DROUGHT
CHAPTER 1: THE VACATION

It’s a good day to feel the sun on my skin with my bag and sunglass. I am ready for summer, and Masbate is perfect for summer. A place of fine white sand and a blue water sea like Boracay. The smile of the staff gives me positive good vibes. Finally! The covid-19 is over, no more facemask, social distancing, lockdown, and the vacation is here! I looked around while the others were getting into the cottages we rent overnight. The Buntod reef sandbar is heaven for me. I will recommend the place to my friends once I return to Cavite. They said that this was a marine sanctuary and a hidden paradise. I believe in it because I am excited to dip my feet in the water as I roam around. The water is clear and blue, with no bars, just pure nature. This buntod reef sandbar is a perfect place to escape from the city to reduce stress.

“Maayo na aga”, A young lady greeted me warmly. Her name is Cindy. I saw on her I.D. Maayo na aga is a Good morning in Masbate. It is their dialect. I smiled back at her and greeted her back. Even if I couldn’t talk back with their dialect, at least I could understand what it meant. Masbate is my hometown, my birthplace, and I remember visiting Masbate during our summer break in grade school. I looked around because I missed the place and the sea. I feel like I just got out of prison after a year and a half because of the pandemic, and I will surely enjoy my stay here in the secret paradise of the Philippines. Masbate.

“Hello”, Another young lady greeted me. She is one of the staff as well, like Cindy. “Hi”, I said to her and watched her pass by.

What I miss most about this place is the warm welcome of the people who live here. Their hospitality will make someone come back for more, especially if you are a tourist.

“Mama”, My daughter Lucy called me. She ran to me and hugged me with a smile. She is excited to dip in the water like me.

“What are you doing here?” My husband Knight said with his furrowed forehead. Maybe because of the sun or the fight that we had last night. He used to act like a boss and my enemy, not like his name. Knight. The Knight in shining armor. He is different because he is not my Knight in shining armor. He applied for migration to the United States of America without my permission. Of course, I understand that he wants to be with his mother, but he needs to tell me first before he decides. It is not like I don’t support him, but I want to prepare myself for his leaving. He can go, but he can not take Lucy with him. He said, Lucy and I can go there after three years, but three years are long for me. Many things happened between those years; besides, it is hard to trust him again after what he did.

“I am just...looking around”, I answered.

“Are you still mad?” He asked. I don’t know what to answer, but I don’t want another conflict. I shook my head without saying a word. He agreed, and he took my bag and Lucy’s. I watched him go back to the cottage.

“I want to go back and swim, papa”, I heard Lucy say while holding his papa’s hand.

“Yeah, later”, He answered.

When they were already inside the cottage, I sat on the sand and felt it on my skin. I took grain and tried to scrub it on my legs. The sand is so fine; it didn’t hurt my skin when I rubbed it. I closed my eyes and listened to the people enjoying the hidden paradise. The waves and the chirping of the birds are a good combination. The waves of laughter and the sand are relaxing. After one year and a half of lockdown, we are now here. We were enjoying the beauty of life again and forgot about the sad moments of our lives. I know some of us lost our loved ones because of the pandemic, and most of us struggle to get back on our feet. That is why this vacation is a big help to regain our sanity.

“Lein”,

“Lein”,

“Lein”

I heard a woman calling me inside my head, but I didn’t mind her because I knew he was not real. I shook my head to erase her from my head, but she kept on calling me, and I don’t know why. I cover my ears and sit still. I don’t want to move because I know those around me secretly laugh at me for hearing a voice inside my head. They didn’t know that I could see them. That is the advantage of wearing sunglasses. I can roam my eyes around without their awareness. I don’t know if I am just paranoid, but since the day I caught Knight. I don’t want to trust people again. I feel like every woman that I see is my husband’s mistress. That is why I want to be alone always. I close my eyes and listen to the waves while feeling the water touches my skin.

“God will still punish us all! The water will be dry, and the sufferings are not yet over!” The man shouted beside me. I opened my eyes and saw a man wearing a dirty turban, cloak and a pair of sandals. His beard is long, and he looks old.

