to check some fox holes inside their room and curiously recalled the bells on the map. 66 Mysteries of the Map The fogs surmounted the place and as if freezing him so he had his pushups inside the room and some exercises while waiting for her to wake up. When she got out from her cocoon and saw him - she covered herself again and told him to wear his camiso. He was hiding in the corner and kept on smiling. Then in a short while. " I''ll go to sleep now, Mag." Then he was flat on bed and tried to fall asleep. Knock, knock! Mag its me, Albrecht, here''s your ''salabat''." Then the oldest brother came in looking at George on a separate bed. " Such a poor husband!" He whispered to himself. " What did you say?" She smiled to her brother. " Nothing, Baldur warned me not to comment or meddle or sacrifice or curse - whatever." Magee pinched his ear and laughed. " Haha what are you saying...I''ve heard some." " Hmm...what if we all die tomorrow and you treat today as if just an ordinary day. Will you not miss a moment with someone you care you failed to give. You''re already married, Mag." She was looking at him and slowly absorbed the emotion that Albrecht was describing her. "But we are slowly taking ourselves there - with our ''carpe diem.'' Its just one day at a time, small steps, I said there''s nothing to be in a hurry with. Once love is sown, its never wasted, it keeps blooming where no season of time can change its way." She smiled at him meaningfully. " Hmm...I''m sure that guy is listening, he''s breathing so fast, see that..." Albrecht smiled then George threw him his pillow and Albrecht was laughing going out. " You sleep now. We still have to read the journal later." He stood up and got out of the house, took some bucket that he filled with water from the stream. Magee slowly moved down from her bed and watcher him from a distance. As usual, he watered and arranged the drainage of his angel fruit trees then after a while he proceeded to the daisies. There were so many colorful daisy flowers but he didn''t prick anyone of those colored ones but carefully cut the white ones. She was smiling, seeing him do it. Then she slowly closed the window and returned to her bed. Seconds later, George returned to their bedroom and brought her a single white daisy flower without any stalk and put it on her palm. " I love you very much, Mag." They meet eyes and he was donning the flower with his hand on her tiny palm and kissed her forehead before he returned to his bed - still looking at her with his tantalizing eyes and dozed off by her gracious smiles. 66 The Daba Times Newspaper The fogs surmounted the place and as if freezing him so he had his pushups inside the bedroom and some physical exercises while waiting for her to wake up. When she got out from her cocoon and saw him - she covered herself again and told him to wear his camiso. He was hiding in the corner and kept on smiling. Then in a short while. " I''ll go to sleep now, Mag." Then he was flat on bed and tried to fall asleep. Knock, knock! Mag its me, Albrecht, here''s your ''salabat''." Then the oldest brother came in looking at George on a separate bed. " Such a poor husband. Here''s the world of married, huh!" He whispered to himself. " What did you say?" She smiled to her brother, crosschecking. " Nothing, Baldur warned me not to comment or meddle or sacrifice or curse - whatever." Magee pinched his ear and laughed. " Haha what are you saying...I''ve heard some." She insisted while Albrect seriously looked at her. " Hmm...what if we all die tomorrow and you treat today as if just an ordinary day. Will you not miss a moment with someone the care you failed to give. You''re already married, Mag." She was looking at him and slowly absorbed the emotion that Albrecht has interpreted to her. "But we are slowly taking ourselves there - with our ''carpe diem.'' Its just one day at a time, small steps, I said there''s nothing to be in a hurry with. Once love is sown, its never wasted, it keeps blooming where no season of time can change its way." She smiled at him meaningfully and added, "he''s under my care now, likewise he''s doing that to me." " Hmm...I''m sure that guy is listening, he''s breathing so fast, see that..." Albrecht smiled then George threw him a pillow and Albrecht was laughing going out. " Hmn, you sleep now. We still have to read the journal later." Magee was smiling. He stood up and got out of the house, took some bucket and he filled it with water from the stream. Magee slowly moved down from her bed and watched him from a distance. As usual, he watered and arranged the drainage of his angel fruit trees then after a while he proceeded to the daisies. There were so many colorful daisy flowers but he didn''t prick anyone of those colored ones but carefully cut a single white daisy. She was smiling, seeing him do it then she slowly closed the window and returned to her bed. Seconds later, George returned to their bedroom and brought her a single white daisy flower without any stalk and put it on her palm. " I love you very much, Mag." They meet eyes and he was donning the flower to her tiny palm and kissed her forehead before he returned to his bed. With his right side facing to her while lying on bed, she was mesmerized and glued by his tantalizing eyes just as he dozed off by her lovely smiles. But she noticed that he was mindless without a pillow so she slowly slid down out of bed and took the one he threw to Albrecht that''s already on the floor. She covered it with a clean cloth, motioned towards him; slowly lifted his head a little and put down the pillow with a unique casing. " He slowly grasped his wrist while eyes closed." " The angel fruit..." She smilingly whispered. " Its...well...taken...cared." Then he smiled and loosened his grasp and fell to sleep. She got back on her bed holding the second journal when she has heard an unfamiliar voice that Baldur was talking to. "Who''s that?" She thought. With the passing minutes of conversation outside Baldur knocked on the door then opened it. " Mag, see this newspaper. I''m so worried, Dad must not have done it. I told him already not to go back to Manila, but still. The Japs let the Captured Filipino and American soldiers walked, this is a death march! this is inhumane!" " Brother! Shh..." She was teary eyed and lie down. " Baldur...what are we going to do?" With her tears falling one by one. " Dad...you should have stayed. But still he went there and surrendered just to report of his dead men left. Magee, he told me its the only way to exist. He really told me to hide here with you with Albrecht and George. He told me not to damn fight, not to hold guns and grenades. He said this place is enough for us all to survive." Baldur whispered. Albrecht came in running and took the ''Daba Times newspaper.'' " Great heavens! Dad..." Albrecht bowed his head, clenching his fist and stamping it on his lap. Then he hugged Baldur while sobbing. " Baldur. Calm down. Shh...its going to be alright. Let''s assume he''s not included those who were marching to death. Dad''s the wisest. Just think of the map, the tunnels and the caves around that some we haven''t even discovered yet. He have plans, just like when he told you someone will come for us. Remember that? So let''s continue to be ghost fighters. Its George idea that Dad has approved. We''ll focus on discovering more around. You are more knowledgeable on that since you assisted them before with Sr. Sibal. Though, critically, help us rewind the events before, the locations and directions. For now, let''s not get down with this newspaper''s headline of the death march. The makapilis and the traitors only wants us to be weaker. Let''s keep going, brother. For Dad, he wants us to keep this ugly lady around with her man safe. Let''s help them start a family, okay?" Then Albrecht tapped his shoulder and threw the newspaper on the door and got out heading back to the kitchen. Magee was smiling while tapping Baldur''s shoulder. " Baldur..." " I missed Dad, Mag, I missed my wife as well." He bowed down his head on the edge of her bed with tearful moments. Magee clasped his left hand and pressed it. " We can do this Baldur, we can. 67 The Mysterious Map With so much emotional outburst, Baldur got sleepy and Magee told him to catnap beside George. Due to extreme exhaustion and without wasting any second upon reaching to George''s bed, Baldur waved his hand to her and dozed off with his back flat. " Hmm...you both should sleep well. There''s a lot of things we have to do when I''d be fine next days." She thought then she sluggishly moved closer to the door and locked it so that no one can disturb them from resting. " Boom! boom! boom!" Albrecht rushly knocked on the door and she whispered before opening it. " Kuya...keep quiet. Two soldiers are seriously sleeping inside." Then she let him in. " Have you heard the wild blasts?" " Yeah, the floor was even shaking." Magee replied. " Those are cannon blasts. The Japs reinforcements maybe have reached in their barracks today. Possibly, its a form of summoning and showing their power after repelling from the past days. Or was it because of the Bataan battle?" We have limited information here but if Baldur would go back to the port where Dad have old friends on stand-by, we''ll be able to get some updates from the solo ship that docks from Manila. The last time Baldur went over for Dad''s send off by the port, he learned that the Japanese Imperial Forces were already in control of the general headquarters of the Commonwealth army. How much updates we need to get that will just give us more tension, huh!" Albrecht sighed and sat on a bamboo chair while clasping his hands. " Albrecht, let''s attack and burn their Tikaban barracks again." " Hmm, don''t do that again, they''ve plan out maybe preventions to similar attack that badly hit them last time. We''ll think about another plot." "Hmm...I''ve got another idea." " It give me goosebumps already without hearing it yet." " Haha! what?" She whispered. " Everytime you suggest on something, that guy who''s madly in love with you buys it whether its too risky or not. It so happened that he''s our boss so we ended up buying your creepy ideas too." He sarcastically smiled. " Haha! oppss! my wound aches...I forgot I have this one, huh! but you''re really a real comic, I can''t imagine Madelleine who laughs a lot when she''s with you." " Oh dear! don''t mention her name, I missed her so much!" He bowed down his head a getting serious again. " S...sorry." She mumbled "Hmm...I need to prepare for lunch now, the two will be growling too loud at the kitchen later to patch up their exhaustion and sleepless nights of guarding. I''ll need to go now and keep prepared anytime, its wartime and evacuation in no time is expected. Just grab what''s necessary, okay? And do you know where to run to, in case of emergency?" " At the cabinet, haha." He nodded. "Alright kuya funny." She smiled at him before he went out. While staring at the two on their sound sleep, she tried to imagine the locations of the map upstairs. " The entrance secret gate is placed in the eastern part, the smiling skull cave''s on the western point, there were four bells, does it mean, there are also northern and southern bound fox holes, tunnels and caves? 68 Magees Suggestion for the Next Attack Baldur was still sleeping at 2 o''clock while Magee and George were looking at each other with winsome ways. "Why?" George restively smiled at her. " My wound, you said you''ll gonna dress it today." She simpered looking at him. " Ah, yes, okay." He right away took the kit and had some hot water from the kitchen to sterilize the dressing forcep. Irrespective of his busy dressing activity, she started to shatter the silence. "George, the jar. I found under a papyrus cover a smaller but an identical copy of the map upstairs with a covered sheet over it showing the jar, fork, cabinet and..." George had a glimpse on her eyes; scissored the gauze and covered it in a thoroughgoing manner. He then positioned to recline her comfortably on the pillow behind her. " Where''s that paper and the small map. May I see it Mag." " She handed to him the journal, pointing its back cover." " Its here?" He asked in awe. " Yes. That jar you see is a mark but I tried inspecting all over it and see nothing." George settled himself on a bamboo chair next to Magee''s bed and scrutinized the map then alters the piece of paper to and fro. Magee as well had her eye on him likewise analyzing the jar thing on a clue. The silence again got a load of query when suddenly George utter a word. " Jar." The he immediately proceeded to the jar inside the room. " He carry it out from its placement and tried to check below it. Magee then slowly slid down and joined him. " Oh, careful. You should have stayed there Mag." Then he aided her so insistent to come closer towards the jar. " Did you switch the position of this jar this morning?" "I only touched it but I never changed its position." " You stay for a while in here, don''t move." Then he hurriedly ran heading to the kitchen. " Albrecht, since you get back in this house, have you ever touched the position of the jar inside our bedroom?" " No, I haven''t. In fact, I promised my self not to even look at it and I remember what I have read in the journal that Sr. Sibal had written that I almost rip yesterday." " What did he say?" " Haha...but its funny!" " Its okay, just tell me." " Sr. Sibal wrote that I kept on embracing the jar when I was little and said, "...when Albrecht was still young he said, "I will move mountains with my jar''s faucet. Where my faucet heads be the door of my kingdom that no one knows." Then Sr. Sibal added, " Edward''s step children are great dreamers, at least we made Albrecht''s dream came true. It was enough to make George hastily returned to the bedroom and opened the window beside Baldur who was still sleeping. " That exact point!" He whispered. He got back to where Mag was standing and he spoke on her ear in undertone. " The tunnel possibly goes to that direction - on that rocky wall. But the risk maybe is, they don''t usually use it before. "But its a plain floor." She gazed on his eyes forming tiny wrinkles on her forehead. " The ''mangkono'' (Philippine ironwood) floor has to be removed if we''re going to find it out later. When Baldur would wake up I would tell him about this. I''m pretty sure he could recall some excavation before. 67 Mysterious Map With so much emotional outburst, Baldur felt puny and bushed while Magee told him to catnap beside George. Due to extreme exhaustion and without wasting any second, right there upon reaching to George''s bed, Baldur waved his hand to her and dozed off with his back flat. " Hmm...you both should sleep well. There''s a lot of things we have to do when I''d be fine next days." She thought then she sluggishly moved closer to the door and locked it so that no one can disturb them from resting. " Boom! boom! boom!" Albrecht rushly knocked on the door and she whispered before opening it. " Kuya...keep quiet. Two soldiers are seriously sleeping inside." Then she let him in. " Have you heard the wild blasts?" " Yeah, the floor was even shaking." Magee replied. " Those are cannon blasts. The Japs reinforcements maybe have reached in their barracks today. Possibly, its a form of summoning and showing their power after repelling from the past days. Or was it because of the Bataan battle?" We have limited information here but if Baldur would go back to the port where Dad have old friends on stand-by, we''ll be able to get some updates from the solo ship that docks from Manila. The last time Baldur went over for Dad''s send off by the port, he learned that the Japanese Imperial Forces were already in control of the general headquarters of the Commonwealth army. How much updates we need to get that will just give us more tension, huh!" Albrecht sighed and sat on a bamboo chair while clasping his hands. " Albrecht, let''s attack and burn their Tikaban barracks again." " Hmm, don''t do that anymore, they''ve plan out maybe sort of preventions to similar attack that badly hit them last time. We''ll think about another plot." "Hmm...I''ve got another idea." " It give me goosebumps already without hearing it yet." " Haha! what?" She whispered. " Everytime you suggest on something, that guy who''s madly in love with you buys it whether its too risky or not. It so happened that he''s our boss so we ended up buying your creepy ideas too." He sarcastically smiled. " Haha! oppss! my wound aches...I forgot I have this one, huh! but you''re really a real comic, I can''t imagine Madelleine who laughs a lot when she''s with you." " Oh dear! don''t mention her name, I missed her so much!" He bowed down his head and getting serious. " S...sorry." She mumbled "Hmm...I need to prepare for lunch now, the two will be growling too loud at the kitchen later to patch up their exhaustion and sleepless nights of guarding. I''ll need to go now and keep prepared anytime, its wartime and evacuation in no time is expected. Just grab what''s necessary, okay? And do you know where to run to, in case of emergency?" " At the cabinet, haha." He nodded. "Good girl." "Alright kuya funny." She smiled at him before he went out. While staring at the two on their sound sleep, she tried to imagine the locations of the map upstairs. " The entrance secret gate is placed in the eastern part, the smiling skull cave''s on the western point, there were four bells, does it mean, there are also northern and southern bound fox holes, tunnels and caves?" She was staring at the cabinet where the first fox hole is located and headed to the opposite location of the cabinet where the old jar was displayed. She then slowly knelt on the floor and touched the big jar but there''s no sign where it could be the door bound elsewhere. She carefully returned to her bed and checked the journal''s second cover. At first, she was astounded by how it was wrapped by a papyrus paper. Its a bit thick and plastered. " Its an Egyptian papyrus, where did Lolo Sibal got this? Ah, maybe when there were barter trading at the shore of Gabok way back." Then she opened it and found out a similar map with the one which was hanged upstairs. She immediately looked its details and still found the bells and the four pirate buccaneer signs. Only the one facing the sea was smiling, meaning to say, its the safest. Why its the safest? and the three caves, including the entrance cave aren''t safe. Hmm....the northern cave route starts with a fork, isn''t this a fork? what does it mean, the western cave starts with a suit, dress - cabinet, the eastern cave starting point is on a chair and southern part is with a jar. Exactly!" Then she paused and analyzed it for around thirty minutes. "Hmm...interesting, though I''ve got this headache of thinking about that jar. But I''m getting hungry, my tummy aches. I''ll get back to these journals after lunch. Hope Albrecht is done there. Its maybe almost midday and my intestines are crumbling inside and it looks like that George and Baldur deeply slept. Hmm...George is moving." She thought. " Huhum..." Then George yawned and slowly pulled Baldur in the center then whispered. "You continue sleeping brother, you really need to recharge. I''ll wake you at 1500 hrs and when its time. Here, use my pillow." George stood up and smiled at her watching him. "Hi Mag...oh, Albrecht is coming." George said while helping Albrecht in setting the bamboo tray on Magee''s side. " What have you cooked kuya, this smells good." " Its bamboo shoot (dabong) with saluyot, ginger, lemon grass, sangig, tomatoe and grated coconut. I put pandan to our boiled cassava so its aromatic." And he carefully let her taste it with a spoonful of viand and a small piece of boiled cassava. But George saw how happy the siblings were though its a bit envious where he could not even feed his wife that way. So he was just very silent and got out of the house, facing the flowing water from the spring. After a couple of minutes, Albrecht called him to get in but Albrecht did not anymore return to the room. When he''s already inside Magee told him to sit beside her and they''ll share the food. She said her side hurts so bad so she could not pick a spoon so he fed her. The bottomline. " Oh, so this is the feeling." He smiled. She smiled back and both felt pleased to see each other caring that way. "Have you noticed, the viand is truly delicious. Several times I''ve eaten this here but still I loved its taste." George said. 68 Jar for the Northern Cave Baldur was still sleeping at 2 o''clock while Magee and George were looking at each other with winsome ways. "Why?" George restively smiled at her. " My wound, you said you''ll gonna dress it today." She simpered looking at him. " Ah, yes, okay." He right away took the kit and had some hot water from the kitchen to sterilize the dressing forcep. Irrespective of his busy dressing activity, she started to shatter the silence. "George, the jar. I found under a papyrus cover a smaller but an identical copy of the map upstairs with a covered sheet over it showing the jar, fork, cabinet and..." George had a glimpse on her eyes; scissored the gauze and covered it in a thoroughgoing manner. He then positioned to recline her comfortably on the pillow behind her. " Where''s that paper and the small map. May I see it Mag." " She handed to him the journal, pointing its back cover." " Its here?" He asked in awe. " Yes. That jar you see is a mark but I tried inspecting all over it and see nothing." George settled himself on a bamboo chair next to Magee''s bed and scrutinized the map then alters the piece of paper to and fro. Magee as well had her eye on him likewise analyzing the jar thing on a clue. The silence again got a load of query when suddenly George utter a word. " Jar." The he immediately proceeded to the jar inside the room. " He carry it out from its placement and tried to check below it. Magee then slowly slid down and joined him. " Oh, careful. You should have stayed there Mag." Then he aided her so insistent to come closer towards the jar. " Did you switch the position of this jar this morning?" "I only touched it but I never changed its position." " You stay for a while in here, don''t move." Then he hurriedly ran heading to the kitchen. " Albrecht, since you get back in this house, have you ever touched the position of the jar inside our bedroom?" " No, I haven''t. In fact, I promised my self not to even look at it and I remember what I have read in the journal that Sr. Sibal had written that I almost rip yesterday." " What did he say?" " Haha...its funny!" " Its okay, just tell me." " Sr. Sibal wrote that I kept on embracing the jar when I was little and said, "...when Albrecht was still young he said, "I will move mountains with my jar''s faucet. Where my faucet heads be the door of my kingdom that no one knows." Then Sr. Sibal added, " Edward''s step children are great dreamers, at least we made Albrecht''s dream came true." "It was Sr. Sibal''s embarrassing notation of my childhood, haha." It was enough to make George hastily returned to the bedroom and opened the window beside Baldur who was still sleeping. " That exact point!" He whispered. He got back to where Mag was standing and he spoke on her ear in undertone. " The tunnel possibly goes to that direction where the cave is - its on that rocky wall. But the risk maybe is, they don''t usually use that tunnel before. "But its a plain floor." She gazed on his eyes forming tiny wrinkles on her forehead. " The ''mangkono'' (Philippine ironwood) floor underneath the jar has to be removed if we''re going to find it out later. When Baldur would wake up I would tell him about this. I''m pretty sure he could recall some excavation before. " George, I don''t know but, why did Sr. Sibal and Dad made all of these? Do you have any idea. Did they know that this war would really arise?" She looked at him. " I don''t know either. But for one, a soldier have a lot of reservations and overprotective ways for his family. Its maybe what Dad thought, to protect you, your siblings and me. In synch to his thoughts was ama Sibal''s carpentry skills that teamed up with Dad''s vision of this war. He really had the intention of bringing me here to meet, marry and protect you since he could no longer steal you from ina Lolita. So this is it! They left us a mysterious house, treasures, tunnels, caves and a great agricultural place. Although, the journals are our prim guide. Likewise, the fork mentioned could be found in the kitchen, the way to the tunnel could be there so let''s tell Albrecht about it." He gazed on her. " Oh dear, look! Baldur''s waking up." Then they moved closer to Baldur who charmed with his long hours of sleep. " Its already 5''oclock, brother." George smiled at him." " Wow! thank God. I feel so much better now." Then George shared to him about about what they''ve found out from the journal. He was shocked and tried to rewind his participation to the excavation and expressed some memories. " As far as I remember, I was already 12-15 when we dug for the secret entrance gate and I turned 16 up to 18 when we''re done with the tunnel going to the south. I guess it was the most difficult, its too small and the excavation avoided the river so it has to stop beside the stream and has to go down again to another hole going to the old entrance gate of this mountain. But my role was just to throw the soil, stones and gravel and hadn''t given any chance to peek below. It wasn''t a straight job with them but I acquired my muscles from those tasks, interesting! But the two men have had a hard labor all the time that''s why I loved seeing them so fit despite their age, huh!" " But what have you remembered in the northern tunnel and cave." George asked while pinpointing the direction." " They recruited me to join the job in the middle of the tunnel already. It was different, I carried round timbers and there were big nails and carpentry accessories and they worked at night. They were the ones who cut them elsewhere during daytime while Albrecht and I slept during night time. We just wonder if why Albrecht had to cook sometimes 10 or 5 ''gantang'' of rice and a lot of ''duma.'' They were as busy as a bee. Hmm...there were only few nights within the duration of that northern ground construction where I woke up at night hearing some laughter of men. Sounds of hammer were too often and they do it at night. But there were weird noise of some tools I''ve heard. As for Albrecht, he never heard any of those, he slept so deeply because during daytime, he''s cooking a lot of food. But during those times, this house have plenty of food. Meat, big fishes, yes, I even wondered if where those food came from and just found them in the morning ready for butcher at the kitchen. We even have wheat. In fact, there''s so many western food that Dad told Albrecht to cook, huh! I now beginning to recall those days. The funny thing is, since they''re both our teachers so we solved chemistry , physics and some mathematical problems. Those algorithms and all. They made us very busy from learning with less time on wandering around. although, I watered all the root crops and trees everyday. " 69 Finding the Northern Cave There was such that in-depth testimony of Baldur when Albrecht called them for dinner. Due to their busy chitchat they never knew its already 8 o''clock in the evening. Magee also insisted to join them at dinner since she''s getting better. While at the table. " Let''s read the journal tonight and it could help us a lot in tracing its passage." George looked at Magee. "Yeah, I guess it would help us a lot." Baldur commented. "What if Baldur and I will finish the second journal while you and Magee on the third journal does it make sense then in the morning let''s share everything we''ll find." Albrecht suggested. "I go with it." George grinned. The dinner was filled with their conversation and they''re getting more interested in discovering the exact location of the northbound tunnel. Hours passed in full tilt and they all stationed in their rooms, holding Sr. Sibal''s journal. " Can I sit beside you?" George asked. " Hmm...yes, sure." She replied. He then perched beside her on bed. But she was so uncomfortable so she told him to get and bring inside the long wooden chair from the ''sala'' (receiving area). "Why? Its too heavy and the fogs outside, you know." He sheepishly reasoned out. She sarcastically smiled and slithered down and he carefully helped her reach the floor. " Ow...where are you going?" He was bewildered. " I''ll go out and bring in the wooden chair." She slowly had her paces going to the door and at a gallop he blocked her way. " I was just kidding, you stay on your bed, I''ll go and get it." He sadly smirked. When he''s back carrying it, Magee instructed him to put it fronting her bed. " Hmm, this is a good location. What are you doing...come, let''s sit together." Then she smiled at him. " Great heavens! sitting down on bed and on a chair are just the same. I can''t really spot the difference." He smilingly thought while looking at her. When she sat down and put the journal on her lap he never nestled beside her yet, thinking she might be instructing some more suggestions if where he would plop down. But she slowly held his hand and heedfully pulled him beside her to give his feet a rest. " So...you read first, if you get tired, then my turn." " 70 Detecting the trench 25 February 1931 Another explosion consecutively occurred in the cave construction up there. Its too loud but cool. When I visited the blasting site, I saw how the design would go after. One of the experts said that granite is harder than limestones so it needs more powerful explosives. Though, John instructed them to use small blasts so to properly split the rocks to its desired shape and sizes. I wowed. The house bedroom had a built-in granite matrimonial bed, with a corinth design on its edges. Its smoothness is incomparable. The kitchen table was a built-in granite, lavatory, receiving area couch, the bathroom and comfort rooms will probably be done in 7 months, amazing! The entire house occupied a 100 x 70 sq. m.,rectangular in shape. The ceiling were all granite, of course. But there were four daylight optic holes bringing in sunlight in the interior. If it rains, the granite cap overhead have pulleys which can simply be pulled on the sides below and one by one it closes. Nothing will be rusted below except those spoons and forks but Chuck already brought 10 granite bowls and 10 granite plates, thinking Magee and George would have 8 children. All of these excite me. Such a smart architectural design of the west. ------------------------------------ "Wow! if only Baldur or Albrecht is here now, I would have run into that house cave beautifully described here. Dad John! where are you now..." Then he sat back and shook his head. George was still awake until 4 o''clock in the morning and discovered more stories from the journals. Mostly, its filled with ups and downs, he looks like Jekyl and Jake for different emotions. " Haha!" He rolled on the chair. "George? What happened?" Magee suddenly awakened by his loud laughter. " Ah, no, nothing Ama Sibal had also his funny side, I just cant imagine that Dads made him intensely drunk and he wrote here that its his first time to discover that he could sing when drunk." George funnily said. " Ah, yes, but he was a good singer. He serenades Ina when he''s drunk and kept repeating his songs." Magee smiled while arranging her hair. But suddenly George remembered the house. " Mag, Ama Sibal said we had a house up there with full embellishnents. Here, read this portion." Subsequently, she spoke with full of energy. " Wow! can we go now?" She right away slid down out of bed and forgot she still have the wound. "Oh, careful Mag, haha. Come, let''s sneak and look for that cozy place and have our escapade. Sit back and you have to wear your shoes, bring your bag and put the journals inside. Afterwards, he carried her down and tied her hair with his hanky. "Let''s drink ''salabat'' first before we go and I''ll bring your meds.'' The kitchen was silent and foggy so they first went nearer to the furnace to warm themselves. " Cool! we can reach finally reach that place now. It could have been a gift for our wedding, what do you think?" George put his warm palms to both of her cheeks and she smiled. " Its so warm." She gazed. " Yeah." He filthily looked at her and smiled. " Look! Its boiling now." Magee intervened his internal qualms and he then right away removed the kettle out of the three big stone stove. The bottom line, they enjoyed sipping the ''salabat. When done, George went upstairs and slowly took the second journal. But Baldur woke up and spoke with eyes still close. " What are you doin'' here." Baldur asked. " I''ll bring her to nowhere, but there. We''ll find out something. He lie down on bed again and slept. George smiled, silently left and when he reached downstairs he grasped Magee''s hand, heading to the northbound while its still dawn and foggy underneath the groovy place. " Here, its here I guess where the trench began. But see what they did. They planted trees on top, though look at the trees above the trench compared to the nearby ones, they''re a bit smaller." He whispered while holding her hand. " Hah! this place under the trees is so relaxing. But I''m chilling." " Just rub your palms, like this - then put them on your face." He said. " Okay, I will also put ''bandana'' to cover my head and neck." She whispered. "Give it to me, I''ll put it on." He volunteered and he tied it for her. The rocky wall was very serene. A little while, George prepared the rope for climbing. He has to climb first and pull her up and so they both reached the top past 6 o''clock in the morning. "Wow! We''re here." Magee said. " Look how the experts hid the granite covers, I mean all rocks look similar in sizes, you cannot guess if where to open those four optic holes so breathtaking!" " George, come, kneel beside me and let''s take a closer look on this one, faster!" She said. " Oh, here! I''ll pull this. One, two...three!" Then the small rocks he pulled had opened and one of the holes appeared on their eyes. "Mag, I''ll tie this rope first here and if the place inside is safe, I''ll bring you down." Magee was already excited to get down and he waited for him to come out, ay least around 30 minutes. She was already worried and teary eyed then she called him. " George! George! where are you?" " The rope has moved and he slowly emerged out of the hole and smiled at her. Come! you''ll see something different today." He removed the rope and brought het down first. He got back above and covered the hole again as he glided below. "George! George! its too dark, where are you? I''m scared!" He lighted the candle and put it on the granite table at the kitchen then he pulled the separate pulleys, one by one as the four granite optic holes above have opened. Then there was light inside communing the entire place and Magee inexplicably smiling and was terribly amused whole her eyes were looking around. " Wow!" She whispered and can''t believe with what she had just found inside. She lobbied to the bedroom, bathroom and comfort room, kitchen, receiving area and at the bar she saw a lot of various wine on the array. At the kitchen Magee found so many canned goods, beside were pots and pans, granite bowls and plates and the lavatory has a flowing water by which George anticipated that it has a connection from the spring water inside Malapague. Overhead was a pure granite ceiling mixed with mosaic designs. She then returned to the bedroom and scrutinized the matrimonial bed so smoothly designed and she even thought if how the rough rocks converted into a beautiful shiny nest. But when she reached to the kitchen she was really impressed by the flowing water, same goes with the comfort room and bathroom where everything you see is dolled up by a western concept. She walked off toward George sitting at the receiving area still blankly smiling. "Is this really ours?" She asked. " Yes. Its in the journal." " Hmm.. I will continue reading the journal" Magee smirked and took out the third journal from her bag while George pulled out some cloth, took a bucket and manually mopped it on the granite floor and walls. The flowing water had helped him removed all the dust around too. With a half day clean-up, George was down and slept on the matrimonial bed. While alone reading the journal, she learned that at the back of the painting was the place of a small 3lens telescope facing the wooden house staged at the center and everywhere below. Since the house is higher than the trees so it could clearly see everything. Since George was still sleeping so she removed the painting and used the telescope. " Its blurred" Then she wiped the lenses with the hanky from her hair " Great! I''m seeing everything so clear now. 70 The Secret Granite House 25 February 1931 Another explosion consecutively occurred in the cave construction up there. Its too loud but cool. When I visited the blasting site, I saw how the design would go after. One of the experts said that granite is harder than limestones so it needs more powerful explosives. Though, John instructed them to use small blasts so to properly split the rocks to its desired shape and sizes. I wowed. The house bedroom had a built-in granite matrimonial bed, with a corinth design on its edges. Its smoothness is incomparable. The kitchen table was a built-in granite, lavatory, receiving area couch, the bathroom and comfort rooms will probably be done in 7 months, amazing! The entire house occupied a 100 x 70 sq. m.,rectangular in shape. The ceiling were all granite, of course. But there were four daylight optic holes bringing in sunlight in the interior. If it rains, the granite cap overhead have pulleys which can simply be pulled on the sides below and one by one it closes. Nothing will be rusted below except those spoons and forks but Chuck already brought 10 granite bowls and 10 granite plates, thinking Magee and George would have 8 children. All of these excite me. Such a smart architectural design of the west. ------------------------------------ "Wow! if only Baldur or Albrecht is here now, I would have run into that house cave beautifully described here. Dad John! where are you now..." Then he sat back and shook his head. George was still awake until 4 o''clock in the morning and discovered more stories from the journals. Mostly, its filled with ups and downs, he looks like Jekyl and Jake for different emotions. " Haha!" He rolled on the chair. "George? What happened?" Magee suddenly awakened by his loud laughter. " Ah, no, nothing Ama Sibal had also his funny side, I just cant imagine that Dads made him intensely drunk and he wrote here that its his first time to discover that he could sing when drunk." George funnily said. " Ah, yes, but he was a good singer. He serenades Ina when he''s drunk and kept repeating his songs." Magee smiled while arranging her hair. But suddenly George remembered the house. " Mag, Ama Sibal said we had a house up there with full embellishnents. Here, read this portion." Subsequently, she spoke with full of energy. " Wow! can we go now?" She right away slid down out of bed and forgot she still have the wound. "Oh, careful Mag, haha. Come, let''s sneak and look for that cozy place and have our escapade. Sit back and you have to wear your shoes, bring your bag and put the journals inside. Afterwards, he carried her down and tied her hair with his hanky. "Let''s drink ''salabat'' first before we go and I''ll bring your meds.'' The kitchen was silent and foggy so they first went nearer to the furnace to warm themselves. " Cool! we can reach finally reach that place now. It could have been a gift for our wedding, what do you think?" George put his warm palms to both of her cheeks and she smiled. " Its so warm." She gazed. " Yeah." He filthily looked at her and smiled. " Look! Its boiling now." Magee intervened his internal qualms and he then right away removed the kettle out of the three big stone stove. The bottom line, they enjoyed sipping the ''salabat. When done, George went upstairs and slowly took the second journal. But Baldur woke up and spoke with eyes still close. " What are you doin'' here." Baldur asked. " I''ll bring her to nowhere, but there. We''ll find out something. He lie down on bed again and slept. George smiled, silently left and when he reached downstairs he grasped Magee''s hand, heading to the northbound while its still dawn and foggy underneath the groovy place. " Here, its here I guess where the trench began. But see what they did. They planted trees on top, though look at the trees above the trench compared to the nearby ones, they''re a bit smaller." He whispered while holding her hand. " Hah! this place under the trees is so relaxing. But I''m chilling." " Just rub your palms, like this - then put them on your face." He said. " Okay, I will also put ''bandana'' to cover my head and neck." She whispered. "Give it to me, I''ll put it on." He volunteered and he tied it for her. The rocky wall was very serene. A little while, George prepared the rope for climbing. He has to climb first and pull her up and so they both reached the top past 6 o''clock in the morning. "Wow! We''re here." Magee said. " Look how the experts hid the granite covers, I mean all rocks look similar in sizes, you cannot guess if where to open those four optic holes so breathtaking!" " George, come, kneel beside me and let''s take a closer look on this one, faster!" She said. " Oh, here! I''ll pull this. One, two...three!" Then the small rocks he pulled had opened and one of the holes appeared on their eyes. "Mag, I''ll tie this rope first here and if the place inside is safe, I''ll bring you down." Magee was already excited to get down and he waited for him to come out, ay least around 30 minutes. She was already worried and teary eyed then she called him. " George! George! where are you?" " The rope has moved and he slowly emerged out of the hole and smiled at her. Come! you''ll see something different today." He removed the rope and brought het down first. He got back above and covered the hole again as he glided below. "George! George! its too dark, where are you? I''m scared!" He lighted the candle and put it on the granite table at the kitchen then he pulled the separate pulleys, one by one as the four granite optic holes above have opened. Then there was light inside communing the entire place and Magee inexplicably smiling and was terribly amused whole her eyes were looking around. " Wow!" She whispered and can''t believe with what she had just found inside. She lobbied to the bedroom, bathroom and comfort room, kitchen, receiving area and at the bar she saw a lot of various wine on the array. At the kitchen Magee found so many canned goods, beside were pots and pans, granite bowls and plates and the lavatory has a flowing water by which George anticipated that it has a connection from the spring water inside Malapague. Overhead was a pure granite ceiling mixed with mosaic designs. She then returned to the bedroom and scrutinized the matrimonial bed so smoothly designed and she even thought if how the rough rocks converted into a beautiful shiny nest. But when she reached to the kitchen she was really impressed by the flowing water, same goes with the comfort room and bathroom where everything you see is dolled up by a western concept. She walked off toward George sitting at the receiving area still blankly smiling. "Is this really ours?" She asked. " Yes. Its in the journal." " Hmm.. I will continue reading the journal" Magee smirked and took out the third journal from her bag while George pulled out some cloth, took a bucket and manually mopped it on the granite floor and walls. The flowing water had helped him removed all the dust around too. With a half day clean-up, George was down and slept on the matrimonial bed. While alone reading the journal, she learned that at the back of the painting was the place of a small 3lens telescope facing the wooden house staged at the center and everywhere below. Since the house is higher than the trees so it could clearly see everything. Since George was still sleeping so she removed the painting and used the telescope. " Its blurred" Then she wiped the lenses with the hanky from her hair " Great! I''m seeing everything so clear now. 71 Entrance and Exit Doors After testing the telescope, she have read about the doors that says, " There''s a big painting adjacent to the bathroom door and it will lead to a spiral granite stairs going down. There were two doors below. One goes to the tunnel heading to the smiling pirate Buccaneer and the other one to the wooden house at the center. The third door is going out of the mountain so its located at the bar shelves. Moving the bar''s shelves sideward means seeing the sideward stairs going down toward the rocky door heading out - facing to the mountains of Gabok. The way of opening it from the outside is to step on a pole protruding on the ground at the doorway; it has a small cap, removing it would reveal the pole. There''s a small amount of noise inside as the connections are sliding then a round door enough as a passage of a single person shall be opened, pulling the sliced circled rock inside. Closing it back still with a pole below and it manually closes. It is impossible to roll by itself outside because of the four stoppers. Two on the upward and same goes below. Information overloaded. So she rested at the receiving area while holding the journal. "Mag, wake up....you may now transfer on bed. I put some clean beddings from the cabinet, come." Then she aided her going to the bed. " George, there''s some food from my bag, take some for your late lunch. And here, read this part explaining the entrance and exit. All in all there are three doors in case of emergency. ".Good that you finally found the doors, which part here? Hmm, our Dads'' savings were all poured down here, with this exquisite architectural design - there nothing else I can say.'' He smiled and returned to the receiving area. He''d read those parts till 1935 that Magee had read. In amazement, he first removed the painting beside the bathroom and opened the door. There''s a passage going down. He smirked and backed off and used the telescope described with a 360 degree turns. On side of it was a box of its lenses. He drew nearer to all doors mentioned in the journal and unbelievably experienced how three were used. " These methods aren''t just from the U.S., its mixed with Egyptian ways, maybe one of the men who worked here suggested most of the styles. Albrecht knew all of these since this is his field of expertise. 72 First Night in the Granite House A fine thought. Magee has interpreted how George''s father provided them with all those critical supplies during WWII, as they weren''t produced or sold out at all. The downturn of rations, producers and the national industry of food and supplies had foreseen by his father Chuck, even way back 10 years ago. Such a relief that aside from the house, safety, weapons and food have also been prepared for all of them. The journal says that whenever the ship sails to another Asian country next to Philippines, where the American navy is of service to any of the military base, he also delivered supplies inside the tunnel and granite house to further prepare for his son and fiancee for survival in a place registered to the name of Sr. Sibal. " George, I''ve seen some emergency kits, biscuits and candies, and there were boxes unopened, your father have focused on putting an internal defense to our lives safely here. He''s trying to patch up, from everything." She was talking to him while bathing noisily. " Yeah! you''ve been there for an hour. What happened?" " I''m just enjoying with the imported soap and shampoo, its my first time. Don''t laugh at me but I enjoyed the synthetic bubbles optimally plus the water is graciously not as cold in the wooden house. Thanks to your Dad for all of these." She dipped the water extravagantly and George kept smiling outside. " You''re welcome my dear wife, this is actually for both of us. What Dad had given for me also belongs to you." He smilingly thought. When he got out, George was lobbying to check the wines preserved in racks at the bar counter. " Hmm...what are you doing there?" " No drinking of liquor here, whatever, we''re in the warzone. You know that, after the war you can drink them all." She smiled. " But there''s a lady''s drink here. Hmm I''m pretty sure Dad left this for you." He funnily reasoned out. " Hmm...I''ll taste that after the war." " But this can''t even make you dizzy. Its lovely." " George, just tell me if you want to drink so that I''ll tell you straight - you can''t. I won''t allow you. Let me check all these." Then she drew near to the bar counter. " What are you doing to the bottles?" " I''m trying to check the labels so that when you grab some, I can easily recognize." " Then why are you doin'' this to me?" " This is marriage. There are things the wife shall control the situation. I hate to mention this but I''d like to bring this up. When you were intoxicated with alcohol during Guida and Edmund''s wedding, more than 100 people died, those were your men and I pulled you and my brothers away - just because you''re all drunk. That night, I was crying. My veins, nerves, blood, bones were insane with tension. I was so scared." Then she cried. He moved nigher, embracing her. "I''m sorry. I used to have this drinking character when I was still single, with friends of course and in the army. Just give me more time to adjust and I''ll start today. Hmm, no, I''ll never drink at warzone." He whispered while putting her chin on his shoulder. " If its not wartime, I should have told you to taste them all. From vodka, liquor, gin down to lady''s drink. But see how I stand, my stab wound can''t even pull you even a meter. See how things are gonna happen supposed tonight we were attacked by the Japanese soldiers. I just don''t like you to blame yourself if you lose me or your men. You are a leader, you know what I mean." " 73 Movement of Traitors That night, Baldur brought the command''s journal and all evidences behind as they vacated with Albrecht towards the smiling pirate''s cave. They locked the doors and windows then they exited inside the cabinet , went down to a tunnel bound to the secret cave. Despite guilt and shame, George still fell asleep but he woke up at midnight and decided to traverse underneath. Without any hesitation he brought the flashlight he had found in one of the cabinets and left the candle and match beside Magee. He switched on the flashlight and started to descend and fall away on the box-type spiral stairs. When nearing to the ground floor he felt the sudden cold surroundin. His steps have echoed all throughout. He was about to twist the metal lock going out when someone was running going down. "George! George!" She called him. " Hey, I''m here, don''t run. Careful." Then he got back to assure she could see him just fine." " Why have you left me alone, you could have asked me...ah, that''s the door." She was amazed by the metal door. " Wow!" She smiled. " Hmm...you better have slept rather than peering me around, you still have your wound." Then he shook his head. " I wanted to see if what''s behind this door." " No." You should go back and rest. Your wound is not yet totally healed. " No, I''m going." He had no choice but to close the metal door again and slowly motioned toward her backing off on the spiral stairs and he''s smiling, following her moving up while putting the flashlight under his chin. "What are you doing. Put that one, its scary." He put it off and it was too dark so he was holding her hand while they go up. When they reached upstairs, George closed the door and returned the painting on the door''s frontage. She immediately lie down on bed while George put a blanket on her. She was then silent and George just put some towels in front of the door. He thought that his curious wife really have plans of peeping what''s outside the metal door so he better prevent it to happen. He''s not sure the safety below. " Better to sleep beside this door and I''m sure she could not step on me here." He smiled then closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes in the morning he saw her smiling, fronting him. " Hmm...why that happy..." He smirked then yawned facing the door. " Let''s ... go down. I''m not yet hungry." " Ahhhh!" He smiled, pressed his head and sat down. " I never knew you were this curious, haha! But Mag, just wait for my signal, okay? I still have to check your wound and apply an ointment. We''ll go down and would really see what''s inside it. (...to be continued) 73 Trudging the Tunnel of War Supplies That night, Baldur brought the command''s journal and all evidences behind as they vacated with Albrecht towards the smiling pirate''s cave. They locked the doors, windows and slowly exited inside the cabinet that later went down to a tunnel bound to the secret cave. On the other hand, despite guilt and shame, George still fell asleep but he woke up at midnight and decided to traverse underneath. Without any hesitation he brought the flashlight he had found in one of the cabinets and left the candle and match beside Magee. He switched on the flashlight and started to descend and fall away on the box-type spiral stairs. When nearing to the ground floor he felt the sudden cold surrounding. His steps have echoed all throughout. He was about to twist the metal lock going out when someone was running going down. "George! George!" She called him. " Hey, I''m here, don''t run. Careful." Then he got back to assure she could see him just fine." " Why have you left me alone, you could have asked me...ah, that''s the door." She was amazed by the metal door. " Wow!" She smiled. " Hmm...you better have slept rather than peering me around, you still have your wound." Then he shook his head. " I wanted to see if what''s behind this door." " No." You should go back and rest. Your wound is not yet totally healed. " No, I''m going." He had no choice but to close the metal door again and slowly motioned toward her backing off on the spiral stairs and he''s smiling, following her moving up while putting the flashlight under his chin. "What are you doing. Put that one, its scary." He put it off and it was too dark so he was holding her hand while they go up. When they reached upstairs, George closed the door and returned the painting on the door''s frontage. She immediately lie down on bed while George put a blanket on her. She was then silent and George just put some towels in front of the door. He thought that his curious wife really have plans of peeping what''s outside the metal door so he better prevent it to happen. He''s not sure the safety below. " Better to sleep beside this door and I''m sure she could not step on me here." He smiled then closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes in the morning he saw her smiling, fronting him. " Hmm...why that happy..." He smirked then yawned facing the door. " Let''s ... go down. I''m not yet hungry." " Ahhhh!" He smiled, pressed his head and sat down. " I never knew you were this curious, haha! But Mag, just wait for my signal, okay? I still have to check your wound and apply some ointment over it. Then we''ll go down and would really see what''s underneath, okay." " She nodded, got up and took a bath. Just thankful to the lady''s dress and accessories her father-in-law have kept for her. At the same moment, George was already waiting for him after a 5-minute bathing on the other side. When she got out, he drew closer and looked at her. " Your getup seems familiar. Hmm...anyway, dressing your wound is my priority now." Then he religiously opened its cover and spoke. "Aha, its getting better. But you still to be extra care of it." Then he finished the dressing session with a salute and they both laugh. After a minute, they were ready to get down. " Ready?" He consulted her. " Yes." She replied. It was enough and he opened the door adjacent to the bathroom. After breathing deeply he stepped down on the first staircase going down the spiral. Its plausibly dark and echoing till they reached the underground granite door with a metal lock. After a fleeting moment of turning the door knob towards opening, he turned his head on her and smiled. " What if there are ''aswang'' behind this." Then he smirked where he knows she''s a scared fan of legends and myths. " Hey...just open it." Magee urged him. In a flash, he turned it right with a little push, but its still dark behind it. " What... we''re still inside the mountain. See, those are still granite walls within this rectangular shape alley." " Yes. Let''s keep movin'' on and help me keep an eye on the left side for a probable door going to the tunnel. Oh! this one!" George found rectangular shape granite door. It has no lock but both ends have two big rubberized metal poles. He then push it and they suddenly saw a beam of light coming from nowhere. " Where is that light coming from?" She asked while holding his belt. " Hmm...that''s something we have to find out. But Mag, I can''t walk properly, hmm...you''re holding my belt tightly, ehem!" He rustled while clearing his throat and smirked. " Oh dear, sorry." Then she removed her hand away from his belt as they both emerged outside in a cold brickyard under a covered and cut tunnel. George''s flashlight ran out of battery so in a second, Magee bumped to something on a shoulder level box beside the granite rocky wall. " Mag? Where are you?" " I''m here, I slipped off on a box beside the wall. But I''m okay." " Shh...there are footsteps. Stay foot and don''t move." George whispered. " He grasped her hand and brought her beside the box. There were footsteps approaching and then suddenly... " Baldur, give me that one!" " Its Albrecht..." Magee swished. " Baldur! Albrecht!" George called out. " George?" we''re here, haha! where''s the ugly girl?" Albrecht annoyed Magee again. " I''m here." She pouted. " Oh dear, come. See what we''ve found, so many charcoal sacks, around 20. There were also a bundle of pillows, blankets, towels and so many house accessories. But this one has contained Fullton Military flashlights and batteries! Wait, there still so many boxes around, let''s check them all." Albrecht suggested while Baldur was busy jotting some notes. " Baldur, where did you pass through going here?" George asked while opening the next box. " At pirate Buccaneer''s secret door. Just this morning, Albrecht was making fun of me when I was arranging the pillow beside the rocky wall. He was very irritating so I threw him my boots. When I picked it up, I noticed the assymetrical distance of the wall below, though one has to really scrutinize its distance to discover that its a door. So I pushed it and called Albrecht to bring his flashlight. To our surprise, there''s a staircase so we trudged. Observably, all of those boxes we wee contained of amunitions and guns so we slid going here. This place looks like a ''bodega'' and I could not imagine how they worked on this without us knowing. 74 Georges 26th birthday! While George and Baldur were busy chatting, Albrecht motioned wearily towards Magee and said. " Its his birthday today. Its good we found some canned goods, oil, flour and so much to mention. Huh! but where are we going to cook all of these?" Albrecht''s distressing question. "Albrecht, we found the house mentioned in Sr. Sibal''s journal. Its up there, inside the serene granite mountain, though the house was almost complete with embellishments but it has no furnace and its a closed-type house. But I wonder it stored pot and pan. And Albrecht, you''ll love the granite bowls and plates." She smiled whilst focusing the flashlight on her face. " Mag, are you not kidding? How can this place have another house? You''re not used to funny things so stop kidding at me, anyway, I''m serious, its George birthday." He pulled back the sack on his back full of food. " Haha! no, I''m serious. Come!" She pulled his hand and they both ran going up while George was worried to Magee''s wound ad yhey both followed with Baldur. " Wow! amazing! Beautiful! I can''t believe on what I see." Albrecht was in a flabbergast mode and touched all the granite surfaces he just have seen in his entire life. " See, I wasn''t kidding." She smiled. " But its impossible that it has no furnace. The charcoal below is the proof. The furnace here might be a double purpose. Wait!" Albrecht touched all the walls near the kitchen and at last! " Here! haha!" then he pushed the granite wall sideward and they both found a semi cave-like furnace with a stove. " Wow! amazing!" Magee was stunned and right away told him to go back and pull a sack of charcoal. Then he quickly returned underneath. On his way he met George and Baldur carrying some sacks going up. " Ow! why are you going back?" Baldur asked. " I''ll get a sack of charcoal." " But we don''t have any furnace nor stove in the house." " We just found one." Albrecht laughed. " Really? well that''s good news!" Then George immediately went up with Baldur. When they were already upstairs George opened the granite door and Baldur smiled. "This is great! what a work of art! so elegant and refined, wow! then Baldur hurriedly ran to pick a bottle of wine but George signaled him not to touch any from the bottles." " Why?" Baldur asked. " Magee doesn''t like me to drink. I wasn''t under parole. She told me I could drink only after the war." He whispered to him. " What?" Baldur almost yelled with a gaping mouth. " Haha! Yes. I mustn''t be hard-headed, you know. Its a sporting chance rather than be kicked out pointlessly." He smiled. " So this is abuse of power, brother." Baldur criticized. But when George shared to him about Magee''s sentiments during Guida and Edmund''s wedding - Baldur only sighed. " Huh! its reasonably sound and wise. Sometimes women are good thinkers when it comes to tobacco and liquor, haha. You know my wife, she''s also doing this to me. Accordingly, she prevented people to see me sleeping anywhere, spit or vomit and turns me out like a dumb, though real men like us only expresses our manhood through drinking but we always drink too much, haha." Baldur laughed. "That''s why...hmm...Let''s help Albrecht, he''s almost at the door now." George said. Albrecht carried two sacks of charcoal so George took the other one and forwarded it to the kitchen He found Magee''s preparing on the table with pasta and some cream, sauce pouches and canned milk beside her. "Whoah? What are these food for, wow! where have you two found all of these? you even have garlic, onions and tomato sauce in pouches. Pork, beef all''s in can. Hmm...all the Presidents around the globe would summon you both from having all of these. It should be "a fair share for all of us," remember that tagline in world war II rationing. But speaking of the furnace, hah! I''m speechless. Commendable." He smiled. " But I found a letter beside the stove. It made me smile but true." Magee extended the paper to George while Albrecht read it too. " No cooking at daytime when in the absence of fogs to preserve the secrecy of our chimney pots covered with granite above. There''s no restriction after the war. Time of cooking schedule must fall within 1700-1800 hrs down to 0600 hrs. - Dads - --------------------------------------- " So we can''t cook now. Its prohibited, huh. Mag, how is it? Albrecht looked at her. " Its okay. Let''s just prepare everything here and start it at 4 o''clock. George moved closer to Magee and handed to her some biscuits and chocolates. " Mag, eat these for breakfast and reserve some for lunch." Magee smiled to George and received all that he has given. "Where''s for us George? where?" Albrecht stamped his feet on the floor and funnily doing tantrum. Magee and George then laughed to Albrecht''s expression then they all enjoyed a sack of biscuits that George gave them. " Tonight, I''ll gonna cook the best food for all of us. For now, let''s just pick crunchy biscuits and sticky chocolates." Albrecht smiled. " ...and hope we can taste a little wine too." Baldur suggested. Magee was just silent. "So, what made you two came up going to the cave. Did the traitors obviously reveal themselves these days?" George asked. "Gador and Elias may have a grandeur plan. So its safe to hide Magee in this place. Baldur mumbled. " We have to avoid their angst and have focus on the real enemies. The initial plan is to go South as gateway for the attack. But minutes before departure, I''ll declare that we''ll head west (former station two) with you as my team. Though, we will be heading station, east. " Okay sure, that''s a good point. That''s good for ghosts who have ghost enemies, Albrechtlaughed. 75 Switching of Teammates Early in the morning, Baldur and Albrecht had their exit and slowly closed the granite door. Their intention is to reach to the wooden house before sunrise while passing at the foxhole through the cabinet. "Shh...." Bring some of the pancakes." Baldur told Albrecht while putting the handgun on his shoulder. " Look at her, hmm, bye goddess, stop drinking liquor too much." Albrecht smiled to his sleeping sister. " Come on, let''s go now. I know its very cold down there so double your jacket." Baldur pulled him. Then the brothers went down slowly as their footsteps faded and the silence took over. " Gosh! how come she silently did it. Ah, I better stay away from her so she won''t be anxious when she wakes up. I need to find another vials or meds in Dad''s kit and I should. be strict on her or else her wound will not be healed. A little while, Magee groaned and slowly moved sideward so he nervously rolled like a ''lumpia'' fried on a pan and landed on the floor noiselessly. " George! George...my head aches." She moaned with pain, pressing her head and still closing her weary and droopy eyes. He right away stood up and rescued like the speed of light. " Hey, Mag. I boiled some water for your coffee, you can have biscuits with it." He sat beside her. " You said the lady''s drink could not even make my head dizzy." She sheepishly murmured. " But you have taken a wrong bottle - and you''ve got whiskey instead. It kicks strongly and you were totally hit by the alcohol." " George, I might die. I feel this loss of balance, can''t stand, having this nausea too." " Huh! wait here." He went to the kitchen and took some water to drink and he soaked a small towel in a cold water and put it on her forehead just to ease the head''s painful hangover." " What a plenty of water to drink is that George." She complained. " But this is needed, we need to flush out the alcohol within your body now. This is one way of evading from hangover then let''s increase your vitamin C intake. I''ll find out for some honey, it could be an option too. " I should have brought a good flashlight to see if which one was the lady''s drink. Its terrible. Ina Lolita could have whipped me if she''s with us now." " Hmm, calm down...first time in drinking isn''t always easy - even for men. Its just that the amount you''ve consumed was indeed disastrous to your body. Okay, let''s start flushing now, drink this." Then she had it and went to the bathroom afterwards. " The dressing of your wound will follow. I''ll wait." He said. " I got it." 75 Liquor Intoxication Early in the morning, Baldur and Albrecht had their exit and slowly closed the granite door. Their intention is to reach to the wooden house before sunrise while passing at the foxhole through the cabinet. "Shh...." Bring some of the pancakes." Baldur told Albrecht while putting the handgun on his shoulder. " Look at her, hmm, bye goddess, stop drinking liquor too much." Albrecht smiled to his sleeping sister. " Come on, let''s go now. I know its very cold down there so double your jacket." Baldur pulled him. Then the brothers went down slowly as their footsteps faded and the silence took over. " Gosh! how come she silently did it. Ah, I better stay away from her so she won''t be anxious when she wakes up. I need to find another vials or meds in Dad''s kit and I should. be strict on her or else her wound will not be healed. A little while, Magee groaned and slowly moved sideward so he nervously rolled like a ''lumpia'' fried on a pan and landed on the floor noiselessly. " George! George...my head aches." She moaned with pain, pressing her head and still closing her weary and droopy eyes. He right away stood up and rescued like the speed of light. " Hey, Mag. I boiled some water for your coffee, you can have biscuits with it." He sat beside her. " You said the lady''s drink could not even make my head dizzy." She sheepishly murmured. " But you have taken a wrong bottle - and you''ve got whiskey instead. It kicks strongly and you were totally hit by the alcohol." " George, I might die. I feel this loss of balance, can''t stand, having this nausea too." " Huh! wait here." He went to the kitchen and took some water to drink and he soaked a small towel in a cold water and put it on her forehead just to ease the head''s painful hangover." " What a plenty of water to drink is that George." She complained. " But this is needed, we need to flush out the alcohol within your body now. This is one way of evading from hangover then let''s increase your vitamin C intake. I''ll find out for some honey, it could be an option too. " I should have brought a good flashlight to see if which one was the lady''s drink. Its terrible. Ina Lolita could have whipped me if she''s with us now." " Hmm, calm down...first time in drinking isn''t always easy - even for men. Its just that the amount you''ve consumed was indeed disastrous to your body. Okay, let''s start flushing it now, drink this." Then she had it and went to the bathroom afterwards. " The dressing of your wound will follow. I''ll wait here." He said. " I got it, the more my wound suffers from what I did last night, huh!" She murmured. When she got out, he was waiting at the receiving area, holding the tube of ointment and he had readied a pain reliever for her to drink. " Mag, let''s agree for once." His voice was just so calm while busy pressing the tube and had a cotton filled with ointment applied on the wound''s surface. " W...what''s that.." She meekly replied. " Hmm...you should not be going with us in the next attack. You stay here at home. Get rested for your fast recovery. Isn''t this clear." He looked at her with his droopy eyes that''s too close to doubt. She was motionless and nodded. " So ..you wouldn''t insist." He reviewed her answer. " Yes. I''ll just stay here. I understand, don''t worry anymore." She smiled and he looked at her like she''s gluing his soul away. " Don''t...look at me like that. He immediately stood up and returned the emergency kit. " But hey....you''re not yet done. Okay, I get it fixed." She followed cautiously from where he''d placed the kit and tried to finish what George had started. But he returned and removed the scissor from her hand. "Look up. Don''t look at me." He summoned her like the real lieutenant on board. " Ye...yes." She then looked sideways and overhead. After a couple of minutes he carried and put her carefully on bed then left heading to the bar counter. " What are you doing there?" She asked in a full blown voice. " I''m arranging the bottles. Putting the lady''s drink below, on the lowest rack and I''ll put some label on the exact casual amount to consume for beginners." She smirked and bite her lips for too much shame. George''s explanation was enough to put her in silence. Exactly, he also smiled while arranging the bottles. " I better sleep and doze myself to dream. I must get healed quickly. I shall be resting. Everytime." Then she fall to sleep. " Wake up, Mag." He forced her to open her eyes. " Why." " Your hair, its still wet. Wait until its dry before you sleep. I intentionally put you there so that you can relax before you sleep, alright." " Why you seemed mad at me." She smiled. " There''s no reason to be mad. My mind is just preoccupied, just planning." " I see." She nodded. So he got back to the kitchen, mopped the floor, extending it to the receiving area and made it all over. After an hour, he checked her and was stunned, seeing her sleeping while sitting down. " Huh! it must be so tiring! her spine is at risk. If I wake her up again I''m sure I''ll be dead." He thought. " He just continue cleaning and once in a while looked at her as he put so many pillows and towels side by side. " Sleep tight - my beautiful wife." Then he was inspired exercising, doing household chores just because he''s seeing her so gallantly pollinating her charm and prowess - alone with him. In midday, Albrecht emerged from the door, bringing some boiled sweet potatos and sayote leaves for Magee. He also reported to George some updates below and how Amado, Narciso and the remaining American soldiers defended the command. While George wasn''t in the wooden house, Henry found Elias pointing his gun to the balcony while chatting with Gador. Henry thought that they were just kidding but they''re laughing and he caught them sharing their plans against us so..." " So what happened?" " They''re dead." Albrecht bowed his head. " Goodness!" George whispered while quickly taking a bath then Albrecht prepared the sauce for the boiled sayote on the table. " Are we going to leave her?" Albrecht verified. " You stay here while I go and meet everyone for a meeting but it will not take longer. When I return here, we''ll swap so Baldur can also come." 76 The Plight of A Few On his way down the trail going to a dark alley of supplies within the tunnel, he picked up some of it to bring to his men. "So here''s the shortcut going to the cabinet without passing by at the cave of smiling pirate Buccaneer." He thought. When he reached the wooden house, Baldur was having a roll call to the existing soldiers and guerillas under the lost command. So timely that he appeared and everyone paid attention. He announced the tactic for the next attack and installed a bigger stone on the ground that stands as the dummy killing zone where the security on posts were represented by triad stones with the same sizes that symbolize the trio teams. You know already that this is ambush though they''ll gonna attack the highest peak where the big stones slid comes from the waterfalls'' source. Once they all infiltrate the area the tripwire would trigger their physical movement on the area, the downside security team would restrict the terrain for closure so they could not return and the Japs would go uphill and flank in the killing zone - in the abyss of station one. Below awaits three from a stand by team on machine guns, shielded for safety and finally catches the enemies to fall in. " But Sir, they are almost 70. That strategy might trap us in instead of them." Bruno reasoned out. " That''s possibly the case if their focus is only the team in station one. But we will install five per team in southeast, southwest including us five above the peak, threr security teams to man on the far right and left below. Six security teams will only fire once all the remaining Japs could go up while the three will be inside the abyss. The mountain above the waterfalls is a good site to detonate grenades toward the barracks. Likewise, the most dramatic strategy we shall employ here is the tying of a drifted wood to cause commotion on their way and go up till they''ll be trapped. Since its night time they wouldn''t know that we''re just pulling the long rope tied to a drifted wood as it slowly crawls that makes them interested of following it." George explained. Then Baldur already divided the team and Sibaya asked. "Sir, I was assigned in southeast, how''s the trick there." "You throw grenades in the center (south), while your team will run southeast. That''s the case of those who were installed in southwest too, they''ll target the south then run going west. The Japs will go straight south, following the blasts (...to be continued) 77 Baldurs Message to Gabok "Hi Mag! here''s your breadfruit and sayote leaves, Albrecht was not able to return here yesterday because we''re all busy for the training, all''s tired. Its just this morning when Sibaya decided to climb the breadfruit tree. Likewise, Albrecht told me to extend his apology. I don''t have any idea if what happened but, hmm...Albrecht is Albrecht." Then Baldur smiled. "Where''s George?" " He left last night, around 6:30 pm. Is he not in the wooden house?" She was worryingly asking. " No. I thought he''s here. What happened? Did you two fight?" "Ah, okay. Don''t answer me. If you want to gather peace of mind around, I''ll just go." " Baldur." She sounded lonesomely. " Hmm, okay. I''ll listen." The older brother offered his listening ears while aiding her toward the granite couch. " I''m sensitive on relationship and partnership issues because...maybe of Ina''s traumatic experience I had witnessed over her man. I saw her cried then when he comes - she often smiles and the happiest. When he leaves, she kept on crying and then he comes back and she''s the happiest again and he leaves and she''s once again the loneliest. When Lolo Sibal comforts him she throw his hand and summoned him away. It was a terrible life seeing how loving and separation goes together. Those times, I haven''t seen who that man she was with; if her man comes Lolo Sibal keeps me out to play with my chicks and other pets at the orchard. So I eventually didn''t see Ina Lolita''s partner, its only after reading the journal that I knew its George''s father - its uncle Chuck. I grew up...seeing how Ina suffered. Those memories made me learned a little on how to preserve my decisions and crosscheck, in a way that...I wouldn''t regret. In fact, getting married is already a primary proof for this serious engagement since its wartime, but still, I am also doing things on its natural setup. Its a way to put all things better, I guess. But I''m afraid Baldur." She explained. He paused for a while and sighed. Just keep doing if what makes you happy. Anyway, he''ll the exact man who can wait. But supposed he''s hiding or keeping himself away, just respect his decision too. You know, he''s not just a man but your husband. So he finds comfortable that being an absentee sometimes could help preserve your decisions. But all these things wouldn''t be forever. Just keep your guards on if you''re not yet ready and still setting things on its way." Then Baldur smiled and tapped her shoulder. " I missed him already." She noisily whispered it. " Hmm...I can make him come if you want." Baldur suggested. " Would that be possible." She raised her voice and smiled at him. " Haha...why not?" He was just sitting down the whole night outside that granite door." Then Baldur pointed his finger to the door going down the tunnel. Then Magee covered her mouth and laughed controllably. " You lied." She smilingly whispered at him. " I lied sometimes in order to find out if who''s telling the truth. I need to protect my sister and if that lieutenant hurt her. I''ll gonna punch and throw him, if possible." He kiddingly smirked. "But anyway, he said he just sat down there this morning and planning some things for the attack. So when you said early on that he left here last night and I ironically found him sitting right there, embracing his cold handgun, most probably, he had so many plans designed the whole night for the attack, hmm, what an interesting plan that caused him those green eyebugs." Baldur inquisitively looked at her. " Hmm, just prepare the table and I''ll get out now. I''ll call him to get inside and you share the breakfast together. Be sure to prepare a coffee for him, I''m sure he''s chilling right now. An entire night of thinking might dehydrate him. Alright, anything else? I better go now." He smiled. " Thank you Baldur." After a minute George entered silently inside without looking at her and sat in front of the kitchen table, watching the daisy flowers in a vase at the center table. 78 Baldurs Message to Gabok Gifted with grace of food and solidary time from their brothers who tried hard to support their relationship''s ups and down, all''s went well - finally. In sync, they also have enjoyed the breakfast together. " Outright our breakfast, you may remove everything you wear. I''ll include them in the laundry. She seriously said. " What?" He was choked and breathless. " Yes, after you take a bath. I''ll do the laundry wash. Its been a while that you''re doing it so its my turn." " Ah, I see, but no, I''ll do it. You don''t need to rush in doing heavy chores. I could still do it." He was at least clarified after being confused. " She''s funny somehow." He thought while fixing the dishes and waited for her to sit down for the wound dressing. " I can do it now, I''m a bit healthy unlike the previous days I shrunk futile." Then she noticed that he quickly stood up and carry his handgun again. " Okay, I''ll check my angel fruit trees now and check Baldur''s message towards Gabok." He got out but suddenly returned and kissed her forehead while pressed both of her shoulders. " I''ll finally go." He smiled and waved his hand at her. While on his way down he decided to try looking if what''s at the end of the tunnel. " Wow! so deceiving tunnel design. Anyone could really believe that the purpose of the tunnel is really that small cave in the middle and not that granite door and passage heading up to the granite house. Dads prepared an emergency plan, just in case. They''re really good soldiers." He thought. After standing up too close to the small cave, he backed off and proceeded to the wooden house. There he sought the brothers so worried as Albrecht hurriedly approached him. " George, I''m really sorry for my wrong timing in multitude, brother." " Haha, no worries. I''d like to even thank you for emerging that way, she smiled uncontrollably while teary eyed. Then everything''s fine now. In fact, we shared the breadnut and breadfruit ovet some mug of coffee as a form of celebration. So its okay." George assured him. " That sounds better." Baldur commented. " Ah Baldur, now''s your travel going there? but its daytime." George anxiously asked. " Yeah. Amado and Henry will accompany me. Should you add up anything? just tell me." Then they talked seriously at the kitchen as Baldur showed to him the message they''ll roll and tie on a rope that will be received on the other side of the river bank. Its a log reaching across the river and has been the secret tool of the guerillas especially in relaying secret messages. " Okay brother, be extra careful. I''ll send extra backup to tail you. The hummingbird Sibaya, but only Narciso can read his signal, haha." Baldur laughed. " So why not bring Narciso." " Its alright, I''ll keep in touch with Narciso for this and we''ll probably depart at around 1100 hrs." Baldur informed George. He winked an eye and took a bolo from the kitchen. The brothers smiled as he left running. " Blessed be that man for our sister." Baldur whispered to Albrecht. " Yeah." Albrecht whispered too While on his angel fruit trees, Fr. Matias approached him. " Good day Fr. Matias!" " You must be very inspired each day. Where''s your wife?" " Ah, she''s in the nearby station two, its also safe there. I just visit her twice or thrice a week." He really have to protect his wife''s whereabouts, even the priest wouldn''t know. " I see. By the way, put a chicken dung around your fruit trees. I''m not really sure, but try it." Ft. Matias smiled. It was evidently inspiring so he went to see one of the soldier''s place who owned a chicken and took its dung. The amount of dung he collated was enough for two angel fruit trees only, at least. After which, he saw how the daisy flowers bloomed and he just carefully cut the white colored one. He passed by at the wooden house and talked to Baldur again that he eventually convinced Sibaya and Narciso to the mission where Sibaya will tail them to send bird sounds and signals. Subsequently, they were ready as George waited for them to depart before he returned to the granite house. After the send-off, George went back to the granite house, bringing some food that Albrecht had added. At the the doorway, he relaxed for a while then pushed the granite door. She was already on bed and reading the journal. She excitingly smiled while looking at him approaching and put the journal to rest. " Its already past 1300 hrs, have you eaten your lunch? the breadfruit''s better for you." " No, I haven''t eaten yet, I literally waited for you." " Wow. I''m flattered by that compliment. By the way, how''s your wound, is it still painful, itchy whatever." " Its itchy." " Good, its doing great." Then he went to the bathroom and took a bath. He smiled remembering her smiles while he arrived. " She''s...more than beautiful and awesomely beautiful. Her eyes looks like sparkling. Its softening my heart each day with love, there''s too much in it. God, grant me pity!" He thought. Exactly refreshed and he went out rubbing his head. " Mag, try opening the food that Albrecht wrapped with banana leaves. It smells interestingly." " Yes, its "ginataang puso ng Saging," Have you tried this before? It has nothing with it aside from the coconut milk and lemon grass." She smiled. When he sat down and tasted it, " hmm, no, I think I''ve tasted this before, its somewhere. The taste is heavenly, delicious! Can you estimate of the number of coconut used on this?" He asked. "If he cooked for only one "puso ng saging" he must have grated two coconuts. See! its already oily, right? this means it has enough coconut milk and was thoroughly cooked."Magee kept smiling at him. " Wow! its something I need to learn to cook since you love it. We''ll be staying here and we have so many bananas. 79 Sharing their Thoughts Nighttime came and he prepared his beddings at the receiving area. But Magee called to chitchat with him. While fronting the furnace and arms brazing their knees, they were amazed with the aromatic smell and delicious taste of the leftover breadnut that accidentally fell on the furnace and roasted like a peanut. " Wow! this is gonna be historical, its my first time to have this in roast." She smilingly cheered. " By the way, the attack will be in two days." Then the ambiance turned out weighty as he was watching the pot above the stove, sighing. " It will go well." She whispered while at a glance with the lit of light beginning to emerge from a smoky stove. " Just stay here. If you have plans of joining us in secret, it might be difficult, Mag. My focus will be divided." Then he stamped his right palm on forehead. " Hey...I felt like a delinquent hearing you say those things again. I''m busy these days with hectic schedules on sewing and knitting." She grinned and bowed her head. " What are you sewing and knitting when you clouted, repaired and even stitched all of my uniforms, including my hankies." He smiled. "Its a top secret." A beam on her face riveted him to be curious about. " Wow! you''re keeping secrets now. Hey, Mag what are you doing when I''m not around. So this must be terrible." He smiled while looking at her throwing small charcoal under the stove. " Tell me." He moved closer as if funnily threatening her. But she smirked, stood up and took his pillow from her bed and put it on his place. " Sleep tight George." She sweetly smirked and proceeded to the furnace, took one small charcoal and she knew he''s following her. But he ended up watching her into drawing a line on the doorless bedroom. " What''s that marking for?" His gaze was full of bewilderment. " Hmm, if you step beyond this line when I''m asleep. I will add one more month to the eight month contract." Face to face with the line in between them she closed her eyes, covered her face and offered her forehead for him to kiss. But he was impressed with a one in a lifetime moment he won''t forget as it brought him speechless and secretly bite his lip and tickled by it, though, he carefully put his hands to both sides of her head and kissed her forehead, idyllically. After a second, she backed off and waved her hand to him, smiling. Needless to say but he remained mystified, standing, watching and waiting till she nestled in her cocoon. But Magee forgot that his husband was a soldier and a combatant at that; so without her knowing, he just waited that she could sleep then he slowly crawled to reach her sewing kit beside the bed and returned to his place, smiling. He opened it noiselessly and lighted it with his flashlight. There were piled up of small cloth then he raised them one by one, scrutinizing and was eventually amazed by what he had found out. " Too small clothes...baby pajamas, shirts, and hats? who''s...haha! What...Oh dear! You''ve even marked the restricted room with charcoal, how come you can sew and knit all of these? I can''t sleep, haha!" He thought while putting all the baby outfits and embraced them as he closed his eyes." Lord, I''m stealing one for my lucky charm at war. I''m choosing this cute little shirt of my baby, its too small, my goodness, haha!" I''m already sweating from laughing here secretly. Oh my...ah, I''ll keep this shirt, whatever happens, haha!" He was really exhilarated. After keeping the baby shirt he returned the sewing kit beside her then tiptoed to go back to the receiving area, smiling and putting the baby shirt on his face as he slept. When he woke up - still puzzled but smiled over the baby things he had discovered last night and shook his head while smelling the shirt he had kept. After a short while, he boiled some water and had a coffee and breadfruit, but still smiling. Then she was awakened by his noise at the kitchen. " Good morning George. What''s your plan today?" Then she seated. " Ah, me? I''ll be staying in the wooden house, I guess for the whole day. Tomorrow''s the day so I need to stay and monitor my men." He said. " Good. I''ll continue doin'' what I''m so busy at - these days." " Haha...be sure you have to eat well and relax in between hours of hard work, okay?" " Yes, its just very important. I am now even conceptualizing some good designs, hmm." Then she looked up smiling and put her face over her hands. " George''s coffee spilled like drizzling around the table and he could not anymore control from laughing." " Oh, careful. What happened to you this early, your face looks reddish already, haha." She took some rag and wiped the spilled coffee. " After you take a bath, you go then. Your men must be waiting for you there right now." Then she smiled and prepared a coffee for her breakfast. "Mag, I''ll go now. I can probably dive in the river to bath." " Good for you. Here, bring your towel and don''t stay too long in the waters, its still very cold." She reminded him. "I''m not anymore afraid of the cold waters. I have coped up so fast with my phobia." Then he left smiling. He then closed the door and quickly went down to the spiral staircase. When reaching the wooden house he immediately grabbed a bolo then proceeded to the angel fruit trees. As part of the routine, he increased the drainage system and made a smoke made of dried leaves. Whole looking at the smoke disturbing the aphids on leaves, he took out the baby shirt from his bagpack, showcased it on his lap; suddenly bite his lips and heavily smiled. " I''m getting crazy watching this baby shirt, she even perfectly made a very cute customized design. Wow! she never plan this marriage but she''s just amazing! Thank you Lord for giving me a woman who''s not just after on relationships but also with family. She''s excited of creating a family, I''m so touched." After picking up a daisy, he immediately returned to the wooden house and talked with Baldur who echoed the agreements with the Gabok guerillas. 