Unexpected things happen in unexpected moments...
#1: Welcome to San Diego
"AHHHH!" I scream because I am literally falling from heaven to earth. Oh my! I think I'm going to die!
Is this it? The last moment of my life? I never had the chance to thank Tito Garry for always being there, and to say sorry for being so stubborn. I never had the chance to return to showbiz and to prove that I'm brainy!
Well, lucky me, I didn't die.
Good news: I'm still alive.
Bad news: I fell into the pigsty.
Where there is a lot of mud and oh no, I can't say this. Please, I hope not? Huhu I'm already crying. Lots of pig's poops. No! It can't be.
I am Manuela Carie Flores for heaven's sake! I am the most famous Filipina ever! I cried standing up because this is so gross! I rubbed my mud-soaked arm. I have to leave here because the pigs are looking at me and I'm kinda... kinda scared of them huhu.
"Piggy, behave!" I said nervously. But wait ... where am I? And... "Why is my outfit different? I was wearing a uniform earlier!"
I'm really confused! It's even more confusing in Math, Science, and any subject. I feel like I'm stupid, I'm even more stupid because I don't know what's going on!
"Goodness gracious, Binibining Maria Clara! What are you doing there?" The plus-size lady asked. She is wearing, a traditional Filipiniana dress. Is there an occasion?
Also, she is speaking in Filipino, but don't worry I will translate whatever she's saying.
I looked at myself, I am also wearing a baro and saya. I feel like my outfit is more classic and luxurious than her, which is a poor version. However, it doesn't makes me look wealthy, I look dirty.
"Who are you talking with?" I asked her because she was looking at me but she mentioned a different name. The woman's forehead frowned. I feel like she's 40 plusor 40 minus. Ah, I don't know.
Nevermind my thoughts, I'm stupid, right?
"I'm talking to y-you, B-binibini. How did you get there?" She immediately attended to me and ordered a man to get a towel. "Captain Tiago will be mad at us!"
By the way, Binibini means miss or young lady, but nowadays we rarely use that word.
I don't know if she's concerned about me or she's angry because there's a chance she'll be scolded. Whatevs! But what? Captain Tiago?
Earlier she called me Maria Clara. And ... and earlier in the library! It's like ... it's like a book pulled me in! And now I have fallen from heaven? I don't know, I don't know, but I fell, literally.
And now ... I'm in ...
"What's this, Noli Me Tangere? Am I in Noli Me Tangere?" I asked, as she wiped me. She stopped what she was doing and gave me a 'are you out of your mind?' look.
I raised an eyebrow at her. Why does it seems like she's judging me? No one has the right to look like that in front of me. I am Manuela Carie Flores!
"You're still in San Diego, Binibining Maria Clara."Ohh, yes, by the way! Earlier I read in the library that they were from San Diego.
I looked up at the sky. It's morning here while in the real world it's already night. I was just assigned to play Maria Clara and now I am her.
How unfortunate!
And I'm also disgusted with myself because in this kind of situation I'm still drowsy. Understandable right? Because I'm super tired and stressed at school, and it's time for bed.
Whatever problem I am facing right now, I will deal with it later. Also, it might just be a dream. Right! Oh my! For the first time in forever, my brain worked too!
I feel like I'm smarter and I'm at the same level as Albert Einstein, because of what I thought.
It's impossible to be true, isn't it? Maybe I fell asleep in the library so I need to sleep first and maybe when I wake up I'll be back where I came from.
"Madame, Where is my room here?" I asked.
"But Binibini, you just woke up. It's only eight in the morning and you also need to prepare for a party later," she explained so fast, as if she's frustrated. I can also see that she's sweating.
She also finished wiping me and helped me get out of this stinky pigsty. I need to take a bath first, because I smell like a pig poop. Even if this is just a dream, Manuela Carie can't stink.
"Okay. I'm going to take a shower first because I stink so much, right? Just tell me where the bathroom is," I said as we walked into a large mansion.
I feel super certified patriotic because of my outfit right now. It's an old Filipina dress around 1800s.
When we enter the mansion, I was amazed. The interiors are so classic and the designs. I'm really in Spanish era. But our house is more luxurious of course it's modern and it comes from my blood, sweat and tears. In short, I worked hard for it.
"Binibining Maria Clara, what happened to thee? I could not comprehend thy actions. This is thy mansion, how come thou did not know where the bathroom is? Lastly, could you please not call me madame for I am thy servant," she sighed.
"Can you please stop with the thous, thys, and thees?" I rolled my eyes, "you were not formal earlier, because I made a mistake and Captain Tiago will be mad at you!"
Maybe she comes to her senses and realized that I am her boss, she's now speaking formally.
Anyway, that's right. I'll go to sleep and when I wake up, I'll be okay. When I wake up, I will laugh at this dream. You're Maria Clara in this dream? Maria Clara's character is too lucky because I played her role.
