wattys 2020 winner • mystery/thriller
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Everyone thinks she is dead. Even I thought so, too.
While the town spoke of her dead name, Amethyst Cambray is actually alive, and she is asking for my help.
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a/n: this is random, but i bet that Pierre and Santi can be best friends lmao. (he's from Her Name is Not Avery) and yes, i just shamelessly promoted.
also, this is gonna be long. pls don't skip anything ;-;
13 ____
MY MOM IS the best cook I've ever known. When we get unexpected visitors, she's always able to cook something brilliant within an hour. Minsan kahit pritong itlog, parang worth P200 na sa isang restaurant. Even the water on our fridge tastes awesome. She'd always say, the cook and the food should be one; and of course, the main ingredient is love.
I hated her cheesiness, but I admit that without it, she's not the same. She's sweet and loving and caring that made Dad and I the luckiest men on Earth.
Specially tuwing birthdays namin. Mom believes that our birthdays are the most special events in a year, even more special than Christmas. She said she'll forever cherish the date that we were born, so our birthdays never failed to be exciting and enjoyable. Mom likes surprises. Minsan kapag akala ko tapos na ang party, may isa pa pa lang kahon sa ilalim ng kama ko; o biglang may nakasabit na regalo sa loob ng closet ko.
Then I know that Mom would probably sleep every night of our birthdays with a very satisfied smile on her face. It was her that mattered to me for my birthday, so I believe I'm pretty reasonable if I said that I've stopped celebrating my birthday ever since she died.
What was the point?
Amethyst stands there, in front of the closed window. Smiling. The candle light dancing on air. The smell of faint cooking around us.
"Happy birthday, Vin."
I can't grasp what is happening now. Amethyst knows when my birthday is? She prepared me a cake?
"A-Amethyst . . ."
She is biting her lower lip in evident excitement. "Ano, na-surprise ka ba?"
I blinked, I laughed, I shook my head. "The hell . . . how did you . . ."
"It doesn't matter," she said. "Come on. Lapit ka sa 'kin. Blow your candle."
Now I really laughed. Nilapag ko ang bag ko pati ang paperbag na may laman ng mga gusto kong ibigay sa kanya. I walked towards her, in front of her, and she looked up to me.
"C-Can we blow it together?" tanong niya.
Bahagya akong yumuko para abot ko 'yung kandila.
"It's also my birthday today," sabi niya, nakangiti nang malawak. Napatingin ako sa kanya at napaawang ang bibig ko.
My eyes widened. "R-Really?"
"Yes," sabi niya, nakangiti pa rin sa 'kin.
For a moment, I stayed there, staring at her, my mouth agape. She is smiling with one of her brightest smiles, and without saying anything, we both blew the candle at the same time.
