It was already noon when Andres decided to wake up Jake, "Wake up! Wake up!" As Andres shook Jake's arm.
"I'm awake", Jake replied, as he slowly opened his eyes. He didn't seem to notice the leaves fall off his forehead as he sat down.
"Are you ready now?" Caryn asked him, hoping the oily leaves worked.
"Of course he's ready!" Andres said firmly. "We need to go out while it's still sunny outside, Andres said, as he held Jake's right hand. "Caryn, hold his other hand and whatever happens, don't let go. We are going out now."
As Andres led them out of the tent, Jake's eyes were squinting at the brightness, being in the tent for so long. When his eyes started to focus, he saw they were on a mountain top, surrounded by coconut trees and a tomato plantation. As he scanned the surroundings, he noticed 3 other mountains surrounding them. On his far right he caught a glimpse of Laguna de Bay, he thought. There were no other houses in sight. They were walking towards the ridge, across an unpaved road from their tent, when Andres stopped and stood still.
Jake's eyes were now wide open. Everything looked so vivid and bright, like looking at a picture with the contrast and color set to high. He looked behind him when he heard some leaves rustle, only to see 2 coconut trees moving, as if walking towards them. As he looked up, he saw the upper part of the coconut tree was a man! What was supposed to be palm leaves were replaced by the short torso of a man with Spanish looking features and a face covered with a beard. The giant looked at Jake as he puffed on his cigar that seemed to form small clouds in the sky.
"What do you see?" Andres asked, as he tugged on Jake's arm.
"A giant!" Jake screamed in astonishment.
"Are you scared?" Andres asked.
"Yes and no", Jake replied, frozen in his spot. "I am shocked, but he seems...harmless".
"He is, what you may call, a Kapre", Andres said. "All the stories you heard eversince you were a kid are real. Well, mostly true. Ordinary people see them as monsters when they are truly the most beautiful beings."
"Can you see those too?" Caryn exclaimed, signalling Jake to look to their right. "There beside the mango tree with some hydrangeas sticking out of it."
Jake couldn't believe his eyes. He saw a tiny figure moving. "Is that a Dwende???" He wanted to run off but couldn't move. He looked down and saw his feet covered in mud. Andres saw panic starting to build in Jake's eyes and said, "The ground will let you go when you're ready. In short, you need to relax. The more you fight, the more you'll sink. This is the way they protect one another when they feel threatened", Andres continued, as he felt Jake trying to let go of his hands.
Jake closed his eyes and took long deep breaths as he felt Andres and Caryn let go of his hands. He hesitantly opened his eyes and looked at his feet. "It's gone!" He exclaimed, upon seeing his feet free of mud. He then looked around to see no Caryn, no Andres. Even the Kapre and Dwende were gone. He was alone.