“Toot-toot” the tricycle horned repeatedly.
“Will you please get out of the way!” yelled the tricycle driver.
“Don’t dare to fool me give me my price!” complained the kid while he tried to catch the play cards to his playmate.
“Hey, open the door! You haven’t paid the rent since last three months.” screamed the old land lady while hardly knocked the door.
In the midst of the bombarded community lies a young lad in his deepest thought.
“The bottles are under the table in the black garbage bag. I guess it is almost three kilos. Mrs.Enriquez hand it to me after giving the payment of my laundry service. Go to Mr.Pete and send it, but before that, collect for more trashed bottles.” slashing back repetitiously his mother’s instruction to him.
“I will earn at least sixty pesos from this- and this will not be enough. How will I tell mother that I need a formal theme book, protractor and compass?” held his noisy tummy and took a few steps towards Mr. Pete’s junk shop.
“Stick boy! Here’s your money.” shouted the deaf helper of Mr. Pete.
Bam expected more than sixty pesos from the garbage that he sold, however he earned fifty pesos that disappointed him. He tried to ask Mr. Pete yet he failed to. Perhaps afraid of confronting errs to avoid conflict. Then he was in front of the school supply store, bewildered of the right thing to do.
“If I am going to buy this for my needed school supplies without mother’s permission maybe she’ll kill me. For her, vices are more important than anything else.”
He sensed a fast and strong thing coming towards him, and landed then bounced to his face. The strong impact of the ball made him stumble. The gigantic goliath boy apologized in ironic manner.
“I’m sorry bamboo boy the next time we meet be sure that you are in your mind. Understand?” the bully boy immediately got the ball and saw the money under it.
“Hey I got some money here.”
“That’s mine!”
The deep strong and loud voice echoed in the place. Anybody could hear the needle drop. The place was then covered with silence. The people in the place looked at the boys with irritation and wonder.
Bam stood from where he fell and clutched the money from the bully. Bam was a lad, so tall yet thin for his age. He seldom spoke because he was very conscious of his manly voice that can be compared to a roar of a lion and thunder. Weak in demeanor yet his voice was strong enough to shake the knees of any bullies. The ball left a little bruise on the left side of his forehead worsen his ill-temperedness of the circumstances. Meanwhile, he saw an old man that offered him to buy the twelve by four inches in diameter bamboo stem.
“Wishing one thing in exchange for something in return; three kinds of wishes, wish for any treasure, wish for new character and wish time to return.” said the old man.
He did not prompt to believe the man but an idea popped-up in his mind- that robbers knocked him using the bamboo, an alibi for his mother in case the magic won’t work. His eyes glittered, sparked like a star and mouth open wide like enjoyed for the first time by fireworks display. He immediately grabbed the thing, turned back but paused for a while and thought.
“But what if it is not true? I don’t have courage to speak and face mother with failure.”
When he looked back to return in to the old man, his hair stood and felt the cold air in his neck for he was very surprised to see no one.
He locked the door and closed all the windows, no one in the house except him. His sister somewhere else outside and his mother in worked.
“He-he-he, I am going to be rich! Wish with condition huh! Ah! All I need to do is to be wise upon wishing. I need to think for a good quality exchange for the condition of the wish. What if my voice? No-no-no this is my asset. Ah! My fingernails! These are no use at all they are just designs. Alright here is my wish.
“For my fingers nails in return, I want millions of money.”
After a few minutes of tumult, he complained.
The old man fooled me, nothing happened”
He examined the stick carefully because of his desperate hoped for the existence of the magic. The Hollow of the bamboo stem was full of dust. He blew it and the dusts went into his eyes.
“Brother, brother! Open the door!” pleaded his sister.
“What happened? Are you running away from somebody?”
“No! Weeeewwooooon…”
She wasn’t able to explain clearly and completely because of exhaustion.
“What? Come inside, take a deep breath and have some rest. You’re holding a lotto ticket! Are you trying to tell me that we won?”
His eyes were very excited while waiting for his sister’s answer. His sister nodded and told him that they won five million. He checked at his fingernails and still fine. He was very happy knowing that the condition of the wish isn’t true. He handed the glass of water to his sister.
“Brother, what happened to your hand?” asked the confused sister.
His eyes turned as big as the full moon, his hair stood like there’s a feet, he shouted but no sound can be heard. “Where are my two fingers!?” he cried out.
There is an absurd voice calling Bam and Sharm outside of the house, asking them if they prepared dinner.
