Loosely base on the encounter of a real estate agent Mrs. Zenaida Cleofas with the supernatural.
Not everything that glitters is gold. When a real estate property changed hands 5 times in less than 1 year. Something must be very wrong. A series of bizarre unexplained things happened to a real estate agent the moment she steps inside the perimeter of the villa.
The powder room. Inside a very quiet 2 cubicle space. She heard strange movement, flushing of the toilet in one of the cubicle. But when she checks the compartment partition. No living soul is present. The bowl is dried to the bottom. Reserved water tank is empty, for a long period of time. Rust stain is visible but Lacking of precipitation or humidity.
The houses of cards.The hallway of the villa are very narrow and claustrophobic. Most the rooms had multiple doors. It makes it Impossible for you to locate your way back to the building exit. The place had no mirrors or sign of reflections. Most of the room are too silent and contain. Un-affected from the noise of the outside world. The smell of the rooms mostly formalin and cordite. The room temperature is freezing, air are tin difficult to breath just like in a high altitude.
Cutting edge of technology. Mobile phone doesn’t work in the area. She tries to google her way out of the situation using 3G data signal. All she got are strange looking characters appearing in her mobile phone screen. The walls had an inner layer of lead plate. The only remaining used of the cellphone is the illumination of the LCD screen. Served as a handy flash light.
The Nervous breakdown. After wondering inside the villa for more than 6 hours with no food, water and detached with the outside civilization. She realized she is no longer in control of her life. The feeling is like your mind is too occupied with problems and you accidentally chopped 3 of your fingers by a cleaver while your preferring a regular dishes in the kitchen. Or while driving in a local neighborhood a mind lapse occurred you suddenly run over a kid while he tries to cross the street. She passes the stages of Frustration, shock, Fear, and then the acceptance of reality prevails.
Gravity. To quantify the problem at hand.Things crisscross inside her mind. Imagine your are in an open sea then one of your leg cramp. Normally most people will be drowned. Due to panic. But according to the expert in the field of swimming. You still have 2 arms and another leg. If you can deal with pain in one of the your leg. You can still manage to get out of the situation. By using your 2 arms to swim and one leg as flipper. The scenario in the villa is not as bad as compared to survival in the open sea. 90% of the problem in the real world can be solved by money. Used it if you can. Buy your self out of trouble. While the remaining 10% monetary value has no meaning. Just like being trap inside the intense aversion villa.
Pulling out all the stops. It’s getting late. I have to regroup my self and look for a way out. I need to find some kind of a pattern. After a random visit to all the different rooms. She notices one of the doors is very distinctive. It has a touch of elegance. By mere curiosity she open the door. A big gray tone, moody atmospheric ballroom surprises her. On the left side an old Baldwin grand piano. It automatically plays by it self, Gymnopedie no.1 by Erik Sati without a present of a pianist. She sat on the floor and rests her back to the ballroom wall. The melody relaxed her. All The corners of the room had a pitch black shape shifters inside some unknown entities. As the melody progresses the pitch black images occupy the bigger area of the room. Time is running out.Think, she slap her face, think dammit, think, she pulls her hair, remember something significant!
The mirage. A long time ago. Grandpa was trap in similar situation in the woods. On his way home he saw the family house 200 meters away. Grandpa walks hours and hours but no matter how many hundreds of steps he takes he cannot reach the point of destination. According to grandpa he was able to free him self by accident. The only thing he can remember, His t-shirt is soak with sweat due to perspiration. He removed the t-shirt and squeezes it. Upon doing so he accidentally wear the t-shirt in a reverse manner when he wear it back. When he starts to continue his course he notice the family house is getting closer and closer as he moves alone. The story becomes folklore in the province.
The Weapon of choice. The piano music is about to wind down. The pitch black shape shifters occupy more than 90% of the area. All of a sudden she started hearing razor sharp claws scratching the wooden ballroom walls. A burst of loud scream of disturbs entities. Voices of Hate, grudges and anger all over the place. Loud Stamping in the floors and ceiling. Smell of dead animals. Unpleasant Steam coming out from a nostril of the beast. Before the piano music end she about to finish reversing all her outfit start from bottom going to the top. At the time the piano play the last note. She slowly stood up tired, her arms are weary. She Wipe the tears in her eyes and deliver her final oration. In front of the fiendish crowd. She did it at the top of her lungs. She said I have no doubt I’m going to die! But I hate disappoint all of you. Not today! I have a son name “Nonoy” and he is waiting for me. I intend to go home. I’m going to see him finish his high school course, get a college degree, he will find a decent job, he will marry a respectable woman, he will have his son’s and daughter’s, I will grow old and happy. And that’s the only term and condition I will agree upon. Before I face my creator. Out of her right palm she open a make up kit with a mirror. Then face it against them. Then she starts to march forward and recite Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want;
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters;
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley
Of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil;
For you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.
Alls quiet at the western front. At time she finished the recital. She bumps on a brass metal door nub. She turns it clockwise and a bright sun shine touch her face. She is right in a middle of an asphalt road. A High speed taxi stop in front her. The passenger door open. She ride, there are unknown characters in the plate name. But the two ending number are 23.
Hand drawn by Nonoy Manga
Story by Nonoy Manga
Cheers
Nonoy Manga
Nonoy Manga 