“The uncanny is always with us, and always has been. There was never a time without mystery. Alongside the familiar, there have been unfamiliar beings-sinister creatures in the woods…. Weird creatures in the sea… mysterious objects in the sky….Beyond what has been clearly seen and heard lurked things half-perceived----shadowy shapes vanishing round corners… footsteps heard in empty rooms… words spoken when no one was near”.
Strangely, we have always been fascinated with the mysterious and our rich imagination could take us to world where no one has ever been. …Just like what happened last summer…
For the very first time, I spent my summer vacation in my Grandma’s ancestral home. The first few days were punctuated with excitement as we went from one place to another…. a swim on the nearby beach… a picnic on the riverside… even impromptu races on the lanzones field.
One moonlit night, my cousins decided to play hide and seek. Now, this is one activity I really like because I’m so adept in hiding. I immediately thought of the place nearby where no one will immediately find me… my grandma’s stockroom ! ---a small room adjacent to the main house.
The first thing I noticed when I entered the room was a gold lidded oval mirror on one corner of the bodega. It seemed to beckon and I couldn’t resist the lure. I investigated. Not contented with simply watching it, I touched the mirror… and watched my hand sinking into its depths! Getting more curious, I ventured further and found myself getting inside the mirror. And on the other side….
I am already thirty years old and it is the year 2038, Twenty years since I graduated from Holy Child Educational Center. Twenty years since I tried to imagine what will happen to us when we reach the age of thirty…
So many events happened in the universe since March 2007. You could say there was a cataclysmic turn of events. Pollution of the air, water and land happened on earth. Toxic levels built up quickly and little care and attention was given to what was going on.
I was getting depressed by the minute and decided just to go back but when I turned around, the mirror wasn’t there anymore. Instead, i came face to face with the widest tv screen I have ever seen.
Hmm… the face on the screen looks familiar….Yes! that’s Camille Trinidad… so she became a TV anchorwoman after all and she’s interviewing… omigosh! John Leomel Antang, the famous guitarist?
Now Camille was saying: “Mr. Antang will give us a taste of his soulful music with the celestial diva, Ms Michelle Rivera-Romanillos in a beautiful rendition of “My Only” composed by her husband, the multi –awarded Robin Roy Romanillos!
My jaw dropped. I stood transfixed throughout the whole rendition. It turned out that the program was a year-ender special when the world’s number one personalities in their fields are given tribute. More familiar faces leaped out of the screen:
There’s
o Edsel Dimaiwat, the most popular reggae performer
o Ms. Tina De la Cruz, now the most celebrated painter
o Ms. Maylyn Zubiaga, the First Filipina Best Actress in
o Prof. Vilbert Nadal and renowned scientist Prof Ian Renzo Berina, were named top galactic vehicle inventor
o Ms. Maria Isabel Cornelio, the greatest architect of the decade
o Dr. Shekylla Iglesia, outstanding dermatologist , who in partnership with Dr. Gracel Tuibuen invented the phenomenal Forever Young anti-aging pill
The commercial breaks were equally astonishing:
o Model Shara Jane Mendez is promoting the Reynes facial cream formulated by the Dr Veblen Reynes laboratories
o Ivan “the terrible” Llorente the 2038 International MVP campaigns for an energy drink manufactured by Paula Magistrado Pharmaceuticals
o Alyssa Katrina promoting her latest bestseller about the life of Sardines Mogul Al J. Oida
o Capt. Andion Bhart Azur invites cruisers to try the DV superferry owned and managed by Ms. Vanesa Dinglasan
o Celebrated singer Lauren Pornillos sings the jingle of a known fastfood chain : the Vanessa Roxas’ Chicken Inasal
When “Mornings With Camille: (that’s the title of the show) resumed, I wasn’t prepared for the next bombshells: Presidential Awardees of the Decade were given to:
o Dr. Raymond Iblan, the genius behind the total rehabilitation of the
o Capt. Jade Anthony Lujares, a valiant Filipino Pilot for saving his passengers from terrorists last month, risking his life in the process
o Arch. John James Saloma for his famous 200-storey glass building whioch he built with his associates Engr. Gayle Anne Dayo and Engr. Chaim Jess Daniel Sombrero
o Jojie Jlaize Coralde, , the most popular Filipino Designer
o Noland Ralph Serrano, the infamous computer hacker for solving the cryptic puzzle that killed the xyz computer virus
o Capt. Daniel V. Rivera, the fist Filipino astronaut in Mars.
