A little while, a huge sound echoed from nowhere. It was a warplane mercilessly dropped down dozen-like killer bombs in the area not far from them. It made Magee covered her ears as she suddenly ran back to her place. It was such a desperate shocking reaction of a civilian like Magee. Out of pity George followed her instantly.

" Hey...are you okay?" He was just standing outside her place and lean his chin on her round timber cubicle entrance door.

" Why there's a lot of bombs horrendously being dropped today. Its destroying our place, too much. This destruction is really toying our habitat, our lives, everything that we have. What was our sin...we even did nothing over their power." She stoically whispered to him, terrified and deeply breathe while on her bamboo bed.

Then there's a huge blast again and it's too close to their cave. The tremor eventually shook the gallact.i.tes ceiling and rocks beside the waterfalls.

George bowed down his head and so confused on how to comfort her from shedding tears. The new recruits and the rest of the soldiers we're just very still, waiting for the next attack.

" Magee, everything will be alright when this war is over." George tried to talk to her despite her silence.

She looked at him and sighed.

.

After an hour, the deafening sound of warplane was gone and she signaled him to return to the new recruits on the table and rea.s.sured him that she's fine.

Lunchtime came and Magee did not join with them. It was Albrecht who gave her three pieces of sweet potatoes and had it wrapped with green banana leaf. Unlike George, he entered straight and seated beside her without removing his ap.r.o.n. Since Magee was smooching her face on her knees while wrapping her tiny hands on her feet, Albrecht disturbed her so she can have her lunch.

" Here, eat this. I've got some water for you too."

George was just outside her place, looking at Albrecht trying to help. A little while, George signaled Albrecht to back off and give her a s.p.a.ce.

In the kitchen, Albrecht was busy segregating and arranging the newly arrived stuffs while George was sitting down so silently. Albrecht got tired of waiting for him to talk yet George was staring to nothingness.

" Hi. Is there anything that I can help for you?" Albrecht asked and seated beside him.

" Hmm, what if, I'll persuade her this early on the storytelling about Kabang that I promised to relay to her tonight." George glanced to Albrecht.

" You're too softhearted on her. But I guess, it's also helping if you tell her what you know about Kabang, as well as Captain."

" Hmm, not about Captain, we don't have any right to reveal anything yet. Besides, he's coming back for her. I'm just interested to entertain her about the controversial cave of Kabang. Who knows, she might take a bite of your sweet potatoes."

" Hopefully. Go then, don't worry about the men around, I can manage them."

He stood up right away and took a bath first before proceeding to see her. Still reluctant if she'd let him in, so he preferred to stay inside her place, just beside the door which was approximately half a matter distance from her. He then placed a small bamboo chair he brought and smiled at her before looking at his watch. Its 1700 hrs and he felt she'd calmly get back on her bed too after taking a bath and sip the 'salabat' that Albrecht offered her.

" Magee, how are you?"

" Here, I'm trying to understand things. But what brings you back?" Magee smiled and asked.

" The story I promised you. I guess it's nice to start this early."

Her eyes rumbled in glee as she was still combing her hair and sat properly on her bamboo bed. She smiled like there'd be no tomorrow.

" Wow...I'm so excited. Here, I'm ready to listen now."

" Whew! I'm a soldier Lord, don't know seeing myself sitting down here for a storytelling. But if this is helping I'm leaving to you my men for a while." He smilingly thought.

" Yes, I'm listening now." She pressed her hands after putting down the comb.

" In 1917, Captain was a.s.signed not for war but some local but official mission here in the Philippines and still, for some military purposes. His badge had gone through as far as his travel could go. So he reached Tikaban in 1917. Since Philippines is under the American occupation even until now there's always a joint force between the Filipino-American militia. But anyway, the Captain had found a great friend in Tikaban, and that's Sr. "Sibal" Siballio, a much respected personality in Tikaban. He was an educated man sprang from a well-known Filipino-American descent that turned out as native of this province and secretly writes several books. His hospitably welcome the Captain to his own house. While that time, Albrecht's father, a German Jewish refugee from Europe considered Tikaban as his hiding place and with her was his young Filipina wife, Albrecht's mother and two sons. Grandpa Sibal welcomed the five strangers in their house till there was an announcement of the global public health crisis on Spanish flu, otherwise known as "trancazo." According to history, this pandemic was worst among others because of its three-wave outbreak against Filipino people. The first wave was sometime in May of 1918, seconded after the sixth month. Then the third wave followed on the third succeeding month. That time almost everyone in Katabata province, a neighboring province of Dabaw, Katabata was badly hit and the place was almost a ghost town, yes, almost 90-95 percent were ill. I don't know but, that same year, two countries had been in chaos if which of them was the exact spot where the flu originated. But let's go back to Albrecht's father's story. Everything was a little better not until Albrecht's father went to Manila on March, 1918 to send a letter to some relatives who stowed away in Spain. He personally handed the letter to his Spanish friend who worked in a s.h.i.+p that was scheduled bound to Spain and stayed a night or two in the s.h.i.+p and when he was about to return here in Tikaban, he was charged of some kind of flu by the authorities that later found out that he has acquired the deadly Spanish flu. Due to some contacts of the Captain in Manila he immediately found out that Albrecht's father could not return anymore in Tikaban and that the American authorities started to include everyone in the family should be quarantined. Their family was identified as the carrier of the deadly Spanish flu in the Philippines. Due to that rumor, the Captain as convinced by a bachelor granpa Sibal who then both decided on not to wait for the authorities to locate the wife and children but to hide the family in a safe haven in Kabang. Lolo Sibal packed a lot of beans, nuts, root crops, sacks of salts, sugar and many more. He brought books and in short he brought almost everything in the cave that no one in the locals knew. The Captain also had no way out but to hide and quarantine himself since he had a travel history and similar house with the infected person. Although, the Captain and Lolo Sibal knew that he may have acquired it when he went back to Manila. Some of the Captain's closest contacts also said that there was a rumor that there were a few angry Filipinos in Manila who would like to kill the family of the infected German Spanish flu carrier. Though it was just a rumor spreading but the Captain had made a decision that later lost temporarily his career.

No one from the Tikaban locals knew that Sr. Sibal, the Captain, Albrecht's mother, Albrecht and Baldur secretly hide in the cave for twenty long years.

" Wow...and then?" Magee got down from her bamboo bed and took right away the folded 'binandahan" empty sack, put it on the ground, comfortably sat on it and fronting George who was exhaustingly sitting down on a bamboo chair. At least he was moving his neck towards another direction, otherwise it's a grave stiff neck.

" Do you really love to hear this story? It's so heartbreaking. I still have time to retract." George bowed down his head and smiled.

" No, no, no....I'm here, I can listen. Hey, hey, Albrecht, good that you're here. Come, sit down here, c'mmon."

Then Albrecht immediately moved inside and sat beside her.

"Whew! this is so heartbreaking in my part. Facing you both is painful.

There was an embezzlement in the air for Magee.

Can't even imagine how my sister cried when I told this story to her. Hmm...but this moment is more...I don't know." George started to be teary eyed.

" Why?" Magee asked her curiously.

" Shh...Albrecht lightly slapped her hand. Just wait for his turn to speak. Keep silent."

" You have just slapped me! George, Albrecht slapped me, did you see it?"

" I can even slap you again and again. Quiet!"

" Shh...calm down. Enough. I will not continue if you're both noisy." George smiled at them.