Cry of a Wolf

The scattered dried leaves skittered along my feet, as I walked down the narrow ridge. Past the golden yellow sunlight percolating through the gaps between leaves forest. They stood towering on my right side, an enveloping canopy, expanding beyond in an endless rows,

an empty field, was on my left only waiting for its cultivators to be filled with lots of good crops.

And like I always did just early this morning, I went to my grandmother in her house at the edge of the forest. The routine was still the same and as vivid in my mind as I recalled back: her favorite music she put on the radio gets louder as I get nearer and nearer, then the cordial welcomed smile as she approached me on her front door, shell give me a hug, and then, prepared my favorite treat of all, cookies and milk and while I gorge in them, shell play the flute beside me, gaze outside the window, to the grand sized of the world. To the uncertainty beyond horizon, and while from a tree nearby, slowly, a leaf drifted down to the fertile soil. The never ending cycle of life & death.

Well then have a few talk, and lastly our goodbyes.

She's a woman that I'll always admire, her vibrancy that never fades away even as she gets older for her being kind hearted. She was ever since, even not yet my mum left us, was always there acting like one, and I'll be forever thankful for that to her. And I can't imagine waking up one day, and only to find shed leave us, too, the way these leaves do. And I always pray she won't.

Continuously pursuing the narrowing path I pulled accross the either rim of my jacket as a cool breeze sighs through the branches, dislodging more leaves from the trees.

But as if over the calming sound of the forests birdsong, and gently falling leaves was something trying to be heard of. I'd ever always thinking about this, I'd slowed to a stop to take a moment to analyze the enchanting beauty of the forest, I stood belittle in its grandness. The not in-lined rows of trees, duplicating itself anywhere, almost capped the whole land with its leafy top branches, the sparkling pinpoints of lights hardly letting in, yet still enough to light up the whole surrounding. And someone like me who are easily get scared, can't even imagine putting on my toes to its grassland, that leads toward the vast unknown, and as if it was a sea, I thought, that I'll never explore, because I might be drowning for sure. But it made me think, always; But what if, I found myself one day at the center of this forest, lost and can't find my way home again what'll I do? But I know that was a naive question and It never gonna happen.

Then, I was about to continue my walking when I caught a ghastly flash of something white race from behind a trunk to another. It was so fast I hardly recognized it. So I walk more forward to get a better angle from it, then suddenly it flee away with vigor, arce a slope, and in an instant its gone. It was so vague I can't hardly percept it, if its a person or an animal.

After it, I went back again on walking as if the thing I saw few seconds ago is just an ordinary, something not extraordinary. I thought at first, that perhaps it was a bird, a white huge bird, that I've never seen before, or a deer, maybe, but then as I continually visualizing it in my head like a video kept on repeating, it slowly form to a human like figure, somewhat like that. It has a thin body, and I was sure it has two legs that running so fast. And as I was thinking all of these, I wasn't completely weary that I'm near at the end of the steep land, then turned sharp left. The soon I turned left, not so far away, from a few blocks, I saw knots of people huddled together near an old crooked tree on the side street; it wasn't clear at first, but as I continue walking I began to see over the tops of their heads, a white rope, knotted on one of its branches, and as I get nearer and nearer, murmurs of the men & women became louder & louder , and the more I get closer, the more it became clearer for me, the crowd as if parted at the middle and that create a narrow passage into the sight of main attraction. My jaw fell open.

One of our neighbors, celestio, hung on the tree lifeless.

Just as I felt a rush of chilly air down to my spine, I'd never seen a dead before in my entire life, but not now, it was like a nightmare I didn't want to dream.

Even though I didn't want to look at, I can't help myself, my eyes arrested at shocked on what was laid hanging before me. It was not just the swinging tangled rope in its neck that'd caught my attention, but also, some of his internal organs are exposed;his vowels are out dangling freely of the uneven gaping hole on his trunk, as if it has been cracked by some large fork, the patent horror in his face—lips parted, as if in his last breath he was trying in vain to plead for help, but obviously hadn't. And his eyes, was still open, but dead frozen.

The blood was still fresh that dripping on the ground, he'd been murdered a few minutes ago. I thought perhaps, sooner if I stared at it for too long I'm going to vomit, so I bent down my head in great disgust but at the same time feeling pitiful for what had happened to him, I thought he was really a good neighbor and someone or, perhaps something, would do something, as brutal, as this, isn't human at all, it must be some sort of wild beast that came from hell, after a few seconds I tilted my head again, as if I had to convince myself enough by looking at it all over again, came whining from not far away, a siren, I turned to see a car police dive down the sloping road with its red beaming light overhead, only then appeared on the higher place ground for few seconds.

