the past and the present

Ch.10, 'the final destination'

What's he rushing for? Phil asked himself, and he placed the papers down on Asean's desk, placing a stapler on top to stop them from blowing away.

He looked at the time, 10:00 a.m, "I should get going now, he thought. He left the office, locking its door to make sure no one got in. He sighed heavily as he made his way to his car.

He fixed his hair in the rearview mirror; it was a bit messed up from the wind, and he needed to look presentable for where he was going. He drove to his destination, his heart pounding in his chest. He had done this many times before, but he still felt nervous every time.

He stopped by a flower shop. "Good afternoon, Pili!" The flower lady greeted.

"Good afternoon, Ate!" Phil smiled.

"Ah!" She placed her hands on her hips, giving him a pouting look. "I told you not to call me that! It's weird!" She crossed her arms. "You're like a hundred years older than me!"

"Okay, okay, stop," Phil said irritably; he placed a hand on his hip as well. He pointed at her. "First of all, there is no need to point out my age like that, and secondly, I'm not that old!"

"Really?" She raised a brow at him.

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"Okay, maybe I am, but still! Not that old!"

"Yeah, sure," she rolled her eyes and went behind the counter. "Same flowers as usual?" She asked.

Phil sighed, "Yes, please, sampaguitas and gumamela."

She hummed, "You're in luck; I knew you would come so I saved the last batch for you. I already fixed them for you, so you don't have to wait long." She left for the backroom, later coming back with the bouquet. "Here you go," Phil said, taking the bouquet from his hands.

"Thank you," he said, reaching for his wallet and handing her the money.

"Thank you; I have received the exact amount; have a good day, and try not to cry," she teased.

Phil rolled his eyes, "you know will."

"Yes, yes, now go; I have other customers to tend to."

Phil gasped loudly, putting his free hand on his chest. "GASP! Are you pushing me away?!"

"Yes, I AM!, Now shoo!"

"GASP! How dare you talk to me like that?"

Phil starts taking steps back to the door; by this point, other customers had their eyes on them, watching the commotion.

"I will remember this, I will come back for you, and I am never leaving again!" "GOODBYE, PEOPLE! HAVE A NICE DAY!" He yelled as he got out the door.

Everyone in the shop clapped their hands and cheered.

Phil giggled as he made his way back to his car. Phil placed the bouquet neatly on the backseat. He drives to his next stop, a little shop called Manny's. He got a couple of flower-scented candles along with some food for the picnic he was having.

Happy and content, he went back to his car and drove to his final destination. After a while of driving, he makes it to his stop.

He looked up at the big golden gate; it glowed under the sun. On both sides of the gates stood giant stone statues, an angel on the right and a devil on the left. The cherry on top, putting the look altogether, was a crow with gold feathers on the ends of its outstretched wings.

This place was called a land of peace. It was said to be guarded by both good and evil entities, making sure that it was left untouched. They called it 'the final destination', the only piece of land left untouched yet claimed by all countries.

Phil took all of his things from the car, held the bouquet in his arm, the food, and the candles, and placed them in a basket that he let hang from his arm.

He looked at his appearance in the car window, and carefully, he made sure that his hair was fixed. He was making sure that he looked Cute and Handsome.

He brought out his necklace; it had a round pendant designed to look like the earth, his country, and the ASEAN flag in the middle. He placed it in the hole in the middle of the gate.

It served as a key, and the giant gates opened. A sudden bright light coming from the other side blinded him, he felt warm, like he was wrapped in his mother's hug. Once he regained his vision, he looked around to find that he wasn't outside anymore.

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He stood in the middle of a cemetery.
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Another bright light glowed on his side, and when it subsided, a bike was present. A blue bike with a cart on the side to put his things.

"Thank you!" He yelled at whoever gave it to him.

It was said that if you visited the cemetery in the morning, there would be angels guiding your way. However, if you visit at night, it's the devil's time to play. They're not evil, but they are mischievous and will pull pranks to confuse your mind.

The bike just now was the work of an angel; she got worried that Phil would have a hard time carrying his things and wouldn't make the journey.

He placed his things on the cart, making sure that they wouldn't fall. He looked around him; it seemed like the angels teleported him right in the middle, not too far from where he was going but also not close.

He sighed; he always wondered why they wouldn't just teleport him straight to the place. He can't complain; the demons would have put him on the other side, and that would be an even harder and longer walk.

He rides on the bike and gets going. He looks at the passing scenery; he admires the blue and orange gradient sky, and the color never seems to fade. He wondered what it would look like at night.

There are a lot of different and, well, unique graves in the CH cemetery. Some of them are beautifully structured, and some of them are just... questionable, to say the least.
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Phil wonders why Mr. Confederate decided to have a giant gun on his grave.
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Phil kept going, only stopping to greet the angels flying around and make sure the demons wouldn't take his flowers.

Soon, Phil came to a stop in front of a simple bahay kubo.(a small hut) It resembled his childhood home; it was fairly simple; most people considered it a poor person's house, but to him, it was like a tiny mansion. It might be small, but it had all the space he needed and was full of memories.

He went inside and opened the windows, letting the sunlight brighten the room. There was no kawayan (bamboo) flooring on the inside; instead, it was just dirt.

In the middle of the room, two gravestones glistened in the sunlight.

He kneeled in front of it.

"Ma, Pa, Andito na po Ako"

(Mom, Dad, I'm here now.)