79 Buttering up in Love Nighttime came and he prepared his beddings at the receiving area. But Magee called to chitchat with him. While fronting the furnace and arms brazing their knees, they were amazed with the aromatic smell and delicious taste of the leftover breadnut that accidentally fell on the furnace and roasted like a peanut. " Wow! this is gonna be historical, its my first time to have this in roast." She smilingly cheered. " By the way, the attack will be in two days." Then the ambiance turned out weighty as he was watching the pot above the stove, sighing. " It will go well." She whispered while at a glance with the lit of light beginning to emerge from a smoky stove. " Just stay here. If you have plans of joining us in secret, it might be difficult, Mag. My focus will be divided." Then he stamped his right palm on forehead. " Hey...I felt like a delinquent hearing you say those things again. I''m busy these days with hectic schedules on sewing and knitting." She grinned and bowed her head. " What are you sewing and knitting when you clouted, repaired and even stitched all of my uniforms, including my hankies." He smiled. "Its a top secret." A beam on her face riveted him to be curious about. " Wow! you''re keeping secrets now. Hey, Mag what are you doing when I''m not around. So this must be terrible." He smiled while looking at her throwing small charcoal under the stove. " Tell me." He moved closer as if funnily threatening her. But she smirked, stood up and took his pillow from her bed and put it on his place. " Sleep tight George." She sweetly smirked and proceeded to the furnace, took one small charcoal and she knew he''s following her. But he ended up watching her into drawing a line on the doorless bedroom. " What''s that marking for?" His gaze was full of bewilderment. " Hmm, if you step beyond this line when I''m asleep. I will add one more month to the eight month contract." Face to face with the line in between them she closed her eyes, covered her face and offered her forehead for him to kiss. But he was impressed with a one in a lifetime moment he won''t forget as it brought him speechless and secretly bite his lip and tickled by it, though, he carefully put his hands to both sides of her head and kissed her forehead, idyllically. After a second, she backed off and waved her hand to him, smiling. Needless to say but he remained mystified, standing, watching and waiting till she nestled in her cocoon. But Magee forgot that his husband was a soldier and a combatant at that; so without her knowing, he just waited that she could sleep then he slowly crawled to reach her sewing kit beside the bed and returned to his place, smiling. He opened it noiselessly and lighted it with his flashlight. There were piled up of small cloth then he raised them one by one, scrutinizing and was eventually amazed by what he had found out. " Too small clothes...baby pajamas, shirts, and hats? who''s...haha! What...Oh dear! You''ve even marked the restricted room with charcoal, how come you can sew and knit all of these? I can''t sleep, haha!" He thought while putting all the baby outfits and embraced them as he closed his eyes." Lord, I''m stealing one for my lucky charm at war. I''m choosing this cute little shirt of my baby, its too small, my goodness, haha!" I''m already sweating from laughing here secretly. Oh my...ah, I''ll keep this shirt, whatever happens, haha!" He was really exhilarated. After keeping the baby shirt he returned the sewing kit beside her then tiptoed to go back to the receiving area, smiling and putting the baby shirt on his face as he slept. When he woke up - still puzzled but smiled over the baby things he had discovered last night and shook his head while smelling the shirt he had kept. After a short while, he boiled some water and had a coffee and breadfruit, but still smiling. Then she was awakened by his noise at the kitchen. " Good morning George. What''s your plan today?" Then she seated. " Ah, me? I''ll be staying in the wooden house, I guess for the whole day. Tomorrow''s the day so I need to stay and monitor my men." He said. " Good. I''ll continue doin'' what I''m so busy at - these days." " Haha...be sure you have to eat well and relax in between hours of hard work, okay?" " Yes, its just very important. I am now even conceptualizing some good designs, hmm." Then she looked up smiling and put her face over her hands. " George''s coffee spilled like drizzling around the table and he could not anymore control from laughing." " Oh, careful. What happened to you this early, your face looks reddish already, haha." She took some rag and wiped the spilled coffee. " After you take a bath, you go then. Your men must be waiting for you there right now." Then she smiled and prepared a coffee for her breakfast. "Mag, I''ll go now. I can probably dive in the river to bath." " Good for you. Here, bring your towel and don''t stay too long in the waters, its still very cold." She reminded him. "I''m not anymore afraid of the cold waters. I have coped up so fast with my phobia." Then he left smiling. He then closed the door and quickly went down to the spiral staircase. When reaching the wooden house he immediately grabbed a bolo then proceeded to the angel fruit trees. As part of the routine, he increased the drainage system and made a smoke made of dried leaves. Whole looking at the smoke disturbing the aphids on leaves, he took out the baby shirt from his bagpack, showcased it on his lap; suddenly bite his lips and heavily smiled. " I''m getting crazy watching this baby shirt, she even perfectly made a very cute customized design. Wow! she never plan this marriage but she''s just amazing! Thank you Lord for giving me a woman who''s not just after on relationships but also with family. She''s excited of creating a family, I''m so touched." After picking up a daisy, he immediately returned to the wooden house and talked with Baldur who echoed the agreements with the Gabok guerillas. 80 Lost Commando and Gabok Guerillas The ambush set date has come and they all gathered in front of the wooden house at 1800 hrs. Meanwhile, George never knew that she followed him down to the tunnel till to their former bedroom. Upon reaching she was leaning her face beside the cabinet, posing her back and both palms stamping on the cabinet''s wall; standing, till she slowly dropped her body down on her feet and was teary eyed. Then she has heard him spoke outside. "Okay, on your way!" George instructed. She never knew that it was meant for team two and three''s departure since their destination were the farthest. After a while, George slowly stepped inside their old room and noticed someone''s voice, sobbing. He moved closer, turned on the flashlight and turned it off again when he found her covered with hair like an eerie ghost. " My...Mag?" Then he sat down combing her hair with his fingers, smiling and wiped her tears. "Hey! haha! why you''re lamenting like that? shh, I''ll get back alive." Then he put her face on his shoulder while he caressed her hair. Albrecht called him outside so he slowly detached himself away from her but she was twirling her fingers on his uniform till on his belt as he unlocked his hand down to her cold fingers. George walked outside with a heavy heart and in a minute, Baldur came in and forced her to return to the granite house. " Mag, listen, we''ll survive. We''re not even spending too much weapons there, so calm down. Go back there and take care of yourself, be suspicious and do not let anyone get in. Here, bring this - your sword and another dagger, take them all, okay? Calm down." But she wasn''t moving. Albrecht came in after waiting a little longer. " Shh...no one knew you''re here so just wait for us to get back, go up there silently, Magee." Albrecht, knelt snd summoned her. But she''s not moving. " Mag, Mag-Mag, Mag-Mag." Albrecht repetitively and crazily mentioned her nickname that made her smile while pinching a little of his ear and without her knowing, George was just at the back of the door, listening. So it was enough to move her feet to get down and she''s gone. "Hmm...Baldur, I need to carefully lock this secret hole, help me. Just don''t turn on the light." The brothers carefully locked it so that she could not get out from there. After securing the location of the secret hole, they went out and finally joined with George and company. George wanted to get back and comfort her but he knows the granite house is the safest haven within the warzone and enemy lines. He was very silent while passing through the secret cave facing east and then the three guards (civilians) left on post, including Fr. Matias. They waved a hand and the priest even prayed to bless their way. 81 Engagements at War Meanwhile in Tikaban, George already pulled the tied log and in response, the Japs followed it thinking they were enemies till the first 3 fell in the abyss, followed by another 5 then the gunner below had them shot dead inside the he killing zone. The remaining few wants to withdraw but George''s team above pushed 5 stones to directly hit those who were running till the stones destroyed the bunkhouses too. So another big stones were released that swiped the artillery and the set of new vehicles within the enemy''s barracks. Likewise, the security reserves on sides below shot the remaining few who tried to escape. The barracks turned out silent while in the south, there were loud blasts and flares they all see in the air along the shore. " Henry and company weren''t yet in the vicinity, where are they right now?" George thought. Then a little while he had heard some grenade blasts nearby then eventually team two have reached station one, some were laughing and they have so much fun of what they did despite the risky assignment given. " Sir, we have so many stories to share, let''s go home now." Sibaya held his trembling knees out of almost 7 kms of ran. " Alright, job well-done to southeast team, you may now proceed back to our place and thank you very much. We''ll wait for Baldur to note down the names or any identity we could find. We have to officially record every fight we have attended to. And remember, the enemies are patrolling this hour, so be exta careful on your way." " Yes, Sir!" Then they left " The abyss was completely covered and returned to its normal grassy look with two big rocks over it then they went down passing through the mabolo tree above. When Baldur was done, he immediately informed the lieutenant as they moved out back to the mabolo tree by two''s and the last men who buried the Japs inside the unfinished tunnels have also followed them. The station one team have reached the wooden house at around 0600 hrs and propped their bodies flat in their bunkhouses. However George stayed by the secret cave, waiting for the team 3 to come home. At 7 o''clock, Narciso and Henry arrived stained with blood from all around and were carrying Jacob, Kanor and Michael side by side. George rushed to call Albrecht and Amado as both came out. Baldur and Fr. Matias assisted as well by preparing the emergency tools and sterilized them. " There were around twenty Japs patrolling and saw us so we didn''t have any choice since they stayed as a group under the tree, drinking and resting. So quickly Henry orered us to throw all of our grenades at them,We have thrown grenades and and its too close, so Michael lost his hand, I''m worried of Jacob''s tummy and Kanor''s leg. But we left the enemies all dead, not even one from them survived. Its Narciso reporting to Baldur. " Okay, I''ll be writing that after we can attend to our patients." Baldur said. They were screaming and George was anxious whether to use the remaining anesthesia he''s saving for Magee when she''ll give birth. "Oh, God!" Then he had heard Kanor waiting for the shot against the unbearable pain of her leg. " George, he''s really in extreme pain, he''s waiting." Albrecht whispered. " George stood up and looked up so exhausted." " Brother, let me do it." Baldur offered some help. " Baldur, this one''s for Magee, this is the last vial we have." George shook his head. " Brother, God will provide anesthesia for your wife in threefold and it might just emerge in boxes. Who knows, if God proclaim His miracles, no one knows when and if how many. Trust Him. Magee will just be fine." Baldur smiled at him. " Without wasting his time anymore, George injected it to Kanor as the poor man had rested and slept. Then their medical procedure followed. Amado''s knees were numbing out of their speedy ran so its Albrecht, Baldur and Fr. Matias kept standing to sterilize the instruments. So far, the three got the numerous stitches because they did the surgery up to 1200 hrs. Eventually, they carried them one by one to their bahay kubos and Amado just slept at the room upstairs. When everyone went out except Amado who was sleeping upstairs, Albrecht guarded the door outside and Baldur sent him into the hole. " Careful." Baldur whispered to him. When George reached the door of the granite house as it was already 1313 hrs and she opened her hurriedly. " George! come!" Magee anxiously assisted him to the bathroom and gave to him his towel. He relaxed for a while, sitting quietly on the granite floor and felt so sad about the last vial of anesthesia she''d reserved for Magee. " The war does not end yet, my wife needs it. I have seen women giving birth. Besides, she already made some baby suits. But those men fighting needed it too for protecting this country. Though Baldur''s right, God provides." He thought. Thirty minutes after, he took a bath and had his clean get up ad he slowly moved towards the receiving area and slept to the pillows given by Magee. Magee sat on the floor and smilingly looked at him. He dared to touch her face and was teary eyed. "Why?" She asked. "Nothing." Then he smiled and put her head beside his pillow. " You must be tired...calm down now. Sleep now. Everything will be alright." Then she tightly grasped his hand and he fell to sleep. 81 One Last Vial! Meanwhile in Tikaban, George already pulled the tied log and in response, the Japs followed it thinking they were enemies till the first 3 fell in the abyss, followed by another 5 then the gunner below had them shot dead inside the he killing zone. The remaining few wants to withdraw but George''s team above pushed 5 stones to directly hit those who were running till the stones destroyed the bunkhouses too. So another big stones were released that swiped the artillery and the set of new vehicles within the enemy''s barracks. Likewise, the security reserves on sides below shot the remaining few who tried to escape. The barracks turned out silent while in the south, there were loud blasts and flares they all see in the air along the shore. " Henry and company weren''t yet in the vicinity, where are they right now?" George thought. Then a little while he had heard some grenade blasts nearby then eventually team two have reached station one, some were laughing and they have so much fun of what they did despite the risky assignment given. " Sir, we have so many stories to share, let''s go home now." Sibaya held his trembling knees out of almost 7 kms of ran. " Alright, job well-done to southeast team, you may now proceed back to our place and thank you very much. We''ll wait for Baldur to note down the names or any identity we could find. We have to officially record every fight we have attended to. And remember, the enemies are patrolling this hour, so be exta careful on your way." " Yes, Sir!" Then they left " The abyss was completely covered and returned to its normal grassy look with two big rocks over it then they went down passing through the mabolo tree above. When Baldur was done, he immediately informed the lieutenant as they moved out back to the mabolo tree by two''s and the last men who buried the Japs inside the unfinished tunnels have also followed them. The station one team have reached the wooden house at around 0600 hrs and propped their bodies flat in their bunkhouses. However George stayed by the secret cave, waiting for the team 3 to come home. At 7 o''clock, Narciso and Henry arrived stained with blood from all around and were carrying Jacob, Kanor and Michael side by side. George rushed to call Albrecht and Amado as both came out. Baldur and Fr. Matias assisted as well by preparing the emergency tools and sterilized them. " There were around twenty Japs patrolling and saw us so we didn''t have any choice since they stayed as a group under the tree, drinking and resting. So quickly Henry orered us to throw all of our grenades at them,We have thrown grenades and and its too close, so Michael lost his hand, I''m worried of Jacob''s tummy and Kanor''s leg. But we left the enemies all dead, not even one from them survived. Its Narciso reporting to Baldur. " Okay, I''ll be writing that after we can attend to our patients." Baldur said. They were screaming and George was anxious whether to use the remaining anesthesia he''s saving for Magee when she''ll give birth. "Oh, God!" Then he had heard Kanor waiting for the shot against the unbearable pain of her leg. " George, he''s really in extreme pain, he''s waiting." Albrecht whispered. " George stood up and looked up so exhausted." " Brother, let me do it." Baldur offered some help. " Baldur, this one''s for Magee, this is the last vial we have." George shook his head. " Brother, God will provide anesthesia for your wife in threefold and it might just emerge in boxes. Who knows, if God proclaim His miracles, no one knows when and if how many. Trust Him. Magee will just be fine." Baldur smiled at him. " Without wasting his time anymore, George injected it to Kanor as the poor man had rested and slept. Then their medical procedure followed. Amado''s knees were numbing out of their speedy ran so its Albrecht, Baldur and Fr. Matias kept standing to sterilize the instruments. So far, the three got the numerous stitches because they did the surgery up to 1200 hrs. Eventually, they carried them one by one to their bahay kubos and Amado just slept at the room upstairs. When everyone went out except Amado who was sleeping upstairs, Albrecht guarded the door outside and Baldur sent him into the hole. " Careful." Baldur whispered to him. When George reached the door of the granite house as it was already 1313 hrs and she opened her hurriedly. " George! come!" Magee anxiously assisted him to the bathroom and gave to him his towel. He relaxed for a while, sitting quietly on the granite floor and felt so sad about the last vial of anesthesia she''d reserved for Magee. " The war does not end yet, my wife needs it. I have seen women giving birth. Besides, she already made some baby suits. But those men fighting needed it too for protecting this country. Though Baldur''s right, God provides." He thought. Thirty minutes after, he took a bath and had his clean get up ad he slowly moved towards the receiving area and slept to the pillows given by Magee. Magee sat on the floor and smilingly looked at him. He dared to touch her face and was teary eyed. "Why?" She asked. "Nothing." Then he smiled and put her head beside his pillow. " You must be tired...calm down now. Sleep now. Everything will be alright." Then she tightly grasped his hand and he fell to sleep. 82 Engagement with Gabok Guerillas In the next day, Henry reported everything to George inclusive of the situation occurred in the midst of their mission. As appointed head of the southwest team he had caused trouble to the injured teammates and bowed his head in dismay of himself. " Henry, despite the danger you ushered your team with such a fearless decision. Narciso told us there was never any way to back-off. Or else, the 20 Japs would terminate your team. In fact, no one has died from us, that is something you should be thinking even before you sleep at night but rather your leadership has shattered 20 large number of opponents. Their tails were waggling now to recharge and refill new soldiers for their Tikaban barracks. Its officially recorded that there were 18 deaths ensnared by station one team while the five of you bushwhacked 20 and for just launching a few grenade. Over this, we need your signatures in our journal to witness the statistics. Likewise, later today, Baldur will meet the Gabok guerrillas to find out the death toll in the shoreline. You may go if you want." George said. " Thank you, Sir, for inspiring and motivating me." Then he tapped his shoulder. "Henry, its not just a good job but an outstanding performance. I''ll give you something this afternoon." Then he winked an eye to Henry. When Henry left, Amado was then called to get in but he pulled Sibaya''s hand." " Hey! haha, Anthony told me that your team was the craziest last night. How was it." George asked. " Ikaw da pagtiyab ngawon." ( you talk about it there)."Sibaya urged him to ask what made him bothersome. " Sir, why you chose me as team leader when we have two insular soldiers with us, Bruno and Anthony." Amado asked. " Ah! haha, hmm, this is a shared responsibility because we''re just protecting this country. Besides, being soldiers and guerrillas are both have expertise though in different ways but in the eyes of the Japanese soldiers we''re labeled as ''guerrillas.'' We don''t exist anymore as soldiers now, though in our hearts - we are. The roles given to you was to run and distract the enemies and to let them think we''re outnumbered so aside that you''ve been trusted, consistent in helping in medical concerns around so I made you led last night for southeast. You''re also familiar with the terrain and can speak the native tongue around so your leadership has to undergo that funny but one in a million military experience." George patiently explained. 82 Engagement with Gabok Guerrillas In the next day, Henry reported the details to George inclusive of the minacious situation occurred in the midst of their mission. As appointed head of the southwest team he had caused trouble to the injured teammates and bowed his head in dismay of himself. " Henry, despite the danger you still ushered your team with such a fearless decision. Intriguingly, Narciso told us there was never any way to back-off. Or else, the 20 Japs would terminate your team. In fact, no one has died from us, that is something you should be thinking even before you sleep at night. Moreover, your leadership has shattered 20 large number of opponents, it wasn''t a joke - its a huge number. Their tails are waggling now to recharge and refill new soldiers for their Tikaban barracks that''s getting deserted now. Interestingly, its officially recorded that there were 18 deaths ensnared by station one team while the five of you bushwhacked at least 20 and for just launching few grenades. Over this, we need your signatures in our journal to witness the statistics. Likewise, later today, Baldur will meet the Gabok guerrillas to find out the death toll in the shoreline. You may go if you want." George said. " Thank you, Sir, for motivating me, I''ll work hard." Then George tapped Henry''s shoulder. "Henry, its not just a good job but an outstanding performance. I''ll give you something this afternoon." Then he winked an eye to Henry. When Henry left, Amado was then called to get in but he pulled Sibaya''s hand." " Hey! haha, Anthony told me that your team was the craziest last night. How was it." George asked. " Ikaw da pagtiyab ngawon." ( you talk about it there)."Sibaya''s smile urged him to ask what made him bothersome. " Sir, why you chose me as team leader when we have two insular soldiers with us, Bruno and Anthony." Amado asked. " Ah! haha, hmm, this is a shared responsibility because we''re just protecting this country. Besides, being soldiers and guerrillas have distinct techniques and schemes, though in different cultural and strategic mechanims but in the eyes of the Japanese soldiers we''re labeled as ''guerrillas.'' We don''t exist anymore as soldiers. Certainly, the role given to you and your team was to run and distract the enemies and to deceive them we''re kind of outnumbered so aside from that, you''ve long been trusted. You had been consistent helping in various medical concerns around so your character and potential being a leader led you last night for southeast. You''re also familiar with the terrain and can speak the native tongue around so your leadership has to undergo that funny yet a one in a million military experience and success." George patiently explained. " Yeah, haha, honestly Sir. I toured them unexpectedly and we found some Filipino households on our way. They''re settlers and locked up themselves in caves too. Most of them told us to relax but we said we''re in a hurry but one of the elders put a plate-sized pork wrapped with cloth and forcibly placed it inside Anthony''s bag. They even told us to return for some crops. Another household gave us rice and we were very thankful, its half a sack Sir, and the five of us divided it as we ran that heavy on our back." "Wow! its how hospitable we, Filipinos are. So you''ve got rice and pork today, ha. Can I barter a pot of your rice with my liquors, how is that?" George smiled. " We can even give you more than that of a pot Sir. Though, I don''t drink but Anthony wished of a wine last night, I better accept the trading, haha! thank you Sir." Amado excitingly gestured. Then after the short meeting he visited the angel fruit trees and passed by at the flower garden to pick up one white daisy in bloom. He was smelling it while closing his eyes, smiling. From a distance, Fr. Matias was watching him again from his ''hagdanan'' (stairs) while enjoying the bamboo mug of coffee. "You''re the only American husband doing that, George. You luckily got the toughest woman finely trained by Sr. Sibal. Keep going, good boy." He smiled while sipping the coffee once more. Meanwhile, George saw Baldur and Henry going out from the wooden house with Sibaya and Amado, all''s waiting at the secret passage. Then they waved a hand to him, leaving for Gabok. He spotted Albrecht at the kitchen, busily cooking with pasty rice for Magee. "Wow!" George created some noise while standing behind him. " This isn''t yours, this is for the goddess." Albrecht said while George smirked by his side. " Ah, bring this pack. Tomorrow you have to wake up early and cook this rice in there. Don''t worry, I already divided the serving within a week so don''t be confused. As of now, we''re busy as a bee here, especially now that we have patients so you really have to cook for her. Another thing, that vine over there, that''s the mighty sayote vine. Feel free to pick them whenever you feel of bringing some." Albrecht instructed. " Is there anything you forgot to say, bro? haha, I''ll get going now." " Ah, the ''salabat'' and lemons, here, she missed all of these." Then Albrecht added them as wrapped with dried banana leaves. " Albrecht, thank you, as always. I''m proud for Madelleine." Then George smiled and ran outside without witnessing how Albrecht became automatically absentminded, dropped the ladle, fell on the chair and stuck so lifelessly while staring to nothingness. Like a speed of light he reached the granite doorway and formally knocked but no one opens. He tried to push it and found her sleeping while holding the third journal while noticing some ripped pages. " Ow! she wasn''t able to finish sewing and even ripped some of the journal''s pages. Why did she ripped them? She''d slept so sound but I can get those ripped pages redesigned to paper balls, why not. Those were just scattered beside her hand. I''m sure my name were written in those pages. He thought then slowly single out the ripped paper balls and put them in his pocket then got out from the granite door again then knocked so loudly. Magee ran towards the door and opened it. " It isn''t close, but wait." She smiled and hurriedly returned to her bed. But she let him wait for a while at the doorway. " Can I come in now?" He insisted. " No! no! not yet. Stay there for a while, please." She was so busy fixing and searching but with a worrisome sound she spoke. " Okay...just come in." " Hi!" He immediately proceeded to the kitchen table and took the flower inside a bamboo mug. She moved closer and looked what he''d brought." " You stepped in without this bag but the flower you brought came in first. Hmm, maybe I was confused, its okay. So how''s my brothers?" She smiled. He drew nearer and took her hand, open her palm and put a fresh daisy flower on it then close it again. " She moved closer and put her chin on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "Just thankful you''re back home safe. Though this is seldom for now while the angel trees are still young, so just don''t move, stay where you are, I''m pretty serious. I''m just going to confiscate the stolen ripped pages from your pocket, right now. Don''t move." Then he could feel her breath so warm on his neck. He was speechless but looked up smiling with hands up while she searched in his pockets. " Hmm, I found them." Her face was reddish while smiled at him and quickly returned to her bed and hide the ripped pages again. He slowly followed only up to the boundary and just noticed that there were flour powder on the floor, scattered. "Case closed." He thought and smiled. 83 Lovely Dating Time George felt so guilty of what he did though he''s not caught up with the baby shirt but thinking to return it, though the confiscation was the best humiliation he had experience in his entire life. " Dad kept telling me before when I was a kid that if I''ll be humiliated I should fight back. But my wife''s way of humiliating me seems, I wanted to be humiliated again and again, haha." He thought while inspiringly mopping the floor - his punishment for stealing and lying. "Are you done?" She asked while in the bedroom and continued sewing and if tired, she shifted reading to some pages she''d skipped in the journal. " Not yet. But its almost." "When you''re done let''s go up to the daylight optic hole, there''s a moon last night, let''s view it together tonight and stargaze too, they''re lovely." Then she proceeded to the kitchen, cut some lemons and wrapped them in a cloth. " I''m already tired." He smilingly complained while full of sweat all over. " I told you that boundary is dangerous when I''m sleeping still you took those ripped pages within without me knowing. Hmm, I am just curious if why is it Uncle Chuck, Dad ang Lolo Sibal did not design a door on it, isn''t it intriguing?" " Its not. A house like this don''t need an internal door anymore, its very private for a couple like us, ehem!" I''m choked, will you please give me some water." He ordered. The she extended it to him but he''s too dirty to hold it so she let him drink while she''s holding the mug. He then proceeded to the bathroom to change and asked her. "Mag, how did you climb up there last night?" " With a split of a second I realized that if we flip the other side of the bar counter''s wooden cabinet racks, it automatically becomes a staircase going up to one of the holes. See how genius the designer was and the three dads were just amazing!" "Wow! I haven''t thought that it could become a door. Yes, after I can relax a bit and wash we''ll go up there. How is your wound? Let me see it." " No, just don''t. Its already healed because I''ve got the best nurse in the world." She smiled. After an hour, they climbed up to the granite surface and sat down. Their extra shawls and small blankets had helped them. Its not so windy but the moonlight was just a spectacular view of the night. They were both facing northeast and he pointed his hand. " Its where you threw the Mk 2, right? I have heard it clear that it fell in a very low laden ground and its the only place where I thought, the frontage of this granite mountain. Did your wound hurt when you threw it? Well its a bit far from here." He smiled and looked at her opening the cloth filled with lemons. " Give me your hand." It was odd but he gave it as she start rubbing the lemon on it. " Last night, when you reached here after your fight followed by attending to your wounded comrades, I saw the callouses in your hands while you''re asleep. So here, we''ll gonna smoothen them. A lemon could help." She smirked while holding his hand that looks like twice as hers. She felt being tickled by what she''s doing so he brought up something to discuss to make his mind busy and to clarify some things. " Hmm...lying is bad, right." " Absolutely." She replied. " So what''s written in the ripped pages you confiscated from me." He asked calmly. " It''s....nothing, its just a small issue, those were even funny and childish." "I''m afraid our children would become liars too, how sad. In both ways, I lied for being curious and you lied for protecting a secret." He bowed down his head. " Anyway, I don''t usually do it but I have urgently decided to move to the wooden house tonight, right after here. Hmm, I need to give you space and think it over if you''re ready to open it up later. I mean, the man who wrote it was my father too so I guess I need to preserve the journals for my children to read and for me to understand. But you tore them and I see them that way. How come you did it without me knowing. You punished and humiliated me, but its all okay as long as you haven''t riped anything from the journal - its sacred. Everything there. Have you read how painful his emotions were? he has loved ina who didn''t even reciprocate any feelings for him, but just platonic. Thus, that journal is our guide, a reminder on how fragile humans we are. I pity that man so much. He had tried to happily raise a son of his woman''s man that later accepted him as a friend. What should you be hiding for? that you had a dozen of boyfriends before that ''ama'' Sibal has written there? or were you raped? that you stole or killed a barrio populated with people and ate them? or you flunked in schooling?" She began to laugh while covering her mouth but still silent and she took the other hand, still controlling her laughter. " Yeah, I''m serious right now and I''m really transferring a resident. I''m just nobody here, you know. No one trusted me here while comrades below even wants me to interpret their dreams." " Haha...you''re funny..." She laughed and she was almost finish on rubbing the lemons on his left hand. " Well, this makes me so sad around, really, really sad." Then he bowed his head. Then she put his hands on a dry cloth and rolled them in. She picked them up again to scoop her face. " See, they just even have few callouses now. I felt it." Then she put them back on his lap again. " Don''t wash your hands with water tonight. Expectedly, there''d be no callouses tomorrow and you''d be thankful of me. Hmm regarding the ripped pages, I''m very sorry. Yes, I''ll return them properly and I''ll promise not to rip pages again to any of Lolo Sibal''s journals. I learned from what you have just said. Thank you." She smiled while arranging the lemon pulps and wrapped them again with its cloth. A little while, George flat his back on the granite surface, looked up the vast skies and she did the same and they both commune in that windy place. " Wow! this world is so beautiful!" She whispered. " ...and you''re the most beautiful woman I''ve ever seen, day and night, you made me dumb and crazy." He tried to whisper it all to the stars with a million light years away, designing his right thumb and index fingers to capture one star amongst. " but you''re too far, unreachable." He whispered again as he closed his eyes and felt the winds caressing his face. " You''re ... someone I have waited. But here''s going to be a process that makes us both fine...in place. Being young and comfortable at each other will just become a beautiful experience in the next decades and hope you hang on for me for some more time where everything is in progress. 84 Back to the Wooden House "Space." I needed it, George said. " What?" Albrecht heavily put the empty bamboo mug on the table. " And then... how long is that space for this spacious world? I could really feel that this isn''t just your decision, maybe something had happened." Albrecht murmured. " Its okay, I already have a heavy heart, don''t put too much weight over this bumpy situation, it choked me." George whispered with his exhausted eyes out of a sleepless night. " Have you done something wrong?" " Yes. I''m guilty." " What is it?" Albrecht curiously asked. " I stole twice." " What? haha!" Albrecht laughed while Baldur just pulled a seat beside the table. " You stole. What is it, bro, so that we can help analyze whether you''ll return it or not." Baldur seriously reiterated. George pulled the baby shirt from his bag and showed it to them. "What is it?" Then Albrecht tried to hold it but George twisted his arm a little. " Ah! ah! heyyy! what you''re doing to me!" Albrecht complained. " Your hands are dirty, give that to Baldur who''s now washing his hands." Baldur properly wiped his hands and took the mysterious cloth. He rotated it twice and had a perfect view of it, at last. " Wow! its a cute baby shirt." He smirked. " She sewed it and kept it away from me but I stole it before we proceeded to station one, prior to the attack. I like it very much, so this is my first sin. Until now she''s doubting that I stole it. Secondly, I was curious if why she''d ripped some of the journals'' pages, so I stole those but she caught me using my footsteps marked on the flour powder scattered on the floor. She really ordered me to lift my hands and searched the ripped pages - then she found them in my pocket." He was so haggard watching to the fire from the stove. There was silence. Albrecht became serious and sat down filling his mug with hot water, put some ''salabat'' and a little sugar. " Brother, what do you think is the best thing to do. Do you feel of returning it or you still wanted to keep it." Albrecht said. " Hmm...its a treasured thing for her. Imagine she allowed you to kick out yourself just to test you whether you''ll surrender that cute shirt. You should have asked it from her instead. Ah no! hmm, of course we have to understand you dreaming of a baby with her. Yes, I think this is a proper mindset Albrecht that we should empathized his views over stealing. It isn''t really stealing I guess. You''re married, its your bedroom, her thing is your thing as well...." Baldur stopped when George intervened. " She put a demarcation and boundary to where I can only walk by inside. If I get inside the room when she''s asleep, the number of months being this way is extended and yes, I already got a top up month just because of what I have done." George bowed and shook his head. " So before you returned the ripped pages, have you read it? what were the secrets written inside? Sr. Sibal was a worst writer. That was also the reason if why I thought I''d like to reap one page of it because he write there, " Albrecht was naughty during his puberty stage. He scooped his fart and ran to throw it to Baldur. Baldur cried the hardest and Edward whipped the older boy. I laughed a lot with these kids." See that." Albrecht ended. " Good that you did not rip it because its true." Baldur smiled. " But did you receive any from my farts, ha? Its all gone when reaches to you, you all terrible." Albrecht smiled. " Shh....the problem here is the baby shirt and not the fart from the last decade. If I return it, its too difficult. I said I would stay here for a while, huh!" He shook his head again. " What if I will secretly return it." Albrecht offered. " But I don''t feel of returning it, no!" " ...and why we''re discussing of returning it, Yes! we''ll nothing return the baby shirt. You''re the father, yes, you are." Albrecht appeared to be like an angry father. " Haha!" The two laughed at him as George threw him a ribonette lemongrass. " Hmm...at least I''m getting obssessed over this baby shirt. That''s just my feeling, I don''t know but maybe, I''m just excited. Hah! whatever happens, I''ll never return this. Here, I''ll gonna make a letter. I''ll accept that I stole it then will ask this from her." " Wow! that''s a good idea, bro." Baldur commented. 85 Controversial Ripped pages She put down some food on his plate, a mug of water and she''s in full tilt of revealing the ripped contents of the journal. She felt how he sulked out and even decided to show the contents in order to satisfy him. " We will read the ripped pages but you have to sign a paper that we will never stop from reading it, till we finish. Now, I''d like to reassure you that I''m not upset, okay?" She saw him smiled and took his towel and took a bath. When he got out, she told him to sit beside him on bed and even put a pillow on his lap. Interestingly, George tried to look around and he noticed that every thing''s in tact. "Here, look at me George, promise me that whatever you hear, whatever I read, you must be ready to continue from listening. You should not walk out nor stop me, okay?" Then she sat beside the bed, next to the big candle and took something from the sewing it. " Before I start reading, I have a gift for you. Hmm....see this? A baby pajama." Then she motioned closer to him and slowly put it on his palm. "This is the partner of that baby shirt I gave you, so you have a complete set now. You must keep them because regardless of whatever gender, it fits. So, hope I have given justice for my birthday today.. Hmm...I made these baby stuffs for you that whenever you''ll be very busy on this war, I''d be busy finishing for baby stuffs. We can''t buy nor borrow, its nowhere, so next time, you have to orient me on what will I do if I get pregnant and supposed you''re at war, tell me if what will I do to nurse myself. Hmm I''m just practical whether what to do when I''m alone giving birth. You have to teach me tomorrow for such an emergency response. Remember, if this isn''t wartime, I won''t be telling you about these things. My mother died here after she gave birth on me, the journal told us. Its an isolated case, but its possible. George, I wanted to live for my baby in order to make our family complete, so there are a lot of things to prepare and we''re just starting, at least we''re already married." She smiled and took his hand and put it on her face. "So, I''ll start reading now." " Wait, hmm, ah, nothing." He smirked. " Yes, you can." She smiled. Then he slowly kissed her cheek noiselessly and she was very still like a monument and he also slowly detached himself and sat back to his place beside her. She smiled and said. " I thought you''ll ask something that''s why I said, "yes, you can." She smiled again and pinched his ear. "Anyway, let''s call it an accident." He smiled and excited to hear the contents of the ripped pages. 17 October 1937 Chuck arrived and was a bit disgusted to George. He had a lived-in partner and Chuck was afraid that our plans for him and Magee will be in vain. "Mag...hmm, its...its something we need not to discuss, please." George shook his head. She moved too close to him and tightly held his left hand with her right. Now, you know the reason if why I ripped them and she looked at him smiling, while breathing so deeply. This is what I know of marriage George, Lolo Sibal prepared me for this. So, let''s continue. ---------------------------------- ... I was saddened. My Magee is a sweet 15 year old girl and so passionate. I hope my little boy George who is now getting bolder would take a step to mature and leave that woman he''s staying with. Chuck hated them together but he''s always drunk. Since Chuck was busy at work, so he hired someone to watch over George. Hopefully, Chuck would go back here next year to fetch Edward, Albrecht and Baldur so that the brothers can accompany and can help my baby boy too. ------------------------------------------ "Mag, please stop it..." He was teary eyed and hugged her. She was on his shoulder and comforting him. "Please, let''s bury my past. I was very young then before Baldur arrived and I worked hard to change." " Calm down, I didn''t say anything against it. I understand. My concern of letting you wait is part of my tradition, second its wartime and its risky to be pregnant, third, I''m preparing. Have you seen a hen when she''s about to lay eggs? She''d gather some feathers, dry cogons, withered grasses for her nest. Its an animal but I tell you when a hen lays her first egg on a nest, its safe. I see myself more than a hen, of course. I''m human, so I prepare my place the best way I could and since its wartime, I find it difficult to gather the things I need, that''s why." He was still hugging her tight, so emotional. Calm down. I know everything about you. Its just that ther never told me of your name. Hmm, they just tell me you''re a "handsome guy." This, George - is my concept of marriage. 86 Natural Birth plan "George, the Gabok guerrillas defeated them and the Japs ceded their weapons at the shoreline where 19 has died. They befell to the hands of Gabok guerillas upon following the grenades'' direction and this makes them thankful, knowing how dedicated our command to the cause and supported their guerilla movement. Though, they lost 4 lives. Anyway, one thing more, the head asked to personally meet you by the river in between Gabok and Kabang tomorrow at twilight, but that''s within the boundary. Hmm, I should have reported this yesterday but you sulked up around and I hope you''re better now, how are you? " Baldur sighed. " I''m fine now. By the way Baldur, you''ve got a great sister." He smiled at him and added. "She''d known Amanda already but she didn''t comment over this. Instead, she''d ripped the pages written by ''ama'' Sibal. Its exactly the reason why. Baldur budged a little on his seat. "This musn''t be a joke George." "Hmm, she knew everything about the Wisconsin lived in partner I had. Thereupon, I confessed." " Oh boy, did she know that..." " Yes, I told her your wife now is my previous woman. It''s as complicated as that, I''m such a shameless husband." " Hmm, this must be a dreadful secret that leaks. Come on, its all for her. I won''t bring my wife here, you know that. Baldur tapped his shoulder. "Thanks Brother, you''re always my saviour. I was just stuck when you did it just to divert her attention on you, till you were cornered just as what she did to me." George sighed with a touch of anger on his face. " I endured for both of you. No worries now." Baldur bowed his head. Albrecht just came in after he accompanied Amado in dressing the wounds of patients. Ow! why you two combatants are so silent, what happened?" "Nothing, I just told him the Gabok guerrilla head would like to see him personally tomorrow by the river." Baldur said. " Ah, I see." Albrecht smiled and returned the kit upstairs. "Baldur, my past was full of shame and she''s too cool to be mine." He whispered. " But you''re a genuine person, we know that. Just keep going, its the truth that after Amanda - there was no one, so keep the courage, you''re there already. C''mon!" Baldur smiled and gave him a bamboo mug of water to drink. He rested in the bedroom until midnight, then he woke up just for a while and slept again. In the morning, he saw a soap, tooth brush and toothpaste, towel and military uniform beside him. The pair of boots was laid underneath. He smiled. " She''s so caring. How is she right now, I missed her even more." He thought. After a short while he had heard his men cheerfully chanting. He went out to see them but to his surprise. " What..." He wowed, knelt and was teary eyed upon seeing the Philippine National flag tied at the middle of a bamboo pole. It was swaying and dancing like celebrating with his men on their triumphant battles with the Japs. " Its my wife who did it, I know." He thought and smiled. He went back and took a bath, wore his military uniform and inspiringly met his men. Within their meeting, he noticed a little reflection buzzing thrice in the air near them. He smiled again in the middle of his talk while putting his hands on his waist, he knew she''s using binoculars to stalk him down there. "Sir, you''re smiling in the middle of your talk while mentioning dead guerrillas of Gabok, just feedbacking." Albrecht whispered on his ear then stood back on his line. Momentarily, he got back to his focus and seriously discussed the next move for June, last week of 1942. Meanwhile, inside the wooden house, Magee arranged his beddings and brought to the granite house his laundry. She''s too quick to move so she''s gone in an instant after getting Albrecht''s mobile binoculars while she left a note. " Kuya, pahiram muna saglit nitong binoculars mo, mga isang linggo lang po." (Elder brother, please lend me your binoculars for a while, for just a week long). Then off she go. Outside the wooden house, everyone was cheerful and Amado spoke to the Lieutenant. "Sir, we wanted to see the flag everyday. Please." " Of course, from now on." Then George smiled. After Baldur had their attendance signatures in the commando''s journal, the meeting was adjouned. But some did not yet return to their houses but stayed below the tamarind tree and smilingly watching the Philippine flag. The siblings and George already got inside the wooden house when they all notice some of the things had changed. "Who came in before us?" "My wife." George smiled. " Wow! his beddings were arranged, the floor, the ''kurdesos'', ah! I got to go upstairs!" "What?" Albrecht yelled. George and Baldur went up and saw the beddings also been set. "Why you''ve shouted when she also arranged your beddings." George smiled. Albrecht sat down and handed to them the note left by Magee. " Hmm, what is her plan? It must be dangerous." George blurted. George went down and ran towards the hole. Minutes later, he was already in the granite house door, sweating and had paused for a while before he successively knocked on the door. No one answered. He was very anxious and unsettled at the doorway with so many bothersome thoughts. " C''mon Mag, please open the door." George voice became louder. He was already shaking and almost dive down on the staircase, hurdling to reach below. He got back to the wooden house and informed the brothers to help search his wife. "He was maybe outside of northeast." George worryingly said while walking to and fro. " What if, she''s not there and besides, its daytime. She knew already how risky it is to roam outside during daytime." Baldur commented. " Baldur! you proceed to the smiling skull cave, Albrecht! go back to the granite door and try to knock again and again while I''ll go up. Move!" Then he grabbed his handgun and daggers. Its already 1700 hrs so he told Fr. Matias for his secret mission on the other side. He chose to climb there because its the most groovy place and also the nearest to the surface of the granite house. 86 Baldurs Repor "George, the Gabok guerrillas defeated them and the Japs ceded their weapons at the shoreline where 19 has died. They befell to the hands of Gabok guerillas upon following the grenades'' direction and this makes them thankful, knowing how dedicated our command to the cause and supported their guerilla movement. Though, they lost 4 lives. Anyway, one thing more, the head asked to personally meet you by the river in between Gabok and Kabang tomorrow at twilight, but that''s within the boundary. Hmm, I should have reported this yesterday but you sulked up around and I hope you''re better now, how are you? " Baldur sighed. " I''m fine now. By the way Baldur, you''ve got a great sister." He smiled at him and added. "She''d known Amanda already but she didn''t comment over this. Instead, she''d ripped the pages written by ''ama'' Sibal. Its exactly the reason why. Baldur budged a little on his seat. "This musn''t be a joke George." "Hmm, she knew everything about the Wisconsin lived in partner I had. Thereupon, I confessed." " Oh boy, did she know that..." " Yes, I told her your wife now is my previous woman. It''s as complicated as that, I''m such a shameless husband." " Hmm, this must be a dreadful secret that leaks. Come on, its all for her. I won''t bring my wife here, you know that. Baldur tapped his shoulder. "Thanks Brother, you''re always my saviour. I was just stuck when you did it just to divert her attention on you, till you were cornered just as what she did to me." George sighed with a touch of anger on his face. " I endured for both of you. No worries now." Baldur bowed his head. Albrecht just came in after he accompanied Amado in dressing the wounds of patients. Ow! why you two combatants are so silent, what happened?" "Nothing, I just told him the Gabok guerrilla head would like to see him personally tomorrow by the river." Baldur said. " Ah, I see." Albrecht smiled and returned the kit upstairs. "Baldur, my past was full of shame and she''s too cool to be mine." He whispered. " But you''re a genuine person, we know that. Just keep going, its the truth that after Amanda - there was no one, so keep the courage, you''re there already. C''mon!" Baldur smiled and gave him a bamboo mug of water to drink. He rested in the bedroom until midnight, then he woke up just for a while and slept again. In the morning, he saw a soap, tooth brush and toothpaste, towel and military uniform beside him. The pair of boots was laid underneath. He smiled. " She''s so caring. How is she right now, I missed her even more." He thought. After a short while he had heard his men cheerfully chanting. He went out to see them but to his surprise. " What..." He wowed, knelt and was teary eyed upon seeing the Philippine National flag tied at the middle of a bamboo pole. It was swaying and dancing like celebrating with his men on their triumphant battles with the Japs. " Its my wife who did it, I know." He thought and smiled. He went back and took a bath, wore his military uniform and inspiringly met his men. Within their meeting, he noticed a little reflection buzzing thrice in the air near them. He smiled again in the middle of his talk while putting his hands on his waist, he knew she''s using binoculars to stalk him down there. "Sir, you''re smiling in the middle of your talk while mentioning dead guerrillas of Gabok, just feedbacking." Albrecht whispered on his ear then stood back on his line. Momentarily, he got back to his focus and seriously discussed the next move for June, last week of 1942. Meanwhile, inside the wooden house, Magee arranged his beddings and brought to the granite house his laundry. She''s too quick to move so she''s gone in an instant after getting Albrecht''s mobile binoculars while she left a note. " Kuya, pahiram muna saglit nitong binoculars mo, mga isang linggo lang po." (Elder brother, please lend me your binoculars for a while, for just a week long). Then off she go. Outside the wooden house, everyone was cheerful and Amado spoke to the Lieutenant. "Sir, we wanted to see the flag everyday. Please." " Of course, from now on." Then George smiled. After Baldur had their attendance signatures in the commando''s journal, the meeting was adjouned. But some did not yet return to their houses but stayed below the tamarind tree and smilingly watching the Philippine flag. The siblings and George already got inside the wooden house when they all notice some of the things had changed. "Who came in before us?" "My wife." George smiled. " Wow! his beddings were arranged, the floor, the ''kurdesos'', ah! I got to go upstairs!" "What?" Albrecht yelled. George and Baldur went up and saw the beddings also been set. "Why you''ve shouted when she also arranged your beddings." George smiled. Albrecht sat down and handed to them the note left by Magee. " Hmm, what is her plan? It must be dangerous." George blurted. George went down and ran towards the hole. Minutes later, he was already in the granite house door, sweating and had paused for a while before he successively knocked on the door. No one answered. He was very anxious and unsettled at the doorway with so many bothersome thoughts. " C''mon Mag, please open the door." George voice became louder. He was already shaking and almost dive down on the staircase, hurdling to reach below. He got back to the wooden house and informed the brothers to help search his wife. "He was maybe outside of northeast." George worryingly said while walking to and fro. " What if, she''s not there and besides, its daytime. She knew already how risky it is to roam outside during daytime." Baldur commented. " Baldur! you proceed to the smiling skull cave, Albrecht! go back to the granite door and try to knock again and again while I''ll go up. Move!" Then he grabbed his handgun and daggers. Its already 1700 hrs so he told Fr. Matias for his secret mission on the other side. He chose to climb there because its the most groovy place and also the nearest to the surface of the granite house. 87 Drying the Laundry Its around 1730 hrs when George reached the mountain top and its already foggy with its cozy windy ambiance. After a minute of walking from mostly under the bonsai trees, he found her lying on the granite surface while she put a pile of towels on her back. She didn''t even notice him for already perching by her side such long till 2000 hrs. Eventually, the moon emerged in the skies and started to profess its prowess around. The branches were even annoying for caressing her messy hair. Thanks to the moonlight that shivered so brightly in the sky where no flashlight is needed anymore. Descriptively, she have brought the house utensils next to her, but still - all''s well-arranged. She had water container, the breadfruit she took from the kitchen, a fork, sugar, bamboo mug and with Albrecht''s binoculars. She put it all in a basket made of rattan that she picked out from the wooden house. It made him smile alone while looking at her like she was just inside the house and never thought of raining or would there be snakes or owls around. In the next minutes, the fogs paved away, little by little, allowing him to clearly see the granite surface, meters away from them. There, he noticed his blanket, shirts, pants, hankies and towels gathered. " Oh dear, those might be the reason if why you''re here, for waiting them to dry but sorry to say its wet again due to the fogs." He shook his head and smiled. He doesn''t have any option but to flat his back and stay beside her and wait till she wakes up. "Oh! its 2217 hrs, still asleep?" He then sat back and touched her forehead. "Mag...Mag...its George." She opened her eyes and looked at him inquisitively. "George? I dried up the blanket and...where are those?" She found nothing on the surface anymore. "I folded them already. Its next to your basket." "Come...hold my hand, your sleep is overdue already. You might acquire some cough here, its too cold. I already covered you with towel, four hours ago." "Four hours ago? Did I sleep that long here?" " Or more than four hours, you''re already sleeping when I reached here." " Hmm...but why you''re here. You''re supposed to be in the wooden house. I already delivered some of your things there." " There''s nothing wrong if I visit my wife." " But I enjoyed this morning looking at you from a distance, you''re too handsome with your uniform." " Yeah, I knew you were stalking at me that way, that sounds unfair." " Oh! see the skies! wow! so beautiful. We''ll bring our children here soon George and see that horizon." " Haha! Yes, of course, we will." George laughed but suddenly grabbed her basket and all those that she dried up and went inside. When he reached downstairs, he immediately boil some water for her to drink and wash up. She just closed the optic hole and stayed close to the furnace. There was silence then he spoke after looking at her in front of the furnace. "I ...I can warm you more than what a furnace could give." He anxiously offered a symbollically serious topic and literally an invitation. " Hmm, I know, and we''re almost there, when your angel fruit would give us any." Then she smiled at him. "How are they?" She asked. " They''re just fine." " Good. Hmm, you maybe need to go, your eyes wants to drop now like bombs without safety pins. Go back there now and sleep well. Ah, you may also bring the third journal, you''ll laugh at it while reading about me somehow then it may bring you to a deep sleep." "Can I borrow it?" He asked. "Yes. I don''t think I need to rip it all. See how Lolo treated and taught me there, you''ll gonna laugh at us. Its funny anyhow without a biological mother and an old guardian on my way. Yes, I was loved by ''ina'' but, ah, its all complicated. She loved me but her heart was full of anger. I was just thankful that Lolo was a cool, educated, a very gentle person and trustworthy. So straightforward." " Hmm, I''m not going anywhere. Its intriguing. I also wanted to know you more." He said. She smiled and brought the pot of water to the bathroom. "Oh, I''ll mix it for you." He volunteered. " Hmm, its okay. Just go on with your journal reading, I''d be fine." Then she waited for him to get back to the receiving area. She was in a hurry to wash up and for the first time she had it in almost five minutes. When done, she immediately proceeded to her room. "Your dinner?" He asked. " I''m not hungry anymore." She replied. " Okay. Can I see you?" " I''m already sleeping." She replied. "Haha!" Then he went inside and sat beside her. " I''m....sleeping right now." She''s talking inside her cocoon. " You''re ...haha! I''ll go now. I''ll go back to the wooden house so you won''t be afraid anymore. Let me see you first before I go." Then she slowly got out from the blanket and looked at him. "I... still wear the same face." She smirked. "Can I have your hands, please." He whispered with a reddish face. She''d slowly showed both of her hands and forwarded near him. He then picked them up like flowers and put them on his chest with his blazing desire." " I love you very much." Then he passionately kissed her hands, returned them carefully, merrily smiled, stood up, walked outside the bedroom and motioned towards the granite door after picking out the journal from the kitchen table - then gone. " Oh God! please help us." Magee whispered as she closed her eyes and bury the exasperating thoughts into nothingness. He reached the wooden house almost midnight but still decided to read some portion of the journal which were a little bit farther from the ripped pages. ------------------------------------ 16 January 1938 Magee is so smart. Last month, she knew that Edward''s hired man to guard her was following her at the entrance of UP main when she tried to visit a friend. According to Edward, she immediately sneaked and later the hired man realized that instead she was followed it landed anyway that Magee was already following him. Haha, my little girl had really obeyed into what I have told her. Be suspicious! alert and courageous all the time, its it. She kept asking me if why. I told her always, "you have to take care of yourself and be excited to meet your handsome man soon." He never knew that handsome man I kept mentioning was George, my little boy before. Their love story is so unique in the future, imagine I have raised the two of them. The cute boy that I missed so much and this lovely girl who''s overly funny and smart that makes my life complete. Anyway, Edward kept sending me letters, complaining at me of Magee''s boarding house, its dilapidated he said. I told him in my recent letter that my financial these days aren''t doing better. I just suggested him to push through the dormitory he recommended, it''s owned by his friends who were good in fencing. He said he wants Magee to learn fencing and at the same time he can monitor her almost daily while he''s back for just half a year in the army and whose military service has been reinstated. Hah! She can be good in fencing. Last year, I assigned her as shepherd in our 30 goats haha, no wonder she''s quick like a lightning, because the moment one of them planned out of escaping she brings her stick like a real shepherd. I called her a shepherd because she calls a goat as sheep, I said no! those were goats. By the way, I had a great time writing today. ------------------------------------- 87 Under the Moonligh Its around 1730 hrs when George reached the mountain top and its already foggy with its cozy windy ambiance. After a minute of walking from mostly under the bonsai trees, he found her lying on the granite surface while she put a pile of towels on her back. She didn''t even notice him for already perching by her side such long till 2000 hrs. Eventually, the moon emerged in the skies and started to profess its prowess around. The branches were even annoying for caressing her messy hair. Thanks to the moonlight that shivered so brightly in the sky where no flashlight is needed anymore. Descriptively, she have brought the house utensils next to her, but still - all''s well-arranged. She had water container, the breadfruit she took from the kitchen, a fork, sugar, bamboo mug and with Albrecht''s binoculars. She put it all in a basket made of rattan that she picked out from the wooden house. It made him smile alone while looking at her like she was just inside the house and never thought of raining or would there be snakes or owls around. In the next minutes, the fogs paved away, little by little, allowing him to clearly see the granite surface, meters away from them. There, he noticed his blanket, shirts, pants, hankies and towels gathered. " Oh dear, those might be the reason why you''re here, for waiting them to dry but sorry to say its wet again due to the fogs." He shook his head and smiled. He doesn''t have any option but to flat his back and stay beside her and wait till she wakes up. "Oh! its 2217 hrs, still asleep?" He then sat back and touched her forehead. "Mag...Mag...its George." She opened her eyes and looked at him inquisitively. "George? I dried up the blanket and...where are those?" She found nothing on the surface anymore. "I folded them already. Its next to your basket." "Come...hold my hand, your sleep is overdue already. You might acquire some cough here, its too cold. I already covered you with towel, four hours ago." "Four hours ago? Did I sleep that long here?" " Or more than four hours, you''re already sleeping when I reached here." " Hmm...but why you''re here. You''re supposed to be in the wooden house. I already delivered some of your things there." " There''s nothing wrong if I visit my wife." " But I enjoyed this morning looking at you from a distance, you''re too handsome with your uniform." " Yeah, I knew you were stalking at me that way, that sounds unfair." " Oh! see the skies! wow! so beautiful. We''ll bring our children here soon George and see that horizon." " Haha! Yes, of course, we will." George laughed but suddenly grabbed her basket and all those that she dried up and went inside. When he reached downstairs, he immediately boil some water for her to drink and wash up. She just closed the optic hole and stayed close to the furnace. There was silence then he spoke after looking at her in front of the furnace. "I ...I can warm you more than what a furnace could give." " Hmm, I know, and we''re almost there, when your angel fruit would give us any." Then she smiled at him. "How are they?" She asked. " They''re just fine." " Good. Hmm, you maybe need to go, your eyes wants to drop now like bombs. Go back there now and sleep well. Ah, you may also bring the third journal, you''ll laugh at it while reading about me somehow then it may bring you to a deep sleep." "Can I borrow it?" He asked. '' Yes. I don''t think I need to rip it all. See how Lolo treated and taught me there, you''ll gonna laugh at us. Its funny anyhow without a biological mother. Yes, I was loved by ''ina'' but, ah, its all complicated. She loved me but her heart was full of anger. I was just thankful that Lolo was an educated mam and a very gentle. So straightforward. " Hmm I''m not going anywhere. Its intriguing. I also wanted to know you more." He said. She smiled and brought the pot of water to the bathroom. "Oh, I''ll mix it for you." He volunteered. 87 Head Over Heels Its around 1730 hrs when George reached the mountain top and its already foggy with its cozy windy ambiance. After a minute of walking from mostly under the bonsai trees, he found her lying on the granite surface while she put a pile of towels on her back. She didn''t even notice him for already perching by her side such long till 2000 hrs. Eventually, the moon emerged in the skies and started to profess its prowess around. The branches were even annoying for caressing her messy hair. Thanks to the moonlight that shivered so brightly in the sky where no flashlight is needed anymore. Descriptively, she have brought the house utensils next to her, but still - all''s well-arranged. She had water container, the breadfruit she took from the kitchen, a fork, sugar, bamboo mug and with Albrecht''s binoculars. She put it all in a basket made of rattan that she picked out from the wooden house. It made him smile alone while looking at her like she was just inside the house and never thought of raining or would there be snakes or owls around. In the next minutes, the fogs paved away, little by little, allowing him to clearly see the granite surface, meters away from them. There, he noticed his blanket, shirts, pants, hankies and towels gathered. " Oh dear, those might be the reason if why you''re here, for waiting them to dry but sorry to say its wet again due to the fogs." He shook his head and smiled. He doesn''t have any option but to flat his back and stay beside her and wait till she wakes up. "Oh! its 2217 hrs, still asleep?" He then sat back and touched her forehead. "Mag...Mag...its George." She opened her eyes and looked at him inquisitively. "George? I dried up the blanket and...where are those?" She found nothing on the surface anymore. "I folded them already. Its next to your basket." "Come...hold my hand, your sleep is overdue already. You might acquire some cough here, its too cold. I already covered you with towel, four hours ago." "Four hours ago? Did I sleep that long here?" " Or more than four hours, you''re already sleeping when I reached here." " Hmm...but why you''re here. You''re supposed to be in the wooden house. I already delivered some of your things there." " There''s nothing wrong if I visit my wife." " But I enjoyed this morning looking at you from a distance, you''re too handsome with your uniform." " Yeah, I knew you were stalking at me that way, that sounds unfair." " Oh! see the skies! wow! so beautiful. We''ll bring our children here soon George and see that horizon." " Haha! Yes, of course, we will." George laughed but suddenly grabbed her basket and all those that she dried up and went inside. When he reached downstairs, he immediately boil some water for her to drink and wash up. She just closed the optic hole and stayed close to the furnace. There was silence then he spoke after looking at her in front of the furnace. "I ...I can warm you more than what a furnace could give." He anxiously offered a symbollically serious topic and literally an invitation. " Hmm, I know, and we''re almost there, when your angel fruit would give us any." Then she smiled at him. "How are they?" She asked. " They''re just fine." " Good. Hmm, you maybe need to go, your eyes wants to drop now like bombs without safety pins. Go back there now and sleep well. Ah, you may also bring the third journal, you''ll laugh at it while reading about me somehow then it may bring you to a deep sleep." "Can I borrow it?" He asked. "Yes. I don''t think I need to rip it all. See how Lolo treated and taught me there, you''ll gonna laugh at us. Its funny anyhow without a biological mother and an old guardian on my way. Yes, I was loved by ''ina'' but, ah, its all complicated. She loved me but her heart was full of anger. I was just thankful that Lolo was a cool, educated, a very gentle person and trustworthy. So straightforward." " Hmm, I''m not going anywhere. Its intriguing. I also wanted to know you more." He said. She smiled and brought the pot of water to the bathroom. "Oh, I''ll mix it for you." He volunteered. " Hmm, its okay. Just go on with your journal reading, I''d be fine." Then she waited for him to get back to the receiving area. She was in a hurry to wash up and for the first time she had it in almost five minutes. When done, she immediately proceeded to her room. "Your dinner?" He asked. " I''m not hungry anymore." She replied. " Okay. Can I see you?" " I''m already sleeping." She replied. "Haha!" Then he went inside and sat beside her. " I''m....sleeping right now." She''s talking inside her cocoon. " You''re ...haha! I''ll go now. I''ll go back to the wooden house so you won''t be afraid anymore. Let me see you first before I go." Then she slowly got out from the blanket and looked at him. "I... still wear the same face." She smirked. "Can I have your hands, please." He whispered with a reddish face. She''d slowly showed both of her hands and forwarded near him. He then picked them up like flowers and put them on his chest with his blazing desire." " I love you very much." Then he passionately kissed her hands, returned them carefully, merrily smiled, stood up, walked outside the bedroom and motioned towards the granite door after picking out the journal from the kitchen table - then gone. " Oh God! please help us." Magee whispered as she closed her eyes and bury the exasperating thoughts into nothingness. He reached the wooden house almost midnight but still decided to read some portion of the journal which were a little bit farther from the ripped pages. ------------------------------------ 16 January 1938 Magee is so smart. Last month, she knew that Edward''s hired man to guard her was following her at the entrance of UP main when she tried to visit a friend. According to Edward, she immediately sneaked and later the hired man realized that instead she was followed it landed anyway that Magee was already following him. Haha, my little girl had really obeyed into what I have told her. Be suspicious! alert and courageous all the time, its it. She kept asking me if why. I told her always, "you have to take care of yourself and be excited to meet your handsome man soon." He never knew that handsome man I kept mentioning was George, my little boy before. Their love story is so unique in the future, imagine I have raised the two of them. The cute boy that I missed so much and this lovely girl who''s overly funny and smart that makes my life complete. Anyway, Edward kept sending me letters, complaining at me of Magee''s boarding house, its dilapidated he said. I told him in my recent letter that my financial these days aren''t doing better. I just suggested him to push through the dormitory he recommended, it''s owned by his friends who were good in fencing. He said he wants Magee to learn fencing and at the same time he can monitor her almost daily while he''s back for just half a year in the army and whose military service has been reinstated. Hah! She can be good in fencing. Last year, I assigned her as shepherd in our 30 goats haha, no wonder she''s quick like a lightning, because the moment one of them planned out of escaping she brings her stick like a real shepherd. I called her a shepherd because she calls a goat as sheep, I said no! those were goats. By the way, I had a great time writing today. ------------------------------------- 88 Magees University Life George slithered the second door of the cave that''s facing to the sea. "Even if I opened it already, its still warm, maybe it would rain today. Anyway, I''ll continue from reading, I loved her story. ------------------------------------- 10 March 1938 Magee was blind that one among the fencers at the back of the dormitory was her Dad and her daily practice and coaching fees was secretly paid by Edward too. The owner was supposed to match a male young fencer for Magee but Edward had a big No-no! he requested the landlady fencer to find a female and so she just volunteered herself. Good thing her daughter was also Magee''s classmate at UST. One day, Edward stayed longer in the fencing area after he attended a meeting at the military headquarter of the USAFFE base. He was in a hurry to see Magee after class and there they''ve met. He told me he gave her some delicious food but the girl refused instead she asked him if why he gave him food and why he stayed around to talk to her when he''s a stranger. So his Dad just left some money for the landlady to buy some food for them. Even if she was speaking to him nicely but Edward was very mad at me. It isn''t my fault I stayed so far, haha. Apart from that, she doesn''t like to have an idle time so she ''d got a part time job in a bakery. Frustratingly, her Dad was mad again at me I said you are both there while I''m in Mindanao. Talk to your daughter instead of me I told him, haha. But there''s another day when a Castellan friend of his Dad brought his teenager son who watched in a local tournament when Magee was also around. The mestizo gentleman approached her and she just smiled but when he touched her hair she had twisted his arm like a rubber band, haha. I laughed a few times reading on Ed''s letters to me. I''m hanging on to the different stories. Honestly, it makes me more busy to go to the port and asked if I have letters from Ed. Hmm, as for my Magee, I''m always comfortable even if I''m away from her. She knows how to handle herself. When she was little, even if I stayed inside the Kabang mountain, I always sneak just to check her and sometimes I covered my face and talked to her by the hill, watching her herd of animals. That''s I wondered why Lolita kept on waiting for Chuck and paid little attention on Magee as she grow up, so I assumed. I told her not to be busy with men when she''s almost a lady instead be busy to survive in life because the heavens had alredy prepared one perfect match for every one. But the funny thing was she questioned me that if the heavens have already prepared one for her so who was my perfect match? I suddenly laughed out loud and could not answer. That''s why when I went back inside Malapague and meet Edward and kids they all wonder why I laughed so often. -------------------------------- 07 April 1938 Its a summer class in Luzon and a letter just arrived today, telling me that Magee has another 3 admirers, all''s from the spanish clans. But the good news, she turned them down prior to courting her, haha. There was a social gathering in school and the freshmen were also invited. Definitely, our Magee has no Filipiniana so the military Dad extended a money to the fence teacher to convince his girl to wear a new dress that she''ll purchase in order to join the gathering. Fortunately, Magee was very happy and successfully joined. In that gathering, the Filipiniana made her so gorgeous and beautiful and according to the father, she looks like a goddess and a princess. The father boasted to me that way although Magee was an amazon to me, haha. I liked seeing her managed the flock, climbed trees in a fearless way, ran like in a squadron, does the household chores perfectly, read books like a worm and work like a bee. But anyway, yes, I also like my little girl to grow now and see the big world, hmm. I''m excited that my handsome George and beautiful Magee will meet one day. They''ll become a perfect couple. ----------------------------------- "Whoah! great Magee! you....you''re the best girl. If I was with you in that year, yeah, I can be your guard too, haha. Its so hot now, what''s really happening around. There''s really a heavy rain coming. Ah, I''ll go down outside onto the rocks by the sea. Anyway, its already 0600 hrs past, hmm." He went down outside the cave and only wearing his shorts and brought the journal along with him. Still excited and he squat on a flat surfaced giant stone. --------------------------------------- 28 April 1938 Haha. I was tickled. Ed sent me a letter again telling me that his ear and eye hired errand soldier told him, using the army vehicle that Magee was approaching the headquarter , by foot. Edward was wondering so he joined the office information desk officer. When she arrived, the young US soldiers who happened to follow up their remittances on the other office turned their heads and flirted on her but she just smiled at them. Haha, my Magee! So there, she moved into the desk. Of course, Ed was there and she was asked. She then replied to apply in the standing reserve regiments, or army reserve. Edward couldn''t believe it so of course the desk officer, beside his father turned down her interest and reasoned out that there''s no slots yet for women as reservist. My baby girl was that brave, haha. I can''t imagine she''ll undergo training with her small body. Though, according to Edward she can handle the sword very well now but still she can''t be a soldier. ----------------------------- "Wow! she''s amazing! she really had the guts to fight even at an early age. Hmm and if ''ama'' is still alive now I should have told him that her lovely girl was a good fighter." 