Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Welcome to San Diego
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! Fortunately, it did not happen.
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, maybe not? Huhu I'm already crying. Lots of pig" 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 go out here as well because the piggy is scary that they might bite me and they stink.
"Piggy, behave!" Shocked I said. 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 and science and any subject. I feel like I'm stupid, I'm even more stupid because I don't know what's going on!
"My God, Binibining Maria Clara! What are you doing there?" The fat lady asked. She is wearing a baro't saya, a traditional Filipina dress. Is there an occasion?
Also, she is speaking in Tagalog, but don't worry I will translate what she's talking about.
I looked at myself, I was also wearing a baro and saya. I feel like my outfit is more classic and luxurious than her which is a poor version, it doesn't make me look wealthy, I am still dirty
"Who are you talking to?" 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+ or 40-. Ah, I don't know. Don't understand my thoughts because 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. "This will make us smile at Captain Tiago!"
By the way, Binibini means miss or young lady bit nowadays we rarely heard 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 the fat one 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 she looks judgmental? No one has the right to look like that in front of me. I am Manuela Carie Flores!
"You're still in San Diego, Miss 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 now, I will deal with it later. Also, it might just be a dream. Right! Oh my! For the first time in forever,r 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.
"Mrs. Fatty? Where is my room here?" I didn't mean to call her fat but I didn't know her so I hope she understands.
"But Miss, you just woke up. It's only eight in the morning and you also need to prepare for a party later," she explained.
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 it's 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 toilet 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 did you eat and I can't understand your action This is your mansion and how can you not know the toilet? I also don't understand what you are saying and why don't you know me? I'm not Mrs. Fatty," she said. She sighed before speaking. "After you take a bath, go back to sleep. Maybe you're just lacking in sleep or you're still dreaming."
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 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 when suddenly something like a mushroom appeared in front of me.
"What a gay!" Shocked I said 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 still laughing.
"Unfortunately, this is not a dream. The truth is, Noli Me Tangere lets you in," 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 believe, Emcee. "T-then ... how?"
He walked in front of me. His attire is like the attire of the people here. He was wearing a 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, you are also opening the door of Noli Me Tangere. You have it in yourself, in your heart that you want to do 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 end 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 for me 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 herere 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 since before but I noticed he was laughing a bit, he was just holding back.
"No. I mean to say that you have to finished this mission and so you can go home to your world earlier. In case you don't accomplish your mission, it will all be just a dream. You don't want that, don't you? It's a good experience to be forgotten."
"You have a point there. 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, it would be a happy ending story. Everyone entered all failed. They may have returned to the real world but it was just a dream for them."
I was blown away by what he said. "The sad thing is, for sure, they also have a lot of memories here, sad or not so sad or happy or not so happy. Why didn't they change the story? They didn't try? Did they give up right away or did bad happenings happen?"
Mr. Librarian touch his forehead. Librarian. 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."
I nodded and sat down on Maria Clara's old bed. We were in Maria Clara's room and I was about to leave but the librarian appeared.
Back to the topic, first rule is very important.I can indeedn hurt the feelings of the people here so I should just shut 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 depend on me. If I am a great intruder in the beginning I must be a great intruder until the end. I can handle that. I am Manuela Carie Flores after all, I am good and I am not stupid! They just called me stupid because I didn't study. 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're not allowed to like the characters in this story. Especially not allowed to fall in love."
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