When Back In Time

PEPE SOFTLY pushed Esperanza off his back when he regained his consciousness.

Esperanza woke up, grunted, and feeling the pain from his right foot. She heard Pepe shrieked in pain. Her eyes lifted towards where he was standing. The upper right corner of his forehead was bleeding as well as his nose. His slightly flat nose now seemed already flattened.

Pepe let out a curse. He gripped his left hand.

Esperanza's eyes became wider as she saw Pepe's fingers were broken.

His pinkie and ring fingers were crushed so much and bleeding horrifyingly.

Esperanza screamed in horror.

Pepe said, trying to calm her, "Uh… Huwag ka'ng mag-alala Esperanza. Wala lang ito. Maayos lang ako." (Uh.... don't mind this Esperanza. This is nothing. I'm alright)

She said, "P-pero Pepe… ang mga daliri----- ouch!" (B-but Pepe…. Your finge----- ouch!) Esperanza held her right leg. She felt a throbbing pain on her right foot when she moved it.

Pepe looked at her right foot and let out a gasp.

Esperanza asked, "Anong mayroon? Ba't ganiyan ang pagmumukha mo?" (What is it? Why you make that face?)

She sat up and was about to look at her foot when suddenly Pepe shouted and halted her.

He said she should not look. But it was too late.

She did turn her head and saw her right foot. It looked unusual. She lifted her long skirt to see it better.

It was a ghastly sight.

There she saw her foot was horrifyingly twisted, facing the other side.

"What---?" she said. Affrighted, she then lost her consciousness.

When she woke up again she saw Pepe was bandaging her ankle. He put branches around her ankle and bandaged it using the clothes he torn from her skirt.

He noticed Esperanza was awake. He said, "Paumanhin sa ginagawa ko sa iyong saya." (I apologized to what I did to your skirt)

Esperanza shook her head and said her thanks to him. Her gaze went towards his face. His forehead stopped from bleeding but still bloody. His broken nose was also bloody. Her stares moved towards his left hand. It was bandaged badly. She offered him to help him.

Pepe refused but she insisted.

She took his hand and removed the bandage. She looked sadly to his two fingers which were badly wounded and in no condition. It was broken. "Kinakailangan mong ipatingin ito sa doktor," she said. (You need to go to the doctor)

He replied, "Hindi ko na kinakailangan pa iyon. " (I don't need to)

His free hand was about to take his injured hand when suddenly he, accidentally, touched hers. He looked at her with wide eyes.

Esperanza blinked twice. She then averted her eyes and bit her lips. She took his injured hand and bandaged it properly.

Her heart would not stop from pumping in such accelerated pace. 'What's going on with my heart?' she cluelessly asked herself.

"Alam mo (You know)," he started, "Mayroon akong naalala. Isang panaginip (I remember something. A dream)"

She asked, "A-ano naman iyon?" (W-what is it?)

"Nanaginip ako patungkol sa iyo. Tayong dalawa ay nasa barko noon, kaharap ang isa't isa. Tapos… Tapos biglang lumapit ang iyong mukha sa… sa… akin" he said. (I dreamed about you. We were in the ship at that time, facing each other. Then… Then your face came near to mine.. mine)

He looked away.

Esperanza realized what he was about to say. He was telling her about the time when Pepe was drunk and there were two civil guards approaching their way. With no back up plan, she pulled Pepe towards her. Her soft lips touched his.

This made her blush. 'Oh my gosh!' She immediately looked at him to ensure he didn't see her red face.

Pepe scratched his neck. He was about to continue what he said when suddenly Esperanza interrupted him to change the topic.

"Ah!" she said and asked where he was he. She was looking and worried sick for him since yesterday.

Pepe answered that he was saved by someone yesterday. He also was looking for Esperanza.

Then she remembered something important. Her last encounter she had with Bangun Bangun flashed back to her mind….

....

"I'll give you a deadline for your quest," Bangun Bnagun said.

"A deadline? What do you think you were giving to me? A school project? A class presentation?" she retorted. "Finding a man without a clue is even harder than you think. Why give me a deadline?"

