Beyond

Staff House

Many eerie stories were told and retold, mostly happening in stereotyped places such as in old and dilapidated houses.

I never thought that such a house, so beautiful with an air of modern day living was capable of scaring me.

It was the year 2000 when Jimmy and I were hired and assigned in a road construction project inside an industrial park in Canlubang, Laguna.

Since the project site was a bit far from Makati City where our office was located and incidentally where I lived, we stayed in a staff house with two other engineers employed ahead of us.

It was a 2-story residence that stood tall above the rest in height and elegance, portraying a modern day architectural ingenuity. It was newly painted white inside and outside showing an ambiance of cheerfulness. Its qualities were further enhanced by the inferior looks of the neighboring houses and other structures.

The kitchen and the receiving room on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the second floor were all spacious and furnished.

Although there were two rooms, we thought it wiser to stay together to discuss work-related problems and develop camaraderie among ourselves as we wait for sleep to come.

But our happy companionship was short lived as one of them was assigned in a Surigao project while the other resigned to join his family in the U.S. Only Jim remained as my companion in that big house.

Days, weeks passed by and it became our second home. It turned out to be a comfortable resting place for our tired mind and bodies. Everything was fine until one time, in the middle of the night, when I was awakened by a moan.

I opened my eyes and wandered my sight without moving my head. The brightly lighted room had no danger to show. But my ears remained alert to hear the sound if it's real or just a dream.

The noise was back, cracking my ears; I sprang up on my feet and reached for Jim in the opposite bed. He was groaning and trembling. With both hands I shook his shoulder, shouting his name.

Jim remained in the same fearful condition and I shook him again vigorously now, trying hard to grab him from the claws of death. Finally, he opened his eyes and instinctively pushed me away. From his frightened looks, he might have thought that I was his assailant.

He moved back to the corner while his gaze was pinned on the built-in cabinet at the foot of my bed. He was gasping for breath and his eyes filled with fear. He pulled up his blanket over his body, only his head was visible.

Giving him a glass of water to drink instinctively went into my mind but I thought it was wiser to remain with him for a moment. I sat down on his bed.

"What happened?" I put my hand on his bended knee and I shook it a bit to catch his attention.

He looked at me. His eyes still had traces of fear. He took a deep breath, inclined his head backward and closed his eyes. After a while, he looked at me.

"What happened?" I asked for the second time.

"It seems real, I mean my dream. I saw that door opened slowly." He rounded his lips to point to the built-in cabinet at the foot of my bed.

I glanced at it and returned my gaze at him with a bit of anticipation for his story.

"I have no idea what was coming out of it until I saw a woman in black dress, probably in her early twenties, stepped out. Immediately, I sensed something was wrong. I just watched her, not moving any part of my body so she won't know I was looking at her. Her eyes were deep and burning with anger. Her face was smooth but pale and her lips were red. She was wearing a black veil drooping down her face. I felt her resentment on me...as if I did her wrong. Her breathing became louder as she stepped closer. Her sweet-scented odor turned into an offensive and suffocating smell of a decomposing carcass. Even in her breathing, I could feel her pain and desire for revenge. Then she tilted her face on mine; our eyes just inches apart. It caused my heart to jump like a frightened cat. It was then that I felt my heart crushed by her sharp look, sending fear even to my soul." Jim paused to touch his chest.