The sun rose proudly on the morning sky, illuminating even the darkest of crevices of the ground. Anna squinted as the warm, golden rays touched her face. It seemed like she had also doze off while waiting for their time to go into the mountain. It didn't help that the cold morning breeze swayed along with the leaves earlier tempting her eyes to shut and relax in its soft caresses.
She glanced at her mother and saw how she was peacefully sleeping, her back laid on the big mango trunk. Anna stood up and dusted herself, and washed her foot with the cold sea water gentle crashing along the shore. After that, she went back to her sleeping mother and woke her up.
"Mama." She tugged her mother's shoulder gently. "Mama, the sun's up." She added.
Her mother opened her sleepy, tired eyes and kissed her forehead.
"Good morning, anak." Her mother yawned. "Have I overslept?" She asked.
"No mother, you just woke up in time." Anna smiled.
Her mother smiled and looked back at the house, who was slowly being devoured by the flame. She gave an audible sigh that caught Anna's attention.
Anna looked around and finally saw their little nipa hut engulfed in flames. Her eyes opened wide, confused how she didn't notice the great flaming house where she was only a few walking steps from their house.
"Mama, the house!" Anna screamed. "The house! Oh no!"
"It's alright, Anak." Her mother calmly said. "Our home is there, a big house in the mountains." Her mother pointed to the narrow path heading towards the mountains in the eastern part of the beach.
Anna was confused. As she could recall, they never had a home to call their own. Ever since she was able to understand things, she and her mother had lived from one house to another in short periods of time. However, her mother was adamant about this house. Whether or not it was a dream, Anna indulged her mother's invitation and was ecstatic to follow her on this wonderful yet strange dream.
They left the shore and went to the narrow rocky path where they began, their ascent towards the mountain. It was a tiresome, yet fulfilling climb filled with beautiful undergrowth, color shrubbery, and the cool shade of the forest canopies, turning the supposedly hot path into a cool shaded road.
"Mama, when are you going to tell me about what happened last night?" Anna asked while holding some wild vines to help her climb the steep rocky road.
"Uhmmm… this is not the best time to talk about it." Her mother answered while catching her breath.
"Let's take a rest there, and I will tell you." She smiled while pointing at a huge banyan tree popping sorely at the side of the path.
Anna nodded and continued to climb until they reached the narrow path where the banyan tree was located. She guided her mother into the tree's shade and sat on the bulging roots while opening the backpack for some refreshments and packed food she thought her mother never brought.
Her mother sat and took the bottle of water and some rice cake and ate eat while laying her back against the sturdy trunk of the great banyan tree.
Anna marveled at the size of the tree. Its width which would take 20 people to go around it blocked the entire road. Its vines were thick and many, that it looked like the tree was covered with brown hair from a distance. At the center of the trunk lies a hole. Her mother explained that they need to traverse that hole in order to go to the other side of the road.
After eating their fill, her mother began to explain their situation.
"Those bad people I told you about earlier…" She began. "They wanted us not to meet with him." She added.
"Him? Who's him?" Anna curiously asked.
"Your father." She answered.
"My father?" Anna's eyes widened. "You never mentioned my father before—"
"I am mentioning him now." Her mother answered back. "And he is waiting for us at the top of this mountain." She added.
Anna's heart skipped a beat upon hearing it. "B-but why would those people not want us to reunite with my father?" She asked.
Her mother hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear. "Because they fear that you would only strengthen him, and they don't want that to happen." She stood up from her seat and dusted herself.
"Stronger?" Little Anna scratched her head. "What do you mean, stronger? Is my papa a superhero?!" She excitedly exclaimed.
Her mother chuckled and shook her head. "He isn't but…your father is strong and powerful… and you'll meet him soon." She reached out her hand and offered it to Anna as they slowly entered the gaping hole of the banyan tree.
They went inside the hole with no torches. Anna had some difficulty seeing their path. On the other hand, her mother could smoothly navigate the internal part of the tree without any aid of light. She would often order Anna to stay low or watch her step for the prickly vines and other obstacles that might hurt her as they traversed the tree.
