This piqued Kaeden's interest. Isa sa mga gusto niyang bagay sa mundo bukod sa painting ay ang mga urban legends. Sa katunayan, isa sa mga favorite Japanese drama na gustong-gusto niya ay ang "Toshi Densetsu Onna" o "I Love Tokyo Legend – Kawaii Detective", na patungkol sa mga urban legends. He always had the interest of knowing whether the urban legend is true or not. Of course, he knows that the urban legend about Alice Dixson and the Robinsons Galleria is purely not true.
"Urban legend? Ano namang klase?" simpleng sagot nito. Sienna went to full-story mode, as she raised her hand with her chopsticks, on face level and looked at Kaeden intently.
"There is a code hidden in his paintings. Valerie said that Ben's paintings has this hidden code, whether if you place the painting in the mirror, or examine it with a magnifying glass. Some even exist when you raise it under the light. Kaso, no one has ever tried it, due to his works being guarded safely by the exhibit owners, tsaka, they are getting expensive. So even if someone has the hand of getting all the paintings and trying all the urban legend if true or not, that would be a hard case to do.
"Well, what kind of code is it? At ano ang laman ng code?"
"Valerie said she found it in a website, about the urban legend. I checked it out myself. Here it is."
Ibiabot ni Sienna ang kaniyang cellphone at ipinakita sa kaniya ang website na tinutukoy ng kaibigan. It's an underground forum where talks of urban legends exist.
UrbanLegendHunter20
Has anyone here ever heard of the urban legend about the works of a painter named Ben Tudio? Isa siyang painter na nagsimulang magpainting noong 1978. The urban legend goes this way. Yung mga gawa daw niyang painting ay may mga secret code. Ang kaniyang painting na 'First Love Never Dies', for example, ay may natatagong secret code kapag itinapat sa ilaw ang painting. Whatever the code means, no one knows. Ang ilan pa sa kaniyang mga recent paintings around 1980 – 2008 ay may mga secret codes din. Nalaman ko ito nang bumisita ako sa isa niyang art exhibit. He's around 68 now, not doing any paintings but I heard na may tinatagong kayamanan ang matandang painter na ito. That could be the code in his paintings.
Source of Urban Legend:
My late father is a treasure hunter. Isa siya sa mga nakahukay ng malalaking ginto sa kabundukan ng Benguet, mga natagong golden statues sa Bohol at ilang mga boxed treasure chests of gold and jewels sa Puerto Princesa. Before he died, he told me about this painter named Ben Tudio who had a weird fascination about secret codes and stuff like that. I think this is not an urban legend, but something my father wanted to do but unfortunately died due to heart failure.
Anyone interested to do and have a search on the urban legend will be a great hero for us all here in URBAN LEGEND HUNTERS FORUM.
Hidden codes in a painting. This made Kaeden really excited. Kung buhay pa pala ang Ben Tudio na ito, he could surely have the chance to talk to him about the urban legend. This is what he will do, kung sakaling pupunta din sa art exhibit na iyon ang pintor.
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The art exhibit is a blast. Ilan sa mga pintor na naroon ay nagpakita ng ilan sa kanilang mga gawa at namangha ng husto si Kaeden sa mga nakita niya. Fauvism, Expressionism and Cubism. Ilan lang ito sa mga nakita niyang mga art movement and style na nagbigay sa kaniya ng malaking kasiyahan. He even saw painters who tried using the styles of Picasso, Gustav Klimt and one of Kaeden's favorite painter na si Vladmir Kush.
Nakita niya ang isang painting na halos hindi siya makapaniwala. Isa itong metaphoric art ng pagibig gamit ang nature bilang base expression. He feels a Vladimir Kush vibe into the art, which made him really amazed by how the painter drew it.
"It's rare to see someone who knows Vladimir Kush around here," wika ng isang lalakeng naka-pulang amerikana nang makita nitong mangha si Kaeden sa painting habang pinapaliwanag kay Sienna ang ibig sabihin ng painting. Lumingon ang dalawa sa kaniya at hinintay na magpakilala ang lalake.
"Raffy Tudio. Welcome sa art exhibit," wika nito at iniabot ang kamay for a shake-hand. Agad na sinubalian ni Kaeden si Raffy at nagpakilala din ito.
"So how are you related kay Ben?" tanong ni Sienna.
