15/11/2025
๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ-๐๐ผ๐ผ ๐ฎ.๐ฌ | ๐๐๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ
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โโCrrriingggg. Crrriingggg.โ
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โThe alarm chimes, filling the room.
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โI yawned and glanced at my phone โ my eyes widened in disbelief.
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โโOh crap โ Iโm late!โ
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โI rushed down the stairs and took the fastest bath of my lifeโcooked breakfast, then packed the items I needed throughout the day, as both a student and a worker.
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โI head to the waiting shed, hoping that the bus will be fast enough to make it on time. Then I took a quick peek at my phone and noticed itโs already 7:30 A.M. I'm already 30 minutes late and still haven't arrived at school. Luckily, a few moments after that, the bus arrived.
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โโSimeon Dela Paz! Bakit ka late? This isnโt what an honor student should do!โ Mrs. Klamera, my history teacher, raised her voice, her eyebrows furrowing in anger.
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โโPasensya na po, Mrs. Klamera โ I will wake up earlier from now on,โ I replied in a soft tone.
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โI sat on my chair, eyes fixed on the clock, counting the seconds until the lecture ended. My classes run from 7:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., then I work from 1:30 to 5:30 P.M. Whatever time is left after that, I usually spend in the library studying.
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โAfter the class ended, students discussed where they wanted to go after class: some went to the coffee shop, and some went to the arcade. While my destination was fixed, at work.
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โLater that afternoon, I arrived at my workplaceโthere were barely any customers, so my co-workers and I were having a small talk: howโs life, hobbies, and any personal interests. It was fun working in a place surrounded by adults. I learned many things from them, and Iโm excited to learn more.
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โโOi, Simeon โ you can go home early today, ha. Since wala namang customer, magpahinga ka na lang.โ
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โI fetched my backpack and slung it over my right arm. I told him that Iโll go to the library to study. Just before I stepped out of the cafรฉ, Kuya Ted warned me about the mysteries surrounding that library. I simply smiled at him and left. A chill ran down my spine, but I brushed it off, thinking it was just the cold wind.
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โOn my way to the library, I made a quick stop at 7/11 to buy some snacks. It was already 5 P.M., so I grabbed a few things for dinner as well.
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โAfter leaving the store, I made my way to the library. The wind seemed oddly cold, and every step I took echoed against the empty street. I then realize that Iโm alone in that path โ yet, I couldnโt get the feeling that thereโs someone behind me, urging me to go faster. I paid no attention and kept going.
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โLater on, when I arrived at the library, I pushed the door slowly as I entered. The Librarian, Miranda, warmly greeted me โ sheโs always wearing that smile every time I come here, which makes me feel comfortable.
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โI sat down on my favorite spotโthe corner. Itโs surrounded by books and away from everyone. The perfect place for me to study. I placed my notebooks, pens, and things that I needed, and I began studying.
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โA few hours passed, and the number of people in the library became fewer and fewer. I noticed a shadow figure behind me. My body suddenly froze โ I couldnโt move a muscle. I clenched my fists and shut my eyes tight. When I opened it again, the shadow figure had already gone; maybe because both my body and mind were exhausted, which is why I decided to take a quick nap.
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โโPsssttโฆโ
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โโPsssttโฆโ
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โโTulong!โ
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โAt first, I thought it was the librarianโbut then I heard it again, and again, asking for help. I immediately raised my head and looked at my surroundings, wondering where that voice came from. I stood up and walked towards the librarian. I wondered why the place was so dark. Every step makes the floor creak, but the floor isnโt even made from wood, which is weird. The librarian had seemed to disappear; it feels like Iโm alone in this place.
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โโHello? May tao pa ba rito?โ
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โโUhmโฆ Miranda! Why is it so darkโฆ where is everyone else?โ A chill crept up my skin as confusion turned into fear.
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โThud.
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โA book suddenly fell from the shelf, sending shivers down my spine. It feels like it was calling me.
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โI reached that book, and it was dusty. I opened it up, but before I knew it, it sucked me in. It feels like a fantasy, but I was really sucked in. My heart was pounding and my hands were trembling. โWake up! Wake up!โ I shouted to myself, believing that this was just a dream. But it wasnโt.
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โI saw people, and I decided to roam around. I saw a small group of people shouting, displeasing sounds.
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โโUhh, ahh โ stop! Iโm not your propertyโฆ Ughh, get your hands off me!โ
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โโUghh, haaa! Stop moving, you filthy creature โ you shouldโve been honored for Iโm doing it to someone like you! Pweee!โ
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โIโve witnessed something unbelievable, tried to shout, to move, but my body refused to obey. She who had been abused both body and soul, consumed her whole, and scraped her raw,
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โI burst into tears when the filthy hands of a man scarred that woman for the whole eternity.
โShe tries to fight back, but her force isnโt enough to match the strength of a man. She pushed, punched, and kicked him, but none of those inflicted pain on the man; rather, it enraged him more. I witnessed it with my bare eyes, how the man diabolically killed her.
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โI wanted to helpโฆ but all I could do was watch as her suffering was sealed into that night.
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โA cold air brushed against my skin, as if someone was touching me. I turned to my right โ and there she was. She was crying, seeking help.
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โโPleaseโฆ help meโฆ free my soul from this filthy world.โ Her voice broke, trembling with despair.
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โโBurn that bookโerase me from history! Only then will I restโฆ or else, Iโll be trapped here. Forever.โ
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โMiranda woke me up. My body was lying on the cold floor, clutching that book tightly.
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โI snatched the book from Mirandaโs hand. She was confused about why I did that, but time is ticking faster, and I looked back and saw the confusion in her eyes, though I told her that once everything was settled, I would explain it to her.
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โI burned the book immediately, hoping it would set her free. As the fire devoured its pages, I heard faint whispers and criesโsome pleading, some relieved. But I wonder, why is burning this book setting her free?
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โโWhy, you ask?โ a whisper blew against my ear.
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โโLong ago, I was abused. Men ruled that time, and I could barely fight back. He took the sparkle in my eyes and the hope in my heart. He drowned me in despairโฆ in misery. And he took my life mercilessly,โ her voice trembled. โBut he was a manโฆ I was a woman. My voice matters to none. The story that echoed through history, the one written in that book, was far from the truth. Burning it would set me free. Her voice began to recede. โThank you, young manโyou proved to me that not all men are like him.โ And as she spoke her final words, her fragments faded along with the bright, gentle light.
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โAnd so, I went back to the library, explaining to Mirinda everything.
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โThereโs only one thing I realized โ not every ghost haunts; some are haunted by their past.
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โWritten by: Prinze Nathaniel Lingat
โTemplate by: Gwyneth Panonce
