"Mabuhay ang Pilipinas, isang bansa, isang diwa." (Long live the Philippines, one country, one spirit.)

– Andres Bonifacio

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[Capítulo Tres: Pagkikita-kita (The Meet-up)]

I was caught into a peaceful silence. I flew towards the realms inside my mind, filled with questions that I needed to answer.

"Panot! Este, Jong (Creep! I mean, Jong)," I heard her, the annoying woman's pitchy voice mentioned my name. Those words didn't interpret correctly inside my mind, making me stay inside my world of thoughts. "Is it true that you love me? Ems.."

I heard her chirping away, but my body resisted facing her.

Why are we even here? Is this where I think we are? What is real and what is not?

"What I mean is, is it true about the incident?" she persisted.

I felt mentally drained, her incessant questioning pulling me out of my thoughts. For someone with almost the same age as me, I hadn't anticipated her being so talkative.

"Basta 'yung shooting incident. Where that both of us have been shot (Just, it's the shooting incident. Where did the both of us get shot)?" My weary mind succumbed as I turned to face the talkative girl. A fleeting hope that answering her question might make her stop entered my exhausted spirit.

"Where were we shot? Is that what you mean?" I asked, noting the grammatical errors in her words.

Upon receiving my response, her eyebrows furrowed, confused by my words. "Yes," she replied, offering an uncomfortable smile with both thumbs raised in the air.

"And what do you mean, love you? Shut up, crazy girl!" I added. I struggled to comprehend the purpose behind her nonsensical additions to the conversation. Who in their right mind appends such things to what they are saying?

"Yes, love you too... Saranghae shunggo-shunggo you kubeta (Slang, no translation)," she added, transforming her thumbs up into finger hearts.

"Crazy!" I muttered, unaware that my private thoughts had slipped into audible words.

Losing patience, I felt a rewind back to her initial question. Shivers ran down my spine once again. What I had dismissed as a dream seemed to be more than just a figment of imagination.

"Mag-asawa ba kayo, Ineng (Are you a couple, Sweety)?" the woman asked the crazy girl.

"Opo (Yes)," she replied. If I'm not mistaken, she's likely saying 'Yes.' Given my love for learning languages and having spent a month in the Philippines, where my grandmother taught me some Filipino words, I had a grasp of basic vocabulary.

"What did she say?" I inquired, puzzled. Why did she say yes? What was the question?

"She say, ano... If you hate me, you just say yes or no (She says, uhh... If you hate me, just answer yes or no),"  she replied.

"Did she say yes to that question?" I wondered, sensing that she anticipated my response.

"Yes!" I replied, a momentary wave of happiness washing over my troubled mind.

"Ano raw ang kaniyang sinabi (What did she say)?" I heard the woman ask the annoying lady.

"Ang kyut talaga ng asawa ko (My husband is so cute)," the irritating woman giggled. Her shining brown eyes descended to mine as she raised her right hand. Standing in front of me, she proceeded to pinch my cheeks as if I were a cute baby.

"Could you please... stop... that," I whispered, giggling out of annoyance. Conscious that we weren't alone in the room, I didn't want to endure embarrassment in front of a decent woman dressed in traditional Filipino clothing.

"Stay away!" I grabbed her hand and pushed it away from my face. Prepared to scold her, a shiver coursed through me once more.

"Listen to me, Jong Hee." A woman's voice whispered in my ear. It felt familiar, akin to the person I saw before the peculiar incident.

I scanned the room with my eyes, but no one was close enough to whisper so distinctly. Only three of us occupied the room – the vexed Marianne, the peculiar lady, and myself.

You need to be brave. I told you a lot about the colonization. Now it's up to you now. Find the camera, fix it, and go back home.

Those words resonated, prompting me to piece together the puzzle bit by bit.

"Ate (Sis)," the crazy girl called. She pushed herself up, as if a newfound strength had rejuvenated her. "Ano po ang petsa ngayon (What is the day today)?"

"Ngayon (Today)?" she asked.

"Opo, Ate. Ngayon (Yes, Sis. Now)," Marianne replied. "Hindi ko naman po sinabing bukas, hindi ba (I didn't say tomorrow, right)?"

