The Third Eclipse

 ‘I do believe in multiverse, resurrections, aliens and other things that we haven’t discovered yet. Maraming pruweba para patunayan ang mga bagay na ‘yon but we chose to ignore those, why? Perhaps, we are blinded by the thing we called “reality” or we’re stuck inside this world where things that are considered “fantasy” are the real thing. Hindi ko rin alam, napapa-isip na lang din ako minsan... those people na tinatawag nating “baliw” pa’no kung sila ang nakakakita ng isang daang pursyento ng katotohanan tungkol sa mundo? Baka masyado tayong normal kaya't limitado lang din sa “normal” ang nakikita natin.

Halimbawa na lang, resurrections, maniniwala ba tayo sa mga taong nagsasabi na naaalala nila ang past life nila? No. Instead, we’re going to treat them as someone who have lost their minds. Deja vu? When there’s a specific smell na sigurado tayong pamilyar sa’tin, alam natin kung anong amoy ‘yon pero hindi natin matukoy kung saan galing, kanino and why does it smells nostalgic? Pwedeng sa lugar, sa mga pangyayaring makakapagsabi ka na lang na “Teka, parang nangyari na ‘to.”

Let me tell you a secret, I’m having dreams about someone I don’t know. Every night nagc-continue ‘yong dream na ‘yon na parang paborito mong series sa netflix na gabi-gabi mong pinapanood bago matulog. So I thought about it, what if we’re in a multiverse. That sleeping in this world means waking up on the other worlds, and their time was slower than us—just like an hour on a distant planet is seven years on Earth?

 I want to prove that those events are real, specially resurrections. Have you ever asked yourself, “Who am I in my past life?” “May mga anak ba ‘ko?” “Doctor ba ‘ko? Abogado? Writer? Politician? House wife?” or... “Who’s the love of my life in the past?” makikita ko kaya siya sa lifetime na ‘to?

And if we meet in this lifetime, will he cross more lifetimes to find me? If the world was ending, would he look for our love that never find its way home?

I hope yes.

-Mayari, (2015)’

“Cut!” Mayari’s voice conquered the hallway. She’s in 9^th take of a simple scene but she can’t seem to find the angle she’s looking for.

They were surrounded by students, it’s too crowded for her to focus. The sunset turned the hallway golden, it made their shot look more eye-pleasing and she can’t waste this time of the day by looking for the camera angle she wants.

“Bakit, Direct? Okay naman 'yong scene ha?” nagtatakang tanong ng assistant director niyang si Chloe.

“Hindi, may mali eh. Try to move Alisa’s camera on the left, tignan natin 'yong angle na ‘yon," she crossed her arms and look on the monitor to see the camera angle, “Nah, there’s something wrong about the angle," she shook her head.

“Try to move it a bit higher than eyelevel and the frame should start at the line sa dulo ng hallway,” a deep voice behind her said. She didn’t hesitate to look for the person and ordered her cameraman to try that angle.

A satisfied smile was formed on her exhausted face, this was the shot she was looking for half an hour now.

“Ayan! Perfect,” Mayari looked behind to thank the person who said that but he already left.

“Hey, Chloe have you seen the guy earlier? Kilala mo ba ‘yon?” she asked

“Yeah, that’s Apollo. Classmate ko siya isang subject ko sa film, kinda snob but he’s really good tho,” Chloe shrugged.

“Well, kinda look rude and arrogant but he looks good,” said Mayari.

“Hmmm, type mo?” pang-aasar ng kaibigan niyang si Chloe.

“Ewan ko sa’yo. Tapusin na natin ‘to!” Mayari smiled and told her artists to continue with the scene.

Tinuloy ng team ang shooting hanggang sa magdilim, nakatakda si Mayari na sumali sa yearly Film Festival ng school nila na gaganapin sa February sa susunod na taon kaya naman ginagamay niya ang bawat detalye ng ginagawang pelikula, magmula sa blocking ng mga artista hanggang sa anggulo ng camera.

3^rd year film student na si Mayari, ulila at may dalawang nakababatang kapatid na lalaki. Ang pag f-freelance niya bilang writer ang tanging kinukuhanan nila ng pang-araw araw. Fifteen years old pa lang si Mayari no'ng namatay sa aksidente ang mga magulang nila, naiwan sa kanya ang apat at siyam na taong gulang na mga kapatid no'ng panahong ‘yon. Hindi na rin nila magawang lapitan ang mga kapatid ng kanyang ina dahil kapos din ang mga ito, ang scholarship na lamang niya ang rason kaya’t patuloy pa siyang nakakapag-aral sa isang prestihiyong paaralan sa kolehiyo.

“Michael, Andrei andito na si ate!" sigaw niya pagpasok sa maliit na apartment na tinutuluyan nila. Eto na lang ang naiwan sa kanila ng mga magulang. Ang apartment building na pagmamay-ari nila.

Saglit siyang umupo sa sala at tumingin sa relo pasado alas diyes na rin pala kaya malamang ay tulog na ang mga kapatid.

