DIARY OF VALERIA [ COMPLETED ]

Chapter 7

When I started introducing the myth of Valeria in the middle of February, we started to receive mixed comments. I told the readers that according to the diary I found, Valeria was immortal. She was there during the revolution, witnessing it firsthand. Some enjoyed reading it and passed it as fiction, while others enjoyed debating about her relevance in history, and believed her presence "didn't make sense". They were addressing her hypothetically by using the words, "if she really existed". And many have said that I was just making up this story. I was disappointed at first, since I was so invested in her story for the past few months, and I was truly convinced that she was real. As per my debate with Albert, and my relentless research in the library, I found out that the word "Sinukuan" at the bottom of each entry, was referring to the author, who was no other than the Supremo himself, Andres Bonifacio! Sinukuan was his masonic name, or alyas, during the revolution to protect himself.

This revelation sent me into a frenzy for days, and I could sense that if I wouldn't stop talking about it, Albert would have punched me in the face. So, I decided to keep it for myself at the meantime, while continue doing my research. Once I posted my discovery online, the blog became a battlefield. It was an outrage, history fanatics were arguing non-stop. In my post, I wrote that Valeria was so beautiful, that the Supremo fancied her. Emilio Aguinaldo then saw her during the Cry of Balintawak, and her beauty captivated him as well. That was the time when the first rivalry between the two heroes started, and they weren't able to patch up their differences, until Andres died. When I posted this, the blog almost crashed, and Albert and I were horrified. The comments were borderline rude and derogatory, others still enjoyed dwelling into the imagination and fantasized, for they loved fantasy-fiction. Albert was neutral about it, and he didn't know what to say to me. He was first enthusiastic about it, but then he saw and read the reaction of the readers, so he didn't know where to stand. I was shocked as well, I didn't know that the reception would be that wild. I shouldn't have underestimated my readers. I began to doubt my instincts. What if I was just hallucinating? I was probably just creating this story in my head. One history teacher sent me an email, he told me to stop posting non-sense, that my claims were ridiculous, and I was spreading false information. It was an outrage. Some internet bashers called me a fraud. But I stood my ground, and told the readers that what I have in my possession is now an integral part of history, and I believe in it firmly - the diary was owned by the Nationalist leader who started the Philippine Revolution against the Spaniards. I understood that Albert was pissed because the blog readership became unstable, but he didn't voice out his anger. If he did, I had to remind him that creating the blog was his idea in the first place. The blog's statistics were fluctuating but still, readership engagement was high. And because of the frenzy, several history enthusiasts, and curious readers stumbled upon the blog and read everything.

Then came one day, I was at the new library. History books were scattered on the table and I was at the middle of reading an old manuscript - what I found almost stopped my heart from beating.

I stumbled upon a story in the old manuscript; it's about a long lost tribe that existed even before the first primitive boat hit the Philippine soil. It could be a myth from the former time, created by the natives the way old civilization created their gods, Ra and Zeus. But nevertheless, I was intrigued. The story claimed that these tribes lived hundreds of years before the Negritos; they were immortals. They were serpentine people: human beings with venomous, tiny serpents as hair for the women, while men had from two to four large snakes as hair. It was told that these preternatural beings were the first colony of the unknown island that later became Isla Pilipinas. They were forced to hide underground, when the tribes from the distant land started invading their lands. They were hunted by new settlers, and despite their strength and immortality, they could still be killed. They decided to leave and settle under mountains, where they became unknown to the world. They dug deeper into the mountain, and created a dark underworld for their kind, and story says that they were living there until the present time.

"Serpentine people," I mumbled out loud.

The story didn't mention the name of the author. I was afraid that I couldn't take this into account, and make it a reference for the blog. I was fascinated and at the same time, thrilled, that this story could be true. I was convinced that Valeria was immortal, just like in the diary. Andres's wife, Gregoria de Jesus, wrote the last entry. She wrote that after a long period of time, she saw the beautiful maiden, wearing a turban - who was a subject of her husband's sleepless nights, unchanged by the passing of time, while she's already past her prime days. The same maiden she saw during the revolution. How could she forget that beautiful face? For that very same face haunted her all her life after her husband's death. The diary was in her possession, and before she died, she wrote the very last entry. And it's about the woman who stole her beloved husband from her – Valeria, the "national mistress", as she would call her.

She was described as "a beautiful woman who always wore a turban". Even Sinukuan described her that way. And then suddenly. I realized. She must have belonged to the first tribe. That was my theory.