“Ask for forgiveness! when the sun hides in the sky, and the moon shows, the water will dry, and we will all die!” He screamed, and he ran to the water and wet his body. He enjoyed the sea as if that would be the last time to feel the water on his skin.

“Repent! repent!” He screamed, and he swam while everybody was looking at him. Some are laughing at him, whispering, while others are taking videos.

“You repent!” He said while pointing to me. I looked around to check if maybe he was not pointing at me, and I was just paranoid, but no one was beside me, and definitely, he was pointing at me.

“You repent! you repent!” And he went to me and grabbed me. I tried to kick him, and I panicked. I saw the staff and the guard grab him away from me and take him out. He dropped his turban and kept shouting and telling us to repent because the dry would come.

“I am sorry; we didn’t mean for him to get inside,” Cindy said. I smile at her to show that I am okay and not mad. She went away after apologizing.

“Are you alright?” My sister Eve asked. I didn’t notice her standing behind me.

I nodded and looked at the man for the last time. He is already outside, but he continues shouting about the dry and the punishment while the people who see him ignore him after they laugh at him. I tried to pick up his turban, but it was no longer there. I looked at the water. Maybe the waves took his turban, but it was not there either and then I looked back at the man, but he was gone.

“Come on, let’s swim,” My sister said, holding my hand and pulling me into the water to swim with her.

I swim with her. Like a child, we wet ourselves and played in the water. Lucy with Ellie is already playing with us. Until the whole family joins and enjoys the waves, hot sun, and cold water. It is so fun to have a vacation again with the family. My sister went home from New Zealand on vacation with her wife and her two-year-old son. My brother, with his wife, is here too, same with our youngest: my mom and dad, my daughters, and my husband. I am happy to see us complete despite the pandemic. I am thankful that we all survived and none of us got Covid-19.

“Arf! arf!” Hope, our dog barked, ready to join us with Josh, my daughter’s boyfriend.

“I love you, mama,” My daughters said, and they hugged and kissed me on the cheeks. My eldest, Ellie, kissed me on the right while I needed to bend for Lucy to reach me because she would kiss me on my left. I have two beautiful daughters. One is eighteen years old, while the other one is six years.

“Papa, tell mama that you love her and kiss her too,” My cute little Lucy said. I looked at his father without a word. I am waiting for him to say it, but I will not expect him to because I already know the answer.

“Of course, he will not be going to say that”, A voice like mine said inside my head.

“He will leave you because he doesn’t love you anymore.”

“Remember, the girl? he cheated”

“Don’t force him. Your papa didn’t love your mama anymore,” I told Lucy. Lucy looked at him with a question in her eyes if it was real because I didn’t notice that he had already kissed and hugged me.

“What’s wrong with you? I already told you I love you and kissed you,” He said. I silently looked at him and said, “No, you didn’t”, inside my head.

“Mama,” Lucy called. I looked at her, and without a word, I walked out.

Even though I knew the wind would mess it up again, I fixed my hair. I set my swimsuit as I saw other women wearing their swimsuits nicely. I don’t want them to be prettier than me. I want to look attractive. That may be the reason why Knight cheated on me. I sighed while I watched those ladies having their drinks in their bikinis. I want to go back to the cottage, walking fast. I needed to put sunblock again and lipgloss while the text messages, their sweet conversation, and the kiss they had, played in my head.

“That man, I wish him dead”, I whispered.

“I wish him dead”, I whispered again and again until it was like a chant in my head.

“Are you okay?” He asked me and tried to hold my hand.

I screamed and pushed him away. I didn’t know that he was following me with Lucy. I heard her cry. I scare my daughter.

“Lucy, want you for coconut juice,” He said and stared at me. I took Lucy from him and cuddled her to stop crying.

“What is wrong with you?” Knight asked, but I didn’t answer.

