That was the best sleep he ever had in ages. It might be because he was too tired to dream or maybe everything's too strange for his brain and too much information to process that it completely shut down last night. Now he's afraid to open his eyes because he feels like he's going to return to his old room to deal with his old miserable life.
But he can't ignore the sound of barking puppies somewhere, nor the chirping birds and the wake up calls from roosters. Countless roosters echoing each other like a spam alert.
Pets weren't allowed in their apartment so he risked opening his eyes and looked around to search for He Tian. All he saw were blankets and pillows and a wide glass window. Panic welled inside him as he bolted right up and thundered across the room to search for his only connection to sanity.
He found him outside, busily feeding three puppies and their fat mother. He's wearing a black tank top and his toned shoulders enticed him to stare and imagine things that would make his mother faint.
"Yours?" he asked just to hold down his urge to tackle him for leaving his sight. He Tian turned to look at him.
"Morning love," he said with a teasing smile. "They're not mine. But you can choose a puppy to keep if you want."
Mo Guan Shan stepped out from the concrete bungalow to see the view from outside. They were in the middle of a vast green dewy field covered with grass he was not familiar with. Scattered in uniform distances were coconut trees and more coconut trees. No other houses that he can see from where they were.
"This ain't right."
"What's wrong?"
"We're on a mountain. I was expecting a different kind of house. Like that one we saw on the way here."
Mo Guan Shan was thinking about the beach cottages made from wood, bamboo and some sort of leaves for the roof. The one they saw on the way was the same but with full walls, windows propped up with bamboo sticks, a bamboo veranda and wooden stairs. Underneath the raised floor were hens and chicks.
"You sure you would like that?"
"It's not a complete experience if the house isn't rustic."
"But this is comfortable," He Tian said. "Screw your aesthetics, I'd hate to be eaten alive by mosquitoes."
"All right, forget it," Mo Guan Shan said and went back inside. He Tian caught up with him and forced him to eat breakfast together before they go somewhere "fun".
The breakfast consisted of homemade bread that tasted so good Mo Guan Shan finished three. He Tian said that he especially requested an elder resident to bake a bunch so he could taste it. And that there's a tastier version stuffed with caramelized coconut meat and sugar.
Then there's hot chocolate that tasted different from the usual chocolate but tasty just the same. The slight bitterness and addictive aroma made him drink several cups before He Tian warned him to slow down because it might get him drunk. The usual breakfast foods were completely forgotten.
"What do you want to do after this?"
"I dunno. All I wanna do with my life is end it," Mo Guan Shan answered nonchalantly without bothering to see He Tian's reaction.
"Granted. Get dressed, we'll go die!" He Tian stood up while sipping from his cup. Then he put it down and smiled. "Wear something that you don't mind getting dirty."
Last night when they arrived, He Tian carried him on his back when Mo Guan Shan said his knees might have grown weaker. It was the kiss. He was positively turned on by it that he lost all his will to walk that dreadful path.
While walking, He Tian told him they needed to do household chores because it is going to be just the two of them. Even the laundry needed to be done by hand because they have no washing machine and dryer. Mo Guan Shan couldn't see what's wrong with that kind of living. It's gonna be a busy life from now on, he thought. Better than not doing anything and being alone with his thoughts.
They walked in a snaking foot path while the mother dog and her puppies were close on their heels, sometimes underneath it that he fell down many times just to avoid stepping on the little furballs. Goats watched them while chewing on grass leisurely. The puppies taunted the goats and in return they bowed their heads down to intimidate the little challengers with their sharp, pointed horns.
"Stop it. You're gonna lose an eye," Mo Guan Shan told the puppies but they didn't even bother looking at him.
"They're just playing," He Tian said as he put his arm on Mo Guan Shan's shoulder. They walked like that until they reached a wood and bamboo house decorated with flowers and orchids all round. "Rica! Let's go."
Rica peeked from the window and beckoned them with her hand to come inside. When they got in, the bamboo floor shined and felt slippery underneath their feet. He Tian explained that to achieve that kind of gloss, one must apply floorwax and then scrub the floor with a device called lampaso. He said device but it's just an old coconut cut in half so the bristles of the husk becomes brush-like. Mo Guan Shan tried the lampaso, pushing it along the bamboo floor with his foot. It felt like hitting two birds with one stone. After a while, he's dripping wet with sweat.
They ended up helping her carry several ice boxes. Every time they meet someone on the way or they pass by anyone, they'd stop for a chat and He Tian would ask him to just smile and nod.
"Sorry guys. They're just thrilled because it's not everyday two handsome foreigner guys visit our place," Rica said while they ambled along the grassy pathway. "They're kinda hoping their daughters snag one of you guys."
"Why? We're foreigners."
"Hmm. Let's just say they're looking for ways to quickly get out of here."
"Here?"
"Here. The Philippines. To go abroad and live a better life."
"I thought this place was cursed and people who enter won't ever go back out. That kind of story," Mo Guan Shan said with an air of relief. Rica laughed her usual big laugh.
"No, no. But it'd be so interesting, if something dangerous happens here once in a while," she said with a smile. "That way, I'll have better stuff to write."
He Tian disappeared ahead while they talked but Mo Guan Shan didn't mind. He can hear it too. A calming murmur of flowing water.
There's a loud "whoohoo!" from He Tian and a splash that Mo Guan Shan can't help but laugh. That boy he first met at the hospital seemed like a long gone stranger now.
What awaited them was a refreshing view of a wide river littered with huge rocks and by huge he meant bigger-than-a-person huge. There were smaller rocks and there's a big flat one too, where He Tian stood, in the middle of the water.
"Come!" he called but Mo Guan Shan shook his head and chose to help Rica. Slippers safely tucked between two dry rocks, he felt the moist soil and moss on his feet.
"Not a fan of rivers?"
"Haven't tried rivers yet, but it looks deep," he answered, eyes fixed on a carabao on the other side of the river. It's not just huge but black and glossy, as if its skin was two sizes smaller than its body.
"It's not that deep. Besides, He Tian's a good swimmer. I'm pretty decent too, you know, if you both drown."
Mo Guan Shan glanced at He Tian. He has a lot of things he wanted to ask but it felt like that territory has a huge boundary that he cannot climb over.
The carabao from across the river started whining that Mo Guan Shan can't hide his surprise. It's big but it has a really small and baby-like voice, like a kitten meowing for its mommy.
"I thought carabaos moo."
"Because they're huge? Nah. Cows have bigger voices. These big babies sound so sweet you'd feel bad when they whine," Rica said with a smile. "Maybe he wants a dip too."
"They swim?"
"Silly!" Rica laughed and told him more about carabaos. The owner led it to the side of the river and it sat in the water up to its neck. "Back then, the carabao's skin is just the right size for it."
"What happened?"
"The cow invited him to go swimming in the river but the carabao refused. He said his master might get angry if he goes swimming by himself. The cow said it was okay, they'd go back before their masters arrived. So they soaked in the river. Unfortunately, they forgot about the time! And then they freaked out when they heard their masters calling them so they quickly got out of the water and grabbed their clothes. They dressed as they ran, but the thing is, they accidentally grabbed the other's clothes."
Mo Guan Shan laughed at Rica's story. It was so stupid it's hilarious.
"I hope they find time to bathe in the river again," he said while imagining what happened to the poor animals. "The carabao looks so uncomfortable."
"Maybe. But it's not stopping them, the wardrobe handicap," Rica said while staring at the scar on Mo Guan Shan's wrist.
Note: Sorry for the abrupt stop. I wanted to update so bad.