If a tree in a forest falls, will you remember it?

In the quiet town of Los Baños*, there is an old saying that if one wanders in the mountain with a pure heart, he will be able to see a beautiful woman dancing with the wind or playing with the animals. The woman's name is the same as that of the mountain. She was an entity you can't call a human. And up until this day, no one knows if the legend is true and perhaps, no one will ever know.

I can't believe that I entered this odd looking shop in the middle of the mountains.

"Come in."

As far as I remember, I was eating the famous lugaw** in the only eatery inside the mountain forest and before I knew it, I am standing inside this shop.

A woman in a white dress with green-covered ends that seems like leaves growing out of it greeted me with a smile. It was if she had been waiting for me. She was standing in front of this long table with small compartments and glass sliding doors that reveals what's inside. Everything in that table seems to be antique.

I looked around the shop and noticed the random things that are being displayed or maybe for sale. It seems like this shop is really an antique store.

But, it's weird. How did I even end up here? I looked behind me only to see a wall covered in green vines and blooming flowers. Where did I even go through if there's no door?

This is definitely weird and that's the only thing I can think of.

Everything's weird like from how this shop is located inside the mountain. We all know that only few people lived in the mountains at this time and age. By few, I mean, just three to five small houses which even includes the small eatery for lugaw, famous with the hikers.

"I---"

She placed her forefinger in front of her closed lips and gestured that I had to keep quiet. Then, she told me to sit on one of the wooden chairs just a few steps away from her while she positioned herself behind the long table. It now looks like some kind of a reception table in an old hotel. I didn't know why but I did what she told me. And, right after I sat, a man appear out of thin air, standing in the spot where I was previously standing.

Where in the world did this guy come from? I've actually cursed a lot in my mind though I just couldn't voice them out. I thought that maybe the man was like me, lost and cannot recall what we're doing here. However, as I look at him, my thoughts slowly faded away.

The man is huge for a normal person. He's got a bulky stature and was even taller than Yao Ming! He also wears a white polo with a tie, under a black coat, and has a black top hat. What's up with that? Why would someone go into the mountain and wear something formal? Wouldn't normal people wear hiking shoes and gears?

The man respectfully bowed at the beautiful woman then, they talked for quite a while. Occasionally, the man would look at me which brought goose bumps down my spine. Even though I can hear their conversation, I couldn't understand anything at all. I've never heard that language before. Afterwards, before the man left, he stared at me for a second. That second, however, seems like forever as he looked like he was staring at the very core of my soul.

"I have something for you."

The woman turned to me and put on a smile similar to those sales ladies at the mall.

"What? I wasn't even planning to---"

I was about to tell her that I'm not interested in buying anything because I'm as poor as hell when she suddenly cut me off.

"I know."

She knows what? How I manage to end up in this place? Of course, she does! She's probably the reason why I'm here in the first place.