89 Drowned by Love Without the knowledge of George everyone in the wooden house and all his men were looking for him because aside that he''s gone mysteriously, with his boots and uniform left on his bed he is supposed to prepare a meeting with the leader of Gabok. It would be a big insult if he could not personally appear. Likewise, Magee stayed quietly anxious if what she has done that made him sulked out again. Thereupon, Baldur and Henry just thought of plan B if they can''t really find the lieutenant before twilight. The plan B is to install another american soldier from the team and act as the lieutenant. " This could be okay." Henry nodded and scouted potential army from the soldiers'' places to stand as lieutenant then returned to Baldur. " Its Martin. He volunteered." Henry said. They already tried to prepare for the travel. Meanwhile by the sea George was kinda fasting for just reading while smiling and laughing alone. He wasn''t anymote cognizant of the time that he''s running a little shortage with his appointment with the Gabok leader. " Oh dear, I''m drowned in love with you. Apparently, I need a little help from my Dads if what would I do when I''m getting crazy now." Then he smiled and turned to the next page of the journal. ------------------------------------- 10 June 1938 Edward sent me another letter, this time, for the record, it contained 17 pages. I cried mostly upon knowing that she saved every single centavo I sent her. To retrospect, before I left her in Manila, I left her fifty pesos and 20 pieces of 50 centavo coins. Yet eventually, Edward found out that she eats bread in the morning with a glass of water (since its already the most delicious food in the universe aside from the boiled sayote leaves). But I worried the nutrients it could give her in the absence of the mouthwatering sayote leaves. Edward then course through his support on het with the trustworthy fencing teacher. But she''s almost vegetarian, aside from being a bread lover, she longed for appetizing veggies at the mercado. Its maybe the result of always watching his goats and horses eating grasses in Tikaban. -------------------------------------- "Haha! I can''t control from laughing ''ama'' Sibal was actually funny in expressing descriptions. I hope Magee''s around. Hmm, but she doesn''t like to see me doing some romantic advances on her. Anyway, hmm, next thrilling page." " The dormitory had commotions in the morning of June 1. Magee''s room was almost ransacked but the offender was caught because when she has heard that her door was attempted to open she thought that if she''ll shout for "help!" no one will rescue and everyone might be scared, so instead, she loudly shouted of "fire! fire!" and almost everyone competed to get out running and so the offender was caught in the act, haha! My tummy aches in no time. My little girl is really wise and brave. I can''t imagine how she did it and Edward was also laughing. Well, its just part of the 17 pages letter. Another thing, Magee also sent me a letter ( she''s not aware that her biological Dad''s eyeing on her 24/7). Her letter was written in mandaya--manobo-tagalog telling me about the handsome guy that she has to marry soon.... ------------------------------------------ " Oh! my.....I can''t get over this. I''m dying, my beautiful woman was looking for me around here in 1938. But hey, I have to be with my focus." ----------------------------------------- ..... is he someone reliable? I was laughing, yes on my reply, I said he is reliable and the best guy in the world. Then she asked if how did he looks like? then I took George''s picture sent to me by Chuck and described to her his handsome guy of the future. She never knew that this is a different arranged marriage. The three fathers built a house for them first, sent them to school and make them thrilled about each other. Yes,I appeared as historian of love around. I just wonder if why Magee doesn''t have any opposition, haha. Does it mean they were match in heaven? I lnow in my heary George would love Magee. I''m pretty sure of that. No guy would ever reject her because it takes another centuries to find like her. Besides, she does not rebel, she easily forgives, she''s not interested of people''s bad past, more of helping to ease emotional pains and she''d just adorable by telling me if I do wrong to her pets, he wants me to ask forgiveness too, haha. He doesn''t like to talk about other boys of a kind, haha. She only wants to talk about his future ''handsome guy.'' We already had a correspondence with Chuck and Edward regarding our children''s wedding. Interestingly, I loved their granite house for them and hope they''ll find it livable and fill it with cute children like them. Its actually a gift for them, from us. The granite house and a one hectare land around has a legal paper that I worked so hard to be theirs. The granite house was built for 10 years by their fathers and Chuck''s quarterly salary were poured out for his unico hijo''s granite house. All the supplies, dispositions, expenses and manpower were also shed by Edward as counterpart. Its a gift to their wedding soon. ------------------------------------ "Wow! this is so touching. I mean..." He was teary eyed with so much 90 Martins Heroic Fate Its a sunny morning mirrored by the daylight optic holes overhead and he found her still sleeping with so many piled up pillows in between them. " Perturbed but she''s mindful of me and tried her best to run just to have fun before uncovering the real problem and conditioned me that way. Gratis my wife though, I''m worried of your wound out of that formidable sprint at the tunnel. " He thought then sighed. Its so timely he recalled what his wife had told him last night with respect to Martin, as it prompted him to take a bath briskly. Instantaneously, he footslogged on the spiral staircase till reaching the wooden house. Certainly, his uniform was still there so he wore them, from hat down to boots. " Its out of the ordinary when Albrecht isn''t here, let me peep outside." He casted a brief look outside and found his men surrounding to their semi-cemetery. It was completely quiet. Then his heart pounded while seeing Fr. Matias on a requiem mass, he presumed. " Martin..." He bowed down his head and became emotional. The mass has ended and they all parted ways aside from Baldur, Henry, Amado, Albrecht and Fr. Matias who proceeded to the wooden house; found him teary eyed and knelt by the window. " Sir!" Henry sadly spoke out of concern. Fr. Matias motioned closer and tapped his shoulder. " I was supposed to die not him! Who did it!" George shouted and cringed his fist. " Guida''s youngest brother but we found him dead. So strange, but someone shot him from a different direction. Its not from our team nor from the Gabok guerrillas." Baldur has reported. " Are those not the Japs?" Fr. Matias commented. " I think not. The target was to kill the head of this regiment, the Japs wouldn''t mind if you''re the head or not." Henry interpreted. " We must be very extra careful. Let''s keep watchful for any sudden attack. Henry, we''ll release extra ammos per soldier and guerrilla, Amado and Narciso will help you distribute these things tonight." George ordered. " Yes, Sir." Henry replied then he left. Then Fr. Matias had whispered Albrecht something. " Fr. Matias, I''m sorry, but the snake oil was taken out by one of the occupants here yesterday. I have here left a little, but the one I promised for you was consumed already. " Ah, I''ll still take that small amount of snake oil, my arthritis terribly wakes me up at nighttime." The priest smiled. George looked to Albrecht when the priest left and brought along with him the snake oil. " Brother, ah! nothing." Then he ran towards the angel fruit trees and sat on the grasses. " Despite my sadness for losing Martin but seeing you all growing up seems inspiring." He smirked. When he passed by at the daisy plots, he harvested the white ones, around 15 of them then he returned to the wooden house. " George, are you okay?" Baldur asked. Baldur seated on bed and helped him express. " Baldur, I''m - trying to be fine, but actually, actually, I''m not fine." " Well, the line itself speaks. Go ahead brother." " I can''t tell you, its too...personal." George pressed his head. He paused for a while. " I...I..ah!" Then he bowed his head. " Hmm...need help?" Baldur tapped his shoulder. He smiled to Baldur. " Of course you can''t help me." "Why not?" Baldur smiled. " How?" He curiously asked. "Opps! its a bad idea. I''d been eavesdropping and heard you both being possessed. Baldur, I did not expect you can think about it, stop it! George! you go back to your house now, quick!" Albrecht put his hands on his waist and summoned the two to evaporate and he sounded like a grandpa. So the two were laughing at him while George went down to the hole and Baldur got out smiling due to Albrecht''s mood. A little while Albrecht packed some food for Magee and told Baldur to guard the house. Then he moved down to the hole and when he was almost in the doorway of the granite house, he found George sitting so lonely but just appeared better when he found Albrecht, approaching. " Albrecht, I stayed here for a while...just thinking." " Good, keep thinking, then after I can give to her this food, I''ll get out immediately. So just stay here for a while." "When he opened the door, she was very happy seeing the eldest brother."Kuya!" " Hey, George seems not in his proper mindset these days. I''m afraid he''ll not die in this war but through depression. Just wanted to let you know and expect the worst to come. He''s very unhappy. Just prepare when tomorrow or next days, we''ll gonna run up here and tell you, "Mag, George is dead!" But anyway, hmm, its not your priority. We''ll just prepare for his casket properly, we do not also let him join in the mass grave, okay, its just supposed a one kiss to make him back - alive, but condolence." I have to go now, Baldur is waiting. Magee was teary eyed and had a priori apprehension when, "he only wore shorts by the sea, haven''t eaten in a day and insensitive to cold. My goodness, what will I do?" She thought and was terribly nervous. A little while, she took the flashlight and still nervous but forcibly decided to get down and pick him up from the wooden house. But when he opened the door, he was still pressing his head at the doorstep. " George!" C''mon! why you''re there." She took his hand and they entered inside their house. "You wash up. Everything is there. Then get out immediately and we''ll talk on something." She sounded so serious. Minutes later he got out and took a handful of daisy flowers from his bag and smiled at her. " I love you very much, my wife. Take these flowers as...." George stopped when she kissed him once on his lips then she sat down shameless and showered all her hair covering her face. " Wha...what have you done. I mean, Mag, look at me. He knelt while waiting for her face to appear but she''s not moving. " I...I.. didn''t force....you....I am scared, afraid, and don''t know what to do. I was born here but sprung from the west so we need to understand each other, I did. I did...and I''m waiting. " Huhuhu....Lolo told me in his letter before....when I was in Manila that "handsome guy" was having an affair. I told you I buried that...I ignore that despite the fact that Lolo told me the woman forced you to sign when you''re drunk - you''re married. " Oh, terrible...so that''s the reason why...now I know." George calmly said. "Come on..its not true. That woman kept bribing me before, Dad knew that. You should have told me this early on so that I can correct between what has been said on papers and heresays. She spread rumors and appears as victim. " Baldur and Albrecht are reliable, call them tomorrow, interview them, they are your brothers and they won''t lie at you." 91 Who is Amanda? Albrecht came at dawn and brought a plethora of fruits and other food stuffs. With his successful script, Magee became submissive to her husband for just a kiss for once last night. Full of smiles, he opened the door at a snail''s pace, slid the covered bamboo food tray and left it on the floor. "What is that?" George then opened the four daylight optic holes and found out that its a food tray. "Albrecht must have left it here. I''ll go before she wakes up." He then placed the bamboo food tray on the table and left to request both Albrecht and Baldur to come with him and witness his engagement with Amanda back in 1938. At the ancestral wooden house, the brothers greeted him vibrantly. " Good to see you George." Baldur smiled. Albrecht then moved closer and jokily punched George. " Hey brother, how are you? Hope you''re not feelin'' bad anymore." " Thanks Albrecht, but you''re a terrible naughty brother-in-law." He smirked. "So, what''s up? Baldur asked. " He was still hesitant after reading from Sr. Sibal''s journal that Amanda and I was married. I insisted that its not true." " I have a solution to easily resolve that issue." Albrecht smiled. " What is that?" Baldur asked. "Baldur, the fact that we attended your church wedding and you walked through the aisle with Amanda. You have your marriage contract and the name of your wife is Amanda. "That''s cool, let''s go up now and she must be waiting for us." George said. While they were on their way going up, George was nervous and he never knew why. In fact, he ran and the brothers even wondered so they also followed and even breathless on the staircase. When they all reached inside, Magee wasn''t around anymore. The brothers were stuck on the corner and breathe out. When George went inside the bedroom and sat down restlessly, he found a note left by Magee ------------------------------ May 28, 1942 George, Baldur and Kuya, I had a ton of embarrassment for just a moment last night. But hope you all respect my privacy and silence now. I am just around and I''ll survive in the midst of this war. I promise I will not walk away if it''s not necessary. There''s no need to search for me, I don''t need it. From now on, I have full time in reading the journal - I need to finish it to really know Amanda. I''d like to know the previous woman of my husband not to create friction but to understand him more. Prior to this war, I''ve already heard her name. This isn''t childish but according to uncle Chuck, as written by Lolo Sibal that George , Baldur and Albrecht didn''t know that Amanda used another fake marriage contract with George''s signature over it. When I was second year, Lolo told me it wasn''t a problem, Amanda already stayed with another man. So there, that''s why I am just preserving myself, if you were all in my shoe, you will understand me deeply. This war prevented me to a lot of ways and it doesn''t mean that the war will forever control me. But soon you''ll all will see me back when the angel fruit trees will bear fruits. Its the agreement. My husband and I will sleep together, live together as what normal couples do. Likewise, since I don''t have the resources, I want you guys to give me food, if not, please leave me something to cook. Don''t you all attempt to test me by not giving me food, I will be forced to escape and live outside. I''d like to assure you all that I am just around this Kabang mountain, hiding safely. Moreover, since George is my husband ( I''m actually madly in love with him). He could come to chitchat with me through a note. I''ll respond through a note too. George, you can only leave your note here in the evening. If the door is locked I am inside if its open it means I''m not around so you can come. Don''t stay long. I am a woman and have so many things to do for myself as part of my preservation. 92 Love Notes at Warzone On the second day, he went up to their house and has heard water splashes, cranking of utensils and lighter footsteps. But he could not get in because its locked so he has to wait till she''s done. Patiently waiting then he slept till dusk. When he woke up, the door was readily pushable and that allowed him to get inside then he found a note on bed. He smirked with so much excitement to read the missive while putting a white fresh daisy in a vase next to bed. ********** May 30, 1942 My George, I need more cloth, soft ones. There are still sacks of supplies we haven''t opened yet last time, please do find me some. I need to add up more baby pajamas for our baby''s collection. I also have some small towels for your back when you sweat, use them. Just as the old days, I''m doing fine. Interestingly, I continued reading the journal and found so many things anew. How are you?" ********** June 1, 1942 Mag, I missed you very much and I''m trying myself to be better for you. By the way, next week, we''ll silently ambush the Japs on their way passing at the new Gabok bridge. Sibaya had visually decoded their pattern of supply movement. Quizzically, there have been new recruits on new bunkhouses in their barracks where they newly installed unfamiliar facilities. Sibaya would like to spy but I said - no. Hope you''re here to help me plan out. By the way, here, I''m leaving my uniform, it was accidentally ripped when we had our physical exercises, please help me sew this. Lastly, I feel so inspired, keeping this lovely baby shirt, my lucky charm. Take care for me. --------------------------------- " Curious about where her hiding place is." Then he roamed around at the receiving area, carefully pushing the walls, big jars, paintings and had his long - standing stare in front of the mirror. June 4, 1942 My dear husband, your uniform was not ripped, it was scissored. I just found two zig zag traces ( this makes me smile now). Anyway, don''t scissor it again, that''s not good. Though it appears sweet yet naughty. Besides, you were trying to check on the walls of our house, trying to find me yesterday, smiling. I caught your tantalizing eyes staring at me while you''re talking alone; my heart shivered, and I figured out how immeasurable missingness I felt. Did you not feel me in the kitchen, staring at the faucet? You''ve stared on the walls and even at the spiral staircase. On bed, you did the same, even reaching the overhead ceiling and caught you placed your feet on our blanket, hmm. ********* June 7, 1942 You''re as lovely as the skies who can show both sunshine and sundown like you made me smile and cry. Honestly, I scissored my uniform, just wanted you to touch it. Hmm, what will I do now when I was caught and how did you know that I placed my feet on our bed? this makes me crazy. Hmm, but you kept mentioning my eyes, I palpitated, haha. But Mag, seriously, I missed you, so much." ********** June 10, 1942 "Me too. But I was honestly trying to be strong for you. Right now, I''m busy reading the journal, there are new revelations I''ve found. ********** " A two way or reciprocal mirror! possible! it reflects on one side but transparent on the other side." He thought and speculated. So as if he just relaxed at the receiving area but tried to see the distance of separate three mirrors fronting at each other. " He could see me in the bedroom since the second mirror was fronting to the third; and the third is slanted and obliquely faces to the bedroom. It crisscrossed, haha. My lovely wife, you''re at my back right now, precisely looking at me on that mirror I am facing. You were in a secret room behind that reciprocal mirror at the rear, hmm. You''re caught! But anyway, just stay there and be safe from my reach, you''re in real danger with me these days." Then he smiled. 93 No Mans Land A bomb blasted as dropped by the Japs'' war plane and terribly heard miles away starting southwest. But it successively dropped more bombs so George ran downstairs, heading to the wooden house and informed the brothers to bring everyone to the secret cave. In a rush, he called Fr. Matias to join them in. The three went back to the wooden house, went down and proceeded to the granite house. There were almost around 3 bombs dropped beside their place and in separate directions. "She didn''t get out even if the bombs droppin'' here and there." He just brought the brothers in front of the mirror so that she won''t worry by just seeing her family around. " Wow! they''ve got a lot of bomb supplies and throwing them everywhere, its a revenge for killing their teammates." Albrecht murmured. " Precisely, when they haven''t seen us slowly pulling the wooden piled up of logs on the bridge. Hakanori now''s flaring with anger." Baldur said. "Hmm, where''s my sister right now. I kept sending her food but haven''t seen her for more than 15 days, its too long already. You George, you made this horrible rebellion of my sister!" Albrecht funnily stared to George. But George and Baldur looked at him laughing out loud. What have you eaten again!" George commented. Boom! Another bomb blasted near the granite house. Albrecht became serious and bowed his head. " She''s scared right now, I know." "Right. Hmm, I''m already worried of her situation. "She''s going to be fine." George reassured them. Inside the reciprocal mirror was Magee - religiously watching at them. Thank God, the air strike had stopped, at least my husband and brothers won''t be speculating worst against me now. Yes Albrecht, I''m scared, especially upon reading that Amanda was pregnant. Uncle Chuck was rumbling with anger to the family of Amanda for provoking and planning for marriage. Yes, they liked George to be their in-law. My man was also thinking that its his child. I stopped there. I almost doesn''t like to see you George, I''m upset. You''re unfair." She closed her eyes with teardrops on her lids. Since there was never any bomb blasts so the brothers left. George also transfered on the granite bench the sack of soft cloth then he sat down.l and wrote a note. ********** June 17, 1942 I left you notes but its almost a week that you never replied. It hurts. Please, say something. ********** Despite her absence he continued to listen to her footsteps, bathing and cleaning the place. That day he has heard her crying. In the evening, he entered the place again and immediately slept, but he found a note on the pillow. I says; June 19, 1942 George, I want you to explain to me some things behind us. Although, I already promised to myself not to be affected by your past, but why it seems my promise and actual feelings vary? I was too hurt, I don''t know why but Lolo Sibal has recorded Uncle Chuck''s revelation about your relationship with Amanda. It says, she was pregnant, where''s that child? Where? And you''re keeping that baby''s shirt I sew. Tell me, where is that child, he must be four years old now." ********** He was shocked and stuck on the corner while reading it, then spoke to himself. ********** June 20, 1942 "Oh dear! What a crap! It isn''t true. Dad Chuck that time was very angry and have concluded wrong information. Its complicated, Amanda had a miscarriage and its someone else''s baby, not mine. Believe me. Besides, how many times I told you that I didn''t love her - please, you have to hang on to that. I''m telling the truth. Naturally, we have been into each other, I admit, I was a young nurse and about to enter the academy but she''s tailing and tempting me. Its it. Its past Mag, there was never any child! We were not wed, its Baldur. In fact, Amanda is your sister-in-law now. Aside from that, let''s respect Baldur''s feeling. Its so stressful on his part, so please. However, I know its difficult for you to forgive me, so I better not come to come inside in this house. This is already frustrating! hurting! and even humiliating on my part! *********** That was enough and George left the note on bed. When George left the granite house, she rushly got out, read his message then cried. " This shouldn''t be happening, but if it caused him too much, then I''ll leave. In the beginning, they were happy without me and so if I leave them, I know they can just easily move on. I just asked about the baby and it costs so much crime on me, so I better go." She brought the journal number 3 and some basic things she has. Packed them all in a bag and waited the dusk. After all, she passed by on the door below the bar counter.. Then she left at 1800 hrs going to the enemy lines, bringing 3 grenades on her way. There was no moonlight and its too dark on her way to station one. 94 Husbands Instinc "George?" She whispered. Then he emerged from the dark, slowly moved towards her; unwrapped the hanky from her face and hugged her breathlessly. " I''m sorry. I caused this danger again but I have no choice." " Calm down." He kissed her forehead and she''s teary eyed as she hugged him tight. "I''m sorry too." He closed his eyes and felt how she grasped his uniform at the back with her tiny hands, relying her safety - where the past became meaningless and the musing of the moment outstand. " Don''t attempt to leave me anymore." He said. " Yes, I wouldn''t. I was scared George." " But you brought grenades in your bag, you are more scary than that man." He smiled and wiped her tears. After a moment, he buried the dead man inside the cave while they offered a prayer. When they got back to rest, she asked. " How did you know I''m here." " Its a husband''s instinct and I snooped. Every time I got out of our door, I stayed to listen to your footsteps, to whatever you do till this afternoon, I discerned you were moving the bar counter and sank on the granite door going outside. It was awful and I followed you going here." " Oh dear, you must be very tired. I did not know you kept on eavesdropping." Then she pulled him slowly to the long table. " You stay here, I still have to tidy our erstwhile beds, may I borrow your flashlight." " No. I''ll do it. You stay here instead." He moved out, used a wet cloth and wiped the surface of Magee''s bamboo bed." She was meters away but spoke. " The other one, I mean your bed." " Its broke, damaged and rotten. I can''t sleep on it anymore." He reasoned out. " Ah, its okay. I''ll just stay here and you sleep on my bed." She smiled. " What?" He motioned closer to her and smirked. " I''m reading. Lolo wrote this for us, so I have to absorb all texts." She smiled at him and closed the journal. " George, let''s try to check the barracks for a while up there at the mabolo tree, I brought kuya''s binoculars. Can we?" " No!" It seems he put down a sack of rice on the table, his voice seemed heavy. " Why? let''s just take a look if how are they doing right there." She insisted. " No, most of them are as young as me." He looked up at the ceiling. " I thought its serious but you''re kidding, right?" She laughed. " Ha? I''m not kidding, I''m serious." He said. " Ah, I see, okay." So I will just read." She then she was completely quiet. " Are...are you jealous of...Amanda?" He whispered. " And why should I? I''m more interested to really track if its miscarriage or if the baby really grew up." She said softly. " So you didn''t believe in me." He bowed down his head. " Of course, I did. What I''m doing now is crosschecking, validating the facts you''ve given, still, it anchors to it. Marriage is lifetime. At least despite war, I''m trying to find ways. It isn''t bad, you know. Its for my children." "Haha! when you mentions children every now and then I''ve got goosebumps. Can''t even stay so close to you." He pressed his head. " Aha, so here, you sit by my side, no worries. Just imagine how big the cave is, and we spare a seat like there''s no one left, Hey, I''m just kidding." She smiled. " Hmm you''re so strict and has no mercy on me." He sounded like an old man. " Its because we have an agreement. Its still what binds us today and besides I''m trying to find out something." She smiled, took his hand and put it on her face. " But you are jealous." He whispered. " Haha! say that in many times. I won''t buy it. Its maybe how a man weakens a woman''s heart. See you''re moving too close to me now." A bomb fell nearby and it shaken the place. Instantly, he blew the candle light and pulled her near him. Another bomb blasted and he pulled their bags. She then placed the journal inside and put her bag on, like what he did and held her hand tightly in a jet black cave. " We''ll go home now." He whispered. They went up to the mabolo tree and observed for a while. He noticed that the barracks'' soldiers were busy disembarking some sort of weapons from their vehicles. Outright then, Magee handed to him the binoculars while putting her hand on his shoulder. Magee did not know but he was smiling while using the binoculars. She was unaware that she''s too close on him. "Why we stayed too long." She asked. " I still have to spot some parts of their place, they''re too busy." But he smirked every now snd then. " We''re almost an hour here. I''m sleepy, its maybe 0300 hrs." She yawned. " Ah, okay Mag, let''s move. They are maybe planning to have an operation early morning. It seems that they''re preparing." Then he put back the binoculars inside Magee''s bag then led her to go down. When they were trekking down beside the mountain, he noticed a few men running, heading to the place where they''d left. "Those were maybe the guerillas of Gabok." Sadly, they''ve heard a handgun''s sound, then one to another. "We will help them." Magee said. " No! they fought like they have 7 lives. This is not a good timing. See how risky they''re doing." "Boom!" A sound of grenade and exchange of handgun shooting. " Come, let''s go home, quick. Its not safe here. When they reached beside their house, its already 0400 hrs. "Hah, its my first time to open this. Which one?" George asked. "Step on to this button on the ground covered with withered leaves." It opened then they entered holding her hand. "Wow! such a rare door. Still an Egyptian way." When the door had closed again they went up on a spiral staircase and George immediately slept on their bed while she entered inside the secret room. 95 Secret Bedrooms When George woke up he presumed Magee slept by his side and worried without seeing her but an empty bed next to his piled up pillows last night. " Mag! Mag! where are you? His face was worn by fear and emptiness. But she smilingly sprung from the glass door and called him. "George! she drew closer to him sitting by the bed. "I''m hungry, let''s both prepare for our lunch." She then led him to the kitchen. " Lunch? how do you know that its midday now?" He quizzically asked. " Our secret rooms have diverse and jumbled clocks. After our lunch, I''ll show you the places I''ve been inside for the past half a month." She excitingly turned her head to him. " Wow! will you allow me to see what''s inside that glass door today?" He chuckled and attempted to pull the ribbonete of her apron at the the back. " Yes, why not. I''ve read that part of the journal that you must see them and read the signs within." At full speed, she lightly slapped his hand without even looking at him who excitingly attempted of disentangling the ribbonete tie of the apron that made him behave again and sat back in front of the stove. " This must be very interesting." He whispered sheepishly. " I found a black military navy chelsea clock, its my favorite. It looks really durable." She smiled while mixing the flour with sugar and George tried to start the stove for the pan. " Hmm, its a timepiece Dad used in the navy that keeps them abreast with accurate time, it has actually the best good quality. Good he left us some of it." " But the other looks different. There''s one clock which is quiet rare amongst, it alarms twice already within a half month of my stay inside. I want you to see it, its so strange." " How do it look like?" He turned his head on her from stirring the flour with sugar while knotting again the ribbonete on her waist. " Its a square. I''ve been busy watching at it for several days as it normally ticks but alarms just twice. When it alarmed twice, its hair-raising and spine-chilling, creepy - yes. I thought you knew that clock." She gawkily said. "Hmm, I''ll go there now." " No! not yet." She smiled. Put first the oil on the pan and its all set here." " Which one, the snake oil or cooking oil?" Then he laughed while she pinched his ear. " Haha! you cooked a mushroom for your husband using the snake oil and even massaged me with it. I caught it from Albrecht when Fr. Matias was asking for his snake oil reservation, but you took it." He 95 Mysterious Timepiece When George woke up he presumed Magee slept by his side and worried without seeing her but an empty bed next to his piled up pillows last night. " Mag! Mag! where are you? His face was worn by fear and emptiness. But she smilingly sprung from the glass door and called him. "George! she drew closer to him sitting by the bed. "I''m hungry, let''s both prepare for our lunch." She then led him to the kitchen. " Lunch? how do you know that its midday now?" He quizzically asked. " Our secret rooms have diverse and jumbled clocks. After our lunch, I''ll show you the places I''ve been inside for the past half a month." She excitingly turned her head to him. " Wow! will you allow me to see what''s inside that glass door today?" He chuckled and attempted to pull the ribbonete of her apron at the the back. " Yes, why not. I''ve read that part of the journal that you must see them and read the signs within." At full speed, she lightly slapped his hand without even looking at him who excitingly attempted of disentangling the ribbonete tie of the apron that made him behave again and sat back in front of the stove. " This must be very interesting." He whispered sheepishly. " I found a black military navy chelsea clock, its my favorite. It looks really durable." She smiled while mixing the flour with sugar and George tried to start the stove for the pan. " Hmm, its a timepiece Dad used in the navy that keeps them abreast with accurate time, it has actually the best good quality. Good he left us some of it." " But the other looks different. There''s one clock which is quiet rare amongst, it alarms twice already within a half month of my stay inside. I want you to see it, its so strange." " How do it look like?" He turned his head on her from stirring the flour with sugar while knotting again the ribbonete on her waist to fit on her waist. " Its a square. I''ve been busy watching at it for several days as it normally ticks but alarms just twice. When it alarmed twice, its hair-raising and spine-chilling, creepy - yes. I thought you knew that clock." She gawkily said. "Hmm, I''ll go there now." " No! not yet." She smiled. Put first the oil on the pan and its all set here." " Which one, the snake oil or cooking oil?" Then he laughed while she pinched his ear. " Haha! you cooked a mushroom for your husband using the snake oil and even massaged him with it. I caught it from Albrecht when Fr. Matias was asking for his snake oil reservation, but you took it." He was shaking in laughter while looking at her covering her face and smiling. " I never knew that its a snake oil, God knows. But its not unfair, we both tasted it." She smiled. " Yeah, but its delicious, that mushroom viand was the best." The pan already smoked so he put an oil over it. " What''s that oil." She asked. " Don''t worry. Its an olive oil I found from the supplies. I know my wife likes this." He smiled and started to bake it on a pan and gently covered. Then they both sat down and enjoyed their gazes. " What..are you thinking?" She asked. "Our eggless pancake is bloating now, let''s open it together. Come!" He smilingly said as he placed a small cloth on a cover. He let her hold it and put his hand over her tiny hand as they opened it together. " Wow!" She blurted. " Its perfect!" Then he removed it out of the pan and placed it on her plate. She blushed. " Why?" He manly queried. " Nothing." She smirked and looked down on her pancake while he continued to pour on a pan the next batch to bake. " Oh, you may now take your lunch I still have to wait mine. Haha! its not a snake oil. See, I''ll taste it for you." He pinched a little on side and had it. Then she started to eat it while smiling. She was very silent and he noticed how hungry she had been so he prevented himself from chatting in order to give her more time and focus. Till he never knew he had given all the three pancakes and she had it all. " Are you full now?" He whispered. " Yes, thank you. I need to bath now." Then she walked off towards the bathroom. " It gave him an ample time to run to the wooden house and scout for anything to eat. There, Albrecht offered him some boiled jackfruit seeds. " Tell me, what happened. Why you''re very hungry and please even if how hungry you are, don''t forget to leave the plate, its aluminum." He smiled while looking to George, barging on the boiled jackfruit seeds. " She ate all our food and forgot to leave me some." George smiled while chewing the yummy boiled seeds. " Haha! is she pregnant?" Albrecht jokily said. " Shh, no. She''s just intensely hungry." He smiled. Subsequently, he packed some boiled seeds to bring up there. " You have just eaten a morsel of it, don''t go up yet. There''s still "karlang" around." " She might notice me hanging out here. Hmm, just give me some of that. It looks good." " Wow! this is really worst. Okay, I''ll pack it quickly for you. Calm down." Minutes after, Albrecht was done packing and George returned to the granite house. He put all the ''duma'' packed food on the table. Its timely, she has just finished from bathing. When she got out he immediately followed inside and refreshed himself. She found the packed food on the table so she thought. " I''ll just bring them in." She whispered. " Don''t leave yet! You have to wait for me, I''m done now!" George yelled. " Haha! yes Sir! I''m just preparing for our travel." "Travel, where?" " To your past and future." She smiled. " Wow! it makes me more excited. Take me there." He excitingly said. They looked at each other and smiled. " Hold my hand, let''s go and I wanted to experience the thrills you''ve got inside." So there they entered the reciprocal glass casually. 96 Secret Granite Rooms "What''s next, we''re already here inside in the first room. It''s empty and there''s no sign of life." He smiled. Magee motioned to the far right, nearby the wall and moved it smoothly going sideward right. "Wow!" George mumbled. Then Magee stepped in and enticed his hand to follow her. Its the second room which has still the approximate size of 6x6x8. There was a luminous light of pale green beetles encircling the place and its theoretically fanciful. " Is it already here and functioning this way even before you came? Wow! this was my dream before - to study bioluminescence. These are terrestial anthropods, we called them fireflies but they were cultured in that small rotten tree bark, where the droplets of water falls on a mangrove bonsai forest below. Wow! the flow of water is constant and it flows on a pathway, drainage going to that small hole. Amazing!" Then there were granite benches around, so smooth and all the embellishments looks like a receiving room. The flowing water stands as the source of oxygen and it keeps the room cool and there was an etched texts on the central part of the wall , "George loves Magee" "Wow!" He looked to Magee and kissed her forehead. " This is historical! I loved it more seeing us everywhere here. The three Dads have planned out for our future early on, so sweet of them George, right? But come, let''s proceed to the third room." Magee whispered. Magee then slithered the granite door sideward right. "Great heavens!" George mumbled and pressed his wife''s hand and turned out speechless. " Can''t also believe on this. This is beyond imagination but a proof of their exquisite 10 year construction with stone. I...I loved this part of our house." Then she smiled at him. " I slept like a princess here for more than 15 days." She smiled. " Wow!" He gently sat on a very loquacious granite bed over a foam with a royal design all around. " It was covered very well before I found these room." She did the talking since his husband was speechless. Then there was another flowing water on both sides and follows a yellowish granite canal filled with floating yellowish fungi with mini white flowers. They looked like small lotuses on sides. There was also one daylight optic hole in case the water goes out of flow, it could be the source of air and light. But if the sliding door is open, the fireflies traverse in this bedroom and slips on the hanging green plants. " While I sleep, the fireflies gives me light and they seemed dancing and, conversing and making a great life . Then in the morning, at 3:00 am they goes up on a higher part of the bonsai tree at the receiving area and when they''re here inside the bedroom, they stayed flat on top of the hanging plants. I loved seeing them on top, gathered and gives so much light." " Haha." George laughed. " Why are you laughing?" " Nothing." He lied. " Hmm, why?" " If I tell it to you, you''ll get mad of me and kick me off. So I lied, haha!" " Ah, okay. Anyway, look! that''s the square clock I told you that alarms. "Hmm...here you are. Its a special naval clock and known as - classified. When it alarms, their ship has an agendum where their team only knew. If it alarms, meaning, he''s alive and he''s just doing fine elsewhere. It had a synchronized signal with their teammates aboard and their mission. Thank God, Dad is just doing well." He smiled. " That''s our lavatory with a flowing water. Look there''s a piled up of I guess, 30 towels, pillows and blankets. You''ve got slippers and mine and there''s a big heart overhead.." She smirked and pulled his husband''s hand toward the next room, the fourth. " Wow!" His eyes roamed around with amazement. " George?" " This is impossible!" George blurted. " Yes. Me too, I can''t believe seeing this kitchen. According to the journal, this was built just recently, around 1940. All the food and stocks we see around was a year salary of Dad Edward within that year. See all this line, carbohydrates like pasta, next proteinous ones and canned goods, oil and 97 The Sixth Room George had some hiccups after hearing about some newborn milk request. When Magee already stood up to bring him to the sixth room, he was left squatting dryly, with droopy shoulders and numbing thighs. " Why?" She asked him. " Hmm, are you questioning for the safety of your baby? I''m frail and small. What if I don''t have a milk, can we see surrogates around? And this is all responsible parenting, even the littlest preparation is needed and besides, this is wartime. We can''t just call for help from the neighborhood. We shall not compromise the ''what ifs'' for our baby. If something happens, we might blame the world and put us both to shame and guilt forever. So sleeping together on fire is not happiness when on its end we''ll lose someone we really expected. At this vantage, a soon-to-be-mother speaks, respect her. So come, hold my hand, help me deal with room number six. At least, you should be happy - since you''re already my husband so you can slightly flirt, that''s I guess vise versa. Come, don''t be sad anymore. Everything will be alright soon."She moved back and tickled his armpit that made him stood up and put his arm on her shoulder. " Great! that''s an army father my baby deserves." " You charmed me a lot. Can''t say anything at all. You have good reasons and I stuck in my miseries. Just leave my thought from drowning and just paddle our canoe my wife. Your views on marriage made me more in love and I haven''t just found the sweetest woman, an amazon buddy, a responsible mother to be, and the smartest woman of control and values." She kissed her forehead again. " Go! let''s attack room number six!" He smirked. She smiled and followed him. "Wow!" There''s a bathroom and a comfort room, an exit door going up with a flowing water at the lavatory. Mag, let''s open the doors two to six, agree?" He smiled and carried her on his arms and puts her back to room number three. " You''re heavier now, what are you doing here?" " I found chocolates, I ate them everyday." She smiled sheepishly. " What? Where is that?" Then she ran and took its small box. " Haha! this makes you heavier. But this is not good, just eat in moderation. You will labor hard of this. Okay, where''s the journal? "Its in my bag. " Can I read it now while sitting at the bench of our receiving area. I liked it there too because I don''t belong in room number three yet." He seriously said. " Hmm...okay, I''ll get it for you. You wait for a while." Then she walked off. "Wow!" What a nice bedroom. Its like in the west. Thanks to my Dads. Ten years for this house construction isn''t easy and filling it with supplies was a great supplication of hope. 98 Secret Journal Entries "How are they?" Magee queried. " They''re just fine. Its just that they received a sad news. Sadly, Gabok guerrillas were mostly killed during their face-to-face attack and the remaining were captured, including the leader. " Its really a bad news. Its the attack while we traverse going back here. I saw them running ang pointing their handguns to the barracks, it was really tough when they were welcomed by grenades and mortars." She recounted. " Its also possible that the captives will announce that there''s still a lost commando of Fil-Am around and they may possibly search the area." He said. "What are we going to do." She whispered while chewing the reboiled jackfruit seeds. " Hmm, they all thought I was shot dead, though it was Martin. But I''m thinking of saving the leader and the other captives. In a way, that my men will be at rest for a while. We''ll have it with Baldur, Amado and Henry alone. I planned of leaking some flowing huge water from the mainstream, dig a drainage to create a semi avalanche to immensely flow going down to the enemies'' barracks. The body of water will destroy their facilities and it will give us the chance to free the prisoners since their wooden prison cells were just beside the bunkhouses. All we have to do is to provide them guns and daggers while the Japs would be busy to evacuate. If good fate warrants, they will be led inside station one for a while. There''s no need to bring a lot of people for this mission." " Its a good tactic. Hope I can join." She smiled. " There''s a big no!" He pouted. " Haha! and why? If I insist I can escape from here. If I have mortar I''d like to point a hundred to them." " Haha! my wife''s very mad at the Japs." He tied her hair with his hanky again. " Just as they give us all a stressful life. I''m just thankful I got married during wartime to a warrior and attractive gentleman lieutenant." She smiled. " Wow! she seems complementeng me in order for the lieutenant to tell her, "let''s go for the next mission!" Haha! NO! No, you cannot go with us. Its final and irrevocable." She walked slowly became silent and lie down till she closed her eyes on a soft foam within room number 3. Subsequently, he was leaning his back on a granite bench in room number 2 while opening the journal on December of 1938. ------------------------------------ 27 December 1938 Magee did not travel back to Tikaban. Instead, she was preparing for a local fencing tournament. Edward said he was busy sending her food during practices and as usual, its being course through to the landlady. Until one day Chuck arrived on the fencing center where Edward was waiting for him. Chuck personally met her future daughter-in law and they just disguised as professional fencers just to draw closer. Chuck whispered to Edward the construction of the last room number 7, the safest room for George and Magee''s children. Its the only room where a baby''s cry can''t be heard outside. Its also my first time to know the uprising direction of the World War II probably would be heading to Philippines. The two Dads informed me in a letter that Magee shall be trained in self-defense ( starting with fencing) prior to the war. The war was the safest way where George can freely go back to the Philippines. Edward also told me not to miss him in her unica hija''s wedding, but supposed he''d be out for bloody missions and if George and Magee wants for marriage, then he pass the responsibility to Albrecht, his eldest stepson and Baldur. I was just a little worried of Magee because aside from being frail she faints most of the time and I guess she needs more sleep and relaxation. Crucially, she had to eat during meal time that she sometimes skipped meals in school. Magee has heard too of the upcoming war and prepared herself to it but she wants to join the armed forces. Edward kept tracking her for going to the military headquarters and informing all authorities to turn her down due to rheumatic heart problem. Her Dad discovered it when she collapsed in one of the fencing fights during a rigid practice. But Magee ewas a type of girl that does not back off if she knows she can. But most probably, she plans out the best, haha. I could still recall during her first travel on the ship. She even budgeted our food within a week by piece and centavo. Imperatively, she''s a good planner and prioritizes things systematically. When she says, she does. I''m happy her Dad is taking care of her through the kind landlady. Though, I missed her more for charging my white hair with 1 centavo in every 10 strands, haha! Its new year and 1939 is approaching. Happy new year to my loved ones through my ardent prayer. --------------------------------------- "Mag, your rheumatic heart disease maybe the reason why you are scared to give birth and put reasons in everything. Hmm, its maybe healed now Mag. That illness isn''t stagnant, it heals and rejuvenates by itself. I''ll get the stethoscope and try to check if her heart still murmurs. Don''t be too scared Mag." He thought. Then he proceeded to the room filled with military supplies. He took the stethoscope and brought it to Magee''s side. She was in deep sleep and put it on her back chest and listened. The plaace was very silent so he could hear her heartbeats. " George? what is that? its too cold." "Shh, this is stethoscope, don''t move. Breath deeply then exhale. Then she followed. "Do it again." He said. A little while he let het sit down and face to face. Interestingly, he sought permission to hear her heartbeats on top of her heart. " Yes...yes." She agreed. Then he gently placed the stethoscope on its natural spot. " You may inhale now then exhale." " My God, its 150...its, haha." This may never be rheumatic, I''m sure. " Hmm, you sound so egocentric. I just woke up, that''s why." " But people who just woke up are more relaxed. But hey...I might be confused Mag. Shh...its 160....hmm...still. How can I get an exact heartbeat for you." He smiled. " Let me use it on you." When she used it, she was laughing because it reached to 170." So they just decided to drop it down ad they both laugh. 98 Downfall of Gabok Guerrillas "How are they?" Magee queried. " They''re just fine. Its just that they received a sad news. Sadly, Gabok guerrillas were mostly killed during their face-to-face attack and the remaining were captured, including the leader. " Its really a bad news. Its the attack while we traverse going back here. I saw them running ang pointing their handguns to the barracks, it was really tough when they were welcomed by grenades and mortars." She recounted. " Its also possible that the captives will announce that there''s still a lost commando of Fil-Am around and they may possibly search the area." He said. "What are we going to do." She whispered while chewing the reboiled jackfruit seeds. " Hmm, they all thought I was shot dead, though it was Martin. But I''m thinking of saving the leader and the other captives. In a way, that my men will be at rest for a while. We''ll have it with Baldur, Amado and Henry alone. I planned of leaking some flowing huge water from the mainstream, dig a drainage to create a semi avalanche to immensely flow going down to the enemies'' barracks. The body of water will destroy their facilities and it will give us the chance to free the prisoners since their wooden prison cells were just beside the bunkhouses. All we have to do is to provide them guns and daggers while the Japs would be busy to evacuate. If good fate warrants, they will be led inside station one for a while. There''s no need to bring a lot of people for this mission." " Its a good tactic. Hope I can join." She smiled. " There''s a big no!" He pouted. " Haha! and why? If I insist I can escape from here. If I have mortar I''d like to point a hundred to them." " Haha! my wife''s very mad at the Japs." He tied her hair with his hanky again. " Just as they give us all a stressful life. I''m just thankful I got married during wartime to a warrior and attractive gentleman lieutenant." She smiled. " Wow! she seems complementeng me in order for the lieutenant to tell her, "let''s go for the next mission!" Haha! NO! No, you cannot go with us. Its final and irrevocable." She walked slowly became silent and lie down till she closed her eyes on a soft foam within room number 3. Subsequently, he was leaning his back on a granite bench in room number 2 while opening the journal on December of 1938. ------------------------------------ 27 December 1938 Magee did not travel back to Tikaban. Instead, she was preparing for a local fencing tournament. Edward said he was busy sending her food during practices and as usual, its being course through to the landlady. Until one day Chuck arrived on the fencing center where Edward was waiting for him. Chuck personally met her future daughter-in law and they just disguised as professional fencers just to draw closer. Chuck whispered to Edward the construction of the last room number 7, the safest room for George and Magee''s children. Its the only room where a baby''s cry can''t be heard outside. Its also my first time to know the uprising direction of the World War II probably would be heading to Philippines. The two Dads informed me in a letter that Magee shall be trained in self-defense ( starting with fencing) prior to the war. The war was the safest way where George can freely go back to the Philippines. Edward also told me not to miss him in her unica hija''s wedding, but supposed he''d be out for bloody missions and if George and Magee wants for marriage, then he pass the responsibility to Albrecht, his eldest stepson and Baldur. I was just a little worried of Magee because aside from being frail she faints most of the time and I guess she needs more sleep and relaxation. Crucially, she had to eat during meal time that she sometimes skipped meals in school. Magee has heard too of the upcoming war and prepared herself to it but she wants to join the armed forces. Edward kept tracking her for going to the military headquarters and informing all authorities to turn her down due to rheumatic heart problem. Her Dad discovered it when she collapsed in one of the fencing fights during a rigid practice. But Magee ewas a type of girl that does not back off if she knows she can. But most probably, she plans out the best, haha. I could still recall during her first travel on the ship. She even budgeted our food within a week by piece and centavo. Imperatively, she''s a good planner and prioritizes things systematically. When she says, she does. I''m happy her Dad is taking care of her through the kind landlady. Though, I missed her more for charging my white hair with 1 centavo in every 10 strands, haha! Its new year and 1939 is approaching. Happy new year to my loved ones through my ardent prayer. --------------------------------------- "Mag, your rheumatic heart disease maybe the reason why you are scared to give birth and put reasons in everything. Hmm, its maybe healed now Mag. That illness isn''t stagnant, it heals and rejuvenates by itself. I''ll get the stethoscope and try to check if her heart still murmurs. Don''t be too scared Mag." He thought. Then he proceeded to the room filled with military supplies. He took the stethoscope and brought it to Magee''s side. She was in deep sleep and put it on her back chest and listened. The plaace was very silent so he could hear her heartbeats. " George? what is that? its too cold." "Shh, this is stethoscope, don''t move. Breath deeply then exhale. Then she followed. "Do it again." He said. A little while he let het sit down and face to face. Interestingly, he sought permission to hear her heartbeats on top of her heart. " Yes...yes." She agreed. Then he gently placed the stethoscope on its natural spot. " You may inhale now then exhale." " My God, its 150...its, haha." This may never be rheumatic, I''m sure. " Hmm, you sound so egocentric. I just woke up, that''s why." " But people who just woke up are more relaxed. But hey...I might be confused Mag. Shh...its 160....hmm...still. How can I get an exact heartbeat for you." He smiled. " Let me use it on you." When she used it, she was laughing because it reached to 170." So they just decided to drop it down ad they both laugh. 99 Room Number Seven "Mag, let''s try to take a look at room number seven." Then George led the way going there while he brought a flashlight and his wife was following. "Its not patterned to some of the sliding doors of rooms number 2 to 6. But the secret passage must be here." " I haven''t read that page, what is the use of room number 7 George?" " Am¨¢ Sibal mentioned that its for our baby''s room, especially when he/she''s crying. They added it when they''ve heard that the war would possibly reach Philippines. The Dads wants to keep our baby inside that room when he/she tantrums and there''s even an extension room under. "Really? how nice. Hmm what do you think our first baby''s gender would be, boy or girl?" She smirked while she was holding on his belt. " Hey! haha! I couldn''t concentrate looking for the door but just keep tagging, haha!" Minutes after while the couple were busy as a bee from searching, George found it. its located a little higher where someone had to step around two stairs before the 7th room''s door could be found. When they got inside and turned on their flashlights, they were amazed by the flowing water with fireflies over another bonsai balite treetops. on sides there were three granite cribs, so carefully designed. There were granite benches and beds too for the nursing Mom or Dad. A round granite table for the baby things and food, there were candles hanged in 4 corners; with covered pillows and blankets. But they were amazed to see the unexpected. On a six layered cabinet they found 30 cans of Milkmaid condensed milk, 30 cans of carnation evaporated milk, 30 cans of Campbell vegetables soup baby, 20 packs of gerber baby food, 30 boxes of gerber oatmeal cereal for baby, with some more baby formulated milk. Around were different baby milk feeders/ milk containers, toys and plastic filled with biscuits. When she looked at the expiration it still have 2 years life span. " George, our Dads." She drew closer and hugged him while he caught her arms on his broad shoulders. He was shocked as well and still looking at the cabinet filled with baby needs. " I''m so thankful for the gift of parents, for their being selfless and oozing concern and unconditional love." He was teary eyed while caressing her hair. " They were just very silent and I enjoyed reading and understanding what has been written in the journal. I maybe have skipped this portion where room number seven was mentioned. Good that you''ve read it." After a while, he led her hand to get out he carefully closed the door. When they reached in room number three, he puts her on bed. " You don''t have any reason now. We have the anesthesia, baby''s milk, a house, food, I already planted what you want me to plant." " We''re not yet done reading with the journal." She smiled and touched his eyelids and nose. " What are you doing on my face?" He whispered. " Nothing. I just wanted you to know that we need to keep an eye with the time, look!" " What? its 1800 hrs?" time ran so fast. " That''s why we have to prepare for our dinner now. 100 Turning Dumb for You Baldur and Albrecht dealt with the soldiers and guerrillas in their meeting in preparation for the attack and rescue operation. Meanwhile, when George was alone in the kitchen, he tried to assess his feelings and came out positive and inspired. He thought of being confused but its actually overwhelmed and overloaded with excitements. " Confusion has led me to ignore my overwhelming happiness, being there, with her - is already a way up of what I dreamt of a happy marriage. I should be contented and casual with my emotions. In fact, when I moved here last night, she impressively came out this morning to check me, provided for today''s getup with a sweet note. I should value her attempts to make me cheerful as I could inspiringly appreciate differently - on our own way. Nevertheless, it seems I''m always electrified. So - this is love. Its my first time to please a woman like the way I treat her, being careful of my actions and I always want to be on her way, not to hurt her and enigmatically charmed by her smiles. I''m already 26 but feels this weird way, haha!" George smiled while looking at the furnace. " Baldur, did you see what I see, he smiled again - but alone." Albrecht whispered. " Just don''t interpret that badly, he maybe had recalled their wonderful moments. You comment critically when you and Madelleine are, ha!" Baldur proceeded to the lieutenant''s side. " Hi George, we''re back." Baldur greeted. " Hey Baldur, how is it going?" " Everything is set. As a matter of fact, those who were assigned to the digging are now actually preparing the farm tools, there''s around five of them." " That''s inspiring. I ought to spare a hand for your mission, but given that you wanted me to relax for now. I''ll grab it. Thank you brother."George tapped his shoulder and picked out what Albrecht had prepared on the table. " Albrecht, can you tell me the name of this viand?" George asked. " Ginataan" It has squash fruit with squash leaves with string beans, mixed with lemon grass and ginger. we usually cooked this before when I was a kid." Albrecht smiled. " Wow! its truly delicious! Can I bring some to Magee, she dearly loved veggies." He looked to Albrecht. " Oh dear, sure! take it. But wait, I''ll reboil it again and we''ll add up sayote leaves. The more she would love it." Albrecht placed the viand inside the pot while George quickly harvested some sayote leaves. Then at the moment when Albrecht was busy waiting for it to be fully boiled, he hurriedly proceeded to get a daisy flower and watered the angel fruits. Then,he immediately returned to the kitchen. 101 Scented Candle and Flowers The cool air from the sea seemed congratulated him and he closed his eyes for a while as he handed a single flower. " The world seemed with me now and its the prize of waiting. I thank God for the orderliness and wisdom and this woman h¨¤d helped me change. Two days more to wait." Then he felt the soothing breeze and smiled. "George, come! its too cold there." Magee called him and when he went back to the pirate Buccaneer cave, he immediately closed the door. "Why you suddenly came." " I was just worried seeing you away from me." Don''t...don''t join the army operation these days, that''s my order." Then he carried her going back to the granite house. " Baldur also told me about it, hmm, I really need a long vacation, haha!" Then they reached the granite house laughing while she was holding the daisy flower he gave her. In a minute, he put her gently on bed while he seated. " What about the angel fruits?" He curiously asked. " Haha! the angel fruit is - me. Patiently take care of it ( understand everything in me). Wait till it bears fruit ( wait till I mature so I can prove my womanhood). The tree is a symbolism of true love, faith, hope and courage. Despite the shame, pain and longing you never give up on me but rather accepted me in whole and protected even my shadow. She bowed down her head. I''m very proud of you." Magee whispered. " Haha! its hypothetical. Now I got it. The tree of love. Hmm, why should I give up to the woman who made me an honorable combatant soldier. From being a boyfriend, fiancee and husband, I did nothing, haha! until now, still...." Till his voice awkwardly faded and bowed his head like a shy boy." " What?" She laughed and pinched a little of his ear. " I''ll tie you around so that you can''t anymore attempt to attack the young Japanese guys. " No, I still have to go to my brothers." " And why?" " I will tell them something." " So let''s go." He said. " Alright." She smirked. When they reached to the wooden house, Albrecht was so happy. "Oh! Magee! come, how are you?" " Kuya, can we talk?" " Sure! what is that." Albrecht clarified. " George will take his vacation for a while, if its okay." " It has been cleared by Baldur, no worries." "Our house will be closed too within a week time, we''ll go somewhere." " Ah, I see. I got it. We''ll just stick around and yeah, don''t be bothered." " Supposed there''s an emergency, just knock the door four times." " Ah, okay, copy." Albrecht agreed. George was just smiling while putting his hands inside the pant''s pockets. " George?" " Yes Albrecht." " Nothing! Just enjoy your vacation, Sir!" Albrecht piqued and teased him again 101 Scented Candle and White Flower The cool air from the sea seemed congratulated him and he closed his eyes for a while as he handed a single flower. " The world seemed with me now and its the prize of waiting. I thank God for the orderliness and wisdom and this woman h¨¤d helped me change. Two days more to wait." Then he felt the soothing breeze and smiled. "George, come! its too cold out there." Magee called him and when he went back to the pirate Buccaneer''s cave, he immediately closed the door. "Why you suddenly came." He asker her. " I was just worried seeing you away from me." Don''t...don''t join the army operation these days, that''s my order." She appeared funny on what she said and he carried her going back to the granite house. " Baldur also told me about it, hmm, I really need a long vacation, haha!" Then they reached the granite house laughing while she was holding the daisy flower he gave her. In a minute, he put her gently on bed while he seated. " What about the angel fruits?" He curiously asked. " Haha! the angel fruit is - me. Patiently take care of it ( understand everything in me). Wait till it bears fruit ( wait till I mature so I can prove my womanhood). The tree is a symbolism of true love, faith, hope and courage. Despite the shame, pain and longing you never give up on me but rather accepted me in whole and protected even my shadow. She bowed down her head. I''m very proud of you." Magee whispered. " Haha! its hypothetical. Now I got it. The tree of love. Hmm, why should I give up to the woman who made me an honorable combatant soldier. From being a boyfriend, fiancee and husband, I did nothing, haha! until now, still...." Till his voice awkwardly faded and bowed his head like a shy boy." " What?" She laughed and pinched a little of his ear. " I''ll tie you around so that you can''t anymore attempt to attack the young Japanese guys. " No, I still have to go to my brothers." " And why?" " I will tell them something." " So let''s go." He said. " Alright." She smirked. When they reached to the wooden house, Albrecht was so happy. "Oh! Magee! come, how are you?" " Kuya, can we talk?" " Sure! what is that." Albrecht clarified. " George will take his vacation for a while, if its okay." " It has been cleared by Baldur, no worries." "Our house will be closed too within a week time, we''ll go somewhere." " Ah, I see. I got it. We''ll just stick around and yeah, don''t be bothered." " Supposed there''s an emergency, just knock the door four times." " Ah, okay, copy." Albrecht agreed. George was just smiling while putting his hands inside the pant''s pockets. " George?" " Yes Albrecht." " Nothing! Just enjoy your vacation, Sir!" Albrecht piqued and teased him again. " Wow!" That''s a good news, you need a break buddy!" Baldur just arrived. " Baldur, thank you." " So, we''ll get going now." Then she took each of her elder siblings'' hands and paid respect in a way of doing "mano po," ( taking the elder"s hand on her forehead). Baldur and Albrecht were teary eyed looking at her joyful face, smiling at them. "I ask your blessing for the second time around. I''m sorry that the war made me anxious for the past months but I''m a little mature now." " We bless you Magee, don''t worry too much. You''re a great woman we''re always proud of. You''re just adorable and amazing! Just go and we bless you. We''re even happy to see you out of this war for a while. Go! go!" Baldur turned his head and watched the furnace. " Magee, how can I send you veggie viands if you lock your house." Albrecht sadly said. " Hmm, I want you to relax '' kuya'' (elder brother). I will do the cooking for a while." " Alright. Its also good. But George, take care of our beautiful sister, hmm, I ran out of words." Albrecht then bowed down his head. The couple then left and gone. "I was touched. She''s well-taught by Sr. Sibal and she can be a great mother and of course a warrior wife." Albrecht feedback. " Both, yes." Baldur said. Meanwhile, in the granite house, Magee started to put embellishments in room number three and he was just smilingly watching at her. " What are those folded clothes over there." George asked. " Ah, they''re the baby suits. I still have to pack them. " How about that circle one." " Its the ''ilang-ilang'' scented candle I found in a box with local decorations. The smell is soothing. You''ll eventually love it." " Wow! Everything makes me excited. Thank you Mag, but even without these things its just okay. I mean it, yet they looked exquisite that excite me more." " Absolutely yes." She smiled. Then she extended the journal to him. " I want you to read the journal for the remaining two days. The notations there could help you more." She gave it to him. While he was occupying the second room or the receiving area and with him a big candle, from time to time he tried to cover the candle with his hand and watched the fireflies on top of the mangrove bonsai treetops - smiling. " Hmm, I can''t concentrate on my readings. The waters flowing titillated my ears like a lullaby. Everything I see and hear is all about her. Yes. I''m a great husband but I need to finish the journal." A little while he has heard a footstep going to room number seven. " What is she doing in this hour?" he thought. " Hmm, you''re behind me - sleepwalking, I know." She smirked. " You have to rest now." " Nothing. I loved keep seeing this room - the toys, baby food, cribs, plants, the flowing water, everything." She smiled at him. Then suddenly, they''ve heard the alarm from the square timepiece so they both ran back to room number three. " Hmm, its Dad Chuck." George said. " But she pulled his hand, back to room number two and put a blanket around him. 102 Days Full of Love The third day graciously came and he woke up teasing her with a smile while standing by the door - leaning his back on the hardest granite wall. " You''re...too...early. Its...to...today." She smiled. There, with full manifesto and devotion, she lighted the candle as he closed the second door and moved closer to her wife. " I love you very much and thank you, dearly." He whispered. Indeed, up there on the granite surface were the birds chirping, with noise echoing and the windy morning caressed every sober creatures chanting on trees, winnowing the branches. On the ground below were the gathered withered leaves like a season of fall with a promising legacy on their branches to sprout again. The skies azure with cottony clouds dazzling their musing in the heights, moving slowly on spare direction where the winds want them to be; and it goes more beautiful when the sun shone on its utmost and provided its light even unto the deepest places of the groovy nooks of Kabang. With the sun''s bountiful charisma to provide warmth to all creatures during wartime, it never ceased to convey its energy - giving light that awakened - both soldiers and guerillas who fought to protect the land. The seas out there behind the walls of the mountains whose waves groans over the rocky shorelines immensely rises and beyond that leaves a repetitive memory to the dwellers. Unforgotten squeezes of such abundant haven when the great forgotten heroes rolled down and giveth their lives, no matter how painful the struggle is - the WWII was always their first unforgettable battlefield. Amidst sunny high noon, Albrecht was folding his camiso and pants when Baldur called him. "Albrecht! Albrecht! Come!" Baldur whispered while facing the map. "Yeah! yeah" Albrecht quickly motioned towards him. "Clang! Clang!" " What''s....that?" " The bell rang again. We both know that George and Magee were up there, so who was there inside in the smiling Buccaneer''s cave?" Baldur looked at him as they both grabbed their handguns and daggers. They passed through the hole beside the cabinet and used the shortcut alley underneath in order to emerge on the door inside the cave without passing its frontage. When they reached outside the door facing the granite house, Baldur forcibly opened it and found a skinny man on the floor. " Albrecht! come!" Then he put his handgun beside him and Albrecht moved in after closing the door. " Who''s that, why he knew that the bell is connected to the wooden house?" " Anyone can do it. Remember me last time? I accidentally leaned something on the rope so it rang." Baldur reasoned out. " He''s so skinny, poor man!" " Hey, I''ll turn his body so that we can see him. Hmm he also passed through this door facing the sea, interesting." Baldur said. When Baldur turned the unconscious man''s body, they were shocked to see his face. "Dad?" Albrecht immediately picked and carried Edmund and rushed him into the wooden house while Baldur followed, praying and was teary eyed. " Dad! Dad! hang on! hang on!" Albrecht kept whispering on him. The brickyard alley have bumpy portions but Albrecht trudged it like a plain path. They got out from the hole so instantly and immediately lay down their stepdad on bed while Baldur removed his rotten shoes. " Dad! Dad! wake up! don''t sleep yet. Baldur, go ran and boil some water in a pot, quickly!" Still teary eyed and embraced his stepdad and put him on his chest. In a while he changed the captain''s rotten smelly shirt and wrapped him with a thicker towel. "Baldur! Baldur! enough of that! bring that here and grab a small towel. A lukewarm will do and compress it on his hands then feet, quickly!" " Dad! Dad...wake up! wake up!" Albrecht was very worried. When Baldur came in, he right away compressed the hands and feet of the captain while Albrecht ran upstairs to get his emergency kit and took out a thermometer to check his stepdad''s body heat. " Baldur! its 39." Albrecht then immediately put some meds on his tongue while he noticed that he slowly opened Edmund''s eyes. "Don''t talk yet Dad. Baldur, I''ll make a porridge, sit beside him and keep putting that small towel on his forehead. Then he proceeded to the kitchen. " Bal...dur...my son. " The captain whispered. Baldur was teary eyed again. 103 Reveries in the Granite House The couple satisfyingly woke up at night and had their sumptuous dinner that Magee has inspiringly prepared. No one was pointing any topic to discuss with; not even the combatant and lieutenant husband but his face was painted with smile of joy. Sweetly, she scooped some boiled pink beans and sauced it with tomato and bell pepper. Interestingly, she couldn''t even spare some gazes on him but he gently pulled her hand to sit beside him. She''d got messy hair again so he manly stood up and tied her wife''s hair with a hanky. In a moment, her face wants to almost flare so he leaned it on his shoulder and caressed her hair while they both seated silently - subtly came into view their unspeakable blissful feelings and with heartbearts in coup de tat. Words were even powerless as he looked on her but she avoided his stares and gruesomely, he kept pressing her hands. Subsequently, some of the tasty food she prepared laid longer on the table since he kept on taking advances and mercilessly glued her and she immensely prevented to look at him in a while or two that''s getting too intensively close - but she was secretly smiling till he found her face caught by his naughty hands and their eyes met where pulses ticks like pendulums. That was intense. After a torrent timeless moment of love, the sober lovers were lost out of sight; eloquently eloped and seemed hiding in centuries out of uncensored privacy in the innermost chamber of their matrimonial sanctuary and through the brink of their honeyed titillating passion. Back to the wooden house, Albrecht personally watch-over his step dad from sleeping so soundly. Still teary eyed, he was holding his dad''s calloused hand. " Dad...your fever already subsided, get well soon. We have a lot to take care of. Your men''s loosening in number, George''s trying to get through it but our sister''s excitement to combat the opponents seemed equivalent to the army''s infantry. That''s why we supported George''s all through out for becoming your daughter''s buddy, preventing her to escape for trouble but more than once she did. George had protected her with his life, courtship, explored the journal and found a house in Mars - till they got married, haha. Hmm...they were interesting and this just made me too settled. So take your rest. Tomorrow, I''ll report to you some random issues, the military - guerrilla encounters, the separate beds, stolen kiss, angel fruit trees, Daisy flower, stolen baby shirt, haha, everything is corny but cute. Now we understand why you made us too close and even made as George''s bodyguards in US - your plan with Sr. Sibal and uncle Chuck ran this far, you''re just an amazing dad. You''ve got a big heart for taking care of us like your own." He thought while covering him with a thicker blanket and the fogs started to penetrate inside their house and Albrecht felt like he''s freezing. Footsteps moved closer to the room and when the door opened, the fogs passed through it and Baldur emerged, feeling bitterly cold. " Albrecht, how''s dad?" Baldur asked. " He''s still asleep. I''d sensed he''s too tired. Hmm, Baldur, this breaks my heart. Wait here, I need to locate the remaining two cups of rice I set aside for Magee. Hmm, the couple are on a diet these days so instead for Mag, I''ll give it for dad''s porridge for the next two days." " Can he not eat steamed sweet potatoes or boiled corn." Baldur asked. " No. He needs soft food or else his tummy would be in trouble. " Such a struggle. Anyway, I''ll take care of dad tonight, you may sleep now Albrecht. " Thanks brod, just wake me up supposed there''s a problem. I''ll just sleep on that bed next from here." Albrecht said. " The better. If the fogs will worsen , I guess we need to use the furnace and bring dad in the kitchen." Baldur reasoned out. "Haha, hey...just cover him with piled up of blanket and don''t you ever bring him to the kitchen, dad might be mad at you." " Why not? if the situation worsen, we can." " Hmm, dad might be alienated with the fire at the furnace. He might be scared, we don''t know yet if what happened to him. 104 Edwards Unforgettable Death March The rooster awakened the residents around the place and Albrecht right away stood up and found Baldur still putting a small towel at the forehead of the captain. It was enough to worry Albrecht that much and rushed for a thermometer. " Baldur! is his body heat rising? here, let''s put this in his armpit." Albrecht worrisomely stated. Then Albrecht did it twice and thrice, then laughed. "Why ... what is that look for?" Baldur quizzically looked at his elder brother. " Haha! dad''s body heat is now 36.5, but you still put that small towel on his forehead. Come on brother, go there in the next bed and sleep." Slowly Baldur motioned to the opposite bed and lie down blankly as he placed his arms at the back of his head. But the eldest brother followed him and removed his hands and replaced a pillow. Baldur did nothing but smiled. " Thanks." Baldur seriously complimented. " Since young you always do that mannerism whenever you sleep that''s why your hands numbed most often, hmm." Albrecht''s sermon yet Baldur has unconsciously opened his mouth, snored and deeply fell asleep. " Oh my...brother, you''re as tired as dad. Feel free to dream now, go...go...dream...." He jokily stood up beside Baldur''s bed and seemed doing magic sayin'' ''abracadabra.'' " Shh...your brother''s sleeping now. Come..." Then he moved closer to the captain and yes, he got the pinching habit from his step dad. So the captain pinched his ear. " I missed your ear and your jokes." The captain smiled. " Ahhhhhh....dad....hey....that was awesome! haha! so tell me now. Where have you been?" Albrecht asked. " It''s a long story. But aid me first to the bathroom and boil me some water, I wanted to thoroughly tidy myself. Then feed me well son, I have to get back to my perfect shape." The captain smiled. " Yeah, of course dad. See what I can do to make you even healthier." Then Albrecht carried him in the bathroom. " This is to much but since I''m frail now, I''ll take this lulabye for weeks. I need to gain some weight. But see - you looked like a giant now, you old boy!." " Haha! here we go! I''ll put you down first on this chair, I''ll boil some water first. Don''t worry dad, I can boil it right away." Albrecht assured. When Albrecht was done, he then transfered the hot water to the bucket inside . "Slowly dad, it''s very hot. It''s like George right now up there." " Come!" and his dad pinched his ear again. " Haha! I''m just kidding Dad, calm down." Then he carried his dad again inside the bathroom . " Oh, I was still the one who placed all stones here. They looked too classic and as old as me. But this house has full of memories, I dearly loved your mother here and Sibal was kinda healed watching over us." The captain was murmuring while Albrecht was sadly listening at the kitchen table. " Thank you dad, for raising us well. You''re one of the best dads in the world. We loved you very much." " It seems it''s Father''s Day around, haha! Hmm, I really missed the three of you. My Amazon girl has just married. You, Albrecht, Madeleine is I guess ready to marry you, is that so? and Baldur! Baldur''s.....ah! Baldur is a saint! I don''t even know if he''s an angel for saving George, great heavens. But still, Baldur is Baldur, so God-fearing." He smiled inside. Hey, Albrecht, please find me a circle rough stone by the river. Can you still remember a'' ''logod'' that locals called it here. Can you rub a rough stone on my back to remove dirts; I feel it really mossy." " Yeah Dad." Then Albrecht ran outside and immediately found a ''logod.'' He headed back to the bathroom and helped his dad. " Albrecht, the death march was terrible. Both American and Filipino soldiers walked off and rushed to their deathbeds. A few had escaped, including me. I''ve heard few groups of markings have survived too in Luzon. But everything was terrible!" " Dad...and so how did you escape?" " Two soldiers were above me when I collapsed. Then they were shot dead and fell on top me. The Japs bayoneted them both but it did not go deeply on me at the bottom so everyone presumed I was dead. It was nighttime when I woke up and the soldiers marching were already kilometers away, so I tried to get up and removed them out of me. I was filled with blood and rolled by the cliff till I reached on a river. I followed that river and saw a ship at the end and on the shoreline, it was God''s mercy to find the ship owned by a friend. Their ship was a carrier of some local Japs'' supplies going here. So when he saw me, he hid me right away under the ship''s bottom and I was with the ship''s tools and engine. There were a lot of Japs on board so he just once in a while dropped me some food and water on small containers. Later after a week, the Japs kept monitoring him so I hardly survived below. But over weeks we reached here and he provided me some ropes and when Then he partially ended and finished his bathing as Albrecht cooked some boiled ''karlang'' and corn. Outright the Captain''s bathing Albrecht served him the food mixed with grated coconut and sugar. " Wow, I missed these ''duma'' around. The captain said while closing his eyes while eating sparingly. " Slowly dad, it''s all for you. " Albrecht said. " Albrecht, you get me some personal things in the tunnel for me. A week from now I had to face my men around." " Dad, you might be furious if I tell you that only a few of your soldiers survived maybe it''s good if I tell you that there are still a few alive and silently battling with the Japs." Then he bowed his head. " Hmm....Albrecht, it''s maybe lonesome to have missed fallen soldiers this much, but this is war could give us. 105 Seaside with the Breeze The captain requested them to aid him by the seaside while passing in the tunnel. " Dad, what''s the purpose of that bell when it rings." Albrecht asked while carrying him on his arms. " It means someone from the family arrives, it''s either Chuck, Sibal or me." He smiled while Baldur walked in first. " Sr. Sibal has died." Baldur recounted. " Haha!" The captain laughed. " Why?" Albrecht asked. " Nothing. I thought he''s dead and I was kinda rattled and worried to death but he''s on the other side of Kabang." " How did you know Dad?" When I left here and Baldur accompanied me to that secret plight with the traders bound for Manila. One of the southern guerrillas who happened to recognize me secretly whispered that Sibal was with them. That night when the two boys (George''s brothers) were bayoneted, he already felt depressed, in both ways thinking his George and Magee wouldn''t meet any longer too since he preempted that Magee was abducted by Hakanori that night. Hmm...he is my next mission and the people out there. Albrecht''s eyes were celebrating while Baldur opened the secret granite door going out to the sea as they were smothered by the morning breeze. "Hmm...I loved this place. The fogs, seaside breeze, the ripples from nowhere, the winds and waves reminding me of the old days with your Mom. She''s the only woman I have loved that much...hmm, she...died of giving birth and it saddened me. He closed his eyes facing the sea while Baldur covered him with extra jacket and Albrecht put a hat on his head while adding socks on his feet. The captain has comfortably seated on a bamboo chair and spoke. " We cannot please LIFE. When it rocks our soul, we roll like nothing but a single dust. Boys, I loved your mother very much so continue to help me settle her daughter she''d laid down her last breathe." He then went lost looking on the horizon. " Dad...she''s very happy right now. Yeah, Baldur and I followed everything you''ve told us to do, we haven''t missed anything." Albrecht said. " Yeah, when we''ll leave your sister here after the war, she''s just fine with George. That guy, haha. I hope he can resist and endure Magee''s ways. Well, that girl, is the complete opposite of your mother. When Magee ran to attack enemies her mother screamed and hide away from a single cockroach. Magee''s a vegetarian while your mother ate meaty viands and most of all, Magee was cheerful and loses nothing. Once she decides it is her prime responsibility and your mother was a loner. They''re great women of my life while I have you both as my light. I was enveloped by guilt when your mother died. You should have stayed with her until now. But her sudden death left you a maternal loss of attention, care and love." He was so firm in talking while keeping his tears. " Dad, don''t talk like that. It''s never your fault. Never." Baldur was teary eyed. Albrecht hugged his step dad. " Dad...you''ve almost forgot yourself. Don''t be too focused in paying your debts to Mom by providing to Magee - everything. You even put a lot of counterpart in the granite house and helped uncle Chuck, you should have left a little for you. " No, Albrecht. It''s one way of making me happy too." He smiled at them. " Are you worried in going back to Wisconsin empty handed? haha...the breadfruit tree have 12 bars of gold confiscated from the overdue rulers for three centuries in this country. The Mabolo tree kept so many jeweleries while the breadnut tree have several books under. Hmm, you both knew that. For now, let''s help your sister first then if I see her settled at last, then I can die at peace." " Dad...just enjoy the moment. See how the fog breaks above through the sun''s oozing rays. It''s how you shone and fought to survive just to make sure to raise us up safe and sound. For me, you are an immortal Dad. So, let''s stay alive and survive out of this war." " Baldur, thank you. Your unimaginable for seeing beyond and is extraordinary. When you acted so brave to marry Amanda just to let her free George, I couldn''t almost believe you did it." " It''s the only way that you''ll not be frustrated and for Magee to meet the chosen man. Yeah, I admit I have sinned for marrying a woman beyond imagination. But later I thought that genuineness might teach me to like then love her. So when we started to live after marriage, I began to discover my deeper relationship with God, more and more. I found out that if you teach yourself to love what you hate, you''ll begin to sink and will get out from your comfort zone. Yes, she had so many men before and even don''t know if they still exist until now but, it seems I feel that I don''t care about them already. What I am thankful of, is, I accepted her unconditionally, valued and she felt proud of. Even how uncomfortable she was to others but I just see her good side. Till she learned to like me then, eventually give me a child. I don''t know if she''s serious about me but I just returned to God the favor to love a woman who missed someone very much. Just also saving my sister and makes my father smile, it''s all enough for me. Hmm, I just live once...so I just decided to offer love and be contented with what I do have." " Baldur is Baldur. I should have registered your name for saintly deeds. Hmm Baldur, you''re really a Good son and a husband. I''m sorry for pushing you to do it." The captain smiled and was teary eyed. " Of course not, haha. She''s a great woman too in her own way and no matter how she''d been, dark past and overdependence, she is someone I should only be with." " Baldur, what if you''ll find her cheating you again." " Hmm, nothing. I''ll just walk out and pray for her to realize things. But I know she''s trying her best. In the Bible, there''s a woman whom people thrown with stones because she was a prostitute and everyone felt that she did not deserve to hold Jesus. But Jesus said, if who among them who were clean then can just freely throw the woman some stones. These days, I keep praying for that woman. Jesus won''t forsake her - I know, but will help her get up." " Dad, I''ll help you register my brother''s name to become a saint. Hmm, but seriously, Baldur''s...Baldur. He''s my great and handsome brother." 