“Bibity bobity boo!” An old woman in an cloak uttered such words with a wave of a stick. Thus a magical event came to be! A pair of glass slippers came into existence from thin air! A pumpkin turned into a carriage and a group of mice turned to men!
“Wow!” Katt clapped fascinated as she watched the fairy godmother do her magic for Cinderella on screen. Her friend and cousin Antonio, or Ton as his nickname was, awed as well at the moment in the story.
The children were watching a television instead playing outdoors despite the pleasant weather. They were currently spending the weekend at their grandparent’s house with their family except for Ton’s whose parents sent him in advance.
“Kids! It’s time for lunch.” A voice called them out from another room.
Sadly their show was interrupted when Katt’s mom called, much to their dismay but they both got up and turned off the television, they’ve already seen the classic movie many times already anyways. Both raced towards the dining room excitedly as their hunger for food replaced their desire to watch a movie.
“Were here!” Katt and Ton said rushing straight to wash their hands and taking their place on the table. Katt’s parents were already there sitting with their grandparents. On the table apart from the usual utensils and plates were a steaming hot rice, chicken soup and pork chops.
“Yum!” the two kids chorused.
“Oh you little ones,” Their grandmother, Anita, smiles as she helped them place food on their plate.
As lunch proceeded Katt’s father addressed Ton, “Ton, your parents will be here tomorrow. Your father called me that they had something to take care off, so just be patient.”
“Ok.” Ton nodded.
“Well, so what have you been doing?” Anita asks.
“Watching Cinderella!”
“Watching television again? In this good weather?” Anita says astonished. “That isn’t good, you kids should be out and about playing at your age.”
“But were bored! We want to play with magic!” Katt declared.
“Uh-huh.” Ton affirmed.
“Magic?” Anita says, sharing a confused glance with the other adults.
“Yeah! Just like how the fairies turn things into animals by waving her wand!” Katt excitedly mimics waving an imaginary wand while enthusiastically giving more details. “Or make dresses out of scraps!”
“I just want to breath fire!” Ton says gleefully with a glint in his eyes.
The adults only laughed in amusement as they watched the two children list out the impossible things they would do with magic. Afterwards when they finished and cleared the table, their grandfather, Ernesto, beckoned both of the kids towards him.
“How about this, I’ll introduce you two to Jill.” Ernesto said.
“Jill? Whose that?” Katt and Ton asked confused.
Their grandmother on the other hand rolled her eyes. “It’s the name of that new Jeep Ernst bought.” Anita explained to the curious ones. “He’s been fussing about it everyday, ever since he got it. Doing a lot of paint jobs and customizations and what not.” She sighs exasperated. “If you can’t find him anywhere then your best bet is to look in the garage. It’s not enough naming it he almost treats it like a spoiled kid he never had.”
“Oh come on darling, are you jealous I’m giving more attention to Jill.” Ernesto says teasingly.
Anita glared at her old partner and huffed. “See what I mean.”
With that Katt and Ton went with their grandfather to the garage, curious about Jill. There, the old man unveiled the vehicle he treats dotingly. What came before the two kids eyes was bright radiance, courtesy of the lights turned on conveniently by their grandfather.
Jill was a car, well a Jeep, but to two little kids not even ten years old yet, it might as well be the same. She had a bright cheerful yellow paint job that magnified the radiant reflection of the light. On the side, various yellow and white flowers were designed sporadically; sunflowers, daisies, dandelions. The name Jill was spelled in gold amidst the flowers underlined with a white ribbon.
It honestly looked like it radiated the word joy and happiness boldly, and one can say it might look silly. However, the two kids were awed by the cheerful aesthetics of the Jeep in front of them, and their grandfather was smiling with pride as he showed off his precious ride.
“Wow! It’s so yellow!” Ton exclaims.
“Isn’t she!” Ernesto stroked the side lovingly. “It took me weeks to paint it right the way I wanted it. I don’t care if other people say it looks childish or goofy. It’s my joyride!” With that, he gleefully invited Ton to get inside. “I got her at a good deal from Ms. Quiche.”
Katt on the other hand was unusually silent while looking at the Jeep. But Ernesto just thought she was still being amazed and payed it no heed while he explained the various modifications he did. Not that his audience can understand a single thing he says.
So after introducing Jill, he shooed the kids away to work on the Jeep. On the way leaving, Katt glanced at the vehicle with a solemn look that no one noticed. The two went back to watch another movie, this time Snow White. When the movie concluded, it was only then Ton realized that Katt was very quiet the entire time.
He looked at his cousin worriedly. “Katt? Are you alright? What’s wrong?”
Katt shook herself as if she suddenly woke up. She looks at Ton straight into his eyes. “We need to save her!” She declared with resolve.
“Huh.” Ton let out a confused voice.
Katt grabbed his hand and dragged him into another room, checking if it was empty before going inside, then she looked back if any of the adults saw them, seeing none, she carefully and quietly closes the door. She turned to Ton who was confused at her.
“We need to help Jill!” Katt elaborated her earlier claim.
“The car?” Ton tilted his head even more confused.
Katt grabbed both Ton’s shoulders and shook him. “Don’t you see! Jill was a girl turned into a car by the magic of a witch!” Katt says with urgency.
“What!?”
“Remember what grandfather said. He got her from a deal with a Ms. Witch!” Katt reminded him.