"I'm giving you a chance, human. Nothing more, nothing less," he said.

Bangun Bangun continued, "You are near to your destination, in Mindanao. That's why I'll give you five days to fulfill your tasks. Find Jose Rizal and the other clock, and you will surely come back to your time, in 2019. But..."

The atmosphere went still. The stars on the sky dully and ominously twinkled.

"But," he spoke, "If you fail to triumph the task, you will face a severe consequence."

"Se-severe consequence?" she stuttered.

"You well know that you don't belong in this era, right? If you fail, you will never go back to your time. In addition, if you fail, your existence will vanish in this era."

"V-vanish?" she said, "Vanish?"

"If you fail, you will face your demise Esperanza Valdez," Bangun Bangun said. "Your time is ticking. Godspeed, human."

...…..

'5 days,' she thought to herself. 'He gave me a deadline. I need to accomplish my quest within 5 days. Yesterday I've spent the whole day. Now I only have 4 days left.'

Her head lifted towards heaven. She could see sunlight from the branches and leaves that are covering the sky. The sky was cleared up and no longer covered by the dark clouds. The glaring rays of the sun and the position of it tells here it's already afternoon.

Today, if there's still no progress, she will then spend another one day, then she'll only have the remaining 3 days.

Then… if she still fails she will… She will…

Vanish. Vanish.

She'll die.

She looked at Pepe, desperately. Her eyes were pleading for help. The latter was taken back.

"Pepe," she started, "Kinakailangan ko ng mahanap si Jose Rizal sa madaling panahon." (Pepe I need to find Jose Rizal faster)

In resolute, Pepe agreed. He helped Esperanza on her knees and aided her in walking.

They continued their quest.

Huge trees surrounded them. Esperanza looked up ahead while thinking about her quest and her remaining 4 days.

Pepe looked at her and asked where she was yesterday.

She looked sideways at him and told him she was on the seashore looking for him and then started roaming aorund. aroundumbled upon a beautiful lady who sheltered her.

She didn't mention to him that the beautiful lady named Yawa was magical.

Remembering, she asked Pepe who saved him.

"Ah!" he started, "Tinulungan ako ng ginoong may magandang misay na nagngangalang Agustin-----" (A gentleman with a beautiful mustache named Agustin helped me----)

"Agustin?" Esperanza stopped and looked at Pepe.

Pepe asked "Bakit Esperanza? Kilala mo ba si ginoong Agustin? Saan mo siya naki----- sandali lang. Sinabihan ba kita patungkol sa kanya? Hindi ko masyado maalala pero sa tingin ko sinabihan kita patungkol sa kanya." (Why Esperanza? Do you know Mr. Agustin? Where did you mee-----wait. Did I mention him to you? I don't clearly recall but I think I told you about him)

'Agustin,' Esperanza thought to herself. She didn't heard what Pepe was still saying. Her thoughts drifted to the man named Agustin. Agustin, the man with the other clock. Her second task.

....

Near the shoreline, an old man who was wearing a cloak was walking on the sand. On his hand, he held a cane.

A man of his 20's approached him. He was wearing a barong tagalog and a salakot (wide-brimmed hat) on his head. He had a well-trimmed mustache. His name is Agustin.

Agustin approached the old man. "They did it," he reported. "They finally finish what you ordered. The girl is now dead."

"Dead?" the old man gritted his teeth. "Oh no, no, no. She's not dead. Still not dead. Your men failed Agustin."

"But----" Agustin was shocked. "But they saw her fall from the cliff."

The old man turned his head towards him. "When I said eliminate her, eliminate her. Do not give me half-ass work. Do you understand, Agustin?" the old man's eyes became bloody. A cloud of black smoke came from his hem and traveled its way towards Agustin. The latter fearfully tried to escape it.

But the black smoke caught him. It slithered its way to his body towards his neck. Then, it morphed into a black hand and grasped tightly Agustin's neck.

"The next time you fail me, Agustin, you will never see the light. Now hurry and end that pesky time traveling girl. I don't want her ruining my plans, " the old man said.