SA LAHAT ng mga babaeng nakilala at naka-date ni Vince, wala sa mga iyon ang nakapagparamdam sa kanya ng ganito katinding fascination. Aya was weird, nerd, boring, and average—yet she had this unparalleled power to steal his attention. It was like seeing a unicorn in a stable of horses.
'I suck at being poetic.'
"Oh gosh, this silver mirror! This is exactly how it was described in the book. Totoo pala talagang nagpasadya ng ganito ang uncle mo." Parang batang dinala sa Disney Land ang itsura ni Aya habang nililibot ang kuwartong minsang ginamit ng Uncle Hum niya. The room had a four-poster bed, an old typewriter on a vintage desk, and a wooden shelf filled with dusty books and journals.
Sa dingding ay nakapaskil ang black and white posters ng monsters na nilikha ni H.P. Lovecraft. Uncle Hum once said he liked staring at his worst nightmare whenever he's writing. Salute to him. Ni hindi niya magawang tumitig sa mga iyon nang higit sa limang segundo.
Ngayon lang niya na-realize na malaki ang pagkakatulad nito at ni Aya. His uncle was a different story though. No one could ever comprehend the twisted mind of Humberto Estrella.
"Nakakainis ka, Vince. Bakit ngayon mo lang ako isinama dito?" sabi ni Aya na para bang isang life-changing secret ang itinago niya mula rito.
"'Yung totoo, bipolar ka ba? Parang kanina lang, gusto mo na 'kong sapakin eh." Umupo siya sa kama at pinanood ang babae habang kinukunan nito ng mga litrato ang paligid. He shook his head.
"Kung sinabi mo kasi nang mas maaga na writer's den pala ito ni Mr. Humberto noon, eh 'di wala sana tayong pagtatalunan. Ghosts or no ghosts, sasama ako sa'yo dito kahit anong mangyari."
"I'm slightly offended, but sure, i-enjoy mo lang ang pagpa-fangirl mo d'yan," sarkastikong banat niya. Inasahan pa naman niya na ganito kasaya si Aya dahil naantig ito sa sinabi niya kanina. Hindi bale, may nakatabi naman siyang isa pang surprise activity na gagawin nila sa linggo.
A saccharine smile drew across her slender lips. "Vince, I thank you so much. But we're talking about your great uncle here."
"I'm great too, you know."
There was a cricket-chirping-moment and then she turned her back. Naipagkrus niya ang mga braso. 'I hate you now, Uncle.'
Lumapit si Aya sa nakabukas na bintana. May matandang puno ng balete na nakatirik sa labas. Animo mahahabang daliri ng isang higanteng halimaw ang mga sanga niyon. The sight of it was eerily hypnotizing.
"Hindi n'yo ba naisipang ibenta ito kung hindi na ito tinitirhan ng kahit sino sa pamilya n'yo?"
"Dying wish ni Lolo na 'wag itong ibenta, so we're keeping it. Kina Mommy at Uncle Hum naiwan ang pangangalaga rito. It's used to be Uncle Hum, pero simula nang maging EIC siya ng Triskelion, madalang na siyang dumalaw dito. So the task was handed over to me. We have caretakers here, pero kailangan ko pa ring pumunta dito at least once a year para i-check ang bahay."
Pumihit paharap si Aya at itinutok sa kanya ang camera ng phone. She was taking a video now. "James Vincent Zarona, the Casanova of Laguna, Master of the Haunted House…" she spoke like a TV narrator, and her silly laugh made her so adorable he couldn't help but smile to himself.
She sat beside him. Nagambala ang kanyang sistema nang malanghap ang bango nito. Aya smelled so sweet and flowery that he was tempted to bury his face in the curve of her soft neck.
"Ang creepy n'ong puno sa labas. Mukhang bahay ng engkanto."
"I heard they're searching for a queen. Gusto mong ialok kita?" he joked in an attempt to jerk his attention away from Aya's captivating scent.
"Ha ha. I can't believe na pumayag kang maging keeper ng ancestral house n'yo. It's really scary here."
"What can I say? Girls dig haunted houses."
"Ew, Vince! Ginagawa mo bang sex den ang bahay na 'to?"
Si Aya lamang ang bukod-tanging babaeng isinama niya rito. He just didn't feel like admitting it to her.
Tumayo na muli ito para ipagpatuloy ang pagkuha ng video. Siya naman ay humiga sa kama at ginawang unan ang ipinagkrus na mga braso. He stared above. The canopy had this mindfucking painting about a creature that looked like a reptilian woman stepping on the mutilated bodies of men.
A grimace of disgust swept across his face. 'Seriously, Uncle, you really have a very disturbing fetish here. How could you even sleep on this bed?'
Hinanap ng mga mata niya si Aya. Busy pa rin ito sa hawak na cellphone. "Bakit ka ba kumukuha ng pictures at videos d'yan?"
"Are you seriously asking me that? This is where your uncle created his amazing works."
Yeah, why did he even ask?
"Saka malay mo, may ma-capture akong entity dito."
He smirked. "That's bullshit. Jut like every photobombing ghost crap in the internet."
"Totoo kaya 'yong iba d'on."
"You mean photoshop is real. You can't capture images of ghosts," he argued. Minsan na siyang nag-edit ng isang fake paranormal video para sa isang kliyente.
"How can you say that?"
"Come on, it's easy to create shadows or faded images of a person. Mag-download ka nga lang ng app sa phone mo, kaya mo na eh. Kung hindi man edited, you can always pick the next rational explanation. For instance, orbs. Orbs are simply backscatter effect, possible dust particles na nailawan lang ng flash ng camera. And don't get me started about those people seeing faces of their deceased loved ones—or Jesus Christ on a friggin' piece of wood."
"Agree ako sa cases ng Pareidolia, pero hindi ibig sabihin na hindi rin posibleng maka-detect tayo ng spiritual entities gamit ang electronic devices or other forms of technology. Nagagawa nga nating maka-detect ng heat signatures eh. Ghosts shouldn't be different since they're also forms of energies."
Hindi siya nagkomento. He could give Aya tons of pragmatic justification but he's currently not in the mood for that kind of debate.
"Wait, do you not believe in ghosts?" Muli itong umupo sa kama, mukhang napagod na.
"I believe they exist. Capturing them digitally? Nope."
Humiga sa tabi niya ang babae at lahat na yata ng klase ng mura ay binigkas niya sa kanyang isipan. Nagpalit ba ng cologne brand si Aya? Her intoxicating scent would soon drive him mad at this rate. And the brushing of her hair against his arm was certainly not helping.
'I'm a man and I have needs. But I just got laid few days ago. Cool it!'
He almost lost it completely nang umusod pa palapit sa kanya si Aya at nagkadikit ang kanilang mga balat. He was in the middle of trying to shift his focus when Aya pointed above like a child seeing an airplane for the first time.
"Ooh, eksena 'yan sa Dragana, ah!"
Great. A fangirling Aya was all he needed to kill his horniness.