The Dead Comes Running

Me, Lolo Otoy, Angel (my cousin)

This is a story dedicated to my Lolo who died a long time go.
we were catching shrimps so I'd be able to taste our native ilocano food
"jumping salad"
well you get the picture the salad which is the shrimp is alive and all you have to do is
drown it in vinegar and calamansi
you eat the shrimp live and you can literally see it trying to jump out of the bowl or else just moving side by side til you cut off its head, skin it and dip it in the vinegar.
Its called kinilaw comparable to sashimi and sushi of japan.

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"It's easy" He said,
The night grew dimmer while them whose restless
in the farms put each other to sleep.

"You hold onto this end and..." His words fell short of a distant memory,
lately the stars reflect a more bitter spotlight to this world
enchanting evenings welcomed them fairies and critters.

I forced myself to stay put but he held onto my arm
"I'm staying on the shore lolo"
"You want to be eaten by snakes?"
"uhmmm"
"Its time"
Hoisting me up we launched the boat
the mountains are like tombstones
black and silent.

"I can't see the moon"
"I don't think you'll see it now apo"

Was he always like this?

His fellow farmer helped him throw the shrimp cages on the deepest end of the river
"It should stay on the deeper rocky side so the shrimps will take the bait"

the boat was thin,
it sways side by side
I imagine myself falling down drowning
"Will you save me if I i fell down lolo?"
He didn't answer
I went back to shivering in fear of the river

The silence is so damn eerie,
no insect wings flapping,
no lost bird chirping
nothing...

"Thats the last of them cages"
I exhaled a most life changing exhale

upon reaching shore my lolo stopped
"We have to go back"
"What? Why?" I shivered again

"The current we must go against current, I remember"
I thought "no... not again..."

But yes we went back
The shrimps we had for breakfast the following day was heaven.