This was sadly a huge misunderstanding that Katt had, rather than hearing the proper name Quiche, she misheard Witch instead. Input that misinformation with her young highly volatile imagination that all children have, added with their earlier attention towards the topic of magic, this created a ridiculous delusion.
“What!” Ton was shocked at this misinformed realization. “But wait! What about grandfather?” He asked unsure.
“He’s probably under a curse to help her!”
“How did you know Jill is a girl?”
“Woman’s intuition!”
“Okay! I’m in!” Ton nodded convinced, except for the last part.
“Alright, here’s what were going to do,” Katt laid down some paper and started drawing with crayon. The two discussed their plans, not achieving much and getting distracted but kept going back to thinking of a plan. The adults found them but noticed what they were doing and left them be, saying it was better than watching television all day, it was here they probably did the mistake of not snooping on them to realize they could have prevented a disaster later on.
At night, Katt and Ton obediently pretended to sleep. They both shared a room in this house so all they had to do was wait until they were sure everyone else was asleep. It was hard at first enduring their drowsiness, still they persevered and successfully stayed awake.
“Ok, let’s hurry.” Katt tried her best to move as quietly as possible.
“Mmm.” Ton sluggishly followed after her as he fought the desire to sleep.
They reached the garage and got in the Jeep. Luckily the keys were there. Unfortunately, they just realized they were too small to drive properly and that they had no idea how to drive.
“We can’t give up now! Jill needs us!” Katt refused to give up. Ton then had the not so brilliant idea to just press and pull anything he could touch, which Katt followed. Upon doing so they accidentally turned on the radio. Fortunately, the volume was low, unluckily it was tuned to a radio drama.
“Oh please help me!” The voice of a young girl sounded from the radio.
“Hah! I told you Jill was a girl.” Katt said triumphantly.
“Ok, but what do we do now?” Ton asked still touching things he shouldn’t.
“Please! I beg you! Anyone save me!” The radio continued to conveniently affirm their delusions.
It was then, with horrible timing, Ton managed to somehow turn the keys, start the engine, and with Katt’s help both accidently stepped on the accelerator. The vehicle roared to life and immediately charged forward into the garage door.
BANG!
Katt and Ton were so shocked and scared that they could only do a soundless scream. The Jeep tore through the thin door and out into the open. The uneven dirt was bumpy that it made the vehicle shake so much as it continued to go forward without any stop, all the while the two kids just huddled together downward at the floor. If only they knew that by doing that they kept pressing their weight on the accelerator thereby making their predicament worse.
“Do not worry dear girl I am her---!” A male voice came from the radio that was still going on with the drama, too bad the kids were too preoccupied to hear, otherwise they would have known their error, probably, but that no longer mattered now, they were dangerously heading towards a thick tree.
CRASH!
It was a very early morning, enough that the stars were still out in the dark sky. However, a commotion happened as the people in the community woke up to investigate a crashed vehicle. The authorities were called, the Barangay Tanod were the first to respond, as more people came to see the crash. Throughout the crowd that formed around a tragic sight.
“JILL! NO!” Wailed a grieving voice.
Ernesto, still in his nightwear was kneeling next to the wreckage of his once whole Jeep. A Tanod was trying to get him away while Anita shook her head exasperated at her husband’s conduct. Katt’s parents were answering an interview with another Tanod.
Strangely there was no mangled corpse of two children.
Later in the morning Katt and Ton came to the breakfast table and saw that their grandfather was in very low spirit. They both glanced at each other, a silent understanding as they both gulped. Anita noticed the lack of sleep in their eyes as she placed food on the table.
“Couldn’t sleep from the noise too?” Anita said.
Both Katt and Ton only nodded vigorously.
“Same here. What a shock.” Anita sighs as she patted her husband. To Katt she says, “Your parents are at the police station. Some robber tried to steal your grandfathers Jee---Jill.” She corrected herself in a frown, being considerate of her husband’s mood.
“Jill.” Ernesto moaned heartbrokenly.
Anita shook her head as she beckoned the two to sit down. “To think we would be victims of a crime, we need to be more careful.” She says, not noticing the guilty look the kids had.
Right before they crashed, in a moment of daring bravery, they both managed to jumped out. Upon seeing the devastation before them, both kid’s young minds blanked. While not mature, they still understood the gravity of the situation and as fast as their legs could run headed back inside the house. While the adults went out through the front, they entered the backdoor with a key they prepared beforehand and went to their room, changing their dirty nightwear and brushing what dirt and filth they had off, then lay in bed and did their best to sleep, securing their alibi.
So as unlikely as it was, they were never discovered as the cause of the entire mess. This became a secret strictly between the two cousins. In the future when they look back to reminisce about the incident, they realized they never even had a solution on how to “uncurse” Jill, only that they decided to take her out and free her like a wild animal.
Their grandfather thankfully recovered from his loss and ended doting on another vehicle, a beetle car, naming it Ben, much to their grandmother’s dismay. The true details of the event will be left only to the knowledge of Katt and Ton, taking it to the grave they swore as kids. A reminder of how they fabricated a near almost tragedy by their innocent enthusiasm for magic.
Barangay - a small territorial and administrative district forming the most local level of government.(in the Philippines)
Barangay Tanod - also known as a barangay police officer – and sometimes as BPSO is the lowest level of law enforcement officer in the Philippines.
