Celina Shannel M.

Padilla
Gianni Micha E. Ansaldo
Grade 8 – Prolixus

“Realizations”
“GET OUT OF THE WAY!” I was startled by the sudden shout that I heard, my head
still hurts for some reason, I don’t even know why. “MISS GET UP!” I came back to my senses
when I heard a familiar voice, the man behind that voice helped me to get up just in time. “Hey
miss, are you okay now?” after what happened earlier the man brought me to a panciteria and he
even bought me pancit which made me wonder how he bought it, with the clothes he’s wearing it
doesn’t look like he can afford it “huh?” “I was asking if you’re okay” “oh, yes I am I was just
shocked earlier” the man answered me with a silent nod and continued eating which brought to a
deafening silence. After eating I had lots of questions in my head to what happened, but first I
had to find a place to stay in. “Do you know a place where I can stay in?” I said. “You could stay
at my place for now miss”. While on the way to his home, I asked “What date is it today?”. “It’s
march 1,1892. Why do you asked, do you not have a calendar?”. I was shocked with what I just
heard. I was wondering thinking to my self “ Might this be a dream? 1892? How might I get
back to 2024?”. After a couple of minutes, we arrived at Sebastian's house. Though it might not
be that big, it is quite spacious inside. “Thank you for letting me stay here, I promise that I will
find a job to repay you for your kindness” I said. “Oh, its no problem at all miss, I mean only
about three people live here including me” he said. I spent the next day looking for a job. My
only option was to be a maid even though they barely paid me any money. I worked as a maid
from Monday to Saturday with a little pay. On my only rest day, I met up with Sebastian on a
small hill behind their house. I asked him “Sebastian, why do you struggle so much even though
you work so hard everyday.”. He suddenly went silent, then said “The government takes most of
the pay we receive, as they say its tax for everything they do for us.” After we talked he invited
me to eat with him but Sebastian suddenly realized that he hadn’t been able to buy food yet
because he only had a little money left. There was a rule that if you are not able to pay in time,
there will be a consequences and later on your tax to pay will go larger. He faced me with a
disappointed look in his face. I thought since there are no food, why not go out and catch some
fish. I invited Sebastian to go fishing with me to get some food. On the way there, we came
across lots of Sebastian’s friends. “Oh hey Sebastian have you paid your tax yet?” “oh yeah I
barely have any money left now”. He said “my boss hasn’t paid me yet, he told me that he will
pay me next week since he thinks that I haven’t done much, while the vendors in the market are
selling our harvests with a huge amount of money so we can’t buy either. I feel like my hard
work as a farmer is going to be a waste.” Another friend of Sebastian said “I have the same
problem with my boss as well. I might have to stop my children’s education, because we really
do not have much money right now.” Sebastian and his friends talked about a lot of this while
fishing especially about their financial struggles. After we finished fishing, Sebastian cooked the
fishes while I was fixing the table for us. When we were about to eat Sebastian suddenly spoke
“Kathirine, do you really have to leave me?” I as shocked when I heard him mention my name, I
don’t remember telling him that. “KATHIRINE!! Wake up! You’re almost late for school do I
always have to shout for you to wake up?!” My mom won’t stop babbling about me being asleep
when she got home “The rice in the market is really expensive especially for us underpaid
workers! Where is the twenty pesos rice that was promised to us!?” That’s when I remembered
my dream. Maybe that dream was an eye opener for me to realize that even in current or past
times, nothing changes in the country’s system. it's pathetic how criminals such as corrupt
politicians don’t even share the same worry most of the filipinos have. Because if the system is
really fair especially to those people with decent jobs such as farmers, fishermen, teachers,
doctors and others. No Filipino will suffer like Sebastian and his friends.