*Note this story is in Tagalog
Hindi gusto ni Lia ang panahon ngayong gabi. Umulan kung kailan wala siyang dalang payong at nag-alala siya kung paano siya uuwi. Mahigit isang oras na siyang nagpapatila ng ulan, pero hindi pa rin ito tumitigil. Naisipan niyang idaan sa barya ang kaniyang pag-iisip. Pinag-iisipan niya kung sasakay siya ng taxi at haharapin ang masikip na trapiko o maghihintay ulit siya ng isang oras bago umalis. Lumabas ang ulo ng barya at hindi na siya nag-atubili kung magkano ang aabutin ng metro ng taxi, dahil nangako siya sa kaniyang mga magulang na makakarating siya sa kanilang anibersaryo.
Nakasakay agad siya ng taxi sa kabila ng masikip na daan. Nagmadali siyang pumasok sa likuran ng taxi at humingi ng tawad dahil nabasá niya ang upuan ng sasakyan. Ngumiti lang ang nagmamaneho ng taxi at ayos lang sa kaniya ang lahat. Masaya si Lia na mabait ang drayber sa kaniya at ang trapiko na lang ang kinakailangan niyang alalahanin. Naisip niya ito dahil napapagod na siya sa mga drayber na mahilig mamera sa mga pasahero. Nagsuot ng headphone at nakinig ng jazz si Lia para gumaan ang kaniyang pakiramdam. Dahil sa sikip ng daanan siya ay humantong sa kaniyang pagkakatulog.
Nangngalahati na siya sa awitin ni Louis Armstrong na “Summertime” nang nakarinig siya ng sigaw. Nagising si Lia at sinigurado na tama ang nakikita niya. Tinanggal niya ang kaniyang headphone at tumingin siya sa paligid. Madilim ang kuwarto, semento ang mga pader at nangangalawang ang bakal sa paligid. Sa gitna ng kuwarto mayroong babaeng nakaupo.
Ang babae ay nakasuot ng puti, na may mga pulang mantsa sa kaniyang kasuotan. Nilapitan ni Lia ang babae at kinumusta niya ito. Nakayuko ang ulo ng babae kaya hindi niya makita ang mukha nito pero mayroon siyang naririnig na may dumarating.
Paulit-ulit na sinasabi ng babae ang mga salitang, “Huwag mo siyang pagkatiwalaan.” “Huwag mo siyang pagkatiwalaan.” “Huwag mo siyang pagkatiwalaan.” Sinusubukan ni Lia na lumapit sa babae pero mayroong humahadlang sa kaniya. Hindi sumusunod ang kaniyang mga binti sa ninanais niyang gawin. Nandoon lang siya nakatindig sa harapan ng upuan.
Naririnig ni Lia ang iba’t ibang boses at sinasabi nila ang parehas na bagay. Unang nagpakita ang isang babaeng nanggaling sa taong nakaupo, nandoon siya sa likuran ng upuan. Hindi na makilala ang mukha ng babae dahil sa labis na pagkakabugbog dito. Sinusubukang sumigaw ni Lia pero hindi sumusunod ang kaniyang buong katawan.
Ang pangalawang babae ay may sugat sa kaliwang bahagi ng kaniyang noo; dumudugo pa rin ito habang papunta siya sa gilid ng upuan. Lumapit ang pangatlong babae, natatakpan ng mahaba niyang buhok ang kaniyang mukha at nakatali ang kaniyang mga kamay niya sa likuran. Nababalot ng dugo ang lahat ng damit ng mga babae.
Nakatingin si Lia sa mga babae at sabay-sabay tinuro nilang tatlo ang babaeng nakaupo. Tinaas nito ang kaniyang ulo para makita ni Lia ang kaniyang mukha. Nagmumukhang parang lang siyang nananalamin. Taglay ng babae ang kaniyang mukha at kinalibutan siya sa buong katawan.
Pinapanood ni Lia ang babae nang sabihin ulit ng isang beses ang mga salitang, “Huwag mo siyang pagkatiwalaan.”
At biglang siyang nagising.
Tumutugtog pa rin ang “Summertime” nang binuksan niya ang kaniyang mga mata. Tumingin si Lia sa paligid at napansin niya na hindi pa gaanong nakakagalaw ang taxi, at malapit pa siya sa sa kaniyang opisina. Nanginginig ang kaniyang mga kamay dahil sa napaginipan niya. Kinuha niya ang kaniyang telepono at nagpadala siya ng mensahe sa kaniyang mga magulang at sinabi na hindi siya makakaabot sa kanilang anibersaryo.
Sinabihan niya ang drayber na bababá na siya. Hindi na pinansin ni Lia ang panghihimok ng lalaki para siya ay bumalik, sinabi niya na lang na mayroon siyang nakalimutan. Bumubuhos pa rin ang ulan nang lumabas siya sa taxi at tumakbo siya pabalik sa opsina. Mayroong bahagi ni Lia na baka siya ay madulas, pero hindi na niya ito pinansin.
Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon pagkatapos nang kaniyang panaginip, napanatag ang kalooban ni Lia.
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English Version
Lia didn’t like the weather tonight. It just had to rain on the day when she forgot her umbrella and she was worried about getting home. She had already been waiting for an hour for the rain to stop, but there was no luck there. She decided to flip a coin to see if she would risk the traffic and get a taxi or to wait in her office for another hour. It was heads. She didn’t want to think about how much the taxi would cost and she promised her parents she would be home that night in time for their anniversary dinner.
It only took her a few minutes to get a cab, despite the traffic. Lia rushed into the back seat and apologized to the driver for the rain on the seat. He just smiled and said it was no problem. She was happy that he seemed nice enough and that it was just the traffic that she’d have to deal with. She was tired of getting the obnoxious taxi drivers, always trying to extort extra money out of her. Lia put on her headphones and played a little jazz to lighten her mood. The traffic was bad so it just made sense to take a nap and she closed her eyes.
She was halfway through Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s “Summertime” when she heard a scream. Lia woke up and blinked to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating. She took off her headphones and looked around. It was a dark room, the walls were cement and there was rusted steel everywhere. In the middle of the room there was a chair and a woman sitting on it.
The woman was wearing white, though there were red stains all over her dress. Lia approached the woman and asked if she was all right. The woman’s head was facing downwards so Lia couldn’t see her face but she could hear something coming from the woman.
‘Don’t trust him.’ ‘Don’t trust him’ ‘Don’t trust him.’ The woman repeated the words over and over again. Lia tried to get closer but there was something stopping her. She told her legs to move but they wouldn’t obey. She just stood, frozen, in front of the chair.
She could hear other voices now and they were saying the same things. The first came from another woman in white, appearing from behind the chair. This woman’s face was battered beyond all recognition. Lia tried to scream but her voice was as uncooperative as the rest of her body.
The second woman in white had a wound on the left temple of her forehead; it was still bleeding as she walked to the side of the chair. The third woman approached with her hands tied behind her back and her long, black hair covering her face. There was blood on all of the women’s clothes.
She looked at all the women and they pointed to the one still in the chair. Her head moved up so Lia could see her face. I was like looking into a mirror. The woman had her face and Lia felt a chill go down her entire body.
Lia watched as the woman with her face said ‘Don’t trust him.’ One more time.
And then she woke up.
“Summertime” was still playing when she opened her eyes. Lia looked around and she realized that the taxi hadn’t moved much, she was still very near her office. Her hands were shaking from her dream and she reached for her phone and texted her parents that she was sorry that she was going to miss their anniversary.
She told the driver that she would get out at this street. Lia ignored his protests and said that she left something very important. The rain was still pouring when she got out of the taxi and ran to her office. Part of her was thinking that she might slip in the rain, but she didn’t care.
For the first time since her dream, Lia felt safe.
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*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino
Inspired by the White Lady and Kaperosa myths and urban legends
White Lady (Kaperosa) Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
Watercolors by Mykie Concepcion
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