She opened her eyes and saw the entire room blanketed in darkness.
"Ma?" Anna called out her mother. "Ma, are you there?" But there was no answer.
Anna stood up and fumbled her way into the darkness searching for her mother. She called her out again but there was no answer. As she made her way in the dark, she bumped herself into things until she finally dropped on the floor.
Across the room near the kitchen, she saw a torch passing by the window. Anna crawled closer, curious about the moving light just by the window. She crawled as discreetly as she could, but before she could peep into the window, a hand grabbed her from the corner of the room and gagged her into the darkness.
"Shhh… It's okay, anak, it's me." Her mother gently said.
Anna looked behind her but failed to see her mother's face. All she saw, was a silhouette of a long-haired woman similar to her mother, with eyes weirdly glowing in the dark. She wanted to wriggle her way out of the grip but her mother's hold was firm and strong.
"Do not be afraid, anak." Her mother said. "It is me, your mother." She gently said as the hold turned into a caress on her head.
"M-ma, what's going on?" Anna's voice trembled in fear, still hesitating to trust the lady in front of her. "Come here, anak. Do not be afraid…this is your mama, just… disheveled." Her mother touched her cheek. It had the same delicate touch and warmth that her mother had and finally convinced her to move closer.
"Mama, what's going on?" She asked again.
"There are people outside trying to do bad things on us." Her mother answered. "I must face them and lead them away from this hut. Would you mind hiding in this corner for me? Please, never get out until I return." Her mother added.
Anna was confused. What did she mean by people trying to hurt them? Why are they trying to hurt them? Her mind was filled with questions that she wanted to get answers as soon as possible, however, the situation seemed to be too dire to ask a question especially with her mother's life on the line.
"You're going to leave me, mama?" Her voice cracked. "I-I can help too…"
"No, anak." Her mother placed her palms on her cheeks. "Let mama take care of this, I swear I will return to you alive. Just stay here for the moment." And with those final words, her mother kissed her forehead and vanished like a gust of wind.
Anna decided to stay in the corner and just be silent as the torches outside flickered rapidly. There were no signs of struggle not even a hint of voices cracking through the dead silence of the night. She only heard rustling leaves and gentle crashing waves from the shore.
She dared not to peep into the window, fearing that those bad people might still be lurking around there somewhere. The thought of it just made her worried even more. What would happen to her mother if the bad people caught her? Would this spell both their ends? Just thinking about it made her skin crawl while her heart dropped into her stomach.
Not a moment after, she heard a loud thud in their ceiling. She wanted to run out of the door, scared of knowing what that thud might've been. But her legs stiffened in fear, and all she could do was huddle into the darkness corner of the room, hoping that her mother would come back soon.
She stared at the darkness in front of her, unblinking and unflinching, waiting for her mother to come by the door and hold her in her arms. But the darkness only left her with confusing images molded by her mind. Monstrous and grotesque shadows played in her mind. The illusions were toying with her, taunting her to stand up and look for her mother. Anna closed her eyes and covered her ears until she was bothered no more.
"Anna…" Called out her mother. "Anak, I'm sorry. Was I gone for too long?" She touched her head.
"Ma!" Anna opened her eyes to be welcomed by her mother's ever smiling face.
The sun was shyly peeping at the horizon by the time her mother arrived.
"You came back!" She wept.
"I am sorry, anak, if I scared you…" Her mother caressed her head.
"Are you hurt?!" Anna interjected as she touched her mother cheeks.
Her mother pressed her cheeks against her small palms.
"I am alright, anak." She sighed. "Let me change clothes and we'll be on our way." She added.
Her mother stood up and that's when Anna noticed the gashes and muddied clothes her mother had. She grabbed her mother's wrists and tugged her.
"You lied!" Anna shouted. "You were hurt!" She said while pointing at the gashes and scratches on her mother's arm.
"This is nothing but a flesh wound, anak." She kissed Anna's forehead and went to their room to change her clothes.
It didn't take too long for her mother to change. She brought with her some fresh clothes for Anna to change, as well and a backpack for spare clothing. She requested her daughter to change her clothes too, and throw her soiled clothes in the dirty kitchen, where she set it on fire along with the house.
"Mama, why are you burning the house?!" Anna asked.
"I have to," She replied. "So, they couldn't track us anymore." She added.
"Track us? Who is tra—" Anna wanted to ask.
"There is no time for questions, Anna." Her mother interjected. "I will explain it to you on our way to that mountain." She pointed the winding path covered in greenery on the eastern side of the beach.
"We shall climb that mountain the moment the sun rises fully." Her mother said. "Anak, I am sorry if I couldn't explain anything to you now, but I am tired." She took her daughter's hand and guided her into a small shade underneath a mango tree facing the azure shore.
"Let me lay my back against this tree for a while." She smiled to her. "Wake me up when the sun rises above the horizon, okay?" Her mother requested.
Anna was still confused with everything that was going on but decided to follow her mother. She nodded and let her mother sleep while her thoughts floated along with the gentle waves of the gold-painted sea.