Finding Mayumi

“FIND HIM!" The Datu furiously ordered two of his men after discovering his son wasn’t inside his room in the middle of the night. A watcher once informed him he saw their young master sneaked one time to meet someone, but the Datu didn’t believe because he knew his son wouldn’t do anything that will ruin his reputation but a night before that, another report came telling him the same, but that time, with a proof they saw him with someone while pretending he's just nobody and not the son of the person they look up as a king. He’ll be very much pleased if the woman belongs to a family of Maharlikas, a family who owned lands and would be nicer if she’s a daughter of a nearby villages’ leader but she is not, just a slave. The two men went searching the entire village, but they couldn’t find him, they didn't go back to the Datu in fear of getting punished. On the next night, they waited for him to leave the house and secretly followed the young man. IT WAS DARK, but the bright full moon lightened their path. Their young master walked for almost ten minutes, at a rice field surrounded by mango trees. There was a girl sitting under one of the biggest mango trees. Looking at the stars, waiting to find another shooting star to make a wish. The young man smiled at the sight, he didn't expect she would come. He sat next to her while asking how her day had been. The woman replied without even looking at him. Even though she doesn’t, she already knows who he was because of his voice. “Tiring— but I’m glad somehow. I decreased my parents’ debts today, as you already know,” she replied. “That’s good!” Trying to act cheerful while hiding his frustrations every time he heard the word debt. He pities the life the girl next to him has, but he couldn’t show it because he knew she will only feel bad for herself. “How about you? How did you spend your day today? Did you go to the pond to watch ducks swimming again?” she implored, that made him chuckle. “How did you know?” he asked in amusement. “It’s just a guess, but I think I was right. So, did you?” she replied with excitement in her voice. She looked straight into his eyes, which made him feel uncomfortable. Her eyes twinkle like the stars above them, and whoever would stare at those, they will see innocence. Her eyes are so alive and expressive but what made him happy is when he stares at her face that close even his heart acts like a frog, jumping inside while it tries to escape. A kind of magic he couldn't believe a person like her could do. “Hey!” The girl snapped him back. “Sorry, what was your question?” The young man asked, he felt his blood rising out of shame after being caught by her staring like that on her face. The girl’s reaction changed from excited to annoyed. She knocked on his forehead a few times like knocking on wood. The third knock was harder. He moved his head away before she could blow another. “Do you remember now?” she asked while mischievously grinning. “How can I remember a question by that?! That hurts!" he protested while touching his aching forehead. He could feel the tingling pain on his skin and even without checking it, he knew how red his skin had become. “Do you remember or not?” she repeated in full authority while raising her hand again with her closed fist ready to give him another knock. “I-I remember, okay? That’s enough—” He stopped her. “Okay!” she mumbled and went back to her seat. She fixed her seat and looked at him while she waited for the exciting part of their night, his stories. “I went fishing today, on the same pond I used to go. The ducks were there too, as you already know, so— I had no choice but to watch them swim while waiting for a fish to bite my bait,” he explained. He noticed the smile on her face slowly fading. She looked in a different direction to avoid his glance that pushed him to pause. “I hope I can go fishing too someday with you or just me; alone. To have my entire day where I can enjoy life and relax for a bit, to forget problems,” she mumbled while looking down on her feet. He could feel the hopelessness through those words she said. The young man couldn’t help but feel sad for her. “That will happen once you’re free from all the ghost debt you’re paying.” He wanted to tell this, but he couldn’t, not yet; not now. She was being fooled by the landowners she has been serving since she was little because she couldn’t read or write like her parents, they created a false document to show them their debts. Her parents passed away a long time ago, and the landowners transferred all those debts onto her. Such a heartless creatures. He was trying to resolve this issue secretly, and sure enough, in less than a few days, she could finally enjoy the freedom she’s been dreaming of and she could enjoy the life she deserves as a free woman. While the two were enjoying the peaceful moment, two soldiers were hiding behind tall grasses examining who was the girl sitting next to their young master. They left after recognizing the girl and immediately reported what they witnessed to their Datu. As they expected, he got furious. He immediately ordered to bring the girl to him. Sending five of his men. AFTER A FEW more minutes of spending time together, the two separated their ways. He made sure she reached home safely after walking on his way home, but right after he took his turn on another street, five soldiers popped out marching. They entered the house where the girl was staying. It caused commotion inside the household because the girl refused to go with them. They don’t have a choice but to take her by force. They threw her inside an empty cell in the dungeon. A prison dug underground. They left her there alone in the dark and suddenly, she noticed a light approaching. The Datu appeared holding a torch in one of his hands. He examined her from head to toe with an unexplainable grin on his face. “So, this explains why my son got attracted to you?” Datu asked while checking her. Mayumi doesn’t know