Jon held the coffee mug and stared at his face reflected on the surface of the dark liquid. He remembered Flora’s face when she talked to him, the desperation in her eyes as she pleaded to let her and her daughter join him when he returns to Cardena. He saw the same desperation forming in his eyes and he looked away. He avoided Pablo’s gaze and just stared at the still life paintings that looked dull without lights shining on them. Pablo had only switched on a few of the dining room lights when they entered.Jon slowly raised the coffee to his lips, using both hands to hold the mug and steady his slight trembling. He realized that Pablo was watching intently and did not want to show the distress that was forming within. With a final gulp, Jon finished his coffee and thanked Pablo.“Thanks for the coffee, Pablo. I really needed that. I hope we can get the communication lines back. No one can work without the internet nowadays.” Jon tried his best to be cheerful, but it sounded forced to
Dante was playing with Jon's calling card in one hand while the other remained hidden behind his back. He flicked the card and it traveled between his fingers until it emerged again between his thumb and forefinger. All the while, Dante's eyes were directed at Jon who had just entered the hall.Hiding any sign of shock, Jon spoke first. "I didn't realize you're awake. I thought you slept during the day. Or haven't you slept yet?"There was a loud thunder that reverberated in the entrance hall. Even within the windowless entrance hall, Jon knew that the rain had gained in strength. Dante stopped flicking the card and lowered his hand. He did not answer Jon’s question but looked him intently. A few seconds had elapsed before he turned his head to the side and spoke.“In Victorian England, they would see dead strays strewn across the streets after rains like these that it appeared as if the dead animals came with the rain. Hence, originating their phrase 'raining cats and dogs'.” Dante l
Jon felt like a giant trap had closed in on him. He remained standing by the staircase where Dante left him for a full minute before coming back fully to his senses. If the gardener gave the calling card to Dante, who knows what else the gardener told him. Jon searched his memory and tried to recall what he said to the gardener. Did he sound desperate? Did his words betray his own thoughts about Dante?Jon shook his head in despair. Even if the gardener did not repeat their conversation, the calling card itself would be a telltale sign of his desperation to escape the island. Why else would he give it to the gardener with instructions to call Fernan and Lisa?Aside from this, Dante listened to his call as he talked to Lisa and Vicky. This meant that Dante wanted to hear for himself what the people on the other side of the call were saying. He obviously wanted to stop people from looking for Jon in the next seven days. At the same time, this meant that Dante already knew what Jon was up
Jon felt weak in his entire body and he struggled to keep his eyes open. His eyelids suddenly felt very heavy and his limbs were as if encased in cement that he could hardly move. One of the women was bending very close to him until he could smell her perfumed black hair. She had on a flowing white gown which brushed across his face as she stood up and stepped away. Jon's skin tingled as if touched by a rush of cold air wherever she came in contact with him. Then, Jon felt hot liquid flowing from his neck towards his collar and assumed it to be his own blood. In his mind's eye, Jon could see himself surrounded by the three women much like the same way that vultures surround its prey."Hush! I told you to be quiet," said the woman who was bending over Jon to her companions. "He's going to wake up.""You spilled some. Let me get at it," cried a second woman and Jon saw from the corner of his eye one of the women rising and approaching him. Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders and fe
He first heard the sound of heavy breathing and wondered who it was who would breathe so close to his ears. He realized that it was his own breathing when he observed it to be in rhythm with the movement of his chest. He forced more air in and felt the life-giving oxygen enter his lungs, then quickly expelled it when the air was spent. He wondered where he was and tried to lift his eyelids. The room that he saw in the dim light seemed familiar and he tried to see more of it by moving his eyes around. He saw light streaming in from the outline of the door and somehow expected a shadowy figure with red eyes emerge from the darkness. He waited, but no dark figure appeared.Blinking his eyes, he tried to peer into the darkness and saw the faint shapes of furniture all around him. Not the dungeon that he expected himself to be, but a furnished room with a carpeted floor and decorated walls. His limbs felt heavy as he tried to sit up from where he lay. He realized that he was on a soft bed,
The moon had set somewhere beyond the horizon, making the darkness of the night sky almost absolute, if not for the sprinkling of stars that shone even brighter with the absence of the celestial disk. The air had grown much colder and Flora shivered in the darkness as she waited for the sun to rise. She sobbed softly, not quite knowing if she would survive the night. There was only the dawn and the light it brings that she looked forward to, hoping that it would bring her fresh hope and that against all odds, she would be able to return to her home in Cardena. Flora remembered how barely two weeks ago, she was anxious as to how she could celebrate her daughter’s birthday who had just turned five. She blamed herself for falling hard for that selfish, lying scoundrel whom she called her husband. She had come to Malen many years ago to work as hired help for an old lady who was living off her savings and needed someone to stay and help her with her daily chores. Flora worked really har
"Ms. Flora and Ms. Eva?" It was the recruitment officer. The two women whose names were called stood up and were immediately ushered inside. The interviewer gestured for the two women to sit down in front of him and opened his mouth to speak. "My name is Pablo and I am looking for two housemaids who will be staying in at my master's house." "The two of you were selected. Congratulations!" The recruitment officer suddenly interjected and smiled widely as she clapped her hands enthusiastically. Pablo stared at the recruitment officer who realized that she had spoken out of turn and walked backwards to the far corner of the room where she stayed for the duration of the interview. "As I was saying..." Pablo resumed speaking, his disdain at being interrupted evident on his face. "...I have selected both of you to serve at my master's house. You will receive food and lodgings as well as very attractive salaries, more than what you were receiving at your previous employment. In return, you
On her way home after getting hired by Pablo, Flora reflected on what she had just been told inside the interview room. She knew that she should be happy for getting a job with good pay that also allowed her to live with her daughter. Finding a job had been more difficult lately because of the recent typhoon that destroyed the livelihood of many of the people of Cardena. Farms that grew rice and other crops were flooded while fruit-bearing trees were toppled down by the strong winds. Flora knew that many people were looking for a job and she was quite lucky to have been offered one. Surely, she could not let a good opportunity pass. Still, there was something heavy that weighed on her mind that kept on warning her to stay away from Orsica.Confused and very much worried about her future, Flora did what she always did whenever faced by big decisions and events in her life. She went to church.The church Flora went to was almost three centuries old and had withstood the many disasters th