Haunted

five

"Your mom and dad's in the kitchen" She says

"Nagaaway parin sila" sabi ko ng matamlay..

"No.. Actually tinuturuan ng mommy mo daddy mo magluto.. Bakit naman sila magaaway?" Tanong niya habang papalapit sakin.. I'm starting to feel this cold weird feeling when she's around

"Ah.. Wala.." I denied.

"Are you looking for me?" She asks with her lips starting to form a smile..

"Uhm.. Not really" and I denied again..

"You sure? Eh bakit nagsesearch ka ng mga ways how to communicate to dead people diyan sa laptop mo?" She hover next to me..

Sinara ko agad ang laptop ko at hinarap siya.

"Well, you showed up to me two days ago telling me you were dead and a spirit wandering around.. Pumunta ka sa garden at ng sinundan kita bigla ka nalang nawala." I explained looking at her eyes.. Her beautiful eyes..

"Oh I thought you don't want to see me again." She says

"Bakit ka andito?" I ask her straight

"I dont know. Diba sabi ko naman sayo hindi ko matandaan yung reason ng pagkamatay ko.. Natatandaan ko lahat ng tungkol sakin pero yung death ko.. Wala.. Walang alaala."

Wala akong masagot sa sinabi niya kaya naman nanatili akong tahimik..

"Ikaw bakit ka andito?" She asks..

"Obviously nabili ng parents ko itong bahay mo.. This was a gift daw from your parents."

"Gusto mo pumunta ng garden?" Tumayo siya agad at hindi na hinintay kung gusto ko ba o hindi.. At wala naman akong choice dahil sumunod naman agad ako sakanya..

With her movements, her cold movements.. Mas lalong gumanda ang garden. I walk through after her and leads me along the path. The plants and flowers sway lightly by the wind.

Umupo siya sa bench na nasa dulo ng lugar nato.. "Have a seat"

at umupo rin ako sa tabi niya. Inilibot niya ang paningin niya rito habang ang mga mata ko ay nakatitig lamang sa kanya.

"This house was  given to me on my 15th birthday. I know that sounds grand pero ganoon eh. Since then dito na ko lagi tumira. Kaya naman dito na rin lumipat sila mommy at daddy at si ate.."

"Siguro sobrang yaman niyo?" I asked.. That was so tactless Glaiza..

"No. Maybe. I don't know."

"Why are you so cold?" Ano ba tong mga lumalabas sa bibig ko..

Napatingin siya bigla sakin at ngumiti.. "Obviously because I am dead and my body organs are not functioning that's why."

"But it's such a different cold feeling, very odd.. Very unusual. Bone chilling " I explained

"I suppose that that's the effect of death." She smirked..

Silence remains and she stares at me, examining me thoroughly.. I have so many questions for her. So many that I don't even know where to start..

"Gaano ka na katagal nandito?" I asked

"2months.. I guess."

What? Dalau buwan na siyang nandito? What's wrong??

"2 months na kong stuck dito sa mundo niyo.. Sa mundo ko rin dati."

"Hindi ka ba nalulungkot?"

"Para saan? Na namatay ako?"

"Uhm.. Oo?"

"Syempre noong una oo.. Pero sa tagal ko na rin nastuck dito. I've learned not to. Ayoko naman maging creepy ng spirit no hahaha."

"Anong feeling ng ano.. Uhm.. Pag ganyan.." I try to find the exact word para hindi naman siya maoffend

"Dead?"

"Oo"

"Hmm. Hindi masaya, hindi rin malungkot.. Mas okay parin pag buhay, yung humihinga.."

"I should know.."

"This place was my favorite place.. My sister and I used to water the flowers and here we talk about what happened in our daily lives."

"Wait ilang taon ka na ba?"

"Nineteen"

"So kung two months ka ng nandito.. At last week na ngayon ng August, most probably you were dead last June or July.."

"So.. Imbestigador ka na ngayon?" And she laughs at me..

"I was just curious.. Kung bakit ka talaga nandito? Kung bakit ka nastuck dito?"

"Yan din ang tanong ko Glaiza" sa pagbigkas niya ng pangalan ko, kakaibang pakiramdam ang binibigay nito sa akin..

"Rhian.." I breathe "I want to help you.."

Nagulat rin ako sa sinabi ko.. Akala ko ba hindi na ko makikipagusap sa kanya, pero bakit ganito.. Pwede ko pa bang bawiin yung sinabi ko?

"No. Hini mo kailangan gawin yan. My family doesn't want to know about my death anymore.. Sa tingin ko nakapag move on na sila." She says looking back at me

"Paano mo naman nasabi?"

"Hindi naman ako palagi dito sa bahay. Pinupuntahan ko sila palagi sa bahay namin before kami lumipat dito. Day after my funeral, they've never talked about me anymore."

Kung hindi na siya naiisip o pinaguusapan ng pamilya niya, sino pa yung hindi nakakatanggap ng pagkawala niya?

"Death has two faces of its own. Well everyone wants to go the afterlife in short heaven, where there is peace and consequently there is also the in between where I am now.. This fine line that hinders me to go straight to the afterlife. At mukang alam mo naman na ang mga nasa in between ay yung may mga unfinished business dito sa mundo.."she explained

"At yung sayo ay?"

"I don't know.. Maybe to know the real reason of my death or to wait until someone has moved on from my death.. Yan lang din naiisip ko sa dalawang buwan ko dito. And still I've got no clues."

"Let me" I run a hand through my hair straight to the moon that still hangs on my neck..

"Let you what?" She asks

"Let me help you."

Rhian looked at me with her confused expression

Looking back at her, I examine her face. Her perfectly carved face.. Her eyes, her scrunchy nose and her cherry lips.. She doesn't seem dead to me. She looks so alive every time my eyes and hers collide..

"Let me help you cross to the afterlife." I repeat

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