“One, Two, Three!” Loud bangs of gunshots filled the air as the three kids ran through their neighborhood carrying what used to be a home made sumpak or shotgun. Upon looking at their stature, they are 7 to 10 years of age, lives in the streets and addicted to rugby. You can see the look on their faces as they ran around the barangay shooting their way through the alleys, evading their invisible enemies. As they ran near the river, the slowly lowered down their paces and sat on the edge of the river.

The barangay is basically a squatters area, it was built beside the marikina river and the population in the area is so enormous that even kids sleep outside with their banigs and sapin. Toto, Tata, and Tete are brothers, born in the same day, and lived the same way. The pain and the struck of life could be seen in those young eyes of brown and brown hair. 

“San tayo naun?” asked Tata as he searched his pockets for a plastic. After pulling it out, he immediately sniffed it and returned it in his pocket.

“Ewan ko. San na ba? Etong sumpak san natin lalagay?” said Toto, the eldest of all but still unnoticable because of the smaller stature and particularly little voice.

The youngest, Tete, just looked at them. He seems to be out of this world as he took the sumpak from Tata’s hand and pointed it at Tata’s face. Then he just started laughing like he was looking at some freaky looking clown.

“Gago ka ha. Tigilan mo nga ko. Basagin ko yang muka mo e. Anu ba gagawin natin dito To?” said Tata as he grabbed the sumpak out of the laughing brother. 

“Yaan mo na. Tara punta tayo sa bukid.”

There was never really a bukid. Not in this place, and not in this time. Back then, when everything seems to be in order and eveyone was living ok, plain lands could still be seen in the midst of Marikina. But after the storms and calamities struck, and after the country fell to ruins, every green thing collapsed with it, even the woods and the grassy plains. They all burned and went dead. This was not unusual to the people. They dont have anybody to protect them, they dont have the government, they have nothing. This time, they live by themselves…and with a bit of rugby, they are satisfied.

As the brothers went to their ‘bukid’ place, they stole some food along the way. Some gave freely, while others gave a fight, leaving their bloody face stuck to the ground as a loud bang echoed in the air. After a few hours, they got to their place, the bukid. It is a junk shop full of well, junk. After getting to the place, they hurriedly threw their bodies on the dusty and dirty couch just by the gate and rested. They all sniffed Tata’s plastic of rugby as they swing their sumpak left and right. Left and right, left and right, left and right until a loud bang just went out. 

Tete is laughing at his older brother’s bloody neck, as he held the sumpak above his shoulders. He didnt know what he did. He still thinks that he is in his special place, where everything is fun.. Everything is fun.. everythi….

Bang! Tete fell face down to the couch. Tata’s tears could be found nowhere and regret could not be traced in the child’s eyes. He picked up the plastic that Tete was sniffing, grabbed the sumpak, and sat on the couch.

“Mga gago, dito pa kau nabaliw.”

These three children onced lived a peaceful life, but a sudden change enveloped them, enveloped everyone, leaving everything around the world dead and dark. Many are dead, missing, and chaos ruled the planet. This happened after the said ‘rapture’ came and when many people disappeared, everything went into chaos and people were destroying each other in the process.

Then i woke up… I was Tete…

Perhaps time will come when this will happen. I dont know what my dreams signify, but they are as vivid as the reality is presented unto me now. Time will ocme when people will destroy each other and everyone will neither help not feel any compassion for other people. Today as we speak, we still have that priveledge and we still have that heart to love and to help other people. What are we doing with these huh? We work and we tire ourselves to survive but we never understood what should we really do and what are we capable to do with these things. I tell you now, dont let it come to the time just like in the dream. Use our hearts for the better and not just for ourselves, but also for other people and also for God.