Wicked Witch

Chapter 2

Sinarado ko ang kurtina pagkatapos nang matagal kong pagtitig sa madilim na kalangitan nang gabing iyon. I walk back to my study table and open my laptop.

As I wait for the screen to light up, my mind suddenly went down the memory lane. This is my struggle every night. Gabi gabi na lang akong binabangungot ng walang tigil na takot. Takot na tuwing ipipikit ko na ang mga mata, gigising na lamang akong umiiyak at mag-isa sa kama.

This started after I witnessed how my mother died. I developed a trauma that made me so afraid to even go to bed. It was a tough time because all I can picture in my head was how my mom tucked me to sleep then a minute after, she was already lying on the ground with blood all over the place. It was terrifying.

I just merely recovered after multiple sessions with my psychiatrist. She can't prescribe me with too many sleeping pills and other medicines due to how still young I was back then so she searched for an alternative. That's when I started to write. It became my personal therapy.

Ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit nahuhuli ako lagi sa klase. I can't sleep peacefully like how other people normally do. Suntok sa buwan ang mga pagkakataon na wala akong gamot na iniinom at hindi pinapagod ang sarili para makatulog.

Nanatili ako roon habang nagtitipa sa laptop ko para magsulat. When I was a kid, I just started expressing my thought. I write about the things that frustrate me, things that anger me, sadden me, and every emotion I feel that I can hardly express. Until such time when I developed an interest of constructing stories that I upload in an online story hub.

The clock striked 1 in the morning nang huminto ako sa pagsusulat.

Pinakiramdaman ko ang sarili, hindi pa rin ako pagod. Hindi pa rin ako inaantok.

I shut my laptop off after I finished some chapters for my update for this weekend. Pagkatapos niyon ay lumapit na ako sa kama.

I reach for my medicines only to see that I no longer have water on my bedside. Bumuntong hininga ako na inabot ang tumbler doon para bumaba sa kusina at kumuha ng tubig

Wearing my pajamas, I went down the stairs. Mamita and Dada are probably sleeping right now. Maaga ang mga itong natutulog kaya tahimik na ang buong mansion.

The whole place is covered with dimmed lights. Hindi tuluyang pinapatay ang ilaw dahil lagi akong bumababa sa kuwarto tuwing gabi. Mamita wants it this way for me to freely get food in the kitchen whenever I'm hungry.

The Castañeda mansion was enormous just like ours. Dito lumaki si Daddy ganoon na rin ang dalawa nitong babaeng kapatid. Daddy's the eldest.

Pagkarating ko sa kitchen ay sinalinan ko ng tubig ang tumbler mula sa water dispenser. Nang mapuno iyon ay umupo muna ako sa isang high chair malapit sa kitchen counter habang marahang minamasahe ang sentido.

I'm not in the same kitchen where my mother coughed with blood while clenching her chest but I can still visualize her from where I sit. Magkaiba ang ayos ng kusina rito sa kanila Dada kumpara sa mansion namin noon. But the ghost of the past never left my mind.

I was still a kid back then but I can still remember everything clearly. Sabi ni Mommy noon, that is because I am smarter beyond my age. Ngunit habang lumalaki, most people commented that I have been blessed with an intellectual mind but my emotional quotient is a different case.

I rolled my eyes at that idea and drank my water while my thoughts wandered again.

I have a lot of things in mind when I was instantly drawn to the thought of family and how complicated my situation is.

I can't remember my parents having a good relationship before. My father, the great Richard Alexander Castañeda, is a man who never bows down to anyone, even my mother. I can't even remember any fond memory I had with him when I was a child. It almost felt like I grew up without a father. Lagi ko itong nakikita na seryoso at laging galit ang mukha. He's unpredictable and hard to read. Para itong may matataas na pader sa paligid na hindi kayang gibain ng kahit sino.