“That’s nice, Nadi,” Flora told her daughter, all the while feeling apprehensive that her daughter had seen the place where fishermen supposedly vanished. Flora hugged her daughter and kissed her head thinking of what she would do if her daughter suddenly disappeared. Flora knew that she could not live with herself if something happened to her daughter. “Did you enjoy your walk to the vegetable patch?”“Yes, Mommy!” said Nadi. “I picked leaves and flowers for Kay.” Nadi then showed Flora the bunch of small different colored flowers.“Oh, they’re beautiful, Nadi!” said Flora and smelled the flowers being held out to her by her daughter. “And they’re very fragrant!”“Fragrant!” repeated Nadi.“Yes, fragrant,” said Flora. “I have to go back inside, Nadi. Can you stay here and play with Dolly while I work?”“This is Kay!” said Nadi, hugging her doll.“Oh, sorry, I thought you said before that her name is Dolly,” said Flora.“No, this is Kay,” insisted Nadi and then she got off from Flora’s
The guest finished his lunch with Pablo taking over most of the tasks of serving him, whether it was refilling the guest’s glass with water or taking out his used dishes and utensils. Pablo would immediately go to the guest’s side, just as the latter had drunk halfway through his glass of water or had taken the last morsels of the food served him. Pablo would signal to Flora to return quickly to her station after she had delivered the food on the table.Flora was confused as Pablo worked quickly and tried to prevent her from staying too long beside the guest. When the guest finally left the kitchen after a ‘thank you’ and a fleeting smile, Flora got to clearing the table and arranging the chair that the guest had left.Pablo approached Flora and she felt nervous, anticipating another admonishment from Pablo.“How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to our guest?” Pablo asked, his eyes practically blazing as Flor
Flora looked at Eva as she untied her apron at her back to replace it with a clean one from the drawer. Eva seemed relieved to be going out of the kitchen and her face was beaming as she went to the food cart to push it towards the dining room. Just before she got out the door, she glanced at Flora and smirked as if finally liberated from a prison where Flora was just about to start her sentence.Flora asked Rosa for permission to get food for her daughter and herself and Rosa gave her assent without looking. Flora took out two small servings of the dinner reserved for the servants and carried it to the anteroom. She saw her daughter role-playing with her doll and a broomstick, pretending to feed them using the leaves and flowers she had picked earlier. The plants had been battered and torn into smaller pieces by Nadi and placed in thin sticks to create her version of shish kebab. Nadi quickly turned when she heard the kitchen door open and her face brightened when she saw her mother
It was already late when Flora was able to finish her work with the dough. She placed the last container of dough in the refrigerator and closed the appliance door. It was hard work, but she was used to it and reminded herself that she was doing it for her daughter. She looked behind her at the table that had already been cleaned and emptied of pots, containers, and cooking implements. The vegetable trimmings had been placed in bins, ready to be collected the following day by Emil.Flora sighed as she felt her tired muscles from an extended day at work. It had been peaceful in the last couple of hours when Rosa had left her alone in the kitchen to finish preparing the dough. Eva left much earlier after she had done washing the serving plates and utensils used by their lone guest. Flora did not like being alone much and wanted to have someone to talk to as she worked, but it seemed that she would need to get used to working with superiors who frown at her for talking.Flora remembered b
It was the first time for Flora to see the master’s other guests, having seen only Mr. Renan in the two days that she had been working on the island. The only sign that there were other guests at all were the flowing dresses that Flora saw in the laundry. Dresses that she noticed were unusually soiled as if whoever wore them had slept on the ground. Then, Flora remembered that that was after she saw that dreadful shirt that was all bloodied except for the sleeves. Flora recoiled at the memory. Seeing the master’s other guests awake at night and moving about, albeit at a distance, made Flora realize that the mansion was indeed inhabited by people whom she was serving. She had not seen the master since she had come to Orsica which felt unusual for her who had closely served masters and mistresses of small households in Malen. Seeing Mr. Dante’s guests in the flesh had substantiated the thought that the work that she was doing was really for the comfort and convenience of the master and
“Oh! Did he?” said Flora, recalling seeing Emil’s back as he stood in front of Eva’s door.“Yes, he did!” Eva giggled softly. “I was lying in bed and I was crying my eyes out because of the awful way that Pablo treated me. I happened to look at my door and saw something block the light from under it, like there was a person standing just outside my door. I got an uneasy feeling as to who it might be at that hour, and I walked towards the door to take a peek from the peeping hole and see who it was. I was taken aback when I saw Emil’s face looking so pitifully sad with a distant look in his eyes. He seemed deeply confused and pained, or maybe it was just that he was looking at my door wondering if he was going to knock or not. So, what I did was I wiped the tears from my eyes and quickly burst my door open without saying anything,” said Eva.“What did he do? How did he react?” Flora wanted to know.