"My father. I'm the eldest son among the five. Like my father, I've been into painting ever since I was 14."
Tansya ni Sienna ay nasa 35 na si Raffy. Halatang papunta na din ito sa kaniyang 40s, ilang taon lang ang lilipas.
"Excuse me for asking this, since you're his son. Maybe you know about this already. Pero, may katotohanan ba ang urban legend tungkol sa mga paintings ng iyong ama?" agad na tanong ni Kaeden. He wants to make it straight to the point. Totoo ba ang urban legend o hindi?
Tumawa ng saglit si Raffy at sinenyasan ang serving lady na lumapit sa kanila para kumuha siya ng isang glass ng wine. Nang makuha niya ito ay agad na bumaling sa binata para sagutin ang tanong nito.
"I think you've read it from a forum. To be honest I was shocked when I read it too. It's becoming famous nowadays you know, that urban legend."
"Well, is it?" balik ni Sienna.
"Haven't tried it. Half of my father's paintings are already sold. Those, I can tell you, have no codes in them. The other works of my father however, he kept them from a good place at home. Siguro, may code ang mga iyon, but unfortunately, I myself haven't had the time to check it. He really keeps them there and he is the only one who has the key…so, yeah."
"If he keeps the key for himself, then perhaps may katotohanan ang urban legend?" balik na tanong ni Kaeden. This is a driving point. His question actually leads into a stronger point. Kapag mapapayag niyang tignan nila ang mga painting, then the urban legend is not true. But if Ben or Raffy refuses to have the paintings seen, then the urban legend is true.
"Well, that I can't say. I am not my father. Though, what an interesting concept. Nang mabasa ko ang sinasabing urban legend, I was just laughing it off. Yung sinasabi nilang tinatagong yaman ng aking ama is just fake news. My mother, when she was younger, was actually a yakuza leader's mistress. The leader showered her with money and gifts. Matalino ang nanay ko, she kept all the money and the wealth, escaped back to the Philippines when the leader was assassinated and then met my father in a little Japanese town in Visayas. That's basically it."
Kaeden thought, that explains it. The urban legend is just another story a random forum user tried to invent. Sabi nga ng kaniyang kaibigang si Troy, most urban legends become popular when it has an element of truth in it, or the story is interesting. It makes the people who reads it believe the concept of the urban legend. Parang sa mga creepypasta. The creepypasta is well written that it gets accepted as truth or may have happened in real life, but the fact remains, it is fake.
Sienna excused herself to get some wine at tignan ang iba pang mga paintings. Kaeden and Raffy continued to talk about Vladimir Kush after the urban legend question. Sa totoo lang, mas feel ni Sienna na tumingin kung mayroon siyang makikitang single na potential partner niya. Not just a random single person, but rather, someone rich, like a son of a rich politician or a mogul.
Habang masayang nagkukwentuhan sina Kaeden at Raffy, biglang lumapit sa kanila ang secretary ni Raffy na si Sherrie, na mukhang nagmamadali at kinakabahan.
"Sherrie, what's wrong? You look worried," tanong ni Raffy, at pinakalma ang babae.
"S-Sir Raffy, the police just called."
"Police? Bakit daw?"
"Your neighbors heard gunshots. Pinuntahan ng mga pulis ang bahay niyo and…"
"And?"
"Natagpuan daw ng mga pulis si Sir Ben na wala nang buhay."
Hindi na sumagot pa si Raffy nang marinig ang balita. He quickly excused himself and went home to confirm about what happened to his father. Ilan sa mga nasa art exhibit ay narinig ang nasabi ng secretary at nagbulong-bulungan sa kanilang sarili. Kaeden caught someone smiling, from all the worrying faces of the people. Hindi niya mapinpoint kung sino ito, pero there was someone, amidst all the worrying faces, there was someone smiling.
Hinanap niya agad si Sienna at sinabi niya ang pangyayari.
"Let's follow," suhestiyon ni Sienna.
"W-what for?"
"Isn't this your thing? Maybe you can help the police investigate about it. Don't you think ang timely ng pangyayari? Urban legend about a painter and then biglang namatay? This is clearly a murder, kung may bumaril man sa kaniya."
Sienna has a point. If this is murder, then there is clearly a motive bakit niya papatayin ang biktima.
"You know the address?", tanong niya kay Sienna.
"Google-able."