Dumiretso na siya sa kwarto at bahagyang pinagmasdan ang mga gamit na nakakalat sa sahig, masyado siyang naging abala nitong mga nakaraan kaya’t ni hindi niya magawang mag-ayos ng mga gamit. Marahan siyang umupo sa kama at kinuha ang larawan nilang pamilya sa kanyang side table.

“I really wish you were here. Hindi sana magiging ganito kahirap,” tears fell down on her face. She feels exhausted, almost every day was exhausting for her. She let her body rest on her bed and closed her eyes. She misses her parents, she wants to give up every day. Mga kapatid niya na lang ang rason kung bakit pinipili niyang lumaban araw araw, siya na lang ang meron ang mga ito. Hindi siya pwedeng mawala.

“Kung magiging selfish lang ako, gusto ko nang makasama ulit kayo mama," Mayari wiped her tears and look at the glow in the dark stickers on her bedroom wall. She reminisced the days when she and her mom decided to put these moon stickers on her ceiling.

“Alam mo ba kung bakit Mayari ang ipinangalan naming sa’yo ng papa mo?” tanong ng kanyang ina habang hinahaplos nito ang kanyang buhok.

“Sabi ni Papa kasi para raw po akong moon,” inosenteng sagot ng batang Mayari “Ano pong ibig sabihin no’n mama?” she asked.

“Ibig sabihin non, ikaw ang nagbigay ng liwanag sa madidilim na parte ng buhay namin ng Papa mo. Ikaw 'yong naging rason kung bakit hindi kami matatakot sa gabi,” nakangiting sagot ng kanyang ina.

Mayari shook her head off the thoughts of her mother when her phone rang.

She looked at it and see an e-mail from the publishing house she applied to,

“re: Moonlight Publishing House,

Ms. Torres

I am pleased to extend an offer of employment on behalf of Moonlight Publishing House Corp. As discussed, we’d like to welcome you aboard as a Writer Intern. Your first day will be on Wednesday, October 7 2020...”

Mayari almost jump from her bed, she’s been waiting for this opportunity since she entered college.

She’s just a few steps away from her dreams, she can’t give up now.

Unti unti siyang nakakahanap ng rason para lumaban ulit. Para magpatuloy.

Di niya namalayang nakatulog na siya dahil na rin sa pagod.

“Mahal, magkikita na muli tayo…”

Mayari’s phone rang and woke her up from her weird dream… that dream again? She thought while thinking about it, she have been dreaming about a guy calling her “Love” these past weeks. He keeps on saying “magkikita na muli tayo.” And that’s all her dream was about.

Mayari shook those thoughts off her head and grab her phone, she told her team that they don’t have shooting for the day so they could rest. She get up and did her morning routine, cook breakfast, take a shower and drop her brothers at school.

It was an hour early before her first class so she decided to go to library and write. Aside from being a director and film student, she also loves writing. Art is her escape. The things she can’t do or say, she made it possible on writing. She have her own world beneath the pages and tip of her pen.

She took out a notebook labelled “Letters to my Love” then started writing.

This was about the man in her dreams. She made the story out of it.

A man looking and waiting for her love to come to him. A man who spent his lifetime loving the woman who never came home.

“Hindi ko pa rin sigurado kung saan kita matatagpuan, subalit alam kong malapit ka lang. Marahil nakasalubong na kita sa bilihan ng sorbetes subalit abala akong pumili kung tsokolate o vanilla, baka ikaw yung nakatabi ko sa sinehan subalit paborito kong artista ang bida kaya naman hindi ko naisipang tumingin sa’yo. O nakasalubong na kita sa pagtawid subalit kailangan mong lumingon sa kanan at ako naman sa kaliwa kaya’t hindi nagtama ang mga mata natin. Hindi ko rin alam ang plano ng tadhana pero hinahanap kita… Hahanapin kita.”

The bell rang after Mayari wrote the last words on her notebook. Hindi niya na rin namalayan ang oras kaya agad siyang tumakbo papunta sa kanyang klase.

Agad siyang umupo sa bandang likuran sa tabi ng bintana, sapat na pwesto para magmuni muni at malayo sa paningin ng propesor.

“Excuse me? Do I know you, Mister?” masungit na tanong ng professor nila.

“Ah yes Ma’am, the last time I checked you were my professor in Cinematography,” the guy nonchalantly respond.

That voice caught Mayari’s attention, she saw the guy from yesterday. She doesn’t know that they were classmates in one of her subjects. He sat behind Mayari.

“May I know your name?” tanong ng professor

“Apollo, Ma’am. Apollo Domingo,” Apollo answered.

“Oh I see, you were the Domingo that has been missing my class for three weeks,” Apollo just smirked at the professor’s statement.

“Boring," he whispered.

“What did you say Mr. Domingo? Would you mind sharing your thoughts with your classmate?” the professor raised her eyebrows on Apollo.

“I said, aren’t we starting?” He then smirked.

Asshole. Mayari thought then look behind her, sure he have a pretty face. She can say that he’s a talented film student also but… he looks like a brat.

For some reason… Mayari felt tickles on her chest, she heard the man in her dream…

“Mahal ko, magkikita na muli tayo.”