Jaime couldn't rest. His daily task of feeding his pigs, watching over his fighting cocks and looking after his wife's garden would already take him almost all of the daylight. Now he has to watch over his pregnant wife Nena too. It is their first child after 2 years of marriage and ever since he heard from Nena almost 4 months ago the good news, his emotions would often mix excitement with anxiousness. Being 34 years old which is way above the average marrying age in their small town of Quimbo in Northern Luzon Island, he was almost ready to keep his life reins for himself until he met Nena who was a new cashier in a grocery store next town where he delivers goods for a wholesaler. At first, his impression of her was that of a too-good-for-you city girl since he heard from his fellows that the "new cute cashier" was from Manila. Later on, he finds out how Nena was only in the city for 2 years working as a housemaid until she quit because her boss' husband would often hit on her and would often try to touch her inappropriately. She was originally from a province in Visayas Islands and as such was very much accustomed in dealings with provincial people. She was also quite young, being 26 years of age by the time she worked as a cashier in which she quit after marrying Jaime and moving to his hometown. Jaime and Nena both never knew their fathers, with Jaime's dad dying when he was 2 years old and Nena's abandoning her mother the moment he knew her mother was conceiving. As such, the couple is going through a rocky stage in their relationship because of Nena's occasional anxiety-filled outburst and Jaime's stress build-up. Nevertheless, discounting all of this, they are still very much in love and with the arrival of their baby; which they did not know the gender yet, would serve to only tighten their bond even further.
With the sun becoming more and more redder as it paves way for darkness to creep, Jaime went inside their quaint house which was a small concrete enforced house with one bedroom and a space which served as both the kitchen, dinning room and the living room. Electricity is scarce in their part of the town. mainly due to the high cost and the difficulty of connecting their quite remote area to downtown main power lines. However, gas lamps would often be all the light source they need as they would be retiring to bed as early as seven in the evening.
"Nena, let's eat I already made your favorite Tinolang Isda (Fish Soup with leafy vegetables)."
"Coming loves. Just gotta finish folding your clothes. You forgot to take them in again, what if it rains tonight? hmm?"
"Oi oi stop that, let me fold those myself. You just need to eat and rest, and eat and rest again." Jaime said with a sarcastic voice.
"Uhuh do you think im one of your pigs? I gotta move a too, I can't just lie down the whole time im pregnant. You know im not the lying around type." Nena remarked while stroking her bulging belly.
After a hearty meal, Jaime puts their dishes in the sink then helps Nena to bed. After he tucks her in, he heads for the sink to wash their dishes but was stopped after Nena grabs his hand.
"Hmm what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Its just... when I was young my mother would often tell me that while she was carrying me in her womb, the Tiktik would often be heard during her third to sixth months of pregnancy. She said my grandfather and uncle would line the windows and doorways with salt and would watch over mother in her room while she was sleeping."
"Yeah i heard stories about those Tiktiks when i was young too. My mom would often use it to scare me to sleep. But then again those were just scary bedtime stories. There were also ghost and Engkantos in her stories too but i never saw any of them for as long as I lived. Besides, if one does come, I just sharpened my bolo the other day and as it is, it might cut through a coconut tree even if i use just a little force!"
Her husband's shameless boast lifted her spirits a little as she watches her husband close her room after she lets his hand go. She might have fallen in love again with him for using such shameless remarks to which she felt she would probably believe at this point. She felt safe as she slowly drifted off to sleep, not able to discern the heavy air that whipped at their room's window which is composed only of glass jalousies and metal bars fastened to the wall.
Blending with the sound of cicadas and distant tricycle engine roars, a distinct ticking would be heard if one is focusing enough. Unbeknownst to Nena the constant and consistent ticking sounded very near at first, then gradually getting more and more distant, as a silhouette of a person appears in the moonlit glass jalousie, pressing its hands on the panes as the ticking rapidly rises, sounding farther and farther yet becoming more distinct.
[tik tik tik tik tik tik tik tik]