Vanilla

It is four past noon and the sun, much like in the hometown, is nearing to set with a darker shade of yellow. The temperature is the same: It almost felt like he never left. Filipinos are everywhere, that is a conclusion that cannot be contested.

While treading the orange bricks, James saw her. She is the most beautiful girl that he has ever seen.

The girl, who apparently, was hurt and was holding on at the outside pillars for support, is a Jew. James asked her what was wrong, and she pointed at her sandals. Departing from the obvious, he snatched for detail. There was blood on her left pinky-toe. James pulled out his handkerchief, pegging a bleed-stopper knot that he knew since he became a Boy Scout.

She is Vanilla. James had unfathomable notions about her name. The girl said she had to go back home. James offered his hands so that Vanilla could walk, then he could accompany her to their humble abode.

Her hands are very delicate, it had a scant trace of ivory and a lingering softness which was worth the touch. She had small fingers, weakened by the loss of blood in her system. She was still shaking as he was lifting her from a lower position.

They held hands until they were more than a kilometer away from the coliseum. They walked some more, talked, and laughed at whatever funny things they had in mind. Vanilla is not only beautiful, but also, very charming, and very kind. He now, would never doubt why J-s-s had the heart for the children, especially from his own kind. Jews are very passive, good natured fellows. Vanilla satisfied his quest for knowledge by giving him the first hand teacher, experience.

James longed to stay at her side but it cant be...


to be concluded.

A Trip to Memory Lane

The clouds are foreboding. The windswept alleys are deserted. Dried leaves suspended in thin twigs remain threatened by the gust. A certain chill revolved in circles of dust. The lights of nearby houses flickered in an answer to the early darkness.

He was wearing his usual white shirt and wornout jeans. James thought that a walk in the dismal weather will not add to his already awful composure. After several failed attempts of lighting his freedom stick, he finally gave it up as a bad job. Treading the long alley on a windy and tumult weather was, he realized, not the best idea of a diversion.

In five, a huge rain droplet hit his forehead. It cannot be denied that the setting will yeild to a long and heavy downpour.

The surplus of dilapidated structures in their locale provided his temporary shack. His annoyance to the incidents prior was obliterated by the need to get back home. Seeing that he has no alternatives, he resolved to wait for the rain to arrive at an indefinite hiatus.

Apart from the sound of water reaching the open surfaces around, there was a unique silence. With that, he felt that his senses were magnified; He had an odd vibe that someone was watching him intently, scrutinizing his details as if it was beside him...

A brawny cat sprawled on the unpaned windows which intensified his feelings. The sound of its brisk movement made his heart skip a beat. It was a daunting split-second: He was not braced for it.

The blackness in his temporary shed appeared to have tripled in deepness. The cold, the jets of spills, the ramblings of the furry animal somewhere near -- all of these contributed to an ominous and fearful atmosphere. He started getting unnatural spine currents in his solitary outbreak.

There was a small screeching noise, like that of a ricocheting firework. The surrounding smelled a hint of fuel and gasoline. The sound slowly grew louder: its sound has overcome the rain. The typhoon had a brief calm at its eye. This must be it, I told myself.

All the braving in my spirit gave my run its top speed. But! The sound gets nearer but there is no evident source to where this might possibly come from until...

An explosion! It materialized on the exact place where I was hiding.

It looked eons ago, that three people died on a tragic car accident. It would have been four, had I not left that spot, as I'd get burned to the humongous fire. Actually, maybe four really, including the poor cat which alerted me and saved my life.