Rice Barter with Root Crops

When they reached barrio Makasido at around 0300 hrs, they right away found the place where a well-known farmer resides and only Albrecht, Amado and the Captain came in. The Captain sought some help from Amado to interpret their conversation.

" Sir, we wish to barter our root crops with rice." The Captain uttered.

" Ah, just go on and I can understand and knows to speak english as well, Sir."

" Good, thank you." The Captain smiled as the rice owner invited them to sit comfortably inside a secret place of his house.

"What root crops do you have?" The rice owner asked.

" Its all in all contained with 'karlang', 'kamote,' 'singkamas,' and we also brought some 'peanuts.' Albrecht showed some sample.

" Ah, I already have those but because you've traveled this far, I'll take all of these and exchange it with rice enough for you to carry going back. Anyway, its timely that we have available stocks inside so take 4 sacks." The farmer smiled at them and tapped Albrecht's shoulder.

" Wow! thank you! he shook his hand and asked his name.

" Ah, I'm Elmar, I'm supposed to let you stay for breakfast but its almost dawn, please leave now and send my prayers to my co-Filipinos that your team is helping. You may bring the "adobo sa gata" chicken meat and some eggs. You just need to carefully travel."

" Blessed is this house, thank you very much Elmar and even if I'm not a Filipino but I'll use " utang na loob", our debt of gratitude for your genuine help for us. Till we meet again Elmar, so we'll go now." The Captain shook hands with him while his men already carried all the sacks going out. He was delayed for a while to fix the viand that Albrecht had packed with banana leaves. Then they saw Baldur who followed to fetch them and took the other pack of viand, put his bag and arranged it. Someone from the opponents has returned to check the frontal area of the house so Baldur hid at the back of the kitchen door. When the soldier was done checking, Baldur came out and followed Albrecht, Amado and the Captain outside.

" Hey, they're already waiting for us outside, c'mon Baldur, what took you so long inside?"

" Dad, for a while, we can't bring the sauce since its slimy that will easily destroy the meat so I left the coconut sauce. Ah...here, I'm done." When they were about to get out, someone knocked on the door so they backed off and cover themselves at the back of the door. Interestingly, there were two Japs who were looking for Elmar. When Elmar got out, they brought him outside and gone.

" Shh...this way here at the back, c'mon!" Edward whispered so they proceeded to the place to meet up with their comrades. Everyone then was grateful to see them safe despite the presence of the Japs.

" Thank God." The Captain smiled.

" What do you think is the reason why they picked him up." Henry looked at Albrecht.

" Shh...let's start on our hike."

" But Sir! its almost 1800 hrs, the sun is about to rise now. We're trapped here, we can't anymore cross that road, we become visible already if we do it." Baldur reasoned out while Henry agreed with him.

" Yeah, yeah. we'll just hide the sacks with dried leaves. Remember, let's not use handguns here but if there's a need for us to protect ourselves, let's do it with a shorter weapon."

" How about their bayonets, its too long, Sir!" Albrecht complained.

" Then just attach your dagger at the tip of a bigger stick."

" Hahaha!" everyone laughed while Albrecht pressed his head and smiled.

Baldur, despite being serious but moved beside him and teasingly spoke. " Albrecht, when Dad returned you've got energy shortage, our boss is terrible." Baldur stood up again then helped the rest to cover the sacks of rice with withered leaves. Since the place was shady and surrounded with big trees so some of them climbed just to sleep on big branches above and to wait for sundown.

Meanwhile, at the granite house, the occupants were astounded by a shocking news from Sr. Sibal who just woke them forcibly out of his loud voice.

" George! Magee!"

" Ama! good morning!" George smiled at him.

" Let me enter.but be sure to close and loçk the door immediately. See this, its a boy. A Jap. Now, what are we going to do with him?" Sr. Sibal asked.

" Amà, what's the story behind this, what really transpire?" George asked while Magee was just silent and unfold the hanky covered to a little boy's eyes. Then when she saw him, she felt relieved after losing her baby.

" Bruno said, one of the women with them named Alexandra found that boy inside Albrecht's space and assumed to be there inside the cave for days long. In fact, he maybe tried to find out some food but found none so he tried to eat the sugar in the container." Sibal narrated while Magee was chatting with the boy using the boy's language.

"Ah, I need to ask the woman who found him. Thank you Amá for bringing this boy here, hmm, so ironic, we have just saved our enemy." George smiled.

" Who's the enemy...he isn't,in fact he's so sweet. He's just a boy, look at him, he's so cute." Magee pinched a little of her husband's stony arm muscle while smilingly glanced to George.

" Wow...so sweet little boy, I hope so...okay..but let me first talk to Alexandra and find out why. Mag, continue to interview that boy. I'll get back after an hour." George said while they moved out with Sr. Sibal and descended on a spiral staircase.

"Ama, hmm...if we release the boy he might tell everyone out there about station one and the granite house. If we kill him since he's considered our enemy, we appeared hopeless and inhumane. What do you think amá?"

" Hmm...I did not kill you when I found out that your father was the lover of my wife, an enemy. Instead, I took good care of you and began to realize that the dignity of self-respect does not just limit to what the situation has given me but I must give it a try and see the golden rule in life. In the bible it says, Pedro must pay his debt instead of Juan. Your father's sin isn't yours nor I shouldn't consider my self as the lender. It means, the Japanese boy don't deserve the hatred of this world. Raise him the way I raised you, see! I reached this far." Sr. Sibal smirked and tapped his shoulder.

"Amá...thank you very much." George have learned something new from his surrogate father.