106 Espionage underwater Three days after the clever Captain got well, he stirred another tactical plans and began to radiate once more. In fact, Amado was tasked to swim, gone flown by a log and just once in a while breathe on the water surface. Nighttime came and he reached by the river near the barracks and hearing the Japs proudly cheering for occupying the land. He suddenly leaned on flinty walls by the river bunk and tried to understand what the opponents were talking about. Way back then, while busy studying during week days, on weekends he had his foreign language classes where the Japs'' language was one of his choices. Indeed, he prepared it like Magee while doing fencing lessons too; where both had a hunch that the war could reach Philippines. If you knew of the opponents'' language its an advantage considering you''ll be able to prepare against their plans. " They will attack Barrio San Agustin tomorrow, huh. No! Manong''s there! I have to go back in Malapague and shall report this attack to the Lieutenant. These Japs shouldn''t do this, so many kids and senior citizens were in San Agustin. And besides, Manong is too old to suffer where he had been miserable too long because of me and my brother." Amado has worryingly thought. Outright he slowly returned and still used the same drifted log. While moving a little farther from the barracks, flapping his feet below the water and passing through beside the main gate guarded by three Japs which was just meters away from him, Amado was quite nervous since one of the Japs was looking at the log floating backwards out of the flowing water. Despite tension, he moved quickly and had reached the river bunk and right away ran as fast as he could. The three Japs summoned all the rest as they fired up high and followed Amado. Baldur and team where in the safe place, waiting to rescue and we''re back ups so when Amado reached the place as he collapsed and been carried by Narciso and Sibaya back to their hiding place. Baldur and Henry where on the spot facing the three Japs coming and when they saw them on their way in - Baldur fired and Henry threw a grenade that blasted in between of the three Japs. ''Boom!'' Then there was silence. They slowly moved back to the secret entrance gate and right away closed it. They didn''t leave the entrance of the cave right away but put their ears on the granite wall, listening. They''ve heard running Japs looking for them and released one gunshot in the air out of anger. When they made sure that the Japs have left, Baldur and Henry ran towards the wooden house and found Albrecht trying to pull a longer thorn out of Amado''s foot. " Ahhhhhh!" Shouted Amado and suddenly woke up. "Great heavens! what is this?" Albrecht was meticulously staring on it and whispered to Amado. " It''s a one inch thorn of an old ''bombil'' or bougainvillea plant. It passed through Amado''s shoe and this possibly made him collapsed. Calm down Amado...I removed it already. I feel like I''m a real Doctor now, calm down." Albrecht wasn''t smiling with his joke but Amado, Narciso, Sibaya, Baldur and Henry were laughing at him. It was such a calming spirit to have a jolly person around to pacify pains and tensions - it''s Albrecht. That night, he made a ''salabat'' and distributed each bamboo mug for all of them when Amado spoke. " Hmm, they''ll attack San Agustin in two days from now. I''m afraid..." Amado looked to Baldur. "Why, who were there?" Baldur asked. " My brother-in-law who was differently punished by his wife just because of me and my younger brother and..." The captain entered the kitchen and joined them in the table. Everyone stood up and paid respect to their head. Then he urged them to sit down as he did, Albrecht handed to him his mug of ''salabat'' too. " Amado, how many citizens have you estimated that are currently residing in San Agustin these days?" The captain asked. " Approximately around 40-50, but they hid in different locations. They were the people who gave us rice and meat last time when e passed by there, at southeast." Amado said. " This is already a formal meeting and upon hearing Amado that it would be in two-day time, it would be irrational to move next day but tomorrow. We''ll save them." The captain again insistently voice out " 107 Mission Bound for St. Agustin In the morning, the captain went down to the tunnel and as if he knew where to go. While Baldur was following him, the captain was counting the sacks and on the 21st sack, he pulled it and disembarked exquisite mugs, forks, spoons and all else - in short, kitchen utensils. " Wow! these are real ones, dad." Baldur whispered with amazement. " Yes. These piled up of stocks you see were brought here prior when we arrived in station one on September 1941, with your uncle Chuck, of course. What a good timing when they delivered some military supplies and their ship was exceedingly the biggest so they were of great help to deliver all of these. "Would it be mistaken as army supplies?" " Haha, no, there''s someone from the ship that checks everything that goes out - such that of an auditor or a quality inspector. But everyone knew that my family''s here and that these were from my salary, no remittances goes back to US, there''s none, ever since. Everything we expended there in the state came from my inheritance share, remember the potato farm we had out there? It''s where I got our expenses but everything I earned in the army goes to your sister through Sibal. So you can see my salary''s outflow around." He smiled. " Wow, Dad, these are all hard earned. Days ago we''ve been talking about the granite house construction where it took for ten long years. Such a project." " Yeah, I''m just a lucky Dad, my stepsons are not jealous ones. Both of you are very contented boys ever since that''s why I carry you across the seas, raised you like my own. I wasn''t mistaken. " Dad, your love is enough for us. We''re even more lucky than anyone else. Magee just received your salary but you stayed so close with us with Albrecht. That itself is too much." "Lolita had been a good mom to your sister and Sibal had raised her well. Hmm...well, what are you waiting for, my boy! carry this sack back to the old house, haha!" The captain cheerfully tapped Baldur''s shoulder. While in the house, Albrecht grated two coconut and extracted a liter of its milk; mixed with squash young leaves along with its square chopped squash fruit, spiced with ginger and lemongrass. To make it more tastier, Albrecht put some mushed corn. As per secret, he never covered the big pot but he kept on stirring the coconut milk till it became bubbly and interestingly boiled up. The captain was craving, waiting at the table like a child and kept asking Albrecht if it''s already done and he''s crazily hungry. "Haha! c''mon Dad, I feel like s real chef, hmm...I never knew this war needs my expertise. Huh! here''s a half a spoon sample, please taste it Dad and tell me what you can say." " Gracious heavens! I could smell the gravy corn and lemongrass. Baldur, go get me a ''siling labuyo" ( chilli ) faster boy!" Then Baldur smilingly ran and harvested the ''siling labuyo''. It''s one of the famous chilli even then because its too hot and face wrecking. When Baldur returned he grabbed a small bowl, put the three small pieces of ''siling labuyo'' , added a small amount of ''suka nang tuba'' ( vinegar ), minched garlic and small cuts of ginger. In a while, Edward started his breakfast so silently while the brothers couldn''t even swallow their food while looking at him so dead serious with a plenty of viand that gave him a sweaty breakfast. " Burp!" " Haha! dad, do you want some more? Just eat it all, you left us two pieces of ginger at the bottom of the bowl." Albrecht smilingly said. " Sorry son, I guess you need to cook again. I just missed your delicacies. Also, I need to be stronger for the rescue operation tonight for San Agustin civilians, gotta nap a little." " Ah ha...and who said you can go with us when you''re not that healthy yet." Albrecht sarcastically commented. " The captain! haha!" Then Edward left, waving his hand at them while heading up to the balcony. On a small seat he looked farther to his soldiers'' bahay kubos and the groovy scenery. " The place is still the same, hmm...I missed my woman who gave me a great courageous girl who now turns a wife of the lieutenant. They just met by accident and coincidentally developed like a speed of light. Sibal and Chuck must be here to help me cheer with our children in the middle of this war in this paradise, haha! God''s plan was never ours. Our plans were too small compared God''s will. Yes, I now believed that they were really meant for each other. Hmm...Magee and George are now staying joyfully in that house we built for them. I thank God above all for our ( three dads) ten-year financial struggle where Sibal sold some bars of gold and jeweleries, Chuck''s savings and hectares of land risked for a contractor friend to dig - designed, smoothened and finished the granite house as well as the cover and cut tunnel. In my end, I never regret for giving up everything for my daughter, she''s precious. This place I have saved Chuck from the pangs of Sibal''s anger. Those by-gone days were too morose and scary to my friend. Now, he''s returning 108 The Mysterious "Manong" Brother Twilight time. The blue azure skies mantled the seas at the horizon while the granite mountain starts to hibernate with the crickets buzzing in the heights of Kabang''s sleeping mountain. " Albrecht, Dad is still sleeping. His men are now ready to depart for the mission, what do you think?" " Hmm...his body''s still tired. I''m confused. He might be mad at us if we''ll leave him here. Hmm...but hey! you know he maybe have plans and as if he knew someone out there. Okay, final! I''ll wake him up." Albrecht insistently said. " Dad, Dad...wake up..." Albrecht called him gently. " O, Albrecht..." The captain replied and gradually sat down by the bed. " Dad, we''ll be leaving for San Agustin to rescue the civilians. Hmm...you may continue to sleep and we may go there." "No, I need to fetch someone I know and of course the pitiful civilians. We''ll give them a good rest here. For a while, and both of you, just wait me outside." The captain said. " Yes Dad, but supposed you''re still sleepy...we can just go." Baldur tried to convince their Dad. " No. I''ll go." Edward insisted. So the brothers did not further appeal but just waited for him outside the house. "Hmm, he''s our leader. In the army, being a son is not a guarantee to stop a Dad who''s a captain, haha, I was really silly to try stopping him." Albrecht laughed while arranging his pack bag. " It''s okay. Dad could still lead us all, hmm remember him well." Baldur tapped his shoulder and motioned towards Amado who was busy walking to and fro. " Hey! Amado, haha! what''s the fuzz around here buddy." " There''s someone I need to fetch in San Agustin - my brother-in-law. I have so many things to tell him, untold stories, shocking revelations and..." Amado worryingly said. " Yes, I understand. Everything will be alright, I believe. Come, Amado...let''s sit down on the log for a while and pray." While they closed their eyes and pray, Amado felt a different response toward his concern to his Manong he''s about to meet after 28 long years. " Baldur, thank you. When you recited the prayer and as I was listening, I felt enough comfort, relaxed and determined. Prayer really heals a worrying heart." Amado then clasped his hands and suddenly looked at the owner of paces through footsteps moving towards them. It''s Albrecht. " I"m not as old as you Baldur, I''m already 38 right now, I liked." Amado said while Albrecht looked at him. " Hmm, it''s nothing. Everything has a reason and I believe yours isn''t easy." Then they stood up while Albrecht was confused if what they''re talking about. " Oh, Dad''s getting out." As the Captain gave a final instruction to the rest of the soldiers and guerrillas. Fr Matias was left and 7 of the remaining protectors as they guarded the entrance. Hours rolled so fast and each of them kept on praying as led by Fr. Matias. Meanwhile, at the granite house " There was that continued sound of silence while the time piece at door number three ticks as it does. Its ticking was so slow and gentle like all time pieces in the world but at least it allows them to hear a wondrous reminder and order. The exchange of "I love yous" and the shared smiles and laughter blasted around like their meals. The doors slowly slammed and it''s cranking sound begets an awful noise just as the niters on treetops we''re blissfully shining and gave a gleeful brightness around. The flowing water at room number two likewise rejuvenates more breathe and in synch with the time piece that its tactful rhythm composed and blended of a beautiful song blewn from the magical unison of love. Then back to it''s restful moment their eyes met again. " Why?" She awkwardly asked while covering her face. " Nothing." Then he meaningfully smiled, arranged her hair while the fireflies transfered to their bedroom as they both looked up and together they spoke in amazement. " Wow! they''re beautiful!" Then they looked at each other again and laughed unceasingly enticing. However, at San Agustin, the civilians gathered so fast and everyone were tensed and busy packing their things. " Baldur, be careful, remind our men. Once we''ll get down into the tunnel, everyone must be very quiet. The Japs will just wait by the road above thinking they could catch us." " But they did not notice anyone from us walking through here." " Haha.,.by the time Amado was caught spying in the river, the Japs allowed their plan and schedule be continued and even synchronized it to our schedule. They even allowed us to reach here and pick up the civilians - their baits. But they''re wrong, we''ll have to use the tunnel created during the pandemic. Hours Fromm now, they''ll just fire their guns in the skies and full of anger that we can escape from them so smoothly, haha!" " Dad...wow! haha!" Baldur whispered. " Okay...move! and call this code to the crowd - Georgee!" Someone will ask you why and just reply - "Granite." " Hmm...Dad..." Baldur stopped when the Captain walked a little farther and readied himself while he led the old and children." 109 Handguns on Fire and Desperation While on their way, passing through the tunnel, every group of civilians with the soldier or guerrilla buddies were tensed and prayerful. Quizzically, Amado kept calling Manong to every old man he saw around but no one responded. " Shh, Amado, just do that when we reach to our home." The captain whispered to him. It was enough for Amado to stop searching for an old man he called "Manong." Though, observably, he was still turning his head to the civilians moving progressively towards the endpart of the tunnel. When they almost reach the exit door, the Captain, with the help of Amado slowly opened it.The door was filled with soil and pebbles and the round timber with the crinkling door frame almost collapse when Amado was holding it while the civilians walked out from the passage. Their group moved out successfully, heading to hide at the big rock that finally covered them from the angst of the Japs. They first reached inside Malapague and the civilians were looking up to the granite mountain in amazement that walled the place. A little while, the guards on post headed by Fr. Matias lighted torches (solo) made of braided coconut leaves. The priest immediately offered a silent prayer as he led some of the old and young civilians to sit down for a while under the tamarind tree. When almost all of the children were tired and had slept immediately upon reaching the place, he then offered his house and the neighboring empty bahay kubos adjacent to them. Meanwhile, at the entrance another group of civilians arrived then followed by another till the last expected buddied by Sibaya and Narciso. Then the gate was closed, followed by the loud gunfires of desperation from a distance. Those were the gunfires in the air released by the Japs at the border after knowing they failed to catch the ghost armies. Baldur turned his head to his step dad and spoke. " Haha! Dad! you''re right! they fired out of anger! they missed us! haha!" " Wow! the Captain was right, haha! Can''t imagine how they clenched their fists and thought of turning back the time to fry us before we can rescue the civilians, haha! This is indeed a great night to celebrate! it was such an amazing game!" Amado murmured while stunned with the tactic. " That''s Dad Edward, he''s got the brilliance in everything. Who would have known that no one will really touch us along the way going to San Agustin when they suspected that we probably sprouted from the north just as they''ve lost us now." Albrecht said. "Yeah. Hey! where''s Dad?" Baldur queried. " There''s a man who secretly tapped his shoulder while we were chatting, he signaled then the captain followed him." Amado pointed his finger inside the bedroom. " Ah, maybe they''ll talk about something." Baldur said then followed the Captain and the old man inside. " Where are they?" Baldur whispered to himself while searching but he thought of the cabinet passage going down so he tried to follow. " He then heard some voices chatting while nearing; slowly he hid at the back of the granite corners while following them - tiptoing. But unexpectedly... " Come out Baldur, there are slimy magots in the corners of this tunnel." The Captain calmly blurted. "Ahhhhhh!" Baldur shouted while running towards Edward. " Haha!" The old man''s voice laughed and teased Baldur. Then they all laughed and hurriedly motioned towards the smiling skull cave. When they reached there Baldur was shocked while looking at the strange man and right away Baldur hugged him. " Sr. Sibal! Where have you been. I missed you." Baldur wad teary eyed. " Baldur...I was abducted by two strange Japanese men in uniform the night when Magee was in the woods to fetch water when it happened. But to my surprise, they sent me to San Agustin and caged me in one of the caves. It was truly strange." Sibal recounted. " You have suffered a lot Sibal, you should have sent someone to look for us. You know where to find us, right? but why you were too silent?" Edward complained. " I was already upset to the world upon knowing Lolita was gone, and the two boys - I don''t know, the kids...it irks my heart. My feeling was just a little alleviated when you''ve kidded me Edward that Magee and George have already met? Is it really true?" Sibal verified. " Yes. In fact, they''re already married last March. But funny how, they just have their honeymoon starting last week." Baldur then smilingly said. " Haha! Good!" Sr. Sibal laughed while Edward and Baldur looked at him and got puzzled. " Why both of you were astounded of what I''ve said. Is there anything wrong?" Sibal smiled. " Hmm...it''s unusual. I stand corrected buy if we boil down the number of marriages, together, theirs was a bit weird. It''s ritualistic." "No, it isn''t. It''s test of character and perseverance. George must have thanked that it''s war, if not - it would have been too long to wait for him as fiancee." " You taught her that way?"Edward queried. " No, it''s her wish. To make the best time with her man first like a best friend - I repeat, best friend, before becoming a husband." Sibal explained. " Buy George had suffered too much , poor boy." Baldur sympathized to his head. " He isn''t poor, he''s the richest. They are meant for one another and they just met by accident despite their fathers'' long term plan. Hahay Edward, Magee and George now''s together, I''m very happy." Sibal bowed his head while smiling. " Yeah, Magee maybe looks like a lady these days." " You haven''t"t seen her yet?" " The last time I saw her was January, 1942. By the time I left for the mission, she was with her brothers. " She''s...like a soldier. She kept on escaping and have killed some enemies. Take note , she burned their barracks! and she''s alone when she did it!" Baldur recalled. " Wow!" Sibal smirked. " I felt scared imagining my daughter had go immensely through it." The Captain recoiled. " Haha...it''s just prim and proper that my adopted daughter appears that way since she''ll be raising lovely children from my combatant son. . 109 Gunfires Over Desperation While on their way, passing through the tunnel, every group of civilians with the soldier or guerrilla buddies were tensed and prayerful. Quizzically, Amado kept calling Manong to every old man he saw around but no one responded. " Shh, Amado, just do that when we reach to our home." The captain whispered to him. It was enough for Amado to stop searching for an old man he called "Manong." Though, observably, he was still turning his head to the civilians moving progressively towards the endpart of the tunnel. When they almost reach the exit door, the Captain, with the help of Amado slowly opened it.The door was filled with soil and pebbles and the round timber with the crinkling door frame almost collapse when Amado was holding it while the civilians walked out from the passage. Their group moved out successfully, heading to hide at the big rock that finally covered them from the angst of the Japs. They first reached inside Malapague and the civilians were looking up to the granite mountain in amazement that walled the place. A little while, the guards on post headed by Fr. Matias lighted torches (solo) made of braided coconut leaves. The priest immediately offered a silent prayer as he led some of the old and young civilians to sit down for a while under the tamarind tree. When almost all of the children were tired and had slept immediately upon reaching the place, he then offered his house and the neighboring empty bahay kubos adjacent to them. Meanwhile, at the entrance another group of civilians arrived then followed by another till the last expected buddied by Sibaya and Narciso. Then the gate was closed, followed by the loud gunfires of desperation from a distance. Those were the gunfires in the air released by the Japs at the border after knowing they failed to catch the ghost armies. Baldur turned his head to his step dad and spoke. " Haha! Dad! you''re right! they fired out of anger! they missed us! haha!" " Wow! the Captain was right, haha! Can''t imagine how they clenched their fists and thought of turning back the time to fry us before we can rescue the civilians, haha! This is indeed a great night to celebrate! it was such an amazing game!" Amado murmured while stunned with the tactic. " That''s Dad Edward, he''s got the brilliance in everything. Who would have known that no one will really touch us along the way going to San Agustin when they suspected that we probably sprouted from the north just as they''ve lost us now." Albrecht said. "Yeah. Hey! where''s Dad?" Baldur queried. " There''s a man who secretly tapped his shoulder while we were chatting, he signaled then the captain followed him." Amado pointed his finger inside the bedroom. " Ah, maybe they''ll talk about something." Baldur said then followed the Captain and the old man inside. " Where are they?" Baldur whispered to himself while searching but he thought of the cabinet passage going down so he tried to follow. " He then heard some voices chatting while nearing; slowly he hid at the back of the granite corners while following them - tiptoing. But unexpectedly... " Come out Baldur, there are slimy magots in the corners of this tunnel." The Captain calmly blurted. "Ahhhhhh!" Baldur shouted while running towards Edward. " Haha!" The old man''s voice laughed and teased Baldur. Then they all laughed and hurriedly motioned towards the smiling skull cave. When they reached there Baldur was shocked while looking at the strange man and right away Baldur hugged him. " Sr. Sibal! Where have you been. I missed you." Baldur wad teary eyed. " Baldur...I was abducted by two strange Japanese men in uniform the night when Magee was in the woods to fetch water when it happened. But to my surprise, they sent me to San Agustin and caged me in one of the caves. It was truly strange." Sibal recounted. " You have suffered a lot Sibal, you should have sent someone to look for us. You know where to find us, right? but why you were too silent?" Edward complained. " I was already upset to the world upon knowing Lolita was gone, and the two boys - I don''t know, the kids...it irks my heart. My feeling was just a little alleviated when you''ve kidded me Edward that Magee and George have already met? Is it really true?" Sibal verified. " Yes. In fact, they''re already married last March. But funny how, they just have their honeymoon starting last week." Baldur then smilingly said. " Haha! Good!" Sr. Sibal laughed while Edward and Baldur looked at him and got puzzled. " Why both of you were astounded of what I''ve said. Is there anything wrong?" Sibal smiled. " Hmm...it''s unusual. I stand corrected buy if we boil down the number of marriages, together, theirs was a bit weird. It''s ritualistic." "No, it isn''t. It''s test of character and perseverance. George must have thanked that it''s war, if not - it would have been too long to wait for him as fiancee." " You taught her that way?"Edward queried. " No, it''s her wish. To make the best time with her man first like a best friend - I repeat, best friend, before becoming a husband." Sibal explained. " Buy George had suffered too much , poor boy." Baldur sympathized to his head. " He isn''t poor, he''s the richest. They are meant for one another and they just met by accident despite their fathers'' long term plan. Hahay Edward, Magee and George now''s together, I''m very happy." Sibal bowed his head while smiling. " Yeah, Magee maybe looks like a lady these days." " You haven''t"t seen her yet?" " The last time I saw her was January, 1942. By the time I left for the mission, she was with her brothers. " She''s...like a soldier. She kept on escaping and have killed some enemies. Take note , she burned their barracks! and she''s alone when she did it!" Baldur recalled. " Wow!" Sibal smirked. " I felt scared imagining my daughter had go immensely through it." The Captain recoiled. " Haha...it''s just prim and proper that my adopted daughter appears that way since she''ll be raising lovely children from my combatant son. . 110 The Clamor of Hearts "Have you heard that guy kept looking for his Manong? His voice seem familiar. Sibal queried. " He maybe been part of the siege in San Agustin when the war broke, though I''m also curious of how important his intention to find his Manong that grampled his knees for it. Hmm, Baldur had slept. So loving sons they are with Albrecht, like almost yours." Sibal smiled to Edward. " Yeah. I''m just lucky having them. Dreaming for just havin'' one child suddenly became three, haha! its so rewarding." That woman I solely loved gave me everything, I missed her." " I supposed to say I missed my wife too, haha. But it''s a one-sided something, you know. Giving her to another man she loved isn''t ignorance, just wanted to make her happy despite of her hate on me. She marry me just for punishment. Though, I still care for her and our marriage." Sibal bowed down his head. " Shh...we just met after months, your love story seemed a horror - thriller, only angels can take listening to it, huh! The kids never knew we secretly met last October - November, haha! But...Sibal, I just wondered. The original plan was to abduct Magee and the rest in the house and place everyone here the night prior to the wedding. But a group abducted you separately from Lolita and kids, so we reached to your house empty. It''s a puzzle until now I keep thinking of, if who''s the second group. Well, I''m positive that it''s not Hakanori, either my men. What do you think." The Captain closed the granite door as the windy sea tried hishing on them, bringing some drizzles. " Yeah. It''s odd, I ponder at it too. Hmm, I never had any enemy and no one hates me more than my wife''s eternal anger on me. This wrecked my brain too much. I don''t have any debtors or lenders to be guilty of. Then on, such a horrible night I had been waiting for you to abduct us but that group arrived first, huh!" Sibal recounted . " Me either, well, one day let''s find it out. But one thing for sure - they''re not really your enemy. If they we''re, they should have killed you there, what do you think?" The Captain hypothesized. "Hmm...tentatively no, they''re not enemies because they left me food, not until February, no one from that group got back so some Filipino guerrillas and civilians from the south fed and look after me. I just treasured the moment being alive - at war. But yes, who were those people who tried to hide me and who brought Lolita and kids away? Someone from them whispered that Lolita and Chuck''s sons were murdered, how true?" It shouldn''t be, the kids were innocent, oh God!" Sibal pressed his head. " Alright, we''ll think about it tomorrow. For now, let''s sleep and relax here for a while, its already 3 o''clock, just settle for now and you looked older than I am, what a shame!" Edward jokily said. " Haha! yeah! but I''m the happiest now. I got back alive, Magee and George met, I felt Lolita is safe and hopeful the kids, Albrecht and Baldur looks fine, the rest of the Filipinos your team have rescued tonight reached this place sound and complete, the Japs failed to catch us, haha, who would have thought this could happen this way. A miracle. God showed us miracles in small things in an unusual situation and in a perfect timing. It''s God''s way. It''s His way. I am blessed. God loves me." Then Sibal closed his eyes after hearing Edward snoring. The waves splashed on the big rocks at seaside outside them served as their sonata as they fell sleeping so deeply. Meanwhile in the wooden house, Albrecht cannot follow his brother because Amado was eyeing on him. " What is this man thinking of me whenever I moved, he seemed staring and monitoring. Hmm...why he looks very suspicious. No, he cannot be Edmund and Guida''s siblings - no not. Oh St. Baldur, you go back here, tell me if where''s Dad right now, huh!" He thought worryingly. A little while, Amado quietly spoke while they were arranging the hand guns and some ammos. " Albrecht, may I ask, I haven''t seen Magee nowadays, where is she?" Amado courageously asked. "Great heavens, is he a spy? why he would ask a wife of someone else?" He annoyingly thought. " Ah, haha! she was brought by the lieutenant in a safer place, and had their vacation. She wasn''t feeling well, you know, most wives are so clingy sometimes, anything like that, haha. I could recall me and my fiancee Madelleine had the same sweetness you know, we team up together like there''s no tomorrow and..."He stopped talking when Amado went back to the topic. " So they just stay inside this place? right." Amado looked at him, questioning. " If me and Madelleine stays here together, it could have been the case like theirs. We''ll go somewhere else and, you know, love birds. Well, I missed my Madelleine. Albrecht smiled dryly. " But they aren''t staying together, right, I meam. Ah, sorry if I kept asking about her. It''s just that, huh! I''m sleepy now Albrecht, excuse me but can I sleep in that room below? Can''t go back to my bahay-kubo, so sleepy, it''s really very foggy too,I''m chilling. If without this furnace, maybe I got frozen already." Amado smiled and reasoned out. " Ah! haha! upstairs, you may go upstairs. There are two room upstairs and it''s all empty, to there are pillows and blankets there. I can''t sleep in a room without my brother, I usually kick him when I sleep, so it''s not good we sleep together down there." Albrecht blurted. " But I can sleep on the floor, wherever." " Haha, but it''s the couple''s room, and if they''re not around it becomes our family''s room. You know, privacy." " But it''s war time." Albrecht was almost impatient as he removed his dagger on side and put it on the table then said. " Amado, I can accompany you to your bahay - Kubo, with this dagger, I can better protect your life out there. I can carry you too, your smaller than that driftwood outside so I can safely guard you on your way. If not, you may occupy the first room upstairs for two hours then transfer to the bigger room upstairs in the preceding hours. Upstairs will be yours this morning or you may sleep up there until tomorrow, no one will bother you buddy, haha. Just give me privacy in my family''s room, okay? Haha, it sounds like fixed and final. Alright, let''s move, I need to relax and be healthy. Okay!" Then Albrecht went inside the room where the tunnel''s secret door was located. " Oh! c''mon Amado, your mind looks you''re eyeing at my sister. No need to do that young handsome guy, she''s married and taken and someone''s dying of him. Oh crap! why you insist that she''s...ha! you''ll be in trouble boy! We crossed all risks so that the two would meet and now you''re poisoning my mind. Ha, not the next Edmund, no, not Amado, I can be your worst enemy. Leave my family alone, don''t touch anyone from my family. I''m not a saint like my brother think of that." Albrecht, changed and locked the door. He was worried to the extent that he just blew the candle and stayed dim but was attentively listening outside. " If I sleep and if anyone can get in and could discover the secret door. I can ruin the future of my family. Huh! What was that Bible verse Baldur kept sharing to me before. When Jesus was praying at Getsimani, Getsimany...ah! sorry, what''s important is I recall that he was telling everyone not to sleep. He said a traitor will betray him that night. Oh, it was a biblical story but my point is, if I sleep I might be allowing the traitor (hopefully not) to discover our secret door. Ah! life...what is 3 hours of sleep in exchange of family''s secret. No! I will wait for Baldur to come. He wakes up early so a little while he would come back. I better run inside this room and have my pushups,yeah, better!" 111 The Unexpected Gues Albrecht ran and hiked around the room and fighting against the coolnrss of the chilling morning. But the room was a bit small so he felt dizzy till he dropped off on the bamboo chair, pressing his head. While having that physical dilemma,the cabinet has opened and someone has whispered. " Baldur, Albrecht...are you inside?" " George?" "Yeah, it''s me, Albrecht. Wait, I''ll find the candle for a while brother - for a while." Albrecht was so excited to light a candle when suddenly, Amado knocked on the door. " Albrecht! Albrecht! what happened? it seems your having some nightmare! wake up!" Amado was very noisy as Albrecht took his handgun and angrily moved closer to the door. But George prevented him and pulled him back to sit down and he whispered so quietly to Albrecht " Brother, I''ll take my exit for a while at the window and would knock on the main door. Don''t bother to open for me out there because he''s already on,m deck, so bye for now, let''s meet after 2 minutes."Then George slowly opened the window and quickly slid out and Amado was still very noisy at the bedroom''s door. In a while, George was making a noise at the main door. " Albrecht! Albrecht! are you there? George voice. Amado opened the main door and greeted the lieutenant. " Sir, good evening...are, are you alone?" Amado asked. " Yeah! I left my wife in station one, probably we''ll be back to former station 3 later before proceeding to former station 2. I guess she would head on without me. You know, we needed privacy, so there. How are you? Be healthy always." As he tapped Amado''s shoulder and quickly proceeded to the bedroom. Amado got out; he thought quizzically and even decided of going to station one where Magee was accordingly left by his husband. Indeed, Amado ran upstairs and took his handgun where George and Albrecht did not know about Amado''s risky plan of seeing Magee. So Amado''s shadow faded after informing the guards on duty that he''ll be leaving for station one. Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Albrecht day down calmly after hearing that the curious guy was gone. " Thank God! that guy Amado are doing creepy conversations to me these days, huh! Allow me to breath for a while brother, I have so many news!you might be shocked so prepare yourself. But first, tell me, what did you tell to Amado prior of getting in?" Albrecht asked. "Ah, haha, he asked me if where''s my wife." " What? what did you answer?" " Hmm, I told him I left Magee at station one and...."George stopped from chatting when Albrecht ran heading to the entrance gate and asked the guards on duty of Amado''s whereabouts and when they told him that Amado''s heading to station one, Albrecht pressed his head and got back to the wooden house with sloppy shoulders. " Hey brother, what happened, tell me." George asked. Albrecht relayed to him the curious questions of Amado about Magee and so George just pacified him. " I see. We cannot follow him anymore, it''s too risky, there are more number of patrollers this time at the border. Hopefully he can strategically hide on his way going there. It''s true, it''s too risky because it''s almost dawn. But we can''t do anything about it anymore. But he''ll be okay. C''mon, let''s drink ''salabat'' at the kitchen.'' George said Seconds after Albrecht''s worrisome thoughts continued while Baldur emerged from the cabinet and joined them. "Huhum. Oh brothers good morning! what happened?" Baldur queried to Albrecht while silently leaned on the wall. Albrecht related to him Amado''s recent suspicious actions and curiosities about Magee. "Ah, I see. Why worry, he can get back safely if it''s not yet his time. Besides, no one told him to go out there. Don''t worry, if Magee is really there, let''s say its true, I guess it''s not a big problem, you know what I mean. But she''s up there, the husband is damned so happy looking for''salabat'' why worry of Amado, he can be fine. Yes, I agree to George it''s already 5:30 am, so open the kitchen for us, chef." Baldur patted Albrecht''s shoulder and the three proceeded to the kitchen. 112 George with Amè°© Sibal and Father-in-Law George was very busy cooking when he never recognized someone''s stepping inside the kitchen and silently sat down. "Can I sip a hot ''salabat'' please. A voice spoke as he turned head and found the Captain smiling at him. " Dad?" He immediately took his hand and ''mano po'', so overwhelmed and smiled as he sat beside him. " Wow! I''ve got a Filipino son-in-law now, good for you, man. I hope you know your story already, don''t you?" " Yeah, Dad. I was just sad, I''ve lost Am¨¢ Sibal and my mother. " " That''s pretty sad." The Captain said. George wondered and tried to analyze the hyperbole sound of the Captain''s sentence. " Dad, why? Is there anything I need to know more?" Someone came in and since it''s still dim inside so he never knew that it was Sibal. " I''m interested with the ''salabat'' in this kitchen. They said Albrecht''s ''salabat'' is at par the best, may I ask for a mug, George, please." Without any sound George, took the kettle and poured the ''salabat'' in the man''s mug. George''s eyes were inquisitive while trying to look at his face. "Hmm...you''re grown up now. You''re even taller than me, my goodness. Time flies. " " Am¨¢ Sibal?" George asked. " Yes, my son." George rushed towards him and embraced the old man. Sibal immensely cried. " It''s nice you''re back home and have met my adopted amazon girl, haha!" Sibal tapped his shoulder. " Wow, I got teary eyed again. Now you''re seeing me again as an adult George and thank you for raising my wife perfectly Am¨¢, she''s someone Dad Edward had left you for good, you''re trustworthy, and yes." " I almost got envy to this old man. But I tried not, he had so many headaches on her as I casually experience for just some couple of years in Manila, guarding a curious girl from the University belt to the soldier''s headquarters, went fencing and by foot or running while avoiding my men guarding her, haha." The captain smilingly said. " Haha! you couldn''t imagine my life with that girl. She''s climbing trees more often than his brothers, huh! she read books a lot. Edward''s money almost consumed in buying her books. She''s really smart. But she''s naughty. She really dreamed of becoming a soldier. And take note, do you know that marrying the Japs'' leader was really her plan as I contradicted to it. She said she hates the idea but it''s the easiest way to battle inside their camp, alone. I was just thankful that the night before their fake wedding, she realized to back off, so I laughed out loud and just waited if when your team would do so. When she didn''t return any longer, I felt relaxed, thinking she''s already safe. That''s it, I was abducted by some group, and its still a puzzle until now. But hey, careful with your wife, she''s not easy." Sibal ended. " Wow! upon hearing your testimony, I feel terrified with her background. But honestly, she''s a very softhearted woman. Things had changed." " Haha! hopefully." The Captain laughed. " Me too, haha! can''t believe you George. She''s notorious at home." Sibal smiled. " What? haha!" George laughed in amazement. " Yeah. When she caught the middle brother cheating some household assignments, she''d lessen the number of rice cups. The rice ration depends on the number of household chores'' accomplishments. The more the siblings worked hard, the more rice and viands requested to her In¨¢, haha! So her brothers kept an eye on her, so silly girl." Sibal said. " Way back im Manila, soldiers at that she''d escaped for many times. She ran so fast and like a slimy shadow they hardly tracked her. Hope you''ll be fine with her George, sorry I missed to tell you the truth about the lady''s naughty moves. But embrace her weaknesses, lapses and grey character. Good luck, son." " Wow! I received so many revelations this early, but Magee''s ... haha, she''s behave. I can handle her, but thanks a lot. These are all great tips." " So, how is she?" Can we see her today or not yet. Tell us, we''ll not be seeing her if it''s prohibited." Edward sought permission. " Ah, haha! I''m in a hot seat now! haha! but anyway..." He stopped talking when Sibal intervened. " I know the answer, Edward, look, Magee doesn''t like to see anyone, haha. She''s cleaning the house,right?" Sibal was smiling again while George was carefully arranging his responses to the fathers. " Wow...they knew her a lot, haha! this is so funny! the folks are." He thought. A little while, George was done with his viand and ''duma'' so he packed them all. Edward and Sibal were making fun looking at him doing it. After all, he sat down and waited for the next roundabout lines of the funny Dads. " Go on, George. Tell her not to eat too much those chocolates." " Yeah, tell her to stop putting some markings on the floor when people are trying to break her rules, haha. What do you think." Sibal funnily said. " Markings....she put a charcoal marking when she never allowed me to enter the master''s bedroom, it''s a charcoal marking." George laughed. " Those demarcations are sacred. Hahay, Magee, okay George,go there now. She might be using some binoculars to trace tour whereabouts." Edward smiled. George unbelievably heard their testimonies. Those were all true, exept the silly ones. He was running to return to the granite house and when he reached there, he found her cleaning. " Hey, it''s my job now, just leave it to me, Mag " " No, it''s okay. By the way, what''s that? it smells like..." Then he opened the food pack on the kitchen table. " You cooked it, thank you George." Then she smiled at him Let''s both do the cleaning, if you wish. But I don''t like you to stress yourself too much, okay?" He led her to sit down first so that she can have her breakfast. She gazed at h sweetly and complimented. " You''re someone who''s typically taming my worst self. I''ll keep you singing in my heart as long as I live. Your voice is warming my cold thoughts, your chuckles makes me better despite my numbness and your eyes have melted my childish past. I can be in love with you for centuries and even the days will turn the dates to forever I will love the same man in you. I''m all yours, George." 113 Finely Meeting with Her Dads The granite house turned out very clean so he let her seated and somewhat conditioning his wife. " Guests would like to meet you today, the two of them. We''ll welcome them in and prepare for yourself, they''re special persons in your life. I''ve already met them both. So, is there any problem?" George smiled as he kissed her hands so gently and nestled them on his chest. " Troublesome heartbeats, such a wrong timing, this heart''s getting crazy again." He bowed down and smiled. " You...told me to prepare to meet our guests. George, you''ve got a problem." Then she paused and smirked while he slowly pulled her on his arms, succumb with their lovely chemistry and they were lost once more. Meanwhile, at the wooden house. " George''s shadow was lost on his way, where did he go?" Baldur stood up and even tried opening the secret door behind the cabinet. But found no one, not even his footsteps. Later, he got back to the receiving area and walked to and fro in front of Sibal and Edward. The folks just looked at him while Edward stopped and pacified him. " Hey, just calm down son, he''s just delayed, let''s just wait and he''ll gonna fetch us around." But minutes turned out hours and Edward has almost consumed a bowl of his peanuts that later Baldur removed it in front of him. " Hey, hey...Baldur, my peanuts." The Captain complained. " Dad...you kinda plan of consuming it all then afterwards your knees and joints all over will be in pain, just a taste of craving is enough. I can''t even count the peanut shells on the table. Next time again. Just a little of everything." Baldur explained. Edward was just silent while staring at the door, sensing the movement of it till someone showed up - its Amado that later collapsed after fully opening it. Sibal ran and put Amado''s arms on his shoulders and he laid him down on a long wooden chair at the receiving area. " Amado! Amado! what happened to you!" Then Albrecht came running, bringing his medical kit. In a while Baldur brought a pillow, lifted Amado''s head and put the pillow for his comfort. " He must be very tired." The Captain whispered. " Magee...Magee..." Amado''s words. " Oh my!" Albrecht stood up and instead of rescuing Amado he almost kick him. " Hey! hey! c''mon! don''t be too aggressive right away, let''s find out first. Me too, I''m kinda feeling stressed but look! look at him!" While in that scenario George arrived and right away moved closer to Amado. " Magee...Magee..." Amado whispered again. "What?" George stood up and his blood was rising. He walked outside the house and had a deep breathe. Baldur followed and pacified him. " George...he may never be on the right mind these days, let''s try to discover this fuzz, just be okay." Baldur then tapped his shoulder while seeing Narciso and Sibaya running towards them. " Sir, we''ll pick out Amado. He must be very tired and for days he hadn''t eaten yet. He also lacked sleep, don''t mind him mentioning your wife''s name, he''s...not into her. We''re also confused. But Amado''s a good man, I can attest." Then Narciso sat down on a driftwood where the lieutenant has seated while Baldur and Sibaya went inside the house. " Why he kept mentioning my wife''s name? Did he share to you the reason why? Did he...like my wife that much? I''m a man. I can understand if..." He was forced to stop from talking when Narciso intervened and spoke. " Your wife is beautiful he said, but, ." Narciso stopped with tongue tied. " What?" George raised his voice. " ...ah...Sir, if you want you can interrogate him when he''s in his proper mindset. Sibaya and I were just worried that''s why we came to bring him back to our place. We wanted to feed him some food and get rested, he hadn''t slept too and kept mentioning of "manong". In our dialect ''manong'' means "brother", elder brother to be precise." Narciso ended, stood up and excused himself to get inside and followed Sibaya. " What''s wrong with him." I don''t like him to keep looking and mentioning my wife''s name. It annoys me." He then tried to calm down himself by watching the main spring and its lovely noise flowing to the river. A little while, Sibaya and Narciso went out, carrying Amado heading to their place. George then got back inside and blankly joined with his family in the receiving area. George was sitting next to Sr. Sibal so the old man patted his shoulder. " Hmm, you may go back first to the granite house. We can''t visit there right now when you''re not feeling well, we understand." Sibal comforted him. " Ah, it''s okay am¨¢, anyway, Magee is waiting. She was even drying up some pillows and big blankets above the house, passing through the daylight optic. Accordingly, even if she never knew yet if who''s coming to visit her but she said you''ll gonna stay there and may sleep, for a longer chitchat. 113 Dismal Reunion The granite house turned out very clean so he let her seated and somewhat conditioning his wife. " Guests would like to meet you today, the two of them. We''ll welcome them in and prepare for yourself, they''re special persons in your life. I''ve already met them both. So, is there any problem?" George smiled as he kissed her hands so gently and nestled them on his chest. " Troublesome heartbeats, such a wrong timing, this heart''s getting crazy again." He bowed down and smiled. " You...told me to prepare to meet our guests. George, you''ve got a problem." Then she paused and smirked while he slowly pulled her on his arms, succumb with their lovely chemistry and they were lost once more. Meanwhile, at the wooden house. " George''s shadow was lost on his way, where did he go?" Baldur stood up and even tried opening the secret door behind the cabinet. But found no one, not even his footsteps. Later, he got back to the receiving area and walked to and fro in front of Sibal and Edward. The folks just looked at him while Edward stopped and pacified him. " Hey, just calm down son, he''s just delayed, let''s just wait and he''ll gonna fetch us around." But minutes turned out hours and Edward has almost consumed a bowl of his peanuts that later Baldur removed it in front of him. " Hey, hey...Baldur, my peanuts." The Captain complained. " Dad...you kinda plan of consuming it all then afterwards your knees and joints all over will be in pain, just a taste of craving is enough. I can''t even count the peanut shells on the table. Next time again. Just a little of everything." Baldur explained. Edward was just silent while staring at the door, sensing the movement of it till someone showed up - its Amado that later collapsed after fully opening it. Sibal ran and put Amado''s arms on his shoulders and he laid him down on a long wooden chair at the receiving area. " Amado! Amado! what happened to you!" Then Albrecht came running, bringing his medical kit. In a while Baldur brought a pillow, lifted Amado''s head and put the pillow for his comfort. " He must be very tired." The Captain whispered. " Magee...Magee..." Amado''s words. " Oh my!" Albrecht stood up and instead of rescuing Amado he almost kick him. " Hey! hey! c''mon! don''t be too aggressive right away, let''s find out first. Me too, I''m kinda feeling stressed but look! look at him!" While in that scenario George arrived and right away moved closer to Amado. " Magee...Magee..." Amado whispered again. "What?" George stood up and his blood was rising. He walked outside the house and had a deep breathe. Baldur followed and pacified him. " George...he may never be on the right mind these days, let''s try to discover this fuzz, just be okay." Baldur then tapped his shoulder while seeing Narciso and Sibaya running towards them. " Sir, we''ll pick out Amado. He must be very tired and for days he hadn''t eaten yet. He also lacked sleep, don''t mind him mentioning your wife''s name, he''s...not into her. We''re also confused. But Amado''s a good man, I can attest." Then Narciso sat down on a driftwood where the lieutenant has seated while Baldur and Sibaya went inside the house. " Why he kept mentioning my wife''s name? Did he share to you the reason why? Did he...like my wife that much? I''m a man. I can understand if..." He was forced to stop from talking when Narciso intervened and spoke. " Your wife is beautiful he said, but, ." Narciso stopped with tongue tied. " What?" George raised his voice. " ...ah...Sir, if you want you can interrogate him when he''s in his proper mindset. Sibaya and I were just worried that''s why we came to bring him back to our place. We wanted to feed him some food and get rested, he hadn''t slept too and kept mentioning of "manong". In our dialect ''manong'' means "brother", elder brother to be precise." Narciso ended, stood up and excused himself to get inside and followed Sibaya. " What''s wrong with him." I don''t like him to keep looking and mentioning my wife''s name. It annoys me." He then tried to calm down himself by watching the main spring and its lovely noise flowing to the river. A little while, Sibaya and Narciso went out, carrying Amado heading to their place. George then got back inside and blankly joined with his family in the receiving area. George was sitting next to Sr. Sibal so the old man patted his shoulder. " Hmm, you may go back first to the granite house. We can''t visit there right now when you''re not feeling well, we understand." Sibal comforted him. " Ah, it''s okay am¨¢, anyway, Magee is waiting. She was even drying up some pillows and big blankets above the house, passing through the daylight optic. Accordingly, even if she never knew yet if who''s coming to visit her but she said you''ll gonna stay there and may sleep, for a longer chitchat. " That sounds great." Sibal stood up and grabbed Edward''s hand so to go up to the granite house. The three started to get inside the tunnel''s entrance and glided down. Minutes after, they reached the doorstep and to their dismay they found the center daylight optic hole open and the bar as secret door going down was opened. George ran to get down to the spiral staircase till he reached in front of the door. But there were hurrah of the Japs'' voice outside. He was in trouble, quickly ran up to the staircase and wore his uniform with complete stuffs on it. Sibal attempted to ask but Edward opted not, instead, they returned to the wooden house. George on the other hand passed through the daylight optic hole and crawled to look down, following the direction of the opponents'' voices. His blood almost blasted and sweats pouring on while seeing his wife held by almost four young soldiers, laughing and holding his wife''s long hair. Noticeably, Magee did not complain and he presumed she''d plans of escaping prior to reaching the barracks. But still, his anger seeing her shoulders and hair touched by men was ultimately madness on his part. Later then, he noticed one among them brought her behind the narra century old trees while the three were waiting under. He felt a little relaxed, a bit reassured that man pulling her wife behind couldn''t get out alive. But he was still worried, considering if she has her dagger. " She stopped tagging it below her when...oh God! Hope she had it. It''s almost half an hour when nobody got out so the three got bored. George continued to observe with tension as he never experienced within the battle ever since, but seeing his wife with that situation brought him a heavy heart. Then he saw the two soldiers followed to the place where he brought her then the two angrily shouted while moving out the dead body of the soldier who brought first his wife. He smiled and a bit pacified. " That''s my wife. The problem now is where did she run through, which direction?" In a minute, from the vantage above, he noticed the birds were disturbed north-west. It''s going to the Tikaban river fronting Gabok. He noticed the one soldier headed back to the river, the second followed below the place and the last one going to the barracks. If he would use the exit door it would be the fastest but he thought of the risk so he just ran above and slid down using the rope he was tagging along with him. When he was already on the ground, he covered up on a big tree and threw a stone to the soldier he was following. The young soldier turned his head and was citing his gun. His fierce heart pushed his courage to attack the opponent with his bare hands and turned the soldier''s neck into another direction. It''s already double kill if he stab the soldier so he just pulled the dead body along the river, fronting Gabok. Then he shouted. " Mag! Mag!" He was still worried, looking for his wife. " George! I''m here." He found her with the right leg filled with blood. " Were you stabbed?" He pityingly whispered looking at her, still smiling despite pain. He quickly carried her on his arms and when they we''re about to get back they''ve heard footsteps going them so he put her down safely beside the tree and waited for the footsteps to draw closer on him and when it happened, he attacked the enemy using his dagger. It was extremely a full paced attack where Magee had witnessed again. 114 Amados Secret Mission It was almost twilight when they got out from the woods while he carried her on his arms. " Hmm...what are you doing. You''re pressing my muscles just because you felt guilty for this afternoon''s ordeal, where I almost lose you, don''t you know that?" He sounded a bit angry. But she was just silent and hid her face as thickly covered by her hair and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, hey...don''t cry...shh...we''re almost on our door. Just keep hiding but don''t cry." When they reached on a rock button covered with dried leaves he stepped on it and the door was opened. It was very dark when they entered and he made sure to close it. They reached upstairs so tired but he bathe her without any resistance. " It''s a stab wound though it''s not really that deep. The bloodstains of that young soldier''s still on your dress, huh! this war hadn''t made any better. But what are these leaves you put on your wound that stopped the blood flow. It''s good. Hmm, it''s amazing!" " What? what''s amazing, the wound?" " No, nothing." He smiled at her. " I was so tired defending my self. But he was just as tall as I am, and frail too. It wasn''t his day as he was a bit comfortable since I hadn''t shouted nor complained. I talked of their language, it''s too little to get his trust and I guess my composure was enough as he put his gun, dagger and ammos while he undressed and..." " Enough! I''ll carry you back in our room." " Nothing had happened. Why are you upset?" " I didn''t even bother to ask, why are you telling me those things." " Just to ensure I am sharing the truth. I must not miss to tell you all, it musn''t be shredded events. You should have trusted me , I believed it''s better you hear all these things from me rather than people would. Perhaps, you need to listen too." " And why you were there outside. I told you to hide here. It''s wartime. It was the mitigating factor, if not with your presence they haven''t found you, you''re not hurt this way. " The blanket was flown away by the heavy wind when I attempted to dry it up there. I hurriedly went down to pick it up but I saw the Japs coming and all I just did was to heavily step the rock on the ground so to close the door while they were running to catch me. It was maybe a mistake - but I couldn''t correct it anymore. He turned around while still seated on the edge of their bed while she''s changing. "Hakanori is there in the barracks right now. They were planning to search people in the wilderness." But he was very quiet as he bowed his head. It was the after shock. After changing, she seated beside him and held his hand. " We shouldn''t fight. I''m as angry as you are, not towards you ,- but to this ravaging war. I''m very sorry for getting out. I almost forgot it''s wartime as I casually got out to pick it up. George, I''m very sorry. Don''t be upset now, please." 114 Blanket as the Culpri It was almost twilight when they got out from the woods while he carried her on his arms. " Hmm...what are you doing. You''re pressing my muscles just because you felt guilty for this afternoon''s ordeal, where I almost lose you, don''t you know that?" He sounded a bit angry. But she was just silent and hid her face as thickly covered by her hair and wrapped her arms around him. "Hey, hey...don''t cry...shh...we''re almost on our door. Just keep hiding but don''t cry." When they reached on a rock button covered with dried leaves he stepped on it and the door was opened. It was very dark when they entered and he made sure to close it. They reached upstairs so tired but he bathe her without any resistance. " It''s a stab wound though it''s not really that deep. The bloodstains of that young soldier''s still on your dress, huh! this war hadn''t made any better. But what are these leaves you put on your wound that stopped the blood flow. It''s good. Hmm, it''s amazing!" " What? what''s amazing, the wound?" " No, nothing." He smiled at her. " I was so tired defending my self. But he was just as tall as I am, and frail too. It wasn''t his day as he was a bit comfortable since I hadn''t shouted nor complained. I talked of their language, it''s too little to get his trust and I guess my composure was enough as he put his gun, dagger and ammos while he undressed and..." " Enough! I''ll carry you back in our room." " Nothing had happened. Why are you upset?" " I didn''t even bother to ask, why are you telling me those things." " Just to ensure I am sharing the truth. I must not miss to tell you all, it musn''t be shredded events. You should have trusted me , I believed it''s better you hear all these things from me rather than people would. Perhaps, you need to listen too." " And why you were there outside. I told you to hide here. It''s wartime. It was the mitigating factor, if not with your presence they haven''t found you, you''re not hurt this way. " The blanket was flown away by the heavy wind when I attempted to dry it up there. I hurriedly went down to pick it up but I saw the Japs coming and all I just did was to heavily step the rock on the ground so to close the door while they were running to catch me. It was maybe a mistake - but I couldn''t correct it anymore. He turned around while still seated on the edge of their bed while she''s changing. "Hakanori is there in the barracks right now. They were planning to search people in the wilderness. That soldier shared it, he thought he could silence me." But he was very quiet as he bowed his head. It was the aftermath. Outright changing, she seated beside him and held his hand. " We shouldn''t fight. I''m as angry as you are, not towards you ,- but to this ravaging war. I''m very sorry for getting out. I almost forgot it''s wartime as I casually got out to pick up the blanket. George, I''m very sorry. Don''t be upset now, please." " So...where''s the blanket now. I saw you holding it even when you were already captured." He smiled. " I left it in the scene, it''s filled with blood, because of that blanket his dagger didn''t hit me this deep. So, have you forgiven me." She sighed looking straight to the fireflies, shedding them light. Then he gazed at her on side view and spoke. " No, not anymore. It''s not really being angry at you, it''s just, that feeling that your loved one was struggling and you can''t do anything, the situation itself was so compromising. But just wanted to tell you this, I trusted you a lot. That''s why when one of them pulled you it made me a little relaxed. I knew he couldn''t get out alive. You are not anymore a civilian but a guerrilla." He smiled while lifting her hand and put it on his face. " You''re towing my ego in the skies, haha! Hmm, yes - I am a guerrilla. I already conditioned my mind to fight. I have so much to ask God later. My frail hands have been into fights. I hope the heavens will forgive everyone of us, fighting or not, this land is ours. We''re not foreigners here, remember that." " I have goosebumps with your statements, haha." Then he hugged her gently but naughtily and she spoke. " Hey, the guests...it''s long been overdue." She smiled and intervened his desire. " Oh dear! yes. I need to bath and pick them up. Wait here, don''t you ever follow." He teased her while going out from room number 3. Meanwhile, at the wooden house. " George! what happened? Albrecht and I were there after Dad and Sr. Sibal told us about it. We''re all tensed but they told us to stay foot. How is it, tell us." " She silenced one and I spanked two." But one of them survived. Magee''s okay now despite a stab wound." " Again." Albrecht murmured. " Yeah. But anyway, Dad, Am¨¢...I guess we''ll go now, she''s waiting up there. She even planned of just going here, but her wound needs a little rest." " Yeah, it''s okay, let''s finally proceed." Sr. Sibal smirked. When they reached the granite house and as they opened the door, Magee was at the receiving area beside the bar and happily saw her guests. "Lolo! Dad!" You George should have told me who my guests are, haha! What a day...oh!" Magee attempted to stand but the folks just moved closer to her. " Hey, hey...don''t move, haha!" Sibal nestled his ha d on her head as he took their hands to ask for blessings through ''mano po.'' " Wow! you''re so grown-up now, Magee. I''m happy seeing you already tied up to this handsome lieutenant around." The Captain smiled. " Yeah, yeah...and so, you wouldn''t like to hear tikbalang and aswang stories now, haha. Great Lord! you looked better and have gained a little weight this time - good. I''m happy for you, anak. Awon da sana kanak apo kisom ha. ( Hopefully, I must have a grandchild tomorrow, ha.) Then Magee pinched her Lolo Sibal''s shirt and was awkwardly smiling. Since George and Edward didn''t understand what they were saying so they just smiled. "Dad, I now remember having seen you many times at the dormitory. You were one of the expert fencers, thanks for guarding me out there. Lolo Sibal''s journal was very informative, we discovered so many secrets because of it including your years of being there with me. But what a waste,you blocked me in the armed forces but still thankful to you Dad." " Haha! you brave girl, you couldn''t be a soldier, I don''t like to risk your charm with us. Your brothers, husband and I are military men. Just stay in your beautiful granite house and obviously a rumor reached to me that you are busy knitting and sewing things. It''s a nice diversion and besides your husband will be relaxed, leaving you safely inside." The night turned out longer as they chatted and George excused her from them for a rest. When the three of them sat down, Edward moved closer to the bar and meticulously looked at the bottles surrounded by something on its cover. "Hey son, what did you do to the wine bottles, haha " Edward commented. "I''m sure Magee did it, not George. She''s doing that at home before when her brothers were trying to consume the guava jelly in our jars, haha! that silly girl, it isn''t George, I know." George just smiled and grabbed a bottle of wine then offered it to his dads, then a second bottle followed by next after series of chitchat . It was midnight when the two stopped from chatting and George just aided them for a walk towards the doorless master''s bedroom. Then he joined with his wife on bed, asking. But she was in deep sleep after a day''s fight and has heard - nothing. 115 Amados Secret Mission "Ahhh!" Magee shouted. " Shhhh...I''m dressing your wound. Quiet, the folks are still sleeping." George whispered while dipping some cotton on a watery ointment. " Ha? what time is it now?" She slowly leaned on her pillow and trying to push his shoulder for a momentum so her back could fully settle. " It''s already 10 o''clock in the morning." " Huh! I slept too much. Hmm, I smelled a wine. Did you..." " Yes." He winked an eye on her where she could not further nag as he sheepishly looked at her. It''s positive. She took a deep breathe and smiled. " I''ll prepare for lunch since it''s almost midday. " She tried to stand up but he put her back on bed. " It''s all done. I prepared everything." He smirked while she bowed her head. " You should have worried too much." " Mag, can I ask a favor." " What''s that." She smiled and was a bit surprised with his mood. " One of my men has a problem, it''s Amado. He kept mentioning your name and have even risked his life just to find you. With my consent and of course I''ll stay beside you, can I show you to him so to find out if what he''s so worried about. Or is he feeling, hah! it''s daytime, nothing to worry, your brothers, Dad, Am¨¢ Sibal and I will be there. It''s just that we''ll help him or know exactly about his intentions. Do you remember the time he kept giving you camote leaves'' juice? you were also annoyed by those gestures. I guess this is so timely when his eagerness to see you really overwhelmed us all there." " Really? was he looking for me so badly? Hmm, what was it all about, I''m confused. Alright, we''ll go to the wooden house after lunch. I understand your point. How about the folks, if you wake them up they might be disturbed." " But it''s not good for them to sleep too much. I''ll go and wake them up while you may take a bath. Wait, I''ll carry you there first." While Magee was bathing George woke up Edward and Sibal. " Aha! my headache!" Sibal smiled while Edward urged him to go back to the wooden house. " But your lunch? I''ve prepared it already." " No worries son, we''ll have it there with the brothers." Then they left. After lunch, Magee and George left the granite house, carried his wife carefully but when they''ve reached the dark tunnel, he took advantage of it and the walking time was delayed again. Eventually, they reached the wooden house past 3 o''clock and everyone did not expect for them to come. Albrecht was running and was very happy to see her sister . " Why you''re so pale with a tangled hair? Ah, your wound gave you a miserable look now, huh!" Then Magee looked sharply to George but he smiled with innocence and tied his wife''s hair with his hanky Baldur then arrived and gleefully greeted her. "Welcome back home, Mag." But your wound that Dad had told us, bear it. I know you can." George moved closer to Baldur and requested Amado to join them that afternoon. 116 Sr. Sibals Horrendous Suffering He opened the granite door facing the sea, it was cloudy and the misty sea waves splashed on the rocky shore like his inexplicable tears, dainty and heartbreaking. " Lolita...you should have listened. Now that people knew the truth. I can truthfully smile. Perhaps, God led this poor guy to come out and give me this gift of freedom. God loves me...He never allowed me to die without justice. Thank you Lord for making me strong - after 28 long years. You are a living omnipotent God. Thank you." He cried so hard while watching the horizon, pouring out the last pains he''d stored for decades. Minutes after, George came in and hugged him tight. " Am¨¢, spare my parents and have mercy on us. If only I can endure your pains the way you did, I wanted to keep it''s share just to lighten up your burden. I''m back not just for Magee but for you too, I''m not going anywhere...I''ll serve you again as your little George, I want you to make some toys for my children too and hang out with us in the granite house. You are a great father to me." George was filled with tears. Sibal smiled on him and wiped his tears with his fingers. " No worries, son. I''m just very happy knowing everything is in place now. You don''t need to live as payback, Magee did it for years and Edward secretly suffered too. When I see Edward, I lost anger with Chuck. It''s how kindness multiply but I want your lives to settle for good. You and Magee shall start anew, ours had been else''s past that no one cares to remember." He smiled and closed the granite door. While on their way back to the wooden house Sibal felt he could awesomely breath normally unlike when he was at San Agustin and lived like a hermit. They reached in the wooden house and saw Amado still on his bowed head and Sibal went closer, seated beside him and tapped his shoulder. " I''m your Manong, it''s Manong Sibal. The male monkey was as big as you. If I did not trigger it with my shotgun, I preempted it could jump to both of you so fast. So I shot it. Lolita saw me on act and found some blood below the tree, the monkey had escaped too. She thought I shot you for stealing, although as a child, you both took some small sacks. She thought I shot both of you because of it. Then that was the beginning of her vengeance. She tempted, marry me but has loved and have kids with another man. Though, it''s something that I understand for 28 years. Now, I want you to relax, get back to life and you are forgiven, Amado." St. Sibal smiled at him. " Manong...salamat (thank you)." Amado emotionally took Sibal''s hand and put it on his head and added, "Thank you for killing the monkey who would have jumped and killed us." He continued to sob as everyone went out and allowed the two to get a moment of peace. 117 Japs in San Agustin It was already 2200 hrs when the group of soldiers and guerrillas who volunteered to climb with the Captain uphill immediately went down and summoned everyone to be ready and attentive since they found some of the Japs were heading towards Gabok. Baldur then ran at the granite house and knocked on the door. When George opened it, he immediately emerged and told him to be ready. They blew all the candles and Baldur was looking for Magee. " Where"s Magee?" Baldur asked. " Ah, she''s in the comfort room,." " Alright, I have to get back to the wooden house and prepare our men. Just don''t go down, leave it to us when the Captain is around, okay, bye for now." Then Baldur left George locked the door and proceeded immediately inside the reciprocal mirror closed it properly then opened the sliding door towards room #2 and found her sitting, looking up to the fireflies. " What are you doing?" He smiled. " Watching our pets gathering. Anyway, who came in and immediately left?" She asked. " Its Baldur, he informed us that there are Japs patrolling below us. They suspected the Japs are heading towards Gabok guerrillas'' gateway by the river." " That''s alarming. I''m sometimes so scared, thinking it''s wartime.." Magee sighed. " You don''t need to worry at all. You''re safe here. Well, it''s midnight, let''s go to sleep." Magee smiled and teased him. " Sorry for my brothers this afternoon. They recognized you doing stupid things sometimes, haha!" " What did you say?" He smilingly whispered and he curled on her while the Japs passed by below. " Oh God, let those Japs pass and leave this place. I don''t like my wife being scared." He thought. Half an hour had passed, Magee has her sound sleep after George applied some ointment on her wound. A loud burst of mortar again had stricken the Gabok area from the border. Magee then suddenly woke up and he was holding her forehead. " Shh....get back to sleep, Mag. It''s alright, those are just loud bursts from afar." " I''m scared.. the sound''s too close from here." She whispered back. He then lie down and stayed by her side, looking at her while holding her hands and put them on his face - till she fell asleep. He stood up and lighted a candle and got back beside her. " You must not be stressed my beautiful wife, we''re waiting for someone special to come. That little one makes my life more exciting. Sleep now my dear...I''ll wake you very late tomorrow. Sleep tight, I love you very much." Then he kissed her forehead. Another blast occurred but he was holding her hands and put her head on his chest as she deeply slept. It was 0200 hrs when the mortar blasts stopped and the Japs were marching and chanting while passing by their place. " Go march and chant as far as you can...leave our place behind." He thought angrily at the soldiers while gently embracing her. Appallingly, he retired to sleep in an hour after the Japs passed by. In the morning, he woke up first at around 0900 hrs and left her still asleep. He opened the daylight optic holes and graciously giving them sunlight then he cleaned up a little and took a bath. At the wooden house, Sr. Sibal went to Fr. Matias and found him under the smoky angel fruit trees. "Fr. Matias, it''s good to see you around, it''s me." " Sr. Sibal ! haha! good to see you too. Come, there''s an empty sack here, you may sit down." " You''re planting angel fruit trees." " No, it''s George''s angel fruit trees. He stopped visiting here in a while so I took good care all of these. I''ve heard his wife isn''t feeling well, so I just give a hand for these for more than a week now so that when he gets back, he''ll see them still in good shape." The priest smiled. " Thank you Fr. Matias. But it will maybe take in a while before he can get back on farming, her wife was stabbed by one of the Japs'' soldiers." " Mighty heaven! how she''s doing now? hope she''ll recover quickly, it must be very painful for a frail woman like her. Huh! this war''s not getting any better at all. A lot of lives has been tormented." " Yeah, hope it will end up soon." Sibal added. After their conversation, the old man went back to the wooden house and spotted Amado, motioning towards him. " Manong, have you seen the Lieutenant?" " Ah, I haven''t seen him yet today." " Why?" " I need to ask permission that we need to tightly close the granite entrance gate. Since at 0200 hrs this morning, our guards on duty have noticed that the Japs stopped on our entrance, though, they never knew what they''re doing outside." " That sounds intriguing. What do you think are they doing?" " I don''t have any idea either. Perhaps, it''s a warning to all of us. They maybe sensed something." " Its maybe because the three of their men were killed outside yesterday." " Who did it?" " Magee, the Lieutenant''s wife killed one of them and the lieutenant himself knocked out two from their soldiers. One of them, the fourth, had escaped that maybe spilled and reported that a woman has killed their comrade. They first noticed that Magee stabbed the first soldier and they even recovered its body after her disappearance. So they all thought that the ghosts killing of their soldiers was that with that woman. They suspected this place since they found Magee in the vicinity." " She''s really one of a kind." He smiled. " Manong, did you train her to be like a jungle girl before." " No. It was her way of life. Hmm, maybe the everyday farm, poultry and swine swine activities. We have goats, horses and carabaos. She''s the in-charge. Everyday she met a problem. Missing, injured, seeing them bled and suffered, rescuing and running to settle them all at night. She climbed most often and wakes up to start the day with it. During school days, still, she attended well on her assignment in the farm and all sorts." " She''s beautiful, of course awesomely beautiful, but she doesn''t look like a woman to me." He smiled once more. He never knew George was behind him. "Haha! and why?" Sr. Sibal laughed while noticing George eavesdropping. " She stabbed me once so quickly while we had a physical training in station one. She doesn''t look like lovely unlike my Se?orita, so womanly. Magee is so strict and smart, I hate smart women. They think so advance and it makes me so uncomfortable. I like my Se?orita, she''s innocent and lovely, intelligent and harmless." " Haha!" George appeared from nowhere. " Sir! where you there 117 Japs Patrolling It was already 2200 hrs when the group of soldiers and guerrillas who volunteered to climb with the Captain uphill immediately went down and summoned everyone to be ready and attentive since they found some of the Japs were heading towards Gabok. Baldur then ran at the granite house and knocked on the door. When George opened it, he immediately emerged and told him to be ready. They blew all the candles and Baldur was looking for Magee. " Where"s Magee?" Baldur asked. " Ah, she''s in the comfort room,." " Alright, I have to get back to the wooden house and prepare our men. Just don''t go down, leave it to us when the Captain is around, okay, bye for now." Then Baldur left George locked the door and proceeded immediately inside the reciprocal mirror closed it properly then opened the sliding door towards room #2 and found her sitting, looking up to the fireflies. " What are you doing?" He smiled. " Watching our pets gathering. Anyway, who came in and immediately left?" She asked. " Its Baldur, he informed us that there are Japs patrolling below us. They suspected the Japs are heading towards Gabok guerrillas'' gateway by the river." " That''s alarming. I''m sometimes so scared, thinking it''s wartime.." Magee sighed. " You don''t need to worry at all. You''re safe here. Well, it''s midnight, let''s go to sleep." Magee smiled and teased him. " Sorry for my brothers this afternoon. They recognized you doing stupid things sometimes, haha!" " What did you say?" He smilingly whispered and he curled on her while the Japs passed by below. " Oh God, let those Japs pass and leave this place. I don''t like my wife being scared." He thought. Half an hour had passed, Magee has her sound sleep after George applied some ointment on her wound. A loud burst of mortar again had stricken the Gabok area from the border. Magee then suddenly woke up and he was holding her forehead. " Shh....get back to sleep, Mag. It''s alright, those are just loud bursts from afar." " I''m scared.. the sound''s too close from here." She whispered back. He then lie down and stayed by her side, looking at her while holding her hands and put them on his face - till she fell asleep. He stood up and lighted a candle and got back beside her. " You must not be stressed my beautiful wife, we''re waiting for someone special to come. That little one makes my life more exciting. Sleep now my dear...I''ll wake you very late tomorrow. Sleep tight, I love you very much." Then he kissed her forehead. Another blast occurred but he was holding her hands and put her head on his chest as she deeply slept. It was 0200 hrs when the mortar blasts stopped and the Japs were marching and chanting while passing by their place. " Go march and chant as far as you can...leave our place behind." He thought angrily at the soldiers while gently embracing her. Appallingly, he retired to sleep in an hour after the Japs passed by. In the morning, he woke up first at around 0900 hrs and left her still asleep. He opened the daylight optic holes and graciously giving them sunlight then he cleaned up a little and took a bath. At the wooden house, Sr. Sibal went to Fr. Matias and found him under the smoky angel fruit trees. "Fr. Matias, it''s good to see you around, it''s me." " Sr. Sibal ! haha! good to see you too. Come, there''s an empty sack here, you may sit down." " You''re planting angel fruit trees." " No, it''s George''s angel fruit trees. He stopped visiting here in a while so I took good care all of these. I''ve heard his wife isn''t feeling well, so I just give a hand for these for more than a week now so that when he gets back, he''ll see them still in good shape." The priest smiled. " Thank you Fr. Matias. But it will maybe take in a while before he can get back on farming, her wife was stabbed by one of the Japs'' soldiers." " Mighty heaven! how she''s doing now? hope she''ll recover quickly, it must be very painful for a frail woman like her. Huh! this war''s not getting any better at all. A lot of lives has been tormented." " Yeah, hope it will end up soon." Sibal added. After their conversation, the old man went back to the wooden house and spotted Amado, motioning towards him. " Manong, have you seen the Lieutenant?" " Ah, I haven''t seen him yet today." " Why?" " I need to ask permission that we need to tightly close the granite entrance gate. Since at 0200 hrs this morning, our guards on duty have noticed that the Japs stopped on our entrance, though, they never knew what they''re doing outside." " That sounds intriguing. What do you think are they doing?" " I don''t have any idea either. Perhaps, it''s a warning to all of us. They maybe sensed something." " Its maybe because the three of their men were killed outside yesterday." " Who did it?" " Magee, the Lieutenant''s wife killed one of them and the lieutenant himself knocked out two from their soldiers. One of them, the fourth, had escaped that maybe spilled and reported that a woman has killed their comrade. They first noticed that Magee stabbed the first soldier and they even recovered its body after her disappearance. So they all thought that the ghosts killing of their soldiers was that with that woman. They suspected this place since they found Magee in the vicinity." " She''s really one of a kind." He smiled. " Manong, did you train her to be like a jungle girl before." " No. It was her way of life. Hmm, maybe the everyday farm, poultry and swine swine activities. We have goats, horses and carabaos. She''s the in-charge. Everyday she met a problem. Missing, injured, seeing them bled and suffered, rescuing and running to settle them all at night. She climbed most often and wakes up to start the day with it. During school days, still, she attended well on her assignment in the farm and all sorts." " She''s beautiful, of course awesomely beautiful, but she doesn''t look like a woman to me." He smiled once more. He never knew George was behind him. "Haha! and why?" Sr. Sibal laughed while noticing George eavesdropping. " She stabbed me once so quickly while we had a physical training in station one. She doesn''t look like lovely unlike my Se?orita, so womanly. Magee is so strict and smart, I hate smart women. They think so advance and it makes me so uncomfortable. I like my Se?orita, she''s innocent and lovely, intelligent and harmless." " Haha!" George appeared from nowhere. " Sir! where you there 118 Battle in Between Gabok Guerrillas and the Japs " Mag, I have something to tell you." " What is that, c''mon...you looked so bothered. Here, you sit beside me." Then George one by one shared what he has heard from Amado and in the middle he assessed. " He''s neither into just asking forgiveness. He''s comparing you to his Se?orita. But as a man, I know it doesn''t look like this way. I had in mind of Amado''s inner agendum here. If he mentioned that woman twice, maybe he has a problem with her, sort of. It seems he''s interested of her but he wanted to annoy Sr. Sibal and I. I felt he knew already that I was so close to him while he was talking against you but he persisted, hmm...he seems conditioning us to trust him more but internally he wants you. For what reason, I don''t know. Though, that''s something I need to discover. " Wow, that''s my husband. I''m impressed on how you kept your composure and calmness. His gesture of doing it is provocative, good that you weren''t electrified with anger. He must be shaky with his plans now." She smiled and tagged her arms around him as she leaned her head on his shoulder. " Hmm, what is this all about." Then he laughed and caressed her hair. She''s very quiet then spoke. " Thank you, for sharing me issues like this, even to the littlest, this can help us prosper in our relationship. Who knows, if worst comes to worst at least, we have synchronization of ideas at times when it''s difficult for us to talk due to emergencies, better that we are sharing things like this now - it''s helping to reset and reverse things." " Haha! what a serious talk. Hmm...supposed a worst scenario comes where I hope nothing would come like that, let me hear your tactics, haha! say it, let me hear." " Hmm, I will go with him supposed he will abduct me. I''m sure he''d be stronger and more prepared than I am. Then instead of shouting, I''d rather keep silent and will tempt him.." She stopped when he immediately stood up, but she pulled him back . " Mag.,..It might be dangerous, supposed it''s....huh! okay, okay...and then..." " And then...I''ll tell him that George and I were just married but our beds are separated. Don''t you know that he was once listening and just disguised to give me a mug of an extracted juice after I was stabbed by Guida''s brother. But the thing is, he was spying on our separate beds. Its believable, and if he thought I''m harmful, haha! perhaps he would think that until now we still have our separate beds. Then if he do believe then it would be his verdict. My country need no traitors and if he will abduct me, he''s a traitor." She sounded so serious. " C''mon...we''re just joking for possibilities, don''t get mad at him yet. What''s important is, he cannot be trusted. Hmm, calm down. Look at me harmless woman." Then he smiled as he pinched a little of his ear while they''re both laughing. In an hour, the Captain''s team went up to the mountain top and Albrecht had to use his binoculars. " Wow, they''re too many, where are they going?" Albrecht asked the Captain. " That''s something I''d like to ask you too." The Captain smiled to Baldur. It was already on the 2nd week of August of 1942 when the gnashing sound of mortars and canons awakened the sleeping river between Gabok and Kabang. Some of the Japs crossed the river through the log, holding on the hanging rope. Sadly, they used bayonets to the civilians they caught, those were the survivors from their previous attack aside from those who were retrieved and joined the lost commando but we''re also victims and died of ''amok'' by one of the depressed Gabok survivors. Up at the granite house, the couple went up to see the place where the Japs had attacked. The fireballs and smokes were released like hell and George just let her lie flat on the granite surface as he did; holding her hand while stargazing . The blasts became more louder " The stars are outnumbered now." He said. " Yes. They''re beautiful." " I want you to feel my heart in them, the way how they shine. Feel it, if you hear what you see, follow it''s rhythm through it''s brightest lifht - it''s me, loving you so gently and softly and at its purest. She was looking at him, smiling. " You always know how to calm down my tensions - so sweet of you my husband." As she softly pressed his hand. Then they''ve heard the exchange of gunfires. " They tried to fight back, they never knew the opponents have everything to fire at them tonight." She cried and sobbed. They couldn''t survive, I know. I guess they''re the last batch...and the remaining few." She sobbed while her husband drew closer to give her a sweet embrace. " Don''t worry, God will welcome their spirits as they surrender their pains out of this painful and unfair war. Just look at the stars, Mag...look up, when you do it, the world is amazingly wondrous. Nothing can be seen but the mighty creation that God has given us. Baldur have shared me that the night before he marry Amanda. We were stargazing and Albrecht was so drunk, Baldur told me that sometimes we need not to consider our defeat nor our victory, but the time for being alive. Those who will win on this war will still die when their time comes. Those who will be defeated, likewise will suffer death. In both ways, we landed to death. So now, let''s give the best moment for love and for each other. The Gabok Guerrillas'' have fought so hard face to face with their enemies, it''s their way of defending this land. For me, they''re great heroes. No one has a ledger of their names, they don''t have any records...but still when they closed their eyes, no one knew that my wife shed tears and recited a silent prayer in memory of their souls. They are lucky. Someone from afar has recognized their heroism and they''ll be in the logbook of Baldur tomorrow - as unknown Filipino heroes. The bravest Guerrillas'' of the orient. We saw them and were witnesses on how they fought, so scary...they approached the enemies without shields nor powerful guns. 119 A Flower on Her Palm "Inhale slowly, exhale...look! the sky becomes more brighter - their spirits has risen now. The gunfires had stopped, the Gabok guerrillas are happy now." George said. She smiled at him as he wiped her tears. " Open your palm." He whispered. " Why?" " Just open it, I''ll give you something." When she opened her palm, he put a white daisy flower on it, closed it and he sealed it with a kiss. " Shh...they''re passing by. The Japs are chanting again and George could feel how victorious they were. He then covered her mouth with his hand as she was very still through his warm palm. Moments later, there was silence. The fogs gathered like cotton candies on mountain tops as they were chilling. George removed his hand from covering her mouth then they glided in the hole straight to the barracks. It''s already midnight when they reached inside their bedroom - in room # 3. The fireflies were there and the cozy flowing water added more attraction to the room. " Is it alright for you if I visit our family for a while and get some updates. I''m sure Dad''s thinking of some plans after the entrance gate was tightly locked. Moreover, the attack tonight presses us in a hard way. So, I can only take my exit if you''re asleep, not yet now." He smiled. " You may - it''s your job, besides, I''m already sleepy." " Good. I''ll wait till you forget the monotonous sound you''ve heard tonight from afar. Just listen to the flowing water around." He was watching her closes her eyes, smiling." " I submit my self for hypnotism, if it makes me better, hmm." She smiled while lighted by the candle beside their bed. " That''s it, Mag, everything''s alright." Then she put a blanket on her and kissed her forehead before he left, heading to the wooden house. At 0100 hrs he reached chillingly and saw his father-in-law with the brothers and Sr. Sibal. " Here''s George." Albrecht announced. " Come on, son. We''re thinking of the next ''what ifs, if someone from the Japs will get the same experience, murdered by a woman at that, they''ll eventually turn to another direction because Gabok troop fell into their hands already. So, just tightly guard Magee, I tell you." The Captain smiled. " That''s true, she could transform that granite door into a rubber mat, hah! that woman." Sr. Sibal smiled. " She had no option that''s why she protected her self that way, it resorted to stabbing that soldier. It''s also my fault because I left her." George sighed. " Oh dear! somewhat I''ve heard that line two-three months ago, it''s coming back." Albrecht blankly stated. "Hey! he''s the husband, what do you expect him to say. That''s love." Baldur seconded. " Huh! you two, keep quiet. This is a serious matter that we have to attend to. Hmm, unless if she''d be pregnant, she can''t escape just to hunt some Japs." " Indeed, I''m also excited to make toys for a baby. I''m reminded of someone in the past who knocked my head with his toys. So I want her to be pregnant as soon as possible, it''s pretty mandatory and with that she can''t lobby around." Sr. Sibal jokily said " Wow! I''m interestingly fried on a pan. You guys teamed up and tickled me this early, I guess I need to get back up there and sleep." The George smiled. He ran quickly and the men behind were laughing. " Hmm, there he goes. So, Baldur what have you suggested beforehand?" " Ah, I said maybe we need to be updated with the activities and plans of another Guerrillas in the neighboring places. Dad, I need to bring men along with me to manuever the Japs'' den too, we''ll do it for a week. Indeed, what had happened tonight sounds alarming, they seemed starting to sweep us around, who knows they already have plans against us,we must be very careful." " Baldur, shh, it''s risky." Albrecht intervened. " we''ll manuever every night time alone. " But still, you can''t be sure where you''re heading yet. Stay! we can directly fight with the Japs on our own, it''s proven already." Albrecht''s voice raised a little. " Hmm...I still think of that Baldur, just let me sleep first after being onslaught with lethal sound of weapons. Let''s get rested and better talk about it again tomorrow, okay?" The Captain ordered. Both Sibal and the Captain smiled before they entered the bedroom. " The eldest is correct. The younger one was just convinced by Amado, I''ve heard them chatting while we were hiding, watching the Japs from the mountain top. It''s Amado who kept convincing him. What do you think?" Edward asked. " Probably. Okay, I''ll go retire on bed now. Good night. Just twist your mind tomorrow again, buddy." Sr. Sibal smiled. 