"I miss you more, Princess."
"Princess?" tanong ko sabay layo sa kanya.
Ngumiti lamang sya na nagpalabas sa kanyang mga malilinis na ngipin.
Lumakad ako palapit sa pinto saka nilingon sya.
"Ah...uhm.. sige.. lalabas na ako." Sabi ko saka lumabas.
Takte. Ang awkward na maabutan nya na nakatingin ako sa mga underwears nya. Sh*t.
Papasok sana ako sa kwarto pero naisipan ko munang bumaba. Dun nalang muna ako sa labas, magpapahangin.
Pagkalabas ko, naabutan ko si Kuya Vic na pumitas nang bulaklak sa hardin nya. Inamoy-amoy nya ito.
Alas otso na nang gabi pero maliwanag pa rin tingnan kasi napakaliwanag nang buwan ngayon.
Naramdaman nya siguro ang presensya ko dahil napatingin sya sa gawi ko.
"Oh, ba't lumabas ka?" Tanong nya.
"Magpapahangin lang sana." Lumapit ako sa kanya saka pumitas din nang bulaklak. "Ang galing mo namang mag-alaga nang mga bulaklak kuya."
Ngumiti lang sya.
"Is there also a garden in hell?" tanong ko.
Tumingala sya sa langit kung saan may makikitang mga bituin.
"Napaka Curious mo sa hell ah. Oo. Meron naman." Puna niya.
"Kasi kanina, di ba natanong ko kung anong hitsura nang impyerno, tapos tinanong mu lang ako kong ano ang tingin ko na hitsura nun.":<
"Ah, yun ba. Depende kasi yun." Sagot nya.
"Panong depende?"
"Depende yun kung ganu lang kabigat nag e gi give up mo."
Ayan na naman yung dapat may e give up. "Eh ano ba kasi ang dapat e give up?"
"I'm not allowed to tell nga di ba? Kulit nito." Sabi ni kuya.
"What are you talking two?" Si Astaroth. Yumuko ako nang nakalapit na sya sa amin. Naalala ko pa ang nangyari kanina. Nakakahiya. 0////0
Ang bilis naman nyang makababa. At di nako nagulat na wala na naman syang damit pang itaas.
"Ah, Your Highness." Puna ni kuya Vic sabay luhod ang isang tuhod.
Tinaas naman agad ni Astaroth ang kanang kamay nya hudyat para tumayo na si Kuya Vic.
"Tinatanong nya kasi what are the conditions para makapasok sa langit o sa impyerno."
"Ah, I see." Sagot nya saka lumingon sa akin. "Why do you want to know?"
"Ahh.. well, I just wanna know." Sagot ko habang patingin tingin sa kanan at kaliwa. Di ako mapakali. Na o awkward pa ako.
"Victor, iwan mo muna kami." Utos nya.
"Yes, Your Highness." Sagot ni Kuya Vic saka pumasok na sa loob nang bahay.
Humarap muli sa akin si Astaroth nung wala na sa paningin naming si Kuya Vic.
"Heaven and hell eh? Hmmm, If you are about to choose, what will you choose?" tanong nya sa akin.
"Heaven, of course." Agad kong sagot.
"I can take you there." He said winking.
I blushed. Parang iba ata ang pinapahiwatig nya.
"I'm not kidding. I can really take you there. To make you feel you were there." He said then left out a chuckle.
( -.- ) meh.
"How about hell?" tanong ko.
"I can take you to both places." Sumeryoso na ang mukha nya.
"Sabi ni Kuya Vic, he's not allowed to tell what are those conditions."
"Yes."
"Why is that?" tanong ko.
"Because he doesn't have the righ to."
"But can you tell me?" tanong ko.
"I can."
"Will you tell me?"
"Only if you kiss me here." He said pointing his abs.
"What?! Are you Curazy?"
He laughed. The demon is laughing as f*ck.
"Duke." I called his attention.
"Hmm?" nakatingin lang sya sa akin. For some reason, parang kumikinang ang mga mata nyang nakatingin sa akin nang diretso. Napaka peaceful lang tingnan nang mata nya.
Lumakad ako sa swing na malapit lang sa amin at umupo doon. Funny. Kung dati eh takot na takot ako sa kanya pero ngayon, he seems safe to be with. Nakakapanatag nang loob.
"What are the conditions?" tanong ko uli.
Nakatayo lang sya sa gilid ko habang nakatingin sa mga bulaklak saka sumagot.
"Hell is a place of memories. Heaven is a place with no memories. In short, heaven is a sad place."
Pareha lang sila nang sinabi ni Kuya Vic.
"Living good is not an assurance that you'll go straight to heaven after." Dagdag pa nya. Nakatingin lang ako sa kanya. "You have to give up only one thing."
"What is it?" tanong ko.
"Memories." Sagot nya. "No matter what will you choose, you are still a selfish person in the sense that you will enter hell if you won't give up your memories back when you were still alive. But the people who are still alive and knows you will forget your existence."
Hindi ako nakakibo.
"But the good thing about it is you still remember them even though they already forgot you." Dagdag nya.
"Ang lungkot non." Sabi ko habang nakatingala sa kanya na nakatayo lamang sa gilid ko.
"Yes indeed."
"Anong mangyayari pag di mu giniv up ang memories mo aside sa malilimutan ka nila?"
"All the sad memories when you were still alive will forever hunt you. All the pains, the sufferings will forever hurt you emotionally. There is no such thing as "You will be used to it" once you are already in hell. It will be an eternity of suffering. A repetition of those painful memories. "
"So, it is not a place with fires all over?" tanong ko.
"No." he said. "It is a place of memories. Painful memories. Your soul can't rest in peace."
"How about the happy memories?"
"That's the good about it. Though you'll feel all pains and suffering again and again, what will at least a person who's in hell to keep going is that very memory. The good and happy memories with there love ones." He said while smiling a little as if he's remembering something. "Happy memories are for keeps."
"But you'll be in pain." Saad ko. Oo, mahirap e give up ang mga memories but to experience a suffering for eternity is too much.
"You'll be in pain, yes. But the memories to keep worth it."
"How about in heaven?"
"A place for much more selfish people."
Napatingin lang uli ako sa gawi nya nang sinabi nya iyon.
"I hate that place."
"Of course, you're a demon. " sagot ko naman.
Tumingin lang sya sa akin saka tumingin naman sa langit.
Then He sigh.
"If hell is a place for memories, heaven is the exact opposite. It is a place with no memories."
"But Kuya Vic said it is a beautiful, peaceful and a calm place."
"Calm, yes. Beautiful, Yes. Peaceful, yes."
"Then why sad?"
"People who choose to go to heaven give up their memories. When they enter heaven, they will forget everything when they were still alive. But the people alive who knows them will still remember them. It's the exact opposite. Yes, the soul will really rest in peace in heaven. No problem, no worries, no hassle."
Nagulat ako sa sinabi nya. Hindi ako makapaniwala. Yun ba ang ibig sabihin nang rest in peace? Ang kalimutan ang lahat na nangyari nung buhay pa?
"It's a sad thing. They'll forget the one they love when they were still alive. The memories they've shared together. The promises. The broken promises."
Tiningnan ko lang sya habang nagsasalita. Parang nakikita ko sa kanya ang isang nasaktan. But he's a demon. He's used to it anyway.
"It's a little bit unfair to his or her counterpart, don't you think?" tanong nya sa akin.
Di ako kumibo. Tiningnan ko lang sya. Lumungkot din ang mata nyang nakatingin sa akin.
"It is so sad to be forgotten." Dagdag pa nya habang nakatingin sa akin nang pagkalungkot lungkot.