Flora opened the door to the anteroom and let Nadi ran inside. Then, Flora gently closed the door behind her daughter and remained outside as she continued her conversation with Eva. “Emil did not seem to be lying when he told me that.”Eva looked at Flora in disbelief. “I can’t believe you’re sticking with that story of yours, Flora! Emil already told me the truth. How can it be possible that his wife and daughter are here on this island?”Flora paused for a while and said, “I don’t know, Eva.”“Exactly! Have you seen any little children running around or even heard them these last few days that we’ve been here?”“No,” replied Flora.“Me neither. As far as I know, Nadi is the only child living here on this island. As for the wife, why would even Emil bother kissing me when he knows that he could easily get caught cheating on his wife!” Eva blurted
After a while, Pablo knocked on the door again. Flora looked at Pablo’s face that had started to look strained. When there was still no reply nor any sound of movement coming from inside the guest’s room, Pablo turned to Flora.“Go back to the dining room and wait for me there.” Pablo’s voice was hushed, but it was stern and commanding and Flora knew that she needed to go at once.Flora immediately turned back and went down the corridors and the staircase without looking back at Pablo. As she walked, she could not help but think what could have happened. Is Mr. Renan sick or had he overslept? It did not take long however before her dim surroundings and the pale faces of the portraits hanging on the walls made Flora uneasy and all that she could think about was getting back to the dining room as fast as she could. Soon, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she opened the door to the dining room. Not knowing what else to do, she jus
The water was clear and Lisa had no trouble seeing the cave opening just ahead. Before swimming through the opening, she took a quick look behind her and saw Nestie just behind her. Lisa gave Nestie a quick wave and shot through the opening of the cave with broad strokes of her arms and legs. Lisa swam to the surface and was quickly amazed at what she saw. The sun shining through the opening of the grotto made the water luminous, turning it from emerald to a glowing neon. She looked at her hands from under the water and saw the fine bubbles on her skin turning her hands into silver. She looked up at the ceiling and saw the ripples in the water reflected on the high dome of the grotto, giving the cavern an otherworldly appearance. The stalactites hanging from the ceiling glinted in the green light and looked like numerous fingers reaching for the water below. Nestie’s head bobbed out of the water and he quickly wiped the water from his face with his hands. Lisa watched his friend’s re
The boat glided over the water, leaving ripples in its wake. The boatman jumped aboard and started the engine, steering the boat towards one of the many islets that dotted the sea. Nestie turned his head and looked at the cliff that they had just descended. He swallowed hard before saying to Lisa. “I can’t believe we descended from that,” he said. “Are we going back the same way?” Lisa smiled as she saw the expression on Nestie’s face. Her friend took the front seat on the boat while she sat behind him. “Do you want to?” Lisa asked. “I don’t know if I can make it,” Nestie replied. Then, he added. “Maybe I can, but you will have to pull me up.” Lisa laughed at Nestie and pinched his back. “Ow! What was that for?” asked Nestie, rubbing his back which Lisa had just pinched. “For being so adorable!” Lisa answered. “Look ahead of you and enjoy the scenery. Don’t you think the islets and the rock formations look stunning?” Nestie loo
Upon alighting from the tricycle, Nestie saw the ocean and the tall cliffs that surrounded a wide beach. They were a short distance from the sandy coast where several boats were docked. Out on the sea were numerous islets that rose from the water like the backs of turtles or upturned boats. Several of the islands were connected to each other like a pearl necklace, the sea between them becoming labyrinthine for boats to navigate through. Fortunately, the islets also served a purpose in protecting the moored boats on the small beach where Lisa and Nestie were standing as well as the inner islets in the archipelago from the strong currents and big waves coming from the open ocean. “Do you like what you’re seeing so far, Nestie?” asked Lisa who had just paid the tricycle driver and stood beside Nestie to admire the scenery. “I’ve seen so many coasts in my life, but this is still breathtaking!” remarked Nestie, drinking in the scene before him. They were on top of a cliff
Lisa woke up from the sound of birds outside the window. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the room flooded with golden light. She stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes before sitting up in bed. It looked like it was going to be a good day, she thought as she looked around the brightly-lit room. Celie was still sleeping soundly so Lisa silently got off her bed and prepared to take her morning shower. It was good that Celie was able to sleep without any incident. Her cousin needed to have a good night’s rest if she were to look great for her birthday party. After taking her shower and putting on her usual comfortable clothes of jeans and a cotton shirt, Lisa noiselessly left the room. She then walked to Nestie’s room and knocked on the door. “Come in, Lisa,” came Nestie’s voice and Lisa twisted the door knob. “How was your sleep last night, Nes?” asked Lisa. Nestie had already changed and was combing his hair. “Very well. Thank you,” replied Nestie.
