"Ara."
Ara saw as this woman stretched her hand to wipe his eyes.
"You're not a dream. You are real."
Ara was speechless. How did he not know that she was conscious? Were his powers getting weak?
In shock, he dropped Dina to the ground and stood immediately as if nothing happened.
"Ow!"
Ara looked down at Dina.
"You need to leave."
Hearing this, Dina became furious.
"Why? Why for god sake should I leave?"
Ara was shocked hearing her response. No human would dare speak to him in this manner.
"What did I do wrong? Huh?"
Ara stared at her in astonishment.
"Don't you see where I am right now? I've been searching all day for you."
"Er—" Ara tried to speak.
"You're a bad spirit, Ara."
Ara was taken aback.
"If you didn't want me back here, why did you leave me with memories of you?!"
Dina's voice began to heighten.
"How did you expect me to live my life normally after my experience with you?!"
Ara looked at Dina, his gaze softening as she paced back and forth fuming. He bent down and took a seated position on the ground with his legs folded as he observed her peculiar personality.
He watched her pace and let out screams until she slowly became silent.
"Are you finally done?"
Dina sighed in surrender. "Yes," she said.
"I want to show you something."
Ara stood from the ground, towering over her and grabbed Dina by the waist, leaving her confused. Soon, they both were shot up in the air as the surroundings began to change. The whole look of the temple changed completely as Ara allowed them to land on the ground.
A great waterfall appeared. It was the same one that Dina and Carl marvelled at the previous night. Ara saw as Dina marvelled at it once more.
"Woah!"
Ara noticed her facial features exclaim as she gazed at the waterfall.
"How can there be such a waterfall on this mountain?"
Ara looked at her and smiled at her keenness.
"Water. It's because the mountain originates from water."
Dina looked at him with a puzzled face. What did he mean?
"To be more exact, water is the true nature of the earth. From the mountains to the valleys. All is water in its true form."
Dina wasn't sure of what she heard.
"How is that possible?"
Ara leaned closer to her face and slightly touched her nose with his finger.
"That is nature for you. Mortals can never understand it in depth."
Ara walked towards the waterfall.
"This is the source of the water that gives Earth its life. The source is from here, in Paricutin."
"You mean that a mountain gives water to the whole earth?"
Ara turned to look at her, nodding his head in affirmation.
"Not only that, but the waterfall reveals itself here at specific times of the day, and my responsibility is to answer to the waterfall and purify it."
"Purify?" Dina was confused
"Yes, since I am chief of this mountain, I ought to purify its energy. And because I do such a great task, you can as well call me the chief of the whole earth."
Ara smirked.
***
It was as if Ara's shoulders padded up as soon as he said this. Dina smiled as she watched him brag. She knew that Ara was a strong spirit but she never knew he had such authority.
"Well, I'm happy to be acquainted with a spirit like you, Ara."
She saw as Ara smiled too.
"This is my way of apologizing, Dina, for all your struggles."
Blushing, Dina reached for his pale bronze long fingers.
"Are we friends now?"
Hesitantly, Ara replied. "Yes, we are."
Dina smiled at him as she deepened her gaze on him. She admired his soft look on her and his unusual beauty. She hadn't stayed on Paricutin for three days, and yet she's lost herself in the eyes of an immortal being. Was she dreaming?
"You need to head to bed now. It's already late."
Dina was shaken back in her right senses. "Oh, is it bedtime yet?"
Bringing her wrist to her face, Dina's eyes widened at the time. "It's two thirty AM?!"
Ara was amused at her reaction. "Indeed, it is. Time moves differently in the presence of a being like me."
Dina could not believe her eyes. "It feels like I only spent thirty minutes with you."
Ara grabbed her waist again and flew up to the sky, this time, she knew that he was headed for the entrance of the temple.
"Let me spend the night with you, Ara."
Dina saw as Ara turned his gaze to her face as she watched the night breeze brush his white braids off his majestic pale bronze face.
His gaze was kind but his features were hesitant. "Maybe another time," Dina heard him say as she began to feel her feet settle on the ground.
Looking around, she noticed that Ara had brought her to the entrance of the temple. She saw Carl suspended in the air as if paused in motion. Looking back at Ara, her shoulders fell.
"I guess I have to go now."
"Yes, you do. We'll meet another time."
"When?" Dina couldn't wait.
"When fate permits us."
"Fate?" She was confused. What did fate have to do with them?
But Ara turned around to leave. "Take your friend with you."
"ARGHH!!" Dina turned reflexively in the direction of the scream behind her. It was Carl. Ara had released him from the pose he froze him in, allowing him to fall face flat on the floor.
"Ara?" Turning back around to have a last look at him, Dina saw no one. Ara had faded into thin air.
"Dina, where are we?" Carl winced in pain, shocked as he studied his environment. "We're still on the mountain?" Carl was in disbelief.
"Um, yeah, it seems you fell asleep here while waiting for me. Thanks, Carl."
Carl looked distressed as he became aware that it was now nighttime. "Did you spend the whole day looking for this Ara being?" He asked as he reached for his phone in his back pocket.
"It's three AM?!"
"Yeah, I slept off unknowingly in there too, I was exhausted after searching for Ara." Dina couldn't believe how smoothly she lied. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault."
"What were you thinking, Dina? How could you possibly find a spirit?" Carl was tense.
The night was dark, but the moon's light specifically stood out at this time, allowing Dina's beauty to stand out even more. Carl's features softened as he saw her. His hands twitched, he wanted to hold her but he held himself back. "It's alright, let's get out of here."
~~~
Dina tossed around on her bed. She couldn't go to sleep.
She couldn't stop thinking about Ara. How could she keep her mind off an experience like him? Her eyes were fixated on the ceiling fan as it rolled at the slowest pace she'd ever seen.
Her mind drifted back to her night with him. What was this thing she was feeling in her heart whenever she looked at him? Was her heart wavering for this spirit?
Dina shook her head against the idea. She couldn't possibly be falling in love with a spirit, right?
Her eyes trailed to the window as she stared at the moon outside. "Ara, you really are something."
The screeching noise from the slow ceiling fan abnormally began to soothe her, soon, Dina's eyes became heavy and she slept off.
~~~
It was another day on the Paricutin mountain, the tourists were not touring the mountain. This time, they participated in various outdoor activities. Some were hiking, others were biking, and another set was playing handball.
Dina was seated on the pavement with other tourists and villagers watching a game of handball. Her eyes watched the ball bounce from one hand to the other but her mind was elsewhere.
"Here."
Dina looked in the direction of the voice. "Hey, you're finally back. That took a while."
"Um, yeah, the queue was pretty long."
Dina looked at the ice cream cup in Carl's hand excitedly and took it from him.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention," Carl said as he made his way to sit beside Dina.
Dina continued watching the game as she scooped ice cream in her mouth, but slowly her mind trailed off to the previous night. What's he doing now? Could he possibly be thinking of me?
Dina tried to focus on the game but her mind wouldn't let her. She remembered his gentleness while he held her and his kindness whenever he spoke to her. Or was it the way he looked at her or his calmness?
The urge to see Ara again began to grow even more inside of her. Her legs were fidgety and her palms were sweaty. Dropping her cup beside her, instantly, she stood up.
"I'll be back, Car—"
"Dina."
Dina was caught unawares; Carl was holding her hand firmly with one hand, and with the other, he squeezed his cup of ice cream causing the chocolate cream to trail down his fingers. His eyes were shut tight and his voice quivered.
"I-I love you."