|
My friend loves driving. In fact, he would gladly agree to drive all the way to Baguio on an errand for his mom. Other times, he just goes there to buy fresh fruits. One Saturday, I asked to him to accompany me to check out some popular stores there, on the condition that I paid for the gas. He gladly agreed.
On our way up round the mountainside, we reached a curve where the traffic slowed. Our car was hanging precariously on an incline so we had a good view of what was happening in front of us. I asked Ben if he was ok, pertaining to the tilted car. He looked at me like I had insulted him. "I know how to drive," he boasted. So I busied myself with the sights outside the side of my car wanting to be fully awake to give Ben good company. All I saw at first were cars and mere inches of dirt road before the dead drop of nothingness. Then, I saw a man.. a very, very big man.
When we reached the part of the road where he was, I felt the hair on my arms and my neck stand. I asked Ben if he saw the man. I clutched the lock of the car hard for self-preservation. I said something like "He's not human!", feeling like I was going crazy. I bunched my body near the driver's side because the man was nearer my door. And the man was no man. He was all hair, and sitting down, he was bigger than the car. All I could see were two holes that jutted out from his face and eyes that looked like they were swimming in fresh blood. Ben was so quiet, it doubled my fear. He should be brave! The only thing that probably kept us sane at that moment was the fact that the traffic kept moving, though slowly. As we passed the man and turned another curve, I felt myself hyperventilating. And then, suddenly, Ben's car conked out. Heat rose from the hood.
He guided the car a little to the side and unwillingly, unlocked his car door, went out and checked what was wrong. I followed him out. But he found nothing wrong with the car.
We got back in the car, then Ben tried the ignition. Miraculously, the car went back to life like nothing happened to it at all. "That's weird, " were the only words Ben could utter at first. Then, he continued, "my car is in top condition."
We kept silent for a while. Then coincidentally, we both had the same thought. Like a badly choreographed movie, Ben and I simultaneously looked at the mirror to check the backseat. It was there! The hairy man thing was inside the car! His bloody eyes looked back at us!
It was a crazy rush to the nearest gas station, where we suddenly jumped out of the car, much to the attendants' surprise. But we looked again at the backseat to find no one there. One of the attendants then said to us, "There have been plenty of stories like that around here. Think of it as a welcome to Baguio." What a welcome!
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed