CRIMES AND MYSTERIES 4: BATTERY

I. CARE LINE OF THE ANGEL (Caroline)

I. CARE LINE OF THE ANGEL

(Caroline)

Anim na buwan na ang lumipas matapos ang eye transplant ko.  Pero sariwa pa rin sa alaala ko ang mga nangyari mahigit anim na buwan na ang nakakaraan.  Isang lalaki ang humingi ng pabor sa akin na magprint ng isang larawan at pagkatapos ay punitin iyon.  Akala ko rin noon ay nagtitrip lang ang lalaki, pero nalaman ko na ang ginawa kong iyon pala ang pumigil sa isang online curse.  Ang larawang iyon na hindi ko naman nakita ay isa palang isinumpang larawan, at ako ang nakapagpatigil ng sumpa.  I know it sounds crazy, but everything I just narrated really happened.  My eyes are the living proof of that.  Bulag ako noon pero kapalit ng pagpayag ko sa pabor na iyon ay isang eye transplant.

It’s been six months since I first and last saw the guy who paid for my operation.  His eyes are the most beautiful pair of eyes I have ever seen in my entire life.  He has the face of an angel.  It’s been six months but I still can’t forget those eyes.

I just knew him by his first name.  Mondael.  I wish I had thanked him for paying for my operation.  I never had the chance.  I never saw him again after that day.

Anyway, life goes on.

Hindi na ako bumalik sa dati kong school na St. Theresa’s School for the Blind.  Obviously, I wasn’t blind anymore.  Kaya lumipat na ako sa ibang school.  Isa akong working student.  Estudyante ako sa umaga at G.R.O. naman sa gabi.  Mahirap ang mabuhay kaya naman pinasok ko ang ganoong uri ng trabaho.

Isang gabi, itinable ako ng isang matandang customer.  Nakaramdam ako ng kakaiba habang sumasayaw ako sa table niya.  Hinihipuan niya ako!  Walang sabi-sabing sinampal ko siya.

Bilang ganti ay hinila niya ang buhok ko, at sinuntok ako sa tagiliran.  Nahilo ako sa sobrang sakit.  Hindi ako makalaban.

Alam ko na ang susunod na mangyayari.  The beast is going to rape me!  Wala rin siyang awa kagaya ng ibang lalaking nanamantala sa akin noon!  I was helpless.  I glanced at the place looking for anything that could help me.

I saw a spoon.  But what could a spoon do to harm a beast?  I wish I could turn the spoon into a very sharp knife.   I SO wanted to stab the man…

… I couldn’t explain how it all happened.  The spoon was suddenly gone.  And there, lying on the table was a sharp knife!  I struggled from the man to reach the knife.  When I was able to hold it, I stabbed the man straight on his heart.  It’s so unfair.  How could a beast like him have a heart?

Blood flowed everywhere.  I wanted to scream.  I’ve never killed anyone before.

Some of his blood stained my hands.  But nobody seemed to notice.  Everybody was busy dancing and flirting with each other.

I couldn’t describe the feeling of dread that overcame me.  I couldn’t stand violence.  I’m gonna be sick.  How could the spoon suddenly turn into a knife?  I should be punished for killing a man!

Kinuha ko ang kutsilyong may dugo.  I will pluck my eyes out of its socket because I am a killer.  I hate violence!

Something happened that made me stop what I was about to do.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone staring at me.  I looked closely at him.  My angel!  The knife that I was holding became a spoon again when he approached me.

“Stand up.  Let’s leave this place,” my angel said.

Am I in heaven?  Why am I seeing my angel then?

Dahan-dahan akong tumayo.  I was still looking at his beautiful face, never blinking.  He held my hand…

I couldn’t explain what happened next.  In just about a minute, we were already inside a car.

“Talk to me, Caroline.  Are you okay?” an angel’s voice asked.  “You’re in shock.”

I still didn’t blink from staring at him.

“I think you have a lot to know about yourself,” he continued.  “Do you still remember me?”

I nodded.  ”My angel…”

He stared at me with a puzzled expression.

”I mean, Mondael.  You’re Mondael, right?”  He didn’t answer.  He just held my bloody hands.  I could feel my heart beating so fast.  Pinunasan niya ng tela ang dugo sa mga kamay ko.

“Hindi ka lang pala charmer, Caroline.  You are also a transfigurator.”

I love how he pronounced my name.  Care Line.  But what did he say?  I’m a what?

“You transfigured the spoon into a knife…”

Why is he saying things that don’t make sense?  Hadn’t he realized I’ve just killed a man?

He handed me the cloth covered in my own blood.  “See if you can turn this into a shirt.  Gawin mong V-neck ha,” he said, grinning.

Oh my angel, you are very, very handsome…

Tinitigan ko ang duguang tela.  Come on, cloth.  Be a V-neck T-shirt, inisip ko.

The bloody cloth slowly became a shirt.  Mondael looked very pleased with what I did.  Hinubad niya ang T-shirt niyang suot.  Oh my angel, you have an awesome body… Then, he wore the shirt I transfigured.

“Bagay ba?” he said, then winked.  I tried hard not to smile.  “I told you you’re a transfigurator.  Know what that is?”

I shook my head.  Oo, nagulat ako na kaya kong gawin ang ganung bagay.  It’s like magic.  Nagulat rin ako na nagawa kong pumatay ng tao.  But my biggest amazement all throughout that evening was how Mondael is so perfect, how I couldn’t control my heartbeat around him, how transfixed I am at his perfect features.

“A Transfigurator could turn a thing into something else,” he continued.

“Are you also one?” I asked.

“No, but you could teach me,” he answered.

After a while, the shirt he was wearing turned into a bloody cloth again.