Who am I?

by Jacqui Mehring
Alice clutches the steering wheel of her Hummer as she peers out at the Highway speeding beneath her wheels. Yes, she is sure-almost sure, she is perfectly safe in the Hummer. She lists in her head all the reasons why the Hummer is the safest car for her: It has automatic transmission-no need to worry about changing gears when there is traffic. It has a framework of steel-or something even stronger than steel-whatever that framework is made of-it is built like a tank. Yes, a tank. In this day and age, all women need a tank to drive around in-to feel safe, to feel really safe. Should anybody-and there were lots of crazy people on the roads now-should anybody crash into her, this framework of extremely strong metal-would protect her from being horribly injured. Then, the beauty of four-wheel drive! Should there be any kind of severe weather-snow, ice, blizzards, -she could drive through them all without hesitation, without fear, because the four wheel drive would give her traction on those awful treacherous surfaces at all times. Should she-heaven forbid-have to drive off road for any reason-to evade a stalker- (Alice glances up to look into her rear mirror. Her eyes narrow. Was that red car the same one she had seen back in Raleigh, an hour ago?)-The Hummer could drive off-road as easily as driving on the Highway.Yes; it could scale mountains, ford fiords and circumnavigate ravines. Her headlights, with the extra headlights mounted on the top of the roof racks, plus the fog lights (-dont forget the four fog lights) could light up the night sky brighter than the brightest sunniest day, in summer. So there is no problem driving at nights, in the dark-no problem whatsoever. Yes, yes, she is safe-as safe as she can be, given the state of the World as it is, now. Her exit is coming up. She thinks she might go off one exit early just in case-just in case the car behind her-the red one, has been following her. She doesnt want to lead the perpetrator to her door-right to her home- so she is going to swing through a gas station first, pretend to buy gas and see if the car follows her off the exit. Off she goes-off the exit-into the gas station-oh no, this looks like a very bad station, the kind of place where people scatter nails and sharp things on the ground deliberately to try cause punctures and breakdownsLuckily the wheels of her Hummer are set so high off the ground and are so tough, they are practically indestructible. She pulls into a parking space in the gas station. A little red car pulls in right beside her. Alice reaches down into her glove box and pulls out her nice, dependable colt 38

Ann Pauline S. Brian V-Earth Mrs. Dumaguing

Bagong Kaibigan G. Bernard Umali

May napulot akong papel. Nakasulat doon na may matatagpuan daw akong isang kaibigan. Kinakailangan ko raw sumakay para matagpuan ito. Umuwi ako agad sa amin dahil baka naroon na ang kaibigang tinutukoy sa papel. Sumakay ako sa likod ng kabayo pero wala doon ang bagong kaibigan. Binuksan ko ang binatana at nakita ko ang aming hardin. Maraming halaman at insekto doon. Masaya silang naglalaro pero hindi ko sila maintindihan. Lumabas ako sa likod-bahay at nagpunta sa dagat. Sumakay ako ng bangka upang hanapin ang aking kaibigan pero walang ibang tao sa dagat. Ah alam ko na. Sumisid ako sa ilalim ng dagat, sumakay ako sa likod ng dolphin at doon nakita ko ang ibat-ibang hayop at halaman, pero hindi ako mabubuhay doon. Kaya bumalik na lamang ako sa amin. Gabi na ng makauwi ako. Mula sa aking silid ay may natanaw ako na maliwanag sa langit. Mayroong isang bituin na ubod ng laki. Ahah! Pupuntahan ko ang bituin. Kumapit ako sa lobo at pinuntahan ko ito. Pero walang tao roon. Mula sa itaas ay tanaw na tanaw ko ang daigdig na bilog at nagliliwanag. Ang ganda ng kulay. Para itong bolang umiilaw. May kulay bughaw, luntian at kulay lupa. Naisip kong bumalik na, mula sa itaas ay nagpalundag-lundag ako sa mga ulap, ang sarap! Parang mga bulak! Nagpadulas ako sa bahaghari! Subalit wala pa rin akong kalaro kaya gumamit ako ng isang malaking payong at ginawa kong parachute. Napunta ako sa kagubatan. Doon ay nagpupulong ang mga hayop. Hindi ko sila maintindihan kaya bumalik na ako sa amin sakay-sakay ng isang elepante. Maya-maya ay kinalabit na ako ni inay. Gising na anak, may pasok ka ngayon Nay, nanaginip ako na may makikilala akong bagong kaibigan! Oo, meron nga, doon sa inyong paaralan kaya gumising ka na at darating na angschool bus.

Ann Pauline S. Brian V-Earth Gng. Dumaguing