Villa Teufel

CHAPTER 16

Chapter 16:  Zaya

"I'm sorry, Tito Jojo."

Rinig ang hagulhol ni Señora Dabria sa living room. Pagkatapos nilang magkita ni Tito Jojo doon sa tree house ay dinala na siya ng mga Señorito sa mansiyon.

"It's okay, Dear." tinapik nito ang balikat ng nakaluhod na si Señora. "I just never thought you forgot our game. Buti na lamang at nandyan si Thanatos, hinanap ako."

"Why didn't you just show yourself? Why did you wait for us to find you? What if Thanatos hadn't searched for you? You could have been stranded and died there!" sigaw nito na kailangan pang takpan ni Señorita Enma ang tenga ni Hell.

Kitang-kita ang inis na bumalatay sa mukha ni Señora.

I've been wondering how Tito Jojo lived there. Iniisip ko rin kung paano siya nakakakuha ng pagkain. Knowing na nasa ilalim na siya ng lupa nang matagpuan namin. Since the tree house is not just a tree house. May underground basement ito kung saan siya nagtatago.

Ten years is not a joke. At knowing na nasa basement lamang siya, sigurado akong hindi din siya naarawan sa sampung taon na iyon. Paano siya nabuhay sa loob ng ganoong katagal na panahon? Saan siya nakakakuha ng pagkain? Naguguluhan ako.

Napatingin ako sa mukha ni Tito Jojo, trying to imagine the kind of life he led for an entire decade in that hidden basement. It’s hard to fathom. Ten years of isolation, ten years without sunlight, without the comfort of normal human interaction. It’s almost impossible to comprehend how someone could survive under such conditions.

Paano siya nakakakuha ng pagkain? The thought nagged at me. Ang tagal niyang nawala, and yet here he is, alive. Malakas pa rin, kahit papaano. The tree house was cleverly disguised, and the basement was even more well-hidden. But food? Water? These are basic necessities. Surely, he couldn't have stored ten years' worth of supplies down there.

The more I thought about it, the more my heart ached. What kind of fear, what kind of desperation, would drive someone to hide for so long?

Could it be that someone was helping him? Maybe someone in the mansion knew about his hiding place and secretly supplied him with food and water. But who? And why keep it a secret all these years?

Nilingon ko ang mga naroroon, searching their faces for any signs of recognition or guilt. Señora Dabria, despite her anger, showed a hint of sadness in her eyes. Señorito Thanatos looked deeply concerned, while Señorito Ahimoth seemed thoughtful, almost as if he was piecing together a puzzle in his mind.

"Sinunod ko lamang ang laro. 'Tagu-taguan maliwanag ang buwan. Wala sa likod, wala sa harap. Magbilang ka ng tatlo at magtatago na ako.' iyan ang huling salitang sinambit ko sayo bago ako magtago diba? At may batas ka na walang lalabas kung hindi mahahanap. I just kept your promise." Tito Jojo replied softly.

"Sobrang babaw, Tito Jojo!"

"But aside from that, I had to hide because of your Mother," Tito Jojo confessed, his voice tinged with sadness. "Papatayin niya ako kapag nakita nya daw muli ako. Papatayin niya rin daw ang pangarap kong makapinta. You know how cruel your Mother is, Dabria."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Tito Jojo." Señorito Thanatos murmured. Nakatayo ito sa likod ni Tito Jojo.

Hindi ko maiwasang magtanong sa sarili ko, did any of them know? Or was this just as much a shock to them as it was to me? The more I thought about it, the more questions surfaced. How did Tito Jojo cope with the loneliness? Did he ever try to escape? What about medical emergencies?

Naisip ko tuloy, what kind of life did Tito Jojo have before all this? He mentioned his dream of painting, which Señora Dabria’s mother apparently threatened to destroy. His passion must have been his solace, his only escape from the physical and emotional prison he found himself in.