When Back In Time

DR. JOSE Rizal, the man whom she's looking for in her entire quest, stood before her in a confused state.

He stammered, "A-anong nang-nang-nangyari?" (W-what ha-ha-happened?)

His gazed laid on Agustin who's unconscious on the floor. He drew closer to his friend while apologizing but suddenly Esperanza stopped him.

"Huwag! (No!)" she said.

Esperanza did not know what happened or how did Jose Rizal come out from the ceiling. But one thing is for sure, she's glad he's back.

And now to the calamity they are in, she ordered him to help her tied up his friend.

That taken aback Jose Rizal but Esperanza insisted with strong determination on her voice.

The two carried Agustín's body in the nearest room. They laid him down on the bed and tied his arms and feet on the four posts of the bed.

"A-anong nangyayari?" Pepe 2 or also known as Jose Rizal asked. (What happened?)

She replied, "Hindi importante kung anong nangyayari ngayon. Nasaan na ang relo?" (It doesn't matter what is happening now. Where is the watch?)

He looked at her in surprise but after a few seconds, he then raised his arm. There, wrapped on his wrist was the wristwatch.

She sighed in deep relief. Grabbing his arm, she asked him, "Saan ka napadpad gamit nitong relo?" (Where did you go using this wristwatch?)

"T-to the future," he simply said.

Slowly, Esperanza raised her head and gazed at him. He continued, "To the future."

"How far?" she asked.

"I don't know," he spoke fluently. "All I know is that Filipino people there forgotten who they are. They adore more other countries' culture rather than their own. They are much indulged with these foreign music such as those Americans, Koreans and such and setting aside Filipino music, sing along with those songs they don't even understand. Idolizing those artists whom they thought much better than ours. They...They are betraying their own brethren than helping their own. It pains me to see what happened to my beloved nation. They lost their pride in their own country. It is sad that after all that I've done, and what other Filipinos has done in this time was put to waste in the future. And they also used that non-native language called English. And argh! now I'm using this language now. Nasaan na ba iyong sinabi ko na ang 'Taong hindi marunong magmahal sa kanyang wika ay mas masangsang pa sa isda'." (Where is that line I quoted, 'A person who does not love his own language is worse than the pungent fish')

He sighed melancholically.

She backed away. 'He went that far to the future and saw those such which is depressing his heart.'

"Hindi ko na sana isinulat pa ang mga nobela na iyon kung gayun din naman, hindi mamumulat ang mga tao at ngayon tatangkilikin lang nila ang hindi kanila," he said in depressed tone. (I should not have written down those novels if this would have happened, that the people wouldn't be woken up but instead enjoyed foreign culture)

Jose Rizal continued, "I gave up. I don't want to help my fellow men anymore."

'No,' she thought, 'he must not give up now. Just like Bangun Bangun had told me if Jose Rizal gives up now, the Filipino will not be reawakened and the history will change drastically.'

"No----"

"So we succeed then?"

Esperanza looked at the conscious Agustin who's now staring at Jose Rizal. The latter back away after seeing Agustín's black eyes.

"What do you mean 'you succeed'?" she asked Agustin.

"Haven't he explain it to you then?" Agustin asked.

"Who?"

He said, "the god who brought you here. Haven't he explain to you that mission was to break the national hero's heart and to stop reawakening the Filipinos."

She is confused, "Huh?"

"Haven't you wondered how I get the watch?" he asked.

"Bangun Bangun told me he misplaced it in this era that's why you got your hold on it."

He clicked his tongue thrice, "Wrong. I didn't find it. It was given to me, an old man with a cane."

"An old man with a cane? I don't understand," she said.

"Think again. An old man who can change himself easily from old to youth," Agustin uttered.

Jose Rizal asked, "A-anong sinasabi niya? At bakit kulay itim ang buong mata mo kaibigan? Hindi dapat ganyan ang mga mata mo." (W-what is he saying? And why is your eyes, my friend, were in full black color? That's not supposed to happen to your eyes)

"An old man," Esperanza started and looked down. She only remembered one person who can morph himself instantly from old to young.

She remembered the first time she met him, he was an old man at that time with a cane on his hand. And then the second time she met him, he was a man of his 20's who can transform into a kid and then into a senile man again.

"B-but why?" she asked, she's totally lost.

"For fun of course," he said with a sinister smirk on his face, "of course, as a god, living in this world for a long time is tiring. He wanted to have some fun that's why he purposely gave the watches on me and you."

"But... But I saw the wristwatch. He didn't give it to me," she retorted.

He looked at her in amus.e.m.e.nt, "And you believe that?"

"But... But... But even so, why me? Why need to do this?"

"As I told you, he's a god who is bored of this world who wanted to shake something on this world in order to amuse himself. To put chaos, to spice things up. And as for why you, I have no idea why he chose to ruin your life," Agustin said, "And what is more amusing to do, or course, wrecking the whole history of the Philippines causing more nonsense revolution, etc. That's what a god does. And now, have you not wondered? You haven't seen Bangun Bangun for awhile right?"

Esperanza pulled Jose Rizal and exited the hospital, leaving Agustin still tied up there, with black eyes and laughing non-stop.

The two rode a kalesa and headed outside the town.

A young man came running in the street and stopped while panting so hard. He looked worriedly on the kalesa driving away.

"Es... Esperanza...."