We went inside the cottage, and I put Lucy on the bed and gave her a toy to be busy with while waiting for me because mama needed to retouch. I need to be pretty. If Knight does not see me pretty anymore, the other men will. I put liquid foundation and then powder. I put on eyeliner again and lipgloss and looked at myself in the mirror. I saw him watching me while I was looking in the mirror. I want to know if I am not sexy in my swimsuit because if I am not. I will not go out of the cottage. I will stay inside the cottage and read my book if I don’t look sexy.

“You don’t have to do that. You are already sexy and pretty,” He said. I looked at him without a word and smiled.

"Liar,” The voice inside my head said.

“Thank you,” I said and continued in what I was doing as if I didn’t hear what he said. I took off my shorts and dropped them on the floor to flaunt my body in a bikini, but he picked it up and asked me to wear it again.

“So no man can look at me while you keep looking at other girls?” The voice inside my head said.

“I’m okay with just a bikini. I don’t need that,” I said, taking my shorts from him and putting them on the bed.

I carried Lucy and went out of the cottage with her. I am ready to show my body with my daughter in my arms. We went to the coconut juice stand, and I ordered one for Lucy, and then we went to the vacant seat and put Lucy on the table facing me while she was enjoying her coconut juice. I know it is her favourite because she keeps asking me to buy her one every time we go to the Cavite market.

“You like it?” I asked her. She nodded with her big eyes while sipping on the straw.

“A lot”, She answered after she sipped. That makes me smile. If it weren’t for my daughters, I would leave Knight. I can not take the cheating that he did. Every day and night, it is playing in my head. He made me feel that I was ugly and useless as a woman after I gave him angels and the good life that every man wanted.

I looked at him and saw him looking at other girls wearing bikinis. I am not wrong. He will keep on looking even if he is with me. He can not tell the truth about how good I am with my bikini. All he says is a lie, yet he is, sitting beside me while looking at the other girls sitting in front of us. I took a deep breath and looked at Lucy while remembering his cheating on me. The lies he used to tell me just to be with his girl. They said to fight for the one you love, but how can you fight if your man lies to you to be with his bitch? I smile because it is ironic. How funny can life be? And the other day, I found out that he’s fixing his paper for migration, to be his mother or with his bitch? And when I confronted him. He told me things I didn’t believe because I didn’t trust him anymore. He even said we would start our life again in his mother’s place. I didn’t trust him when he told me it was for our future. I don’t trust him at all.

“Do you want coconut juice?” He asked me,

“I want more, papa”, Lucy answered after finishing her coconut juice.

“Make the coconut juice as his excuse to go to those girls. Shame on him, Lein.” She whispered, and then she laughed.

“I know”, I whispered.

“How about you, honey? You want coconut juice,” He asked again while looking at me, waiting for my answer.

“Okay,” I answered.

“Make the coconut juice as your excuse, huh” And then the voice in my head giggled like a demon as I watched Knight going to the coconut stand to buy coconut juice for us.

“Why is my towel wet? I haven’t swum yet?” The woman with her husband asked and sat in the vacant seat near us. I saw the turban already beside me. The turban that the man is wearing. I looked around to replace who had put it there, but I suspected no one.

“Oh, look, mama, it’s magic,” Lucy said while pointing at the man wearing speedos with a towel on his shoulder and standing behind me. He is holding his glass full of water, but the water inside slowly rises. I don’t know if he had a magic trick, but I saw wonder on his face. He is wondering why the water inside his glass is slowly going up.

“Oh no,” The woman suddenly said when she opened her water bottle. The water inside goes up too.

“Look!” I heard the other man say while pointing at the sea.

Everybody stood up and watched the sea with amazement. The water is gently going up like something up there sipping the water. I looked up, but I saw nothing, only the clouds. The heavy dark shadows make the whole Buntod dark. I feel the moisture, too, as I watch the water go up.

“What is going on?” I heard my sister ask as the whole family went out of the water to watch the phenomenon.

People immediately took their phones and captured the moments. They are all wondering what is going on, but my instinct told me something about what the man shouted a while ago—the man who owned the turban. I grabbed the turban and immediately carried Lucy, enjoying watching the weird happenings.