what to reply. She was so confused with his words. She doesn’t have any idea what he meant and who the son he was talking about. “What do you mean?” she bravely asked the old man, but the old man just laughed at her response. “Why? He didn’t tell you who he is? So tragic, you’ll get punished with a sin you didn’t know you were committing,” he furiously responded, and right after that, he walked away. “I don’t know what you’re saying! I didn’t commit any crimes! Why am I here?” The girl shouted as the Datu slowly faded into the dark alley of that underground dungeon. She cried and begged for them to set her free. They chained her arms upward and left her all alone. The place stinks, cold and scary. For what will happen to her next, she doesn’t know. The young man reached home and fell asleep smiling. He’s happy that he got to see her again, but in the middle of the night, he heard an audible noise outside. Got up to check and freaked out what he discovered. They nailed his window from outside. He ran towards the door and tried opening it, but he couldn’t. “What’s happening? Open this door!” he shouted. “Open the door! Who’s outside? Open this!” He screamed while banging the door, but no one dares to respond. He sat on his bed and thought deeply about any reason they would lock him in his room and before he ever could conclude it, someone already opened the door. His father came in. He didn’t immediately notice how furious he looked. “Fa—” He had a chance to finish what he was about to say because the Datu slapped him right away on his cheek. He tried to look back at him and there he saw his fury in his face written. “How dare you disobey the law? Do you think I won’t find out about that slave you’re seeing?” His jaw dropped with what he heard from his father. Got worried about what his father might do to her. He knows he won’t hesitate and with the time had passed, he knew he already took action. “What did you do to her father?” He stepped one foot forward to get near his father. “She’s not a slave, to begin with. The law is just so unfair to everyone. The family she’s serving is fooling her. They are abusing their power over the less fortunate and to those illiterate like her!” he added. “How dare you raise your voice!? She’s a servant, a slave! You both disobeyed our law and both deserve punishment!” his father loudly responded while pointing his finger on his son's chest to push him away. “You’re wrong, father, she’s not a slave. I can prove that,” the young man replied, but instead of listening to what he wanted to explain, he left his son and locked him inside again. He attempted to chase him, but the door slammed right in his face and his only option left was punch the door while he screamed and asked the datu to leave her alone. He begged behind the closed door, hoping his father could hear him, but the Datu was mad enough not to give them both a chance. Two men were left outside guarding him. They nailed the windows. No way for him to run away. He kept banging on the door. His knuckles started bleeding, but he doesn;t bother any more. Mayumi remained inside the dungeon. The punishment for what she did was equivalent to twenty counts of whip, and for two days, they were whipping her using the dried tail of stingray. She kept shouting her innocence, that she didn’t commit any crime, but no one listens because they know what she does not. They were supposed to free her after being whipped, but the Datu ordered them to tie the girl in the middle of the town till she dies. The young man stayed inside his room wondering what was happening outside, to her especially. Didn’t eat nor drink. He made a plan to escape, with the use of silver and gold coins he’d been keeping; he paid a servant to gather news about the girl. It was the same servant who was ordered to serve his food and after handing him the news, he cried. On the third night, the servant he paid secretly gave him a message telling him the girl had already died. He was shaking while reading what she wrote on a small piece of paper the servant inserted in the tiny hole at his wall. He burned his room using the lamp inside his room with oil inside and he managed to escape. His father and his men focused on saving important documents and freeing him, but they didn’t see him or his body inside the burning room. The young man went to the place where they threw Mayumi’s body. No one even dared to take her body and bury her decently. He could barely see how much weight she lost from the day they last saw each other. She has a lot of wounds cut all over her body that showed how many times she got hurt. “I’m so sorry!” Hugging the corpse. “I’m so sorry, Mayumi. It was my fault. I should’ve protected you. I should have done it quick to free you from being a slave and if I did, it wouldn’t end like this!” he sobbed. The sky replied by a roaring thunder. The rain started pouring heavily right that moment. He hugged her tighter, asking her forgiveness even though she couldn’t hear it anymore. “I’ll give you what you truly deserve. I’m sorry I came late. I’m sorry for putting you into this, my love,” he whispered next to her ears. He carried her lifeless body in all his might. Even he doesn’t have strength under the pouring rain. His tears didn't want to stop, it kept falling along with the rain. He knew a place where a wise Babaylan (shaman) was living. They connect two worlds of the dead and the living. He wanted to see him, no matter what the cost. THE SUN was about to rise when they arrived, the rain already stopped. He called without knowing whose name to call. “BABAYLAN!” “BA-BAY-LAN!” He fell on his knees. That was the moment he felt all the weight. He collapsed next to the girl’s corpse, crawled to reach her hand. He felt her cold palm after reaching her. Holding her hand tightly, afraid of not seeing her again and doesn’t want to let go. "M-Mayumi, h-help m-me—," the young man whispered in a very low voice and after that, what he saw was darkness.