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Chapter 26: Misery
When I woke up in my bed the next morning after a long night of unexplainable things that happened, I couldn’t believe ten hours had already past and there were still no signs of trouble or anything bad that corresponded to the pitfall we had been stuck into last night. On our way home that very hour when we left the University, the lightest thought I could ever think of was being questioned if we had a little knowledge of the whereabouts of the janitor. I would have said no. I would have denied everything. Everyone would have done the same thing, and said the same lie over and over again until the police would believe we were saying nothing but facts. But it was not happening. Or at least not yet.
I got off my bed, slit my yellow curtain into two, and tied them with white ribbons on each corner of the only window I had in my room. The sun was facing west, leaving some of its golden rays reflecting on the dust-ridden window pane, shining through the wide sheet of fRelated chapters
The Photo Collector Chapter 27: The Woman In Red
I arrived at the venue five minutes earlier than our agreed meeting. The University chapel was located across the building A, the one and only building built westward of the Hamlet Creek, where a hillock met a sloping road that stretched straight to the Gate Two where vehicles would usually make their way out.Since it was established on the late months of the year 1986, the chapel had earmarks of postcolonial infrastructures. It was jury-rigged out of mud bricks, wattles and daubs, and split logs and rubbles. Although it was known as a chapel because of its nature, it was still undeniable to say that it was way too big for its name. It had two towers standing on both of its sides, one of which had Brobdingnagian old bell that would only toll when someone from the University had died, while the other one was heavily decorated with gothic sculptures that seemed rather spooky than religious. It looked twice older than its age. It was covered with mosses on most of its parts, and
The Photo Collector Chapter 28: The Noble Woman
JANVICThe first row of the lumber church which was located at the center column were vacated by the family of the principal. There was her husband, their two children, her mother and her father, and the six other middle-aged people which I believed were either her siblings or her relatives. Behind them, on the second line of the same varnished benches seated the teachers of the Hamlet Creek University. Mrs. Nualda was on the leftest, followed by the three oldest mentors namely Mrs. Billiones, Mrs. Mitra, and Mrs. Beñez; all of them had been teaching here for more than four decades already, and they were said to be the only living Professors of the second generation of HCU Faculty who witnessed the conversion of the school from being public to private. Beside them were the younger and newer profs which I was not familiar of and didn’t know the names because we, students from star sections, never had encountered with them. Lastly, on the rightest of
The Photo Collector Chapter 29: Unexpected Eulogy
The least movement I made upon hearing his answer was covering my mouth with my hands before it could even spill out sizzling words that were strictly prohibited to say; like fuck, or shit—or in my worst mood, both. As what my best friends Andrei and Benedict described me, I was the King Of Bad Words. I knew all along that it was not the best title or moniker I dreamed of having, but I had no choice. It’s the only thing where I’m good at—Cursing.It was crazy because in my four years of staying here in HCU, I never heard of its original name before. Not from the Star Section’s Board, not from our own class adviser, and especially not from the principal herself. Sure enough, that went the same way with my classmates, too. We were fully aware that this was once a public high school, but it never occurred to us to hear it from a rival University’s Head Director. HCU had been through a lot in the past, but we were robbed the o
The Photo Collector Chapter 30: Rules
TRAVISWhat on earth did just happened?The looks on the faces of Mr. Tan and Mrs. Tejada when they returned back to the podium simultaneous to the time when the old woman in red left it, was beyond unexplainable. There was fear in their eyes. They feared to come back to the microphone and continue their job. They feared that after hearing those words, they would become speechless. They feared facing the saddened crowd anymore. In a matter of seconds, they suddenly turned into lost puppies. Coward. Pitiful. But they knew to themselves that regardless of what happened, the show must still go on.“Part of saying goodbye to someone we love is keeping a final memory with them, “ Mr. Tan ad-libbed.“And so, with shatters and flashes, let us all be together in taking final shots of memories with our beloved Principal,” Mrs. Tejada added. “May we call on the husband of the late Mrs. Serena
The Photo Collector Chapter 31: The Shout Of Fear
Cautious and quiet, the two bands and I, and the rest of our classmates who were on the fifth and sixth rows of the church pews, intersected at the center of the pulpit. LD set up his drum set, Chuck tuned his guitar, and Jieve tested the keys of his piano. On the other hand, the girls from The Star Harmony including Jermaine took care of the microphones. The rest of us positioned ourselves; some were sitting on the stools, while some were standing in line behind.We waited for Mrs. Tejada’s go signal, and in two minutes, she gave it.After that, we began the elegy. The ever exaggerated and ever manipulated piece of elegy.• • •The song ended, thankfully, after chanting a ballad containing series of throat-aching riffs and old-fashioned melodies. It did went well. Their original composition worked. Their plan of implanting to the minds of the family the idea of see
The Photo Collector Chapter 32: Leakage
She jumped in shock and fell out of the transit down to the ground in front of me. Her shrieking continued, and the longer she did it, the paler she became.“Rabiya!” I went down on my knees and netted her bare shoulder with my hands. I moved her farther away from the door and joggled her body. “Hey! What’s wrong?” I crawled to her front to see her full reaction.Her eyes were red and wide opened, with veins almost popping out due to fear and horror. Tears drizzled from it, sweeping the make-up off as it streamed down to her cheeks. She kept shouting. Nonstop. But her vocal chords couldn’t take it. As she went running out of breath, her voice faded in the air. One gasp. After that, a series of inhalation followed.People from inside the chapel had heard the noise, so they must have been on their way to us by now. But before anyone else arrived, I cupped Rabiya’s face with my flounderin
The Photo Collector Chapter 33: Interrogation
RABIYAFebruary 25, 2021Thursday, 10:17 a.m.Case #64721.292.2OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTION OF POLICE INTERVIEWINVESTIGATOR: Good morning, Ms. Matthews. Good morning, Mr. Exposito.EXPOSITO: After everything that is happening right now, you still have the balls to say that? I don’t care if its part of interrogation ethics, or let’s say for the sake of formality of this interview, but you’re being insensitive.MATTHEWS: (cries silently)INVESTIGATOR: I’m sorry, Mr. Exposito, but I’m just following the police interview protocol. I understand you’re feeling a little upset right now, but—EXPOSITO: Upset? No. No! I’m not upset. I’m disgusted. You already saw the crime scene, didn’t you? How do you feel? If you are on my position, if you are a student who just wanted to offer some help but ended up seeing th
The Photo Collector Chapter 34: Lockdown
“You are unbelievable,” I said the minute I stepped out of the chapel after we’re done participating in the thought-provoking interrogation.Travis grunted. “I just saved ourselves back there, so you’re welcome,” he replied, straight-faced, walking a few steps ahead of me.We halted outside the caution tape surrounding the transit van where the crime scene happened. Three patrol cars, including the one Philip’s Dad used last night, was parked on the left part of the chapel beside the flagpole. As the investigation team began their job, we saw the vice-principal walking from the pavement towards the vehicle where the teachers and other staff were standing; discussing about the traumatizing death of the owner of HCU and her chauffeur.The Vice Principal Mr. Morales was an invisible man. He rarely showed up. He would only go to school when the principal had meetings or errands to attend t
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