110 The Clamor of Hearts

"Have you heard that guy kept looking for his Manong? His voice seem familiar. Sibal queried.

" He maybe been part of the siege in San Agustin when the war broke, though I'm also curious of how important his intention to find his Manong that grampled his knees for it. Hmm, Baldur had slept. So loving sons they are with Albrecht, like almost yours." Sibal smiled to Edward.

" Yeah. I'm just lucky having them. Dreaming for just havin' one child suddenly became three, haha! its so rewarding." That woman I solely loved gave me everything, I missed her."

" I supposed to say I missed my wife too, haha. But it's a one-sided something, you know. Giving her to another man she loved isn't ignorance, just wanted to make her happy despite of her hate on me. She marry me just for punishment. Though, I still care for her and our marriage." Sibal bowed down his head.

" Shh...we just met after months, your love story seemed a horror - thriller, only angels can take listening to it, huh! The kids never knew we secretly met last October - November, haha! But...Sibal, I just wondered. The original plan was to abduct Magee and the rest in the house and place everyone here the night prior to the wedding. But a group abducted you separately from Lolita and kids, so we reached to your house empty. It's a puzzle until now I keep thinking of, if who's the second group. Well, I'm positive that it's not Hakanori, either my men. What do you think." The Captain closed the granite door as the windy sea tried hishing on them, bringing some drizzles.

" Yeah. It's odd, I ponder at it too. Hmm, I never had any enemy and no one hates me more than my wife's eternal anger on me. This wrecked my brain too much. I don't have any debtors or lenders to be guilty of. Then on, such a horrible night I had been waiting for you to abduct us but that group arrived first, huh!" Sibal recounted .

" Me either, well, one day let's find it out. But one thing for sure - they're not really your enemy. If they we're, they should have killed you there, what do you think?" The Captain hypothesized.

"Hmm...tentatively no, they're not enemies because they left me food, not until February, no one from that group got back so some Filipino guerrillas and civilians from the south fed and look after me. I just treasured the moment being alive - at war. But yes, who were those people who tried to hide me and who brought Lolita and kids away? Someone from them whispered that Lolita and Chuck's sons were murdered, how true?" It shouldn't be, the kids were innocent, oh God!" Sibal pressed his head.

" Alright, we'll think about it tomorrow. For now, let's sleep and relax here for a while, its already 3 o'clock, just settle for now and you looked older than I am, what a shame!" Edward jokily said.

" Haha! yeah! but I'm the happiest now. I got back alive, Magee and George met, I felt Lolita is safe and hopeful the kids, Albrecht and Baldur looks fine, the rest of the Filipinos your team have rescued tonight reached this place sound and complete, the Japs failed to catch us, haha, who would have thought this could happen this way. A miracle. God showed us miracles in small things in an unusual situation and in a perfect timing. It's God's way. It's His way. I am blessed. God loves me." Then Sibal closed his eyes after hearing Edward snoring.

The waves splashed on the big rocks at seaside outside them served as their sonata as they fell sleeping so deeply. Meanwhile in the wooden house, Albrecht cannot follow his brother because Amado was eyeing on him.

" What is this man thinking of me whenever I moved, he seemed staring and monitoring. Hmm...why he looks very suspicious. No, he cannot be Edmund and Guida's siblings - no not. Oh St. Baldur, you go back here, tell me if where's Dad right now, huh!" He thought worryingly.

A little while, Amado quietly spoke while they were arranging the hand guns and some ammos.

" Albrecht, may I ask, I haven't seen Magee nowadays, where is she?" Amado courageously asked.

"Great heavens, is he a spy? why he would ask a wife of someone else?" He annoyingly thought.

" Ah, haha! she was brought by the lieutenant in a safer place, and had their vacation. She wasn't feeling well, you know, most wives are so clingy sometimes, anything like that, haha. I could recall me and my fiancee Madelleine had the same sweetness you know, we team up together like there's no tomorrow and..."He stopped talking when Amado went back to the topic.

" So they just stay inside this place? right." Amado looked at him, questioning.

" If me and Madelleine stays here together, it could have been the case like theirs. We'll go somewhere else and, you know, love birds. Well, I missed my Madelleine. Albrecht smiled dryly.

" But they aren't staying together, right, I meam. Ah, sorry if I kept asking about her. It's just that, huh! I'm sleepy now Albrecht, excuse me but can I sleep in that room below? Can't go back to my bahay-kubo, so sleepy, it's really very foggy too,I'm chilling. If without this furnace, maybe I got frozen already." Amado smiled and reasoned out.

" Ah! haha! upstairs, you may go upstairs. There are two room upstairs and it's all empty, to there are pillows and blankets there. I can't sleep in a room without my brother, I usually kick him when I sleep, so it's not good we sleep together down there." Albrecht blurted.

" But I can sleep on the floor, wherever."

" Haha, but it's the couple's room, and if they're not around it becomes our family's room. You know, privacy."

" But it's war time."

Albrecht was almost impatient as he removed his dagger on side and put it on the table then said.

" Amado, I can accompany you to your bahay - Kubo, with this dagger, I can better protect your life out there. I can carry you too, your smaller than that driftwood outside so I can safely guard you on your way. If not, you may occupy the first room upstairs for two hours then transfer to the bigger room upstairs in the preceding hours. Upstairs will be yours this morning or you may sleep up there until tomorrow, no one will bother you buddy, haha. Just give me privacy in my family's room, okay? Haha, it sounds like fixed and final. Alright, let's move, I need to relax and be healthy. Okay!" Then Albrecht went inside the room where the tunnel's secret door was located.

" Oh! c'mon Amado, your mind looks you're eyeing at my sister. No need to do that young handsome guy, she's married and taken and someone's dying of him. Oh crap! why you insist that she's...ha! you'll be in trouble boy! We crossed all risks so that the two would meet and now you're poisoning my mind. Ha, not the next Edmund, no, not Amado, I can be your worst enemy. Leave my family alone, don't touch anyone from my family. I'm not a saint like my brother think of that." Albrecht, changed and locked the door.

He was worried to the extent that he just blew the candle and stayed dim but was attentively listening outside.

" If I sleep and if anyone can get in and could discover the secret door. I can ruin the future of my family. Huh! What was that Bible verse Baldur kept sharing to me before. When Jesus was praying at Getsimani, Getsimany...ah! sorry, what's important is I recall that he was telling everyone not to sleep. He said a traitor will betray him that night. Oh, it was a biblical story but my point is, if I sleep I might be allowing the traitor (hopefully not) to discover our secret door. Ah! life...what is 3 hours of sleep in exchange of family's secret. No! I will wait for Baldur to come. He wakes up early so a little while he would come back. I better run inside this room and have my pushups,yeah, better!"