120 Siblings Serious Conversation A month after, Magee got up early, took a bath outside and grabbed a spoonful of boiled green beans mixed with sugar. After being in a hurry to finish a small bowl of it, she quickly opened the door going out, thinking that George was still in the wooden house so she ran going down there, bringing a towel, his husband''s shirt and pants. She never knew that George was just in room # 6 - and has just finished bathing after visiting room # 7. So when Magee closed the granite door, George heard a little of its noise so he tried checking his wife in their bedroom but found no one. It was enough for him to be in a rush to follow her without knowing that he only had worn pants and shirtless. He went first to the smiling skull cave then back to the underground northeast room, but failed to find her so he went out to the wooden house. The people in the kitchen inclusive of the Captain, Sr. Sibal, Baldur, Albrecht and of course - Magee, were astounded into how he appeared like a speed of light in front of them while enjoying their late breakfast. Everyone were silent looking at him putting his hands on knees and only Magee had a broader smile and whispered. " Wow..." She was glued looking at him and it seems he was worth - staring at the moment. While the four men surrounding the table turned their heads in a military way that caught her shimmering smile. " My...goodness...no comment." Albrecht blurted while sipping some mushroom soup. The folks were just so timid on commenting neither Baldur was so understanding on not to react. But the ambiance filled a couple of teases when she stood up and pulled him to sit by her side - and it''s too close, take note. Since the husband was also shocked by her gesture but the more when she raised his spoon and scooped some sprouted beans then slowly fed him - so sweetly smiling. Afterwards she divided the sweet potatoes and used the spoon to pick a chunk of it and fed him again. Everyone was astounded and they even stopped like statues, looking at her while George winked an eye to Baldur signaling to everyone on not to disturb his wife from what she''s doing. So they all one by one stood up, leaving the couple like love birds. Although they all vacated from the table but Albrecht just stood up beside the kitchen door, still wondering on how her sister was so attached to him like a magnet. Then on, George couldn''t almost swallow everything she fed after being instantaneous of doing it. " Were you looking for me? I thought you''re here so I brought you your shirt, pants and towel. Hmm, anyway, here, I separated the mushroom from its soup as I know you like this so ....I''m excited you''ll eat these." Then she smiled while looking at him as she wiped his sweats. " She''s...experiencing a pica and probably starts to conceive right now, I presume, haha! I need to observe to get it more clearer. Great heavens! I''m so excited! But she''s...she''s making me as the subject of her pica, that''s the problem. How''s my job? if she''ll acting like this all the time then I can''t do anything anymore. Hmm...but anyway, haha! I love this! Yeah, she''s very sweet..oh my...perfect!" He smiled while she handed to him the mug filled with water. " Hmm...why, why you''re looking at me that way?" " Mag, are you pregnant? No, no...I''ll help you answer that. I''ll ask you questions and you need to recall the number of days but don''t worry, I can recall, yeah, of course." He stuttered and titillatingly smiled. " Ah...really? how do I know." She was also excited. " I guess we need to return to our house immediately so that we can maturely talk about this." " You''re right, but don''t go away next time without me knowing your whereabouts. Just...just stay by my side, always. Okay, let''s go up now." Then she leaned her head on his shoulder, curled his hands on his arm like a month old girlfriend and started their walk under. " Hmm, and why you wanted to tag me along with you always?" " ...on not to miss seeing you every now and then, your face, your smile and I can hold you dear." " Oh my, is this the payback of my long suffering? haha! I want her pica to last for a lifetime. But interestingly, our firstborn is pro- Daddy, haha!" He thought and suddenly picked her softly and carry her on his arms. " How about this." He smirked and consulted her but she pretended sleeping already and immobile. " What? you''re sleeping already? Haha! gracious heavens! What would I do with you for being unconscious after a couple of minutes. " He was laughing on her style and when they reached in room number three she right away put her on bed. " What? she''s really sleeping on my arms going here?" 120 Magees Pregnan A month after, Magee got up early, took a bath outside and grabbed a spoonful of boiled green beans mixed with sugar. After being in a hurry to finish a small bowl of it, she quickly opened the door going out, thinking that George was still in the wooden house so she ran going down there, bringing a towel, his husband''s shirt and pants. She never knew that George was just in room # 6 - and has just finished bathing after visiting room # 7. So when Magee closed the granite door, George heard a little of its noise so he tried checking his wife in their bedroom but found no one. It was enough for him to be in a rush to follow her without knowing that he only had worn pants and shirtless. He went first to the smiling skull cave then back to the underground northeast room, but failed to find her so he went out to the wooden house. The people in the kitchen inclusive of the Captain, Sr. Sibal, Baldur, Albrecht and of course - Magee, were astounded into how he appeared like a speed of light in front of them while enjoying their late breakfast. Everyone were silent looking at him putting his hands on knees and only Magee had a broader smile and whispered. " Wow..." She was glued looking at him and it seems he was worth - staring at the moment. While the four men surrounding the table turned their heads in a military way that caught her shimmering smile. " My...goodness...no comment." Albrecht blurted while sipping some mushroom soup. The folks were just so timid on commenting neither Baldur was so understanding on not to react. But the ambiance filled a couple of teases when she stood up and pulled him to sit by her side - and it''s too close, take note. Since the husband was also shocked by her gesture but the more when she raised his spoon and scooped some sprouted beans then slowly fed him - so sweetly smiling. Afterwards she divided the sweet potatoes and used the spoon to pick a chunk of it and fed him again. Everyone was astounded and they even stopped like statues, looking at her while George winked an eye to Baldur signaling to everyone on not to disturb his wife from what she''s doing. So they all one by one stood up, leaving the couple like love birds. Although they all vacated from the table but Albrecht just stood up beside the kitchen door, still wondering on how her sister was so attached to him like a magnet. Then on, George couldn''t almost swallow everything she fed after being instantaneous of doing it. " Were you looking for me? I thought you''re here so I brought you your shirt, pants and towel. Hmm, anyway, here, I separated the mushroom from its soup as I know you like this so ....I''m excited you''ll eat these." Then she smiled while looking at him as she wiped his sweats. " She''s...experiencing a pica and probably starts to conceive right now, I presume, haha! I need to observe to get it more clearer. Great heavens! I''m so excited! But she''s...she''s making me as the subject of her pica, that''s the problem. How''s my job? if she''ll acting like this all the time then I can''t do anything anymore. Hmm...but anyway, haha! I love this! Yeah, she''s very sweet..oh my...perfect!" He smiled while she handed to him the mug filled with water. " Hmm...why, why you''re looking at me that way?" " Mag, are you pregnant? No, no...I''ll help you answer that. I''ll ask you questions and you need to recall the number of days but don''t worry, I can recall, yeah, of course." He stuttered and titillatingly smiled. " Ah...really? how do I know." She was also excited. " I guess we need to return to our house immediately so that we can maturely talk about this." " You''re right, but don''t go away next time without me knowing your whereabouts. Just...just stay by my side, always. Okay, let''s go up now." Then she leaned her head on his shoulder, curled his hands on his arm like a month old girlfriend and started their walk under. " Hmm, and why you wanted to tag me along with you always?" " ...on not to miss seeing you every now and then, your face, your smile and I can hold you dear." " Oh my, is this the payback of my long suffering? haha! I want her pica to last for a lifetime. But interestingly, our firstborn is pro- Daddy, haha!" He thought and suddenly picked her softly and carry her on his arms. " How about this." He smirked and consulted her but she pretended sleeping already and immobile. " What? you''re sleeping already? Haha! gracious heavens! What would I do with you for being unconscious after a couple of minutes. " He was laughing on her style and when they reached in room number three she right away put her on bed. " What? she''s really sleeping on my arms going here? c''mon! haha!" He smiled and tried to check if it''s really a real sleeping beauty, and its it. While she was so soundly asleep, George put the standard fingers to test the pulse of a woman if pregnant. The place was so silent where he smilingly stamped his feet declaring to himself for a more than one pulse rate. His wife bears a new life inside. He was teary eyed. " Oh God! thank you...." He whispered. 121 George New Job Descriptions When Magee woke up she saw him still watching her. Then she immediately seated and hugged him. " Why?" He smiled. " I''ve heard they''ll gonna go to Daba to rescue Amado''s Se?orita, don''t go with them." " But...they need me too, anyway, we''ll not formally use weapons. There''s a plan already set and it''s never that risky. It just need backups so I must go with them." " No." She insisted. " But, Mag. it would just be three days. What''s three days if someone like Amado could see his - woman. " No. The team were all combatants too so you don''t need to worry, okay?" " Hmm...it''s up to you." Then she turned her head on the other side of the bed. " Hey, are you mad? My job...this is how a soldier thinks when it comes to their jobs. I must work and serve this land, we''re at war with the Japs." Then he moved closer to her, pacifying her inner complaints. " Why should I. I don''t have any reason. Go! You go now. If your travel would be tomorrow, better leave today. Daba is 100 kms from here, that''s the reality since you can''t go across the sea by boat. You''ll gonna be spending a month with your team, you may start your travel today, from here." Then she stood up and went to room number #5. He worry too much and followed immediately. " Mag, why you''re here. This isn''t be the place for you. We''re supposed to talk first of something more important, let''s go back there in our bedroom. Come, hold my hand." " But she knelt in front of the handguns, took some ammos and sword from the wooden boxes and brought those stuffs back to the bedroom. She just passed him by. Then he followed her towards their bedroom. " And I''m seeing you now, really , really mad at me. Look at me." " I cannot speak any word to defend my pointless reasons in front of anyone. Supposed I''ll argue, it breaks patience and time. If you''ll do, it works either. I better choose to stay on guard with my sanity. Period." " But...I''m a soldier, Mag." " Did I label you as a Doctor? or a Teacher? Good that you''re always mentioning that you''re a soldier. You internalizes it more and more. So now, I''m done listening that you''re a soldier, it''s actually after several times. Yes, you are a soldier. Do you want me to cry? No. I won''t. This is the reason why I never wanted to marry early. But you all polluted my mind. You all told me to marry this soldier in front of me to keep me safe, my protector. I''m pregnant. My baby needs a protector, but you will rescue someone so far, protect them. And tomorrow, my protector will leave for miles away. I was a victim of broken promises. Don''t expect me to cry. This is it. Go." He was silent and just say beside the bed then spoke. " Our house is very safe. Amado had long been suffering over this, he''s part of this team. We have to be of service to anyone." " Then go." " But you''re angry. How can I leave you when you''re flaring. I...I just wanted you to understand, Mag, please." " I said you may leave. Go now, I need to cry, it''s already hurting my brain. My oxygen is getting empty. Go! I said, go. I don''t like you to see me cry. Go!" He wasn''t moving but waited until when she would release her catharsis. But still she never cried and even finished loading ammos to her handgun. She was also done checking her sword. " What are you thinking. Why you''re exposing all these weapon, don''t tell me you can go there, no!" " George, it''s wartime. My country needs me. I am a guerrilla. If I stay alone inside for a month, I might die of guilt looking to the needy. I was just very silent for several months because you all overhauled my mind. You all convinced me that marriage can help me then I was an *diot, poor self, huh!" " You can''t go, you''re pregnant, that''s too risky. You can''t." " I will not go attack the Japs'' den now. I''ll do it when all of you will leave today or tomorrow. Isn''t it clear?" " No. I said, no!" He insisted. " You can''t control me because I''m very upset. You don''t know how I feel. I''m a woman, weak, in fact you all call me frail. But if I go to Hakanori and tell him to free all the captives in exchange of me, you all will not be bothered. Family members meet again, reunited. I''m one of the reasons why there we''re captives, that Japs announced and used my name so that the families of the captives would hate me and find me. Don''t you find pain in that? I am bribed, trapped, imprisoned and underestimated. Who knows if Amado will just being you there and consider a trap. You are not immortal. Once you all killed, he''ll go back and will search the house, and one day could see the secret door going here in the granite house. He could not open the door so he will call the Japs or use anything to destroy the door, could open it. He could kill or do anything against me and my baby, why not. So that''s a possibility. I better empower myself to kill before being killed. That''s just my contribution for this war, George. I will rip all my names in your journal. I can die in peace, I''m not afraid. All I know is I''m upset with this war and the Japs. They curtailed my dreams. I never dreamt of being left by my husband. Ina Lolita suffered during giving birthday before, there was never any husband who took good care of her. The last child she gave birth with was never attended by anyone, she was alone and I was traumatized by how she assisted herself. Now, I couldn''t blame her for being strict, nagger and a strong woman. That''s my inner reason if why I''m afraid of marriage during wartime because if my husband would die before I give birth too, I tell you! I don''t know to stay awake and conscious while exhaling and pulling a baby at the same time, cutting the umbilical cord with open eyes. Indeed! that''s a sad story of a poor woman I knew. Now, go! I''ll go away and think on how to give birth. but before that I would kill some enemies, so noisy enemies who used our house, destroyed my library, and they''re the reason why I stopped from studying. I lost my future." She ended, sweating and teary eyed. " 121 George Risky Job When Magee woke up she saw him still watching her. Then she immediately seated and hugged him. " Why?" He smiled. " I''ve heard they''ll gonna go to Daba to rescue Amado''s Se?orita, don''t go with them." " But...they need me too, anyway, we''ll not formally use weapons. There''s a plan already set and it''s never that risky. It just need backups so I must go with them." " No." She insisted. " But, Mag. it would just be three days. What''s three days if someone like Amado could see his - woman. " No. The team were all combatants too so you don''t need to worry, okay?" " Hmm...it''s up to you." Then she turned her head on the other side of the bed. " Hey, are you mad? My job...this is how a soldier thinks when it comes to their jobs. I must work and serve this land, we''re at war with the Japs." Then he moved closer to her, pacifying her inner complaints. " Why should I. I don''t have any reason. Go! You go now. If your travel would be tomorrow, better leave today. Daba is 100 kms from here, that''s the reality since you can''t go across the sea by boat. You''ll gonna be spending a month with your team, you may start your travel today, from here." Then she stood up and went to room number #5. He worry too much and followed immediately. " Mag, why you''re here. This isn''t be the place for you. We''re supposed to talk first of something more important, let''s go back there in our bedroom. Come, hold my hand." " But she knelt in front of the handguns, took some ammos and sword from the wooden boxes and brought those stuffs back to the bedroom. She just passed him by. Then he followed her towards their bedroom. " And I''m seeing you now, really , really mad at me. Look at me." " I cannot speak any word to defend my pointless reasons in front of anyone. Supposed I''ll argue, it breaks patience and time. If you''ll do, it works either. I better choose to stay on guard with my sanity. Period." " But...I''m a soldier, Mag." " Did I label you as a Doctor? or a Teacher? Good that you''re always mentioning that you''re a soldier. You internalizes it more and more. So now, I''m done listening that you''re a soldier, it''s actually after several times. Yes, you are a soldier. Do you want me to cry? No. I won''t. This is the reason why I never wanted to marry early. But you all polluted my mind. You all told me to marry this soldier in front of me to keep me safe, my protector. I''m pregnant. My baby needs a protector, but you will rescue someone so far, protect them. And tomorrow, my protector will leave for miles away. I was a victim of broken promises. Don''t expect me to cry. This is it. Go." He was silent and just say beside the bed then spoke. " Our house is very safe. Amado had long been suffering over this, he''s part of this team. We have to be of service to anyone." " Then go." " But you''re angry. How can I leave you when you''re flaring. I...I just wanted you to understand, Mag, please." " I said you may leave. Go now, I need to cry, it''s already hurting my brain. My oxygen is getting empty. Go! I said, go. I don''t like you to see me cry. Go!" He wasn''t moving but waited until when she would release her catharsis. But still she never cried and even finished loading ammos to her handgun. She was also done checking her sword. " What are you thinking. Why you''re exposing all these weapon, don''t tell me you can go there, no!" " George, it''s wartime. My country needs me. I am a guerrilla. If I stay alone inside for a month, I might die of guilt looking to the needy. I was just very silent for several months because you all overhauled my mind. You all convinced me that marriage can help me then I was an *diot, poor self, huh!" " You can''t go, you''re pregnant, that''s too risky. You can''t." " I will not go attack the Japs'' den now. I''ll do it when all of you will leave today or tomorrow. Isn''t it clear?" " No. I said, no!" He insisted. " You can''t control me because I''m very upset. You don''t know how I feel. I''m a woman, weak, in fact you all call me frail. But if I go to Hakanori and tell him to free all the captives in exchange of me, you all will not be bothered. Family members meet again, reunited. I''m one of the reasons why there we''re captives, that Japs announced and used my name so that the families of the captives would hate me and find me. Don''t you find pain in that? I am bribed, trapped, imprisoned and underestimated. Who knows if Amado will just being you there and consider a trap. You are not immortal. Once you all killed, he''ll go back and will search the house, and one day could see the secret door going here in the granite house. He could not open the door so he will call the Japs or use anything to destroy the door, could open it. He could kill or do anything against me and my baby, why not. So that''s a possibility. I better empower myself to kill before being killed. That''s just my contribution for this war, George. I will rip all my names in your journal. I can die in peace, I''m not afraid. All I know is I''m upset with this war and the Japs. They curtailed my dreams. I never dreamt of being left by my husband. Ina Lolita suffered during giving birthday before, there was never any husband who took good care of her. The last child she gave birth with was never attended by anyone, she was alone and I was traumatized by how she assisted herself. Now, I couldn''t blame her for being strict, nagger and a strong woman. That''s my inner reason if why I''m afraid of marriage during wartime because if my husband would die before I give birth too, I tell you! I don''t know to stay awake and conscious while exhaling and pulling a baby at the same time, cutting the umbilical cord with open eyes. Indeed! that''s a sad story of a poor woman I knew. Now, go! I''ll go away and think on how to give birth. but before that I would kill some enemies, so noisy enemies who used our house, destroyed my library, and they''re the reason why I stopped from studying. I lost my future." She ended, sweating and teary eyed. " 122 Husbands Point of View He stood up first and stayed in front of the door going out, blocking himself on the doorway. " You can''t go. I''m telling you, Mag. Never." " Do you think you can control me. If I go to go turn right to room number four , then to the next doors, I can go escape on the holes up there. I''m very upset with this war. So the best way is I have to participate too, better!" " You can''t go whichever way because you will stay, I''m not going with them anymore." " Do you expect me to be cheerful because you''ll not be going? No. If you stay, you will let me feel so guilty and it''s conscience - generating, you will put me to blame, scare me with your silence, still! It will upset me. What you''re proposing to me is a trap." " Hmm....no. I...I will just help you, it''s sincere. We will wait until when the was is over. I won''t work as a soldier anymore, I''ll go farming and attend to our family. I''m not going anywhere. I''ll stay." " I never told you to stop working as a soldier. Its just that Amado''s rescue for his woman might be hoax." He smiled and moved closer to her, took her hands and put them around his waist as she laid her head on him, sobbing and eventually cried. " Shh...calm down. It''s alright now, no worries. I''ll stay and promise, I will personally attend to you when you give birth. That''s a promise. I''m sorry for what you have witnessed. It will never happen to you. I could feel your pains now, its all suffocating, that''s why you need to pour it out, think there''s a life within you too. So c''mon, let''s eat now." He was caressing her hair while intensely crying. When they we''re on the table and started to taste the food, she vomited all she''d eaten. He assisted her to the comfort room outside. " It''s okay...it''s okay..." He whispered. She cried again and again and the bottom line is, he just put her to bed and Magee slept again. It was evening when she never woke up and if she did, she''d just urinate. Someone knocked on the door and it''s Albrecht. George told him of the recent revelations of Magee so Albrecht was a bit scared to see her once she wakes up. " I''m scared. " Albrecht smiled and just put down the bowl of "ginataang puso ng saging." 123 Amados Departure to Daba Before they slept, she was still imagining how crunchy the mango young leaves were in the absence of its fruit. On the other hand, George just smiled watching her as she joyfully closed her eyes while holding his hand. " I could not imagine when I tried chewing and swallowing the leaves too, it''s just like a mango fruit, haha! I psychologically felt it''s tasty maybe because my wife loves it already. What a baby that little nut is, for including Daddy with this pica, haha. Hmm, better that she liked it since it''s not its season." He smiled while kissing her hands and put them to rest. In the morning at the wooden house, they all prepared for Amado''s departure but the Captain decided to meet everyone under the tamarind tree. " There had been eight for this mission but we need to streamline it to a troop unrecognizable. Its too many to rescue a woman inside the opponent''s line where we also need to be mindful of our area of responsibility and jurisdiction that''s just here. I knew that in every place there are guerrillas, and this is the farthest. Amado came here to seek help, my pleasure as head of this team for being chosen to rescue. But in a day or two, another attack has to happen to target the barracks where the selected team will fight for. So now, since my area covers Gabok, Tikaban, Kabang, San Agustin, among others, the soldiers assigned for this area will stay foot. It''s not rational to send Americans nowadays to rescue, they''re easily recognized as soldiers. Amado, your co - guerrillas can penetrate well on this mission. I hope this made you all clear. The remaining guerrillas will accompany us for the attack. By the way Amado, nothing will change in the tactics you''ll have to use - it''s still effective and just trust the process. Hope your mission will succeed. Amado then sighed while George and Baldur drew closer to him. " Hey, Buddy, it''s gonna be okay, the Captain is right, but it would be more effective to bring guerrillas'' with you. The Japs can easily recognized us for sure. However, the three of you can just go over it, trust the tactic presented. We''ve just known that you''re a Doctor, we''re happy to hear it." Baldur said. " Amado smiled and felt a litlle relieved while George tapped his shoulder. You''ll gonna get her, Buddy. I could sense it through the deal. Thanks for not including my wife anymore, she''s still not feeling well these days and besides, Hakanori never knew that before he proposed to my wife, she''s already mine. Magee''s married and hope he would not bribe all the people he see to catch Magee, despite this. In a while, George noticed his comrades for the mission beside the granite secret gate while Fr. Matias was waiting for him. Hey Bud, Narciso and Sibaya are waving their hands at you and seems calling you now. Fr. Matias and everyone left will offer a mass everyday as you rescue her. God bless you Amado." He felt reassured and got a truckload of support then he left running towards the priest and his comrades. " He seems a good person but still Dad and Magee''s thoughts could be highly possible, but still hoping to be not. Amado gave his all, career and risks. He tried gaining strength by attaching to our troop so he could recharge and be energized. He could make it. At least, he sounds honest in the last few days through his revelations while seeking forgiveness to Am¨¢ Sibal helped him breathe. " Yeah, they can take away the woman out of that camp, Narciso and Sibaya pitied him for being teary eyed almost every night. When this mission was being approved by the Captain days ago, the two friends got excited to accompany him too, this rips my heart. Hmm...he must be tough." Baldur sighed. They both now returned to the wooden house and joined to the Captain and Sr. Sibal while sitting by the table. " Dad, are you okay?" George asked. " Yes, I''m okay. I''m just a little nervous for Amado, that camp was bigger thrice as the barracks in Tikaban. It''s filled with the Japs. But he''s a Doctor, he can better get in and out. I only told him to put his mind over everything and don''t be excited to rescue, it should be in a slower process. Hmm, he had a piece of my share, hope he took it seriously." The Captain uttered. " Hmm, Amado seems calm this time. Your advices helped him decide and confident to rescue, better drink your coffee, it''s getting colder now. The elder kid kept your peanuts, you couldn''t have any access on them." Sr. Sibal pronounced. " Yeah, it sounds terrible. How could it be to sip this coffee without peanuts, huh. I could still remember the death march, I haven''t eaten for too long, so sad. Now''s I''ve got peanuts as breakthrough for my new life but it''s being kept by some good hands. So sad." The Captain dramatically sounded. " Here! it would just be enough, just 8 pieces of peanuts and there''s nothing more left." Albrecht put a small bowl with 8 small pieces of peanuts. " Haha! Dad, just take it as compliment. At least, there''s still 8 pieces compared to nothing." George intervened. " Wow! at least, the best ration for your arthritis, haha!" And they all laughed. In a little while, Fr. Matias knocked on the door and joined them in. " We''ll offer a mass every morning before sunrise, will you give your approval , Captain." " Yes, of course. It is necessary but let''s start at sundown today." The Captain smiled while started to eat his peanuts and along with the chitchat around the table. After a couple of minutes, George checked his angel fruit trees and he was surprised by what he just saw. " Wow! they''re flowering, how come, haha!" Fr. Matias then emerged, following him and congratulated him. " Good job! they have flowers now." " Thank you Fr. Matias, you helped me a lot on these angel fruits. 124 Morning Sickness He got back to the granite house very late in the evening and she''s already sleeping and looked so tired. " What did she do within the entire day? Huh, what''s that stuff on her hand?" George moved closer and meticulously look at it that she''s tightly grasping. " A baby pajama, haha! this is I guess the 20th one." He smiled and removed it from her hand and he tried to check it by himself, smilingly. After which, he rushed to the kitchen outside just to boil some jackfruit seeds that Albrecht gave him, considering her wife can have it in the morning with chicken eggs and sweetened ''ginataang gabi.'' Boom! Boom! " Huh!" He has heard a loud burst of mortar with series of handgun shots. " Prisoners! there might have Filipino prisoners who have escaped and the Japs are following them. It could be possible." He tried to go up to the granite house surface and checked whether someone''s seeking help as he brought along with him some ropes. He ran so fast, stooping on bonsai trees and stopped on that location where Magee left a rope used to escape heading to station one, months ago. " Here, I can glide down and could clearly see if who''s being chased while the moonlight could help." The rain outpoured as he landed so silently and immediately hid himself on a rubber tree propped with clinging vines. There, he saw silhouettes of three running men but he was astounded if why they''ve ran in the center of the path where the Japs can easily follow them. " Why...this might be a trap! They could have been in shortcut pathways and seemed obviously stopped and waited for the Japs to reach them. Hmm, their knee bending when it comes to running seems different too - they''re fake prisoners!" He thought while hiding. When the Japs and so-called dramatic prisoners have passed by, he carefully climbed back to the mountain top, ran and returned to the daylight optic hole and slid down. " Whew! they almost got me. Hmm..what happened tonight only tells us that the Japs have speculations of this spot of Kabang. Great heavens! I''ll meet the Captain tomorrow for this." He continued boiling the jackfruit seeds and when got it cooked after minutes, he poured it altogether on a granite bowl and covered it with a green banana leaf. Then he joined her on bed while he thought deeply of the Japs'' recent tactic. In the next day, he woke up late and has heard her experiencing morning Sickness. He immediately ran towards her in room number six and tried comforting her from series of vomits and still drooling afterwards with a hand to reach him to hang on her exhausted arms. " Mag, what do you want to eat...tell me." " Breadfruit. But you cook it for me. Please boil various leafy vegetables and if - there''s chicken meat, I can maybe swallow it all. My....my tongue is not working well these days. I just imagine those food I thought could make me better. George...tell me if it''s too much. I know we''re at war with the Japs...I know it''s scarcity time, I know we don''t have any chicken outside for food but I''m sorry I just thought it so tasty and ..." Then she swallowed her saliva again and again. " Haha! Alright. Don''t worry Mag, I''ll find a way. Just wait a little here and if the chicken will be delayed just expect for it, okay?" Then he smiled while kissing her forehead. 125 The " Pasalubong" He was running back to the granite house like a school boy with a ripped and muddy military uniform. People in the wooden house whom he passed by was astounded by how he appeared but they just let him in without any questions since they already knew that it''s all about the chicken thing and a pica revolution. " Good he''s got one! But he seem didn''t notice us around, how exciting his journey for being a Dad in the middle of this war, so amazing!" Albrecht remarked while Sr. Sibal and Edward were gallantly laughing. Meanwhile, in the granite house, George immediately butchered the chicken and had it meaty after minutes. He ran back to the wooden house and collected some spices, but of course the leading ones were ''pamienta,'' lemon grass and ginger along with a whole green papaya and ''dahon ng sili''. He was moving in a rush so no one disturbed him and all queries were all in freeze. Back to the granite house, he immediately put the chopped meat, had a small amount of olive oil on a pan ready for minced onions, ''pamienta'' and ginger with the meat all over. He then sauted it all and mixed it like the granite house was converted into a five star hotel kitchen and in a while the preggy got out holding her tummy and seemed the aroma from the pan was a potion, pulling her like a magnet. He was smiling while looking at her coming and excitingly sat down, carefully watching him stirred it all on a pan that later the military husband transfered the freshly sauted met into a boiling pot situated just beside the pan. The pot already had some ribonete lemon grass and chopped green papaya, so while he transfered it, she was kinda closing her eyes and imagining how is it to sip the first spoon - filled with its soup after it boils up again. " Wanna taste it, while I put a little sugar and salt?" He smiled at her while he handed a small amount of soup on a spoon. But when tasted it she spoke. " Hmm...there''s something in the wondrous soup you haven''t declared. Tell me." She smiled at him while digging a spoon full of it once more. " Haha! it''s a secret. Hmm but because you insist, I''d unravel it but don''t tell anyone, Dad Edward taught me this secret ingredient last November. He said it was also Am¨¢ Sibal who coached him. Here, when you rinse the rice, the second time you do it, save it and pour it in your boiled water. When it boils, it''s a perfect timing that the sauteed chicken from the pan will be mixed with your boiled water together with your secret ingredient. The effect is indeed different, isn''t it? Likewise, when I returned to the wooden house to get some spices, Dad Edward reminded me of it and handed to me some rice from Gabok that Baldur had taken from there." He bowed and funnily entertained her with his secret ingredient. " Wow! it''s just as easy as that but it has flavored this soup this way...amazing! But...I''m very hungry, can''t hold it anymore." She sheepishly smirked and winked at him. " Ha? just a little while, the rice is almost cooked, just a little bit." " Aha...oh dear, come on...there''s a rice, this is a celebration after several months of no rice and here it goes delightedly with the chicken soup, thank you my husband. Thank you." " Oh! teary eyed? hey? it''s just a rice, I''ll gonna find you some rice. I...I know the duma had been our staple food somehow, hmm, but yes, I understand, since you''re pregnant, you''re craving the rice you used to eat before this war had started." " Yeah. I honestly imagined for some rice. But it''s irrational to look for it in the warzone. I just imagined it, but I''m already smelling it right now, I guess it''s already cooked; it smells really great together with the chicken soup that''s seemingly pulling me out of my seat." " Haha! okay, okay, wow! my kitchen activities are quite in demand these days, alright! here''s your bowl, okay, see...the soup looks a little sticky, it''s the rinsed rice. Careful, you may have your chicken soup while I''ll scoop some rice from the pot to deliver in your plate. Haha! take it easy, it''s still hot." Then he gave her some rice as she consumed the chicken viand with a joyful meal. Of course, she''s very silent while her husband was busy looking at her - indeed! her sweat looks like ripples from the skies. Satisfied! " A woman needs a man to guide her through out her pregnancy. This is a lesson I''ve learned at this point in my married life. See how she craves and eats like she haven''t eaten within a century. She''s even lovely and adorable in my eyes, beautiful. She tells the truth even it''s scary to find rice these days and shares her thoughts, good thing she tried. Yeah Mag, even if you won''t tell me...I know how pica drives you within. Don''t worry my wife, everything will be alright. God has given us this baby so I know He''ll help me find a way, there''s always a way, I believe." He thought while she was fixing the dishes. " George...I wanted to burp, but can''t do it, it''s a little awkward." She smiled as he quickly stood up and removed the dishes out of her hands. " Haha...and why, just do it, it''s our house. You can burp anywhere you want, anytime." " She''s even more submissive and tells me of her little ways. So this is the feeling of being the official husband, haha! lovely. It excites me even more." He smilingly thought while aiding her to wash up in the bathroom then he got back to quickly eat within 3 minutes then hurriedly tidy the kitchen. When he estimated her to get out, around half an hour, he fetched her. " Hey, haha! what have you done in here? you fixed everything, so well-arranged. My goodness, next time just leave it to me, okay?" Then he assisted her to go back to room number three and ensure that she''s all fine. " Mag, I wanted you to sleep early while I go meet our brothers and folks at the wooden house. I share to them what I''ve discovered mile''s away, northeast. There''s a woman I found being chased by our enemy and when I rescued her, she gave me that chicken with eggs as my reward. There were burning bahay-kubos I found out but that woman was hiding in a safer place. I wanted to help her and transfer her in the wooden house. Hmm...of course, she''s just a young woman but you don''t need to be jealous too, how is it?" " Hmm, even I haven''t commented yet but you''re already whining, haha! I''m not jealous of course, why should I? but yes, if you think she needs help, why not. Just do it your way, she''s a woman. I can''t imagine how she had survived for months in that hiding place. Just leave me around and I''ll take a little walk to room number seven, I really like the place. Please extend my thanks to your first ''pasalubong'' for our baby. She smiled as he kissed her forehead then quickly left. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 126 Maltis Survivor George opened up to the people in the granite house his encounter with the woman she had rescued. In a while, Sr. Sibal stood up and spoke. " It''s Malti''s place, it belongs to the border of the next province." " George, how can we get there. She must be rescued before the rest of the Japs could find her. We''ll go there tonight." Edward readied everyone. " Yes, Sir!" George answered and met his men outside. Of course Sibaya volunteered to have visited the place months ago so he can better guide the troop to penetrate in the area. In a while, George returned to the granite house and already found her sleeping in room number two, so he carried and transfered her to room number three. After putting her on bed, he was still staring a her, smiling. Exactly around 2000 hrs, he stepped out of the granite house, wearing his new military uniform and in full gear. Meanwhile, in the wooden house everyone were ready and just waited for the Captain''s halt, then off they go. They were just 6 composed of the Captain, Baldur, George, Sibaya, Amado and Henry. While on their way, Sibaya was on the frontline, trying to pave their path as they trudged it all the way to Malti. The crickets and fireflies were having nocturnal celebrations in their fantasia setup in the vast wilderness. As they descended on a slippery slope, they found a bloody red pothos plant and George got attracted to it, so he carefully pulled the topmost part of it with just five big leaves and planned to give it to his wife. The plant was said can survive in water vases according to Sibaya. " It''s endangered these days. We seldom see this bloody red pothos, its rare, beautiful." Amado remarked. As they continue to traverse, it''s already 2200 hrs and George pointed the century trees and below, they found the secret hole going inside the woman''s hiding place. Sibaya spoke and used his dialect to possibly convince the woman to come out. But no one gestured to welcome them so Sibaya went inside, slowly ...until he back off anxiously too, with calculated backwards as they saw a person pointing a handgun to Sibaya''s head. The person has a covered face so Amado tried to speak. " Mga guerrillas kami. Kanami kaiban mga sundalo sang insular, ang isa kanilan, lieutenant nami, idtong yagpatay sidtong kalaban ta, sya isab idtong yag rescue kanmo. Sya idtong using gaina ngani kanmo, pigtagaan mo ng manok." ( "We''re guerrillas. We''re with the insular soldiers. One of them is our Lieutenant, the one who killed our enemy at the same time rescued you. He was the one who came here this morning where you gave him chicken.") " Ah, kadi! pasensya da kamo. Nanga sa yagkani kamo." ( I see! Just please understand. But why you came?" A woman''s voice. " Gusto yang kanami Kapitan ngadto da kaw huya kanami pigtaguan. Mga madaway na utaw ini silan, Tara da, delikado ngani. Awon isab bobay ngadto, asawa ng kanami lieutenant." ( The Captain wants you to stay with us in our hideout. They are good people, so come, it''s dangerous here. There''s also a woman there, our Lieutenant''s wife.") Amado added. " Gustohon ko man pero kanak ina, di ko mabiyaan." With a low tone of voice she bowed her head. (Even if I''d like to go but I can''t leave my mother." ) " Hain kadi siya?"( Where is she?) Sibaya intervened. " Ngawon." (There.") Then she pointed the object wrapped with banana leaves and tightly tied with ''bagon.'' " You mean...she''s dead?" The Captain asked. " Yes." The woman replied. " So you can speak our language." George said. " Yes, I reached grade VI." The woman responded. Amado and Sibaya smiled at each other. " Good, so we can bring your mother''s body too, we have a cemetery in our place." " Thank you. Yes, I''ll just take some few valuables inside. Please don''t leave me." While the woman returned inside they waited creepily when they heard some hisses around. But Sibaya took some garlic out of his bag and cut it in pieces with his dagger then threw it around. The hissing sound vanished. " Wow! great job Sibaya. I guess those are big snakes." Henry said. Minutes later, the woman got out and brought a packed pieces of stuffs on a rugged cloth while Henry, Sibaya and Amado carried the old woman''s dead body. Then they started to travel back to Kabang. On their way, the woman accidentally stepped on the slippery grasses but good thing Baldur caught her on his arms. But the woman resisted and got up so instantly as if nothing has happened then they continued to walk through another miles. They reached to Kabang at 0200 hrs and the woman was teary eyed after they entered the granite compound. When Albrecht saw them, he immediately moved closer and greeted the woman whose face was still covered with a cloth. " Hi! I''m Albrecht, Madelleine''s fiancee, how are you." Then he led the woman in one of the second floor''s room and she put her stuffs while Albrecht brought her downstairs again and pointed the bathroom. The woman immediately excused herself, returned upstairs to get her bag, got down and took a bath. But Albrecht pitied her so he grabbed some woman''s clothes from Magee''s cabinet and offered it to the woman. Then he joined to the men at the receiving area and was smiling while looking at their faces. " Why? it seems someone has died." " Indeed. There''s a dead body we brought outside that we need to bury outright, kindly call Fr. Matias, please." George requested. Then Albrecht immediately got out from the house to fetch Fr. Matias. At around 0300 am, the woman was done fixing herself and still covered her face with another cloth. In a while, Baldur pulled George outside and asked. " When you rescued her, did you see her face?" Baldur whispered. " Yes." George answered. " Hmm, was there any scar or whatever, why she''s covering her face until now." " I don''t know." George smiled. " How did she look like when you found her?" " Beautiful. Just a beautiful woman, that''s it." George smiled at him again. Oh, hoho! Baldur...what are you thinking. That''s a little scary, ha." " Hmm, no, nothing. I only asked, just curious.'' Then Baldur smiled at him. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 127 At Dawns Burial When Albrecht returned, he was already with Fr. Matias. The Captain called out all the soldiers and guerrillas'' to attend the send off requiem mass for an old woman''s soul. The silence led the daughter to pour out in front of her mother''s grave. Empathetically, Sr. Sibal tapped her shoulder and seated next to her till sunrise. " Yagpanaw da kanmo ina." ( Your mother has traveled now.) Sr. Sibal said. " Oo Mano, ako da lang sini." ( Yes uncle, I''m all alone here.) While in the wooden house Albrecht has jokily said. " Baldur, you need to sleep now. Why you keep eyeing to our lady guest? What the...do you like her?" He moved closer and put his arms around his younger brother''s shoulder and hideously laughed. " Shh...your mouth again. No, nothing. It''s just that she''s too helpless. I just feel it. " Ah, yeah! we never knew what her background was all about. By the way, is she staying with us?" " No. I requested Henry to tidy one of the kubos near him. I assigned him to guard that lady and if I''m available, then I''ll go visit her often." " Wow! that sounds amazing brother, haha! can''t help thinking oddly, haha." " Um!" Baldur jokily punched and clipped his arms around Albrecht''s neck while Edward smiled and seated near them." " Hey, stop that boys, can I have a coffee, please. By the way Baldur, Henry brought the lady. You may get her pack and give it to her. Huh! I pity her, so much. Albrecht, you ask some clothes from your sister that she can share, the lady needs some, I guess." The Captain sighed. " Yes Dad, Albrecht replied." Then Baldur hurriedly ran to the second floor and took out her pack then proceeded to the Kubo assigned for the lady. He knocked on the door and found her sitting on the bamboo flooring. " Hey, Good morning. I''m Baldur, 23 years old, one of the insular soldiers, the Captain''s youngest son and...married. What''s your name?" He smiled at her " I''m...Mayumi, 21 years old, a native of the next province." She smiled on him while she opened the cover on her face and shake hands with him. " Wow! she''s simply beautiful." He seriously thought while controlling his heartbeats. " I..I just put a cover on my face, because...." Then she was intervened with Baldur. " Ah, it''s okay.....we can understand. Somehow, it''s your culture''s way, it''s alright, It''s practically meaningful for us too and so with respect." " Thank you, Baldur. By the way, you''re too young to be a soldier. How is it." She smiled while Baldur seated in front of her, just a meter away. " Hmm...exciting." He smirked and handed to her the stuffs " So, I need to sleep Baldur but let me know if how''s being an occupant here, but wait. I''m terribly sleepy." Then the lady put her head on the floor but Baldur lifted it up and put his hand temporarily while Mayumi closed her eyes. Baldur''s heartbeats almost blasted while his left hand was folding his shawl so to create a pillow. " She let my heart beats faster. No one has made me feel like this, huh! No, I''m married. I''m getting out. I''ll just get my military shawl later today when she wakes up. I''ll go back to the wooden house and tell Albrecht to send some food here." He thought then quickly moved out in a speed of light. " Oh, Baldur, what happened to you? it looks like that the chilli powder were spilled on your face, that much, this early - what happened. You won''t lie, I know. You''re telling me now...now." Albrecht seated beside his younger brother and pretended to be a priest, waiting for some confession. " Albrecht...Albrecht....I need coffee. It''s too cold outside, please make me a mug of it." " Terrible! okay!" Then Albrecht stood up stamping while Baldur smiled looking at him so curiously dead for his brother. " I''m getting 24 and belongs to the old school. My married life taught me a lot of lessons. I need to verify my emotions. I also need to be rational." Baldur thought while Albrecht placed a mug of coffee in front of him. " Here. What happened." " Hey, haha...nothing. I just missed my wife. That''s it." He smiled to Albrecht while sipping his coffee. " Really? that''s so suddenly. " Yeah. You even missed Madelleine these days, right?" Baldur counteracted. While they we''re discussing, Edward was listening and felt guilty again. He knew that Baldur didn''t love Amanda but for the sake of his younger sister''s pre-arrangenent with George, he risked to grab Amanda away from George and got tied on her. " My son...I''m so sorry. I failed to block your idea on it. You should have a life to enjoy but I allowed it to happen. I panicked that time for your sister while waiting for her man and so your decision has numbed my head but it sucked up after you were done marrying that Amanda. You only got hell from her." He thought while sitting on a couch. After a while, Baldur seated next to him while bringing his mug of coffee. " Dad, how are you." " I''m just okay, son. I''m just worried of you tied up with that Amanda. I know you''re not happy with her " " Haha! Dad, you''re telling me that again and again, don''t you get tired of it. I told you I''m just alright, there''s nothing to worry about my marriage, she''s already my wife." " But you don''t love her." " Hmm...I might reach that far. By now, I''m filling my heart to miss her this much. Feeding my mind that way might help, who knows." He stood up and patted his stepfather''s shoulder. " Baldur, share to me with your deepest thoughts one day. I''ll wait, my son." The Captain whispered to him " If that time comes, Dad. I''ll tell you." Then Baldur went up and slept while the Captain slept on the couch as well. He thought about his future and the thought of Ananda leeching his son''s properties, life and health. " Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 128 Prying Eyes of Men In the afternoon, most of them woke up and met again under the tamarind tree. Interestingly, Baldur had spoke to all soldiers and guerrillas and instructed them about the guest inside the bahay-kubo, next to Henry''s. It was just difficult, however, to have such kind of guest around without the company of any family members. Likewise, Baldur also had shared to them a story behind the rescue and on how the lieutenant had found her in the angst of danger. George drew closer and whispered to him that the guest may stay in the wooden house, but Baldur sighed. " Probably it''s a good idea George but...we''re still all men around." Baldur said. " At least there''s an assurance that she can be safe. The bahay-kubo she''s staying right now is already dilapidated. What do you think." George whispered. " Hmm...alright, I got it. She may stay upstairs. Me and Albrecht will move down and bring our beds inside Dad and Sr. Sibal''s room. I guess this is helping her, but how about our secret. Magee''s not around. We''re trying to protect her identity and whereabouts." Baldur sheepishly uttered. " Absolutely, it''s helping. Just orient her that my wife seldom gets out and a shy-type. George smirked while he entered inside the wooden house after he informed everyone to keep an eye with the daily exercises and farming activities. So when the meeting was dismissed, Baldur pressed his head and moved closer to Henry. " Henry, the lieutenant ordered to transfer Mayumi in the wooden house, what do you think." " Well, that''s a good idea. I''ll just help her with her stuffs." Henry replied and left him still puzzled. He was not yet contented and went to Edward. " Dad...is it just alright for you that the kay guest will stay with us, upstairs. It was George''s suggestion. What do you think?" " What''s wrong with that. The more it would be okay so we can protect her well." The Captain smiled while looking at him so worried. " Dad...she''s..." " I don''''t care. Its wartime. She has to live like us though she have special needs that we must address at times. " Oh Dad. Its not that. I mean, I''m married and Albrecht has a fiancee and that woman is entirely attractive, Dad." He whispered. But all of the sudden Edward laughed out loud and Baldur covered his Dad''s mouth. " Hahaha, so be it. There''s nothing wrong with that. You are a goodhearted person, if you fall for her then fine! anyway, I''ve already declared you all dead in the headquarters before the death march. Life - Baldur, is not all about if who''s being right or wrong. Its all about being genuine to what you feel, who do you live for, and how you want things to happen. You and Amanda were married but can you explain the man inside your house when we returned a year ago, you caught her on act. You saw them. I mean..." " But Dad, we''re married. I...I must understand and forgive her." " In my point of view, you may forgive her, why not? but please, have a little respect to your self, son. She cheated you several times, she''s a user. She got all your salary. She choked and bribed George once, she''s ...a freak!" "Shh, Dad...I''ve also sinned. Marrying to her was the only solution in order to give way to George and Magee on their pre-arrangement. It was a decision." " But you''re not happy, do you?" " Huh! Dad...its not important anymore." " Being happy in a relationship is still very important, you''re already a fallen soldier in my report and it gives you a total freedom." Then Edward tapped his shoulder. " Dad... " Then Baldur was teary eyed and hugged him. " Oh dear! haha! you''re already dead back to our place. So live a long life to someone you love here soon. Baldur, follow your heart when the right time comes. Don''t get a jumbled thought but drive your happiness like crazy, haha!" Then Edward laughed out loud again and Baldur was laughing at him. " You have full of plans Dad. Indeed, but I''ll wait for my time to shine, in God''s time." " Haha! okay, alright. Just keep on movin'', son. You''re so blessed. Someone out there might see you shine around, haha! my eyes are open 24/7, I see things clearly. But just a piece of advice, go grab chances. That''s my order!" Then Edward left, heading to his room. " Huh! my head hurts. Then he saw Mayumi walked along with Henry, approaching him. " Huh, that''s a bit heavy." Baldur rushed to assist Mayumi while carrying just a small stuff without noticing Henry''s heavily burdened luggage, containing gifts that the soldiers and guerrillas have given for Mayumi. " Ah, its okay Sir. This is nothing." Mayumi said. But Baldur insisted to take it away from her arms and led her upstairs. Henry then proceeded to the kitchen to drop by the "duma," fruits and vegetables that were given to Mayumi by her new friends from the bunk houses. Meanwhile, at the second floor, Mayumi had seated by the edge of the bed, eyeing on the map hanged on the wall in front of her and curiously stare at it while removing the cover on her face. Interestingly, Baldur saw her and got stuck with what he was arranging at the corner. He was such hit by a stray bullet whose spirit has died in a second, then boom! he had seated lifelessly on the floor while continuously looking at her like tattooing her face in his mind. Such a glance he knew was one in a million, considering that she hides herself from the others. Yes, he was just lucky to have seen her face at daytime but still querying why she''d trusted him. Confused. In a while, she turned her head to him and asked. " By the way, thank you, Sir." " Ah! haha! just call me Baldur." " Hmm...thank you Baldur. I like this room. May I ask, if, where is the lieutenant''s wife? is she staying in here too?" She asked. " Yes, she''s sick but sometimes she meets us around. She''s my sister, her name is Magee." " I see. Hope I could make friends with her. I seemed the only female resident around. But Baldur, anything? I noticed you keep looking at me, ah...the cover?" "Yes, you...you showed to me your face." " Hmm, when we were traveling going here right after you rescued me when I slid and fell on our way. You''re...behind me that time, and..." " I''m ...very sorry. It was instinctually acted, hope you won''t mind it. For all you know...I''m married and I mean nothing to that accident." " Yes I got it, there''s no problem with it. I was supposed to explain that people who have touched my hand could see my face, they''re trusted and where I owe my life. Its what I mean. I''m not proposing of any malicious intentions nor interested of you. But anyway, thank you for assisting me. You may get out - now." She smiled at him. " But...Mayumi, its not what I mean." He tried to explain but Mayumi slowly pushed him outside while he gently moved towards the door as she closed it, waving her hand to him. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 129 Somewhere in the Warzone Interestingly, she noticed a ''camiso'' on the table so she put it aside as she thought its provided for her, without her knowing that Baldur unintentionally left it while he was busy thinking of his awkward moments, watching her. " Its a nice ''camiso''. Mayumi thought while sitting on the edge of the bed. She then settled comfortably and recall what Baldur had been telling her and sighed. Back to the granite house, George and Magee had a fine time facing at each other at the kitchen table. But in between them was a bamboo vase containing five leafy bloody pothos in it. With a lovely smile she slowly forwarded her index and thumb fingers touching to one of the leaves and spoke. " Wow...I''ve been staring to this beautiful flower the whole day, its so inspiring. George, its one in a million variety I guess, can''t imagine the beautiful red leaves with a variegated stalk. How come that we, the locals here haven''t noticed this flower around." Her soft smiles stuck him for a while and replied while putting his hands under his chin. " Sometimes, when there are trials and circumstances in our life, we appreciate some little things like this. If not without this war, who would have ever thought this tiny beautiful creation can be found just out there in the wilderness by a soldier who''s madly in love. I don''t know, but when a person truly loved, the more mankind appears like a perfect paradise. Its who I am and its how tender my love goes, same with this plant as it took me by surprise, its color was alluring and soothing, so natural but majestic. It fits to a woman who loves and sees me the way I am. Its for you, Mag. I''m very happy that you like it." " Oh dear. Lovely. I got sober over those sugar-coated words, though, why were you late in coming up, hmm, I''ve been waiting, the food''s getting colder too. I just covered it." She said. " Ah, yes, its it, we still properly relocated that lady we rescued at the northeast border as she was finely lodged in the second floor of the wooden house. The Captain made sure that everything''s alright, Dad''s an expert when it comes to that and he assigned Baldur to guard the lady''s room. He wanted to make sure that the occupant is mentally sound by checking Baldur''s report daily. Hmm, he said he doesn''t like that we might experience guest doing some massive killing. So he posted Baldur for the task." " I see. Have you seen the lady?" " Yes, I first saw her at the site, she''s at your age but not as beautiful as you neither ugly. She''s just a lady Baldur likes so much. Although, he told us that the lady got irritated of her because he kept mentioning to her that "I am married" and what''s funny is that , the lady didn''t ask him about it so it annoys her and told her, " you may go out, now" when he did, he immediately proceeded to me and Dad. We were speechless and Dad just tapped Baldur''s shoulder and said, " Oh boy, you need to relax now, you''re so tired, just go up and take a nap by her door outside." George suddenly covered his face and forcibly laughed. " Oh my...did he do that to a lady? Why, its really embarrassing. I never expected that Baldur could do that...great heavens. I''ll go comfort that lady and of course, sit by my brother''s side for a while." " No, no ..you''re pregnant. Its not good for you to be emotional. Can''t allow you." " Just once, George, please...just once, give me a little time for my brother. Remember we have read his secrets, he''d been into a lot of sacrifices and..." " No. I cannot put you to risk, not anymore. We still do not know that lady. I can do it in behalf of you, why not. I got your point, its my responsibility Mag, just stay here and I''ll get back to Baldur in a while." " Huh!" Then she pouted, sighed and silently walked inside the granite secret rooms. He followed and found her lying on bed and covered her face with a blanket. " Haha! hello! hmm... just let me visit our brother, okay. Our baby''s sleepy now. If you go down I guess you need to know this but there are portions, after the bricks that are indeed slippery and becoming bumpy. I don''t like you to be tired, hmm...just stay here." Then he kissed her forehead, smiled and tickled here armpit. " Haha! I know you''re not going there for Baldur alone. You''re becoming more curious to see that lady that I first saw in the site and probably you''re jealous. Haha! that''s the flow,l somehow so I better block your curiosity since you''re the most beautiful woman in my eyes. Hmm...I knew you more than anyone else, Mag. Don''t get jealous " He thought and then smiled as she laughed out loud after being tickled. She removed the blanket on her face and spoke. " Hey, haha! okay...alright, I''ll stay." She smiled at him face to face as he seemingly hit by a stray bullet coupled with imaginary mortars and canons while looking at her eyes, too close. His heartbeats were totally complicated and his eyes were glued. " Wow...you''re extraordinarily beautiful my wife, can''t fix my heartbeats right now, can''t walk away and can''t even breath." He whispered on her ear as the fireflies began to gather and lighted them both. After an hour, they both unknowingly forgot Baldur and the rest in the world. All that matters were themselves, together and some distant bomb blasts they heard. " How about Baldur..." She worryingly said while making his arms as her pillow. " Baldur''s doing fine right now. The joy of being threatened by a woman sometimes is the beginning of a great journey, I seemed can even recall mine. I''ve got a stab wound and series of threats, but still I got her, haha!" " What did you say, ha? haha!" Then she funnily covered him with a pillow. The night came and they rested and woke up; rested and woke up till the dawn opened the skies. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 130 Mayumis Camiso was Baldurs Favorite Mayumi woke up early and walked out from the room. She noticed that Baldur was just sitting down while asleep so she just passed by and moved down the stairs. The Captain, Sr. Sibal and Albrecht suddenly turned their heads on her twice since she was wearing Baldur''s favorite camiso. Out of control, Albrecht bowed down his head; secretly smiled and touched his Dad''s foot. But the Captain was too focused on extending to Mayumi a mug of coffee after she''s done at the bathroom. " Good morning! we''re early risers here, have a seat." The Captain invited and smirked at Mayumi. The lady then seated and tightened the cover on her face. The monotonous moment pushed Albrecht to start a golden day again. " Mayumi, how''s your sleep last night? were you just fine out there?" " Its very pleasant. I was able to sleep well after Baldur left me some things." She uncomfortably sipped a mug of coffee under the facial cover. But the men around just ignore it and Albrecht continued. " Yeah, that brother was so gentleman, we even called him a saint, haha." " Indeed, her wife must be very lucky." " Oh dear, it was just his joke. He''s actually single. We just pity him for being too shy, that''s why he kept telling women, even before this war - that he''s married. He''s afraid of getting busted." The Captain said and the only rooster nearby sounded and Sr. Sibal funnily spoke. " I have goosebumps." Sr. Sibal rubbed his arms and moved closer to the furnace. On the other hand, Albrecht smiled and slowly pulled the hand of Sr. Sibal to sit back. " Hmm...really. Poor Baldur. He musn''t be such fearful. But how is it? it seems he''s an awesome brave guy and not a shy type in my sight." She left asking in awe. " Ah, haha! he''s afraid of women...that''s it, I got the right term, Dad, isn''t it?" Albrecht smiled to his stepdad. " Yeah, that''s the right term." Edward tapped Albrecht''s shoulder then stood up and followed Sr. Sibal outside, smiling. While alone with Mayumi, Albrecht was uncomfortable sipping his coffee. " So you are single too, just like Baldur." " Ah? me? no, I''m getting married soon with Madelleine, my brother-in-law''s sister. Yes, as of now, I stand single." Then he bite his lip and waggled his knees when Baldur arrived in the scene. " Good morning Mayumi, how''s your sleep last night?" Baldur asked while Albrecht awkwardly stood up and gave a mug of coffee to his younger brother. " It was just fine. This place is actually homey and I remember our old house." " Good to hear that." Baldur started to enjoy his coffee while looking at her and looks like he''s never blinking at all. The observant Albrecht again had witnessed such a magnified look and almost made him applaud. " Mayumi..." Baldur whispered. It made Albrecht pretended to get out to ask something to his Dad, then Albrecht left - with a teasing look to Baldur.. Then Baldur continued. " Mayumi..." " Yes?" She removed her cover then smirked at him. " That...that camiso you''re wearing. Its mine. I supposed to wear that last night but I unintentionally left it when you told me to get out, forcibly." " What?" Ah, sorry...I''ll return this to you in a moment. Wait here, it will not take long, I''ll just take a bath and wash this for you. Shame on me. I''m sorry." She bowed her head and sighed. " Ah, but...what I mean is..." Baldur stopped when George arrived. " What do you mean..." George continued. " No, nothing." Baldur walked away and left Mayumi and George conversing. Meanwhile, when the Captain, Sr. Sibal and Albrecht were seriously seated at the foggy log by the doorway of the wooden house, the Captain started to broach a serious matter. " He must be very patient to find out the truth one day." Edward then wrapped a thicker jacket on his shoulder. " Hmm, Dad, is it about Baldur?" " Yeah, he''d expected too much in their marriage without knowing that her wife gave birth last July. The baby is now one month old, I guess." " What?" Albrecht stood up and stamped his foot on the ground. But the Captain pulled his hand and made him seated again. " Shh...you bubbly boy. Quiet." Edward whispered. " Dad...how come? Baldur left her on August? That woman! ha! But wait, the baby''s the living evidence now. She''s cheated him and its the end. But how did you know Dad?" " Huh! its a long story. Chuck sent me a letter and left it to his friend who was a Captain of the ship going back here. Actually, Chuck suggested to open this up to Baldur since his remaining remittances in the army was already enjoyed by Amanda''s new family. In fact, Baldur''s raising the baby of another man. Huh!" Edward sighed. Without their knowledge, Baldur eavesdropped and have heard everything and silently returned to the kitchen to make another mug of coffee. " Hey Baldur, what happened?" George asked. But Baldur thought so deeply and like haven''t heard of anything. Suddenly, he walked off going to the cabinet door and exited in the hole going to the smiling Buccaneer''s cave. " My brother-in-law sounds like having a problem, hmm..." George sighed. " Oh its my fault!" Mayumi bowed her head and felt guilty. " Hey! haha! we don''t know yet if what he''s up into. Don''t you worry, I''ll ask him later." " No need. He was maybe upset that I wore his camiso. This one." Then Mayumi pointed the camiso she''s wearing. " Ah, yeah, that''s his favorite camiso, but, is that really the reason? I think not. Baldur is a very mature person on his age, he wouldn''t even dare to mind you wearing his things." George laughed. " Hmm...I was thinking he''s mad at me because I wore it. But still, I''m a little shameful." Mayumi smiled. " Absolutely no. I''m sure." George gave his reassurance to calm down Mayumi''s worries. George then decided to get out and join his family''s conversation. But Sr. Sibal approached him at the doorway and pulled him back inside the groundfloor''s room. " Am¨¢...what happened? George surprisingly asked. Then Sr. Sibal shared to George what had been relayed by Edward and urged him to follow and comfort Baldur after George also told him that Baldur has maybe possibly heard them chatting. " Ah, I got it now. Its possible." George concluded. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 131 Baldurs Sojourn By the Sea With the waves splashing on the rocky shore, Baldur still sipped his mug filled with a strong coffee. " Thank you Lord! At least she''s found someone to give her a baby and a man to give her genuine love. I was at fault but still it ends this way. I feel so much better that she''s now a mother and with someone else, at least, I''m moving forwards too." He smiled while watching the horizon starting to lighten up. In a minute, George seated beside him and spoke. " Hi brother. Had a feeling of refreshing here too." " Great to see you here, but how''s Mayumi?" Baldur smiled. " She was in a hurry washing your favorite camiso. She thought you''re very mad at her." George sighed. " What? haha?" Baldur laughed and vibrantly stood up. He left George who was seriously astounded and ran so fast going back to the wooden house and while breathing too hard he knocked on the bathroom''s door. She opened the door while palpitated. " Baldur?" Mayumi whispered. Baldur then seated and smilingly washed the camiso." " Hey, I can do it. I''m sorry. Shame on me." She awkwardly uttered. " Shh...no worries. From now on, I''ll be doing the laundry for you and I want you to keep using my things, its my pleasure." Baldur smirked at her. Mayumi was puzzled and a bit tensed. She quickly got out and went up to her room - quizzically asked herself while seated by the bed''s edge. " Why? why he left us blankly with the lieutenant and returned with full of spirit. I''m confused. Hmm...anyway, I must relax for a while before Baldur could tour me around this place after breakfast. Yes, why should I worry, its just a camiso. Just a camiso, a man''s camiso.....Oh my..!" Then she smiled and covered her face again but Baldur opened the door; went inside and seated beside her. She was speechless and moved a little backward but Baldur then motioned too close and removed the cloth that she covered on her face. " I''ve got this very strong feeling on you. I know this is - love. Though, I don''t further need to define nor describe it. Just tell me you like me then its enough. I''m urgently inviting you to marry me - today. I need your response." " Y...yes." " Thank you." Then he kissed her hand and she was still speechless and as if everything hasn''t subsided yet in her mind. She was very still and leaned her back on the wall while he attempted to draw closer but she signaled him to stop where he was sitting and she unbelievably breathe and blushed. " I''ll go to Fr. Matias to officiate our wedding. It would be at sunrise today, any question?" Baldur smiled and pressed her hands. " Don''t ... move too close again, Baldur. It suffocates me. Just...just go tell the priest. I''ll ready myself and at the same time, I''ll try to wake up." She forcibly smiled to him with a reddish face and he gently stood up and ran downstairs. When he was at the kitchen, he found George packing some food for his wife. " George, please do me a favor." " Of course, what is that?" George asked. " I''ll get married to Mayumi at sunrise today. For now, I''ll go to Fr. Matias and later talk to Dad, Magee and Albrecht about this. Right now, I want you to stay beside Mayumi for a while and give her more counsel about us. Bro, I''m dead serious of marrying, I love her." " What? Oh my...are you really serious? Did you court her? not yet. Wow! this is unbelievable, but..congratulations Baldur, haha! you man! I can''t still believe all these. Okay, I''ll go up and talk to her." " Thank you George, am leaving and talk this to Fr. Matias, Dad, Magee and Albrecht." Then Baldur left. " Is he serious? I''ll better go up and see the woman she was referring, haha! what a morning is this!" George thought. When George reached to Mayumi''s room, he found her still leaning her back on the wall. " Hi! I just wanted to clarify. Is Baldur - getting married, today?" " Y...yes." Mayumi replied. " To whom?" George smiled. " To me...he said , he''ll marry me. I said yes. But am I still dreaming? can you wake me up, please." " Haha! no. You''re awake and in love with him too. See how you look like? you''re happy. But as to why and how it started, I''m really curious." George helped her interpret her emotion. " I...I''m not really sure but it started when your team rescued me. While on our way going here. The path was very slippery so I accidentally dropped myself but he was the one following me that time so he caught me before I fell. He was so gentleman but still he pressed my right hand a little and gently put me down. I was supposed to slap him, but I don''t have any reason, I don''t know.. He''s...irresistible." Mayumi was filled with shame but smiled while blushing. " Oh dear. Congratulations, I''m sure my family would be very happy for this and will surely welcome you. But are you just okay? need help? Just tell me." " None at all, I''ll marry him today and I''ll just be with myself. Hope everyone in the family will accept me too. Could this be possible." " Absolutely. So what are you waiting for? let''s go down and enjoy breakfast. Its boiled cassava with grated coconut and sugar. C''mon!" George invited her. While on their way down, Mayumi still can''t believe and upon reaching the kitchen she found the entire family, excluding Baldur who, for a while was still talking to Fr. Matias. Edward then stood up and welcome her at the table. " Mayumi, welcome to our family now. Come, sit down here beside Magee." Edward spoke as he was very proud that his middle child is going to have a serious relationship. " Ah, thank you everyone. I''ll try to be better in this family from now on. I''m very happy too." " After a while, Baldur came on smiling and looked so excited while seated beside Mayumi. Its an awkward moment but he smiled and declared. " I''m seriously doing a genuine marital tie today hope everyone gets a clearer perspective to attend to my wedding at sundown. To note, I''ve got a wonderful spark for her. I felt that feeling so I decided. Not in doubt. Pretty sure." Baldur looked at them confidently and everyone laughed looking at him so momentarily serious and straightforward that made everyone finally happy for him. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 132 Baldurs Wedding At sundown, everyone excitingly attended Baldur''s wedding in front of the spring and its calming water flow served as the rite''s background. The couple finally have their vow of commitment and Edward was teary eyed as well as Baldur''s siblings. Later then, Magee and George looked at each other, smiling as they witnessed the " I do''s" and Albrecht was finally happy for his brother who had been a prisoner in his first marriage where at last! he''s got the freedom despite war. It was such a great relief to the family, knowing how Baldur went through. The marriage with Mayumi could exactly redefine his meaningless life with Amanda. " Congratulations Baldur and Mayumi!" Henry and teammates greeted with glee. "Haha! thanks all. Here''s just a plain wedding and I did not prepare anything." He smirked. "You''re wrong, buddy. The big boss had prepared some bottles of wine for us, its already there in our kubos just before the wedding." Henry said while patted Baldur''s shoulder then winked to Mayumi as they left. Meanwhile, when the people started to exit, Baldur then pulled Mayumi''s hand and brought her to the Buccaneer''s cave, there was silence and Mayumi was intricately looking at the rocky walls and several bags and sacks inside. After a while, Baldur took some things from one of the bags then gave it to Mayumi. However, while Mayumi was busy checking its contents, he opened the rocky door facing the sea. " Wow!" Mayumi then closed her eyes and felt the windy ambiance. Interestingly, Baldur slowly moved closer and he gently clasped her tiny hands, wearing exactly his inexplicable thoughts. Alas! Baldur was madly in love for the first time with his breathless moments. Meanwhile, at the wooden house. " Hmm, did they leave already?" Sr. Sibal asked. " Yeah. they''re at the cave facing the sea. Its soothing there and ideal for newly wed. Haha! I''m very happy Sibal. My son had his instant decision that way, but its just rational." " Indeed. I was touched on how Albrecht hugged his brother after the wedding. It was intense and so heart wrenching. I can sleep tight tonight too, today''s affair just reminded me to be trusting and loving. I was touched on how the lonely guy turned out fulfilled, that spark he said, haha!, such a brave decision. Who would have ever thought that this marriage is going to happen today. But I was even more touched when he let the witnesses of his wedding signed on his official journal." Sr. Sibal smirked. " Yeah, Baldur''s your follower in writing. He loves to record the daily details within this war. By the way, me too, I''ve never expected that there''s this wedding. But beforehand, during the rescue, I caught them with that spark, haha! was it love in first sight? Wow! everything happened within 36 hours. Hmm...so conclusively, I only have Albrecht for Madelleine, soon." The Captain said as he yawned satisfyingly. 133 Series of Gunshots At 0800 hrs, gunshots were heard outside the mountain along with the screams of pains and instinctively all the soldiers have gathered in front of the wooden house where the Captain instructed them not to fire against the enemies. " It could be obvious if we send them off. They may think this place belongs to someone''s territory, aside from theirs. We''ll let them remain clueless, otherwise, they''ll hunt us in batalion. But in whatever way, our silence could be a sort of noise to them." The Captain said. " It could be a bait again. George experienced it just recently when he somehow noticed some people were running and men in uniform chased them. Then later the lieutenant found out that they were all connivance when they hid behind a big tree and the men in uniform gave instructions before they leaped to run and being chased again." Albrecht uttered. " It could be happening again and again." Baldur said. Everyone turned their heads to the newly wed Baldur who just joined. " Why?" Baldur smiled at them. Sr. Sibal then intervened. " What''s the next move now. I''m not a soldier nor a guerrilla so what we''ll gonna do now with those gunshots and tremors outside giving us tensions." Sr. Sibal remarked. " We''ll just stay grounded in here. No annoying extra movement, no loud sound. Everybody must keep calm and stay connected. Their scheme now shows suspicion over this place and we all need to be cautious. Alright, men! you all need to spread in the different posts on sites." The Captain ordered and both soldiers and guerrillas have moved, respectively. " Boom! boom!" " Grenades...why they''re wasting so much of their weapons if they have only a few to chase. Hmm...the sound was nearing to...beside the granite house? George!" The Captain looked to George though prevented himself to worry. But George ran as fast as he can, going to the bedroom and slid himself on the hole at the back of the cabinet and ran again in a dark tunnel turning right and the more his heart trembled when there was a very loud gunshot next to the granite house. He then opened the groundfloor''s granite door then climbed the stairs quickly and reached the doorstep of the main house. He was very nervous to open the door, thinking about Magee. " Mag?" he rushed inside their secret bedroom and even gone to room number 7 but found no one. He then noticed the daylight optic hole above the bar counter that''s already opened. He then hurriedly grabbed his dagger and handgun; climbed and crawled on the surface, slowly peeping below the mountain and found at least 20 Japs running below, heading towards Gabok. " Magee...where are you. Oh dear, great heavens! stay foot wherever you are, don''t move and wait for me. Keep hiding." He thought, sweating while reloading some ammos but his keen ears had heard some footsteps so he covered himself from a narra tree and readily pointed his handgun toward the echoing sound. Then he noticed that the sound slowly tiptoed and drew nearer him but he quickly grabbed the person approaching him and found face to face that its - Magee. With her sharp look at him she spoke. " Why? why you left me sleeping and opened the daylight optic hole? I thought you''re here? She whispered. He could feel her tensions and he kissed her forcibly while she''s teary eyed. Magee almost resisted from his wrapping arms, but he was caressing her face and kissed her not just once, not twice but he kissed her again and again. Though, before he forgot the world he then carried his wife beside the rope and told her to climb if she could still do it. Its still the same rope that Magee had used months ago. They couldn''t climb together using with just one rope, so she tried her best to reach the top but she collapsed and fell on him. Disappointedly, the Japs and their marching sound were nearing so he created a hole out of the withered leaves with his bare hands and hide his wife in it. He covered it back with withered leaves and just allowed the nose to surface a little. He checked of her ears as it was covered with her hair. After a while he ran across the path and took the attention of the Japs and 18 among them followed him below the cliff. By the mountain side, the 2 Japs were checking the place where George left and they were using their bayonets to stab the small branches hindering their way. While slowly checking the surrounding, the second Jap felt as if he had stepped a weird object on the ground. When he vent his body and attempted to check it, his comrade was calling him to see what he had found. A hair tie, its the hanky that George accidentally untied out of Magee''s hair when he kissed her. So its a blessing in disguise while momentarily, Magee was already awake and she was listening to the bubbly soldier the other one was. " My hair tie." She thought while she had heard a loud blast and series of gunshots. " George...please be safe." She whispered. 