“Huh?”

Adam blinked five times. He thought he was imagining things again. When he got closer to the table, he realized they were…real. His eyes grew wide in astonishment. The celadon teacups and a pitcher were placed on a polished wooden tray.

There were crumbs of sweet biscuits everywhere that the ants were enjoying, parading in line like it was their harvest season crops.

He took one, gazed at its unique appearance and mumbled, “Who left this here?” He mumbled. He looked around the room. Nothing seemed unusual. It’s different from the tea cups I know of. He thought and he was calm. 

The priests had gone with their daily services and could not be bothered this time. Father Ben went out with Father Simon to meet the other priests in some suburbs away from the City.

“What should I do?” Adam murmured. Should I bring this to the kitchen and wash it? I’ll ask them later when they’re back. But looking at himself using the crutches, he knew he couldn’t carry the tray. I have to bring them one at a time to the kitchen and get them washed.

He started by bringing out the teacups first. Then, he returned to get the tea pitcher. He felt he had run a marathon around a massive, oval field, going back and forth. He was careful not to break the items while washing them in the kitchen sink, leaning on his crutches. He murmured, “They look vintage.” He then dried them out with a tea towel and gave the wooden tray a nice polish.

He left them on the kitchen side to dry.

After lunch, Adam went to the monastery’s small library, just next to the dining room. Most of the books were about religion. There were old encyclopedias arranged from A to Z, but he was happy to find something interesting related to Philosophy—a good read for a healthy mind.

He enjoyed reading every page as the words were meaningful and engaging. The book discussed the understanding of nature and human experience in a rational argument. He questioned its in-depth meaning and his purpose in life, like what Father James said to him.

Hours passed, and Adam slept in the library. He drooled on the closed book. When a ray of sunlight shone on his face, his brow twitched. He winked. The absence of the wall clock made him wonder what time it was. But he could tell it was past 5:00 p.m. from the sight of the outside window.

He stretched his arms upward and yawned widely. I’ve been sleeping a lot these days. He wiped the side of his lip and stood. He looked around and felt the silence of the library. It smelled of old books and the dust of an old bookshelf. He didn’t feel like it was spooky, and he wasn’t afraid of being left alone in a twilight room. Still, he returned the book where it belonged, went out and closed the library door behind him.

He strolled outside to unwind. Another day to reminisce about what the ocean looked like. Then, he saw Father Gabriel and Father Eli. They were heading to the small church. He tilted his head to the right. It was almost six, and the blue sky was turning dim, with birds freely flying up high. He was thinking whether to join them or not, for now.

Are they going to have the 6:00 p.m. prayer? He averted his glance to the front gate. Is it okay to catch a glimpse of the outside? I’m curious what the sunset looks like from here. His pounding heart was eager to see as the wind blew towards him. It felt calm, and he couldn’t wait to see what awaited him outside of the monastery.

His feet and hands were itching to go near the gate.

“You can have a look outside, Adam.”

Adam’s eyes jolted to his left. Goodness sake. Father James's yearning smile. Adam nervously gulped. “Is it really okay to peek?” looking again at the gate.

“Of course, you didn’t come here to live to be locked up, and you’re free to go out, too. You’ll just have to let Father Ben know when you plan to go outside and enjoy the view of the boulevard.”

Adam’s heart flattered, beaming like a child at the sight of Father James. 

“Go ahead and lock the gate after you.” He said warmly.

“Yes, Father James.” he said, smiling.

A nervous thrill ran down his spine. He was excited, feeling the butterflies in his stomach. Though it was almost 6:00 p.m., he could still hear the loud noise of the jeepney's horn and the bustle of the people who might be watching the sunset.

He felt nervous, as if he was meeting a new friend. He reached his right hand to the gate knob, unlocked, and opened it.

The salty scent of the sea breeze, welcomed him, mixed with the smoky and slightly oily undertones from the jeepney smoke. But his eyes were captivated by the breathtaking view of the tangerine sunset as the rays of light shone upon the ocean, glistening like diamonds in his eyes.

He was enchanted by it. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the stunning scenery. He fell in love with it. Seeing the people enjoying every minute of it felt like a priceless gift to him. He smiled, letting the sea breeze at least touch his face. Different voices could be heard, laughing, shouting but none of them disturbed how appeased he was to see the boulevard.

I can’t wait to be one of those people sitting on those boulevard benches mesmerized by the view with Father Ben beside me. His yearning heart as it pleased him so warmly. He smiled, watching the jeepneys pass by from a distance.

He ignored the sound of the jeepney horns, recording every living thing around him in his memory.

Gazing at the view with his calm eyes and tender smile, Adam captured the most beautiful scene in his mind. He then closed and locked the gate with a perfect grin, feeling filled and serene at the boulevard sight. Let’s head back and check the tea set. I’ll ask Father Ben to come with me next time to the boulevard. He dragged the crutches through the dirt with a happy face.