o And Prof Aldrick Nogot, the Global Outstanding Teacher
o Prof. Charrie Nacario, an international researcher and her husband Capt. Jose Mendelle Murry Tombado for initiating the Children of the Earth, a global orphanage
The breaking news almost floored me…
It was about the state of the nation address by President Frytz Lagrimas.
On the background are
o Department of Health Secretary Jessa Velle Ani,
o Armed Forces of the Phil Chief , General Kim Lanuzo,
o DOST Secretary Jenny Saulon ,
o DTI Secretary Samira Cheema ,
o Senator Mart Francis Fibre,
o Ambassador Marvin Mora and
o Speaker of the House Luis Campo Jr.
o And Archbishop Bien Paolo Monsalve
I think I was at the brink of a major case of heart attack, I literally jumped when I heard an electronic beep which turned out to be my wristwatch. Randomly, I pushed a button and to my surprise, a hologram of Kaela Marie Fortuno appeared.
“Hey, Joan, what time will you be arriving in New York? Dr. Raner Pascual and I got here yesterday. I hope we can still have time to get together before the medical convention starts. Ok, gotta go… see ya.”
Medical convention? I am a doctor?
As if on cue, somebody tapped my shoulder and more familiar faces greeted me.
“Dr. Lagradilla, there you are, we need to board our plane now. Our colleagues are waiting. Hey, are you ok?”
I automatically nodded and followed Dr. Wenna Pornillos, (well, that’s what I read from her nameplate) and soon enough I was in the first class cabin of the plane with my fellow doctors. You guessed it, they were my former classmates in elementary:
o Dr. Keith Olarve , a pediatrician
o Dr. Roxanne timbang, a professional physiotherapist
o Dr. Kaye Melanie Sereno, a gynecologist
o Dr. Mary Amylen de Vera, an optometrist
o Dr. Andre Faye Lacoste, a dentist
o Dr. Carina Carino, an oncologist
o Dr. Karen Cruzata, an ophthalmologist
o Dr. Billy Magistrado, a dermatologist
o And Dr. Alphonsus Nadal, a psychologist
Also with us are registered nurses: Leor Dyne Ronquillo, Nicole Anne Berina, Danica Niebres, Jessa Fel Estallo, Teddy Mae Martirez and Debbie Romero.
I have yet to recover from astonishment when I noticed the stewardesses who are serving us: Carmela Blazado, Vanessa Kate Villegas and Lyra Rose Buenaflor.
And guess what? The cockpit is manned by the pilot, Capt Keivin Argarin and Capt. Lloyd Francis Villanueva.
To top it all, I learned that the airplane is owned by multi billionaire Keith Rejann Elcano
I was seated beside Dr Eloisa Marie Obciana, a famous neurologist , we were reminiscing the past when I suddenly had this urge to drink water, Carmela immediately gave me a glass of sparkling mineral water. After drinking almost half of it, I became fascinated with the ripples formed in the glass.
Then, I felt a tremendous peace engulf me. My eyelids felt heavy and voices of the people in the plane faded to nothingness.
I stayed suspended in a trance for what seemed like forever. Then suddenly, the ground shook. Is there an earthquake? And why is somebody calling my name?
“ Joan, Joan… wake up! , “ my cousin’s voice became clearer . Until finally, I became fully conscious and when I took stock of my surroundings, I found myself slumped infront of that antique mirror.
“Oh, sorry, “ I sheepishly told my cousin “I must have fallen asleep.
“ Just hurry,” my cousin smilingly answered as she was heading for the door, “dinner will be served soon.”
As I groggily tried to stand, mumbling:“What a weird dream that was! “ my right hand bumped into something.
It was a drinking glass.Through the fading sunlight permeating the stained glass window of the bodega , I squinted and read the inscription:
Cathay Pacific, 2038.
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