Episode 3

Deive thanked them. From the chat that brought bad luck to a haunted house. Elements and ghosts? For Pete’s sake! There were lots of technologies invented. They even sent men to the moon. There was human cloning, plant and animal mutation. Ghosts and elements were a thing of the past. It was only used to scare the little kids to sleep or as scare tactics by the Spaniards to the Filipinos during colonial times. You could only see those ghosts on films and horror books.

From the store, he didn’t find any more houses along the way. All he could see were fields illuminated by the moonlight. After a few minutes, a huge house could be seen from the view.

Villa Celeste. It was an old house built during 1920s. It was a Victorian inspired house made mostly of wood. It was three-story tall. It looked like a haunted house for other people. But for him, it was a fine example of classy architecture.

He slowed down the car as he neared the iron-wrought gates of Villa Celesta. He beeped and an old couple opened the gate. “Good evening, Señorito Deive!” greeted the old man. “I am Lito, the caretaker of this mansion. And this is my wife, Poling.”

He shook their hands. “Good evening to you.”

“Señorita Callea has been waiting for you. Why did you arrive so late, Sir?” Poling asked.

“The traffic on SLEX was horrible. My apologies. Is Callea still up?” Deive asked.

“Maybe she’s already resting. The light is off on her room. Maybe you will meet her in the morning. But Marina is waiting at the door,” explained Lito.

“Who’s Marina?” Deive asked. Her grandfather mentioned the couple caretaker at the mention. There was no mention of this Marina.

“She is Miss Callea’s companion. Please get inside so you can give your late dinner and you can rest,” said Poling.

He went back to his car. “Why don’t you ride with me back to the mansion?” he offered.

“We are on our way home. We only visit this place two to four times a week to clean up this place. Or if Marina and Miss Callea want us to buy something from town,” Lito clarified.

“I see.” It was only the two women in the house. Isn’t that dangerous? Do they even have security there?

“Don’t worry, Señorito Deive. Nobody would dare rob the mansion. They are terrified to even pass by this place,” said Poling in an amused voice.

Lito elbowed his wife. “Watch your mouth. We don’t want to give Sir Deive the wrong impression.”

“Is there a problem?” Deive asked.

“What my wife meant was the Lopezes are respected in this town. So, even if this house has no guard, nobody would dare loot it. We have to go now, Sir. We will be back tomorrow to check on your needs.”

Then he waved goodbye to the couple and kept on driving. He didn’t really like old houses but he admired Villa Celesta. It was as if the moonlight was worshipping it as it cast its glow. The Lopezes tried their best to maintain its splendor. There was a certain romantic appeal to the house. According to his Lolo Jorge, Callea loved the house so much and preferred to live there. So, as her future husband, he must learn to appreciate the place as well.

There was a sprawling garden with a fountain in the middle. There was also a tall camachile tree. He looked like it as he gets off his car. He was used to the noise and brightness of the city. He was not a rural boy. But now he appreciated the silence of the night where he could only hear the night insects chirping. The beautiful moonlight was usually unnoticeable due to bright city lights. But he could see it clearly now because it was the only shining object in the night sky.

So this was her bride’s world.

Very laid back. Very…

He looked around when he heard the wooden door squeaked as it opened. Feared clutched his whole being when he saw a hunchback. He stepped back. He asked himself if the stories about ghosts were real.

“W-Who are you?” he asked in a shaky voice. He was ready to run anytime. Is the place really cursed?

“I am Marina, Señorito Deive.”

“Y-You are Callea’s companion?” This was the woman that Callea trusted?

She nodded slightly. “Señorita slept while waiting for you. But I can reheat your dinner if you want to eat.”

He took out his luggage from the backseat of the car. “Thank you but I am still full.” Deive couldn’t fathom why Callea had chosen this woman as her companion. She was not fit to be a bodyguard. Or maybe she was the reason why the people in town was afraid of Villa Celesta?

What was this lunacy? As if they also wanted to frighten him. Not to be judgmental and all. He now understood why townspeople were afraid of the place. It was an old house with a hunchback living on it. They weave their own stories. Well, the world was really judgmental and cruel.

“If you don’t want to eat anymore, I will take you to your room so you can eat,” she said then offered to bring his luggage.

“You don’t have to. I can handle this. Where is my room?”

“At the second floor, second door from the end of the hall,” Marina answered. “Please get inside because the night is starting to get colder. You might get sick.”

Deive halted his steps when he felt like there were eyes on him from the second floor. He caught sight of the shadow of a woman. He looked away. Maybe it was just his imagination. It was just the three of them inside the house. Callea was already sleeping.

He must stop thinking too much. The scary stories from the drunk and the silly old woman were starting to get to him. But how could he explain this eerie feeling?

Callea was holding her breath as she held her cat. She was crouching beside the window, away from the prying eyes of many. Even the moonlight couldn’t reach her.

“Do you think Deive saw me, Luna?” she asked the cat.

