Chapter 1: Halloween
The rays of the setting sun bathed the landscape with soft hues of red and orange. The foliage of trees is thick enough to avoid glares but thin enough to illuminate the path that weaves through the woods. Below, it creates a peaceful and relaxing ambiance with the occasional tweets of the birds and children's laughter emanating from the mansion. High above is another story. Without the tall urban buildings to spoil the view, the sun, in all its magnificence, emits it's dying rays. The wind carries a chill from the northern countries, a characteristic known for the Ber months that is highly anticipated in this country. With the cold comes the indication that Christmas is near.
Already, Christmas lights and lanterns hung on the rafters and a life-size Santa Claus is waving outside the yard together with his glowing reindeers. All is right and good. The children are attending Misa de Gallos and giddy for the aguinaldo from their aunts and uncles. Needless to say, they're excited. Except for one.
High above a bough of a guava tree perched a little girl with cobalt blue eyes and hair as stark as starlight. With one arm hugging the trunk, she dangled her legs and watched the sunset. The wind rustled the leaves and few would be plucked from their branches. Back in Burgess, the trees would be bare by now. Adults would sweep and gather the leaves in small mounds of bright colors. The piles would eventually be scattered by children diving into the pile and emerging with a sense of grandeur. Leaves are propelled up in the sky. With their arms raised, the children will fall on their back with the leaves cushioning their fall. They would scramble back up again either to chase each other or throw more leaves up in the air.
The little girl smiled and looked down expecting to see red, yellow, and orange. She saw brown and compose instead. Sighing, she wistfully stared at the flowering mango tree with its promise of higher altitude. Then her gaze shifted at the spider webs on the leaves and she recoiled slightly. Nope. She learned her lesson. Don't get her wrong, Jacqueline Frost is not a wuss. It's not about the big spiders residing in the tree. No. It's about about the fire ants that is crawling all over the trunk and branches.
The first time she climbed that tree, she was quickly attacked by those mean crawlers. They clung on her clothes; they bit at her skin. She was given an untimely bath and received an earful from her mother. Her arms and torso were riddled with welts. Her skin quickly recovered with the help of the ointment her mother applied to the blemishes or else she'll never live it down. Nevertheless, she learned a lesson that day. Fire ants are evil. If you have an insect spray and happen to find a colony, squeeze the life out of the spray can.
Remembering the sting of their bites, Jacqueline glared at the fire ants crawling at the trunk. She huffed and crossed her arms resting her head on the trunk. Deciding not to dwell on her anger, she let her mind wander. Unfortunately, it reminisced the event earlier today. Her grandfather's interment. Her eyes watered.
Manny Lunanoff Frost is a kind man with a soft spot for children. He had the patience of a glacier and a heart as big as one. He participated in every mischief that Jacqueline concocted every time she and her family visited him in the Philippines. Her partner in crime would often play spectator as oblivious adults and teenagers alike would fall in their prank. Quite literally sometimes. Both of them would laugh at anyone who had the misfortune to be the recipient of the prank. And the best part is she never got scolded. He'd always take the blame. The family would only shake their heads and laughed along with them. Oh the fun times they had.
Earlier that day, the whole Frost family marched and took their patriarch to his final resting place: an open field with a few trees lingering at the edges. At night, it's the perfect place to watch a full moon. Everyone was crying. Even her father and uncle had tears running down their cheeks. But not her. Her grandfather wouldn't want that. Grandpa Manny would want everyone to celebrate his passing. It's just the start of another journey if one believes in the after life and her grandfather is a firm believer of that. So she held her head high and blinked back the tears.
Just like she was doing right now. She let Amihan caressed her face and played with her hair. The chill that it brought sobered her up and she waited.
Oh yes she would honor her grandfather's memories. Today is Halloween. Only the wealthy Filipinos celebrate Halloween and most of them are in the NCR. The Filipinos in the provinces are Catholics so they celebrate All Saints day and All Souls day which falls on November 1 and 2 respectively. There may be no treats but she brought the tricks.
Just then, a scream came from the playground. Jacqueline grinned and looked at the source of the sound. Waist deep in the ground are her two cousins, Sally and Lily, covered in green goo. All the children are laughing at the pubescent twins. Even the adults snickered quietly. The two are fuming and red in the face.