-
UNFORTUNATELY, when I woke up I was still here. I sighed. I'm still dreaming. I was about to get up someone approached me that made my heart beats out of time.
"What a gay!" I almost jumped.
He's the guy in the library! The librarian! The long hair with a mustache.
"How was the trip inside Noli Me Tangere?" I was stunned by what he said. Why is he also in my dream? Maybe because he's my LSP.
Ohh! You don't know what that means! LSP as in Last Seen Person.
"It's just a dream! Also, why are you here? Maybe you have crush on me that's why you appeared in my dream. It's impossible for me to crush you!" I'm said while laughing.
"I apologize for bursting your bubbles, but this is not a dream. The truth is, Noli Me Tangere welcomes you in open arms," he said seriously. "Congratulations, you are the first woman to enter Noli Me Tangere."
My eyes widened. What? Is he out of his mind? And should I rejoice? Should I believe this person? I am already experiencing it so I must believe. I'm really in Noli Me Tangere. I slapped myself too hard.
"Ouch" Oh my! its super truelalu! To see is to behave? To see it to believe? Whatever it's true!, Emcee. "T-then ... how come?"
He walked in front of me. His outfit is the same as people here, seems like his a local here. He is wearing a black and long coat, but the super old version.
"The door of Noli Me Tangere has always been open to real life or the real world. Every real person who enters here has a mission to do."
"Mission? What mission?"
"Because you cried too much earlier while you were reading the story, the gates of the novel was starting to open, and it welcomes you. You know the mission because it lives in your heart, and that is to—"
"Change the events and the end of the story." I finished and I looked at him seriously. I get the point now. I am wholeheartedly sure that I can do it.
"Exactly," he said with an okay sign like the three fingers raised and then his thumb and pointing finger came together. "It won't be easy but you should do it so that the ending wouldn't be tragic, okay?"
I nodded at him. I know this feels like a joke... I know it doesn't seem believable but it is, I'm already here and since I'm already here, I'm going to change the story. Sorry, Rizal.
"Oh by the way," I said to the librarian. I scratch my head, "has Jose Rizal entered here? Is he here? Does he know what I'm going to do? Isn't it rude to change this Noli Me Tangere, he's the author of it, but I'm going to--"
"Doctor Rizal your national hero has been dead for a long time," he told me seriously. I nodded because I knew that. "His opinion is meaningless because he is no longer living on the Earth. Now if you can change the story and you succeed, many will be happy with its story and I think Rizal is one of them."
I thought about what he said. If earlier, I was super decided to change the story, now I'm thinking about it. Also, why would Jose Rizal be happy if I intrude here in his work and change it?
"Rizal also wants his characters to have a good ending in the story but he wants to show the ugly deeds of the Spaniards. Don't think about him anymore and do the right thing to get out of this story." I nodded.
This mission is so easy-- wait?! What? "
"Hey what did you say? You mean to say that if I don't change the story I won't be able to be back in real world?"
There was no emotion on his face, but I noticed he was laughing a bit, he was just holding back.
"No. What I meant is that that you have to finished this mission, and so you can go home to your world earlier. If you failed this mission, it will all be just a dream. You don't want that, don't you? It's a good experience to be forgotten."
"I agree," I said, "By the way, what happened to the people who went here before? What brought them back to life? Besides, are we still reading the original version? Has anything changed?" He shook his head.
"If anyone had succeeded this story, then it would be a happy ending. Those who entered before failed, that's why this experience became a dream—and eventually forgotten" My eyes widened. I don't want that to happen to me! "The sad thing is, for sure, they also have a lot of memories to cherish here. Both happiness, and sadness. My question is that, why they didn't change the story? I mean, this novel is absolutely a tragedy—did they just let it slide?"
Mr. Librarian touch his forehead, and then he scratch it. Maybe he is stressed with my talkative mouth.
"There are so many rules here and you must follow it, Manuela. Foremost among these, is that you are not allowed to say that you are from the real world and this is just a story, a fictional story. That's foul. You will hurt the feelings of people living here and they'll think you're crazy too," he seriously said. Wow, that answers my question... a lot.
It's not connected to my question, Mr. Librarian!
Nonetheless, I nodded and sat down on Maria Clara's antique bed. We were in Maria Clara's room, and I was about to leave the room, but the librarian appeared.
Back to the topic, first rule is very important.I can indeed hurt the feelings of the people here so I should just shut the effing up.
"The next thing is that you shouldn't die in this story. When that happens, everything you changed will be useless. Even if you change a lot in the beginning when you finally die, or you say the first rule, everything you changed will be useless, the original version will be back."
So, the changes in the story depends on me. If I am a great intruder in the beginning, I must be a great intruder until the end. Anyway, I accept this challenge. I am Manuela Carie Flores after all, I am good, and I am not stupid! They just called me stupid because I don't have a diploma. Well, the diploma is not the basis of intelligence, after all.
"Third and most important law," he said seriously and slowly approached me so I gradually moved away as well. "You should not fall in love with the characters."
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