"Whom you talking with?" a pakat* asked.

"I am talking with my Kaka* Raheem", I said, then, "withmy Kaka Rameena".

We were sharing experiences the first time we rode a carabao from therice field to our humble and charming barung-barong, and of how Ama and Ina taught us to swim the tempting pulangi*. Kaka Raheem was then 12 years old. Among the three of us, he was themost intelligent. In fact, aside from being the class first honor, he was also the most neat, most patient and most honest. What a beautiful mind he has -best in mathematics, english, science and arabic. Someday he would be a great doctor and would heal Ina's symptomatic headache. I remember Kaka Rameena crying for missing the Ashar* prayer. Everybody called her Ustadza* Rameena for her being religious. Everybody preferred her. She,who was pretty and even prettier when wearing her veil or tendong. She was also as brilliant as Kaka Raheem except in dealing with numbers. She spoke a lot.Someday, she said, she would be an eminent lawyer and a fighter of the moropeople.

......I hardly breathed. I was hiding on an extensive bamboo groove. The road was dusty and endless. I had seen no faces but a bunch of bodies with rifles. There was a blatant sound that ruined my hearing. It was from above. The crescent moon disappeared. The rising sun was hidden by the OV - 10planes. Our home was destroyed by fire. Then there was a yell. Then, there was a bomb blast. Kaka Raheem was hit by a 105mm. kaka Rameena was burnt from the explosion.

"Whom are you talking with?" A pakat asked.

"With no one", I said. I stood up and jogged again.

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* pakat - Maguindanaon word for friend.

*Kaka  - older brother or sister

*Ustadza - teacher of religion

*pulangi - river

*Ashar - 3 0clock prayer