A Past with an Alien

CHAPTER 2

IRIS

I am sitting on a tricycle, staring at space, while the only sound I can hear is the whirring engine. The wind blows swiftly and touches my body, momentarily easing my mind. I'm on my way to the bridge that connects our Poblacion in San Francisco, where I was born and raised. My name is Iris Castillo, and I am twenty-two years old. I work as an elementary school teacher.

My mind has many different thoughts, and I'm not feeling very well. It's our town's fiesta today, and I should be at home enjoying the festivities with my family. But instead, I find myself feeling down and depressed.

"Ma'am, are you sure you want to go here?" The tricycle driver's question brings me back to my senses. I know him; he is the father of one of my girl students. He kept asking that question repeatedly, and I stopped talking to him moments ago because he was so nosy.

"Could you stop asking questions? Hurry up, we're near," I said in my sassy tone.

I look away from him and notice the bridge's steel truss.

He stops the tricycle on the left side, and I climb down. I go to his side, pick out my red coin purse from my pocket, and pay him twenty pesos. He scratches his head and takes the money.

"Don't tell anyone I'm here," I warned him. He nods before starting the engine again.

As I turn my back on him, I start walking towards the side of the bridge. The tricycle engine hums until it fades away in my ear, leaving me alone. The wind gusts again, causing me to close my eyes. I yawn and take a deep breath, feeling a slight itch behind my upper back, which I scratch. I suddenly realize that I have prickles again and immediately put my attention back on my surroundings.

It was seven in the morning, and I could hear the birds chirping. I love the sunshine today because I am not sweating. The monsoon rain ended a week ago, so the hot weather is not here yet.

I slip my hands into the pockets of my denim shorts and walk along the bridge, lost in thought. The sound of rushing water from the river below is the only thing I can hear besides the birds. When I reach the bridge's center, I stop and approach the steel railings. Leaning forward, I lower my head to watch the river flow beneath me.

The water is still high after the monsoon rain. How deep is it now?

Suddenly, a wave of sadness struck my mind. I have fought this depression many times, yet I always lose.

"I hope my family will forgive me after this," I murmur.

After uttering those words, everything around me fell into a profound silence. The chirping of birds and the rush of the river disappear, leaving behind an eerie stillness that makes me feel as if my world has momentarily stopped spinning. Warm tears run down my face as I lift my head and gaze at the overcast skies above. Below them, I can see the silhouette of mountains and grassy plains stretching out as far as the eye can see. As I stare at this view, my mind drifts back to my past—specifically, a year ago.

***

"Excuse me, ma'am, someone told me to give this to you," said my young student as he popped in front of my table.

I was caught off guard when he showed up. I ate my lunch all by myself because I had a massive stack of test papers beside me that I'd been working on since dawn. I let my sixth-graders have their lunch outside. I teach history, by the way.

He was holding a bouquet of roses that looked like someone had bought from the plaza. I grabbed it and asked him, but he bolted outside the classroom. What was wrong with this kid? I won't bite him.