You don’t need to be a house to be haunted. I just got home 8:30 AM today from Manila. All the time, from 225 kilometers south of Baguio City (I’m not sure of the name of the place), my hair keeps standing on end. Even as I’m blogging this, I actually feel like someone is behind me watching over what I am supposed to be writing. It really freaks me out the way I can’t get the feeling off since we passed by that place.
It was a wonderful day to take a trip to Manila and meet my grandparents at the airport by 11PM. Mom told me they (grandparents) were coming home from the States so she asked me to accompany her brothers as she could not go herself since she had her students to teach.
We started around 4PM Sunday afternoon with my Uncle Jun, Uncle Allan, Uncle Moses, my cousin Mancela, my uncle in-law’s brother (Sorry, I don’t know his name. Is there such a name as uncle in-law by the way?) and the driver (don’t know his name too but he’s a friend of my uncle in-law’s brother). It was really fun, the way to Manila as there were lots of sights to see and I was fascinated as how Moses (he’s 7 years younger than I am so I don’t usually call him ‘uncle’) was intently watching the sights. I recall, he sought for a chance to tour but yet because of time constraints, we could not. He kept repeating if we were able to start earlier, we could have had a tour. He really was disappointed and so he satisfied himself in watching the sights on the way to Manila. There wasn’t much to see but then it’s all we had and could do.
So we reached the airport at about 10:30 PM and we waited for my grandparent’s flight to arrive. Estimated time of arrival was at 11:00 so we had time to roam and get a little familiar with the place, at the same time stretching our tired legs and cramping butts from a 6-hour ride.
We got really excited when 20 minutes later, the plane arrived and we all felt like kids, waiting for candy and Santa Claus at Christmas time. My cousin was first to spot my grandparents and we rushed to where my uncles were. They also spotted their parents from the CCTV camera from the hallway leading away from the plane’s exit gate.
Shouts of welcome came from every corner as not only us but every relative and friend of the passengers welcomed their own ‘balikbayans’. As for us, the hugs and slaps at the back never ended until we were at where we parked the van, which was at a prohibited parking spot just few feet from the main entrance of the arrival area for passengers. We managed to still park out there without being noticed by the clueless guards. We were not able to fool some of the people around waiting for their own relatives, though. My cousin and I were laughing at the situation since we heard some people calling out, “Bawal diyan. (That’s not allowed.)”, referring to where we just parked. Yet, we just exchanged glances, smiled our most unusual evil smiles and then followed the others to the waiting area.
We started out again, headed for Baguio City. We were all sleepy as we only had a little sleep coming down. We stopped at a gasoline station just outside of Manila and there, we ate at Chowking. Hmmm. Yeah, their young beefsteak lauriat, I think it was called, was sooooooo damn good. I’ll definitely try this fantastic delicacy again when I get to Baguio.
We were on the road again and it all became quiet. All was sleeping. Only my grandparents were not since maybe they slept on the plane, which was much more comfortable, I would guess, than this cramped van.
At about 1-2 am, I thought I was dreaming when I heard someone crying (the chills at my back are starting to crawl up my neck even more). I realized the van had stopped. I woke up and our driver was crying. There was something different about the way he cried. It was not the usual crying since it felt as if he was soooo scared. He was like crying like he never cried before. Then and there, I looked around at where we were (I didn’t want to but I was curious). Damn, I was so shocked and scared it was a relief to know I had both my Uncles Jun and Moses at either side of me and my Uncle Allan behind us. My uncle in-law’s brother (let’s just call him ULB, from this time on) was right at the passenger’s seat and I could see he was also so shocked and scared. He tried to speak with our driver but then to no avail. Our driver just kept crying that way.
My grandparents started talking and I started shaking. Damn, a lot of things came to my mind and I also think that was why my grandparents were speaking not to us but as if there was someone else with us. It’s part of the Igorot belief and customs of the old generation to speak this way to what we call, ‘anito’ (spirits) to either tell them we have no intentions of hurting them and thus not hurt us too or to plead that they go home where they belong and not do the things they do. It was when my grandparents spoke like this that I knew there was an ‘entity’ around us somewhere. My hair started to stand on end and my breathing escalated. My never-failing ingenious brain started working and showing reels of ghastly scenarios. I tried to shake the thoughts away but they kept coming back. I was so scared, I was rooted at where I was. I never looked outside the window again. I never moved. I prayed right that instant. I exchanged glances with Mancela and I saw she too was shocked and frightened with what happened. I wanted to laugh that instant but how could I when our driver was crying that way. Good thing there was a gasoline station just a few feet from where we stopped so we opted to stop for a while as our driver collects his thoughts and rest for a while.
Damn, that was really creepy. We were out of the van and Mancela and I never left each other’s sides even as we went to the restroom, only 3 meters away. We were still so shocked that we never said a thing. We just knew we had to stick together.
I remembered Sunday morning, Mancela and I was watching a Halloween special hosted by Drew Arellano (I think). It was about entities in some spots along the way to the north, which meant the expressways (like the Subic expressway) and such where accidents happened and the souls of the dead were still lingering at these spots. It is believed that these entities were causing trouble and showing themselves to certain travelers at different times at night and at the wee hours of the morning. The Halloween special even had testimonies from individuals who experienced seeing or hearing these entities. What really freaked us out was these testimonies and the re-enactments. It was the first thing that came to mind when that happened and it really really creeps me out whenever I think of it. It just keeps popping out of my head.
Later, we heard that the driver’s brother who was a soldier had a stroke and at that very same minute we started out from Manila, his remains were at Quezon City for the wake. Our driver had not received any notifications that this happened. It was only after we were a few miles out of Manila when someone sent him a message that his brother had a stroke and died.
We thought maybe the brother showed himself, thinking maybe why didn’t our driver even stop to see him when we were still in Manila. So eerie. I know I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight so as I am writing this, I’m streaming some Korean dramas I plan to watch online until the sun shines once more.
I did everything but I couldn’t get the thought of this out of my head. It’s still creepy how the chills still remain crawling up my spine and the hairs at the back of my neck keep standing on end. I already prayed to the Lord to help me not to be afraid and to guide and bless all the relatives and friends of our driver’s brother, that they keep strong. I also prayed for the dead brother that he may reach heaven and be forgiven for his sins, and that he would watch over his family, relatives and friends that they may not come to be harmed by anything seen and unseen.
I immediately took a bath after I came home thinking maybe the feeling and the chills would go away but to no avail. Here I am blogging as I think it may calm my thoughts but again I fail. My last resort was to watch and divert these feelings and thoughts into something more pleasant.
So here I am watching Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I am about to finish this drama and am streaming another Korean drama, Personal Taste which stars Lee Min Ho, the star of Boys Over Flowers.
If the feeling still does not go away, I would keep watching and streaming Korean Dramas until it does.
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Lord, I know you are always there guiding me and watching over me in everything I do. You are always in my heart and I know you would not leave me feeling this way. I seek for your help and continued guidance and blessings that I may overcome what I’m feeling right now so that I could live as a better person, in my right mind for me to serve you well as your servant. Thank you Lord. Good night.
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