"Jackie!" screamed both of them in sync.
They helped each other out of the hole and marched to the mansion with the intent to punish the culprit after a shower.
She climbed down the tree and put her slippers on. She looked at the soles and wrinkled her nose in distaste.The mango flowers may be beautiful but they have the viciousness of tar. She doesn't want to stay at the woods after dark. After all, it is Halloween. Crazy shenanigans happen at night. Approaching the entrance, their is a commotion in the sitting room. Jacqueline smirked. Looks like another one fell victim to her prank.
The victim, a boy her age kept jumping, screaming, tearing and patting at the back of his clothes. "Spider, spider! Spider!" Jacqueline laughed out loud and so did her little cousins and some of the adults.
Her father took hold of the boy and gently reached in the back of his shirt. A hairy plastic spider had clung at the boy's shirt. Upon seeing the spider, he yelped and smacked the toy out of her father's hand. He ran to his mother in the kitchen. Her father chuckled, shaking his head. He looked at Jacqueline and she smiled sheepishly.
Norman Frost nicknamed by his brother "Nightlight" ruffled his daughter's hair. He never spoke much and prefer actions over words. Jacqueline knew that she got her prankster streak from her father because of the stories her uncle North told her. Both of them snickered and relished at the completed pranks.
A few minutes later, Katherine Frost marched from the kitchen with the twins and her male cousin in tow.
Her mother does not look amused. Arms akimbo, she looked at Jacqueline. "Well aren't you just proud of yourself? Since you love making messes, you wouldn't mind cleaning the cat litter and removing spider webs from the unoccupied rooms here now do you?" Jacqueline readied her puppy eyes just for this occasion. "I'm sorry mommy." She looked down at her feet and started scuffing her shoes on the floor. Katherine rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Don't apologize to me young lady. Apologize to them." She gestured to both her sides. Jacqueline looked at the twins. She pouted then put on her puppy eyes, "I'm sorry Sally and Lily." They tried to hold their pointed looks but it wavered completely. Well that was quick. "Oh we couldn't stay mad at you little snowflake." They pinched her cheeks and squeezed her in a hug.
Nightlight chuckled at how easy it is for his daughter to manipulate everyone with her cuteness. Katherine glared at her husband and he quickly sobered up. "Jacqueline pranking is wrong. Just because daddy did it in his childhood doesn't mean you have to follow in his footsteps." He glanced at his wife for approval of his lame attempt at parental scolding. Katherine just shook her head. Like father, like daughter. Her daughter just had to inherit Nightlight's charm. She fell for it most of the time the idiot had done something stupid.
After having their fill of pinching Jacqueline's cheeks, the twins went to help set the table for dinner. Her male cousin is next. "I'm sorry for what I did." He glared at her. Puppy eyes won't win this one over. Good thing she had a back up plan. From her short pockets, Jacqueline produced a chocolate bar. His eyes widened at the delectable treat. She extended the chocolate for him to take. He quickly accepted the peace offering without preamble. "Nah, it's okay." He left the room and went to join their group of cousins watching television.
"Well, that's resolved." Nightlight kneeled beside his daughter and ruffled her hair some more causing Jacqueline to giggle. Katherine sighed and went to check on her son. Watching her mother go, her father spoke softly. "So where's the next prank?" Jacqueline looked questionably at her father. Nightlight scoffed. "You're my daughter, Jacky. I know when you're string of mischief is not yet ended. So how about some info for you're old man?" She smirked mischievously. "Nope. Not telling." "Oh come on! I'm your ally here." She shook her head and blew her father a fat raspberry. "Fine, but it better be hilarious." She watched her father go up to her uncle North. Oh if only he knew.
/
The rules for dinner are simple. The table would be divided in half: one half for the adults and the other for the teens and the little kids. Except for the toddlers who can't eat on their own. You can eat with silverware or with your bare hands whichever you prefer. Three fourths of the occupants are Filipinos or half thereof so eating with you hands is acceptable and as long as you wash your hands before and after eating. Jacqueline preferred eating with her hands. It's faster and more enjoyable. As enjoyable as to what is going to happen now.