“Where are you going?” Knight asked when he saw me rushing. I looked at his coconut juice, but it was not going up. I looked at him and said, “Hold Lucy, I need to replace the man,” I immediately gave Lucy to him. He dropped the coconut juice and asked, “What? who’s man?” When we heard a blast that shook the ground. I saw the seawater rises like a tornado. I don’t know what is happening, but I know it is not good. The people start panicking as the ground continues shaking, but when the shaking stops. They stop panicking, too, like nothing’s happened. They go back from watching the water rises like a tornado. Not only one but hundreds of them or thousands including from the other place, but the good thing is it is not moving or else, it would be a big disaster. It might be entertaining to watch that makes everybody freeze and dazzled with their jaw dropped and their minds wondering what is happening. While I am scared, I want to replace the man who owns the turban. I know he knows something about what is happening, but nobody believes in him.

“Where are you going?” Knight asked while carrying Lucy.

“Papa!” Lucy cried and hugged her papa.

“I need to replace the man”, I answered while walking out of the marine sanctuary. While everybody is amazed watching the weird happening. I am busy replaceing the man. I keep looking around while Knight and Lucy keep on following me.

“What is wrong?” He asked. I stopped, looked at him, and then pointed to the rising sea.

“That is wrong,” I said, and he didn’t answer. I continued walking, and he followed me with Lucy still in his arms.

“So what would the crazy man knows about that?” He asked, but I didn’t answer.

“It is just a phenomenon, and there might be an explanation. Relax and enjoy the phenomenon,” He said. It might sound good and unforgettable to witness this phenomenon, but that is not what my instinct tells me. When we heard a scream from the people in the sanctuary, they started

panicking again when the airplane crashed into the drying sea. The water hit the aircraft, which makes it crash.

We heard an explosion, and the ground began to shake again, scaring Lucy. We heard another blast, and then the people screamed and started running away from the drying sea, and this time they were panicking.

“Papa! Mama!” She cried.

“I am scared.”

“Don’t be, baby; everything will be alright,” He said while trying to calm Lucy. He is already panicking and scared, but he doesn’t want to show it to Lucy.

“I want to go home”, Lucy cried.

“We will, baby”, He whispered, trying to hush Lucy, and then we heard another explosion.

He holds Lucy tight, and we are about to run, but I remember my family. My family was inside, and I needed to replace them. That is why I rushed back to the sanctuary and found them. I saw my mom and dad running and Eve and her family. Where is Ellie? When I saw them without Ellie. I saw Ice and his wife, Faith running holding hands without Ellie. WHERE IS ELLIE? I start panicking because I don’t see Ellie with them. Josh, Ellie, and Hope are not with them. That is why I began to run to replace Ellie.

“Where are you going?” Knight asked, carrying Lucy, who was crying in his arms.

“Go with the others, and I will replace Ellie”, I answered, which is what he did.

I start running to the people who are panicking. I heard screams from them, but none was my daughter’s voice. I listened to another blast that made the ground shake again, making the people panic more. They are running from everywhere, going to the sanctuary to save themselves from danger.

“Ellie!” I screamed while searching left and right. Hoping to replace her.

“Ellie!” I screamed again and started panicking when there was no sign of my daughter.

I rushed to the place where I heard her voice. Thank God she responded, and I saw her sitting on the ground with wounded knees and holding Hope in her arms. Hope is injured too. Josh is with them.

“I am trying to carry her, but she doesn’t want,” Josh said in a defensive mode. When he saw me looked at him.

“Carry Hope, and I will carry Ellie,” I said, and he immediately carried Hope, I immediately carried Ellie, and we rushed out of the sanctuary.

When we were all outside the sanctuary, the ground stopped shaking. The sky gets clear when the clouds are gone. We looked up and saw a huge hole up in the sky when we looked at it further. It is shaped like a cone, and the circle part faces us. I don’t know that thing, but definitely, that thing sucks up all the water that makes the ocean dry.