While the car came whining, and to think that there is dead, is so ironic. As if a mother was coming, yelling at panic toward her sons dead body - at the top of that, speaking which, near beside the tree, the real mother was there, stood trembling and crying, someone who aren't in the same position as this mother, couldn't feel the pain of losing a son, but even she's facing back against the brutally murdered body, and to us, could feel the heartache in her crying. His father, though facing and caressing the back of his grieving wife, eyes down on the ground, as if the thing in there front wasn't real, something he never wanted.

Then I heard a voice says from the crowd: oh God! This is unbelievable, someone who would do things like this haven't had a heart at all. A monster! It is! I turned to my left to see a woman in a dress of upper white and, black bottom, she had a grimace expression on her face, looking away at disgust only after a few seconds of staring at it and then look back at it again. And then an older guy stood beside me, whispered " oh God, have mercy" as his face filled with sympathy, went back and forth to the couple and to the hanging body. Soon, we all could hear the loud whine of the police patrol approaching, the gravel that crackel under the rolling tire of the car.

They slowed to a stop. Two police dispersed out from the automobile, rushed to the scene and gone inquiring people.

Dead frozen, from my position. I was still shocked. Cannot think steadily in what I'd just saw. But then, thought of my father telling me I should get home before nine made me decide faster, soon I was about to continue my walk home, when I heard footsteps behind me, and then a big hand laid gently on my shoulder, I turned to see dad in his white tucked- in shirt and cappuccino. Behind him, a few feet away, was his small jeepney.

"Come on, let's go" he said, as he brushes with fingertips his bristling newly trimmed beard hair on his chin.

He walked first toward the jeepney, I took one moment to look at the scenario before I turn to follow him, and then he opened the side door for me, "get inside" he said.

And as I crammed myself inside a small seat he stood out there for few seconds, facing toward the bloody murder scene, then shook his head a little, disappointment can be seen in his face. And then he went to the driver seat. He slipped half-circled the key in the slut and the car began staggering. He steered the wheel round the corner and like a TV in our front,they became larger and larger as we approach towards the people's center of attraction, like a masterpiece hung on the wall. The lifeless body on a tree.

We slowed to a stop. Mr. David, the father of the victim flash a quick strong glimpse on us, and then back at where it'd gaze long at. Dad, then took a sharp left, and drove down the road.

The houses behind us ever slowly sunked away and as we get farther & farther, the unending expansion of forest deep, was still, at our side as he navigated down the rocky highway, and when I turned on my left side, a complete barren of wall- like grasses came into full view, giggling at the cool wind.

My mind drifting again every now & then to the bloody scenario I'd scene. And even how Much I'd distract myself with the beautiful landscapes around here.

At the great speed, I heard dad said something over the top of the bumpy road and the tires wheeling whirr,

"Sorry, Dad. What did u just said?" I said as I turned to him.

"I said, how's your grandma?" He asked louder.

"Well she's OK" he's just give me a nod, and persistently never taking his eyes off the road.

"Uhmmm it was really—"

"Just don't think about it" he said abruptly, not letting me finishing off. As if he already knew what I'm going to say.

"He's a good pal though* he said, " but too weak to survive an animal cruel attacks, poor him , I feel bad for him".

Just as he said that, the image come vivid again in my mind, that was blurry for seconds, then I wrapped my two hands in my stomach as if just by imagining again the uneven cracked hole in his body, the exposed internal organs, made me feel sick again.

After a few miles of driving the rocky- bumpy road, Dad took a sharp right, passed three houses, with large gapses, and then from a few feet away, wed come halt to a stop. Wed come into our home.

And then dad immediately flushed out of the car, while i stayed still to my seat, and like a statue, still my thoughts wandering in at the murder place.

Startling me awake from my thoughts,

"Ellena!" , dad shouted from the front door, which when only I realized we were at home already. And I was about to push the metal lid door when I caught a glimpse of white thing underneath my feet, at first I didn't pay attention, but at the second glance, a droplets of something red visibly on its surface, and I was sure it was cloth. And then I was about reaching onto it, when a hard blow shook the whole car, I leaned up in frightened, turned to see my dad, looking annoyed and impatient.

"Sorry," I muttered.

His look forced me to get out of the car, quickly.