One afternoon, Gwen was on her way home from school, walking alongside her friend Merly.
“So, when are you finally getting a boyfriend, sis? Valentine’s Day is coming again it’s so exciting! My boyfriend will send me flowers and chocolates again,” Merly teased proudly.
“So what if he sends you those? Am I going to die just because I don’t have a boyfriend? Stop teasing me,” Gwen replied, clearly a bit annoyed.
“I’m just concerned about you. Of course, you’ve never experienced having a boyfriend since birth. Why don’t you just say yes to Aaron? He seems kind and handsome too. Ooh!” Merly teased even more.
“Oh please, that’s not on my mind right now. I need to finish my studies first for my siblings and my parents.”
“Hello, Gwennie girl! You’re not living in the ’90s anymore. You can have a boyfriend while studying!”
Gwen didn’t respond anymore. After a while, Merly said goodbye and went home.
As Gwen continued walking, she passed by a huge tree before entering their subdivision. The area around it was filled with plants and different kinds of flowers. She stopped in front of it, once again mesmerized by the sight of the tree.
She was about to step into the garden when suddenly, an old woman grabbed her.
“Ahh!” Gwen screamed in shock, as if she had just snapped back to reality.
“My child, it’s getting late. You should go home now—your parents might be looking for you,” the old woman said.
“Wait… Ma’am, may I ask something?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“What kind of tree is this?” Gwen asked, unable to hide her curiosity.
“That’s a long story, child. And it’s dangerous if we stay here too late into the night.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Before the old woman could answer, Gwen’s brother Angelo saw her and called out.
“Sis! Sis!”
“Oh, there you are! What are you doing outside? It’s already late.”
“I was going to buy a ballpen from the store, but it’s already closed. The stores here close so early.”
“Oh, I see. But—” When Gwen turned to look at the old woman, she had suddenly disappeared.
“What is it, Sister? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Let’s go. It's already 7pm and Mom might be looking for us.”
Gwen felt a chill of fear when she realized the old woman was gone. She had vanished into the darkness so quickly.
When they arrived home, their parents were already waiting for them. Gwen went straight to her room, wanting nothing more than to rest after a tiring day at school. She didn’t even go near the window anymore she didn’t want to see or look at the tree again.
A few days later, Gwen’s father, Edmon, fell ill. They brought him to the hospital, but the wounds on his body only got worse. So they decided to take him to a traditional healer the most skilled one in their area.
“Where have you been?” the healer asked Edmon.
“I haven’t really gone anywhere. The only thing I remember is that one night, I went into the garden near the balete tree. Nothing happened to me immediately, but after a day, I suddenly developed small, fluid-filled bumps on my body. At first, I thought it was chickenpox,” Edmon explained.
“You should not have gone there. You might have angered the guardian,” the healer replied.
“What do you mean?” Alma asked, confused.
“That tree brings luck, but entering the garden is strictly forbidden. Ever since someone picked many flowers there a few months ago, people who enter the garden have started getting sick one after another,” the healer explained.
Gwen remained silent as she listened. Fear slowly crept into her heart as she thought about the massive tree.
To be continued…