She had been waiting for Deive Hontiveros since this afternoon. She prepared a sumptuous dinner for him. She didn’t want to disappoint him. Even if she didn’t want to marry him, she was taught at a very young age on how to properly treat visitors. She needed to get his confidence if she wanted to make her plan work.

But the dinner was already cold and he still didn’t come. She thought that maybe he decided to back out of their wedding. So, she told Marina to just put the food on the fridge. She was about to sleep when she heard his car purr as it arrived at Villa Celesta.

She decided not to welcome him anymore. So, he would know that she would not be the type who wait out for him if he decided to show up late. She just told Marina that she would just sleep.

Callea told herself that she was not interested in Deive. But something pulled her towards the window and peep. She couldn’t see much of his face because it was dark. But with the help of the moonlight, an image of a vigorous young man was formed.

Her eyes rolled heavenward. “So, he was a hottie. So what? What kind of man would let a woman wait for him for several hours. That is hardly a man.”

If only she didn’t need Deive Hontiveros so badly, she won’t allow him to set foot in Villa Celesta. “But why does my heart beat so fast at the sight of him?” she asked Luna as she touched her cat. As if her head would explode when he looked up her way. What was happening to her?

Her long, lustrous hair fell on her face. Then the gray cloud covered the moon. On Deive’s arrival, her life was about to change. She must follow her grandfather for the meantime. She would get her hands on Villa Celesta soon.

And Deive Hontiveros would be out of her life.

“THERE are six rooms on the second floor and there’s also the attic. Don Leandro has six children. He was the one who built this house and he is Señorita Callea’s great grandfather. But after some time, nobody stayed in this house anymore because the family decided to leave someplace else. Others are even abroad. Only Señorita Callea choose to stay here.”

Deive gulped as he ascended the grand staircase. Marina was leading him to the second floor to the room that he would stay in. She was like a tourist guide. He bet she could explain the history of each part of the house.

He felt like he was back in 1920s when the mansion was still lively with all the original settlers who lived there. The pieces of furniture were also antique. But the place gave him creeps. As if anytime, a head would roll on his feet or a white lady would just show up.

He stopped midway when he saw the painting of a beautiful woman wearing a white ball gown. With all the decorations at the mansion, it was the only thing that caught his attention. It was as if the image was alive. Even the black cat on her lap has intimidating green eyes.

“Who is she?” he asked Marina.

*“She is Doña Celesta, the wife of Don Leandro,” the woman answered. “She looked a lot like Señorita Callea. Whoever sees her though Doña Celesta went back to life. Unfortunately, she died giving birth to Don Tomasino. They mourned for her. Don Leandro loved her so much and decided not to marry anymore.”

He looked away from the painting. He felt Doña Celesta’s eyes on him. As if she knew his intentions for her great-granddaughter. He felt guilty in a way. The house was built by two people who love each other. The house was a fruit of their love and devotion for each other. While he was there to marry a Lopez for his own interest.

His room was simple yet elegant. A huge four-poster bed dominated the room. There were two old lampshades beside the bed. A replica painting of Francis “Botong” Francisco hang at the head of the bed. There wasn’t much modern furniture even if there’s electricity.

“If you want to watch TV, there’s an entertainment room downstairs. Don Tomasino preferred that the family will watch TV together or listen to music. So if you want to watch, you do it with Señorita Callea.”

He smiled a bit. “No problem. Where is her room?”

“At the end of this hall. But she doesn’t want to be bothered especially at night.”

Deive nodded and sat on the bed. Great! His room was near to the beautiful woman he was about to marry. Not that he had plans to enter her room without permission. He was not that type of man and he didn’t have to force any woman.  Well, if Callea wanted to get to his room, that’s another thing entirely.

Sleep was starting to lull him. The bed was soft and comfortable. The air was cold and he didn’t even need a fan or an air conditioner. He could hear the hymn of night insects as if they were singing him a lullaby. Perhaps it was the dim light from the old silk cocoon lamp that was making him drowsy.

He was usually specific that all of his needs were met whenever he arrived at a new place. But all he did was lean back at the bed’s headboard and close his eyes.

“Do you want me to help you with unpacking your things, Sir?” Marina offered.

He flicked his hand while his eyes were still closed. “Let it be. I just want to rest. You may go. Thank you, Marina.”

He listened to her footsteps. It was so relaxing. He had never been so at home before. The eerie feeling was gone. He felt better in that room than own condo or any elegant hotel in the world he had stayed in. Even the ancestral house of the Hontiveros clan in Camarines Sur never gave him this feeling as if strong giving arms were swaying him. He just wanted to sleep.

“Just tell me if you need anything, Sir. There is a rope that you can pull and it will ring in my room. I will attend to you right away.”

He opened an eye and smiled at her. “Okay. That would be all. Goodnight!”

“Señorito, whatever you hear during midnight, don’t mind it. And don’t ever leave this room.” Then he heard the door squeak as it closed slowly on her wake. What did she mean by that?

He didn’t care about the noise or even the ghosts. The paranormals could party for all he cared. And for the first time, he had a good night’s sleep that he never had for years.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***