Here in our village my grandfather's family (father side) are the early settlers here. He said, eight families were here before.
No electricity, water was in the clean river taking over, the other drink was in the fountain (a good spring here, when I was young I was used to drink there. Others made their well of water. There was no road yet.
Whenever a storm came, people here in our barangay evacuates to my grandfather's house because it was the largest and most durable house. (So far it's full, the woods above, hollow blocks below, the hollow blocks are not just crushed, unlike our hollow blocks today.) But the house is divided into two now. My aunt lives in one, despite my cousin being married but having no children)
I was in grade school back then. My cousins and I were on the road hanging at Cela's store, my crush passed by that time so I went down to hide hahaha. Downstairs you can actually see my grandfather's house.
Basically we are a compound here, 8 is our grandfather's children, everyone lives here except of my tito, they are in Quezon now.
When I came down I peeked out the window a little, for me to see my grandfather lying down in bed, he can't be able to walk but he can speak. As I peeked I saw my grandfather lying in bed, I didn't see his head because it was covered by a rocking chair (an old man's seat) with a guy seating there, I peeked at who he was. 'ah it's uncle Ben ' I said in mind.
I went back upstairs, someone came looking for Uncle Ben, my aunt said 'he's not here, he's in town went to work'
Me: uncle Ben went downstairs, talking to granpa
Aunt: I'm sure it wasn't your uncle, I saw him earlier went to work. He will be here soon as he finished work.
Cela (my cousin): Grandpa is in our house asleep, he's there since last night.
The next time, they were scared too. Everyone knows it's scary at home.
Together we all went down. Many of us have two men and five women, our Aunt left because she also has a store to manage.
Entering the door there is a wide living room, a vegetable or rice harness
Then we enter a door again and another living room where our grandfather's pallet is.
Grandpa's not here, well the pallet obviously wasn't destroy coz no one's sleeping here last night. But the rocking chair is there near the pallet.
We immediately went to another aunt's house to ask if grandfather had not been brought home before.
After asking, they made it clear who the grandfather was talking to.
Me: I only saw his back , but I can describe him. He's not skinny but he has no hair in front so I thought so I thought it was uncle Ben that's why I didn't bother them.
Aunt: (she get a picture from the drawer) look at this
Me: it looks like him. Who is that?
Aunt: grandpa's favorite nephew, he died a month ago. Maybe he visited grandpa because we can't go to his place because it's abroad.
*Lady in the stairs
I was grade 8 back then , because grandpa is sick we should always have a look at him and split food and snacks.
I was sharing a snack, helping him to sit down. He often ate alone)
As he eats that time I'm in the corner facing the mirror. The glass is glued to the cabinet. The cabinet is located in the middle of two pallets. Two pallets, because my cousins were sleeping in the other side, and my grandfather in the other side as well.
Grandpa: who's the girl on the stairs, call her and give her food
I: (I was scared because I can actually see the stairs reflecting in the mirror) grandpa we're the only people here.
Grandpa: There's a girl really, in white.
Me: your eyes are really blurred, your just scaring me.
I opened my eyes so I could run out of tears as it could. I could have come out with a sudden shadow passing in front of me, I was still in the kitchen (back because I was passing by, because if in front, I would pass the stairs) I was running to my grandfather. I really cried. Suddenly it rained I was scared, the darkness of the house and the rain is loud. Legit I'm afraid!
I can't take this anymore! I shouted for too much to hear at my aunt's store. The rain was so loud that no one could hear.
(To grandfather's son they had three stores)
It seemed like rain, I still cried. My sister finally heard me.
She went to pick me up because I couldn't get away with my grandfather.
Then I told everyone what happened,so every time I fall asleep I cover my ears to pretend not to hear someone.
*Big sis Cela's experience
It was 5pm, I brought food to our grandfather to feed him. I woke him up and landed the food on the chair .I helped him sit down. While my grandfather was eating, I sat down the rest of our bed. Suddenly
Grandpa: grandchild eat that too, eat with me
Ate Cela: I'm still full granpa
Grandpa: Call that someone on the door, feed her too
Ate cela: no one's there grandpa.
Grandpa: I see her again, she's going to get me again
Ate Cela: Who are you talking about?
Grandpa: I don't know her, she's a girl wearing a white dress. She's not your grandmother. All right grandchild, leave me alone. I can do it here.
I never spoke again and quickly ran out of fear. I called our cousins and aunts to tell what happened.
* Our grandfather often saw that woman, sometimes wanting to follow him. Even in late nights grandpa wakes us up to guide him because the girl always followed him saying that it's my grandpa's time
* LOLO was lost
12am, my cousins woke up all of grandfather's children to be informed and another cousin of old age. They are all looking for everywhere. Others cried, Others with motor cycle went nearby to find him, and the courtyards. As we saw, our grandfather was in the basement of the kitchen. It's high because the kitchen underneath is muddy and too dark and low. Beautiful, really wearing a wide box. Before getting to the vacant pool, and concentrated plants.
When my cousins and uncles got our grandfather immediately drank, bathed, dressed and fed.
Ff. Everything is calm, because grandfather is resting.
Grandfather's said he jumps out of the laundry window, near the comfort room so he fell down. He went there because the girl woke him up and then he followed.
'we all wonder how he manage to walk alone, and how it jumps because we knew his bones are weak already due to aging he doesn't have fracture, we don't know if it's true that he jumped. He's old enough. But there is a wound on the forehead near the eye and also on the knee arm and leg. We do not know where and how he was injured.
Btw, when he got in the basement they saw grandpa's teary eyes
My great-grandfather's wife was long dead, maybe 7 or 8 years old when she died.
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