“Mother is drunk again” worried the sister.
“Do not tell yet to mother that we won and also about my finger’s fate, Ok?!” he immediately instructed his sister.
“Where is the earned money from those bottles I gave you? Why do you have a bruise in your face huh? You get into trouble? You’re a fuss! Buy me three bottles of vodka! I want vodka! Make it faster!
Bam get out hurriedly and brought the flute like bamboo stem. He wanted to change his drunkard and violent manner of her mother whenever she is drunk. Every time his mother acted that way, he wished to escape such dilemma.
“I want mother to care for nothing but only me and my sister. Anything in return will be alright.”
He mentioned any kind of return because he knew that it will not come up to what he wanted it to be, so he declared his with and blew the hole of four inches in diameter and twelve inches bamboo stem.
There was a sweet voice called his name. The delicious smell of pan caked are getting him up in his bed. He slowly opened his eyes and vaguely saw a lady in all white. Bam smiled and seemed to enjoy his dream, and then he cleared his vision.
“Mother?! I-I I’m sorry, I thought I was dreaming. Don’t worry, I’ll fetch water and cook for breakfast immediately.”
He nervously said expecting that his mother would scold him.
“No need for that my son. I already cooked and fetched water. Double your time or else you will be late in school. Sharm is waiting for you at the table for breakfast.
Bam fix himself and late ate breakfast, his sister did not say anything to their mother about what happened. She just nodded when bam told her that he will explain everything in the right time. The ten year old girl wondered why her mother cooked for them though their mother did not anymore cook for them since the death of his father.
Their mother handed each of them biscuits and a bottle of juice in a plastic. The two siblings looked at each other in confusion. When Bam go the prepared snack to his mother, she screamed tremendously, her eyes almost exploded in astonishment. She dropped the foods in confusion and her eyes turned to mist.
“What happened to your hand? Where is your index and ring finger? Why is it not complete anymore?” cried the puzzled mother.
She covered her face with her trembling hands as if a child afraid to be eaten by a monster. She stared with full sorrow at the hand of Bam for the second time then she held her breath and wanted to collapse. It is more than a slapped in the face of Bam watching his mother in such great agony, he saw a resembled appearance of his mother after the car accident of his father two years ago- the moment he never wanted to witness again. Nothing to do but looked to the ground, keep quiet and felt sorry for his mother and himself his ruddy face that time reflects his self embarrassment and to his mother. He and his sister were prohibited to go outside the house and Bam had a punishment of staying just in the room for two days. The mother thought that what happened to Bam was an accident and the solution of avoiding it to happen again was to isolate her children. The mother now became over protective and willing to sacrifice the freedom of her children because of the magic’s effect.
“Don’t forget that we are responsible of our every decision and more importantly do not forget to let God take control of your life and remember this son, face the struggle and be afraid if you don’t experience it.”
“That may be the best, but the consequences in return of my wish could be worse than the happiness I want.”
Alone in the room, bam yearned the perfect wish he could ever had. He held the stem and wished for the third time.
“I wish to turn back the time after I was in trouble of those bully boys.” Then he blew the hollow of the stem.
When he opened his eyes he saw the old man smiled at him, he handed the magic bamboo wood to the old man and said to him.
“I don’t need that anymore I am now strong enough to face every decision that I will make and I will not tend to take foolish escapes. What I learn from what had happened was already a magic to me.
“I am glad to hear that! You may go now and see the reward of your realization.”
“I did not collect enough bottles and Mr. Pete decreases its price. I’m sorry to tell that mother and another thing, our teacher required us…”
Bowed his head and said in apologetic way, ready to accept the fierce response of his mother. His mother who was ironing the clothes had cut his words and inserted.
You know mother. I was chosen tot be the representative of our class for the declamation but I told my adviser that I’m going to think of it first. Today, I decided to take that opportunity because I learned the courage to take risk in speaking out and not let magic take control my life.”
He whispered to himself the last eight words he uttered; he then grabbed the opportunity to embrace his mother’s back.
“I miss you mother. I promise to always help you. We will move on from the tragedy and have a new life.”
“I miss you more my son. Your silence since your father’s death is crushing my heart which oftentimes gives me a conclusion of blaming myself in that car accident and then bringing myself to alcohols. My heart is full of bliss to have you back son.”
The magic which is the unexplainable combination of expression and emotions fell both into their cheeks- the tears.
THE END
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