"We will visit the wake of Lola Paula",
my mother said.
"She died already?",I asked my mother. Lola Paula was our last greatgrandmother alive.She is the wife of my greatgrandfather's brother.My lolo Ruffy was the eldest among 12 siblings while lolo Ambo, the husband of Lola Paula was the second before the youngest.
My grandfather Pinoy was 10 years older than Lolo Ambo.
"Yes,we will visit her tonight"my mother said.
"Okay, how old is she now?",I asked my mother.
"As what I heard she's 81 last month", mother said..
"What I heard she's into astral traveling",I ask my mom.
"That's what I heard also that might be a joke ",mom said.
"She's already dead infact she was already in the coffin",mom explain.
My lola Paula was very kind and loving infact her grandchildren said she always visit her children by astral travel, especially those who hadn't visited her for more than a decade because they lived in far provinces after they got married.
She will instruct her daughter that lives with her and the one that takes care of her.
"Do not let anybody to disturb or touch my body because I will visit your brother and his family in Mindanao,they hadn't visited me since after your father died., because if their someone who touch my body I won't be able to come back to my body",she said.
"Okey ma",though her daughter doubt that her mother was serious ,still she do not allow her children to disturb her mother's sleep. After 12 hours her mother wakes up and talk about her travel,she rides busses and ships açcording to the old woman, and tell her ,"your brother was suffering from much poverty right now,his childrens was crying and they have no food to eat. My heart brokes for your brothers situation right now."then Lola Paula will be desperate until she could send a little amount from her monthly pension.
A week after she will visit again her another son who are our neighbor Lolo Mattias.Again she will sleep for 6 hours, when she wakes up she will tell her daughter what happened to her visit.,usually she will tell her daughter that Lolo Mattias wife Lola Bessie was busy doing her laundry and Lolo Mattias was busy in his work."No one among the children was around ,they might be in school",she said.
That was the routine of Lola Paula, if she wants to visit any of her children she will just sleep and talk about her trip later.The length of her sleep depends on the distance of the places she wants to visit...
But of course she do not spend a single centavo for her trips she do it by astral travel...
For some that is unbelievable,some say that was not true,her daughter has doubt but the way her mother relates the situation of her other sibling seems real.That's how the life of Lola Paula come and go until the news of her death came to us..We borrow the truck as service for those who visit the wake of Lola Paula, with Lolo Mattias whole family....
Everybody was busy on her wake,some assist the visitors,some were busy preparing foods for the visitors and mourners., Most were engaged in card games,bingo,mahjong and any other games. Youths like us has our own guessing games, til darkness comes.
"Hey,look! Lola Paula was sitting up" someone said.
. "ha,ha,ha, what a joke!",his co mahjong player said.
"No i'm serious!",the urgency in his voice can be sense..After taking his bet he ran for the door. They realized he is serious so they look back in the coffins direction.
Evetybody runs in different direction, everybody was scared seeing the old dead woman sits up in her coffin and hum a tune while her hands acts as if she's dancing...
That night everybody who attended the wake were so shocked and in a hurry to run away from the house including us, even Lolo Mattias and Lola Bessie and their children ran .so the house of the bereaved family lost their windows and doors.Many were accidentally hurt. Only the daughter who lives with Lola Paula and the one who takes care of Lola Paula til her death remains and bravely hug and kiss her mother while crying. She wish her mother was still alive and she's happy because her wish was granted.But when dawn came the old woman lay back to her coffin and back to her dead state.
Because of that incident many story circulate not just in their town, but also to the nearby town about a zombie old woman or what locally calls as "Maranhig"...
Spiritist was called, even priest bless the dead, many said to shun away the evil...
But the same thing happened again in the following nights,until people were used to her sitting inside the coffin when sundown came and being dead at dawn.Most people know she was very kind and sympathetic when she was still alive. Many hears story of her astral trips when she was alive, that she visits her children and knows all of there circumstances. They thought the story of her astral travels were just made up stories or joke ,now they realized the rumours was true.
Until someone suggested that there must be someone just like 'Darna' a famous filipino heroine that someone will accept the power stone for her to be able to rest.
On the fifth night one of her grandson named Harry,talk to her while she's sitting in her coffin.
"Lola,if the only way for you to be able to rest peacefully is for someone among us to accept it,then let me be the one,I accept the challenge of being 'maranhig' ..Harry said..
After that she lay back to her coffin and in her dead state and never get up again until the day she was buried...
Actually the grandson who accepted the challenge,Harry was my mother's second cousin..
In his younger years,Harry was used as a medium by one of the known spiritist in one of the nearby town.Because he had the what they callad as third eyes. He nearly lost his sanity because he can see white or black lady or any unhuman creatures. It takes years for him to get to used to it,until he decided they were part of his daily existence.
He was used as a medium if someone wants to talk to their dead relatives. Until the death of Lola Paula came.I coudn't tell if what happened to lola Paula will happened to Harry ,because up to this day he was still alive just about 55 years very healthy, strong and has two wives who is fighting for his attention..
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