The woman's eyes widened, and I sensed that Marianne sensed the feeling of hurt, as well. "Joke lang, Ate. Binibiro lang kita (It's a joke, Sis. I was just joking around)," Marianne clarified, accompanied by a bright smile.

"Veinticinco de agosto de dieciocho noventa y seis," she replied.

My grandmother taught me Spanish, and with the help of the internet and my travels, I eventually mastered advanced words, sentences, and phrases in the language.

As the woman spoke, the temperature around me rose, sweat trickled down, and my heart raced.

"Did I really travel back in time?" I whispered to myself, my restless eyes surveying the room's corners.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, and my heart rate gradually slowed. Despite the lingering fear, curiosity and excitement stirred within my inquisitive mind.

August 25, 1896. So, that's today's date! I wonder how we ended up here and what was the reason.

Glancing at the girl on the bed, I wondered if she had grasped the situation. She remained unusually quiet, perhaps still processing.

About to inquire further, I turned my attention back to the woman, only to find her gone.

Where did she go? She couldn't have walked downstairs that quickly.

"Responsibilidad natin ang mga susunod na henerasyon. Nang dahil sa tayo ang nauna, tayo ang may kakayahang ipaglaban sila (The next generations are our responsibility. Because of the reason that we are first, we have the power to fight for them)." Another woman's voice caught my attention.

I had a feeling that this next person might know what's happening right now. I better find her!

"I'll... I'll just get some fresh air," I spoke, not looking at Marianne. I felt my body being pulled by a strange force towards the lower floor of the building.

"Tayong mga nauna sa mundong ito ang may kakayahang magbigay ng kalayaang nararapat para sa kanila (We, the first ones in this world, have the skills to give them the freedom that they deserves to have)," the woman continued. Her voice grew louder and clearer as I descended the wooden stairs. I sensed a tremor in her voice, but there was also sincerity in her words.

Following her voice, I reached the window where an old lady and a man sat on the balcony. I lifted my feet as I approached them, avoiding any misunderstanding of eavesdropping.

"Naniniwala ako sa iyo. Ipinapaubaya ko na sa iyo ang desisyon (I believe in you. I give you the decision now)," said the old lady as she gave a sharp dagger towards the man beside her. "Gawin mo kung ano ang nararapat (Do what is right), Andres."

The man stared at the dagger, deep in thought. I couldn't help but fixate on the weapon, sensing that something significant was about to unfold.

Startled, I felt the gaze of someone directed at me. Turning around slowly, I saw the old woman standing there.

"Anong ginagawa mo rito, Hijo (What are you doing here, child)?" she asked. She wasn't startled. Instead, she regarded me with a look that suggested she had seen me before.

Having heard them speak Spanish earlier, I pondered whether to respond in that language or attempt to use the limited Filipino words I knew. I felt like a frozen popsicle slowly melting under the pressure. As my physics teacher once said, 'pressure is equal to force per unit area.' The pressure inside my mind increased with every step they took closer.

"Opo (Yes)," I replied. I attempted to smile, hoping to prevent any further misunderstandings. Raising my hand in front of her, I sought a blessing.

She took my hand, and I allowed it to touch my forehead. "Pagpalain ka nawa ng Panginoong Diyos (May the Almighty God bless you)," she replied. "Mabuti naman at maayos na ang pakiramdam mo (It's good that you are now feeling better)."

I smiled, thinking I hadn't messed up. However, I realized she was still asking.

Will 'Opo' save me for the second time? Or, should I speak Spanish now so that she would know that I can not speak Filipino?

"Uh... Lo siento, Señora, pero no hablo Filipino (I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I don't speak Filipino)," I spoke courageously.

"Isa ka palang Illustrado, Hijo (You're an Illustrado, child)?" The old lady beamed. I couldn't figure out whether she was pleased or disapproving.

"Isang Illustrado (A scholar)? Rito sa Katipunan (Here in the Katipunan)?" The man sitting on the balcony was now  standing in front of me.

What should I do? I couldn't mess up here.

𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚓𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚓𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚎

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