I found myself sitting on the elevated wooden floor facing the open backyard. It overlooked a patch of thick trees which were darkened by the night.

“Sorry about that – I didn’t mean to make things awkward for you and your mom.” Andres was seated in a comfortable distance; a few feet away from me.

What’s done is done. I did not respond to his apology and silently touched my cheek.

Corporal punishment is something commonly used by parents to keep their children in line, and I have experienced some myself; but I didn’t expect to be slapped by my mother given my age. I did act quite rudely, so I deserved it.

“Isadora.”

“Isadora.”

“Isadora.”

“It’s Iza now.”

“Heh, so you finally decided not to ignore me, Isay.” Andres said after he heaved a huge sigh. It was then followed by a smile that slowly formed on his lips.

“I told you, it’s Iza!” I almost shouted in embarrassment. My first name honestly reeks of an older era. Why couldn’t I be named Christine or something?

“You go by Iza now, huh? I never saw you complain when it’s your mom calling you Isadora or Isay.” He laughed lightly as he briefly looked at me and how I sat with my leg crossed over the other. “And you’ve become quite lady-like as well – this is so unlike you when we were kids. I didn’t think it was possible to see you like this. It really was worth coming over here tonight.”

“People change, you know.” I said in reply with an annoyed tone as I put my arms crossed in front of me. So is he somehow admitting he’s not just here to give those mangoes to Inay?

“I know.” Andres gave me a pained smile. “I have changed too.”

The wind blew gently; ringing the chimes that Inay hung by the ceiling and rustling the leaves behind our house. I noted how fresh the air was when it entered my nostrils.

I couldn’t help but feel intrigued with what he said. I wondered what happened to him and how Andres felt all those years – after I’ve abandoned him and our friendship.

“I mean, I’ve become more handsome. Wouldn’t you agree, Isa?” He grinned in an obnoxious manner.

This guy… is he really picking a fight with me?  I clenched my fists as I gave him an annoyed look, which was soon followed by a sigh. Well, I guess being called ‘Isa’ is better than being called Isadora.

I distracted myself by looking up the moon that glowed in silver hanging lonely in the clear starless night sky, not even accompanied by a single cloud. It was even surrounded by a colorless halo that made it look even more isolated up there.

“How long are you gonna stay in town?” He asked, his eyes suddenly expressing unexpected earnestness.

I suppose I somehow understand why mom wanted us to talk by the backyard. Given their interaction earlier, I guess they’ve somehow been close all those years when I was away. Mom probably wanted us to patch things up in a way, knowing that we’ve actually been close friends when we were kids.

“I’ll be here for a few days; a week at most.” I told him. “But you know, it might be best if you didn’t act like we’re close, I mean it’s been so long that we’re practically strangers to one another now. Besides, aren’t you mad with what happened before? When I told people that you were a liar and that you were just hallucinating?”

“Of course I was mad. I even broke the bracelet you gave me.” He briefly looked away. “We were both lonely then, so when we became friends, the loneliness disappeared – at least for me, it did. But then you didn’t want anything to do with me and left me as you went far away. Despite that, I didn’t harbor feelings of hate towards you.”

“What?! You broke it! I worked hard in making that!” I burst out at him like a tornado. Doesn’t he know how difficult it was to find those shiny stones and cowrie shells? How long it took to put them together in a way that doesn’t make it feminine? It was the sign of our friendship and a reminder of the game that brought the two of us closer.

“What, that’s what you got out of all that I said?” He was slack-jawed and disbelief was blatantly etched on his face. He stood up and walked down the backyard floor before he sighed deeply. “Don’t worry; I fixed it up after I got a better handle of my emotions.”

“Good.” I spoke. Andres’s back was now a few meters before me. I noticed how broad his shoulders are and how tall he has become, now that he went past his teenage years.

His piercing eyes were no longer holding mine, so I finally had the nerve to ask what I always wondered about for years. “Why did you insist that we saw mysterious creatures beyond these woods? They’re not even real. The diwata, the duwende, the kapre, and the like.”

“I said those because it was the truth. They are real.” There was no trace of hesitation in his voice as he answered my question.

I can’t help but wonder why he’s still spouting nonsense, now that he looks more mature. I mean he’s probably some big shot business man here now.

He turned and faced me with conviction in his visage; somehow something is telling me that those eyes are not ones that belong to a crazy person. “They’re real.”

I shook my head with skepticism. I tried to make sense of what he was saying, but ended up failing to do so. “Those creatures are not real –“

I did not feel a flurry of the wind, but the leaves rustled by the woods beyond our house. It was soon followed by billowing clouds of grey smoke that slowly rose up the sky; the amount was so great that they almost concealed the bright moon above.

My heart suddenly beat like crazy and the hairs on my body stood up like there was no tomorrow. I briefly saw something as big as the tallest coconut trees I’ve seen; it was walking behind the acacia trees that barely covered him, given its towering height.

A quick look revealed a dirty man with a crooked but pointy nose, whose face and body was covered by thick and curly hair. A thick big cigar was even resting comfortably on his mouth. The earth also shook slightly with every step that he took, making his presence even more obvious.

My feet began to move as if they have a mind of their own, like those that belong to a child filled with awe and excitement because they wanted to play with a new toy.

Despite having seen the peculiar figure, I felt that fear was only found in nightmares. I didn’t care; I had to see it better. I have to know what really lies beyond these trees.

“Isadora! Stop – don’t go there!!!”