X and Y: Nothing but Letters

By Paul Denver Ramirez. Paul is a student at Mataasnakahoy Senior High School. He is from Batangas, Philippines. Please read his article and leave your thoughts and comments below. *Shortlisted for the NUHA Youth Blogging Prize 2017*

“Denvers, Carl R.”

“Magna Cum Laude!”

At last. The chromatic dais reflects in my entire eyes and the incessant gaiety of hands seems endless. Lots of countenances are staring at me, grinning as they have one’s eye on my steps on a soft red carpet in the broad auditorium.

“Congratulations,” uttered the guest speaker, Mr. Bluemayne,, while shaking my trembling hands. I looked at most.

All was silent… Icy muteness. Then suddenly, I saw her – the woman crying in the sea of smiling faces, standing behind at the back. She gradually walked towards me, where I was standing next to the guest speaker. A warm clasp of my hand made me feel that she isn’t nothing.

“This is your day,” she whispered.

“I’m very proud of you. We’re so proud of you.”

“Thank you, mother,” I said with a smile.

A smooch marked my forehead. The kiss that will stay always in my heart and psyche no matter what happens.. A mark full of benevolence and nothing more then that. Finally, reached at home. The door was steeked and seems caliginous inside. Quiet and no one was chuffed for me except mother. Suddenly, the door was unobstructed. I gradually walked inside as I hold my mother. Isn’t it creepy to imagine if this is what you saw? It’s your graduation day and yet the home was really dark.

Then dimness changed into luminescence. The entire home suddenly shone, brighter than expected. Balloons, music, and most of all, my family… The smile on the lips beamed at everyone. It seems that paradise exists. All of them were proud of where I’ve reached right now. I sat next to my grandfather.

“Come here, Carl,” he said with trickled tears.

It’s my first time to see that. We took a glass of drink and cheered. But… Grandfather lost his smile and disappeared in his face. It’s surprising for the glass to shed accidentally away from his hands. All ears heard a sign of havoc. Then, I fell asleep.

“Wake up, Carl. Wake up,” mother said.

“Mom, where are we?”

A man in white passed by. Mother looked at me with frustration. Why? Is that my grandfather? The one that embraces me mourned. And grandfather left us. Gone. Our home lost its felicity. Going home affiliates with an orphanage. Not all retort sare pleasant, there are times with grimace, like me. Almost all my life, he’s with me. After all this moment, unacceptable. One week. Almost one week full of mourn and sadness, hopeless and nothing but to accept the truth — gone and will meet again.

“Carl, can you please get the remote control,” father said with a mild voice.

“For the headlines,” broadcast the reporter on the television. “A super typhoon named ‘Kara’ is expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility and will landfall on Tuesday in Tacloban, Leyte.”

“Huh? Tacloban, Leyte? It’s where we live,” I whispered to myself.

We looked at each other. We’re really late on the news. Someone knocked at the door quickly, incessant knocking and seems that he’s in a hurry. Then someone shouted.

“We are advising everyone to flee due to super typhoon ‘Kara’”. My family was on my side when we heard the announcement.

“No. We can’t,” said father. Then he walked in.

“What?” Uttered my mother with grimace. “Dad, it was a super typhoon and it can harm anyone, or worse, we could all die”.

“Alright, get our important and necessary things then go to the evacuation center with the two children. Leave us here to prepare,” father planned.

We agreed to the plan. Mom went away and father prepared the things with me. We bound the roofs and hid the things that might be destroyed. We were standing throughout the day and winding around the home. Throughout the night, we were awake in case the strong winds started to puff. Dawn. Cold. And suddenly, I felt nervous. The winds started to blow quickly and made the trees fall down. I can clearly see the striking gusts from the window.

“Carl!” Shouted father.

My heart increased its pulse rate and the heavy feeling got heavier. I ran out and saw father propelling a tree away from our home. I can perceive the great winds. The cold air made my lips pale. The place where we stand seems to submerge anytime.

“Carl, go. Save yourself,” he shouted with tears.

“But… Dad?”

He was bleary. And the environment got my attention. The posts and trees that hamper the whole road, the roof flying like a bird, and the environment that was cloaked by loneliness made me wept. My father yelled again. He can’t hold on anymore. Until… someone fell down. Someone had to be sacrificed.

Almost eight hours that I’ve been dozing. I woke up and ran away towards the evacuation center. I want to weep because of the great devastation I saw around. But… I can’t. I wondered why as I ran until I arrived. I saw mother. I recognize my mother but I cannot see her face. I ran to her and give her a warm embrace.

“Huh?” I wondered again. “They can’t see me. But why,” I said to myself.

It seems that I’m just an air that no one can notice. Then… I heard her mourning in front of myself? My body? I found myself lifeless. Unbelievable. I looked around and noticed a bright white light. I saw a face staring and smiling at me.

“Grandfather?” Nothing but to believe and accept the truth. I went closer to my grandfather and disentangle with my family… Untied to the world.

As I go on through, I realized that after all, we can’t apply algebra in real life and variable X cannot solve why it had happened in my life.

6 comments on “X and Y: Nothing but Letters

  1. Elvira Ramirez on

    I’ve never read like this before. The story is just so spectacular that I cry because of what happened. It’s true, we can’t apply algebra in real life.

    Reply

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