Open Sesame
A 21st Century Literature Short Story
Palawan is the safe haven you never knew!
I remember that significant headline from Itay's paper on the last day of school. And I guess it is true. It is in the newspaper, after all.
I've never been outside this island, yet people always say it is the best island in the world. With white sand beaches and the diversity of flora and fauna, there is a reason why many tourists often come to visit us here in the province.
It is advantageous for Ma's spot in the pasalubong center, where many foreigners gather for souvenirs. It is one of the reasons why they sent me off to live with my grandmother, as they can't take care of me while handling their business.
But it is okay for me! Lola's place on the shorelines is pretty awesome. It is situated one hour away from the mainland and is hidden away with a huge cliff and mountains in its periphery.
They call it Nagtabon Beach. I do not know why but I guess because it is hidden away from the city, it is literally "nagtabon." And even by how far it is, many people come here on weekends to surf and swim in its crystal blue waters.
Once, I was also an avid fan of the waves, but when I was seven years old, I almost drowned in what the officials refer to as "riptide" in the ocean. Luckily, the surfers came to my disposal and helped me get to the shore. I never went back to the waters ever since.
But no matter! Nagtabon is not only famous for its beach. I've spent many times canvassing the rock formations with my cousins as we try to reach the top of the cliff. My Lola is pretty chill, so we can go out all day and return home with a steaming dinner of freshly caught fish already served on the table.
There is one thing Lola warned us, though. Before we come out and play, she always menacingly say that “Iho, ano mang gawin mo, huwag kayong papasok sa kweba sa dulo ng bundok. Huwag niyo iistorbohin ang mga engkanto dyaan.”
And as a kid, I never questioned her advice. I guess even with just one glance at that distant cave, I always got easily spooked and ran away with my cousins, never wanting to see a tikbalang or a kapre in sight.
That soon changed last summer. My memories are still hazy because of what happened. It's like my brain deleted those events, and I can't access them, no matter how hard I think about it.
But I think it went like this. The summer solstice was at its highest, so a lot of us in the vicinity gathered and had a campfire party. Some of the surfers and lifeguards began exchanging creepy stories about the beach, spooking us younger guests.
“Huy balita mo yung hinila na babae ng alon at hindi na nakita?”
“Old news yan pare, dito sa Nagtabon ang dami na namamatay, lalo na mga kabataan. Hindi lang nirereport sa balita para yung mga turista tuloy lang sa pagpunta.”
And so that goes on and forth. It was old news to me as it was just recycled stories from past gatherings. Sure there are people who drowned here, but the cases soon swindled down as lifeguards were installed.
Hearing me scoff, the storytellers looked at me and said, “Sige nga Perez, tutal dito ka pumupunta tuwing bakasyon. Sa tingin mo totoo na may humihila sa ilalim ng tubig?”
“Hay nako mga kuya, hindi ba sinabi na may riptide lang dito sa Nagtabon? Kaya may mga kweba na napupuno dahil sa lakas ng alon dito. Basic Science ho yan.” I said breezily.
They soon laughed off what I said and continued exchanging stories. Bored by the discussion, I got up from the sand and walked away to clear up my alcohol-laden mind.
“Naniniwala ka ba sa mga engkantos?” A voice snuck up to me out of nowhere. It came from my cousin, Mikhael.
“Sus makita ko lang yan eh tadyakan ko yan.”
With lowered inhibitions, I challenged him to see those so-called engkantos that were the reason for dead bodies on the beach. And so went to the nearest creepy area we could find in the area.
And you guessed it correctly —we went to the one place my Lola repeatedly told us never to go to, the distant cave by the cliff.
Mikhael and I climbed down the rocks. We were glad that the entrance was not blocked by the strong waves as it was a new moon. We snuck up behind the sharp stones and squeezed ourselves into the gap entrance of the cave.
At first glance, I immediately thought, "That's it?" We were pretty disappointed with what we could see beyond the darkness. It seems that it's just a hollow cave with limestones forming and algae growing on its moldy walls.
We explored the area as far as our eyes could see. There isn't anything creepy to look at, and any noises were drowned out by the waves crashing on the shore.
"Psst. Perez, tignan mo to.” Mikhael pointed his lips to the large rock in the middle. He signaled me to come to see what he had discovered.
“Bakit nakaplastic yung buhangin?” I asked.
My cousin looked at me expectantly and began to laugh. “Ganyan ka ba talaga ka inosente? Insann!! Shabu yan! Gaya ng nakita ko sa drug bust sa kapitbahay ko nakaraang taon.”
My eyes filled with wonder and amazement. We expected supernatural experiences here, but not in any way we expected! We noticed more stashes of plastics hidden under the large rock.
"Treasure hunt na ito, boy." We looked at each other and grinned, knowing we had the same ideas in our minds.
That night started off the countdown of the best moments of my life. After every supper, my cousin and I sneaked out of our rooms to take part in this addicting pleasure. We figured out how to intake it, and soon we were high off the rocks, looking at the starry night sky in a psychedelic haze.
“Perez, sa tingin mo may mga engkanto pa rin dito?” Mikhael slurringly asked me.
“Engkanto man o wala, at least nakahanap tayo ng ginto sa gitna ng kawalan. Kung ang mga kapre man ang gumawa nito, e’di SALAMAAAAAATTT.” My voice rang out in echoes around the cave, repeating my last words endlessly in the air.
After a few moments, I got up and took a leak at the side of the cave. I returned, silently chuckling as it seemed my cousin was passed out on the shore from our latest bout of illegal consumption.
I kicked him in the shins, trying to wake him up so we could return home. But Mikhael kept flopping like a fish out of water. I kneeled next to him and assisted with his coughs, patting his back in a condescending manner.
But at each cough he exploded outside his mouth, I noticed that red spots kept coming out in large amounts. With my drug-laden mind, I soon recognized that warm liquid as blood. Alarmed by what happened, I immediately stood up to seek help. I moved my cousin away from the shore and tried to go out when suddenly, a large figure blocked my way.
I did not immediately register what was happening and was too late to miss the incoming fist directed at my face. Pain bloomed around my jaw and immediately woke me up from my high state.
I backed out of the way as screams rang in my ears, not recognizing them to be mine. Knife slashes appeared around Mikhael and me; he was being slaughtered by this stranger who kept approaching until blood stained our clothes red, with his life's fluids spurting onto our faces.
The second I saw the figure pull out my cousin's remains, adrenaline flooded through me. A sob caught in my throat as sweat and tears blurred my vision while panic slowed down everything around us. But somehow, I was still pushing myself to escape that cave as soon as possible.
The sand beneath me shuddered with each step that approached. The dark figure loomed over, laughing at my fearful struggles before grabbing hold and dragging me into an awaiting shade where there would be no more sunlight or starlight available for what seemed like an eternity. I tried to crawl away, begging all the deities in my life to save me from this inevitable hell.
Hearing those pleas, the stranger just laughed and mockingly whispered, “Hindi ba kayo nakinig sa sinabi nila? Huwag niyo iistorbohin ang mga engkanto sa kweba na to.”
What soon followed was my dying screams for help from whoever was out there. It soon quietened as the blood trickled down my throat, preventing me from speaking. The darkening skies above me were finally closing in on the last dim light that filtered through my eyelids as if they wanted to seal away every last bit of hope I had left.
At that moment, I realized a harsh lesson. Far worse than any monsters lurking in meadows are people who hide behind their masks, who can easily discard someone's life as if they were mere toys.
So let me ask you again, do you believe in engkantos?
Open sesame.
Close sesame.
FIN.