134 George Buried his Wife An hour after, George returned to the place where he buried her wife. He was gasping his breathe and crazily looked for her around. But nil! so he walked off a little and luckily found her beside a narra tree and he immediately approached and hugged her. " I''m sorry, its the only way Mag, hope you''re not ... mad at me." He sheepishly uttered while kneeling and noticed her severely pale face, droopy eyes and cracking lips. He suspected badly and out of fear he saw some bloodstains behind her. " Oh my God! Mag!" Then she''s unconscious again after slowly touching his face with her tiny hand. At the moment, he was concentrating on what to do next when its daytime and the Captain has ordered to close the entrance gate tightly, so they could not open it from the outside. Second, he could not climb bringing her, the rope was too small for two persons. Third, its possible that the Japs would return to their current location so the moment they get out might mean of their death. Fourth, if he''d fight against the 20 combatant Japs, her wife would be at risk. He considered the golden time necessary to prevent further infection and dehydration so he was sweating to death thinking on how to take their exit, unless he had to run and carry her going to the granite house exit door, but the chance would be too small. But its the last remedy, he thought. Without reevaluating the only way to escape from the pangs of danger so he picked her on his arms, teary eyed, and ran in an estimated 500 meter long grassy way, approaching the granite doorway when he had heard series of grenades blasting across the place from where they''d left. He was supposed to turn his head and find out if who did it but shortly he thought of her urgent medical need. Though, he thought of a possibility that the grenades were thrown by his teammates or any of his family members at the granite mountain top. " Thank you Lord! for the rescue. We''re getting closer to the exit gate Mag...hah! just hang on!" He thought while saving his energy while carrying her estimated 50 kilogram wife for a 500 meter ran. So there, when he was about to step on the rocky button on the ground, he sharply saw sone 2 Japs approaching coming fro the Gabok direction and seemingly were following the source of the grenade sound. Critically, the place when he stood up have shorter grasses so while carrying his wife he slid a little behind tree and decided to lay her down and he lie down like a speed of light. 135 Amados Inspiring Appearance He waited for her to sleep again after using the bathroom. While looking to her hand wrapped with gauze, he smiled and thought. " She''s really brave. Its truly difficult to endure such pain where she equally had a miscarriage. This beautiful bold woman is a real risk-taker, haven''t found someone like her even in the army. Huh! you sleep and take your rest better Mag, we have to get up and move on. One day we''ll gonna have another baby, one day soon. But it seems I can''t move on yet. Its really painful. I could recall I fondly used stethoscope just to hear our baby''s breathing sound through your pulse rates, it was really painful for me too." He was teary eyed again while watching her in deep sleep. Meanwhile, at northeast mountain top. The Captain whispered Albrecht to move down and check the terrain on the edge of the cliff, on that side where they threw grenades just to distract the opponents. " Yes Dad, I''ll gonna count one...two..." Albrecht stopped as Baldur moved down using the rope, greasing its body on it ahead of him so quickly. " Haha! your sibling slid like a lightning. You kept joking and see how he stole your assignment. Say thanks to Baldur when he gets back a little while. For now, cover him up while I fix the bag we brought here, hmm, by the way, how''s your sister? Hope she''ll gonna be fine." ", Dad. You forgot its Baldur who rescued them at the exit gate,its not me." " Ah! haha! yeah! yeah! I got it now, its not Albrecht its Baldur, alright." The Captain smiled. " Bang! bang!" " What''s that?" Albrecht crawled on side of the mountain and carefully followed to Baldur''s direction and noticed his brother covered himself on the tree. Some soldiers were firing towards him " Dad, they"re suffocating him that way. " " Shh, don''t fire yet. Let''s wait a little bit. He''ll gonna send us signs, just don''t be bored, calm down, everything will be alright." The Captain reassured. But after a minute, some handgun sound from the Japs'' opposite direction and left Baldur still on cover. When the Captain looked at the newly comers, he was guessing who they were as well as Albrecht." " Gabok guerrillas?" Albrecht guessed. " But they appeared southeast, Gabok is on northwest. Hmm...thanks to them. The opponents seemed backing off, some still followed the Japs but some of them drew nearer to Baldur." " There''s a woman with them, who are they? Hey Dad, they''re coming up." After a while, the group one by one climbed and met the Captain. " Sir!" Amado and company have their warm salute. " Wow! how did you do it with a perfect timing boys, great job!" The Captain smiled and tapped Baldur''s shoulder. " Good to hear that Amado, but first, let''s move back to the wooden house now. Okay men, let''s get going back to our hideout." The Captain ordered. They used the rope to get down inside the mountain except Albrecht who was eager to see his sister at the granite house. That then made him quickly ran towards the daylight optic hole and opened it. He immediately landed at the bar counter and was calling inside. " Magee! Magee! where are you? Mag?" Albrecht repetitively uttered. Without him knowing, George was watching at him from the inside but can''t move to open the transparent door. He was still recalling how Magee cautioned him not to share the secret rooms. Tired of calling that long so Albrecht just decided to go down and proceeded to the wooden house. " Thank God!" George waited a little while then locked the door. George went back to their bedroom and checked his wife''s condition. " She''s still sleeping so sound, huh." Momentarily, the night came so fast as he woke and fed her. " George, how are they right now, I m an pur family. Are they still up there?" "I guess they''re already there at the wooden house right now since Albrecht came here and just left after desperately looked at you. " Oh dear..I miss kuya and Baldur as well as Dad. I want to see them." She spoke. " When you''ll be alright we''ll go down and meet them soon. For now, just focus on yourself and be healthy again." He smiled while looking at her so sticky. " What is that stare all about...hmm." She murmured wlile smiling, closed her eyes and went back to sleep. He was left pressing his head with hands on sides. The wooden house was filled with conversation and Albrecht had prepared some boiled jackfruit nuts on a coconut stick food tray. " But Amado insisted to bring his girlfriend Lucia to their bahay kubo so that she can fully rest. Though, the lady Doctor told him that she''ll just wait for them. But Amado was insistent and brought her to his place. The Captain just teased and then they''re both gone, following by Sibaya and the rest of their comrades on their rescue mission. " Sibal, Amado''s mission is inspiring. He got her back. Don''t you think this place will be filled with kids in the next few years, mark that one, haha!" " Hmm, stay quiet. We don''t know what the future hold. We''re facing war." Sibal whispered. " Ah! you''re so mean...they''ll survive I know." " Dad, you still have some jackfruit nuts and peanuts, still waiting for your pick, haha!" Albrecht was laughing while his Dad threw him a piece of hackfruit nut. The night fell so foggy and everyone inside the mountain were dead tired of fighting and some graciously slept to continue farming in the next few days. But the youngblood around still enjoying the chills of the night drowned with sighs under the foggy moonlight. " 136 Mourning Over the Loss Inside the granite house, the couple was awakened by the loud calls of the Captain together with Albrecht and Baldur. That noise then made George immediately carry his wife outside, heading to the master''s bedroom. When he opened the door they saw them right away and Sibal followed them up there. " How are you Mag?" The Captain drew closer and helped her sit down by the bed and started to ask her about all the in-between life and death experience with the Japs. " So its all kinda breathtaking...don''t get back there and if you feel of finding George, go directly first to the wooden house since we don''t have any ladies'' bar around, yeah! things like that, so how''s that hand and feet going on in?" Albrecht funnily remarked. Everyone laughed. " Just sort of numbness." She smirked and then pointed a finger on her foot as it swayed a little. " I told you to be careful always, see that Mag." Sr. Sibal commented while handing to her some curled green coconut leaves'' packed with boiled corn. " Hmm, better that something worst than that hasn''t happened. Thank God." Baldur whispered as Magee forced herself to open up that she lost their baby in the aftermath. " Heavens!" The Captain pressed his head and Baldur comforted him while Sibal stood up, slowly motioned in front of the mirror at the receiving area and got teary eyed. Back to the master''s bedroom, she cried and Albrecht was so silent beside her, patting her shoulder and bowed his head. " Its not going to end this way, Mag. There''s still more life to start with. George and you are going to make great things ahead, there''d be more kids around. Hmm, we''ll get goin'', this war isn''t what we all deserve." Albrecht was a bit emotional and hugged her, who, at the moment cried so hard. There was silence and George was speechless as he bowed his head and clenched his fists inside his jean''s pockets. " My baby was threatened too much by this war, suffered and tortured inside while her mother pitifully tried hard to make her survive. This isn''t going to happen again in my family!" George thought while teary eyed and left. " Where is he going?" Albrecht asked Baldur. " I don''t know. We''ll just leave him alone and on his own." Baldur replied. " Well, this is really so sad but I''m thinking of the other side. Still we have to be positive. Magee, just be extra careful. Just stay home, Mag." The Captain uttered. " Yes Dad, it''s supposed to be the thing but I was really at fault." " Hmm...its never easy, I know how you feel." Sibal joined with them again. " Thanks Ama." Magee replied causing everyone to stay quiet while Albrecht unpacked the boiled corn and started to distribute it around. George then has returned bringing some fruits and laid it at the kitchen table. " Mayumi should be here, with us." Magee whispered. Despite Magee''s condition, everyone in the family tried to feel as if everything is well and that the morning meal added a piece of energy for them. on the same moment, Magee felt a bit better while watching them. In contrary, at the wooden house, Mayumi was trying to finish hanging at the clothesline when Dr. Lucia approached her. " Hi Mayumi, Amado told me your name so I just came alone after he pointed his finger here. How are you?" " I''m just fine." Mayumi smiled at her. " Hmm, that house is the only wooden house inside, it looks like an office of the residents here, its where the people gather, and the owner includes your husband?" Lucia queried. " Yes. I just learned that. My idea about this place is also limited, I just came days ago." Mayumi smiled and finally fixed her laundry stuffs. " I''ve been there inside last night, but can I get back and have a chitchat with you. I felt a little bored at the kubo, Amado was with his comrades, you know, their guns are their wives too. They said they''re sharing ammos for what reason, I don''t know." Lucia smirked and helped Mayumi going back to the wooden house. When they reached inside, Mayumi directly proceeded to the kitchen while Lucia followed. While Mayumi returned the laundry stuffs inside the bathroom, Lucia silently returned to the receiving area and when she was about to open the door going to the bedroom where Edward and Sr. Sibal currently stayed, Mayumi stopped her. " Dr. Lucia, the owners aren''t around, it isn''t our room with my husband too, its my father-in-law''s room. We''ll...just return to the kitchen, I still have to cook for lunch." Mayumi said while Lucia followed her and sat down beside the kitchen table. " So...all of them aren''t around? where did tgey go when they can''t casually get out? The Doctor was so curious while asking Mayumi. " My husband knows it and I can probably ask him about it too." Mayumi smiled while she started to boil 5 cups of white beans. " Ah, no worries, I''m just trying to break the monotony for being so bored around. So where they usually go?" Lucia asked again. " Haha! I really don''t know. I''m just starting to be part of this family and I mean to start doing the basics rather than break some rules." Mayumi was a little stubborn in answering too. " Oh really! haha!..." Lucia stopped when someone stood beside her and sat down. " Hi, its me Albrecht. My sister-in-law just honestly didn''t know that we climbed at the mountaintop. Now, I''ve answered your question its my turn to ask you if why you wanted to know our whereabouts." Albrecht pinned down his voice for such meeting. " Haha! there''s nothing in it. I just wanted to engage with the residents around and make friends. Its it and I know the rest are classified." Lucia stood up, tapped Albrecht''s shoulder and whispered on his ear. " Sorry." Lucia smiled then left. 137 Journey toward Makasido It''s already September, the air was filled with morose ambience when the Captain met everyone under the tamarind tree. " The Japs'' are becoming outnumbered, having been hiding for weeks seem enough to deem continue our mission. We''ll be heading northwest and passing Gabok is a bit risky, the survivors there I know are like angry bees, they bite in no time if they''re badly hit with surprises. So everyone must be very careful, Baldur said he lost track with them after the Japs'' siege more than a month ago. Hopefully the few visible alive can still be our allies, if not, and if they have suspicions on us, its a terrible test on us. But note this, no one should fire on them, no one can be cruel to people who long have been hungry for freedom. So, we''ll do what we can do to treat them as one of us around, and if possible, we''ll bring them in. Likewise, one of our goals of going to Makasido, a barrio next to Gabok is to barter some of our root crops with rice and remember, I''ll repeat it, Gabok people might obstruct and derail this mission, but I have assigned team heads to explain to you the specifics of the travel. Baldur, Amado and Henry are appointees to man each of their teams. Any question?" The Captain then asked. But everyone seem excited to go to Makasido and see if what they could get. Its the only place where the Japs allowed them to farm some rice though its also one of the places which is difficult to penetrate since the Japs'' headquarter was just too close to the rice farm. In a minute, everyone have separated their ways after the Captain adjourned the meeting. " Bro, he musn''t go with this mission." Albrecht said. " But he''s insistent, let him guide the troop." Baldur smiled. " George, what''s your opinion? c''mon!" Albrecht''s worrisome voice. " Hmm...he must stay around, there''s a lot of running, climbing and hiding this time. Can''t figure out if how Dad can do all these things at his age, huh!" George sighed. " Hmm...that''s an option. But who could hold him back here, even in your dreams no one can stop him. Do something if you have plans of stopping him." Baldur bowed his head and sighed. Then no one attempted to make a plot against the Captain. They just smiled and gone. When George reached the granite house, she found Magee on her mini dress and braided hair while she smiled and messing her hand with the dough of flour she''d mixed with '' puso ng saging'' at the kitchen table. " Wow!" He exclaimed. " Yeah. Its good to be back cooking this one." She smiled while he kissed her forehead. " No, not so much with the cooking, its more of the cook." Then he stayed behind her surrounding her with his arms as he put his chin on her shoulder and sideswept her ear with his warmth. " Aha...its another story. So tell me. I know when you''re being possessed like that." She smiled and tightened his arms around her. " Why not. This is wartime but what will you do to help me ease my worries. That place is a bit far, how can you assure that you can get back alive. Tell me." Magee sounded so serious as George put a clean piece of cloth on her hands. " Hmm...it seems you are in disagreement." George squatted below the pantry and sighed while he leaned his back on the wall. But she sat on the floor and watched him from sighing. " You looked...too handsome when you sigh. Your eyes are too cute, blinking like stars and your lips are so naive, your narrowed nose steals me right here, your reddish face are frightened as they all perfectly tells me to say yes, you may go." Magee uttered and when he opened his eyes with gratefulness he gently held her hands with guards down and the night was mystified by their drowning moments again and again. Midnight came and she wants to return to the kitchen to finish what she''s doing but he slowly pulled her hand and sent her back on his arms. " This is unbelievable." She smiled. " You are the most unbelievable, thank you, for pleasing my plans and for gracing my heart always." " Above all, you are irresistible, who would have known my cooking appointment turned out crashed by your side." Then he pulled her too close; too close where they could hear each other''s breathe in a cold foggy night. In the morning, Albrecht woke them with his loud call. " George! George!" Albrecht''s call. George then immediately awakened Magee and they got out from the secret room and brought their towels, ready to take a bath. When he opened the door Magee was already in the bathroom. " Hey George, what are you cooking. Wow! such a recipe for breakfast. But wait, the color seemed...ah, okay. This was left overnight here. Hmm...okay, alright." Albrecht smiled and sat down beside the table. But Albrecht wants to righteously put justice to the recipe so he started a fire using charcoal and tried to save some portion of the dough and ''puso ng saging'' where he can still use to continue what Magee wants to fry. " Thanks brother." George smiled to Albrecht and George left him for a while as he took a bath after her. " Haha...this couple makes me crazy, so cute. Hah! I don''t know. I don''t know if what would be the reaction of Magee if she''d know her husband will be going with his comrades in the field. Its a big war." " Hey, kuya!" You''re here! hmm, thanks for continuing my recipe, that''s becoming outdated, see the color, hmm." Magee complained. " Don''t worry. We''ll save it. I''ll just remove the unnecessary parts exposed the whole night." He smiled at her. She smirked and walked off towards the receiving area. They met there again with George. " Haha! kuya is cooking right now, is this still part of bribing me, so cool." Magee smiled and pinched his cheek but he caught her small wrist and put it on his chest. " I love you very much, Mag. No words can ever describe how much I value you in my life. that''s why I will stay. We will be watch dogs around." He smiled and caressed her face. " But no! I didn''t tell you to do that. We agreed already, right. You go with my brothers." She reasoned out. " No. I know you have plans of making your own mission that you usually stand as the General, Captain, lieutenant and sergeant, haha! I''m staying. I just feel it. You already missed the minefield." He thought then she replied with a smile. 138 Together as Soldier and Guerrilla The day has come and the mission remain to the most awaited travel the soldiers and guerillas wanted to fulfill. With this, as George sought for an appeal outright he was assigned to watch over Kabang place when his comrades would leave. The family understood him from preempting Magee to rush for an attack. The Captain just scratched his head; smiled and spoke, "At least you know her that much." " Dad..." George smiled while looking at him. " Don''t take it seriously, just enjoy the process, her anger with this war won''t be forever. Guide and understand her with all of your might, remember, you''re not also a soldier forever." " Thank you Dad." Then George had his hats off to the rest but of course Mayumi and Magee stood right beside him. " Why should they leave for rice as priority, we can still eat with just the crops we presently have. Huh..." Mayumi whispered. " The problem is, they have estimated that our root crops would last next month, they''ve got rotten harvest last week caused by rats. It was unexpected so this move has made the Captain worked for good, so by December, during Christmas, we still can survive. On January of 1943, our farm will get back to its sound and safe operation." Magee smiled and held Mayumi''s hand and they returned inside the wooden house. " Mag, how long shall it take for them to be here again?" Mayumi asked while settling on her seat beside the kitchen table. " Hmm...around a week I guess. Its estimated 10-15 kilometers away from here. Hey girl, Baldur is a very strong man. Trust him we''ll keep praying to send along with them all the angels in heaven." " Ngee...you give me goosebumps with that. So we''re left empty around with 28 civilians to take care with. You said we only have less supply of root crops and Albrecht didn''t tell us the division process for the ration." Mayumi sighed. " Haha! its not a problem, we''ll make Dr. Lucia busy in rationing." Magee laughed and gave her reassurance to Mayumi while George was listening at them behind the door, smiling then he left to get out and didn''t hear the last lines of his wife. "...we''ll help our family. I''ll show you for the first time our headquarter next to the Japs'', its just almost within their vicinity. The place was empty right now but its one of the safest, aside from here. Its beautiful! its door is a huge flowing water where no one can think there''s a cave inside." Magee whispered to Mayumi. " Wow...so how can we get inside that place?" Mayumi asked. " Simple. I''ll ask permission from my husband but if not I''ll make him sleep and we''ll escape. I want you to see that place since you''re already part of this family so if in case time gets bad, you know where to hide. This place is not so safe, though there''s still a nook here I may tell you soon." Magee uttered. " No, not yet. We need to ask permission from my husband first. Suppose he would disapprove, let''s escape." " Haha! why can''t we just escape without asking permission from him. " Those are two different things. Asking permission then anyway, escape is more acceptable than escaping without asking any permission. Hmm...get it? We''ll probably depart tomorrow at twilight, just be ready." Magee winked an eye to Mayumi who remained eager to see that cave in station one. " But hey, I don''t usually see you around, do you have another room in the tunnel?" " Shh...its a huge secret. Just don''t ask and keep the smiling Buccaneer cave your hideout when Baldur isn''t around. Keep safe and trust no one." " Its the coolest place and yes, its a real secret." Mayumi replied then she shared Dr. Lucia''s interest of the wooden house and its owners. " Really? when have you learned it, since then?" Magee sat beside Mayumi and looked so worried while pressing her head. " If you meet situations like this again, just tell us immediately." Then Magee shared the previous people they have rescued and adopted inside that caused so much harm and even killed so many war survivors. " My...it was indeed horrendous! Yes, whenever next time, I can relay to our family any spotless information I can get." Mayumi empathized. " Its how we live in here, otherwise, we''ll be used by outsiders to harm our own family members and race. It shouldn''t be the case, we must be protectors of one another. So women like us, even young, must help and work hand-in-hand with our husbands. So we have to fight too and act as guerillas since you marry a German-Filipino soldier with an American citizenship, so never, ever trust." " Hmm...I am starting to get nervous Mag. But I''m beginning to like engaging in silent war fights." Mayumi said with a pale face. " Not just a silent fight, sometimes we can go to physical engagement. Our country is at risk, I''ll show you the landmines, the safe path going station one and one last thing, do you know how to physically fight?" Magee asked while George got back eavesdropping. " Ha? ah, a little. But I''m afraid of looking at sharpened weapons, much more when I have witnessed a Jap stabbing the bayonet in my mother''s back. It...it was really painful." Mayumi looked so nervous. " Yeah, yeah, I understand. But it could become more painful if you won''t protect the attack with movement or any use of weapon too. Right?" " Ah...sure, sure, yes. But I lacked the courage sometimes. Remember when George saved me. I was running that time and chased by the Jap, sometimes I chill with fear that fight and protect my self." Mayumi had a dry throat for just telling her feelings. " So you don''t love your self, your family, the people, and your country. Here, our instinct must be more of getting bolder whenever we are hit badly within this war. The more we need to rise!" Magee looked up while George smiled and joined them. 139 Escapade to Station One " Hello ladies, what''s up? I''m a little hungry. Mayumi stood up to start the furnace and when George and Magee left together and seated, the wife started to whisper. " I''m...asking permission." She smiled at him. " Hmm...and what is that. I feel so dignified with this very formal seeking of approval, just tell me straight." He touched her nose and she spoke softly. " I''ll show to Mayumi the station one tomorrow at twilight. She needs to to see it personally." George felt as if the world turned up side down, stood up and had a bamboo mug of water. Speechless. He was silent for seconds, minutes till Mayumi laid down the sweet potatoes on the table. He remains labile and as he was watching the sweet potatoes it seems those were grenades blasting in front of him with its smoky presence. But Magee drew closer, wrapped her hands around his arm and put her head on his shoulder. " You can say yes if you want. I''ll wait." She whispered while he was sweating. " The three of us will go to station one tomorrow at twilight." George bitterly uttered. " Thanks!" She hugged him while Mayumi was smiling in front of them. " My God! what good did I say inside the epicenter of the warzone that made my wife burst into happiness. Is station one a playground or a garden? But she had been inside the granite house for months. I know this is wrong but I just make her comfortable with this dangerous sight-seeing, for once. Ahh! Great heavens! please stay close with us, I''ll bring two curious and excited women out there." He thought while Magee squeezed two lemons mixed with salt and they had their lunch. When they were done, George noticed that Dr. Lucia was already sitting down at the receiving area, facing the room with a secret door to the buccaneer cave and granite house. " Oh, Dr. Lucia, how long have you been here? you should have joined us during lunchtime, so why you''re here, anything?" " Hmm nothing. I just wanted to make friends with everyone around." Then she smiled. " Ah, I see. My wife''s here, Magee and my sister-in- law, Mayumi. I was likely stuck alone in the bahay-kubo and since Amado went out for that mission, I thought of spending time around or even wish to sleep in here, could it be possible?" " Ah, yes, sure. I like this room below, I mean, I usually use the bathroom at night, so even fir a week, may I?" Some footsteps were moving towards them. " No. We''re sleeping there with my wife, I''m sorry. However, there are still rooms upstairs if you want." George reckoned. " 139 Escape in the Tunnel " Hello ladies, what''s up? I''m a little hungry. Mayumi stood up to start the furnace and when George and Magee left together and seated, the wife started to whisper. " I''m...asking permission." She smiled at him. " Hmm...and what is that. I feel so dignified with this very formal seeking of approval, just tell me straight." He touched her nose and she spoke softly. " I''ll show to Mayumi the station one tomorrow at twilight. She needs to to see it personally." George felt as if the world turned up side down, stood up and had a bamboo mug of water. Speechless. He was silent for seconds, minutes till Mayumi laid down the sweet potatoes on the table. He remains labile and as he was watching the sweet potatoes it seems those were grenades blasting in front of him with its smoky presence. But Magee drew closer, wrapped her hands around his arm and put her head on his shoulder. " You can say yes if you want. I''ll wait." She whispered while he was sweating. " The three of us will go to station one tomorrow at twilight." George bitterly uttered. " Thanks!" She hugged him while Mayumi was smiling in front of them. " My God! what good did I say inside the epicenter of the warzone that made my wife burst into happiness. Is station one a playground or a garden? But she had been inside the granite house for months. I know this is wrong but I just make her comfortable with this dangerous sight-seeing, for once. Ahh! Great heavens! please stay close with us, I''ll bring two curious and excited women out there." He thought while Magee squeezed two lemons mixed with salt and they had their lunch. When they were done, George noticed that Dr. Lucia was already sitting down at the receiving area, facing the room with a secret door to the buccaneer cave and granite house. " Oh, Dr. Lucia, how long have you been here? you should have joined us during lunchtime, so why you''re here, anything?" " Hmm nothing. I just wanted to make friends with everyone around." Then she smiled. " Ah, I see. My wife''s here, Magee and my sister-in- law, Mayumi. I was likely stuck alone in the bahay-kubo and since Amado went out for that mission, I thought of spending time around or even wish to sleep in here, could it be possible?" " Ah, yes, sure." George nodded. "I like this room below, I mean, I usually use the bathroom at night, so even for a week, may I?" Lucia insisted. Some footsteps were moving towards them and its Magee. " No. We''re sleeping there with my wife, I''m sorry. However, there are still rooms upstairs if you want." George reckoned. " Hmm...yes, its still a great place. Glad I could stay within this house even just for a while. Thank you very much." Lucia said. " Welcome home Dr. Lucia, we''re glad you came and would be with us for the rest of the week." Magee added. " Mag, come. We have to change the plan for tomorrow. Our guest is a bit suspicious, have you noticed it? Ah...you must be very careful. I''ve sensed that she has heard our conversations, isn''t it? Oh dear, do not add up any plans before me, you really have to wait my signal, okay? Something sounds annoying around, you know that too." George was holding Magee''s hand. Do you get me?" His eyes were staring at her like a hunting mantis. " Ye...yeah. I got it." Magee then bowed her head and sighed. Meanwhile, Mayumi was a bit nervous while listening to Dr. Lucia''s frightening stories, relaying her encounters at the Japs'' camp where none have attempted to rescue her for months. Not until Amado really pursued but she said Amado was a bit late. " But its... a saving grace that you''re alive before you were rescued." Mayumi sounded so low and became silent. " But its too late." Lucia again reiterated the painful line. Magee, despite some worries and of guilt just tried to keep herself busy, helping Mayumi in tidying the house. In a dusky afternoon, the sun was already hiding in the western skies and George was noticeably out of sight. " Mayumi...did you see George around?" Magee asked. " Not this time, but at around 5:00 I saw him moving out with his thicker uniform, the one that looks chiefly brown. He was in a hurry to leave." Mayumi uttered. " Ah, thanks. Maybe we need to prepare for our dinner, we''re a bit late then, haha." " At least, the house looks great after all." Mayumi triumphantly raised her hand and smiled to Magee who was also in glee watching to all corners they''ve been in an afternoon. Without their knowledge, Lucia left the house too. So when Mayumi were done preparing the dinner, they both went upstairs and knocked on the door, but its open so they got in but found no one and they found a letter on bed. " What....my God! Mayumi, its a suicide note. She was terribly in pain and...." Magee stopped talking when they have heard a hissing sound of fire from the mountaintop. A few seconds later, George brought almost all of the survivors headed by Fr. Matias. When Mayumi and Magee saw them rushing inside the house, George opened the door and told Mayumi to lead everyone below as quickly as they can. Despite tension but Mayumi grabbed her things and led the people to get down the hole behind the cabinet. The people have respective belongings with them where George have instructed them early on that the final threat has come. So while the people were in a hurry to move down, Magee went up and attempted to get Baldur''s journal but didn''t find it. George already called her but she was already crying, she even disarranged all the things inside Baldur''s room and tried to grab whatever she saw necessary and valuable for his brothers. She was teary eyed while doing so but George pulled her hand to vacate to the secret passage but she escaped from his hand and returned upstairs. Though she was quick but George seriously grasped her hands and carried her into the secret passage. Though, she was strong but she did nothing when his combatant husband finally put her into the hole and instructed. " Mag! Get down and the remaining guards at the entrance gate will give us a sign that the Japs would possibly be nearing. If that will happen, I''ll wait for them to get in and we''ll follow everyone inside. I''ll be the last to pass through into this hole and lock it with this square iron ceiling. Mag! keep calm. Leave everything here without turning your head, please. You have to listen this time!" " But George....Baldur''s logbook wasn''t there already! I didn''t find it! huhuhu!" Then she cried again. He knelt while looking down and wiped her tears. " Everything will be alright soon...trust me. Just calm down." He forced her to move down while hearing the last two guards coming inside the house. " 140 Losing the Wooden Ancestral House "George! George!" His comrades called him while he temporarily closed the iron cover of the hole. " Derek! Bruno! how is it going out there!" George asked them. "An infantry is coming! Like what you have said, we opened the granite entrance door and we threw clothing and some things outside, spread it like the residents inside escaped going out. Its scary, they''re too many!" Derek exclaimed. Boom! boom! " They''re almost at the gate, come on in! I''ll burn this house once the two of you can move in, here! help me open it back and sink in then. Follow them but gather a few to close the buccaneer cave." " What''s..where''s that Buccaneer cave, Sir?" Bruno asked while sweating. " Just look for my wife, ask it from her or Baldur''s wife. They knew it, quick! remove all things, stocks and supplies from Buccaneer, carry it all in the end of the tunnel, northeast. Do not leave any traces to that cave facing the sea and surely lock it. If you''re inside the tunnel and leaving that cave, there are two horizontal steel locks. Help one another to lock it. I''ll follow there to help you soon." " Copy! careful here, Sir!" Bruno said with his snappy salute and was gone out of the hole going down. When George was left, he removed his jacket and shirt and took some firewood from the furnace and started a fire at the receiving area. When the fire started, he remembered their wedding picture and brought it going inside the room and saw through his eyes if how the fire quickly traveled from corner to corner before he escaped below the tunnel. Underneath, they could still hear the bursting sound and fatal explosion outside and George quickly followed Derek, Bruno and the rest of the Guerillas and few soldiers doing bayanihan in transporting some things out of the cave. When found tidy, George instructed everyone to lock it. The two horizontal steel were a bit heavy but they gathered their strength to finally lock it. " Great heavens! its done!" Michael smiled with his face filled with sweat. They then left and transported all things going to the cave in the end of the tunnel. " What the...since when your family knew this tunnel, Sir?" Derek asked. " Shh...just keep moving, we''ll have a meeting later somewhere." The lieutenant said. Due to tension and fear, the survivors have collated supplies of blankets and pillows from the sacks then laid their bodies so exhausted on the alleys of the tunnel. It was the time when George called the attention of the soldiers and guerrillas in the end of the tunnel. Mayumi was also religiously listening while embracing their wedding picture sketched by Albrecht. " Shh...he''d be okay. He''s maybe hiding right now. Remember, this is his place, don''t forget that." It was a little comfort for Magee and she returned to her seat. After a while, George continue to talk and oriented everyone about the four comfort rooms and two bathrooms inside the tunnel. George also opened the 20 small bedrooms that each looked like a niche but comfy. " I never knew those small bedrooms he meant, it wasn''t written in Am¨¢ Sibal''s journal." Magee thought while listening from her husband. " Sir, how about our food?" Bruno asked. " We still have canned goods around, though, our water access are found in bathrooms but still those are running waters from the spring. Meanwhile, in the middle of George''s talk, Sr. Sibal arrived carrying his things. " Am¨¢!" Magee shouted. " Hey!hey! " I''m still alive, haha." Sibal just calmly made Magee settled. "Am¨¢, where have you been." George curiously asked. " I just locked the entrance gate." " But...we made it open due to Lucia''s fire at the mountaintop that summoned the Japs to come." George''s pressed his head. " Hmm...no. Dr. Lucia was ordered to spy at us, yes. But she left a message to the Japs that if she create a big fire facing sundown, it means she found no one but that fire means she may have seen guerrillas going east, since she created a fire facing west. That Doctor was a heroine. She told me everything that she''d been waiting for Amado for several months but he rescued too late. She was already part of the comfort women. Hah! so sad...their relationship didn''t work well and ended this way but that Filipino-Spanish Doctor was really brave, peace be with her soul." " How come she had ruined her life that way. It would be very painful for Amado to learn this loss. After a brief discussion, Sr. Sibal seated next to Magee and felt so sleepy. George then continued to orient a few soldiers and guerrillas about the place. " Hey...you guys must not worry too much, aside from the secret rooms, bath rooms and comfort rooms, there are exit points going outside. To be precise, its around 900 meters walk in order to reach northeast opening is a steep cliff. From there, everyone must use a rope to go at 500 meters going down. When you reach the ground, it looks like that its a dead end but try to walk around 3 kms ten you''ll see the triplet caimito trees 141 Secret Doors toward Station One Its almost unbelievable but Sr. Sibal just unravel another secrets that he hadn''t mentioned in his journal. In fact, everyone were astounded and becoming more curious of the tunnel going out. Boom! Boom! " Wait! what''s that? Did you all hear that new explosion?" Fr. Matias asked. " What the...why? maybe someone has opened the gate!" Sr. Sibal was in trouble, stood up while scratching his head. " Am¨¤...what do you mean?" George added. " The Japs have invaded in our place now. George, tell around half of your men to vacate this area going to the northeast tunnel and find a living there while hiding. We need to divide this group into two, otherwise, we''ll die of starvation here." Sr. Sibal concluded. " That''s the surest way. Right now we''re all 24 herein. If time warrants, 12 of us may proceed to station one. Its also a way to access going out in the wilderness and on our way, I guess we could find wild fruits and crops." Bruno analytically explained while finely listened to the description made by Sr. Sibal about the bumpy terrain below. "Indeed! If you turn left when you land on its surface below, you''ll be at risk with the wild dogs. Leaning yourselves right on the wall will definitely make you safe till you reach the destination. While on your way, you grab anything you can use when you reach to station one. Just don''t wonder when you get there, you''ll open up a cover under Albrecht''s bamboo bed." Sr. Sibal said. " Meaning, when going there, everyone must always keep right." Fr. Matias summarized. " Absolutely!" Sr. Sibal ended. After their meeting they started to hear handguns that started to change the ambiance of the paradise. " They invaded our place, hmm..." Sr. Sibal whispered to Magee. " Am¨¢..." Magee was teary eyed. It was enough when George ordered everyone to take their walk going to station one while each has to grab a handgun with ammos. Bruno was the appointed guide and Sr. Sibal added more instruction before they left as he accompanied them until the opening of the tunnel going down. So when the 12 of them departed on the terrain described, Sr. Sibal returned to the crossing tunnel. "Am¨¢, that passage was great! how did you design all of these." Boom! boom! " Simple. Chuck told me three years ago about the possibility of this war to reach Philippines so I was thinking to the two of you. I was reassured of the granite house the two of them built for ten years, so I kept myself busy to construct the undergrounds with tge help of the American men hired by Chuck and Edward plus some Filipino aged men as my trusted friends There were only a few who helped me dug to all sort of directions I considered pasdable so three years were a truckload of being busy as a bee. Its all worth it rather than getting jealous to Chuck and Lolita, haha! So see, I made my self still productive." The people started to get inside to the small rooms to sleep on so Sibal called Mayumi to stay and pick up some blanket and pillow. Magee then turned his head but Sibal winked an eye to George. " What did Am¨¢ mean?" Magee asked to her husband " He maybe wants to retain our privacy and he just assigned Mayumi a separate room in the tunnel." George replied. " Ah...but I want Mayumi to stay in our house. She''s our family now." Magee insisted. " Not yet. Let our folks decide on that. Trust me." He pulled her and in a hurry to secretly move upstairs. Ratatat! ratatatat! ratatatat! The sound of handguns in their former grounds above terribly disturbed them and the tensions they''ve got gave them chills in the absence of the foggy nights for months. Its their first day under, a new day to crave more for freedom. When George and Magee reached above, she immediately sat down and sighed. " Why?" He stayed beside her and put his arms on her shoulder. " Baldur''s logbook, I mean his journal. I failed to find it." " Hmm...just think of that tomorrow. By now, let''s wash up and go to take some rest while forgetting that there''s invasion that had happened tonight." " My brother''s things." " Soldiers keep bringing their important stuffs wherever they go, even on field. They maybe brought theirs." George smiled. She was still sighing but he carried him in their secret bedroom and they took a bath in room number six. Then after that, they settled on bed and had a little chitchat. " Don''t think of the Japs nestling on our grounds. Its still ours." George caressed her face. She was teary eyed again. " I''m not afraid of them. I''m even more angry." " Shh...it will not give you any better. You''re too hot headed when it comes to them. Hmm...look at me..." He whispered. " I''d rather not look at you..." " Haha ...and why?" He teased her while combing her hair with his fingers. " You kept hypnotizing me, it isn''t fair." She closed her eyes but he had stolen kisses on her forehead, hugged her tight then slept with peaceful hearts despite the presence of the Japs on their grounds. Meanwhile, at the surface, the Japs burnt the remaining bahay kubos around and collated evidences out of the residents'' personal belongings then they celebrated through chanting. From afar, Baldur whispered. " My God...please take care of my family. I received a signal that our house was burnt which means George did it that says, " they''re underneath and safe." 142 Rice Barter with Root Crops When they reached barrio Makasido at around 0300 hrs, they right away found the place where a well-known farmer resides and only Albrecht, Amado and the Captain came in. The Captain sought some help from Amado to interpret their conversation. " Sir, we wish to barter our root crops with rice." The Captain uttered. " Ah, just go on and I can understand and knows to speak english as well, Sir." " Good, thank you." The Captain smiled as the rice owner invited them to sit comfortably inside a secret place of his house. "What root crops do you have?" The rice owner asked. " Its all in all contained with ''karlang'', ''kamote,'' ''singkamas,'' and we also brought some ''peanuts.'' Albrecht showed some sample. " Ah, I already have those but because you''ve traveled this far, I''ll take all of these and exchange it with rice enough for you to carry going back. Anyway, its timely that we have available stocks inside so take 4 sacks." The ricer owner smiled at them and tapped Albrecht''s shoulder. " Wow! thank you! he shook his hand and asked his name. " Ah, I''m Elmar, I''m supposed to let you stay for breakfast but its almost dawn, please leave now and send my prayers to my co-Filipinos that your team is helping. You may bring the "adobo sa gata" chicken meat and some eggs you just need to carefully travel." " Blessed is this house, thank you very much Elmar and even if I''m not a Filipino but I''ll use " utang na loob", our debt of gratitude for your geneuine help for us. Till we meet again Elmar, so we''ll go now." The Captain shook hands with him while his men already carried all the sacks going out. He was delayed for a while to fix the viand that Albrecht had packed with banana leaves. " Hey, they''re already waiting for us outside, c''mon son." " Dad, for a while, we can''t bring the sauce since its slimy that will easily destroy the meat so I left the coconut sauce. Ah...here, I''m done." When they were about to get out, someone knocked on the door so they backed off and cover themselves at the back of the door. Interestingly, there were two Japs who were looking for Elmar. When Elmar got out, they brought him outside and gone. " Shh...this way here at the back, c''mon!" Edward whispered so they proceeded to the place to meet up with their comrades. Baldur then was grateful to see them safe despite the presence of the Japs. " Thank God." Baldur smiled. " What do you think is the reason why they picked him up." Henry looked at Albrecht. " Shh...let''s start on our hike." " But Sir! its almost 1800 hrs, the sun is about to shine now. We''re trapped here, we can''t anymore cross that road, we become visible already if we do it." Baldur reasoned out while Henry agreed with him. " How about their bayonets, its too long, Sir!" Albrecht complained. " Then just attach your dagger at the tip of a bigger stick." " Hahaha!" everyone laughed while Albrecht pressed his head and smiled. Baldur, despite being serious but moved beside him and teasingly spoke. " Albrecht, when Dad returned you''ve got energy shortage, our boss is terrible." Baldur stood up again then helped the rest to cover the sacks of rice with withered leaves. Since the place was shady and surrounded with big trees so some of them climbed just to sleep on big branches above and to wait for sunrise. 143 Alexandras Statements Before approaching the middle part of the tunnel where Alexandra, Bruno and Eunice (Alexandra''s bestfriend) have waited. George was a little relaxed and positive to directly listen to them. " Good morning, who''s Alexandra?" " I...I am Alexandra, Sir." " Good to see you. Can you please tell us the summary about finding that boy." George smirked to pacify her tension while holding Eunice beside her. " Ah...it started when everyone arrived so exhausted inside station one, Sir. When I was about to settle myself on a bamboo bed they said belongs to your brother-in-law, I noticed that something sliwly moved beside the sack that''s too close on the rocky wall. To my surprise I immediately removed the blanket and found that chilling boy, sweating and trembling while looking at me in fear. He was a Jap I thought. So I was kinda feeling like a bomb and almost decided to choke him with my bare hands while thinking how my parents were killed with his clan''s bayonets. But...but...he was just a child, so innocent, like I was before. Sir, I''m sorry I failed to scratch his present. I can''t do it." She was crying then. " Well its alright. What you did was just prim ang proper, He''s not our enemy, its this war. So thank you for preserving his life and didn''t act right away out of anger and revenge. Though we have fears now of having that boy around but let''s all find a way to endure this agony on human understanding. Now, Bruno, grateful to you for bringing Alex here too. Good job everyone." George inhaled and drew closer to Sr. Sibal. Still inquisitive but Alexandra talked to Eunice whisperingly. " I thought the most handsome lieutenant in the world would throw us out. Eunice, I was nervous and tensed while narrating, huh!" Alexandra sheepishly said. " Me too, I was a little nervous while listening though my role here for coming is just to support you. But look! true that the lieutenant is a Filipino-American, his wife must be very lucky too for he''s so calm and cool. And take note, instead of preventing my self to look at him but I landed staring at him like a magnet. His eyes...they''re sleepy and magnetic, haha." Eunice softly said " Shh...he''s coming back." Alexandra said. " Hey ladies, I told Bruno to return both f you to station one. 144 Life Inside Room Number Seven Getting into another place like a hideout seemed a dungeon for Damian, the boy''s new name given by the couple Magee and George. Interestingly, Magee inttroduced him new approaches in order to survive. But he was more amazed of the secret rooms at room number seven. " Mama, what is this room for?" Damian asked to Magee. " Just stay there and grow up faster as much as possible, read the books, and if you do not like the children''s books we will tell Papa to send us more books stock in the tunnel. What do you think?" Magee smilingly asked him. " I''d like to know if what are you going to do with me around, am I a prisoner...I can be a hostage too." Then the boy was teary eyed and bowed his head. " Oh no Damian...we have reasons not to return you this early, we''re at war with your clan, they''ve been looking for us and...we do not like you to experience the dangers we''ve been into. Likewise, we''re afraid that we can be traced if we release you this time. Damian, I''m so sorry, just help us survive just as we''ll protect you with all our might. Hope you can help our countries to be on their own ways, back home with their beautiful people. No one from us is bad. We just need to protect the people of this land. Absolutely, this ground belongs to God , and we''re tenants here for centuries. Its how I can explain to you some difficult things but you ought nothing, yes, you don''t need to be afraid over us. You are just a boy and you''re loved here, understand? So now, make that room number seven as your own. you play there and we''ll treat you a family regardless if you will hate or betray us. Do you get what I mean." Magee smiled at him. " But I don''t have playmates here, its very lonely. Back in the bunk house, the soldiers played with me, hmm...but hoping I could have a playmate soon." Damian sighed. " Haha! we''ll find a way to look for a playmate. Just help us pray." Magee then said. Meanwhile at barrio Makasido, Amado and Isagani lifted their handguns when they have heard a couple of noise. " N...no! Calm..down...its me, Elmar. I just tried to verify if all of you are still around, I brought some food, packed with banana leaves for your journey back to your place. Here..." Elmar handed to Amado the food pack. Albrecht and the Captain just moved in and greeted him. " Elmar, thank you. This is all enough. We thank you so much. But are you sure no one has followed you going here, you were called by the Japs before we left." The Captain said. " Ah, their head asked me for ducks and chicken they''d use for a certain celebration, I don''t know what and when." Elmar smirked. " Hmm, its good you have poultry and swine here too." Baldur commented. " Yes. Ah, I''ll pick a few 144 Outside Enemy Lines Getting into another place like a hideout seemed a dungeon for Damian, the boy''s new name given by the couple Magee and George. Interestingly, Magee introduced him new approaches in order to survive. But he was more amazed of the secret rooms and most especially at room number seven. " Mama, what is this room for?" Damian asked to Magee. " Just stay here and grow up faster as much as possible, read the books, and if you do not like the children''s books we will tell Papa to send us more books stock in the tunnel. What do you think?" Magee smilingly asked him. " I''d like to know if what are you going to do with me around, am I a prisoner...I can be a hostage too." Then the boy was teary eyed and bowed his head. " Oh no Damian...we have reasons not to return you this early, we''re at war with your clan, they''ve been looking for us and...we do not like you to experience the dangers we''ve been into. Likewise, we''re afraid that we can be traced if we release you this time. Damian, I''m so sorry, just help us survive just as we''ll protect you with all our might. Hope you can help our countries to be on their own ways, back home with their beautiful people. No one from us is bad. We just need to protect the people of this land. Absolutely, this ground belongs to God , and we''re tenants here for centuries. Its how I can explain to you some difficult things but you ought nothing, yes, you don''t need to be afraid over us. You are just a boy and you''re loved here, understand? So now, make that room number seven as your own, you play there and we''ll treat you a family regardless if you will hate or betray us. Do you get what I mean." Magee smiled at him. " But I don''t have playmates here, its very lonely. Back in the bunk house, the soldiers played with me, hmm...but hoping I could have a playmate soon." Damian sighed. " Haha! we''ll find a way to look for a playmate. Just help us pray." Magee then said. Meanwhile at barrio Makasido, Amado and Isagani lifted their handguns when they have heard a couple of noise. " N...no! Calm..down...its me, Elmar. I just tried to verify if all of you are still around, I brought some food, packed with banana leaves for your journey back to your place. Here..." Elmar handed to Amado the food pack. Albrecht and the Captain just moved in and greeted him. " Elmar, thank you. This is all enough. We thank you so much. But are you sure no one has followed you going here, you were called by the Japs before we left." The Captain said. " Ah, their head asked me for ducks and chicken they''d use for a certain celebration, I don''t know what and when." Elmar smirked. " Hmm, its good you have poultry and swine here too." Baldur commented. " He''s so relaxed while I''m a bit nervous, thinking of his safety." Albrecht murmured. " He''s just excited that we existed and jumped inside in the enemy line. Seldom that they see like us around so they feel an overflowing hope." Baldur said. " That''s true." The Captain smirked. Its almost sundown when Elmar returned and brought 6 chicken with 1 chick. " There''s a chick that followed me when I was on my way going here so its the only one among the adult ones, haha!" " Wow...thank you Elmar. This is going to be a great farming soon." Amado whispered while everyone started to pack up again to take their exit out of Makasido. With great support from the benefactor they tapped Elmar''s shoulder then one by one left as Elmar shed tears and waved a hand on them. Moments later, they''ve already crossed the road and suddenly heard gunfires, twice; and was coming from Elmar''s place. " Huh! what''s that creepy sound coming from Elmar''s place!" Albrecht uttered in dismay. " Peace be with that soul grind with anger, whosoever that be, may he rest in peace, huh! this war is getting worst day by day, c''mon boys! let''s get movin''!" The Captain ordered while they were approaching to the border of Makasido and Gabok. Makasido was a bit smaller than Gabok, so basically, if they could reach Gabok, they have to travel almost a day to get across its area. Around hours of traveling and have rested flat their backs on big trees, they have heard some noise running towards them. Of course, it made them so alarmed and the Captain signaled them to be on their respective emergency assignments while Isagani climbed so fast to urgently reach the treetop in order to locate the coming entity. Somehow they thought it could be a predator hunting for humans. " If we fire on that and turn it down! the usual! we have to leave this hunting ground, let''s quickly head to Makasido border without traces, okay men! its almost here, one! two!..." The Captain stopped from whispering and from signaling his men when Isagani shouted from above and said. " Its Elmar! please put your weapons down! its Elmar. No one''s with him, he''s on a field we''ve passed by a while ago and is getting too close to us." Then Isagani moved down and they all waited for him. " Its me! Elmar! Elmar! its me!" then he reached the jungle entrance and collapsed." " Oh my! he''d ran all the way here! what''s the matter with him! Okay Henry, remove that parchment-like thing from his hand. Albrecht, c''mon here!" Baldur instructed while Amado checked his vitals and the Captain pressed his head while walking to and fro under the century trees around. " Hmm...what''s the matter with Elmar. So..who was killed on that gunfire we''ve heard from a distance?" The Captain thought. 145 Its All About Survival Despite Elmar''s delicate situation Henry and Baldur carried him through a bamboo pole where a blanket was hanged and tightly tied side by side. Amado was patiently walking too fast while giving Elmar some first aids. " He''s asthmatic!" Amado looked at the Captain. " Oh God...but boy! keep movin'' we have to go down to the creek where we can drink some water and grab some fruits.. Faster!" Baldur was then following his Dad who was a bit exhausted but still posting on the lead and the rest were heavily carrying the sacks of rice. " "Dad, slow down a little...your knees I know are biting now inside. Tell me if you need a hand." Baldur whispered. " Shh...we have to keep movin'' son, Gabok border is safer to us." The Captain said. When the creek was quite near but in bad fate, they saw a few Japs crossin'' at it and so they waited for a while till sundown again. " Dad...Elmar''s a bit stable now. What do you think, can we cross now to set our foot on that creek." Baldur asked. " No, not yet. One among them will get back to that creek and check whether enemies are just around. Observe thoroughly, someone will return to check. One...two..." The Captain stopped when a Jap in uniform has returned and checked the area by the creek. " Wow! haha...." Baldur was laughing while covering his mouth. Amado then wowed and glanced to the Captain while Henry unbelievably bit his lip in amazement. " See that...so we''ll just wait till sundown and all of them will return to their headquarter by the Gabok bridge." The army head on a silent roar. When twilight came and the fogs started to mantle the skies and treetops, Edward''s team went down by the creek and everyone immediately dipped their water containers inside a basin-like well. " Wow! thank God" Baldur whispered himself while watching Isagani dipped some water using a rare plant with pitcher-like containers around it. " What''s that? haha...they looked like pitchers! glamorous! where did you get that plant with pitcher-like water containers around it? lovely!" Albrecht smiled. " When I climbed to spy if who was that noise following us, I spotted this one above and found some water inside each container but can''t drink the water since there were dead insects inside in each container. Haha...I will use it now since I don''t have a water container." Isagani said. " Okay men...let''s keep rested here for dinner. This place is rich with wild berries and guyabanos. We''ll wait for Elmar to get his consciousness back. After an hour, Elmar already seated on a rock and spoke. " The gunfires you''ve heard have killed one of my caretakers. My trauma got back when I saw with my eyes on how they did the same to my wife. Its painful. So I decided to leave the place and join the guerrilla with secret alliance in the army helping the civilians. I have no choice but to wait for the liberation, if there''s any." Elmar was teary eyed and bowed his head, wiping his tears. " Its okay Elmar...just pour it out. No matter how painful your life had been through but there''s always freedom ahead, one day, we can have it. Let''s altogether wait for it." Amado smiled. Everyone kept silent and started to prepare themselves to continue the travel. Meanwhile, at the granite house in the next morning.. " Hey Damian, how have you been?Hmm...what are you doin''?!" George smiled. " Good morning Papa. I tried to make a ball made of used papers from room number 5. I really wanted to play." Damian winked an eye to George. " Great! haha! so how''s your sleep?" " I loved this room, its filled with baby needs and its homey. Its cold here too due to the flowing water. I like to stay here forever." The little boy smilingly uttered while throwing the paper ball to George. " Ha? wow! that''s lovely! so you need to work hard and treat everything here with proper care." George sat on the granite bench while Damian sat beside him. " Why you and mama don''t have a baby yet." " Ah? haha! its still wartime, yeah! its it!" " I will babysit supposed you will have a baby. Don''t send me back to my father, he''d been very busy and I loved cool and silent place like this. I hate war." Damian sighed while George tapped his shoulder. " This war will be over, Damian. Just keep praying to both the Filipinos and the Japs. My family does not like to fight too though there have been awful times where we have killed some Japs in the past, huh! help pray for everyone''s safety, do it every now and then. Damian." George Sighed as well. " Papa, I saw some weapons in one of the rooms, will you use all of them to kill my father and company..." Damian curiously asked. " Oh God...no Damian. We''ll just use it if they will combat against us, don''t be frightened, okay?" George carry and put him on his lap. " Papa, will you not kill me too? If that will happen, please do not chunk my body nor bayonet me." " Damian..." Magee shouted from the door, she ran and covered the boy''s mouth while George hugged them both. " C''mon boy...we can be your parents. As I said, just don''t be frightened and don''t think too much. The army and Filipino civilians have saved you, if they''d been into revenge, they should have killed you then when they found you alive. Do you get that...just trust us. For now, your safety is part of our priority. 146 Albrechts Reaction to Damian When Edward and the team reached the Gabok second wooden northern bridge, Bruno greeted them with glee. " Welcome back Captain!" Bruno smiled. " Bruno! how have you been?" The Captain asked then Bruno told him everything while Bruno''s team carried the sacks of rice going down the cliff so to reach the opening of the tunnel exit point bound for station number one. " Hmm...this passage has been opened by its designer, good!" Edward smirked. " Such a great work, Sir! By the way, we''ve found a Jap boy when half of the remaining tenants went to station one, somewhat a seven year old boy, Sir. He''s turn-over to the lieutenant already." Bruno reported. " Hmm....I see, thanks Bruno, that''s the first thing I need to get into when I reach there though being invaded is a terrifying story, but still a great luck that everyone''s sound and safe." Edward said. When all of them reached inside while passing at the northeast tunnel''s exit point, everyone gently put down the sacks of rice, laden beside the swampy part if the tunnel. Everyone were very tired and slept. In the evening, Fr. Matias led the thanksgiving prayer in the evening. Later, Edward, Albrecht and Baldur went up in the granite house when comrades and a few guerillas left for station one, bringing a sack of rice and a half sack of sugar from the tunnel. " Sibal, come on, let''s move up." Edward convinced Sr. Sibal. " Ah, I''ll stay here and talk to Elmar, it seems we''ve met before. Just go up and the kids wants to see you all back home. When his friends left, Sibal then went back to Elmar''s place and started a conversation. Up in the granite house. " Dad, Baldur and Albrecht, I''m happy to see all of you around. Hmm...but inyerestingly, we''ve a seven year old Jap boy right now. He''s there beside the counter." Magee whispered to them by the door. " Hey boy! I''m Baldur! you can call me by name. But anyway, I have a welcome gift for you, here!." He released the tame chick from his back and the boy''s chinky eyes wowed at it. " Wow! its amazing Baldur! its typically lovely! Wow! thank you." Damian uttered. "Aha ..I don''t feel of even smiling at him, no, not." Albrecht whispered to his Dad then walked out going to the kitchen. Magee then followed his eldest brother. " Kuya...he''s just a boy, and besides we can''t return him while we''re at war with his friends out there. We can''t kill him too, its so inhuman, we need to still..." Magee stopped from talking when Albrecht interrupted. " I can make him get lost again. Its how I''m terribly suffering from the pangs of this war. He may never be an enemy but he couldn''t be a friend too, remember that. Keep an eye with him, do not trust and don''t fall too much in his innocence." Albrecht sighed while starting a furnace. " He can be a snake, its possible." Albrecht had his modulated voice. " But he can be great person as he grow up. It can be possible." Magee insisted. " Alright, just do what you want with that boy but at the end of the day, he''s someone who might put you a scar." Albrecht pouted and put some charcoal in the furnace while boil some water. Magee just left him so silent in front of the furnace and joined with George and company at the receiving area. " Magee, Damian is very happy with the chick that Elmar gave to us. What do you think is the best alias for that chick, basically it needs a name." " Budekdek, yeah, its a great name for this one." Damian smiled to all of them. " What?" All of them uttered smilingly. " Its an animal name I''ve been hearing when one of our Filipino companion in the bunk house calls for our pet. It so happen that pet was a pig. " But I like it, budedek or budekdek." Damian then smiled so happily. " Haha! will it not be confusing since its a chick and not a pig." Edward laughed. George smiled and covered his mouth while meticulously watching the boy and his genuine response over his gift. After a while, Edward privately talked to George while Magee and Baldur left to chitchat with Damian who was enjoying with his newly named chick Budekdek. "George...is this the last choice we have, for keeping him in? I''m into finding out if this boy is being searched these days...but I agree, releasing him would mean our fall. Hmm...this situation seems so tricky, we lose in both ways if we release him. Okay, take care of that boy this place is the safest for him too. Anyway, I''ll explain things to Albrecht, he''s just rational though, attending to this tricky situation is difficult to technically digest. The boy is innocent." " Dad, thank you." George smirked. " On the other hand, Magee curiously asked Baldur about the chick he has brought. " You have just made someone the happiest today." She smiled. " Haha! He''s funny. I mean, can''t imagine him as a Jap boy who is truly articulate. He had no traces of being lost nor acted as a stranger. He''s just an amazing boy, I''ll tell Mayumi about him." " Hmm...Baldur, about Mayumi..." Magee paused when Baldur stoped her and spoke. " Magee, its alright, I understand and she''ll think of that way too. C''mon, its not a big deal. We''ll just wait for the right time. Don''t worry too much, okay?" Baldur explained. "Thank you brother. I''m just in conscientious, considering that Damian is here while my sister-in-law haven''t been here. I admit its unfair on her." " Shh....it isn''t. My house in the US is quite big, and its Dad who financed me to build it. He has given us houses, cars, luxuries but told us that when we get here, whatever you decide then we have to just keep quiet and respect your decisions. You had been away from him for years but fed us with Albrecht like his own sons. See how fair Dad was in treating us. Thus we learned from him too. This is your house, so act as the owner little Sis " He tapped her shoulder and smiled. " Thank you Baldur. You just have made ne feel completely better. I''m just even decisive on small things, you know. For years I lived spontaneously alone so I sometimes reminisced those days and still thinks on my own, drilling my privacy and often seek silence." " Yeah, I get it. Dad told us a lot about you so you don''t need to feel anxious over Mayumi. When you still think of that, consider my house as a villa, just bigger than this, haha!" Baldur jokily said. " Is that true?" Magee smiled and removed his hands from covering his face. In not so far, George and the Captain were watching at her enjoyably tickling his brother. 147 Budekdeks First Day in Room 7 After the brief gathering among family members, Edward, Baldur and Albrecht have left, while Magee led Damian to room number 7. Excitingly, the boy was trying to tame Budekdek on his palm. On the other hand, the couple met in their bedroom at room number 3 after George locked the door outside. " Albrecht seemed in disagreement with Damian''s stay. What do you think." Magee sheepishly said. " He had reasons too, but he''s a soldier who could trim down everything that imbibes his enemy. Hmm...but Dad and I agreed for Damian''s stay with us and he whispered that he''d just talk to Albrecht to explain some things. We''ll pray then...that he''ll gonna accept this boy, soon." George whispered while smilingly looked at her and arranged on sides her messy strands of hair. " Its a bit colder around tonight." He whispered. " Yeah...its true." She smiled while her eyes caught drooping to sleep. " I''ll put socks on your feet, so that you can sleep better and I''ll pile up another blanket for your comfort, may I?" He winked an eye on her. " Sure, thank you." Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep after feeling a little warmer. When George was left quietly watching at her, something beamed in his mind. " She must be very tired and had absorbed the toxins of this war. Hmm...I''ll try to fall asleep while looking at her start to dream. Dreams like it isn''t wartime, we''ll gonna have our baby, no sound of guns and grenades and those enemies must have vacated out of our grounds above. She isn''t fine I know. I hope Damian can help her recover from losing our baby, hope so." Then George closed his eyes. It''s a sunny morning shining from the east when Damian knocked on their door and they let him in. " Mama, Papa...Budekdek just woke up and I guess she wants to eat now. Can I feed her something tasty? Its her first day here, she must be very hungry right now." Damian smirked. " Haha! oh boy! just tell us you''re really hungry and its not just Budekdek, right? C''mon, bring your pet and Mama still wants to sleep, okay? Here, faster!" Then George was heading towards the kitchen. " When I passed by here a while ago I thought this place have a special storage, I finally found one today." The boy smiled. " Ah! haha....yes, absolutely! these are just green beans but if we boil them, your hunger will be answered. Let''s just add up a little amount of sugar at it to make it tastier. Will you try just a mug of it?" George smiled " I will try some. I''m just...yes, really hungry Papa." Damian bit his lip while George carried him to sit down on top of the table. In a while, Damian placed Budekdek on the surface. " We should not fry her." " Who?" George asked and pretended that he never knew who that was. Boom! boom! Damian immediately went down and embraced George shaking in fear, pressing George''s hands. " Paaaa.,..I''m...afraid. Don''t fight against them. They have so many weapons." Damian cried while Budekdek was also chilling. " Shh...sit back, c''mon, whenever you hear similar sound, you and Budekdek must hide and cover your ears. Don''t run nor shout. Just keep your composure and stay calm, okay?" " Papa...Mama kissed your shoulder, why aren''t you wondering that she just did it while you talked to me." " We liked each other very much while I see no one but her. That''s why I don''t turn my head the moment someone kisses me, I know its her doing it. Mama kisses Papa and vise versa because we want to assure one another that life is here and everywhere and there''s someone that cares. Although that''s the case but you can''t do that to Budekdek, you can only carefully play with her since she has a lot of physical injuries. Look at her left knee, it bends when the other walks. So you must take her well, feed and nourish her.." George explained while Magee started to sit down on the chair and was smilingly listening at them " Ah, I see. Yes, it seems I feel what she had been through. Hmm...but she can be a great friend. Just promise me and Mama on not to fry her when she grows up. Back at the bunk houses, they made all chicken as great viands." Damian seriously ended. " Ah! haha! but not to Budekdek. Of course, we''ll treat her well around as long as she''s tidy. " Alright Papa and Mama, I''ll do everything as long as you won''t fry her when she gets older. Boom! boom! Another blast unfolds the silence and back to its shaky ambiance. The little boy slid out of the table and embraced George''s jeans and rolled his arms around the lieutenant. Out of pity and although felt the same fear but Magee immediately covered Damian''s ears as George''s held them tight while staring to nowhere, wanting to go down and had to fight face-to-face with the enemies. " Shh...everything will be alright. They can''t reach here, you know, Budekdek is here." George''s said while Damian looked up on George''s face and smiled. " You''re kidding Papa." " Hmm...it can become true if we think Budekdek that way, who knows." George funnily uttered. However, Magee secretly smiled and pinched his husband''s hand. " Ouch! see...Mama pinched me." George''s trickery acted like collapsing and that he''s hurt so Damian rescued him by listening to his heartbeat while the lieutenant put his back on the chair. " Mama! Papa''s heartbeats were so fast! come on here!" Then the little boy got down and ran to the next room where the medical tools were stored and tried to look something. While the couple was left, Magee was silently laughing and the lieutenant has just risen; grabbed her hand and had a stolen kiss but Damian''s footsteps were getting back so the combatant husband acted to be unconscious again but Magee was left breathlessly laughing. 148 Damians Testimonies Outright breakfast, George brought Damian back to room number seven and asked him few questions. He''s just a boy so the lieutenant was very gentle to start. " Damian, we have heard that your friends have prisoners that looks like them. How true is that?" George calmly asked while starting to help him clean the room and put a wet rug beside the little boy. At the same time he then removed some of the stuffs from the shelves and he modeled the process of tidying the entire place. " Ah, yes papa. Hmm, sometimes I get confused of what they do when they don''t feed them right inside the wooden prison cells, but of course, maybe because they don''t talk with my Dad''s language. They''re weird." Damian started to wipe the granite table while following what George had been doing. But George stood up beside him and verified what he had heard. " Meaning, those prisoners were not one with your friends? So who are they? and can you guess who they were?" " Hmm, I don''t know." The boy answered while pouting. " Ah, its alright Damian. So how was it in that cave where you were trapped? How was your life there had been?" " Its a bit serious. I cried and shouted but my voice just echoed in its corners. I was really afraid inside the whole time I''ve been there. It''s scary." " Indeed, its terribly dark when its nighttime, I cried every night." " Hmm...so do you have plans of going back to your friends? and when?" " I don''t know." The boy answered. " Okay, sorry for my questions but what''s your father''s name?" The boy didn''t answer and yawned instead. " Okay, so how does your cleaning performance look like? May I see." George smilingly said. When the lieutenant meticulously checked the boy''s performance he was amazed by how the boy did it all. " You''re such a great boy! wow!" George smiled while carrying the boy to his wife and Magee put him properly on the chair. " You''re too skinny, and just like Budekdek, you need to eat more of your meals three times a day. Hope you''re not picky." Magee smirked. Boom! boom! Then the boy hugged George so tight while holding Magee''s hand while sobbing. " Great heavens!" Suddenly, George hurriedly got out and used the balscope telescope at the built-in wall of the receiving area nearby the door going down. Out of worries, Magee opened the two-way secret door and followed her husband while carefully pulling Damian''s hand. Breathlessly she carried the boy on her arms and stood silently beside the lieutenant. '' Wow! what is that Papa that you have kept again. Is it a weapon?" He just splashed the boy''s hair with his hand and smirked. " Be good around, I''ll go on travel for a while. "George...keep safe and come back immediately." She sheepishly whispered and since Damian faced to the opposite direction - towards the distant secret door so George kissed her quickly as lighting. But funnily Damian heard some noise from them so he turned his head right away and asked. " What is it?" " Ha? its nothing."They both laughed while Magee slowly pushed him towards the door going down, still smiling, looking back at her and winking his domineering eyes she''d always missed. In the tunnel, the soldiers and guerrillas were in a hurry to leave the underground, bound to station one, and so they did. Moreover, the exit escape was a bit delicate but its the only way they can protect themselves from the deafening sound of blasts. " George, kindly slowly carry some supplies going up. Prioritize the charcoal. Hope you can take it all going up. Interestingly, Magee continued to interview the boy where she had shockingly heard something from him. "Hmm...my parents are Hakanori and Jonalyn but I don''t know about them right now. It was horrible. We were not supposed to be in that barracks but I was attracted to what my mother was into. She was busy doing things I didn''t understand and most of the days she''s hooked in barter trading, hmm it seems it looks like that way. They usually fight and yes, she''s always in trouble with Dad. But I loved them both, though, never seen them together, it''s forbidden." He paused and looked to Magee. Magee was adamant then reacted after a while. " What do you mean? Ah...don''t worry, you may take a rest now and I guess you''re absolutely tired. Come on, I''ll bring you back to room number seven." " Mama, will I really stay here I until the war ends?" They started to have their paces and he even led their walk. " Hmm, yes, Damian, but you must not get hurt. Its just that this war have made us for the mean time, after this, you''ll be back to your family, okay?" Magee has finally opened the door number seven and carried him on his well-arranged bed. " So I''m a prisoner Mama, right?" He smiled to Magee. " Of course not, you aren''t a prisoner, always think of that. You are in fact, an angel and will become a great man someday - after the war. So we''ll be taking care of you, not as a prisoner but like a son." Magee smiled at him. " Aha. So I''m like a prince, haha." Damian funnily uttered. " Sort of, that''s why you have to grow faster and meet your family again, whoever they are, especially your mother. She''d terribly missed you these days, I know." Magee said. " I hope she''s still alive, I missed her so much." Damian whispered then fell to sleep while holding. Magee''s hand. 149 Ordeal Underneath Magee felt as if she''s holding the last winning card on her palm after finding out that Damian was Hakanori''s son. " But no! he''s just an innocent boy who could just play around. Though, this in turn means Hakanori remains in Tikaban and in search for his son until now, interesting!" Magee thought out seriously. Boom! boom! "Mama..." The boy wanted to stand up but Magee tried to prevent him from doing so. "Oh my....shh...go back to sleep Damian, go back to sleep...we''re alright. Shh..." She whispered. In a minute, she has heard several knock on the door outside and it sounded like there''s an emergency visit so she right away went out and welcomed the family guest. " Am¨¢! naunan kaw?" ( Dad, what happened to you?) Magee quickly led him to the master''s bedroom and made him lean on the wall beside the bed. " Wa ini." (This is nothing.) Sr. Sibal sighed and breathe deeply while Magee ran to get for a medical kit. In a minute she had the kit and applied some ointment on his forehead that bled. " This hurts I know Am¨¢. Tell me, what truly happened underneath?" " If you have heard the second blasts today, it was that attack when some portions of the tunnel, nearby the ruins of our old house was badly hit. I tried to protect my head when few small rocks fell on my forehead and some of the soldiers got the same situation too. I was just thankful that the civilians have left already going down to the secret passage bound to station one before it happened. If not then, this could have been their fate too. Hmm...don''t leap up to run and sue them, forget the goats behind the past in our farm, these enemies got these scary weapons of war, huh! I know what you''re thinking...okay then, give me some gauze, you''re not done yet." The old man smilingly said despite the pain and exhaustion. " Am¨¢, here''s the gauze and Damian is in room number seven, please stay beside him and I don''t like to just watch over this, they might ruin the tunnel and this house, we might go out soon like nomads and its the end of our fight for freedom. Am¨¢..." " No Magee...I''m telling you not. They have high calibered guns and they''ve got the power we can''t fight back this easy. You know that. All we have to do in order to fulfill our destiny is to be silent. In fact, this hiding place was intentionally built for your safety, so that you both won''t get out since the three of us kept a lot of stock that both of you can survive..." " Am¨¢, you forgot in the blueprint that you included the holes above to imply perspectives and revolution. We''re on top of them, remember." Magee smiled; grabbed her handgun and dagger before climbing up to the daylight optic hole above the bar counter. " Magee! Magee! come back here! you! Mageee!" Sr. Sibal shouted while Damian got out from the transparent mirror and ran towards him. " What happened?" Damian asked. " Hey George, go catch your wife, faster! she had her gun and dagger and literally got out of the optic hole for a revolt. This is insane! I go crazy over this...this, hah!" Then the old man felt dizzy and leaned back again while the little boy was fanning a hat to the old man. " Good job Magee, I''ll go tell her the plan." George smiled. " What? Say it again? George! George!" Sibal shouted for the second time but the lieutenant added more stuffs on his gear and climbed after her. " Damian? is that how they call you? Did you just hear what the lieutenant has just told me? Did..." Sr. Sibal stopped when the boy spoke. " Wow...I wanna like Papa when I grow up." Damian smiled while looking up to the optic hole and watching the soldier vanished out of his sight. " Who''s Papa? who the....Ah! I''m maybe hallucinating. My goodness! I''m crazier than before, can''t imagine a little Jap calling the Fil-Am soldier his Papa and..." The old man stopped from thinking and turned his head to the boy and said; " So how are you calling his wife if you called him Papa?" Sibal gently asked and waited an answer. " Hmm...Mama, Mama." Sr. Sibal smiled and reiterated what the little boy have just spoken. " Mama...Mama..." The old man smiled and pressed his head while murmuring. " Heavens, what have I done in fathering to this couple before. Forget it Lord...I also accepted my wife for bearing a son from the other man who turned out to be one of my bestfriends. I''m the worst, okay....Damian, take good care of me now, give me a mug of water and just call me Lolo Sibal, okay?" He smiled to the boy. " Yes, Lolo." Damian handed to him some mug of water then massaged his shoulders that made the old man fell on bed and slept. Above the surface of the granite house were Magee and George, crawling to a grassy portion where bonsai trees grew like more than bushes in front of them as they covered themselves with these miniature trees. He winked an eye on her; sweating too much on his forehead while she pulled his hanky out of his pocket and wiped it on his face to lighten him up. " Thank you. But how did you know that we needed you this time, Mag. We''d a brief meeting underneath and Dad instructed me to engage you this time with a little help from you, I guess the soldiers underneath can start the attack and the guerrillas can bring smoothly the remaining civilians to station one for the mean time. This is what you''re going to do, honey." Then he kissed her forehead tenderly so quickly and spoke back while sweating. " Be extra careful, Mag. We have 15 opponents, with two stand by vehicles outside and a box of explosives. We have 4 aggressive soldiers from the western part to dive in for an attack when the southern part of the mountain hid some 4 soldiers and guerrillas who would start the fire to attract the opponents'' attention. While the opponents would climb to get them, they''ll disengage and roll back to the western troop and join them. While the internal men would do these job to pin them down, you will throw these bombs out there, just like what you did before. If these men would try to find you, i''ll cover the entrance gate with a lock while passing through a hole going down. Dad just told us, that there''s a hole above the entrance gate and instructed me to close both doors to finally close it and will never be passable again." George explained. " So...where will you escape, if it would be closed forever?" " Simple, I had to climb upward again and go down to attack those less than three men on post outside then if done, I''ll go drive their vehicle and leave it down the hill towards the gnashing river below." He ended. 