As they went deeper, Anna realized how wide the tree was. As she blindingly traversed it, she realized the tree's interior seemed like a labyrinth. The winding paths and sometimes awfully hard squeeze crevices. It was more laborious than that of the stony path she climbed earlier that day.
"We are almost there, anak." Her mother's voice was ecstatic.
"How did you know that, Mama?" She asked.
"Well, you're about to find out." Her mother excitedly said.
Anna squeezed herself in another crevice, before she finally noticed it. It came alone in the dark, a sparkle of light floating along the void with its timid golden glow. It twinkled, twitched, and danced in the air.
"Mama, a firefly!" Anna exclaimed.
"Yes, and there's more!" She proclaimed.
Another dancing light began to appear…
…then another…
…and another, until the entire place lit like a gentle pale glow of the sun's golden light.
The light was enough to let her see the moldy, yet wonder interior of the banyan tree, filled with colorful wildflowers, exotic crawling ivies, and natural gems embedded on its barks like a palace garden filled with delightful curiosities for her viewing pleasure.
Anna stopped for a moment as her mind tried to digest the unearthly beauty of the banyan tree. Her mother had to tug her for her to regain her composure.
"Isn't it lovely, anak?" She asked but never waited for her daughter to reply. "Best you keep your eyes on the path or else you might be stuck here for the rest of your life." She warned.
Anna immediately shook her head realizing how the view tantalized her attention. She rushed to her mother and followed her the rest of the trail without batting an eye to the most picturesque view she saw her entire life.
They finally got out to the other side of the banyan tree and to Anna's surprise, the sun has already set in the horizon.
"Mama, it's night already and we still haven't reached the sum—" Anna was worried of what was about to come next. "I don't want us to die, Mama." She said.
Her mother caressed her cheeks and smiled. "Don't worry, anak we are safe here." She said while pointing at the silhouettes standing at the distance. "They are here to protect us." She added.
The rest of the walk towards the peak of the mountain was just child's play. Anna and her mother were able to walk faster this time, and it seemed like fatigue couldn't conquer their mortal bodies. They rushed to the top as the silhouettes followed them.
Anna could hear the people in the shadows, panting while some growled, and howled as they passed by them. It only took them a moment to reach the top where a huge bonfire was alit. There, they were greeted by the deafening sound of the drums and constant wailing.
"Mama, what is this?!" Anna stayed close to her mother as the unfamiliar scene made her uneasy.
Her mother hugged her. "This is how they're welcoming us." She added.
The people danced wildly as they saw Anna and her mother went closer to them. Their bodies contorted at the sound beating drums and weird-sounding instruments to alien for them to identify. Then, Anna noticed something in them that made her skin crawl. The shadows began emerging from the darkness transformed themselves into people, and dance until almost all they became one with flames movement.
Not too far away, Anna heard a blood-curdling sound of a horn that made everyone stop whatever they were doing including the ones dancing. Then, a line of robed people that held torches on their left hand processioned their way into the great bonfire. They walked slowly with their breath and movement seemingly perfectly synchronized.
They stopped by the bonfire and bowed, before continuing their procession towards Anna and her mother. Along the way Anna could hear a faint chant being sung on the background. She looked at her mother and saw how delighted her mother was at the procession while her lips moved to the chant.
"Asu… Asu… Asu…ang…" They all chorused.
Suddenly, the delightful festival was becoming more macabre. There were people dragged by the robed men and were slowly slaughtered like animals in front of them. Anna wanted to run away but her mother held her arm so tight, she couldn't move.
"Watch closely, anak." Her mother said. "Your father is here." She grinned sinisterly.
As the blood from the slaughter men covered the earth, the men disrobed and revealed their grotesque features of horns, tuffs, clawed arms, and some contorted spine. They all kneeled on the ground and licked the blood pooling from their victims, until a strong gust of wind blew.
"Mama, l-let's get out of here." Anna's voice trembled. "I-I don't want to meet him anymore." She pleaded as tears rolled on her cheeks.
Her mother simply looked at her and whispered. "But he's already here."
Anna looked up and saw a huge bat-like creature staring at her with its red grotesque three eyes.