She waited with baited breath as the adults sat down. Multiple fart noises were heard. The silence that followed lasted for a few seconds until half of the table burst into fits of laughter. The adults stood up and found the source of the offending sounds. Whoopy cushions. Of course. They glanced at the white haired little devil who stared at them with an innocent look and huge blue eyes. They just shook their heads and laughed along.
The somber mood was gone and was replaced with joy. Jacqueline reveled in it. Her father is laughing genuinely for the first time after a week of sorrow and tears. She caught her mother's look and was that gratefulness on her face? Maybe she can wiggle out of her punishments? Then she was given a pointed stare, maybe not.
"Alright settle down, settle down." Gradually, the table stopped laughing. "Ah Jackie, keep it up and you on naughty list." Her uncle North said wagging his finger. She puffed out her chest like a soldier receiving a medal of honor and chuckles aroused throughout the table.
Dinner commenced without a hitch. Interactions throughout the table were consistent and nobody was left out. Even the younger ones participated in conversations. If only grandpa Manny is here to see it. Jacqueline can picture him laughing at every joke that her uncle would say and raptly listen to her mother's stories about every mischief she and her father would create. She can see him basking at the ambiance of familial love. She was pulled from her thoughts as a cousin conversed with her about how she managed to get the two pails of goo up in the tree.
/
"...and then she looked over her shoulder and there is the manananggal!" Frightened cries and yelps resonated throughout the living room. Jacqueline yawned. She's getting too old for this. Two years ago, she was part of that crowd whimpering and shivering to the thoughts of monsters existing hiding under her bed. Now, the stories doesn't hold the same fear as before. "And then what happened?" asked a kid who was brave enough to speak. "She ran. She can hear the beats of its wings and its cackles. She was praying to God and every saint that she know to save her. Spare her a gruesome death." The story teller paused for dramatic effect. Great, he's building up the suspense. Jacqueline prepared her ears for the incoming onslaught of shrill screams and shrieks. Her cousins waited with baited breath, large eyes and tense bodies. "She found a group of farmers coming home from the fields and told them her story. A search was quickly initiated with fire, garlic, salt and pitchforks for the lower half of the creature. Nothing was found." The relief was so palpable. "But..." and the fear is back. "...on the morning of the next day, a body of a boy was found." Jacqueline wanted to punch this jerk for his dramatic effects. Why can't he just spare her ears of the incoming shrieks? "Upon looking at the corpse, you can see that he was strangled. Two puncture marks were found on his neck. And he was pale. So pale. It was found that all the blood in his body was drained." Nobody breathed. "Victims kept piling up and the authorities were left running around in circles. Then the killings in Santa Monica just stopped." Murmurs spread throughout the room. "I-isn't Santa Monica our neighboring district?" Jacqueline perused her memory about the geography in the province they're located. Huh, it is. "Yes." She can see her cousins tremble. "In fact, two bodies were already found in our area." "W-what?!" Cries of alarm rose up. " That's why don't wander outside during the night. Lots of trees around. For the manananggal to hide and for you to trip and fall. Who knows she might be watching us right now. Boo!" Her cousins shrieked and jumped out of their skins. "Alright, time for bed!"
/
Jacqueline was irritated. She approached her cousin as he was tucking their cousins in for the night. He glanced at her then smiled. "Scared?" "Not one bit." He looked confused maybe at the attitude she's displaying. "Want me to tuck you in?" She rolled her eyes. "No, I just want to tell you that you're a jerk. Because of you I won't be able to sleep tonight. Beth would always wake me asking that I accompany her to the toilet and Carol would toss and turn shaking the bed in the process." She turn to leave but stop and spoke again. "Oh and if you want them to sleep don't tell them scary stories. It's really irritating when grown ups say 'Time for bed' even though they know that we'll never be able to sleep."
He stared at her then laughed. He's laughing at her. Jacqueline fumed. Scaring children is no laughing matter. He saw her expression and coughed. "I'm not scaring them, Jackie. I'm only performing my duty." She crossed her arms and glared. "Yes scaring us is a duty of every adult." She spoke sarcastically with her eyes rolling to garnish. "No really. Although fear might not be appropriate but it's necessary for the memories to last."
