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Alone in the Woods

I'm so excited at camping trip that will going to happen. I prepared all the things I need, safety kit, foods, clothes, flashlight batteries, money, and also my survival plans. I'm so ready for camping, my nanny gave me some advices and after that I bid goodbye to her and then ride at tricycle, we're gonna go to designated place which other campers and my instructors are waiting . I'm so excited, I saw my instrcutor waiting for others, I think I'm early because there are few campers waiting for others. After that I greeted my instructor then place my things on the ground and check it one by one if there's something missing. After 15 minutes of waiting, finally all campers are in one place that's why we ride at the bus which gonna take us to camp site. I went inside the bus then choose a seat, I prefer to sit at middle so that I can easily ask help if there's a problem. I can sense that all of my companions are excited, they talk a lot and expect a lot, the bus was filled with laughters and jokes. Before the bus travel our instructor lead the prayer for our safety. After that the bus finally move, our instructor keep advising and telling us what to do. He set up the plan and also give us some hints what we're gonna do and the activities that lots of fun, the exciting part is, other campers from different places also collaborated on us, it means new faces and new friends. After long journey, finally we reached the destination but the weather didn't cooperate into us, I can see the darkness of the woods and the thunder that clapping at the summit of mountain, it looks like this place gonna say that we're not welcome here. Despite of the bad weather, the campers get out from the bus with their belongings even me, I brought everything as we depart. Our instructor told us that there's a possibility that it's gonna rain that's why we need to move quickly and set up tents and prepare everything. He gave tasked to campers by group, theres someone gonna set up the big tents, finding woods, preparing camp fires, cleaning the surroundings and many more. I was in a group tasked to find some woods in the forest. Me together with other campers are having a lots of talk on the way to the woods, one camper suggest that there's a lot of dried branches there that's why we can get as much as we want we all agree, when we reached the destination its a little bit dark due to color of the sky. We decide to separate path but once we lost we can use our whistles to give a signal, I was away with my companions I was busy getting dried branches when suddenly there's something that catch my attention in a distance, the old man appeared at my back then warn me to be careful and then he left. Out of curiosity I look at it then it's a bunch of high bamboos which has bamboo Reed, I think that it would be good to use in cooking that's why I want to get it. As I approach the bamboo, I notice that there's a little way, I enter into it then a village appeared on my eyes. I saw lots of people busy on fetching their clothes cause it's gonna rain, some people are fixing their houses, an old man saw me and then I approach him, I asked him what is this place and then he told me that it is Sitio Manugbang. I didn't knew that there's a Sitio here, I saw lots children that is ready to play with the rain while other children are crying because their mother didn't want to let them. As I explore this place, I saw a familiar people that approach me, they told me that I'm new here and they want me to eat with them cause I think they prepared food. I just told them that I'm full, they just smile at me and then I continue walking, the children started to approach me, it looks like they new to their eyes to see a camper. They asked me to join with them in playing, I agree and then we play lots of Filipino games like patintero, tumbang preso, luksong baka. We're having fun time while the elders looking at us happily, I notice that I'm too long here that's why I asked permission to them cause I need to go, maybe my companions are looking for me now. I can see their sadness in their eyes but I promise to them that I will come back, children became happy and then I go back to the path that I took earlier. I went out at the village and then I notice that it became dark outside, whats going on? earlier it was afternoon in the village but now it's already dark, I saw lots of flashlight and shouting my name, I replied to them and then they approach me, my instructor is worried and then he hugged me. I was confused that's why they told to me that I was missing for 5 hours and there's nowhere they can find me. I told them that I was in the village, and then the instructor got scared and told me that this area was fully searched and there's no village place here. I was little bit of scared and then an old man joined and want to talk to me privately. My instructor agreed and then the old man started to talk. He told me that there's a village that was set on fire by the terrorist long time ago, it was midnight that's why no one knew that the village is burning, the terrorist left and then he was passing nearby and saw that the village is on fire, he do his best to put out the fire but it was already late, he heard a baby crying that why he fights with the fire just to save that child. Then he told me that I'm that child because at the second time we encounter, he already knew that I am that child. He told me that those people that I meet inside are my family, neighbors and playmate. I can't help but to cry (kahit yung author naiiyak), the old man told me that the village has no intention to hurt me but they want to see me again cause it's their only way to move on and go to heaven. After that, I hugged that old man ang gave thanks for saving me, he's my savior and gave me a second life, our instructor decide to postponed the camping trip due to what happened and also due to bad weather condition, tomorrow morning before we go back to Manila, I pick wild flowers anywhere then go back to the village that i saw, it's true that this place is totally burned, I can black soil everywhere due to ashes and bamboos that have been burned. I put the flowers on the ground and pray for the souls, I know that they are in heaven now and looking at me, I went back on the bus then we travel back to Manila. **Author's Message:** I hope you didn't cry while reading my article, it's a story that I made before and I hope you like it, thanks for spending time reading this.

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