A Past with an Alien

CHAPTER 4

IRIS

We arrived at Poblacion and stopped at the archway, which served as an entryway to our town. Thankfully, I was already out of this weird guy's car. He played the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" song over and over. That almost killed the replay button as I covered my ear for the entire journey. I had no idea where the hell that guy came from.

When I saw the archway, I took a deep sigh of relief and realized that I was still alive. When we reached the arch, I climbed out of the car quickly. It surprised me when it bolted away with the driver, who never even said goodbye. I scratched my head while staring at the running car moving farther and farther away from me. My mouth was wide open while I was rubbing my left arm. I took a deep breath, trying to forget about it.

I just turned around and crossed the archway. The colorful banderitas hanging above me were the first thing I noticed when I walked down the street. Yellow, red, and many other colors made Poblacion alive and festive. The fiesta had already begun. That made me purse my lips and head toward the tricycle terminal.

I walked past three men roasting a pig at the corner of the sidewalk. The burning scent of burned skin lingered in the air, making me cough when I inhaled the smoke from the coals. People from all walks of life roamed everywhere, and some stared at me because I was still wet all over my body. But I ignored them and kept walking.

When I reached the tricycle terminal, I saw that the eateries offered free lunches as part of their gimmicks during the fiesta. Our celebration lasted for weeks, and today was the first day.

When I arrived at the queue, I heard adult men chatting.

"Daryo has gone crazy now! He still needs to find out where his wife is. When he arrived last night at their hut, he only saw the mat and blanket but not his wife."

"How did that happen? Manang Tess has serious arthritis and can only walk with the help of assistance. There was even a group of men drinking outside their hut. They could have seen her coming out of their house."

"I've heard stories like that here in our poblacion. People who vanished without a trace yet never walked out of their houses. A sigbin might be roaming around town and abducting our people."

I rolled my eyes and shrugged. Seriously, on the first day of the fiesta. The good thing was that no kids were hanging around here now. I climbed onto the tricycle and sat.

"Ma'am, Iris," a voice said out of nowhere. I glanced around and saw Melvin approaching me. He was one of my students, and I felt embarrassed by his reaction to my look. But I still talked to him anyway.

"Hey, Melvin. Why are you here?"

"I'm going to the plaza with my father. I'm waiting for him. He's in the market now." Melvin's eyes shifted to my clothes. "What happened to you, ma'am?"

He was one of my brightest students, but he was a loner. He had no friends, and the class always made fun of him.

I didn't reply at first as the tricycle started to move. "Wait for your father. Don't go farther from here," was my quick answer.

***

As I approached our house, the aroma of pancit filled the air. Nanay had already started cooking; our tradition is to feast during the fiesta. Later in the afternoon, my oldest brother's wife would come over to help her.

I had two siblings: an older brother, Max, who was twenty-six and worked as a seafarer. He has a family now with two kids; we often see them because they live in another town. My younger brother, Anjo, was sixteen and in the tenth grade. When we were young, I was a tomboy and would play with them, enjoying games like robots, cards, and even basketball. Anjo was always moody, just like me. Our mother, Rose, was a plain housewife, while our father, Nardo, sold rice in our town. I was able to finish college with the help of the profits from the rice sales. Now that I was a teacher, I gave back what I owed them and helped with our finances. It was my own decision before I got married.