Jacqueline remained unconvinced. "And what is that duty?" Her cousin looked at her long and hard then he kneeled down. "How old are you again?" She cocked her head. "Six." "At a young age, you were able to plan all those pranks without anyone helping you. That's amazing." "Well I learned from the best. Stop praising me. What is it?" He smiled. "Generativity." She looked at him with confusion painted all over her face. "Jackie, do you know how a culture survive?" She shook her head. He stood up and leaned against the wall. "There are many ways actually. But the most amusing of them all are the stories of the land. Here in the Philippines, modern Filipinos prefer the literature of the west compared to their own. It is change but not the good kind. Myths and legends of the Pearl of the Orient are dying. Ask the children here. Ask them about the legend of the three main islands of this country. Most of them won't be able to answer you because they were raised in the modern standards of the western countries."
He gave her a sideways glance and she stared at his lax form with his hands in the pockets of his pajamas. "Even our history they lack familiarity. They disregard the fact that thousands of blood were spilled just to achieve this country's independence." He stared in her eyes. Brown and cobalt blue met and held each other.
"We tell them our experience hoping that they'll learn from our mistakes and make them strong willed citizens. How about you, Jackie? Are you knowledgeable about the history and literature of your country?" She nodded vigorously. "Really? Then, who is the father of your country?" Jacqueline snorted at the question. "Easy, George Washington." The surprised look on his face made her smug. "Fine, who is the president that abolished slavery?" Really? "Abraham Lincoln." He hung his head in defeat. "You know, you're making my point moot by answering those questions correctly." She giggled at his embarrassment. "But you get my point, right? I tell them those stories to preserve what is left of the former glory of the Philippine culture. Besides, it keeps them from wandering outside when it's already dark."
He straightened himself. "Hey, it's irresponsible for me to do this but do you wanna come downstairs? Me and the teens are having a horror movie marathon. You're not easily scared by stories anymore so I figured you could use an up in the scare meter." Jacqueline is brave but not that brave. She yawned and feigned nonchalance. "Nah, you go ahead. I'm going to sleep." He shrugged his shoulders and went down the hallway. She went inside her assigned room. She could have a room all to herself but that would be boring. She likes the constant bickering and scuffles of her cousins.
/
She looked around the room and noticed that each bed has three occupants. The bed on the corner only has two occupants. Carol took the right side where the edges meets the wall. Beth is in the middle. That leaves Jacqueline with the open left side of the bed. She knows that Beth and Carol just wants to avoid the feeling of an unknown presence behind them. She climbed in and stared up the ceiling. Tomorrow her Filipino relatives will go to the cemetery to visit deceased love ones. It involves cleaning and painting the gravestones. Also, they put food on the graves. She needs to ask her aunt about that.
First Halloween without her grandfather and she's doing pretty good. Although, she would prefer it if he's still alive. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over her. "Psst! Jackie, are you awake?"
AN: Thank you for reading! I just want to post this first before the Janna fic. Jelsa first. Oh and some terminologies:Misa de Gallos- it's a mass that starts on December 16 and ends on Christmas Eve.Aguinaldo/Aginaldo- It's trick or treat except it's done during Christmas. The treats are given by your aunts and uncles in the form of money. The tricks well actually there are no tricks.Amihan- it's what we call the Northeast monsoon. It's the wind that brings the cold in the Philippines from countries with snow.All Saints day and All Souls day- Two consecutive days that falls on November 1 and 2. This is the time when we visit the dead and clean their graves. It's so imbedded in our culture that even non-Catholics exercise the practice.Some of you or most of you might have noticed that Nightlight is a son of Manny here. I just like the idea of Jack or in this case Jacqueline being a child of Nightlight and Katherine. Why Manny is in the Philippines will be further explained as the story progresses. Constructive criticism and reviews would be deeply appreciated. Or just leave something about what you feel after reading the story. And also forgive my sorry excuse for line breaks. I'm only typing in my phone. And sorry for my patriotic rant.Up next male!Elsa.