150 The Entrapment Operation Two bombs blasted from the south that made the opponents drew tactically, though, not everyone from the opponents flocked on the pinned target. So plan B of the Captain had worked well when some of his men sprouted from the old house''s secret hole and threw their grenades towards the tent. Their attack was a perfect timing since its lunchtime. In a couple of seconds, as planned, the guerrillas and soldiers from the western team camouflaged beside the array of bushes and under the scattered ivy climbing on the western granite wall, heading south. Interestingly, the troop were rushing to tail the opponents who gradually reached the middle part of the mountain, where three among soldiers assigned to cut the opponents'' ropes have finally made it. In sync, the combatants below started the bloody attack while leaving no traces of fear. Nevertheless, the Captain''s team across the Japs'' camp at the epicenter needed a little reinforcement to reload ammos that have gone empty. Then on, the southern team tried to rescue as they covered shakily after a strong blast bombarded them, which after all - have lost their lives. Few meters away from the eastern part of the mountain top, the lieutenant emerged on its surface and witnessed how his teammates have been through so he quickly moved down. Tiptoing with his dagger and getting too close with the opponents'' gunner who have wasted his friends'' lives, the more he was determined to fight within the enemy line so he released the dagger that hit the gunner''s back. Quickly, he grabbed one of the high calibered gun beside him and started to fire the remaining Japs around. Then there was a deafening silence as he knelt on the ground. Yet, there were still blasts from the northeast part that reminded him of his wife he assigned to throw grenades, so he immediately ran and used a rope to climb back. When he did, he moved outside and found no one. Minutes after, he had heard 6 moreconsecutive blasts so he ran few meters away going north and found the three dead Japs separately on the flinty ground. " Hey, she''s safe and with Damian right now. Hmm what has happened inside, how''s everyone?" Sr. Sibal asked. " We''ve lost a few and I was worried of Albrecht. He was among those team from the southern part. I have to go back and check them, huh!" George sighed. " My goodness! go! go! check them out, just send someone to help me carry all of these. They also need a respectable burial." The old man''s worried voice. George ran on the rocky mountain top and slid on the rope, and while he was heading towards the lineup of dead bodies, his mind seem to burst. Baldur was also running towards him and immediately checked the remaining identities they have. To their surprise, someone from underneath the hole was coughing and when they found out who, it was Albrecht. " Oh my...thank you Lord! Albrecht, just save your breathe, let''s get moving. Baldur, tie his bleeding arm tightly with this hanky, please, faster!" George shouted as he was carrying Albrecht on his back while Baldur tied the bleeding arm. Shortly after a while, Mayumi came in running and bringing some medical kit but Baldur was preventing her to look at the dead bodies but she was insistent and was crying so hard upon seeing the soldiers and guerrillas stumbled on their blood and devastated bodies out of the smoky place. When George and Baldur were running too quickly to rescue for Albrecht, Magee went to the scenario and hugged Mayumi that instant as she led her to get out and hide into the tunnel again " The backups might get back to fry us all, let''s be more extra careful. Everyone''s fine now." Magee whispered. " Huhu! they''re dead Mag...they''re already dead...huhu!" Mayumi cried while Magee was pulling her hand as they headed to the hole going back into the tunnel. While they were leaning their back on the granite wall in the tunnel, they have heard some annoying sound from nowhere. " Somebody will pick them up, don''t worry. Huh! this is exactly insane! they''re the worst! just imagine, we already hide inside this mountain but still they disturbed and destroyed us, this is no joke. What have we done?" Magee pressed her head and sighed. Subsequently, Baldur got out from the area where Albrecht was operated by Amado and assisted by George. " He''s recovering now, huh! he''s got some wounds on his right leg and cuts on the arm. Goodness! his head had concussion too. The hole saved him and still God''s way of extending his life, but the rest, we''ve lost them all." Baldur slapped his palm on the wooden table. Mayumi moved closer to her husband and guided him to sit down and relax a bit. An hour after, they''ve heard some noise, its from the locked entrance of the mountain. Meanwhile, Henry was running and carried the Captain. " The Captain was unconscious." Amado then looked after the Captain who suffered from physical stress and waited till he woke up. " Dad....kuya!" Magee was teary eyed while looking at him and Albrecht. " Shh....there are people coming at the entrance, no one shall move unless otherwise there''s an actual threat, those are surely the Japs coming in to revenge." George instructed while their team was resting for a while and were even vigilant to a piece of sound that echoed in every corner. Meanwhile, Magee, was sitting on a wooden box beside the alley of bricks while George squatted, leaning his knee cap on the wooden box where Magee was sitting, holding her dagger and readied her handgun. Across them were Mayumi who tightly held Baldur''s arm and was intensely nervous. In spite courage and determination, Baldur was uncomfortable having his wife with him, so he was looking to George, somewhat suggesting that their wives must go and hide. But Magee had caught the men''s glances and spoke. " Not now. We have to work on this together, I am currently a guerrilla." Magee strongly disagreed that she would be evicted out of the troop''s attack if in case the Japs could get in. George pressed his head and looked back to Baldur, smiling. It seemed Baldur had interpreted the liuetenant''s wicked plan and Baldur was laughing secretly as he bowed his head. It was then when George unexpectedly picked up his wife as he made her curled on his arms and he ran going to the granite door while Baldur followed and secretly opened it when no one followed nor saw them. Mayumi was left smiling and the rest of the soldiers and guerrillas just bowed their heads that it seems they haven''t heard or seen anything. They already knew the lieutenant''s wife and her wit on fights and attack. Outright the door below was opened, Baldur returned to Mayumi and George continued to control his wife''s movement and resistance till she surrendered and just shut her mouth when they reached upstairs. It was Sr. Sibal who opened the door and was shocked on what he saw and it made him laugh. " Oh my...Magee, calm down. I''ve told you those weren''t goats in our farm, those were warriors and combatants too. Good job George, leave her to me, stay safe." Sr Sibal took Magee''s hand and he brought her inside the two-way mirror door. It was the same moment when George quickly followed them and hugged his wife as he put her on his chest. " Wait for me. We''re not going up for a fight. We''ll wait for them underneath, suppose they''d compromise our silence. I''m sorry. I know its really hard for you but stay here and I''ll bring in Dad too soon when he wakes up. Am¨¢ is here, Damian''s waiting for you too. How do you feel now...let me know." He pressed her cheek with his nose. " Go on,go fight for me." She pouted. " Hmm...you''re still upset, I know." " He wouldn''t be, I''m here. Okay, she''ll be fine George, trust me." Sr. Sibal whispered. 151 The Bloody Nigh It was already nighttime but the grenades blasting above them were outnumbered. Magee was trying to pacify herself while Sr. Sibal was like a security guard on stand by beside the two-way mirror door, watching over Magee if she would escape. But later then, Series of grenade blasts somewhat summoning her to get out so she went to room number seven, slowly opened overhead the daylight optic hole. It was too heavy since its the first time that hole was opened after it was constructed. In a little while, when she was about to get out, Damian called her, looking up to her. " Mama..." The boy''s very soft voice made her like a statue for seconds. " Shh...just go back to sleep Damian...your friends are attacking the entrance of our haven, it annoys me too much." " You might be ... hurt." The boy pitiyingly said. " No matter what...I shall help. This place is at risk, and so, we are." " Mama, there were a lot of grenade blasts I''ve heard, we''ll just... hide, I''m scared." " Shh...just...just go back to your bed and cover your ears, we are at war with your friends right now." It was enough for Damian to keep quiet and moved aback. Then she emerged on the surface above but to her surprise, her husband was sitting next to the hole. " Hmm...where are you going?" George smiled despite the series of grenade blasts where the Japs were barging able weapons to destroy the granite entrance gate. Its funny how, for he helped her cover the optic hole while she was guilty escaping that way. The moonlight was ironically lovely despite the oozing sound of blasts nearby. In as much as she want to run or get angry, but she just sheepishly sat beside him and leaned her head on his shoulder. " I''m caught this way." She whispered. " Hmm...yeah. Perhaps, you forgot that someone is crazy of you. Sometimes, I''m more scared of your decisions than this war we''re facing. Mag...just go back inside, you''ll be safer there with Damian." George calmly said, caressing her hair while she''s teary eyed. " George...just shout at me when you feel so tired of preventing me from doing something you don''t like instead of letting me feel so guilty of your patience." She sobbed but he hugged her tight. " I didn''t marry a saint but a woman I loved so dearly. You may or you may not change, still you are my wife whom I can always smile at, even during the bad times. Proof is, we''re somewhat dating right now and made those humdrum blasts as our fireworks. See how love goes on and on." He smiled and kissed her forehead and she blushed while he caught her face under the shady moonlight with the blasts as their sonata. But Damian underneath shouted a bit. " Mama! Lolo Sibal is coming." George backed off and controllably laughed while trying to open the optic hole so his wife could get inside. " Am¨¤ is coming..." Magee smiled. " Oh dear...I''m going back now. Stay safe, George." It was then when he had stolen a kiss on her lips when she almost sank below and pinched her cheek and looked at her shimmering face he missed in every moment. " Keep being silly." He smiled while holding her sliding away from his hand. When she reached below and as George quickly covered the optic hole, Magee timely landed while coaching Damian to open the door after Sr. Sibal''s series of knock. When Damian opened it, he saw Magee sitting beside Damian''s bed and without saying anything he closed the door again. " He''s gone now. Hmm..but why you returned instantly Mama?" Damian gently said as he sat on his bed, smiling at her. " Nothing. I just met a cute handsome angel above, you know." She smirked while pulling back her weapons below Damian''s bed after hiding those from Sr. Sibal. " Ah, I see, so angels are true." Damian seriously whispered. " Yeah...when people are nice, patient, understanding, faithful, softhearted, they''re called angels." " Ah...so all of you are angels around?" Damian whispered. " If you think it that way, we can be like angels in your heart, Damian." Magee smiled and covered him with his blanket. But after seconds he showed his face and smiled. " You saw Papa above." The little boy smiled and hid under his blanket while kicking his feet. Magee smiled and gently slapped his feet to stop and they both laughed. Just right in the tunnel, George returned and instructed his men to abort the area as Baldur led Mayumi to enter the secret passage going up to help him carry the Captain who was still unconscious. After the Captain, he asked George again to help him carry Albrecht going up while the rest of the soldiers and guerrillas started to move out to the passage going down towards station one. The target was, they have to climb back to the mountain and drop grenades below the door of the locked entrance gate. So when Mayumi reached inside the granite house she was so amazed. " Wow! what a beautiful place!" Mayumi smiled while Baldur smiled and brought her back to reality and instructed her to keep an eye to the Captain and his brother. Minutes later, George and Baldur left and brought along with them more weapons and ammos. Meanwhile, Amado and Henry also carried along with them a lot of grenades they would use. When they all met at the mountaintop and despite the continued blasts, George and his comrades simultaneously dropped down enough grenades that lost the lives of everyone below. With that, there were more than twenty of the opponents who were badly hit. Needless, but the remains look so scary and heartbreaking especially when they pulled out the bodies going to the flowing river of Kabang, passing Tikaban. For the lieutenant, its the only way that they can deceive the remaining few that the reinforcements they sent were lost again. 152 Food Intake at Wartime In the morning, Magee was first to wake up and left Damian and Budekdek at room number seven. She never knew that there were guests outside at the receiving area not until she first found Mayumi. They even looked like piled up logs and were physically exhausted. Meanwhile at the master''s bedroom she saw Albrecht and the Captain with gauzes and bondages. On their faces reflected the recent bitter fights last night that left miseries to them from losing their comrades. It was such another panful and horrible battle experience. " Hi! I am about to awaken you but you showed up first. Here, I''ve cooked something for you. Have a sit first." George smiled as he led her on her seat. " I just...just looking for you. Thank God you''re safe. I''ve got today''s greatest grace for seeing you this way while last night''s attempt was...." " ...hmm, forget it Mag. I told you its okay, I understand. Its just that I need to have more hands and feet in order to always catch you on time." George held her hands while putting in between a mug of ''salabat.'' " Thank you." She sheepishly said while still clasping her hands and stickly looked at her, smiling. " I love you very much, so please stop escaping, the opponents are not joking and they would really put you to death once they''d find you and will be identified as a guerrilla. Mag, your first, second, third or previous fight with them have all succeeded, but we never knew what would happen next if you continue finding a way. Mag...you have to listen to me, okay?" He pressed her hands the way she was holding the mug so tightly. She smiled at him while they both heard some footsteps nearing them. Its Mayumi. " Magee! Its me! Huh, I''m sorry, I might have disturbed you both." " Ah, its okay, there''s nothing to worry about, we''re just having some couple conversation. Come, you may sit beside me." She smiled to Mayumi. Mayumi sat down while Magee stood up and offered some ''salabat'' to her then Mayumi sipped it right away. " Wow...I feel so relieved with this, Mag, thank you " " So how are you Mayumi, I''m sorry we seldom see each other but since you already found this house, anytime, you''re welcome to visit or stay here. George and I most of the time go out and team up to date somewhere, and we seldom sleep here but randomly stays in former stations like caves, so, just stay here with Baldur if you want." Magee sincerely offered the house to stay with her sister-in -law. " Yeah, indeed, it would be better." George smiled. " I''ll try to open it up to Baldur though I''m just thankful that you both offered us the chance to be here. Sr. Sibal told me some backgrounds of this house. Its all amazing." Mayumi smiled while spotting George for still holding his wife''s hands. " Hope this war ends, Mag. Our lives are torn every day. Just yesterday, before the remaining civilians had to walk out to station one, sadly, two of them experienced breakdown. It''s of no joke. It was then when they have heard those successive blasts. Just grateful to Elmar for trying to pacify them even more when they left bound for station one." Mayumi sighed then sipped her ''salabat.'' " How sad. Hope those civilians have recovered by now. Hmm...yes, this war is a terrible nightmare I''ve ever had and i''m praying hard that God will put an end to this. We''re just beginning to start a family but we''re all stuck here like any other." Magee''s disheartened line. George stood up and offered his boiled ''kadyos'' beans mixed with sayote leaves to Magee and just boiled ''kadyos'' with sugar to Mayumi. " I''ve heard there were sacks of rice." Mayumi smiled. " Ah, yes. But we have to be thrifty by cooking it in alternate or maybe for just twice a week." George reasoned out. " This is still a great food Mayumi, you must try it in the absence of ''duma''. Me and George used to eat all of these and sometimes we just boil chaya leaves, saluyot leaves but he, most of the time had this sayote leaves for me even if I don''t tell him, he does. Hmm...this has been our food around for almost a year within this warzone while George and I tried to figure out that there''s no replacement for a simple living. With or without this war I guess I can still walk barefooted, tie my hair with my husband''s hanky or he does it for me, stargazing or counting fireflies at night, fixing my husband''s damaged uniforms, tidying the house, watching to our bloody petaled flower in our vase and yes, I can eat or both of us can eat plain boiled sayote leaves." Magee smiled at her. " What? haha! but it has no taste Mag. Are there no salt or what?" Mayumi curiously asked. " No, nothing. When I eat such a way starting wartime, I always think that its not forever and what''s important are the nutrients I could get out of steamed or boiled leaves or beans. Of course I dip it sometimes with extracted lemon juice with a little salt. Anyway, the fruits and root crops are of great supplements for the staple food, such that as rice. But we ran out of ''duma'' these days, so we have to live like scavengers. But there''s nothing wrong, as long as we live." Magee smiled. " Indeed, we have to live simply. I have heard if on how my comrades brought here the sacks of rice that Elmar have given them, and it somehow made me guilty of cooking it everyday that''s why, Magee and I decided to just cook some porridge, two meals in a week but I looked for fruits outside when its safe for my wife. We have stocks a little,but we share it to everyone around, so we thrift together in order to survive. Searching for food outside and if its oftentimes, there''s a higher chance of being caught." George said. 153 Mayumis Realizations at War " Wow. you both gave me some realizations. Its so shameful to ask for rice in every meal, I''m so abusive to ask Baldur of it and proper viands too. Huh! Fish, he hunted me some when our place wasn''t invaded yet." Mayumi said. " Hmm, but Magee eats anything she thinks can just make her alive. She''s just ...simply amazing that way so we charmed each other even on our lowest means. She even had eaten the biggest snake I have seen in my entire life at the old house and it was such a ridiculous yet wonderfully unforgettable." George smiled. " What? haha! you cheated on me that time you know, its not my intention Mayumi, that snake viand was purely an accident and its a very long story." Magee silently pinched him under the table. " Ah, haha! yeah, yeah, it was honestly an accident. But there was one time she was cooking something and put a snake oil in my viand." " Ah, its with the spices but kuya didn''t tell me its a snake oil. But you like it, right?" Magee asked him as they both laughed. " Wow! that was entirely amazing! I learned something these days on not to be picky and choosy when there''s scarcity. Our ration must be adjusted too and its part of our survival, hmm...but its almost Christmas." Mayumi pouted. The couple seeing her were smiling and George broke the silence. " Ah, Mayumi, we will cook some rice and viand for you and just don''t tell Baldur about it, he''d been busy last night in looking for the logbook of this commando. He''d been very worried as in-charge of the recording and according to him, he felt he''d lost it on their way going back here. Huh, so just sit back and Magee will get the canned ''spam'' to give you as a welcome gift for reaching our home. But she''ll tell you something I know." George smirked and stood up to start cooking for the rice. " Haha...what is that Mag?" Mayumi slid on the empty sit beside her. " Ha? haha...George you know makes me always a frontliner. Hmm...but here, the ''spam'' is to be consumed for a week with the aid of vegetables we can grab from the wilderness and with yam, if possible. As of now, we have more than 500 canned goods and considering the need to send to the station one occupants, a Maximum budgeting per consumption helps. So, if there is space, time and opportunity, we suggest that everyone must cook a parcel of the sliced ''spam'' and mixed it with vegetables so the rest can avail. Ah...would it be okay for you and we''ll have some porridge twice a day supported by the next meal with one cup of rice." Magee ended while George got back and was already waiting for the rice to be served. Mayumi was even smiling on how he was doing it. " Such a strong order but worth it. Though, anyway, its amazing that George knew how to cook it too just like Baldur and Albrecht." Mayumi smiled. " Wow...that...that honestly makes me salivate. It has been a while I had a taste of it when my parents bought us some every time they bartered their products to the foreigners. But...did I hear it right? that George mentioned that he''s a Filipino?" Mayumi counter checked. " Yes, my mother''s side." George proudly said. " What a story...and so Baldur told me regarding theirs. Hmm...Magee, why you''re so silent staring at the ''spam'', is there anything wrong?" Mayumi curiously asked. " Nothing, she''s just reflecting if on how many times are we going to divide it in a week before she''ll keep it inside the jar where she preserves the food around." George kidded. Magee immediately pinched him and laughed. " Hey! haha! its not at all like that...hmm, I ''m thinking of Baldur''s journal. Where could he possibly left it or was it fallen when they''ve traveled?" Magee looked at him. " Possible, in both ways."He''s looking at Baldur just coming in a hurry towards them. " Hey Baldur, we''ll have our breakfast together. So, come and join us." George gleefully said. But Baldur was in a hurry. " Hey, where are you going?" The lieutenant asked. " I''ll go back to the trail back to Elmar''s house and check whether I left it there. I could still recall that I put it on the table when I inserted the packed viand that Elmar had given us. That was the last piece of memory with the logbook." Baldur pressed his head. " Oh no...ah, just get movin'', bring your buddies to at least three, to stay with you side by side. I know how that lost stuff carry our names and accomplishments. Keep safe Baldur." George tapped his shoulder. " Is there any other way? Its daytime...and...its too dangerous...they might see you!" Mayumi''s plea. " Shh...its alright, nothing will happen. I can''t rest too much while thinking over this concern, we''ve lost almost everything already and its the only proof that we still exist and still doin'' our job. The fallen soldiers'' family may be asking of us about them soon, if time warrants. Our missions, the guerrillas and....Magee''s name was there." Baldur deeply sighed. " Its alright for me and there''s nothing wrong about it if they will know, its even nicer to hear that I burnt their barracks. I want them to worry to death that a weak woman they knew have attacked them several times, at least." Magee smiled. " Its not time for joking Mag, Baldur is right. The journal is the gateway to unveil our secret revolution. Baldur, God be with you and it''s goin'' to be all the way better." George said while Baldur moved aback and pulled out his bag pack. Apallingly, Mayumi ran and tugged on his arm and spoke. " The enemies are there, just be extra careful." Mayumi was teary eyed. " I''ll be alright. Its just that I have the biggest responsibility over it, Hey, hey, honey...shh..." Then he slowly walked off and went down to see his comrades in the tunnel. At the granite house, the two women continued to chitchat and Albrecht drew closer to taste what George have prepared. A squash, chopped into small chunks mixed with chaya leaves putting garlic and pepper as the only spices. Of course, there''s a small size of canned ''spam'' over it. 154 Baldurs Travel Back to Makasido After that sad farewell of Baldur and Mayumi, George and Magee called Mayumi at the table, though, Albrecht was so silent while chewing his food. " Hey all, Dad seems to be tired and he''s still asleep." " Hmm...seldom I noticed it. He wakes up too early with his coffee ever since. Its already 0700 hrs, Dad''s so uncanny that way, what do you think? Or let''s just forcibly wake him up." George said. " That''s a good idea, anyhow." Albrecht replied as they both rise and motioned towards to the Captain who was still closing his eyes. " Dad! Dad!" George gently shook Edward''s shoulder. Momentarily, the Captain opened his eyes and spoke. " Hmm...shh...keep quiet. Don''t disturb me, I''m thinking and conceptualizing. Just havin'' a gut feeling that the opponents would sue us to death thereafter they''ve lost their comrades. Just imagine they''ve got everything to return us to dust but it turned out that way. They won''t take it as creepy though, the whole clan would find for us right away. Don''t you all think these things? By the way, where''s Baldur?" " He was looking for the commando''s journal and decided to go back to Makasido, at Elmar''s house. Hmm...we tried to stop him. Dad, but he said holds the responsibility over it, so there." Albrecht sat by the bed. " But its too risky! He should have left that journal there, what''s the point of returning in the enemy lines when I''ve already announced that we''ve failed the mission. That journal can put his life to compromise, my goodness!" " Dad, I''ll go and backup for Baldur." George said. " No, no, no! that musn''t happen. Don''t add up the problem, let''s just pray and hope Baldur can get back with his journal. Without them knowing, Magee was just listening and thought of following Baldur. Her eagerness was unceasingly boiling in her mind when she''d heard that her husband thinks the same too. So when the Captain stood up and had his breakfast with Albrecht while Mayumi washed some dishes, George and Magee sat on the granite couch just in front to their secret transparent door. " What do you think?" Magee asked. " I''ll follow him." I''ll make a scene on the other side so that they can penetrate subtly to Elmar''s house. It wouldn''t be easy for my brother just as it wouldn''t be difficult to try something to help him. Baldur is a man of words and it seems he owns the guilt for losing it, and it breaks my heart." George whispered. " I''ll go with you." She moved too close to him and wrapped her hands on his right arm. " Oh my...heavens...my wife, please, don''t over think about this reinforcement thing, it''s just within us, you know that. No. You stay with Damian and..." " No. He''s my brother...and besides, George...this is wartime. If I tell you something, will you be convinced?" She smilingly said while embracing him tight. " I know all those places you''ll be heading to, the different safe spots and barrios surrounding Makasido. Lolo Sibal had been there several times when I was a kid till I grew up." " Hmm...but you were im Manila for several years, how come you still have any idea of those places. Last year of September when you came home in Tikaban, I was all the time watching you by and you haven''t left to anywhere. Hmm...how come you are still acquainted to the place?" He meaningfully asked as he put his left arm on her small waistline. " I know Makasido and those places were not in the west where progress overrules but those places surrounding Makasido are remote ones, I know they''re still the way I used to visit with." " Mag...I appreciate you telling me all these but the enemies are just anywhere too. Here, I don''t want to put you to risk and that''s final." " ...but I''m going with you. She hugged him even more tightly. " No. I will leave you to Albrecht as your direct assistant and Lolo Sibal as the transparent door guard. You stay here with Damian, you may sew and knit as many as you can...o..okay, someone''s coming, Mag." George smirked. "Ows! heavens...what''s that naughty girl doin'' on him! Goodness!" Albrecht teased them. " Albrecht, please sit down...your sister wants to go with me to help Baldur but I refused, so can you stay and guard her tightly." " But Dad doesn''t like you to go either." Albrecht said. " See that! Dad even wants you to stay. I will be telling Dad if you won''t bring me in your plan." She threatened his husband that much. " Do it, go and do it." George sound so seriously that made her sat back so seriously and after a minute she pulled Albrecht''s hand towards the kitchen. George then prepared himself for the journey and it was a perfect timing when the Captain went down to the tunnel with Mayumi who brought some food to the remaining guerrillas and soldiers. Minutes after George had prepared, he moved closer to her and Albrecht at the kitchen table. " Albrecht, you know what to tell to Dad if he''ll be looking for me." George said while Albrecht stood up and allowed the couple to talk. "Mag, this is it. There are things you have to treat badly. I may now the topmost cruel husband in the world but one thing for sure, I''m looking for your safety. If not without this war, you know, I would love to tag you around and...of course you know what I mean, Mag. But...I have to help our brother now, he can''t solely do it. The enemies were just few steps away they said. Risky. It''s all risky out there, so stay here with Albrecht. I know he could not resist to my orders due to - Madelleine. So, stay grounded and don''t be silly this time. Just always remember that I''ll be fine all throughout for you, remember that, and don''t be silly this time, okay?" Then he kissed her so passionately for seconds before he moved aback smiling at her and ran going down to the spiral stairs going to the exit door, heading north. It was 155 Over the Bottle of Vodka When she was left alone, she cried and went closer to the bar counter, teary eyed. Albrecht then offered her a hanky but she refused and offered him a bottle of vodka. He tried to resist but she started opening it and attempted drink a small glass filled with vodka. Albrecht was smiling and spoke. " No, no, not that vodka Mag, not that, okay, give that glass to me. You''re too young to drink that, give it to me." Albrecht held her hand tightly and removed the glass away from her sipped it. Then the next glass has followed, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and there, he was drowned with vodka and badly intoxicated so she tried guiding him to walk to the couch with some pillows. " Brother...please sleep well." Magee whispered and she quickly moved inside the two-way mirror door and woke up Damian. Since there was also porridge and veggie viand inside their secret kitchen, she oriented Damian to just stay strong and eat whatever he''ll find and just feed and play with his chick Budekdek. She ordered him on not to get out whatever happens. Its also the safest way since Albrecht did not like the idea about the lil boy around. Amusingly, she got out of the granite exit bringing her weapons and it was the exact time where Lolo Sibal got up and knocked on the door but no one has answered. Meanwhile, Magee was in a hurry to catch up his shadows, but nil. So she doubled her energy in almost running till noon time came where she rested up on a tree with an overlooking view. While she was sipping her water and enjoying her packed cup of rice and veggies, she has heard a noise nearby that made her went down and was curious of. She tiptoed towards the direction of the sound and was shocked of what she just saw - it was George tied on his arms by three big enemies in uniform. They were walking on the border separated by the mainspring so she assumed they would be on the waters to go across. With that perspective, she had to shoot the two on the left side while the remaining one will be the last target or else George would. " Bang! bang!" Two shots have killed the enemies from the left side then she quickly went out from where she was hiding but George broke the hand and eventually threw the enemy''s body on waters. After such thrilling moment, George ran to grab her hand and he brought her in a place surrounded with dried leaves and she untied his hands. She was still chilling and sweating as he embraced her. " Shh...calm down, Mag. Everything''s alright and thanks for saving me. It''s alright now...shh..." She was still breathing so hard while he wiped her sweats. Hmm..you brought two rifles, thanks. Okay...okay...just keep quiet, shh...relax and just listen to my heartbeats. You''re okay now Mag, great job." George whispered while kissing her head. But there were footsteps approaching and she buried her again under the withered leaves as fast as he can while he climbed quickly. " Its almost dusk, we''ll be in a hurry to trudge the path going to Makasido, its of no time to return you home. But let''s take a rest for a while and lead me to the shortcut." " If its Elmar''s house then, its beside the catholic chapel. So if we travel tonight, we can reach that chapel earlier than Baldur." " Oh...how about you...your sleep pattern might be affected for this." " Don''t worry. This is still part of our marriage, bond and friendship." She smiled, giving him a n unusual heartbeat. But she grabbed his hand and they ran under the dusky scenic view of the forest. An hour after, the crickets were heard everywhere and Magee drew out from her bag some minced garlic. " This reminds me before, yeah, that big snake. Is it intended for it?" George asked while he arranged some 4 pieces of anahaw big leaves. 156 Makasidos Catholic chapel It was already 0300 hrs when they reached Makasido''s Catholic chapel which was just open and estimatedly condemned for months. It''s just across Elmar''s house. By that time, Magee was so sleepy so she laid down on that dilapidated church bench inside while George was eyeing at the back of Elmar''s house when he saw a noisy carabao under the tree. The moon still shine bluntly despite almost dawn so he thought of creating a scene in order to divert the attention of the enemies once Baldur could reach. " Mag, are you sure that we arrived first before Baldur?" " Hmm....yeah, we have used the shortcut way, I''m sure of that while they were definitely on the path they''ve trudged before, and they''re nearing now, huhum...what''s your plan?" Magee yawned while trying to fall asleep. " Hmm, its not a big deal. I''m going to cut the rope of that carabao so it could go around or look for a wetland. I don''t know if what happened to that but it never stops in a wary state, so we''ll grab the chance. It could help Baldur to get going and search for his journal while the people around would catch and entrap the rowdy buffaloo." He explained with a deep breathe. " That would be better." She immediately stood up and attentively listened to his additional explanation about the carabao''s sensitivities. It was enough for her to hang on while he motioned towards the carabao and cut the rope near its neck. Magee was smiling while watching him. " It would be too difficult to catch it havin'' that too little rope left. Hmm...gotcha! there it goes." She smilingly thought. The carabao stunned all households as it ran in the mercado area of Makasido, almost ten houses away from Elmar''s house. The people were shouting and the soldiers on posts dived to catch it but it goes around and bumped itself on mercado stalls and side sweep some houses. Meanwhile, at the Catholic chapel, George got back and they hid together on its wall. The moonlight still shone brightly when they noticed some men coming and later entered Elmar''s house. " Its them!" Magee whispered. " Ow dear! they might have trapped the carabao now and will return it to Elmar''s compound, I need to find some more scenes in order to divert their attention. But it should be a bit farther from here, burn a barn." George sighed. " Hmm...its still fine." Magee whispered. George walked out and moved to the barn houses away from Elmar and the people woke up as they were too focused on throwing some buckets of water on it. When George got back to the Catholic chapel, Magee told him that she saw Baldur and the team went out from Elmar''s house. " Now let''s go and follow them." George uttered while holding Magee''s hand. When they almost got out from the chapel, sadly, they both covered from its damaged door as they noticed some group of men who followed Baldur and company and fired on them instantaneously. " Around three, we''ll follow them too and if they emerge in the open field approximately, around 300 hundred meters away from here, let''s pin them down. We have the biggest chance because we''re following them. But can you still run in the fastest rate so we can escape from the enemy line before sunrise." " Yes. I will." Magee replied while holding her rifle tightly. " Okay...let''s go now." George ran first and she followed. While on their way, suing the soldiers who were firing Baldur and the team, no one from the Japs who noticed them and when the soldiers reached the open field, they covered themselves on the last two long-standing trees and began firing the soldiers. They made it. " Run! we''ll take their guns immediately, go!" George whispered to Magee as they pulled each of the soldiers'' handguns and followed Baldur''s team in the open field. Sadly, Baldur''s team kept firing on them too and George instructed Magee to get flat on the ground of reeds and George whistled as their code which means he belongs to them. It was enough when George stood up where Magee followed and they both ran towards to their direction, and finally reunited upon entering the jungle again. Baldur has waited for them, smiling, as the sunrise shone on his face. " Brother, thank you." Baldur shrugged his shoulder to George. " Where are they, only one is left. The two were hit. Huh! though I got the journal back but it wasted two lives, peace be with them and their dedication will be written inside this journal." " This is so heartbreaking! but hey, let''s keep movin'', Mag, c''mon!" George ordered as they tramped on the withered leaves of the wilderness. 157 Albrechts in Bad Mood When they reached the granite mountain, Baldur decided to bring his comrade to the tunnel''s exit passage going to station one. George and Magee understood what Baldur mean, to preserve their privacy and still hide the granite house from anyone. It was a bit taxing but Baldur did it in order to allow Magee and George to use the secret external door of the granite house, and since its already evening, the couple quickly get in going up to the spiral stairs. Interestingly, someone was standing beside the bar counter, looking at them going up - its Albrecht. " Magee climbed slowly and stayed behind George. George never knew of what was it all about and he just smiled to Albrecht. " Come! " Albrecht called Magee and walked going to the granite couch at the receiving area. George was still puzzled yet he accompanied Magee, side by side, even during when they sat down. " You drowned me with vodka, it was intentional. You put me to sleep and you escaped. You left me alone for almost whole day, lifeless. Now, tell me, why did you escape? despite restrictions." Albrecht was truly mad. Magee just seated too close to George and remained silent. Thus, the husband spoke on her behalf and explained everything to Albrecht. The eldest brother cooled down a little and eventually understood especially when Baldur arrived and helped meddle the situation. " But yes, yes Mag, you just intoxicated our brother, he''s just too upset. Hmm..." Baldur sighed. " I''m very sorry, kuya. I...I just thought seriously on how my husband and brother have leaped on the enemy lines. I thought its better to go try for help than stay here and doin'' nothing." " Because of what you did, I''ve got hallucinations with the vodka. I heard like chirping or what, and then a boy''s kid from nowhere. It was horrible and terrific! Okay, I gotta go, I just took a bath and I need to recover a little. I''m all tired from being so drunk like a couple of years." Albrecht stood up and left lifelessly. " Oh my God...he''s really mad at me, I could feel it, huh!" Magee sighed and leaned on to her husband''s shoulder. Baldur moved and nestled hr hair with his bare hands. " Mag, you just did an excellent job. What you did to Albrecht was just accidental. If not without it, George may never be saved or we''re stuck to Makasido until now, or maybe captured. You hanged out with us like a backup. Hmm..just take it lightly, you''re just fine, thank you fir all your efforts. We''ve got this journal, back to us again and I''m thankful that it slid at the back of Elmar''s table. All these deserve a celebration, God''s mercy and protection on us stays stronger. God is so good." Baldur recounted. George stayed seated and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, tapping her so gently as if telling her she''s just okay. Minutes after, Baldur left and returned to their place inside the tunnel. The couple went out and were refreshed. A little while, Magee made a soup made of mongo seeds mixed with salt and garlic. Then they called Damian in room number 7. " Hi Damian, ''mano po'' to Mama and Papa, come! hmm...what have you done for two days, ha?" She smiled, picked him up and together they proceeded to the kitchen while Budekdek followed them too and was not even sleepy. While at the table. " We''re very busy with Budekdek, I built a house for him. He was very happy." Damian smiled to both of them while sipping his soup. "Then what have you eaten while we we''re away?" George smilingly asked. " We ate the chocolates that Mama has left on the table and since there was rice, I made the chocolate as viand for the rice. Its perfect. Its been a long time since I have eaten rice, its stuffy inside my belly and it feels good." Damian enjoyably narrated and feedback. " Wow! that would be better." George commented. " Papa, I liked that room so much. I wanted to stay here forever, i hate the war outside while room number 7 has a forest inside with so many ivy and there''s sunlight too in one portion. I loved this house." Damian was smiling and seem overwhelmed. 158 Health Issues in Station One Few weeks after. Despite extra health measures, still most of the residents of station one had some health concerns, especially on boils or ''pigsa." It was the reason why George had a spot visit and brought them some medicine. Interestingly, they conducted minor surgery on grave boils like the cases of carbuncle and sty. Momentarily, Amado helped him in checking the patients while the lieutenant spoke. " Why you''re so silent." " I remember Lucia. I took her out from the enemy''s den but she committed suicide. Though, I remain proud of her for not betraying us. In her note left made me stronger that if she die she could protect us more than living with power but a traitor. She did not die empty-handed, she''s a heroine who have assured that there''s no harm against them (enemies). So sad...I was late in bringing her in, she told me she''s already ruined - it breaks my heart every day." Amado bowed his head while wiping the patient''s reddish lump. " Hmm...it was indeed sad, but she died for her country and its people." The lieutenant whispered. The place have poor sanitation and hygiene, that probably the cause of ''boils'' around them. Series of treatments applied yet they need to educate them, considering the water falls was just in front to provide clean water to drink, wash the dishes and laundry, but most of all could tidy everyone. Yes, George did. He gathered them all after he communicated religiously and sought feedback. When done, he turned around his head to Amado and sighed. " They ran out of food supplies now, huh! They still have a sack of rice since they followed the order of just making a porridge in almost every time, but the nutrients isn''t enough, its more of a carbo and our body needs more of protein and other nutrients. Nevertheless, they said they''ve tried to scout some root crops but those weren''t enough and besides, this contamination is a bit worst due to the flu they''ve experienced,so their body needs enough. " George sighed. " What are we going to do, Sir?" Amado was anxious. " We need to go down to the bottom of the cliff on our way back to the tunnel''s exit and help gather fruits and anything useful for them. You may help me do it since I''m not so familiar to some root crops and vegetables growing along the way." George packed up and they eventually moved out. It was midnight when they got out above of the Mabolo exit. It was too pleasant for January 1943. The air was too soothing as they both sat side by side with Amado in a foggy hill. But interestingly, they have heard some noise of ducks and chicken somewhat disturbed by something so it gave the lieutenant an idea. " Amado...we''ll steal those food stuff like growling, inviting us to get them." George smiled while chilling. " Ha? but....Sir, its the enemy''s den few meters away. We don''t have backups." Amado was chilling too. " But Sir...they''re maybe new set of angry soldiers right now, maybe they''re too many." " Ah, just stay here, I''ll just use my dagger." It was enough when the lieutenant whispered and moved down towards the hilly back portion of the enemy''s barracks. " My God....is he depressed after seeing the poor migrants inside? Help us Lord!" Amado had a deep breathe. While waiting on his chilling extremities, he couldn''t imagine if how the lieutenant could ever make it. Needless, but after an hour of waiting, George returned with a sack of chicken. They immediately glided inside the hole and jumped on the station one''s ground. The people were awaken and was overwhelmed with what they saw. " Everyone! we have 12 newly harvested chicken. Albrecht used a grater here before but its noise might be heard in the ground. The enemies might hear it so I think Amado and I will finally go down and scout for coconut but bring it to the tunnel. We can safely grate I think 5-10 coconuts inside the tunnel and someone will send it back here so you can make these meat in ''adobo sa gata''. Is someone familiar on how to cook it this way?" George smiled when everyone raised a hand. " Haha, Sir, its how they cook the chicken here so to preserve it within a week. But...Sir, they looked so pale and lifeless. Can they still do it?" Amado whispered. " That''s a good point. Maybe we''ll just bring all these meat in the tunnel and ask Albrecht to cook all of these. We''ll just return to deliver it as a viand." George whispered and explained to the people that they''ll just return after hours. He suggested that they may just return to sleep and keep consuming the porridge that they have and when they wake up in the morning, everyone must tidy the area and pursue proper sanitation. Apart from their lectures, George and Amado also washed the dishes and put all of these on a clean towel on the table. All the spoons and wooden mugs were sterilized. Since they ran out of charcoal, George and Amado maximized the old wooden beds and bamboo straps in creating fire, though, they strategized if on how the smoke from the furnace can leak out, and it did. After all, they left bound to the Kabang tunnel passage and had the difficulty of bringing up the chicken meat using the pulley. Here''s the secret of their tunnel passage. When someone is right there below, he/she must pull the four knitted ropes designed with bamboo seat, and once pulled already, a sound coming from a small bell will summon everyone above. So they''ll pull the ropes and in the case of George and Amado bringing that heavy chicken meat along with 10 coconuts with husk, more men had to pull them up. So it actually happened and they all sweat and Albrecht prepared his tools to butcher the chicken met at 0400 hrs. Most of the civilians were farmers so they easily processed the coconut and grated it successfully. A soldier got the chance to get out in the surface of the granite mountain just to harvest some ginger, ''papayang hilaw,'' ''dahon ng sili'' and lemon grass since Albrecht decided not just to send ''adobo'' but ''tinolang manok'' in station one, especially to the sick. 159 Grace Beyond Measure When the perfectly cooked viand was sent to them after 7 hours, considering its gentle travel and processing, it finally reached to the craving sick people in station one like no one can ever imagine. Due to extreme exhaustion of George and Amado, they''re flat on a bamboo bed inside the tunnel so its Baldur, Henry and Isagani have traveled to forward the viand to station one. When they stepped on their feet at station one, a big pot of rice was already prepared by some elders and no one started eating but they all gathered at the table. Even if they were chilling in pain but someone has prayed, crying. " God the Father, we have offered our lives unto you...with or without this food before us, we are with you in peace. But you allow us to stay and lift our spirits to look up more in your mighty name, again and again, that you are really a great provider, a loving God and our saviour. You sent us people to realize that this war isn''t just war at all but a haven of knowing the love of our selfless brethren. God the Father, before this food of our hungry bodies, we thank you enough and bless those who prepared this bounty food that will fuel our mind and body to stay kind and calm despite this war. We thank this place even more for the shelter and the people behind for helping us. Amen." Then they all started the early dinner. There were blasts in the barracks, nearby. However, the sick didn''t stop from enjoying their sumptuous meal. "Boom! boom! boom! boom! it echoed in the cave like no one can ever imagine. " What happened to them out there? It continued even after an hour?" Henry commented. " Let''s find it out." Baldur replied. " But how?" " You stay here first with Isagani, I''ll go out and move to their barracks a little. There''s maybe a grandeur plan they''re preparing for, so, much better we''ll look at it as an alarm to our team. Whoever their target is our priority." It was enough when Baldur left to crawl nearby the enemy''s place, Henry and Isagani were anxious. Minutes later and it was twilight when series of blasts again echoed in the place. " Oh my...there were dead bodies on the barracks'' ground and were mostly delivered from nowhere. It seemed there were encounters elsewhere and it became a dropping zone of cadavers. In the height of creeping on top of the hill, Baldur moved aback but his movement created a little sound that attracted the army dogs so he decided to run as fast as he can but not towards the Mabolo tree, station one. Instead, 160 Daba Times on its Heightened News February of 1943. Isagani was catching his breathe while extending to the Captain the Daba Times newspaper. Everyone was caught up curious about the headline. " I see, they''re on heightened alert where a couple of ghost troops sprouting like mushrooms everywhere but no one has reported about the Kabang mountain and its people - its still unknown. The enemy''s lost troops were either mysterious but its not reported that way, hmm. It even says here that they added more soldiers." The Captain sighed and gently placed the newspaper on the wooden table. " Sir, so...this means its safe to get back to the surface after a few months of hiding underneath." Narciso said as he was arranging his bag pack to accompany the lieutenant going to station one. " Probably, a little while we''ll go up and start building tents. We can''t stay here for long. Our health and energy begins to drain so we have to at least get back into farming, inhale the breeze and feel the warmth of the sun once more. Hmm...only my daughter can survive for just putting some leaves for steam, gracious!." Edward smiled to Narciso as George signaled Narciso toward the tunnel''s exit bound to station one. On their way, Narciso spotted some mushrooms under the trees and quickly collected every single sprout he saw when George curiously pricked a single fern shoot nearby. " Narciso, I saw my wife boiling these leaves and even forced me to eat them with lemon sauce and salt. At first it was disgusting and its taste was a bit weird that I almost throw what I have swallowed. But when I saw my wife''s beautiful smile, looking at me like sunlight in a broad delight, it all stuck in my belly and ended up liking it all. Haha! so how do you call these ferns here?" George paused while Narciso tried hard to prevent himself not to laugh. "Those are called by us, Filipinos! as ''pak¨®'', Sir. We usually mix it with fermented red beans we called soy sauce, garlic, onion and a little coconut oil as to saute the spices before putting the leaves that have cut into inches. it doesn''t need to be boiled longer on a pan. After covering it within a minute, its pretty good for a meal." Narciso described the process of cooking the ''pako'' leaves and without knowing he had already gathered a half sack of mushroom while George carefully harvested for almost a half sack of ''pako''. Suddenly, they''ve heard a creepy sound of a tank, crawling above them with a couple of army vehicles. The lieutenant paused and hurriedly tied both of their sacks. " Oh my God! they''re heading to our place Narciso, faster! we have to return but let''s bring all these. Faster!" George instructed as they ran in full speed but Narciso stumbled and his right knee had hit a pointed rock. " Oh dear! here...take this emergency kit while I send a message to my wife." George was sweating when he fired on air three times on its timing interval. " Narciso, we have to be in a hurry! " Yes, Sir! but I can''t anymore run, hah! its bleeding again. Sir, you can just leave me anywhere here. I''ll manage to walk." Narciso said while pressing his leg just to alleviate the pain. " No! this place is not safe for you! Its noon time but its foggy and misty around, just endure the pain and let''s really have to find out if where those soldiers would go. C''mon! you can do it! or just hang on my back, you''re smaller than I am, faster!" George told him then he was at the back of his lieutenant, carrying both sacks of mushroom and ''pak¨®''. Meanwhile, minutes after Magee has heard the signal at the granite house. She immediately used the telescope facing south and saw his Dad, Baldur, Mayumi and everyone in the center of the field where their hands cruelly placed at the back. After which, she had witnessed that the Japs put them on array. " They''re all captured! my God! help us!But...Albrecht! he wasn''t with them, he''s just probably left underneath! Damian! Damian! please come! " Mama, I''m finishing to solve the geometry thing, hmm...I had a hard time looking for the tangent in number..." " Damian! listen...you go hide to room number seven and don''t get out from there. Uncle Albrecht will be here later and he''s not in good mood always, you know that. Everything you need is there and just follow the instructions I posted on walls. Everything is there, okay? I''m telling you all these suppose I might be busy." It was enough then she brought the medical kit and weapon going down while Damian was anxiously biting his pencil and ran going to room number seven. Getting startled to slowly open the door going out to the tunnel and hearing the sound of tank and vehicles presumably parked outside the entrance were emotionally depressing . But she was determined to rescue his brother. It was a perfect timing when Albrecht whispered and was just probably guessing that its her younger sister. " Mag...Mag...I''m here...I''m dizzy and I got red spots on my itchy skin, I don''t know. What happened, I just woke up and I found no one''s around." Albrecht was with his exhausted look but Magee right away assisted him to get up, situated him for a while on a nook and she ran to specific places where she grabbed all the belongings of his Dad, Sr. Sibal, Baldur and Mayumi. Of course she ensured that Baldur''s journal was inside to one of the bags then she quickly returned to Albrecht and she guided him to stand as they tramped going up. While on the spiral staircase with their slow-paced climb. " Mag, these bags were too heavy, I''m dead dizzy, you know." " I... told you already to give me some. Hah! c''mon kuya...we''re almost at the doorstep." " Mag...what is goin'' on..." Albrecht started to sweat. " Kuya...you stay first in the receiving area while I have to wait for George. I don''t know either if someone''s with him but I know he''s coming back. I heard his emergency signals." " Emergency...wait, where did all of them go?" Albrecht asked. " They''re all captured, including Dad, Am¨¢, Baldur and Mayumi!....George wasn''t, he''s on his way now going here." Magee cried but she immediately put him on the master''s bedroom. " Oh, heavens! how come!" Albrecht refused to lie down after hearing the sad news. " Kuya, please...you''re still sick, just stay here and I''ll go back to open the door for George, for them, whosoever. They can''t open it by themselves. Then Albrecht vomited on the floor in front of the bed. " Okay I got it! I can handle... my self, go! go!" Albrecht bent his body facing his spill. 161 Tunnel Bound to the barracks That night, George, Albrecht, Narciso and Magee planned out on what to do in order to rescue their comrades and a few civilians where George thought it as the most difficult of all times. Then Albrecht broke the silence. " Ah...Narciso and I were both in trouble. He''s injured while I''m sick ... but I feel like dying. Look at yourselves, watching at me from lying down on bed, you''re all sitting so scary, surrounding me like preparing your individual eulogy.." He closed his eyes and cleared his throat while Narciso controlled himself from laughing. " Ah, brother, hmm...its going to be tough in the next few days. We have to follow them to the barracks but we can open this up for suggestions. What do you think? " Our previous plan. We''ll proceed to station one and dig a hole going down to the prisoners'' cell, but its the end of station one. We can safely save them, yes! but the cave can be traced by the enemies through that hole." Albrecht reasoned out. " Hmm...how about when reaching meters away going to the barracks, we''ll create another hole getting out to the riverside below this cliff and cover the hole from station one so to deceive them. During the time of pulling them out from the prison cell, they''ll be rerouting their escape to the riverside below where some of us, maybe five groups would release rattan baskets placed on safety slabs and pull them up. However, the soldiers will proceed to the crossroad in the middle and return to station one''s path, passing the tunnel''s exit and going back to station one." George ended and sighed. " Amazing! it means preserving station one, well, I go for that or otherwise. "Albrecht looked at them. " That tunnel might have purposes soon. We do not know yet if how long this war is. Covering it tightly means our safety or I''ve got a backup plan. Out of the prisoners'' will be freed, we''ll cover the topmost hole again after destroying the door, obstructing the enemies'' attention that we probably left passing through the door going out. Just praying that there''s a bamboo floor on that prison cell, I hope so, it has." George sighed again. " Its possible, Sir." Narciso replied. They chitchat a little while then they''ve heard a loud sound coming from the tunnel. Right there, George and Narciso went down the spiral stairs and listened carefully to the source of sound. As they leaned their ears closer on the granite wall beside the door, they''ve heard chatting sound and clattered objects, stumbled and dumped. " Sir, they found our tunnel..." Narciso whispered as he worryingly looked to the lieutenant who just bowed down his head out of dismay. In a distant far, they have heard some vehicles parked outside the entrance gate. " Good Lord, help us! I forgot Narciso, I''m sorry, but..." The lieutenant was pressing his head but someone patted his shoulder. His wife. " George...I''ll do it, your men were injured and sick, its going to be tough for them. We''ll let Narciso on rest and kuya might be better tonight after his herbal intake. Let''s go." Magee smiled as George lifted Narciso going to the bed where Albrecht was lying down. Before the couple left, George took the medicine kit and applied some ointment on Narciso''s wound while Magee left some water and food beside them. Like a speed of light, the couple climbed towards the daylight optic hole using the bar counter as secret stairs. Narciso saw what they have just did and murmured on bed. " Wow! such a couple..." Narciso smiled. " They were love birds you know....and were crazy at each other. Hah! you''re too noisy injured man, I''m still havin'' my delirium right now, such a headache...huh... Albrecht was mumbling his mouth while eyes closed. On the surface above, the couple crawled carefully above the place where the secret tunnel exit had been. A few meters away, they saw some soldiers marching and on the array of their platoon at the entrance gate. " Mag...after they''ll have that short ritual, they''ll all get inside the granite mountain." " Copy. So where we''ll be heading after this? I readied the ropes we''ll be using to get down, otherwise, I presume the rope I used to escape months ago was still there, hanging. It could be an option." "Exactly. Oh there...they''re almost done. In a count of three we''ll quickly transfer beside that balite tree and move down. That''s the exact spot for the exit. If we can reach below on the balite tree, we have to pass through that open space then move down to that cliff a little. On its halfway, the passage can be seen along with the baskets. We''ll pull all of those below and cover it all with withered leaves. We''ll also detach the ropes and we''ll bring it down in a safer place. We might be using those in the next few days or months, who knows. So my dear...be very careful. I know you loved this job very well, but promise me, don''t you ever go away by my side. Please, and that''s my order." George looked at her smiling to him like melting his heart, so candid affair caught eye to eye. But seconds beat up and they got back to their mission and when the soldiers marched inside the mountain, the couple rolled down by the cliff and slid halfway and began to remove all the traces. They took it all going down and hide everything under the withered leaves and branches under the wilderness. 162 Couples Journey to Station One It drizzles under the wilderness and it appeared more creepy as the fogs increased and the crickets sounded hungrily. Despite it, the couple continued to cover the traces and Magee cut some golden yellow pothos nearby and even planted some of it on the watery path. " Will that grow faster." The lieutenant smiled. " Yes. This variety of plant enjoys this kind of terrain and atmosphere. You see its cold down here and it will look like never been planted even after an hour or days. It will still look similar than those mother plants beside it. See how it works! you can''t see any path at all." " It looks familiar." The lieutenant smiled. " We have this at home planted in the watery sides of every room. Those were just smaller than these ones sprouting here in their natural habitat. Hmm, but George, I just manage myself to smile but deep inside I worry a lot for my family being captured and to the soldiers and civilians too." " I now remember, yes." He winked an eye to his wife and they somewhat had an overtime reframing the path''s traces. It was already evening and the couple moved a bit closer to station one. Though still on its hyper energy but she was filled with sweats and felt really hungry. Fortunately, George saw a ripe ''tundan'' banana hanging on its tree and immediately harvested it for her. " This is going to be a great dinner but I''ll just take some and bring the rest to the people of station one. Okay, get some my dear." Magee said and they immediately left towards station one. Its 0600 hours when they reached there, Michael welcomed them. " Good evening Sir, Ma''am, glad seeing you around, thanks to the food last time that sustained us this far. I supposed to extend more assistance to the civilians but after I lost my hand after the battle, I differently worked. I become slower and hmm..." Michael sighed. " No worries, Michael. You''ve tried your best to assist Bruno and Anthony around. Its still a good job ever!" The lieutenant smiled and tapped Michael''s shoulder. " But by the way Sir, why you came all the way with your wife in this late hour, anything?" Michael sounded worryingly. George shared to him the situation and later Bistro came across their conversation. " I''ll join in the digging, Sir!" Bistro said. " Count me in!" Dionesio and Cerenia were in chorus to volunteer in digging the tunnel going down the barracks. " We''ll join in that mission." Alexandra and Eunice volunteered as well and many others drew closer to them and extended some helping hands. " Much as we wanted to do but we can limit to fully work at daytime. We cannot dig at night in full swing because most of them are sleeping and all ears laid on the floor to possibly hear the tools and sounds of rocks our tools might hit within. So its safe to have a full swing at night." The lieutenant said. Anthony motioned towards them and spoke. " Sir, we found an old tunnel yesterday. Its timely that its also going towards the barracks. I don''t know if its still safe to use it but if we continue digging it might only consume 3-5 days." " Really? but what I''ve known here was the unfinished tunnel westbound, going to the Kabang mountain."The lieutenant felt terrified of. " Its true Sir, in fact, the three of us attempted to walk barefooted going down there and even felt that we already reached the barracks, but as per the location of the prisoners, we''re not sure if its heading there." Bistro recounted. " This is God''s grace shed upon us. I know Baldur is a prayerful man and felt that his prayer had been granted. Okay boys! you gave me a great amount of energy, thank you. So my response niw is, I''ll stalk nearby the baracks and this time, I''ll take a lesson from Baldur from being sued by the guardian dogs. I''ll climb trees and estimate the view below where I could see the prisoners'' place. Oh God! when you discovered that tunnel coincides to our plan of attack and its a real miracle! Everyone, I know the dinner is served, we''ll share it altogether and consider it as thanksgiving!" The lieutenant was teary eyed as Magee drew by his side and handed to him a bamboo mug filled with water. " Shh...God is really helping us. We''ll get going and save everyone that were taken." Magee whispered. The dinner served was ''aroz caldo'', its a porridge mixed with small amount of chicken and horseraddish spiced with ginger with a little anount of salt and sugar. " A civilian woman from the team stood up as they all held each other''s hands and prayed. " Lord, God, the father of Abraham and Moses, we glorify your name as we celebrate today your mercy upon us, in spite of the captivity, we found a reason to fight and save our brethren in prison. You opened up to us the old tunnel that becomes an easy way to get closer to the enemy''s den and so we relentlessly thank you even more for this bountiful food oh God being cooked and prepared by Cerenia, Dionesio, Eunice and Alexandra. Bless their kind hearts as well to continue serving their fellowmen and shield us all to survive out of this war. Please protect our brethrens from the angry enemies, that they may endure all the physical and psychological pains before we could rescue them. Amen." A thanksgiving prayer recited by Tiya Virginia. 163 A Miracle Has happened " This is going to be phenomenal, I mean...who dug this for us in the past? Thanks to them, whoever." George blurted. " Sir, try to notice the slope, it could be easily estimated by walk." Michael said. " As you said, yes. We''ll get back and emerge on the surface near the mabolo tree and do the pacing then multiply it to get the overall conversion per meter. Don''t know if this exactly fits but I''ll make it sure when I go check for the prisoners'' actual location." George explained. Minutes after they got out of the mabolo tree, George left them and he ran to stalk the prison cell while climbing from one tree to the other. It took him half an hour to find out the prison cell that''s just too close by the barbed wires. " There were two prison cells, they separated males from females, hmm...the tunnel would be y-type. Hmm...I guess, the old tunnel ended just ten steps of an adult going to the male prisoners. Oh my God, I see Baldur by the side with ripped shirt. Where''s Dad?" He thought while looking from afar then immediately got back to the mabolo tree and he led his men inside station one for a meeting. " The problem is, if its really heading to that direction. How about someone below will insert something overhead that would appear on the enemy''s ground, anything." George suggested. " How about a small pole tied with white, something white, anything white, but the question is, if its lighted up there or not? Sir, you cannot see the code white if there''s no light, otherwise your eyes should be very clear to see the code within the dark." Michael reasoned out. "That''s interesting Michael. Anthony, what do you think?" "Same goes with Michael''s idea, Sir. I guess its a bit possible, just hoping the place wouldn''t be too stony so we can just easily extend upward the small bamboo pole I guess tagging something white." Anthony added. " Indeed, we''ll consider that too." The lieutenant reassured. That night they used a small bamboo pole in sending upward the white code. Interestingly, it took 3 hours for the soldiers to send the white code upward. Surprisingly, George found out from a distance that the tunnel ended just beside the female prison cell which is just two meters away from the male prisoners. It stunned the lieutenant even more to plan out that the the digging will only take for just a day to create a y-type tunnel. It was enough for the lieutenant to return to station one at 0300 hours and instructed the team to remove the white pole beside the prison cell and take a sleep back to the cave. George shared to Magee what he has found out and they both tried to take some rest before sunrise. In a late sunny morning when every one were gathered at the long table, George had a caucus with his comrades. Everyone assigned to dig have marched in the tunnel and the whole day they made use of was worthwhile. Both holes were ready to be opened through a signal. By midnight, they opened it separately and their comrades and civilians captured hurriedly passed through the hole and ran towards station one as fast as they could. As per instruction, both prison cell doors were opened. When all their comrades and civilians captured headed to station one. The two holes were carefully covered and they made it up to almost 5 meters. They then created another tunnel in order to deceive the enemies supposed they''ll really dig up the damaged ground inside the prison cells, though, its covered with bamboo beds. In station one, it was emotional for everyone as they prefer to take a bath under the waterfalls. After drying up, they all gathered at the wooden table and thankful to everyone''s efforts. Baldur was still comforting Mayumi who was chilling with fear after being tortured. " Dad, Am¨¢, I can feel all these physical pains, bit I thank God you both endured the beatings. I''ll apply some pink begonia leaves on your wounds, " Magee sadly spoke to them. " Mag, go to Fr. Matias, he''s got the worst torture." The Captain whispered. When he found him Henry was beside the priest and feeding him some ''aroz caldo'' and felt alleviated out of his empty stomach. " Fr, here''s a small amount of ''tundan'' banana, I''ll put a little of it to your arozcaldo, okay?" Magee was teary eyed again since the priest can''t even say a word but only smiled with tears falling on his cheeks. After a minute she visited all the captured comrades and George was busy applying some medicines. Amado was not able to assist the lieutenant since he was severely wounded too. In the morning, the comrades assigned in covering some parts of the tunnel got back and flat on bed. " Good heavens! these people have worked hard for everybody''s safety. God be with them." Baldur whispered himself. At around 0900 hours, there were three loud shots on air but it was stopped when a group of horsemen have attacked the barracks then left. It was a perfect timing that it seems those men brought the prisoners with them. "Were those attackers was the vigilant troop mentioned in the Daba Times? those weren''t just mere civilians nor guerrillas, I presume they were special forces composed of Filipino and Americal soldiers. Thanks to them for unknowingly saving us too." The Captain whispered. "Maybe, Dad. Thank God." Baldur sounded so gratefully. George once again conducted his roving and checked the wounds of everyone and he feedback to the Captain that everyone''s improving. With the aid of Cerenia, Eunice and Alexandra, another ''aroz caldo'' was prepared for their lives lunch. 164 Paranoia at the Granite House " Heavens!" Albrecht astonishly said. " Kuya, are you alright, what happened?" Magee asked. " I''ve heard...a chick..." Albrecht was sweating. "No...a boy...a sound of a boy, yes." Narciso closed his eyes and pressed his head. " No! its a chick! I was clearly listening to it and when I tried to climb overhead and emerged on the surface, I saw nothing. There was never any life but a few grasses and bonsai trees. " Ah, Sir...its a boy...its..." Narciso stopped when Albrecht stood up and stared at him like he was a piece of a chop suey. " I told you...its a chick, loud and clear that''s what I''ve heard." Albrecht insisted. Magee paused for a couple of minutes and George put off his damaged shoes in the corner while facing on the granite wall and silently smiled. Then Magee finally decided and spoke to them. " In both ways, it''s correct." " You mean, these souls already exist long time ago or ever since you both stepped in here?" Albrecht held a mug of water and swallowed his last tablet of medicine. " No." Magee blurted out. " What do you mean?" Albrecht asked. Magee almost answered when there''s a loud burst coming from the center of the field inside the granite mountain. Boom! George drew closer to the ballscope kept inside the granite wall facing south, where it could clearly focus on-site towards the center of the field. " Its one of the drums we have had below that contained some cooking oil. Huh! such a waste." The lieutenant sighed. " I''ll gonna go down and kill them if they''d destroy the sacks of spices." Albrecht was holding his rifle and stood up moving towards the granite door. " Its...its actually the next, they''re putting some firewood under it right now...and it starts to flare." George narrated what he just saw. Out of Albrecht''s anger he quickly moved on his way down yet Magee covered herself on the door. " You can''t go Kuya...stay! those were just pieces of dried leaves and seeds of pamienta. In exchange to your life? No, please stay! I warn you." The lieutenant''s wife acted like her husband''s role. Few steps away, George was listening and comforted Albrecht. " Bro, we still have a sack of it in here and it''s still a good stock before the war is over." George calmly spoke while nervous after seeing her wife covering herself on the door. He wasn''t moving even an inch. George respected the siblings'' situation but readied himself to meddle if anything comes unlikely. " Drought is nearing, they''ve taken out all our food, how can we survive in the next days..." Albrecht closed his eyes and sipped the remaining water from his mug. Silently, Magee seated beside Albrecht. " Kuya...we still have the food you want, c''mon in, let''s go to our stockroom." She held his hand and pulled him towards the two-way mirrored door. Embezzled and amazed when he followed her inside and George did. Albrecht was too noisy counting the exquisite rooms with a big smile, especially when he saw the kitchen full of food he missed so much. " Wow! you ate sayote leaves all day long, 7 days a week and most often in a month yet you have so many canned spam and all the rest inside, wow! such a food custodian you are my li''l sister! This is fabulous!" " Ehem...but still I''ll monitor the weekly use. If we''ll open a can, for instance a canned spam, we''ll squarely cut it into eight and divide each slice into eight to be mixed with vegetables. The remaining seven will be kept in a clay pot, tightly wrapped and floats on a cool water. The processed meat when mixed with vegetables will be shared to almost everyone that wants to taste it. Its the best meal, after all." " What? mixed with vegetables? oh my...not now, please...let''s open for just one." He sat down on a chair beside the kitchen table and George grabbed a can of spam and opened it for the slurping Albrecht. He smilingly enjoyed his spam by just using a spoon while the couple was looking at him. " Is it delicious?" Magee smiled. " Yes, the best!" " We agreed to send some to station one with her order to the cook to wisely use all of these by mixing it with vegetables. Possibly with leafy vegetables and a couple of wild gray and purple yams. Magee tried mixing a slice of it with chopped unriped saba'' banana, its my personal favorite especially when she mixed it with her....of course, sayote leaves." " Argh! oh my...after the war, a new recipe book will sprout in encyclopedias and restaurant cuisine will look at it as a typical guide." The couple laughed and added some water in his mug. Noticeably, Albrecht''s eyes rolled busily on the embellishments of the kitchen. " Wow! way back in U.S., Dad told us to enjoy the luxury of our houses and he said if we''ll find yours, we''ll just keep quiet, haha! so this is it! exquisite and lovely! I thought the outside part was already great but this one''s ...and the rooms we''ve passed through, are there any after this?" "Yes kuya." " Ah! this is an ultimatum house that needs no renovation. After this meal, tour me to the next rooms. So this is it! these were the rooms built by so many people that I fed as a boy. I cooked a lot all day so I didn''t have the chance to ask and see the project as I ended up all day flat tired on bed. I only thought that its just that tunnel, but this one''s ...every room has a delicate design though I noticed that the doors installed in the same location. Its always on the left side facing east. Such a pattern." Albrecht smiled and wowed. 165 Tunnels Ultimate Secre After all, Albrecht left but still amazed while Magee and George have peacefully visited room number 7 where Damian gleefully welcomed them by showing his inventions using wooden blocks he''d been assembling. Out of toy soldiers which was made of clay, he made a headquarter and put it on top of the mountain, a plastic soldier toys comprised of male and female soldiers. " Who were those soldiers you''ve portrayed yelling and raising their weapons?" George curiously asked. " She''s really Mama and the lieutenant , hmm... they''re my angels. They gave me some wonderful toys and left me so many food. But..." Damian stopped, bowed down his head and pointed his index finger on the wall next to the door. " What do you mean?" George smiled. " I''ll just eat a match stick size chocolate in every day, anyway, she''s conducting inventory every two days. But...at least, I''m eating something special like those chocolates, so yummy." " What..." George turned his head and looked to his wife, smiling while she felt in a jury where her eyes glowed like the moonshine and spoke. " We''re at war...people in the neighboring places have lost their hands and legs, no one had perfectly eaten any Filipino sumptuous food, a lot have sacrificed and died...so Damian is still lucky for tasting it in every day. Anyway, if the right time comes, he''ll gonna eat it all." Magee smirked. He motioned too close and embraced her, still smiling. " The chocolate ration you''re giving to Damian is...too small, such a toothpick chocolate ration." His chin caressed her hair and warmed the ambience. " Hmm the boy must be health-conscious. He must learn this early about the average food consumption that can aid his health. Try to ask him if when he gets diabetes. Go, try." Magee challenged him. " Hey, Damian! when can you acquire diabetes?" " No, I won''t get any diabetes. Papa, I''ve got the right amount of sugar and eats proper nutritious food." " Wow!" George smiled as he carried the boy and lightly pinched his cheek. " Amazing! its scripted but perfect!."Then they all laughed while George turned him around and the boy flapped his hands while Magee was blissfully watching them. Meanwhile, outside the secret rooms, Albrecht covered his ears and murmured to Narciso at the bedside. " Hah...Narciso, its not a ghost. There''s a little boy and a noisy chick in their room. " Ha ha! I told you there''s a boy within this house." Narciso laughed. When they reached station one, the team disembarked the supplies on the wooden table. Some have cried and knelt on the ground to give thanks to God for the food they''ve received. Interestingly, when Magee spoke and reminded them again on how to thriftily manage its consumption, they nodded and more than thankful. On the other hand, Elmar suggested to rob not less than 2 sacks of rice to an hermano''s house in Makasido who sadly passed away before he joined them weeks ago. Moreover, Dionesio raised a hand and volunteered to look for wild yams and hunt for birds when its safe and most women promised to maintain the cleanliness inside the cave. In a way, this motivated George to designate them to the tasks they''re also capable to perform. " The problem is just the exact timetable in doing all these when the enemies are just in the surrounding, smelling and eyeing at us like ravenous beasts. For sure, they''re posting armed men in every corner they think we''ve been with; this in any way possible. Fact is, they''re just in the tunnel of our mountain..." George stopped when Sr. Sibal raised a hand and stood up. " Keep them all in and when they do, I''ll tell you how to convert the place into a gas chamber." Sr. Sibal smiled and everyone turned their heads on him with their inquisitive stares. " What? how is it done? then we''ll do it that way without second thought, its a good strategy anyway." Albrecht reacted. " Am¨¤, yeah, we''ll talk about it and that sounds interesting." George winked an eye on him sealed with interest. " Oh dear...your long awaited preparation is about to reveal, its crashing my nerves and it''s almost happening. But how is it when the entrance of the tunnel or the former hole underneath the wooden house maybe is not passable or ruined, is it going to be the other way?" The Captain looked at Sr. Sibal. " Yes, definitely. It could be the other way around, it''s the most possible." Sr. Sibal replied. " Well thanks to Chuck for insinuating my brain to death that time and its going to be the right defense if not a perfect stance to backfire." Sr. Sibal smiled. " I thought you''re both crazy years ago on putting so many pipes like maizes. Huh! geniuses!" Edward pressed his head and transfered beside George''s seat. When their meeting was adjourned, George met the two folks in the corner and clarified what they''ve been referring. " Am¨¢, what is it that I need to know?" George queried. " Here, the tunnel is connected to your house. it have bigger pipelines coming from the furnace, the more smokes from the furnace that the main pipe could catch the greater the chance that the smoke will travel underneath and enough to suffocate everyone within. " Brilliant! how did you come up doing this? or are there still secrets in the mountain we need to know, Am¨¢?" George whispered. " Its Chuck digging my mind that time but its Chuck''s idea too. I just had a motion over it when he fled and left. Similarly, we agreed on it for the sake of our kids'' survival. In fact, we didn''t just build the entire place for shelter, its a working military facility too." Sr. Sibal said. " You sounded like a military man right now, am¨¢...." George blurted out when the Captain failed to prevent from commenting. " Hmm...its because he was once a military man of Spain, left here to stop waggling his tail especially against Datu Gansal and prefered the silence of the place. He knew this place better aside from the number of years spent in hiding."The captain whispered. 166 Roving Guards " Budekdek! come back..." Damian followed the chick but it was gone. In spur of a moment, there were enemies below the mountain - marching. Sadly, one of them looked up and found Budekdek slowly gliding down on a tree''s roots as it fell like a snowball into one of the soldier''s rifle. They were all cheering and charged it like a domestic pet since it''s so tame. Someone had an insight that it may be one of the pets from their comrades inside the mountain, then they''re all laughing while the chick laid at rest on the soldier''s shoulder. Without them knowing, Damian has heard their laughter and tried to crawl nearby the mountain and eavesdropped. Accidentally, one of the fist-sized rock that he''d leaned on rolled down and hit to one of the soldier''s bag pack. Quickly, they all stood up, ran and climbed on the mountain wall. When they reached above the surface like going to a combat, the place was pristine along with the rustling of leaves of the bonsai trees; mostly decorated on the surface were scattered and piled up of granite rocks. When they moved forward and were tightly holding their guns, there was a loud gunfire below the cliff next to the mountain. That sound diverted their attention and prompted them to return below and even traversed to the boundary between the granite mountain alley and the cliff. When they left, Damian''s tension was a bit pacified as he crept below the daylight optic hole and silently praying. Meanwhile, by the cliff where the group of Elmar and Henry who was assigned to get some rice to Makasido while the other team was with George, Magee and Sr. Sibal who was actually heading to the granite house. It was George who summoned the enemies with a gunfire so to let them get rid out of Damian''s ''location. " They''re going down at us." Sr. Sibal whispered. " Sir..." Henry curled up his hat and waited for the Lieutenant''s signal. " No...if we fight with those armed men, their comrades are just few meters away and can quickly reinforce them any time, then we''ll be trapped, we can''t just go down for minutes. It''s already twilight. I''ll do it alone." " What are you going to do, George?" Magee moved closer while holding her handgun. " You cannot go back I know what you''re thinking, stay." The old man looked at her so sharply. " No, Ama...my husband''s all alone." Magee was teary eyed. " He''s a combatant and was raised that way. Go up, the boy''s a little shock right now and he needs you. See how that boy protected this place despite his age, thank him." Sr. Sibal instructed her. It was enough for Magee to climb the stairs as fast as she can and hurriedly proceeded to room number 7 and found the boy beside his toys, covering his ears with both hands. " Damian! how have you been...thank God you''re fine." Then she embraced the lil boy who then wrapped his arms on her shoulders. " Mama, I was so scared. They''ve almost found me, I was so scared." " No, its okay now Damian...you''re alright now. Papa went down the cliff to send them away. It''s alright now. But...why you didn''t call them and just...leave us." Magee whispered. " This is my home now so I have to stay. But I''m sorry Mama, I''ve lost the chick, the pet''s gone. The soldiers got them." Then Damian wept on her shoulder. " Shh...it''s alright, if something is lost and the situation is not under your control anymore, then free it. You did a good job today Damian, thank you. The chick is so tame and friendly, they''re going to love it, I know." She smiled at him while Sr. Sibal went closer and nestled his calloused hand over his head. " Grandpa..." The boy shed a tear as he looked at the old man. " You''re such a brave little boy. I hope to see you getting stronger each day, hmm..." " Grandpa..." Damian smiled and hugged the old man. Meanwhile, below the cliff and just approximately three hundred meters away from the lieutenant, the soldiers were like hungry beasts and still hunting him. But George sent the soldiers to the place of no return, through Isagani''s account. It was the opposite direction of northeast and is heading straight north. While running, he applied so much wild dogs'' oil on his skin, hair uniform and all over him. Till they reached the wild dogs'' den and almost welcomed George but sniffed him like their comrade. Suddenly, the wild dogs attacked the soldiers as they fired on them but the animals were outnumbered and slurped them like their roasted dinner. " My...God!" George had witnessed how gut-wrenching the scenario was. After half an hour, he passed by on the bloody place and walked quietly towards the granite house. At almost 2200 hours, he entered the granite door filled with sweat and lifeless then Magee hugged him tight as he grasped her hair, put down his handgun and kissed her unceasingly. 