Creeping It Real
[FICTION] Total Eclipse
The four of us were plunged neck-deep in the dense shrubbery of a forest in Panay, wading through treelines and uphill steps with nothing but flashlights and the moon to lead the way and Gary’s pocket knife to cut through vines, all the while hearing the rhythmic chirping of crickets, fluttering birds, and God knows what else that lived in these Visayan mountains as we tried to reach the research site.
Even the air we breathed seemed to know we were foreigners, city boys from Manila who had never stepped into the jungle all their lives. Throughout the trip, I had this uncanny feeling, some sort of sixth sense, that something did not want us here.
We were sent down here by the DOST to gather data on a cataclysmic series of earthquakes recorded on this island just a few weeks ago. I was one of the researchers; Dr. Dimasahan was the head seismologist. It was said that the earth rumbled for seven days and seven nights during a storm. The last recorded earthquake was higher than magnitude 7 on the Richter scale, but had stopped suddenly this Monday. Why that was, it was our job to know.
Earlier today, we stopped by a village at the base of the mountain for supplies. While Dr. Dimasahan bargained with the shops, Gary and I took the opportunity to interview the locals. Gary knew how to speak Hiligaynon, but even he had difficulty adjusting to their dialect. Almost everyone told us that we shouldn’t even venture any further. Too dangerous, they said, to go out at night. But we were trusted with a mission.
“Kumusta kayo noong lindol?” I asked.
“Sanay na raw sila,” Gary translated from an old man, “Madalas mangyari dahil sa mining operations.”
I took notes in my leather pocketbook.
“May nawalang parte ng isla, excavation site,” Gary further translated, “'Di raw kasi sila nakinig sa mga babala nila.”
“Babala?” I asked.
“Ayaw ng mga engkanto yung ginagawa nila. Masama sa kapaligiran. Kaya nagkaroon ng earthquake at bagyo.”
The old man seemed to have conviction in his answers.
“Tayo rin daw. Wag na tayo tumuloy pa. Ayaw ‘yun ng bakunawa.”
“Bakunawa?” I asked, but the man merely laughed me off and started hissing.
We should have listened to him, as my instincts now beckoned me. There was something eerie about this place, not just because of the darkness and thick forest, but it almost felt like something did not want us here.
Soon, however, we had reached a clearing that seemed like the perfect place for stargazing. It was draped in the light of the crescent moon and a thousand twinkling stars. Near the edge was a cliff that overlooked a large valley veiled in the shadow of two mountains. At its center was a peculiar serpentine river whose black waters shone in the moonlight.
“Dito muna tayo matulog,” Dr. Dimasahan said, instructing us to prepare our camping equipment, which honestly sounded like a good plan. I started rolling out my sleeping gear while Gary prepared dinner.
“Tingnan mo ‘to,” Gary said, peering near the edge of the cliff. As I approached him, I suddenly saw the giant curved rock that was embedded onto the edge. It looked unnatural, almost hammered to the ground. Must have been some chunk of the mountain, and yet its texture was too smooth, almost bonelike. We stared in awe, joking that it could have been some talon or claw of a giant bird. But soon after we ate, we fell fast asleep in our beds.
I woke to the sound of shouting.
“Nawawala si Jonah!” Dr. Dimasahan screamed in fear. The others were already up in confusion.
As I stood up and tried to get my bearings, I immediately felt a chill down my spine. A gut instinct that something was off. It was too quiet in the forest. The chirping of birds and insects had ceased, yet there was that sensation again, that something was staring at me.
I walked forward, approaching the cliffside.
My eyes widened in horror. I froze. The valley. The river…
The river was gone.
“Guys…” I started to speak, but the words could not come out.
And then a rumble started rising from the depths. The ground shook as I tried to keep my balance.
“Earthquake!” one of them shouts. The Earth trembled, and a strong wind came rushing toward us.
Then our fears turned to dust as great darkness loomed over us. I looked up to the sky and saw the moon and stars disappear, devoured by a giant shadow. A mountain rose to cover the night sky. A total eclipse.
And from that great mountain of darkness, two moons emerged.
And both were staring right down at us.
Note: "Total Eclipse" by Franz Austin De Mesa is a work of fiction created for PhilSTAR L!fe's Halloween series "Creeping It Real." The names, characters, and events mentioned in the story came from the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual happenings or persons—living or dead—is completely coincidental.