We were staying at our aunt's place in a hilly village in Rizal for a time. It was very near the City, but the place is completely suburban. It was a rather sleepy village, where most people we know are retirees. There were also unoccupied houses, one of which is right across ours.
We stayed in a big room overlooking the front of the house. There were two arched ungated openings, one of which is a garage to the right wing, while the other one is where our room is facing. You could see the road. When the window is closed, you can see the shadows of people coming in because there was a lamp post across the street. Beside the lamp post was a huge mango tree. The tree was inside the yard of a huge unoccupied house.
One night, I was reading a book and cannot sleep. I'm guilty of reading even if the lights are already turned off. There was a dim light right where I sleep and it's enough for me to sneak a book and read 😂. I was seven at that time.
One night, I finished a book and still could not sleep. I'm not sure what time it was but judging by the household all fast asleep, it probably was already well past ten.
I looked across me to the closed windows and something caught my eye. Framed on the large windows was somewhat a human frame. I thought at first it was my uncle by the front yard, because my uncle was a stocky fellow. It moved, shifted a bit and I could see it has an untrimmed, shaggy hair silhouetted with its head. My uncle, being a former military man, got a properly trimmed hair. I could see only the upper torso and its head.
I watched the shadow and I got an impression that as it moves, the ground shook a bit. I looked closely and it was totally a huge shadow. I thought maybe the lamp post across the street magnified its size but as I observed and recall, no shadow of a normal human being would ever be projected that large!
It walks around and I thought it was trying to peer through the window. But I never felt afraid. I watched it walked and to my surprise, I saw the shadow took a step towards the mango tree and hauled itself up in one sweeping motion and disappeared. Weird, was all I could think of.
I tried to sleep. I woke up the next morning and had breakfast as usual. But when it was time to play out, I noticed there were people clearing the bushes and fixing the house across the street. I overhear them talking about cutting down the giant tree.
As time passes, I thought maybe the shadow lived in that tree and knew that it's time there was up. The new occupant of the house were rather lively people and the place will surely cease to be quiet and desolate. Maybe it was saying goodbye. I never felt afraid but rather sad.
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