167 Celebration Inside the Mountain " Am¨¤, what is that?" Magee asked. " Let''s open another secret." " Again? I must be crazy on this. Wow! you''re too brilliant!" George smirked. In a little while, Baldur, Mayumi, Amado, Alexandra, Eunice and Albrecht arrived and Narciso was smiling to Albrecht. " Haha! Narciso, how is your injury? hmm, you look a bit finer that the last day I saw you. Did you miss me?" Albrecht put down his handgun on the granite table. " Yes Sir, haha. I missed the laughter with you." Narciso replied. " Oh my...okay, I feel like a puppet on a show." Then the air was filled with laughter. " Here, Let''s get serious again. Hmm...Baldur, can you grab this mission inside the enemy line, we''ll cover the steel ground door of the tunnel. By far, it''s their entrance and exit. Though, suppose they''ve discovered the door facing the sea, George?" Sr. Sibal verified. " Yes, but how?" George raised his brow. " Oh here. Have you ever noticed that there''s a spacious part in between the secret door and the Buccaneer''s cave? that''s the second door, you can close it if you pass by on top and go down at the Buccaneer cave''s door facing the sea. By doing the job together, the other team in-charge of the other door from our old wooden house should have a synchronized time set with your team, George. The target time is our golden watch so that the enemies can''t get out. They can''t also escape out of the secret exit of the tunnel going to the cliff, it also has a second door where I''ll volunteer to man it; or with Narciso. Outright closing the three doors, Albrecht and Magee will start manually pumping, stretching the rubber pipelines as fast as they could and the air pressure with the smoke from the furnace shall penetrate inside, going down the tunnel. That''s the bottomline. Although, the door below in our former wooden house is the most difficult to control. There''s armed men guarding it and probable backup around. Hmm..." Sr. Sibal deeply thought. " Sr. Sibal...what if Eunice and I will go and approach the soldiers on guard outside the gate, we''ll bring some food which is timely for their banquet. Eunice has a timepiece so we can also synchronize our time with the rest." Alexandra uttered. " Hmm...that''s a little scary, but if you get their attention that way, they can''t probably turn their back inside. But I''m just afraid of your safety, let''s not compromise your safety. I think its a big - no." Sr. Sibal sighed. " Huh...it takes more time to do it, though its effective. Anyone?"Baldur tried to survey for possible strategy. " The rain!" George looked at Sr. Sibal. " The rain, probably a perfect timing." Sr. Sibal smiled. " Hmm...there are no bahay kubo''s left on the ground since they destroyed the latter. They all slept inside the tunnel. So if it rains...they''ll definitely go hide underneath." George explained " Exactly! but would it rain tonight? I guess its the only solution that will just give us less hassle. I know they''ll even close the door by themselves due to the rain." Albrecht further elaborated. " Yes. It drizzles. I just got up from the daylight optic hole and opened my palm on air, its drizzling up there." Amado reported. " This is it. I hope the rain would be heavier than the ordinary. So, Mag, Mag...since you''re already there using the telescope, what''s the progress of their banquet right now?" Sr. Sibal asked to Magee while standing so still with her braided hair but George suddenly moved closer to her wife and covered her back with his military long sleeve. All the soldiers and guerrillas turned around their heads and as if busy looking for something; while the ladies just smiled at each other and envious to the lieutenant who shamelessly covered his wife with long a sleeve uniform and patiently tied it on her waist. Automatically, the meeting was adjourned as the scene caused the attendees to separate ways. The ladies just pulled each other going to the kitchen and tickled by what they saw. Indeed, only Sr. Sibal pressed his head and smiled while closing his eyes. " It was only because she wears a mini skirt. It was not even that short but he seemed has bombed the entire universe that unknowingly dispersed his men around in no time, haha! but still, good boy!" Sr. Sibal thought. After series of silence, someone from surface gave a code for them to open the daylight optic hole. Its captain Edward and a dozen of armed men. " Sibal, my friend, Captain Orlando from the Philippine army and wants to see us for future collaboration. They''re actually the army that the enemies thought as ''us.'' Captain Edward introduced everyone from the Philippine army. George wad a bit grateful that these armed men were God-sent. " Am¨¢, Dad...since they''re already here, I guess our plan will be translated based into standards. The smoke coming from the furnace will be mixed with potion so not to kill the enemies. Instead, after they''ll be dizzy and could sleep through a little smoke, everyone of us will go down and tie them all and consider them as prisoners of war." George bowed his head but later his eyes kept looking at her princess, smiling at him. " That''s a good idea even if I never knew yet of the entire plan. But capturing the enemies is a good strategy than killing them right away. If chance merit, I go with it." After a while, the Filipino captain and his comrades were meticulously looking at the granite house designs. " These are too advanced! who designed this, cap?" " It was Sibal." Edward smiled. " No, I wasn''t alone, its Edward and Chuck." Sr. Sibal reasoned out. " Its so intricate. The entire place looks so expensive even before the time it was constructed. I could feel how much time and money spent in here. Goodness! beautiful! who''s that girl?" She whispered to the lieutenant after posing his sight towards Magee''s seat. " She''s my wife, captain." His look to the head army entails a thousand words that made Orlando smiled. " Ah! you''re very lucky, in both ways, lieutenant. By the way, can I ask a recap of the entire plan or the plan B of our attack underneath, thank you." 168 Trapped in Captivity Due to their synchronized watches, the plan was realized. All doors were tightly locked and the furnace above the granite house started to release the smoke mixed with potion, as replacement for poison suggested that George disagreed. At least with potion, the captives will just be tied up and become prisoners of war by the Filipino soldiers. An hour later, half of the Filipino army and a few armed men from the insular troop went down and manuevered. They found the unconscious opponents scattered on the ground and as instructed, they tied them individually and brought them above. It took them for two hours to transfer them all on the surface. After the successful attack, more Filipino soldiers arrived and fetched the captives and brought them all to their hideout, miles away. At around 0400 hours, captain Orlando from the commonwealth soldiers bade goodbye to captain Edward of the Insular troop; and the meaningful acquaintance that lasted for just hours turned out memorable. " We''ve found out now why the opponents kept pointing us, as culprits whenever your troop dropped them down; those ghost attacks they thought were ''us'' makes me smile now. For instance, there was one attack that we''re in the west but suddenly they backed off and thought our teammates were sent eastward and pissed them off as well. Huh! thank you captain Edward. From now on, we''ll send you updates, backup supplies and newsfeeds from generous sources." Captain Orlando uttered. " Grateful on how you have helped us last night." Captain Edward said and they shook their hands. Then the insular command has left as George and company quickly cleaned up the mess around the area. They covered the door below the previous wooden house with thicker soil; pebbles were piled up on the ground to chiefly hide the tunnel''s central door. After a round the clock physical exhaustion, George and the rest were flat on beds inside the tunnel. Meanwhile, Magee and Damian were conversing in room number 7. " Damian, whatever happens, this room remains our secret room, is that a deal?" Magee smiled on him. " Yes mama, you kept reminding me on thus, but why?" Damian bit his finger nail. " This is my baby''s room, someday. she / he should gave privacy. This will become my baby''s hiding place too." " But there''s no baby yet." Damian whispered. " Yes, for now. One day, we''ll gonna have one or .. more." Magee smiled. " What? haha...you''ll gonna take care of my future children...interesting. But...your family might search for you after the war, how is that?" " Hmm...I don''t know either, Mama. Perhaps, I''ll gonna stay. I feel that this is the safest place on earth. There''s even a forest in this room and all. Yeah...I missed my mother but she gave up on me and..." " Oh dear...enough. They both have faced complicated situations. Though, your father rarely feels human, you know. If only you knew . Hah! but you''re too young to understand it all, later when you grow up." She nestled her palm on his hair. " I don''t like to comment too." He smiled at her. " Haha! you''re a funny boy. You speak like an old man, yeah, those soldiers who took good care of you when you''re in your early childhood were noble caretakers, you know that? they''ve raised you well." " They talked to me things like economic changes and politics, and many more. But still they played games with me. I missed them..." Then the boy sat back and rearranged his clay toys. " Hmm...how are you feeling...I''m sorry." " Ah, Mama...someone''s getting inside the first room, did you hear it, its definitely Papa." " Hmm...it seems not. Listen carefully...carefully, shh..." " Its too slow...right? Papa also don''t usually close doors. He only closes the first door and leave 2nd to 6th open. So...who is that?" The boy asked her. " Correct, George don''t close every door if we don''t go outdoors for too long. It must be a stranger, how come? only Narciso and Albrecht knew this room, aside from Dad and Am¨¢." " Mama...the person is nearing to room number 7, the latest door being closed it seems at fifth..." " It seems...Oh dear, this room''s door isn''t locked yet." Then Magee slowly tiptoed and motioned towards the door and tried to silently lock it. However, it created an annoying, ticking sound that echoed all over. Outright she carried Damian; removed a handgun hanged on the wall and she readied to open the daylight optic hole for a possible escape. " Mama...the stranger didn''t return. The doors to fourth, third, second and first weren''t opened, right? That one''s scary too." Damian whispered. " Yeah...quiet...the person didn''t move...still staying in room number five. What is he/she doing there?" She put back Damian on the floor and removed his shoes. " Mama, why you removed my shoes...aren''t we escape?" " No...not yet. We''ll just remove our footwear so that we can''t produce any noise. We''ll stay a bit and observe the movement of that stranger. Papa might be at risk, we need to have a plan." " Mama, we gotta get out on the surface and go down to the tunnel." " Not yet...the daylight optic hole will surely create a noise if we take our exit. I guess...that''s a man. Our doors were heavy, but he pulled them just in one pull and there. Women can''t do it that way." " Wow...I never thought of that..." Damian whispered. Magee smiled despite the tension and looked at him. It''s been three hours but the doors weren''t closed again. " Mama...I''d like to pee." " Have you seen that flowing water on the corners...you may pee there." Magee whispered. "So... its designed as a urinal too?" He whispered. " Shh....no, we''ll gonna use it just for now when we''re trapped here. Its how usually people do whenever there are emergencies and crisis situations." " Ah...I see." Damian motioned slowly toward the flowing water but they both heard that the sixth door was locked. So Damian haven''t peed yet slowly ran towards Magee and hugged her. " Mama...he''s in the next room!" He whispered . 169 The Strange Gues " Mag, please open the door! Alright! why you''re still mad at me, ha?" I''m seriously upset with you now! See what you have just done!" When Damian had heard it, he immediately looked at Magee. " Mama...Papa is mad at you?" Damian whispered. " Shh...no...he was suspicious of the locked door on the first room. He thought we''re here inside the 7th so he maybe will proceed to the 3rd room where there''s one daylight optic hole installed. He''s interested to find out who that man is. Likewise, he felt we''re trapped in here so we better need to be extra careful. But hey...do you see this?" Magee pulled out from her pocket a thicker hanky. " Yes, a handkerchief." " You bite this three times to lessen your tension." Magee smiled and whispered to Damian. " Really..." Damian followed what Magee had said and he felt relieved a bit, afterwards. " How are you now?" She smiled. " I''m a bit better now. But...Mama...why Papa had a scary voice, seems really, really angry at you." The little boy whispered again. " Shh..he isn''t really mad. Its a trick. It means he has a plan of rescuing us. But we still have to prepare, anytime if that man could find out where the 7th door is; would forcibly open the door then, we don''t have any choice but escape passing at the daylight optic hole." Magee''s voice lowered and was staring at the door. " Mama...you''re sweating...are you afraid?" Damian peed in his pants. " Yes, I''m afraid, but everything will be okay soon." Magee replied. But deep inside her mind she thought that fighting could be easier if without the child. Momentarily, she took the responsibility for the child''s safety and protection. Meanwhile, George hurriedly went down the granite house and climbed above the surface of room number 3. " My God...is my wife and Damian alright this time? Heavens! No, not...someone''s not an ordinary man but an expert. He didn''t even make a commotion or anything but buff me. Here, I''m getting inside now..." George thought so anxiously. When George was already inside room number 3, he was shocked upon seeing that the door going to room number 4 was also locked. The optic hole above room number 7 was very difficult to locate. So he immediately knelt on a certain spot and knocked three times on the ground. When Magee has heard the signal, she then carry the small table;stepped on a cabinet and successfully reached the daylight optic hole. Afterwards, she used her dagger to also tick the optic hole three times. When George heard it subtly, although he was on a wrong spot but tried to search where exactly the spot for Magee''s location. Fortunately, George patiently put his ear on the ground once more when Magee tick the optic hole again and George responded for another ticking of the optic hole, sending the message somewhat he already found the hole and Magee also let him know she''s just fine. " Here...this is it, the daylight optic hole. But why its hard to pull? Is there something wrong with this hole? Oh my...no! its not a real hole! how can this be, my God...help us. My wife''s inside! and the little boy too." He thought while stamping his palm on the fake optic hole. He stayed for a whole to observe. While underneath, Magee was already sweating inexorably after finding out that its a fake hole. " Damian, the passage is fake. It doesn''t have a hole but just a design and shape of an optic. We gotta find the real one...if there''s any, otherwise, we''ll be trapped in here. But I guess there''s really a real hole up there or where?" " Mama, I wanted to shout I''m so scared." Damian covered his mouth in awe. " No! no...shh...no Damian, Papa has a plan, and me too, let''s think together. I plan out of touching and pushing the granite walls. You may help me and it will help lessen our tensions. Come." Magee uttered in an undertone. After several minutes of pushing the walls, there was never any sign of holes or exit passages. "There isn''t any..." Damian murmured silently while drinking from the flowing water using his hand. " Hah...yes, me either. I didn''t find anything. Oh dear, the strange man was still silent, what is he doing right now?" Magee sighed and clasped his knees while huddling on the ground. In the meantime, Damian wanted to snuggle himself beside the wall at the southern part of the room when his soldier clay toy fell below the big golden pothos pot. When he attempted to pick it up, he noticed a marking, and when he followed to see the rest of the design, it shocked him. " Damian...what are you staring at? Come on in." Magee whispered. " Nothing Mama...its just that it looks like a hole. But the hole we''re looking is only located above and on sides, right? So this isn''t possible." Magee immediately stood up and moved closer to him. " Wow...its possible Damian." She leaned her handgun beside the wall and pulled the big pot that looks like a wineglass. It''s bottom is circle. Fascinatingly, after trying hard in doing so, something she noticed - there''s a darker side. Then she persistently pulled it again but it''s extremely heavy. Subsequently, after half an hour, she successfully discovered a hole. 170 Wonder Flower Po " W...what is she doing? She seemed moving something and became silent after all. I''ll try to tick the fake hole if she''s still fine with the little boy." George thought. The lieutenant stricken the fake hole thrice and he smiled when Magee responded that she''s doing better with the lil boy through ticking it thrice too. It was enough that quickly made George to return to room number three''s daylight optic hole, its already twilight and the crickets started to generate their all-encompassing clatters in the air. In some point, George was feeling reassured when Mayumi, Albrecht, Baldur, Sr. Sibal and Captain Edward were looking to the household. " Where did they go?" Sr. Sibal spoke in amazement. " It seems they''re somewhere else." Albrecht whispered to Edward. "Ah, yes, sure of that." Edward replied. " Where are they again?" Baldur asked. " Later we''ll tell you." Albrecht smilingly said while started the furnace and enjoyably planning to cook a spam while Magee wasn''t around. " Ah I see, I better lay down on the couch, I''ll continue sleeping there." Baldur yawned. " Haha! Okay, come, I''ll massage your feet. I could still recall when we were in the Tikaban prison cell, your right foot was injured Quick." Mayumi held her husband''s hand and led him to the receiving area''s couch. " Meanwhile, in the 7th room, Magee instructed Damian to just stay and wait for her while she check if where the hole will go through. Interestingly, it has a tilting staircase going up the surface, around seven steps in order to reach the top. Its dark so she tried to touch overhead and found out a daylight optic hole. She used her full last energy to open it, till she succeeded. It opens and she saw the starry night in a clear skies. She tried to see her husband around but she''s just alone so she just smiled and opened her arms, abd grateful to God. She then returned and when she was almost near to Damian''s place, she has heard that the 7th door was repetitively pulled by the stranger. " Oh my...Damian!" Magee whispered; got out of the hole and stepped on the 7th room, beside the big pot. " Damian, you may get in now. You step eastward then climb. Once you reach the surface, wait for me, okay? But if you see Papa, you go with him right away. Don''t go back in here or elsewhere, go, go!." Magee told him. " George! Magee!" Baldur carefully raised his voice. From room number 3, George has heard Baldur so he opened the 3rd , 2nd and 1st doors. " Bro! wow! such a great house designs, exemplar!" Baldur spoke in amazement. " Shh, there''s an enemy inside. Magee and the lil Boy had he thought of making them as hostages. Careful, he closed all doors. He has full access to all rooms behind." " Oh! I''ll stay for that man! he needs to prepare. I have rested a little and he intruded a wrong place." Baldur''s hoarse voice echoed. George handed to him the candle. " That''s great! I''ll go up and check on top of room number 7." George stated. " Thank you, brother." Then George moved upward the daylight optic hole and ran towards room number 7. " Papa?" Damian''s voice was chilling. " Damian! my goodness, where''s your Mama?" " She returned to room number 7. This is the hole Papa." Then Damian pointed his index finger on the exact passage. "So this it it!" The lieutenant hurriedly carried the boy and sent him to the people in the house. Edward was terribly surprised that they both emerged from the daylight optic hole. " Oh, what happened?" Edward asked. " This boy will report to you everything. I need to be in a hurry!" Then George just left the boy to Albrecht''s hands; immediately climbed overhead then gone. While on his way, George was very worried to the extent that he wants to instantly reach in room number 7. Due to his speed, he then started to get down and slowly touched the granite surface of room number 7. It was too dark. " Mag..." He whispered. " George...i''m here..." Its Magee''s voice snd drew closer to him. He wasn''t able to control his worries than by carrying his wife to feel how she''d been." " Oh, Mag. I''m here now, just get out and our family is waiting for you at the receiving area.i I''ll take care in here. Anyway, Baldur is in room number 3 right now, he''ll help me on this." " But..." Magee stopped when he cornered her on the passage so she can go up. " You will, Mag. You''ll gonna go up now. I''m telling you that." George''s voice was too serious so she did not insist anymore but obeyed to her husband. " Ok...kay...I''ll do. Careful." Then she climbed the stairs going up." When George was alone, he covered the secret passage that Magee had used in her exit and since he''s familiar with room number 7, so he knew the details of the room. The man still tried to open the door but its too heavy to open even if he used some sort of tools coming from room number 5. George pulled out his dagger and tied his head with his hanky. "You''ve stayed so much in our house, time to evaporate." George thought as he carefully opened the door at room number 7, so to finally find the stranger. He threw a can in the center and the man thought its George so he drew closer and attacked it. Without any hesitation, the ever brave lieutenant rushed to capture the man, and lo! the lieutenant caught his arm. 171 Intruders Identity Back to the rumble and in the middle of their fight, George shouted at the stranger. " Who are you?" The man was persistently quiet and based from his wit in fighting, he''s a trained and experienced combatant. In some point, the strange man fell on the ground as George hit him with the last two punches and crawled to open the 6th room; moved to the 5th and 4th. George followed but the man quickly jumped off overhead and immediately ran, heading to Baldur''s direction. Baldur, on the other hand, instantly knelt on the surface as he saw a shadow approaching him. " Huh! here''s our guest, gotcha!" Baldur thought and caught the man with arms crossed on his back. He was tied up so tight. When George arrived, they both carry the man inside the granite house. "Interesting! who are you?No one knew that place you''ve been hiding for the past hours." Sr. Sibal was heightened. "Yes, you must be a ghost or what? You need to tell us. Who do you want, after all. Of course, its clear to us that you are one of them, but how did you come up tracking the place?" " Albrecht, you call Amado to translate his statements." Captain Edward instructed then Albrecht immediately called Amado. When Amado came, he proximately settled the man and asked some questions. Amado was impressed because the man promptly answered his questions without hesitations. " He''s a soldier, a sargeant. Once in the past, they''ve captured an old Filipino who happened to work as one of the assistants to the foreign construction workers of this granite house. The old man opened up the secret of Sr. Sibal''s family when he knew that his wife was imprisoned and for a possible way of exchange, the secret has leaked. This soldier said that he put so much interest on it and even more, especially when he had heard that this mountain have secrets according to his comrades, and that include this house. But he assured that no one knew the exact spot, except him. Also, he entered in the exit door below facing Gabok and hid under the stairs. To go further, he...he...." Amado stopped. " What is it?" Sr. Sibal asked. " He even saw the...the...lieutenant and his wife, there...below...and...this man said he likes the woman that the lieutenant had warmed." Everyone''s speechless for a moment and looked to the couple who sat side by side. "What''s wrong with us, we were just too close on the stairs going here that time. Why all your stares strikes like a diamond and puts me on a hot seat. Ha? ha?" George smiled and covered Magee''s ears so she won''t hear their remarks. "His assignment was not really in Tikaban but in Daba. He was one of the roving guards who saw the chick fell from the surface, but when he noticed that there''s a gunfire from the cliff, he didn''t follow his comrades but started to be curious about the exit door; performed the terrible process; got in and decided to sneak. When he noticed that the woman (Magee) was all alone, he got out and wanted to bring her out of this place, yes there, the lieutenant arrived...." Amado stopped when Albrecht intervened. " Hey, Amado whatever your translation says, it goes back to the husband and wife." But Edward stepped on Albrecht''s foot. " What the....who the hell are you to separate us!" George angrily stood up, with eyes like a tiger and attacked the man. Good that Baldur, Albrecht, Narciso and Edward protected the man out of George''s temper. " Shh...George, calm down...this man now knew that Magee''s husband is a paragon. Translate that Amado for that man to be very careful." Edward whispered. Amado was hesitant but the captain ordered him. Then outright, Amado translated it for the man to know how the lieutenant loves his wife. The man sarcastically smiled and it was Magee who stabbed him that no one thought she would have the chance to do it. It was so quick and unnoticed but the man was collapsed as she additionally bent his knee. "Hey! that soldier has nothing to do at all but annoy us, he''s helpless! C''mon people! have a little mercy..." Sr. Sibal sighed. " It''s not a joke or a simple annoyance. It is of course a threat Am¨¤, my husband and I don''t like it." It was then when George gently pulled her hand and she also picked up Damian who was sleeping at the master''s bedroom; and the couple stayed at the receiving area, in front of the two-way mirror. They can''t get inside right away because people are watching them. " Oh! Sir Albrecht...please help me." Amado sought some help. They need to apply some first aid to the stab wound. While on the other hand, Baldur sighed in the corner and sat beside Mayumi who was so scared on what the couple have acted just when they''ve heard someone has threatened them. " They''re both so fierce when angry, but prior to that, I was smiling to the lieutenant while covering Magee''s ears, they''re such an amazing couple." Mayumi smiled and pinched her husband''s uniform. " Haha! this beautiful woman here is getting envy to the world." Then they left the granite house and went to the tunnel as their temporary shelter. Minutes after, Narciso and Amado carried the man and followed them underneath. But Baldur ran and asked Amado. " I''m sure he''s mentioned to you his name yet you weren''t able to share it because of the tension, can I get his name for me to record it in our journal?" Baldur said. " Ah, yes,. His name''s Aseiko." Amado smiled and they continued to walk towards the opening of the tunnel. As they moved down a little, they saw Henry and Elmar''s team ready to leave for Makasido. Upatairs, while Albrecht was sitting so calmly beside his stepfather, here''s his litany. " Dad...I wanted to marry now. Kindly stop this war and I''m going back to Wisconsin through the air and hitch to the clouds caressing the stars and the moon...I''m dying..." Albrecht pressed his head. " What? haha! you better continue cooking, that''s what we called, undernourished mind. You need food. Don''t tell me you''ll get back for Madelleine empty-headed. C''mon in, let''s cook, haha!" Edward then pulled Albrecht''s hand towards the kitchen. While at the receiving area. " He''s already asleep." The lieutenant smiled at her. " I''m upset to that man for mocking us too much." Magee sadly said. " It''s okay now. He won''t do that anymore." George carried Damian and she followed him inside. 172 Rice Looters Inside room number 3, George tiptoed so he would surprise her but he''s the one who''s surprised when she murmured with eyes closed. " The journal writing didn''t coincide to the actual exit of room number 7, why? what do you think?" She still had eyes closed and George stepped on bed to lay down next to her as he uncurled her blanket and joined in. " Hmm...I don''t know either. But hey, don''t ruminate too much on that, the construction blueprint maybe have changed or... " George paused for a while and put his head over his palms and looked overhead; watching the niters strolling by the granite ceiling. Magee opened her eyes and turned her head - facing at him on a side view. She smiled and touched his nose. " You labored too much today for that intruder underneath, but just remove my question away from your thoughts... and go, sleep now." She closed her eyes and doused of her adventure with Damian. With eyes closed her hand was left on his face. The lieutenant smiled and looked at her like a shimmering star. " She''s too exhausted. Hmm...this is absolutely unfair, oh God...but yes, the seventh room. I should ask Am¨¤, Dad Edward and Dad Chuck about this, I should be asking them all, huh." He sighed and have heard the sound of silence all over. Minutes after, he arranged her hair and gently touched her brows and eyelashes and his heart corrupted the heavy outpour of the rain outside. But he thought of her innocence at the moment, deeply scorned by the lighting and thunderstorm that brought him back to reality as he fixed their blanket and restfully gone to sleep. Early morning, Magee stood up but George gently pulled her hand to get back on bed. He''d been watching her long before she woke up and hypnotically staring on her lovely face with random thoughts. " Oh dear...I should make our breakfast now. You haven''t enjoyed your meal last night, huh! But what is that hold seems pulling me off, hmm..." Magee smiled but she quickly turned her head on the door, facing to room number 4 after Damian''s call have made the lieutenant moved out of bed too. " Mama! Papa!" They opened the door in an instant. " Hey, boy...what happened?" " I''m very hungry Papa." Damian was rubbing his belly. Meanwhile, from a distance nearby barrio Makasido, a huge sound of bomb blast was heard all over Kabang and it''s such a dreadful day. " Mag! thinking of Henry and Elmar, what''s happening to them right now? I''ll go and bring some armed men stationed in the tunnel. Henry''s team needs a rescue. In the onset of fear and anxiety, Henry and Elmar''s team were in trouble since the path they should have trudged the moment they could get the sacks of rice, was already manned by several soldiers - their opponents. It was difficult enough for Magee to allow him for such travel to Makasido but the act of saving his comrades means not just for his fellow Filipinos but for his country. Yes, George is a Filipino and in his veins flow the compassion he had to give to anyone else, especially those that were suffering and undaunted with normal life in station 1. For that, she just watched and bade goodbye at the doorstep of the granite exit when the lieutenant and his men started the travel. It was scary seeing a loved one leave in the middle of the war, but his husband was a soldier and she couldn''t make anyone else to understand him. She''s the wife who had to support him, after all. " He''s going to be fine. If that situation could happen to him, those men would reinforce for him too. Hmm...I just need to prepare, anytime couldn''t be all fine. This war is so damaging! But George, you''re going to make it." Magee thought as she turned her head but she saw Damian sitting so silently at the stairs. " Mama...let''s pray, hopefully my father''s men couldn''t hurt Papa and the people he is with." " Yes , Damian, it''s not all for power, it''s devastating peaceful lives. I mean this war! this is brutal!" Magee cried and gasping as she sat beside him but the child embraced her and said. " I''m sorry, Mama. I''m very sorry. My father maybe didn''t know how painful it is for you. Mama...you can shout at me, I''m a Japanese, too." " No Damian! No! you are a Japanese, but this isn''t your fault. You''re a civilian like me. We equally suffer...and you''re still young to get through this. But...I don''t know with themi...why, why? Look at what the Filipino are doing...they''re looters of rice! and those rice are ours. See how terrible it is for all of us Damian..." Then Magee was sobbing and weeping that much while Damian started to cry while putting his chin on her shoulder. It was so heartbreaking, seeing a Filipina and a Japanese boy with tearful sighs. Meanwhile, with George''s travel, everything was almost fine not until they sighted more than 20 soldiers walking and were heading on their way. He calmly halted his men and instructed them to cover themselves behind big trees and no one had to start firing, not unless the opponents would do it first. 173 Isaganis Clan " Ting! " Everyone paused like the sound disturbed the world around that made George quickly picked up the kitchen ware; carried the injured Narciso and instructed his men to cover them up while trailing the misty place. He eventually ran while carrying Narciso, who, again was injured and painfully bear it. Indeed, they tailed George''s team and gunfires started to flicker like niters in the foggy air. Within the frightening and chilling moment George halted and announced that it''s a dead end. " There''s no way out but this cliff." George said though worn-out and clammy for carrying Narciso. Everyone nodded except for Isagani who made a bird sound. Fleetingly, someone''s chirping and twittering sound responded but it''s not nearby so they have to walk carefully, heading east. Few meters away, there''s a white piece of cloth on the edge of the cliff and everyone was stunned when Isagani first instructed Narciso to move down. Though hesitant while looking below on that approximately 15 feet high cliff but there'''' no other way to survive so he just close his eyes and sliding down the cliff with George''s aid. Seconds after, George was summoned by fear when Narciso was gone. Bruno followed while closing his eyes and when almost all of then slid down, Isagani''s turn as last to get down was the most risky since the soldiers tailing them have already seen him so he immediately ran to the foggy jungle. The soldiers were in an inquisitorial state while standing on the place where they spotted Isagani and tried to look down the cliff but see no one. Still not contented of their finding, three soldiers followed Isagani while the 7 soldiers rested and squatted by the cliff without knowing that Isagani was just above them. A little while, Isagani''s worry increased while seeing the soldiers below and could probably notice the way inside his relatives'' place by the cliff so he prayerfully closed his eyes and started to produce some twittering sound again. Yet no one responded. He then observed that one of the soldiers stood up and peeped down twice. " Oh God! hope they received my message loud and clear below, please Lord, hear me." Then his sweats sprouted like drizzles when he wiped them sparingly but one of the soldiers below looked up for seeing a droplet on his arm. Good that the three soldiers who were looking for Isagani got out running and summoned them to get out while being chased by something they failed to recognize. The soldiers ran and when Isagani looked down if what life form chased them while others started to fire. "Thank you Isagani, if not without you, it could have been the real dead end." Isagani kept talking and Amado translated it for the lieutenant. Then they chitchat when Isagani''s relatives drew nearer them. Isagani spoke to Amado and introduced his uncle and cousins. Interestingly, the lieutenant was just thankful upon knowing that Isagani'' relatives can speak english so they conversed casually. On the other hand, George have learned that the cave by the cliff was built prior to the war by a Filipino carpenter who was trained by the Spanish construction supplies owner. The carpenter built it during the Spanish-American war and became his hiding place after knowing that his family were murdered. After the war, he made himself a hermit and died of an unknown cause. The story gave everyone some goosebumps while Isagani tried to roam around the cave. He had been there in the past and knew just a little of the structure. He returned to his uncle who was fluent in english with his humor and spontaneity impressed the lieutenant. " So, Sir...does it mean, this hole in front is the only way out? or is there any other way that is less frightening, I''ve been in the army for quite some time but sliding my body by the cliff to touch my feet on that hole to get in was truly incredible! Holy ghost...below is a 15-feet cliff that made my gut turns up side down, haha!" The lieutenant pressed his head while the rest nodded. " Yes, at the start, we''re all anxious everytime we get inside and mostly the women in the family were really scared. However, they''re all used to it now and even feel safe whenever they''re already inside. This is a great hiding place. But...this is not just the solo passage, there, facing south, there''s a staircase going down and had a tunnel going north - under the river. You''ll get out swimming towards north at a speed of about three minutes. Its also dependent to the current of water." The old man divulged. " Sir..." George said but had to stop since the old man intervened. " Bonifacio...that''s my name." The old man said and smiled. " Sir Bonifacio, so...how...how is it when there''s a storm and flood, does the water rises too?" George asked. " Absolutely! but it only reaches on the middle part of the staircase." " Good thing! so how many are you staying around?" The lieutenant asked. " It''s unbelievable but we''re all 50! haha! " " What?" George was stunned and waited for the old man''s revelations. " Yes, we''re 50 here. When we bumped into this place before we''re al 62 and we slept like earthworms. Twelve of us died of captivity when the war started, some were drowned below the labyrinth." " Oh, I''m sorry to hear that, Sir. By the way, how about the use of chirping and tweeting?" " Ah, haha! Isagani''s father was good at it first. Prior to the war, he taught his kids those skills and its the strating point. His kids taught our kids and it spread too fast in the family. We never knew its significance not until one day, my kids where chirping above that they were chased so we, adults rescued and pulled them down. Outright, we realized that its not just for fun but saves life especially that we''re facing this war. Its not easy to study those sounds because we have to listen well on the pitch, timbre and the entire tone one has to produce. The message is per sentence. Yes, it is coupled with good memory too; where we attach important messages in tweeting. We even were amazed because real birds do catch our conversations. We just laugh at it and yes, we consider it as a gift to our clan." 174 Out of the Labyrinth " So what if the person is deaf?" Albrecht curiously uttered. " Hmm...its really a big problem. That''s why, most elderly just stay around and dig more holes as extensions of their family''s room." " Is this granite?" Narciso crawled to closely hear the conversation. " No, this cave is made of clay and supported by the tree roots of the jungle, if not, we eroded already. See how the roots helped us, the nature is our last hope and it protects almost everyone in the orient. Lieutenant, would you believe that there are more than 30 caves within the 5 neighboring barrios, including this one?" Bonifacio asked. The lieutenant nodded and since they needed to continue the travel with the team to reinforce their comrades; so he asked permission for their way out. " You may swim towards the river below or cli mb above using that hole, which one?" Bonifacio said. " I guess we have to go up and start our walk from there." " Good! so now, what else should I say but may the force in heaven shield to all of you. But don''t hesitate to tell me if what else our family can help and we''ll try our best." Bonifacio smiled. " Ah, one of our comrades was injured from a slippery tree trunk. Can we temporarily leave him here and pick him up after Makasido?" George explained. " Yes, sure." The old man replied. Quickly, the lieutenant''s team moved up but when its Amado''s turn, he accidentally slipped while holding the hand of Baldur and exceedingly tried to get back his balance but still he fell and landed on a tree branch estimated 3 feet high from the hole. Albrecht had shouted. " Amado!" Albrecht''s voice has echoed all over the place and in a while everyone felt the dose of tension when they''ve heard some noise heading towards them with the gnashing sound of rifles meters away. Since its almost dark so George signalled his comrades to go back into the cave. George was the last one to get in but decided to get out of the hole and moved down in order to save Amado. Fresh from his memory that there''s another passage below the river, though it''s a difficult way but still the safest. Without fear, he estimated the big tree''s branch and jumped, right there he fell beside Amado and tapped his comrade''s shaking shoulder. " Sir, you didn''t use any rope to get down...I''m shaking...there''s no branch below us anymore but a river of water and rocks. My knees aren''t moving anymore." Amado was whispeing in dismay while sweats all over on his face and neck. 174 In the Labyrinth No content 175 Gut-wrenching trail " The patrollers have increased in number and there''s ought to be done, something else. I think of throwing grenades in an opposite direction, just as what we kept on doing in our previous attack. There''s no use to fight against them when we only need to save Henry''s team. The blasts I''ve heard, though, I still consider it as anyone else''s, and not Henry''s. Even just two, among us, can already do this job and you all need to take care of Amado and Narciso. So I, and Baldur I guess are enough. Thus, we''ll be leaving now." They packed up too fast and since George''s things were wet; his comrades helped him borrowed some, from each - and the travel has began. George went out above the cliff and when reaching the grounds above; the surface was beautifully shaded by the trees from the moonlight. Minutes after, he''s flat on the edge of the cliff and took Baldur''s hands and pulled him. " Hah! its really scary brother. One false move would send us to heaven, haha. Can''t even imagine if on how you fly in the heights just to save Amado, meters away below, ah! terrible!" Baldur''s said in a whispering voice while laid on the shrubs a meter from the cliff and inhaled. " Haha! when I do it, I only think I''ll be fine. Saving lives, erases fear. Then glad to see him back to us - alive." So, how are you now?" He spoke in a very low voice and was also flat on the ground, looking up to the dim tree trunks and branches above, waiting for the clouds to pass so to see the moon. " Wow...I remember my wife through the light I see passing through the branches. I''m thinking of her smiles and the only human that sparkles in my heart...." He stopped when baldur stood up. " George, I''m fine right now...come. I feel that you''re in deep trauma more than Amado, come." Baldur was likely tickled and offered his hand for George and they both quickly moved towards Makasido''s direction. On their plight, they noticed that soldiers on patrol were doubled, compared in the recent months. " Baldur...beside their campfire, can you see around 4-5 soldiers were planting...something like - mines... in the ground. Let''s be careful. But look...we can''t pass, that''s the only path herein or else, we need to go back northwest and walk for a mile, otherwise, we''ll swim or dip ourselves like logs in order to flow northbound. Or, the worst - let''s cross and climb above them through tree branches with 51% chance of survival. One shot or two can leave us down. But its the quickest passage to fetch Henry''s team. What do you think?" George whispered and patted Baldur''s shoulder. " The cliffhanging is the most scary than crawling above the Japs at campfire, with carefree, I guess we''ll gonna make it. " Baldur confidently responded. " Got it bro, loud and clear." Baldur readied himself while George moved ahead of him. In a minute, they both carefully climbed and started to stand up above the big branches of acacia trees. Slowly they walked in a semi skyscraper part of the world, on that 12 feet high. George was worrying for Baldur. Though, he knew his buddy very well that even if how extremely disgusting the situation is, he knows Baldur cancels his present fear and had some late reaction of it, afterwards. With that thought, George already reached the middle part as they''ve transferred on trees thrice. Interestingly, out of the blazing fire below and chanting soldiers, George noticed a moving object facing to him above - and it''s a cobra. With his last - willed force, using his bare hands, he caught it with the use of a knitted shawl. The scenario was, the snake had its venomous attack him but he readied the shawl that the cobra could hide in. George still had his best focus and threw the cobra below the Japs. Fortunately, it didn''t fall on the fire so it attacked the soldiers and they''re in panic as they ran. One brave soldier left and triggered his rifle on it. " Bang! bang!" The cobra was shot dead. Needless, but George and Baldur have already successfully crossed the thin line of survival and have even ran towards another jungle that belongs to Makasido''s border. " Hah! Brother...can''t imagine the events tonight but one thing for sure, the tree branches were slippery, have you noticed? Almost that I slip away in one of my trek, Ah! Good Lord! thank you. My Mayumi''s not yet a widow." Baldur jokily said while running and George was throwing him some withered leaves." " Haha...shh...yeah, but wait, we''re about to get out on that field, watch out." George whispered. Then they started to see the moon shone so brightly and the windy night welcomed them. From a not-so-far, George pointed to the northeast and he went there after his brief instruction to Baldur. As agreed, Baldur has to stand by and wait for Henry''s team while he''ll make a noise northeast. The plan was realized and George created some commotions beside the jungle northeast, next to the field. Most of the soldiers have thrown grenades and subsequently a certain platoon dived in, just to sue the intruder''s shadows they thought were outnumbered. Baldur on the other hand, spotted a few men approaching his direction. " Here they go, here they go, come on Henry! please....it must be all of you!" Baldur thought as he was praying. " When he started to notice the sacks that the people were carrying, then he almost shouted towards them but his head shrunk, considering those may be Japs. Regardless, he continued to observe the people approaching and finally found out that they were of - Henry''s. Thanks its full moon and helping well his sight and seeing back his friends around, sound and safe. 176 Muddy Waterhole No content 177 Back to the Granite House " Hmm...the usual route could be slippery so we''ll alter it through northeast and go down the cliff and directly proceed to station one while only me, Baldur and Albrecht will go back to the granite mountain. Hmm...but the sacks were too heavy, they needed backups, ah, I''ll just go along with my comrades and instruct Albrecht to return home and Baldur will stay with me." Then he started to pack up. However, all the rest quickly stretched when they saw the lieutenant packing up and lighted up by the candle. " Sir, we''re ready." " Shh...Henry, you''re still asleep, shh..." The lieutenant whispered and slowly supported him to get back on his space and George signaled to everyone to stay quiet but Albrecht, who knew Henry a little, drew closer and calmly uttered. " Ehem...we''re leaving now. Just go back to sleep." " What?" Henry attentively stood up and was totally awakened. " Haha! Henry''s comrades were laughing while fixing their things and so Henry went to the cave''s nook, smiling and tidy himself. Minutes after, they all got out and it was truly a difficult exit, most of them were shaky to get out of the hole and climbed on the edge, grasped the roots toward the surface, but the process of doing so was terribly gut-wrenching. It was foggy but Isagani ran to retrieve the sacks of rice under the caladium leaves. Henry and comrades then equally divided the sacks of rice and they have it all by buddy system just to lighten up the burden of transporting it all. In a while, George started to talk and walked side by side with Albrecht. " Bro, how''s our radio, can we still use it to wire the Armed Forces of the Philippines nearby." " It''s still at the Buccaneer''s cave, not really sure if it''s still there or confiscated maybe? The last time I remember, it was safely hidden below the piled up blanket inside Buccaneer. Why suddenly thought of it when you even prevented to use it before for the Japs might intercept us?" "Hmm...just tryin'' to consider the accessibility of our location if we transfer the radio above the granite house, isn''t it possible?" George whispered. " Possible. It''s a perfect spot to communicate through radio, but may I ask if why you suddenly think this collaboration again when they already came to visit us just recently. 177 The Darkest Dawn " Hmm...the usual route could be slippery so we''ll alter it through northeast and go down the cliff and directly proceed to station one while only me, Baldur and Albrecht will go back to the granite mountain. Hmm...but the sacks were too heavy, they needed backups, ah, I''ll just go along with my comrades and instruct Albrecht to return home and Baldur will stay with me." Then he started to pack up. However, all the rest quickly stretched when they saw the lieutenant packing up and lighted up by the candle. " Sir, we''re ready." " Shh...Henry, you''re still asleep, shh..." The lieutenant whispered and slowly supported him to get back on his space and George signaled to everyone to stay quiet but Albrecht, who knew Henry a little, drew closer and calmly uttered. " Ehem...we''re leaving now. Just go back to sleep." " What?" Henry attentively stood up and was totally awakened. " Haha! Henry''s comrades were laughing while fixing their things and so Henry went to the cave''s nook, smiling and tidy himself. Minutes after, they all got out and it was truly a difficult exit, most of them were shaky to get out of the hole and climbed on the edge, grasped the roots toward the surface, but the process of doing so was terribly gut-wrenching. It was foggy but Isagani ran to retrieve the sacks of rice under the caladium leaves. Henry and comrades then equally divided the sacks of rice and they have it all by buddy system just to lighten up the burden of transporting it all. In a while, George started to talk and walked side by side with Albrecht. " Bro, how''s our radio, can we still use it to wire the Armed Forces of the Philippines nearby." " It''s still at the Buccaneer''s cave, not really sure if it''s still there or confiscated maybe? The last time I remember, it was safely hidden below the piled up blanket inside Buccaneer. Why suddenly thought of it when you even prevented to use it before for the Japs might intercept us?" "Hmm...just tryin'' to consider the accessibility of our location if we transfer the radio above the granite house, isn''t it possible?" George whispered. " Possible. It''s a perfect spot to communicate through radio, but may I ask if why you suddenly think this collaboration again when they already came to visit us just recently." Albrecht replied. " Hmm...thinkin'' about the updates every now and then, they''re a bit closer to the shorelines. We need updates about the markings in the higher ups, the armed forces have plenty of connections than us. Though, we''re the lost commando...huh!" George yawned then sighed. " Yes, indeed. You''re right,.but what''s your final decision? will we go and collab with them or stay as is with our lost commando. " Albrecht yawned. " That''s supposed to be a good tactic, disturbing them from the east to west would frame them in a roundabout situation, that goes the way my mind thinks, alright. I''ll retrieve the radio when we reach the granite mountain, we''re almost there." Albrecht then halted everyone to take a rest in one of the century-old trees. While they rested, Baldur joined the lieutenant who squatted next to Albrecht. " Brother, the sun''s starting to rise from afar. Its almost dawn." Baldur spoke. They rose to continue walking while carrying the sacks of rice. Meanwhile, in the granite house, Damian knocked on the door at room number 3 and it made Magee stood up like in a hypnagogic state. " Damian! are you okay? what happened?" She asked. " Mama...there''s a sound I''ve heard from a distance. It awakened me." " What do you think was it?" Magee asked. " Bombs... it seems." He stood up with worrying eyes. " It''s war time so just ignore what you hear and you may get back to sleep, everything will be alright." She smiled looking at him through a candle lit. " But I''m really afraid, Mama." b Magee smiled and carried him back to room number 7. She made sure when she gets out, the boy could go back sleeping. When he did, Magee slowly closed the door and returned to room number 3 and sighed while clasping her blanket. " Oh God...heal our land. Please save us." She was teary eyed and lay down on bed. Her tears, despite its flow on her cheeks still led her to sleep. Minutes after, another bomb blasted and it seems nearby yet Magee was still on her deep sleep, so sound that she never knew someone carried her out of room number 3. The heavy paces of boots made her awakened but there''s another man who covered her mouth with a smelly cloth and tied her feet so tight that she could barely move her lower extremities till she became breathless. There''s around three armed men who abducted Magee and when they reached room number 7, one of them picked up Damian''s hand as they all walked off towards the secret door of room number 7. Before losing her consciousness, she''d heard them talking to Damian as the little boy responded and cried. She was trying her strength to stay awake but the early sunrise burnt her skin and made her suffocated, till she gave up and collapsed. " Please, don''t harm her. She''s really good to me. I promise to be good, just treat her well...please." Damian begged to the three armed men. " Stop it!" One of the abductors warned the little boy. 178 The Madman " My...Magee....where are you right now." He shakingly thought and exited in the small hole under the big pot and he wondered when he found some luminous plastic yellow toy soldiers of Damian on the floor. He first found the first toy at the door behind the pot then above, on the surface. He ignored it twice and when he found another toy soldier at the brink of the mountain he thought its Damian''s lead to find them. He slid down the granite mountain and when he reached the grounds he kept eyeing for the same luminous toys. " He had two dozens of it." He recoiled the number of Damian''s toy soldiers in his memory. Alone on his feet and following Damian''s lead made him worried since the pattern and destination of the toy soldiers was heading to station one''s mabolo tree, above the cave, and then on the path going downhill - towards the barracks. " Heavens! Magee...you''re taken by the enemies, thanks Damian...that I easily locate both of your whereabouts. I''m coming to claim you back Mag, in whatever way." He thought. He wanted to go straight for her but it wasn''t that easy. Instantly, he stepped back a little, climbed to the mabolo tree and glided below. When he was nearing below the cave''s ground, someone targeted a dagger but he quickly covered and shouted. " Its me! calm down its me, George!" The lieutenant deeply inhaled and Baldur drew closer to Henry. " Henry! its the lieutenant." It was enough and they gathered in the center of the cave and George opened up how Magee disappeared. He told everyone that he''d get inside the enemies'' barracks by himself and that no one should go along, not even the brothers. " Yeah George, just instruct us on what to do, the Captain''s physically well now and Sr. Sibal''s...wait! they''re in the granite mountain''s tunnel. The captive! Amado! the captive they''re taking care out there!" Albrecht shouted. George pressed his head and right away stood up. " Albrecht, please choose five men to peer with you going there - look for Dad, Ama Sibal and the rest of our men in the tunnel." Outright, the soldiers were on their gears and with weapons in tact. "Alright! you''ll go there and find out if what''s the situation of our troupe. Check the captive, he''s aggressive and a real expert. Okay, move!" The lieutenant ordered. Baldur was left and notwithstanding with George''s disapproval but he''s insistent to go tug with him. " But I must do this alone Baldur, its risky. This is unplanned and I''ll get into the enemy''s den. Imagine what I''ll gonna do there, but I''ll keep up thinking I''ll be alright. Yes, Magee''s there...and I''m thinking of her....safety. This is worst, they should have not kidded me this way. So they must find me out unstoppable or this may cost much to redeem my wife - or so, then I will." George seriously fixed his bag pack and readied himself to leave. " Hmm...I wish to help but if you insist, just be very careful and we''ll standby for anything possible for a rescue. Leave us a sign when can we go down." Baldur patted George''s shoulder. Momentarily, the women around like Cerenia, Alexandra, Eunice, Amor and Jessa were emotional while they were just listening. Out of pity, Dionesio drew closer and handed to George a sharpened dagger. " Sir, take this. It''s the smallest dagger which is just two and a half inches, you might need it." Then Dionesio stepped back. Even if George thought he already have a dagger of his own but still he kept it inside its wooden keeper and tied it above his boots that safely hide it. " Dionesio, thank you very much. I''m honestly not enough to attack the enemy''s place but I don''t want to compromise your lives. However, whatever happens, continue our fight for freedom." Everyone were teary-eyed and Baldur pressed his head. " I don''t know...you''re a madman, terrible! your wife and you are both scary! terrible!" Baldur seriously uttered but George was laughing at him. " This time...I see you in your reddish face, that''s the thing Albrecht haven''t seen. Hey! I''m leaving now, bro! Hey all...pray for my way. Hmm...only God can shield me, you know all of that. I...I...just found that girl once in my lifetime..so please, send your prayers as my cloak, God have mercy on us." Then the lieutenant put on his hat and climbed up to the mabolo tree. While George was on his way, the elders knelt and offered a prayer, as well as Baldur. The moment was too serene and they only hear their prayers and the waterfalls. It was already 0300 in the afternoon and the lieutenant tried to stay behind a tree next to the old house of Sr. Sibal. He was like a ravenous dog with pulses like bursting in anger. 179 Magees Missing! " What are they doing?" He whispered to himself. Then a strong banging of the entrance door echoed the entire house " Shh...I''m not an enemy but part of the insular and commonwealth...If you''ve known the markings, I''m on its advocacy; and work for the freedom you are praying for." The lieutenant whispered with sweats all around him. The mam replied and was shaking. " Please help me...get out of here. I''ve got a new name here Arnick. Do...do you know my brother, Dr. Amado, his lover...was our boss, senorita, Dr. Lucia. She''s in Daba the last time I saw her and with the camp he''s serving...and..." Arnick stopped when George put down his dagger and right away got back hiding under the sack when he''d heard some footsteps coming. This time, he just quickly cover himself with the first sack of rice hull. " Arnick! are you done? let''s serve the dinner now, there are injured soldiers in the next room and go feed the prisoners. Careful with the beautiful lady, she''s ...you know. Hey! why you''re seemingly in shock, come on! I''ll go serve for laundry now, just leave me some viand and extra rice." When Arnick''s companion left, Arnick immediately pushed the cart on a corner together with the piked up of sacks. " Sir...I feel that the liberation is just today. You gave me hope. I..I served here after the first attack of a brave troupe a year ago and.." " It''s us...with Dr. Amado. He''s good in helping us in this fight and treat injuries of the troupe and even had performed surgeries. He''s just fine but Dr. Lucia''s ...dead. "Oh my...Oh. God, how is he coping? " " It was difficult but he tried to move on. So..so..." " I''m also here for my wife. She''s taken by the soldiers and I feel she''s here. That man just came in maybe knew my wife''s whereabouts now. Please help me and I''ll help you and if possible the rest to get out of here too." " Hmm...it would be too difficult, Sir. We''re surrounded by soldiers." " Hmm...no worries. For now, please help me find out my wife and tell me if which prison cell she''s right now. Please, Arnick." " Alright, Sir, I''ll do that." 180 Within the Barracks " She''s at the second safe house from here, left side. The little boy you said was not with her anymore and when I eavesdropped, the boy was taken by some soldiers going to Daba. Your wife was beaten badly...." " Oh my...." George bowed his head and pressed his knees. Arnick then tapped his shoulder as a form of comfort. " Sir...I''m sorry. Officer Aseko had escaped from the mountain where he was captured. Accordingly, he was retrieved by his comrades in the tunnel. During the escape he grabbed your wife going here along with the child - Hakanori''s child. I don''t know how to help you...the safe house have 4 guardsmen and are fully armed. They''re on shifting basis but still another 4 has to replace those four on deck." Arnick whispered when they''ve heard so many footsteps approaching the kitchen. Suddenly, George got back under the pile of rice hull sacks and Arnick quickly got a big basket to divert his attention and pretended to be busy by transferring the rice hull in the basket. " Psst! did you see... American soldier?" One of the newly arrived had asked Arnick who kept himself busy scooping the rice hull for the furnace. " No, Sir! I''ve heard it''s going east, was that the man you were looking earlier?" Arnick uttered while the soldier ordered hid men to check the entire kitchen. Though shaking, but Arnick just kept moving and scooping the rice hull where he never knew if he''d like to urinate or defecate by extreme tension. " Ah, Sir...I''ll just finish scooping this rice hull then leave as I need to prepare this for the furnace tomorrow morning." Despite sweaty forehead, armpit and neckline, he was alleviated by the response of the chief officer. " Ah...continue, don''t worry, we''ll search in other corners." The chief smiled and demanded his men to quickly search the area while he stood up so close beside where George had laid below the sacks. The situation was truly hypnotic for Arnick that he felt his heartbeat has doubly increased and its momentarily breathtaking. In order to relax himself from tension, he opened up a topic. " Sir, amI going to serve the same ration for the captives tomorrow? or not at all. " Ah, no need. Just the woman will be sent to death tomorrow. We heard from Aseko she''s the wife of a lieutenant of the Insular. We were waiting for him to attack tonight, but maybe that man was afraid to come." The chief smirked. " Arnick...no plans of marriage? you from Daba and moved here months ago? you serious in cooking. Hmm...you''re a great cook but we received order that someone from Daba will come to work here on kitchen. But we already like your cooking, very much." The chief bade goodbye. When they all got out, George right away stood up and readied himself. " Sir...I''m sorry but you cannot escape with 300 of them arev inside. It would be impossible " Arnick desperately said while wanting to serve him some food. Though hungry, but George was really in a hurry to look for his wife but Arnick put down the food and pulled the lieutenant''s uniform. " Sir...if I"ll help you, will you bring me out of here too, please!" He cried while looking at the lieutenant''s eyes and the lieutenant sat back and comforted him. " Okay, I''ll brink you out if we can survive. First, I''ll gonna find and save my wife, we''ll cross the bridge and hope." " But...Sir! There''s no way out!" Arnick whispered with his eyes filled with worries. " No, there''s a way. Can you still picture out that second first prison cell? under that bamboo chunk floor is a tunnel,. there''s a tunnel''s hole going to a safe place. So are you convinced now?" " Was there anything like... like that out there? Who made it?" He moved too close to the lieutenant and uttered in a low voice. " Yes, me and our soldiers and the entire troupe, yes!" He whispered. " Wow!" He smiled and minutes after, George have him instructions. Whenever there are commotions or footsteps coning in, Arnick immediately covered the lieutenant with the rice hull in the corner and got back conversing when they''re alone. Anyway, Arnick''s sleeping just in the corner of the kitchen so everyone expects him in, as a resident cook. He has been trusted ever since in Daba due to Dr. Lucia''s connection to the Japs. " So...are you ready now?" George smiled and tapped his shoulder. " Oh God! help us! for the sake of seeing my brother Amado and for helping my fellowmen, I''ll do this." Arnick solemnly prayed and thereafter nodded and went outside. The night was cold and everyone''s tired chasing the lost stranger at the house of Sr. Sibal before it was burnt. As part of the barracks'' occupants, Arnick was able to quickly penetrate to the prison cell number two and gave to the guards some cookies and tea. He''s a good conversant so he sat down a little and joined them in. " Hey folks, is the tea good enough in your taste? I''ll get some more if you want. But wait, you''re only two on posts, where''s the two?" " The lady asked for a medicine, the two went out to get it. Yes, your tea is perfect." The soldier smiled to Arnick. " I see. Aw, thank you and I know I got it right." Arnick boasted and they all laughed when they heard someone moaning from pain inside. " Water...water..." A woman''s voice. " Who''s that?" Arnick asked. " That''s the hardheaded captive. Not sure if she can survive." The first guard on post reacted. 181 Kitchen teapo " Ah! I''m afraid I can''t get back in here. I was ordered to wake up early, so I need a break tonight but, those who can help me prepare a bigger pot of tea may peer me in. Just be sure to return the kitchen teapot tomorrow, okay?" " Okay." The soldiers were in duet and went with him in the kitchen. Arnick was then sweating and extremely nervous. But still he managed to assist the two soldiers. While having fun at the table inside the kitchen, Arnick made a scene, and by mixing a tea with mint leaves poured on a smoky water before he covered it. He has a goofy voice so he sang that made the two soldiers madly laughing. It''s how he wanted to attract them on so that George could easily knock them down and - he did. With the help of his dagger and Arnick''s kitchen tools, the angry lieutenant quickly turned them under the rice hull after removing their uniforms. They worn both uniforms and brought some teapots, cookies and immediately went back inside the safe house number two. They passed by several guards chatting and George really looked sloppy to cheat his height while avoided his face out of the candle lights. From drizzles turned out into an average rainfall. Expectedly, the two guards on duty followed them in and George again has knocked them down. Despite Arnick''s pity to his Jap friends yet his different perspectives changed after George came in that night. Though, he was a bit shock while looking at them dead and laid on the ground, staring but after a second thought; he began to pull them off on the corner. Without him knowing, George had already brought Magee below and was about to return and pull him down under the bamboo floor when there were footsteps coming as a heavier rain poured out. George immediately signaled him to vacate so Arnick was teary eyed, grabbed the lighted candle and went down too, covering the ground back with a bamboo floor under the bed, along with a thin steel cover that they formerly brought from station one. It really made the area more safer due to its rusty color. Underneath, George immediately carried the unconscious Magee. " Arnick, we''ll remove first this uniform before we keep going." " Why?" He curiously asked but really started removing what he''s worn. " 182 Waking up on his Arms " He''s not getting out yet. Such a great husband and nurse aside from being a well-trained soldier." Cerenia stoically uttered. " He risked everything just to get her, and imagine it just took for hours. But I guess they can''t get back to their house that has been found, I''ve heard it''s a well-furnished house given to them by their fathers as gift after marriage. The couple have been through a lot of struggles even before we came." Alexandra then whispered to Eunice. It was already past midnight when George got out from his wife''s place and asked Baldur to stay beside his wife while he take a bath and requested Albrecht''s a little time to cook for porridge. Interestingly, Amado then arrived three hours after Albrecht''s arrival to station one and brought with them the captain and Sr. Sibal whom Amado has given some medical attention. The two folks and the rest have minor surgeries; both sadly hit with bayonnette and gunshots but because Aseko''s target that time was the lieutenant''s wife so he never even bothered whether he has killed everyone in the tunnel or not; as long as he''d climbed up to the granite house with his comrades who rescued him. While reporting to Amado all these, his sight had caught someone sitting on the corner, smiling. " Bastian! it''s you! haha! my brother...it''s been a while." Amado was overwhelmed and went to his brother and embraced him tight. Everyone were emotional and just left them alone, chatting. While the brothers conversed, the soldiers, guerrillas and civilians unfolded their beddings and rested since almost morning of April, 1941. Without further delay, the lieutenant was done bathing and immediately urged Baldur so he could go to sleep. While looking at his wife through a lit from the candlelight, his heart was beaming with happiness despite the bitter event she''d been. " It''s me...ssshhh..,..it''s me....sshhh...it''s George. Calm down, you''re home now. It''s post-trauma, just deal with it,. Mag, it''s alright now." She started to cry and the people around just covered their ears out of pity. Meanwhile, she calmed down while the lieutenant allowed her to slightly leaned her back and hugged her while fondling her hair just to give her comfort . " I was beaten too much." " But you fought back so hard, I know." " I tried...I don''t know at all. They are supposed to present me to Hakanori a day after you found me. He''s coming for me. It''s also the reason if why they stopped beating me. Aseko was there, he....attempted to kiss me so I....stabbed him, he never knew this dagger on my leg." Another soldier came in to that place and shot me but they all brought Aseko outside, bloody. After confiscating my dagger they assigned four guardsmen. Another high-ranking official came in and he was a bit refined and told me to prepare myself the next day. Yes, I know they''ll kill me after making me a bait to all of you." He hugged her more and teary eyed. He took her hands to hold his waist while they both seated on bed. Her tears were outnumbered as she put her chin on his warm shoulder. " The war will end soon...just hang on being with me in this fight and remain strong but sexy." She smiled and pinched his side while he prevented his hands to roll anywhere but stayed obedient yet chillingly pressed her shoulders. "I''ll put you back on bed so you can sleep better, you need enough rest. I''m staying beside you." " But they''re planning to retrieve our stocks from the granite house tomorrow, including the weapons." " Oh dear...they shouldn''t do that! We''ll gonna go there and bring all our things here." George whispered and when he''s assured that she''s already sleeping, he promptly got out and summoned Baldur to an emergency plan. Baldur then woke up everyone and when they all gathered in the center, the lieutenant spoke. " The captain is badly hit and is still resting so I take the responsibility over you. The barracks people will get our supplies out of the mountain tomorrow, before they do that, we''ll bring in everything we can. The supplies could help us survive. So, everyone capable of carrying may join us. We''ll start right away before dawn strikes. This is what we''re going to do. We''ll make a longer line and seems it''s passing of the hat strategy. It''s the quickest way to finish the job before dawn. Our target is to allow all the things to be ferried down the cliff first so its easy for us to transport it to station one. The weapons are last to carry by our soldiers, these are all sensitive and delicate. This is teamwork, understand!" His firm voice woke everyone and smiled. " Yes, Sir!" " Good! so let''s start doing this now." " 183 Empty Granite House While the team was on their way, George''s assigned one person on post with just few meters distance from one another, as they trekked on the cliffy edges and went down through the slopes for a couple of times. He then considered buddy system for females joining and triad for skinny ones. After almost an hour, the tail of their line, headed by George, was already in the granite house. Without delay, George, Baldur and Albrecht quickly packed up all supplies and the bayanihan ways of sending it to station one was truly historical. Through God''s mercy, they finished forwarding the supplies and all things at around 0600 in the morning. However, when George left the house, he was teary eyed while standing for seconds above the daylight optic hole. " We''ll get back...to reclaim you. When this war is over...we''ll stay with you forever, as long as we live. God be with you, our beautiful house." He bowed his head when Baldur grabbed his hand, summoning him to move down since they''d been hearing sounds of vehicles coming to the entrance gate of the granite mountain. " George, they''re coming, come! let''s get out now." It was enough for the lieutenant to walk off and slid by the mountain and crawled on a bushy military alley bound for Gabok. Baldur was right. From a distance as they crept, silhouettes of soldiers were all over and they spread like lightning on the terrain nearby, not just ten but approximately a hundred. It made the two of them never wasted any moment as they fled to the nearest teammate on post, their brother Albrecht. " What?" Albrecht was astounded so he ran toward Henry and sent the message about the soldiers to totally conquer the granite mountain. It was enough for them all to immediately vacate out of their posts and out of the long line set in transporting the supplies and things. Past 0600 in the morning when series of gunfires pinches the skies, George and Baldur turned their back, looked at each other and a bit emotional. " Our house...the granite mountain...everything. This time, I know they''ll gonna stay there." George sadly uttered. " I guess they''re very mad this time after seeing an empty place. 184 Impressive Hideou " The Japs are searching for us! They''re all over Kabang down to Tikaban area and some are even above us, right now." Baldur just reported while tightly grasping his hand on his rifle. It was enough and they both gathered everyone in the center after Albrecht and Sibaya threw some water on the furnace and covered it with a wet rag since Alexandra was about to cook some porridge for Magee. " Everyone, let''s all be careful. Up there, and any moment we''ll be caught. So while they''re on their feet to find us, our movement must be limited since they''re keen to movements and noise, we all know that. Once we''ll be traced, it would be the end of our fight, we''ll be all dead! This is the reality, and so I want you to be courageous as you can. Once they''ll find us, you choose in between being caught and be dead of their bayonets or use our. handguns and help each other to get back our freedom. Another thing,. suppose that extreme situation could happen, I want you to confidently hold your gun, pack up only the most precious stuffs in your life and we''ll separate ways so they couldn''t catch us in group. Furthermore, the exit will be the waterfalls, and if that happens, Isagani will accompany you to their hideout, it''s too risky to be there but it''s the safest place I know you all can settle down....." George stopped from giving instructions when a loud burst of cannon above them seemed bombing across the river, fronting San Agustin area. " Boom! boom! boom!" ". Sir...they seemed have seen something across the river and thought it''s us that''s still escaping this time" Henry whispered while caning his rifle on the ground. " Precisely." Sr. Sibal nodded while covering his stab wound. " If that''s the case...." George paused when Cerenia raised a hand. " Sir...me and some of the civilians here are a little worried where...instead of getting away from our enemies, here we''re staying too close to them." " Would it be possible to transfer there in the cliff of that Makasido and Malti border, so as to divide our group into two." Seconded by Eunice who worry the same thing. ". Hmm... Isagani''s family there had that hiding place but it''s not really that spacious. Besides, it''s a bit far from here and if you think of going there today, the soldiers above us I guess will have an overtime in searching for us. Aseko knew that we exist so they won''t stop searching for us. Yes, the trail going there isn''t safe, especially now that they''re hunting us." George uttered. " But Sir, it''s more dangerous here, though its really spacious but now that we''re all here, I think we"ll be decongested, see how we slept at night, and..." Eunice pressed her head while 184 Rebirth of Three Stations " The Japs are searching for us! They''re all over Kabang down to Tikaban area and some are even above us, right now." Baldur just reported while tightly grasping his hand on his rifle. It was enough and they both gathered everyone in the center after Albrecht and Sibaya threw some water on the furnace and covered it with a wet rag since Alexandra was about to cook some porridge for Magee. " Everyone, let''s all be careful. Up there, and any moment we''ll be caught. So while they''re on their feet to find us, our movement must be limited since they''re keen to movements and noise, we all know that. Once we''ll be traced, it would be the end of our fight, we''ll be all dead! This is the reality, and so I want you to be courageous as you can. Once they''ll find us, you choose in between being caught and be dead of their bayonets or use our. handguns and help each other to get back our freedom. Another thing,. suppose that extreme situation could happen, I want you to confidently hold your gun, pack up only the most precious stuffs in your life and we''ll separate ways so they couldn''t catch us in group. Furthermore, the exit will be the waterfalls, and if that happens, Isagani will accompany you to their hideout, it''s too risky to be there but it''s the safest place I know you all can settle down....." George stopped from giving instructions when a loud burst of cannon above them seemed bombing across the river, fronting San Agustin area. " Boom! boom! boom!" ". Sir...they seemed have seen something across the river and thought it''s us that''s still escaping this time" Henry whispered while caning his rifle on the ground. " Precisely." Sr. Sibal nodded while covering his stab wound. " If that''s the case...." George paused when Cerenia raised a hand. " Sir...me and some of the civilians here are a little worried where...instead of getting away from our enemies, here we''re staying too close to them." " Would it be possible to transfer there in the cliff of that Makasido and Malti border, so as to divide our group into two." Seconded by Eunice who worry the same thing. ". Hmm... Isagani''s family there had that hiding place but it''s not really that spacious. Besides, it''s a bit far from here and if you think of going there today, the soldiers above us I guess will have an overtime in searching for us. Aseko knew that we exist so they won''t stop searching for us. Yes, the trail going there isn''t safe, especially now that they''re hunting us." George uttered. " But Sir, it''s more dangerous here, though its really spacious but now that we''re all here, I think we"ll be decongested, see how we slept at night, and..." Eunice pressed her head while Dionesio raised a hand. " Exactly! we...we also wanted to fight side by side with this army but doing it around is really shaky, we''re just a few meters away from the barracks." Alexandra looked at the lieutenant. " Hmm...I cannot hold you all to stay here but when you decide of coming back, this place will serve you like home. So, after they could vacate out from the surface, we''ll divide it into three groups, excluding station one. Each of your team can bring along with you some supplies. Hence, the rebirth of station two, three and four." He smiled looking at them and he saw on their faces the joy and excitement. George designated Henry, Bruno and Narciso in the plan of creating three groups and reopen station two, three and four while he stayed beside the Captain who was still battling with his post surgery. " Dad, how is it?" " It''s fine. I only need more rest I guess, I"ve lost a lot of blood. How''s my daughter?" " She''s fine, I attended to her outright the rescue but just like you, she deserves rest after all." " George, I''m too old and so much ruined to lead our troop, lead them anyway." " Yes Dad, I will. Just give me orders." " No need, you''re capable in everything. Sibal and I were talking about you this morning, Chuck never knew about your potentials anymore, not this far anymore." Then the captain smiled and got back to take a rest. " Thanks Dad, and it''s all because of your trust on me. From that spotless trust I mature." " Hmm...and you got her, hehe." Tge captain smiled. " Haha! You first arranged us and I loved what you did. If not without it I have already wasted my life, hmm, thanks Dad.". The lieutenant smiled to the old man but his eyes were closed. Despite closed eyes he spoke. " Good you never treated her as a headache." " Oh my...who said that? no, never. She''s never a headache to me, in fact, she''s...she''s the loveliest blessing that ever happened to me, I''m even crazy of her. Story goes on and on like that, hmm. Dad, dad...he''s already sleeping." " I told you, people fall asleep when you share your love story. See that!". Albrecht seriously looked at him without smiling. " Haha! what a cruel family I have, get lost, haha! Sure they''re moving now to follow the San Agustin soldiers, I''ll go see my wife." " San Agustin....I was talking of your love story, not San Agustin soldiers." Albrecht was smiling. Albrecht left kneeling while putting some blanket ro Edward. When George saw her smile, his heartbeats began to swing on and on. " George...I need to go to the bathroom and tidy myself." Then Magee attempted to stand up but he right away carry her so lightly on his arms. " Oh dear...people are watching, I...I...can slowly walk, hmm...I''m a bit heavy....and..." He kissed her while his hands pressed her tight as they approached the bathroom. Baldur was following them and opened the door for them as he brought a bamboo chair for Magee to use. " Brother..." The lieutenant smiled while looking to his brother-in-law. " Yeah,..I''m leaving, I only opened the door and put this chair inside." " It''s okay kuya,. just bring my husband back to the meeting, right George?" Magee smiled while he gently put her down and went out with Baldur. After a minute the lieutenant has returned and kissed her once, twice, thrice then left her smiling while he got back to the meeting. 185 Goodbyes and Well-wishes Meanwhile, in the valleys trekking beside the rocky stream, George halted everyone. " Station two seems too open. The trees surrounding it were gone and beside was already a pathway, straight to the barracks. Does it mean it''s no longer safe to stay here?" Albrecht whispered under the sparkling fireflies above them. " Hmm...it''s possible but the residents here would have enough chance to ambush anyone from the barracks." " I choose to stay and live here, who are interested too?" Fr. Matias uttered. It was then when many from the civilians like Alexandra, Eunice, Cerenia, Dionesio, Bastian, Amado, Elmar have decided to stay with the priest too. Then Bruno and two more soldiers were assigned to stay in station two and will serve as trainors and protectors. When they entered inside, it''s bigger than what they expected. Its wide is likened to a two hundred sq. m. area. The candles lighted the area and everyone wondered when George approached the opposite side of the entrance door and climbed a little on a stairway-like rock overhead and when he reached on its ceiling, he right away pushed its cover and the moonlight stunned everyone who were smiling below. " What do you think? Albrecht, kindly cover those candles so its reflection will be kept from the barracks'' people." George said as he moved down and joined with them below. " Wow, that man-sized hole is helping everyone here to breath some fresh air." Narciso whispered. " Indeed, it''s a big help. Alright, the soldiers formerly assigned here knows how to cover and open that one. So just remember our agreement and tight instructions or else we''ll all be caught and having said all these will guide your life in here till we''ll be liberated. But most importantly, I hope breaking our group this way could help and may God will shield us all. " Yes, Sir. Bruno answered back and everyone decided to stay in station two nodded as well. " If only..." Sr. Sibal stopped from opening a conversation when Edward whispered while covering his wound. " Shh...if you missed them, allow the opportunity of comfort and convenience that this place couldn''t give anymore. " I just...think on how they''d live out there. Station two doesn''t have a cr and water of their own, unlike station three and four. On the other hand, station three has a safer ground but just too close to the granite mountain that''s now the Japs'' camp while station four is a bit far from here and its already within Malti, most of them were women, huh..." " Yeah, but they''re happy. You see how they''d packed up the supplies to bring. They were even chanting doing that. You''ve heard from them that we''re too many to fill in this place. Though, it''s too spacious to be our haven now.". The captain murmured. Sr. Sibal pressed his head in despair as Albrecht gave him a bamboo mug of coffee.