“Mount Cordillo?” Dezi Morando wore a shocked expression on her face after hearing her auntie’s words.
“We’re going hiking this summer, just the three of us, you me and Raylle,” Auntie Jadie was already fishing out clothes from the wardrobe. It was like a jungle in there.
“But…I had plans…,” the redhead’s voice drifted off somewhere. The chubby aunt could sense why. She stopped in the middle of her sentence.
“You had peculiar plans, now help me with the gear, we’re heading off to Chipal.” “Oh great, I’m going to be stuck on a mountain for the next three months.” Dezi thought as she searched through the basement.
The basement pretty much looked like Jurassic Park, and Dezi was the only one who can navigate through it. The redhead held her flashlight firmly in her hand as she spotted a cobweb full of dead flies.
“I’m almost there,” Dezi could sense it, she trusts her instincts. Luckily, the thirteen-year-old girl managed to get passed a pack of rats and held the gear in her arms. It was like a needle in a haystack. This is going to be a long day.
Dusk has arrived at the Morando household. The sky was a painting of pink, purple, orange and blue. Raylle, Dezi’s cousin, was heading off to her own room to daydream. She loves to daydream.
“What are you reading?”Auntie Jadie reluctantly asked her niece.
“It’s a book about the land of the spirits,” The girl didn’t even move an inch.
“I see, would you mind telling me where you found it?”
“In the Jurassic Park”
“In the what?” Dezi sighed. Adults have limited imagination. She bets they prefer unlimited rice in McMarty’s, than unlimited imagination.
“Nevermind, I’m heading off to bed, nightie night,”
“I wonder what’s in that girl’s head.” By now, Auntie Jadie was scratching her head.
* * *
“If you can’t keep up, you might as well join it.” Raylle joked about the dead deer they just encountered. This, however, boiled the blood in Dezi’s face. Why are humans so cruel? They don’t deserve to roam in this beautiful land.
“You eccentric little…”
“Shh!!! I swear if you two keep on bickering then you’ll have to make the fire later,” The three kept quiet about it. No one dared to break the silence. It was refreshing to be soaked in nature. Although the thought of crimson liquid hovered in Dezi’s mind. She regrets reading that book. Technically, it captured her eyes because the land of the spirits, is Mount Cordillo.
The sun was sinking into the other side of the world, then night begins to fall after. The three hikers had successfully pitched up a tent and ate mallows in the fire. Auntie Jadie and Rylle enjoyed every minute of nature’s presence. On the other hand, Dezi couldn’t shake off the chills in her spine. She swore she had spotted a golden deer, glowing in the moonlight. The redhead yelled for attention, though, when her family stroded to her side, they called her insane.
“I swear that deer was the same deer we encountered hours ago.” Dezi rubbed her temples recollecting her posture.
“I’ll fetch for some more firewood,” Dezi stood up and trudged off into the woods with only a torch for company.
“The land of the spirits…more like the land of corpses.” She muttered as she laughed at herself. That seemed to have calmed her down.
The mood had been following her the whole time. The stars just kept on blinking at the certain redhead. Dezi had a pleasant time bathing in the moonlight. Yet, she had the unpleasant feeling that it wasn’t a comfortable silence anymore. It was an eerie silence that crepted into the atmosphere. The trees seemed to be warning Dezi of not coming here. It seemed.
“Hello?” One word, one girl, one mountain and thousands of spirits. She could feel golden orbs staring right at her from the shadows. Dezi didn’t make a move as the creature stepped forward.
“Hello, mooncakes,” Her jaw fell to the ground as she met face to face with an alpha wolf. Dezi knew it was an alpha because of its aura. It had a dominating aura. The redhead just stood there, straight and tense like bamboo. The animal, no…spirit acknowledges her presence. Not far from behind it was the golden deer she saw moments ago. This lime, it licked Dezi’s cheeks and nodded at her. She knew she didn’t imagine any of this. It was all real, yet she’ll keep it a secret. The wolf and the deer both nodded at her as they vanished into thin air.
Dezi’s hands were trembling, her heart wanted to jump out of her chest. The girl shook her head and stared at the sky.
“I was this close to not believing, thanks for saving me,” she finally understood. The human eye can’t see what’s so beautiful about this world because they lack imagination. Dezi thought to herself.
Dawn had arrived at Mount Cordillo. The Morando family kept on hiking. Last night’s encounter kept on popping up in Dezi’s head. Am I still in the book or in reality?” She wondered, spacing off into the ends of the Earth.
The land of the spirits, Mount Cordillo, was the bridge between the spirit world and the human world. Only a few, very few, have encountered strange phenomenas. A meeting with a dead animal, which was now a spirit. Only those who understood and can see the true colors of life have seen at least one spirit. One of them was Dezi Morando, a thirteen year old redhead.
* * *
“The air up here is so…pure.” Raylle’s lungs were cleansed with fresh oxygen, making her feel young again. Dezi had the most appreciation for life. She could see things nobody else could. With that, nobody believes her.
The redhead gasped as she could see the spirit of an eagle fly pass her. A tingling sensation rushed through her veins, it felt so natural for Dezi.
“So, Dezi, did you like our summer vacation?” Auntie Jadie was curious to her response. The redhead just nodded at her. It was as simple as that. Dezi savored every moment she could feel. The spirits, the air, the sky, nature all around, they were all she needed to feel freedom, honestly. It was all because of that book, this mountain, that deer.
“Let’s go hiking again.”
This short story was written during the Young Authors Competition on April 13, 2019 held at UEC Batangas City.
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