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Jay’s Literature Page
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| Last updated: 03 Oct 2005 |
(2001-2003)
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Ms. Hoiyez
The sound of chirping birds woke Ms. Hoiyez from her reverie. That she had been unaware of things going on in her surroundings for the past two hours was only confirmed by a quick glance at the built-in dashboard digital clock. She was momentarily unsettled, but was nonetheless thankful that at least it happened while she was in the safety of her car. If it troubled her at all that she, with her car, were alone in the middle of a thickly wooded place she didn't know where, a few hours before sunset, her general expression didn't show. Her first course of action was to pull out a mobile phone from the side pocket of her blazer. It was an expensive T.E.W.B.G.S. unit, a new model of only two weeks previous. She had actually aquired it through a friend from overseas a month before it was actually released in the highly lucrative Philippine mobile phone market. Among its many nice and trendy features, its remarkably long battery life was what ultimately sold it to the young female professional. And the expensive phone proved to be worth Ms. Hoiyez's hard earned tens of thousands of pesos. Activating it, Ms. Hoiyez was greeted by a healthy four-of-six bars of battery charge indicator. She pressed the number 2, apparently one saved as a speed dial digit, and after two ring tones, a female voice answered. "Feliche, where the H. are you? We've been expecting you an hour and a half ago." "Oh, you know," Feliche answered in a casual voice. "Here and there. Where are you? And how are you, for that matter?" "You are asking me those things?" The female voice at the other end of the line was raised a bit, but somehow missed a certain quality to actually be angry. "We are only supposed to be in Juortro's big twenty-eighth birthday party in his place, that's where we are. And you're only an invited guest, just like the rest of us who are here, in case you haven't forgot?" "No, no, no, no. Of course I haven't forgot, Yumi. What do you think kind of a friend I am? I'm on the way. I'm stuck in traffic, in fact, but I'll be getting there as soon as--" "What's that?" Yumi said suddenly. "Is that the sound of birds chirping?" "Birds? What birds?" On the other end of the line, in their common friend, the so-called Juortro's big twenty-eighth birthday party, Yumi furrowed her eyebrows. Bits of facts pieced themselves together in her head, and memories of episodes involving Feliche and her current state of health surfaced. "Tell me," she began inquisitively, "is that the sound of birds chirping?" She had barely allowed her friend to answer when she grew alarmed all of a sudden. "Oh, tell me Feliche, has it happened again? Where are you? Don't lie to me now--and please don't try to do anything funny with th--" "Who's doing anything funny with anything?" Feliche interrupted, piqued. "All I'm saying is I'm in the car, in the middle of traffic, on a rush to get there and be with all of you lovely people. And don't yell at my ears please. There's definitely no need to yell at my ears." "Those were birds, weren't they? I was right wasn't I? Tell me! Tell me now!" "All right, then, fine! Those are birds. Sheesh, I don't see what you people are all so worked up about. Is it such a crime these days to have these tiny, little winged companions in our lives every once in a while? They're kinda cute, too, if you think a little about it." "Cut that crap out now, Feliche, and listen closely to me! Where are you? That's the most important thing now. You definitely've got to tell me that. Focus now and try to answer that question as honestly as you can. Come on, kid." Feliche was silent for a while. Then she began to sob, silently at first, gradually increasing until it reached its loudest within thirty minutes from starting--about which time, thanks to another one of her mobile phone's advanced features, her friends were able to succesfully trace her exact global location. |
| © 2005 Jay Santos |