One Step Closer
"The coincidental girl, in an accidental way, found her way to the author in an unexpected play. What game would it be? How will they both decide? This girl named Riri, in rules, will she abide?".
Isinulat ito ni Keil, at naghanda nang matulog.
"Keil. Hey, Keil, I have a question for you".
Once again, Keil found himself at the same spot where Mary's voice called him in his dreams. He looked around, and found nothing as expected. "What is it?", he asked the voice. The voice giggled, then he felt a cold wind from behind his left ear.
"Doesn't it sound familiar?"
Keil was confused. "What is?", he asked. The voice did not reply, instead it recited something.
"Stand tall, my servant; I commend your every word."
Keil's heartbeat berserked as he started to remember something. He knew it was something, but he couldn't find it in his head. Habang dumadaan ang mga segundo ay pabilis ng pabilis ang tibok ng puso ni Keil, until the voice giggled once again.
"Familiar, isn't it?".
Nagising si Keil mula sa panaginip niya. Hindi niya maalala ng malinaw kung tungkol saan ito, ngunit napakabilis pa din ng tibok sa kanyang dibdib. Humawak siya sa ulo niya, desperadong malalaking tungkol saan ang panaginip niya, or at least what was it that he found out in that dream. He clutched his fist in despair of not remembering something so important, and let's out a sigh.
It was a Saturday, and the squad doesn't have any plans. Keil went out of his home, taking in the fresh air outside. He then decides to go to the library to buy books that may be used as references.
At the bookstore...
"Hmmm... Which one? This, or that one?", Keil whispered to himself as he chooses over two different novels. This has been the situation for fifteen minutes, at karamihan sa mga nakailang tao ay naiinip na sa kanya kaya naman binili na lamang niya ito parehas. Nang nasa counter na upang magbayad, biglang may napansin si Keil. Lumingon ito sa likod niya, at nakita ang isang babaeng papalabas na ng bookstore. Agad niyang binayaran ang mga binili niya at hinabol ang babae.
"Mary!?", humahangos niyang sinabi habang tumatakbo. Ngunit paglabas niya ng gusali ay eksakto namang nakasakay na ito sa isang taxi. Napaluhod na lamang si Keil sa panghihinayang. Desperado na siyang makahanap ng mga sagot sa napakarami niyang mga tanong, at pinapasakit na nito ang ulo niya. Noong araw na iyon ay umuwing malungkot si Keil, but the emotions don't show melancholy. Instead, there is a blank look in his face, as if he was stressed out too much that it took out every bit of sanity in him. Simula din noong araw na iyon, napansin ng mga kaibigan niya na madalas itong lutang o kaya naman ay wala sa sarili. Hindi din nito kinakausap si Rie, na ipinagtaka at ikinabahala ng dalaga.
Noong araw na iyon ay walang ginawa si Rie kung hindi pagmasdan ang lutang na mukha ni Keil. Nakadungaw ang binata sa bintana, sikat ng araw ay hindi alintana.
Biglang may tumamang pana sa dibdib ni Rie, ngunit sa halip na masaktan ay napangiti pa ito.
"When did this guy start shining like this?"
At sa pananaginip ng dalaga, sa binatang nasa bintana, sariwang naalala ang simula ng parada.
"It was back then. That night."
Slowly, Keil turned his eyes onto Rie. As if a raindrop touching the ground, they're eyes met in both silence and chaos. Tumahimik ang buong mundo, ngunit umingay naman ang pagtibok ng puso ni Rie.
"That night, when I gave you that handkerchief, I thought I had saved you. It turns out we were the same. You saved me with that smile of yours. With those gentle words you replied to me, you weaved a whole new destiny. As if you knew what tomorrow holds, you made my world spin to your direction."
Everything was as it was for approximately eight seconds and two milliseconds, but it lasted much longer for Rie. When she finally realized that he was caught red-handed by Keil's gaze, she immediately blushed red, sabay takbo palabas ng silid-aralan. Si Keil naman ay nagtaka, ngunit hindi niya ito masyadong pinansin.
Or so he should have.
Punung-puno ng misteryo ang isip ni Keil dahil kay Mary, but when he and Rie's eyes met, there was a momentary serenity all around. Within the duration of 8.2 seconds, Keil had no other questions except that of Rie's.
"When did this girl start shining like this?".
And now he's confused. Confused because he thinks he just got closer to something with that look. Poor Keil doesn't even realize, that within that short period of time, he was one step closer to being someone's salvation.
While he aimlessly wander in his thoughts, Rie was the opposite. Having found the path she lost that night, she smile with confidence.
"I'm one step closer to him."