A Story with No Period yet

Nueva Vizcaya mountains

I refused to join heaven as it wept so badly that afternoon when we were crossing the thoroughfares of Nueva Ecija to Quirino province. Squinting through the car windows to see signage in order to be familiar with the place didn’t help due to zero visibility in the area. The raucous sounds of wind and rain showed no sign that storm would soon die down. I stared blankly at the blurry atmosphere until I was unconsciously hummed to sleep.

After an hour or so I slightly woke up and heard nothing but silence. My body was still slackened at the car’s seat while we were gearing up to the higher portion of the road when something I read made me totally awake in a jiffy, it said: “Welcome to Nueva Vizcaya.”

The strong rains stopped when our car entered the vicinity of the province. I looked around and was surprised that everything around me was in gleaming green, except for the thoughts forming inside my head. Thought bubbles between my good side and rebellious side started fighting. The latter was convincing me to ask our driver to stop so we could explore. The former didn’t heed so the good side prevailed.

A lovely place like that of Nueva Vizcaya isn’t just worthy of glances, no matter how wide and infinite that glances would be. One must stay for several days to immerse himself on its abundance hiding beyond the rolling mountains. If the mountains served as its façade, what else can be found beneath those?

That moment, I was dying to find out the answer. However, I felt powerless. Because I knew that I would only pass by at Nueva Vizcaya and I wasn’t going to Quirino for any personal reasons. It was just the prelude of the many work-related trips I am looking forward to unfold where hi, hello, and goodbye will soon be the words that would constantly escape my mouth whenever I visit places.

Was I fortunate being in that situation? Or was I only making myself feel sullen by allowing nature tease me and all I could do was just to stare?

I eventually gave more leaning to the first question because of all mortals in the world whose eyes were maybe trapped to look at something hostile and unwanted during that time, mine were privileged enough to witness perfectly-crafted marvels.

The scene was comparable to watching a movie trailer. A trailer gives you the idea of the movie but you will only understand the whole story after watching it. Since I was only passing by at Nueva Vizcaya, I only know what to expect but would never experience its real richness unless I quit staring and start exploring. The only difference is, a movie can make or break my standards, but Vizcaya will surely satisfy and surpass my standards.

I made myself pleased by merely observing how things with life moved around me. My companion kept on sharing her experiences from the time she was struggling at various aspects of life up to the time she defeated all adversities. I was listening but not focused enough to digest everything she was saying. Our driver was very serious manning the steering wheel. I only heard him speak when I asked him several questions before he started driving. The trees and wild plants swaying with the blowing winds were very lively. It was a rare occasion where all living things were meaningful to me.

The van headed again all the way through the winding roads. This time, faster. My eyes were still immobile. I was taking advantage of the remaining sunlight before it succumbs the surrounding to darkness.

We reached the town where we are spending the night after two hours. We settled in a very decent place. Before closing my eyes, I was still wondering what lies behind the mountains of Vizcaya. So I stood, peeked through the window, savored the fresh air and professed: “If I desisted hunting the treasure behind those mountains I’d seen earlier, I will never complete this story. But if I remained steadfast in pursuing my plan to experience the treasure by myself, I will end this with a fulfilling story.”

I don’t have any plans to write an incomplete story

🙂