DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 13 May) — When I took over the farm I inherited from my parents, I constructed a three-storey farm house. There was no electricity and I had to fetch water from a spring below. My house was constrùcted on top of a short gentle slope but it was still backbreaking bringing pails of water to the kitchen.
I was quite relatively young and relished the romantic idea of bathing under a steady pour of water from the spring, embraced in the soft silvery light of the moon. The gentle rustle of the bamboo trees created a distinct sonata with the sounds of night creatures and the steady rush of water.
My house was secluded. My next door neighbors were about a half kilometer away.
While doing dishes, I would place a lamp nearby. There were a number of instances when I can clearly hear somebody blowing loudly, pffft, putting off the flickering light. Had I been entirely alone, I would be trembling with fear. Fortunately, I had a companion then who was a widow with two children. Unfortunately, they were fast asleep by 7 in the evening. I was then working with SPDA (Southern Philippines Development Authority) and would reach home past 6 after a brisk walk from the main road. I found my way through the jungle with a small flash light I kept in my bag. As I said, I was young then .
Nowadays, I can only scoff on how ridiculous things were back then!
One day, my neighbor, Nana Edi came to visit early in the morning and told me an incredible story.
They had a number of farm workers at their house the day before. While drinking coffee, they heard some men who seemed busy building a house inside my property and near the boundary of their property. They were wondering why I would be building another house when my present house was a three-storey affair.
Nevertheless, Nana Edi woke up early and checked on the house but much to her utter surprise, she found no evidence that a house was ever under construction as what many of them witnessed the day before. She proceeded to my house to tell me what they have witnessed and what she has seen for herself.
(Susan Palad used to be in the government service and later ventured into the travel business. She has retired from both and spends more time at her farm. She is still on denial stage though by refusing to call herself a senior citizen. She still wants to maintain a busy lifestyle)