Lisa lay in bed with her blankets to her neck. Celie was right. It was a cold night. Lisa, however, could not figure out why Celie insisted on having the windows open despite the cold. Her cousin’s actions had been a bit erratic and illogical these past days, thought Lisa. She knew that her cousin tended to be unpredictable at times even when they were young. Back then, it could just be attributed to their youth; Lisa, herself, remembered doing some wild things with Celie. However, they were now grown women and very much in control of their actions. Lisa could understand Celie’s predicament of having to live under public scrutiny and always acting as a model figure for her father’s citizens, but Celie’s sudden disappearances and escape from her security detail were quite irresponsible. There was a quick snort coming from Celie’s bed and Celie moved restlessly to one side. Lisa looked at her cousin and wondered where she had gone after her photo shoot at the Home for the Elde
“Is that you, Lisa love?” came Celie’s drowsy voice as Lisa entered the guest room. The lights were off and Lisa could only tell from the dark shape over the bed that her cousin was already lying down as if ready to sleep. “Yes, Celie,” said Lisa, looking at her cousin. “It seems too early for you to be sleeping. Would you mind if I turn on the lights?” Lisa switched on the lights and saw that her cousin was in bed with her blankets drawn up to her neck. There was a soft moan from Celie. “Oh, sorry. Is the light too bright?” asked Lisa. “N-no,” came Celie’s reply. “Keep the lights on.” Lisa was about to walk towards her bed when she noticed Celie’s face. Celie’s face was ashen and her lips were pale. “You look pale, Celie. Are you sick?” asked Lisa worriedly. “No. I’m alright, Lisa. Don’t mind me. I just feel tired, that’s all,” came Celie’s reply. “Sorry to hear that,” said Lisa. She nevertheless went towards Celie and
The gates to the Adobe House opened slowly to allow the van to enter the grounds. There were soft knocks on the van’s window that made Lisa look at the person making the sound. She saw a young woman outside the van offering her garlands of sanaria. After a short pause, Lisa decided to lower the window and bought several garlands from the young woman. The young woman beamed, briefly showing her white but misaligned teeth. She thanked Lisa before walking off to find other buyers of her sanaria garlands. The sweet smell of the fresh garlands filled the van as it drove inside the Adobe House grounds. Lisa took a deep breath and was quickly reminded of her time as a young girl in Cardena. She remembered that there used to be plenty of sanaria growing wildly in nearby vacant lots and she and Celie would compete on who could pick the most. The flowers were brought to the kitchen were the kitchen maids would take some of their time to turn them into garlands. Sanaria leaves that did
The rain fell just too heavily and too sudden that Lisa could not tell if she did see what she thought she saw. She remembered seeing banners pinned on the trees outside as they entered the building earlier and knew that she could have imagined those to be something else. There was another flash of lightning followed by thunder and Lisa knew that it could be another one of the freak weather disturbances that she and Nestie had been seeing more frequently lately. “Toto, you have to stay calm,” said the nurse to the old man. She had come to the old man’s assistance when she found him to be distressed. “It’s just the rain. It will be over soon.” Lisa walked over to Nestie who was looking at the nurse as she tried to calm Toto. The two friends wanted to help the old man, but knew that the nurse would be able to do a better job. The nurse turned to Lisa and Nestie and gave them a smile. “He’s always like this during thunderstorms. Crying like a child.” “Ju
Toto placed his wrinkled hands on top of his notebook. He took off his glasses and looked at his audience around the table. They had all finished lunch and were listening to him as he read from his notebook. "Why did you stop?" said an old lady. "Go on. I want to know what happens next." "Yes, I want to know what happened between you and Clara," asked another bright-eyed old lady. "You had me talking for almost an hour. I think I deserve some breather," said Toto. He coughed, prompting Nestie to grab the pitcher and pour cold water onto Toto’s glass. “Thank you,” said Toto to Nestie after taking a few gulps of water. Lisa was amused. "You mentioned the Devil's Sea. Is that a real place?" Toto gave another cough and set down his glass on the table. "It's real alright. You don't hear a lot of stories about it now, but in those days, there were a lot of boats that went missing in that area." "You mean like the Bermuda triangle?" a