The Amulet by Roy Fune Chapter 1 It was a hot, muggy day in Angeles City in the Philippines. The kind of day most people would find themselves by the pool or sitting inside in the air conditioning. But Jason Bennett had other ideas. For the past two weeks, he was stuck in a datacenter within the former Clark Air Base working on the deployment of a new telecommunications system for an international client. Today, however, was Holy Thursday, and although most Americans would view this as just another day, in the Philippines, Holy Week was treated with a sort of reverence, so all non-essential work was put on hold until after Easter. He had no complaints, as he now had a full afternoon to devote to his passion, which was World War II history. Jason had heard that, only a few miles away in an adjoining town called Mabalacat, there was the field from which the first Kamikaze missions were flown. The first volunteer Japanese airmen took off from this field to embark on suicide missions to destroy U.S. warships by flying into them. He had read about the Kamikaze for years, and finally he was going to be able to see the place where it all started and walk the very airfield from which the pilots pledged their very lives in desperation of a deteriorating war effort. So, absolutely nothing, and definitely not the heat of the day, was going to discourage him from this once in a lifetime opportunity to visit this historical landmark. “Ready, boss?” The voice of his driver, Angel, startled him from his daydream. “Yes, Angel,” he replied. “Do you know where the field is?” Angel smiled. “Siyempre, boss. Everybody knows Kamikaze. It is only near.” Jason loved the way Angel talked. Like most Filipinos in the local area, Angel seemed to understand everything Jason said. He would then answer in sort of a heavily accented combination of broken English mixed in with a couple of words from the native language, Tagalog. And although Angel’s words were not always correct, Jason could usually make out what he was trying to say. Even more startling, Jason was proud of the fact that, in just two weeks, he could actually converse with the few words that he knew in Tagalog. It even seemed as if he were starting to adopt the conversational style of the local Filipinos himself. “Sigi na, Angel. We go.” Angel nodded and started the jeep. According to the map, it seemed to be a straight shot to the town of Mabalacat. Even though they called it a major road, the normal traffic still consisted mostly of slow moving conveyances like tricycles, underpowered motorcycles with side cars, and water buffalos pulling carts. Then there were the poorly maintained commercial trucks which blew gray smoke at the vehicles behind them when they accelerated. Combined with the heat of the day, the trucks made the trip in an open jeep somewhat challenging. Jason still found the experience exciting. For someone who loved the tropics, the Philippines was a truly beautiful country. When he was on active duty with the Air Force, he had always wanted to be stationed here. To him, the inconveniences were inconsequential. The lack of hot water, daily power outages and no cable TV really didn’t faze him at all. He saw a vibrant culture and a fascinating tropical paradise in these islands. It was also a major English speaking country, so it wasn’t necessary to learn the native language. And because of its former ties to the United States, the Filipinos seemed to embrace American culture and loved to discuss the current events and latest fashions of a country they only came in contact through movies, TV shows and magazines. As the jeep approached an open area within the middle of town, Jason could feel as if they were close to their destination. “Kamikaze,” Angel announced. He tilted his head towards the field, as if to point. It was hard to believe that this obscure, dusty field was once an airfield. “Are you sure?” Jason asked. “Yes, boss,” Angel chuckled. “I was born in Mabalacat, very near.” A dilapidated wooden fence surrounded the field, the only thing separating this historical landmark from any other part of the town. Close to the entrance was a modest wooden sign which gave a little history of the site. Jason read the sign eagerly. “It says the first Kamikaze mission was flown from here on October 25, 1944,” Jason read aloud. “A pilot named Lt. Seki was the first suicide bomber to attack and sink an American warship.” “My father hate the Japanese,” Angel said somberly. “They were very bad people here.” Jason understood the sentiments of those who lived through the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. The Japanese soldiers committed numerous atrocities during their occupation. In areas in which there was heavy guerilla resistance like in Mabalacat, the soldiers were extremely cruel to the local townspeople. A small crowd of people began to gather near the jeep out of curiosity. An American visiting this area was not unusual, but any activity involving someone outside of the local area was always of interest to the townspeople. Angel tried his best to keep them away from Jason, especially the endless stream of children begging for pesos. One elderly woman in the crowd, however, caught Jason’s eye. She was tiny and frail, and her faced was wrinkled and weather beaten. She followed along as Jason explored the field and then she approached him, gradually moving closer and closer to him. Angel did not have the heart to chase her away, and Jason did not encourage him to do so. Respect for one’s elders was a long-standing tradition amongst Filipinos. Besides, she was merely following along quietly, not saying a word. But something about her did catch Jason’s attention. The old woman extended her hand towards Jason. In her hand was a small, bronze triangular piece of metal. Jason could not help but glance at it. “Angel, what is that?” Finally, the woman spoke. “Anting-anting.” “Anting-anting?” Jason asked. “Anting-anting,” Angel repeated. “It is good luck. In English, amulet.” The woman continued to extend her hand, and she stared into Jason’s eyes coldly while holding the amulet up to Jasons face. Her presence was now beginning to make Jason somewhat uneasy. “Anting-anting,” she said, motioning as if she wanted Jason to take it. “Boss, she wants you to have it.” “I don’t know,” Jason replied. “This is really getting strange.” He could see that the amulet had an eye engraved on the face with lines emanating from it, and some words in some language he did not recognize. “Anting-anting,” she repeated, as if chanting. “Iresumad……iremurim……iremorum rum.” “Angel, what did she say?” “I don’t know, boss. It’s not Tagalog.” She continued to chant over and over again. “Iresumad iremurim iremorum rum. Iresumad iremurim iremorum rum.” The woman clutched Jason’s hand, and placed the amulet in his hand. It became apparent that this was no ordinary piece of metal. As soon as the amulet came in contact with his hand, he could feel heat radiating from it, and he also began to feel a tingling throughout his arm. And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman was no longer anywhere to be seen. “Angel!!” Jason cried out. “Where did she go?” Angel looked at Jason, perplexed. “Ewan ko, boss. I don’t know…..” “The sky is getting dark, Angel. We need to go. It looks like rain.” Copyright © 2014 by Roy Fune
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 18:46:39 +0000
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