But when he checked the kitchen countertop, the tea set had disappeared, while Father Gabriel set the table for dinner.

Huh? It’s gone? Where did it go? A sudden thump on his chest. The kitchen was empty, not even Nang Tessa, who had left earlier today.

Adam looked baffled. He glanced at Father Gabriel, smiling, humming a church melody while setting the table.

He saw Adam. “Oh, hello there, Adam. Did you enjoy the view of the boulevard?” Father Gabriel asked, bubbly.

Adam smiled and contentedly said, “Yes, I did.” He paused and looked around. “Ahm, Father Gabriel, did you see a tea set I left on the kitchen countertop?” Father Gabriel tilted his head and said, “A tea set?” he added, “I don’t remember that we have a tea set around. Did someone give us a new tea set?”

Adam’s heart faltered in disbelief. Then, where does that teacup come from? He turned around his back in haste and said, “I’ll be back, Father Gabriel.”

“Oh-kay,” Father Gabriel looked bewildered.

The tapping sound of the bottom of the crutches as he trotted. I’ll apologize later to Father Gabriel. He panted through his lungs as he opened the room door. The tea set wasn’t there either. It really was gone. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat. He knew the monastery was a safe place to be. I didn’t want to scare myself about natural phenomena, but being in this room was not even scary. It felt more relaxing. He held his chest, deeply inhaled, and exhaled to ease his pounding heart.

During dinner, Adam was quiet. He kept thinking about where the tea sets could be. He could hear Father Ben conversing about what they’d done for the services. But his thoughts were zoning out, having a spoonful of rice mixed with sardine sauce.

Father James noticed he had been lost in thought at the dining table. He asked, “Are you alright, Adam?”

It caught Adam’s attention. He smiled, feeling nervous. “Ah, yes, Father James.” Yet Father Gabriel looked at him with a worried face.

He went back alone to the room. He sat on the edge of the bed. Pondering. His heart was still palpitating like he had lost something very important. He couldn’t bring himself to talk about what happened today, not even to Father Ben when he arrived. The room was quiet and neat, and silence settled over him

I can’t stop thinking about that priceless tea set. Did it just pop up and disappear on its own? He looked at the sturdy table. It’s bizarre. I kept thinking about it. I felt like I saw those teacups somewhere. But I don’t exactly remember.

Minutes later, he heard a knock on the door. It was Father Gabriel, who opened the door and peeked in.

“Adam, do you have a moment? May I come in?”

“Ah, yes, Father Gabriel,” he said, hesitantly dipping his head.

He looked around the tidy room and sat on Father Ben’s bed. Adam wondered why he came. His nervousness overpowered him as he lowered his head like he was too hesitant to open up. Father Gabriel seemed to notice him and smiled politely as if he knew what Adam was hiding from them.

Is he here to talk about the tea set?

“Have a seat beside me, Adam. Father Ben is at the church with Father Simon.”

“Ah, okay,” he said in a soft tone. He used his crutches to stand up, and sat beside Father Gabriel, looking down at the shiny floor.

“Do you feel anything strange in this room?” Father Gabriel asked out of the blue, and Adam looked stunned. The stillness of the room felt alive, as if even the walls were holding their breath. Every tick of the clock seemed magnified, waiting for who would speak first.

“Is there something strange in this room?” he asked. He wondered why Father Gabriel had suddenly asked a strange question.

“About the tea set, did you see it here?”

“Will you believe me if I said, yes?” Adam’s heart was pounding like a drum.

Father Gabriel smiled at him. He knew something about the strange room.

“Let me guess,” He paused, holding his chin, he said, “As far as I remember, I have resided in this monastery since the 1960s, and this room was empty before I even came here.”

“I see,” said Adam. But he wasn’t feeling afraid.

Father Gabriel said, “Strange things happened in so many ways, don’t you think, Adam?” He smiled at him. A smile that was comforting for someone who has probably experienced something bizarre in his life.

“I’ll tell you a story, do you want to hear it?” Father Gabriel asked.

Adam smiled back. Although his eyes looked troubled, it seemed his heart had calmed down. To think that Father Gabriel was willing to share the little secrets of his past experiences.

Well, there’s no harm in listening to strange stories. Believing that priests do tell the truth when they trust someone or whenever they could to appease the minds of others. Then, he gave Father Gabriel a comforting smile. 

“I would love to hear your story, Father Gabriel.”

Father Gabriel rubbed his chin. His eyelids glanced down at the shiny floor as Adam waited. The clock in the corner ticked softly, as if telling an old story. Adam softly gulped like he was looking forward to Father Gabriel’s tale.

“Hmmm, how old was I when I began to see things that no ordinary people could see?”