The Tree

True Stories | Feb 17, 2012 | 4 min read
8 Votes, average: 4 out of 5
It was a cold night in the town of Tabina, Philippines we went for a visit to my uncle and spent one night because my parents wanted also to visit my grand dad we've been very happy at that day until the evening comes, and rain falls down into the town, the wind was very cold that night because my uncle's house is only a meters away from the beach, as the evening runs late me and my family went to bed until everybody felt asleep later at that same night  the rain stops then I woke up and I went outside from my uncle's house just to have a walk at the beach, because I couldn't sleep even I tried to sleep again but yet I can't keep my eyes closed, my mind is always wandering feels like I'm having an insomnia. It was waning moon, at that night but the moon is like turning red and the wind is still blowing cold and breezy in the misty shore of the beach, before I could reach at the end I saw a stair leading to another part of the beach and an old Balete Tree I never thought of anything though, because that was the place were I used to play together with my cousins when we were very little. as I stepped down and continue to walked down to the stairs I saw a man and thought I wasn't alone, feeling relieved, I continued walking down in that cold night because I feel safe even that man was a stranger to me, as go nearer and nearer at the beach as I continue walking down, I thought that the man I saw, was a fisherman, waiting for someone, walking back and forth. As I came nearer to him I stop because I noticed that something is missing to the man I saw, that come to realized that he has no head at all! walking at the Beach's under the old Balete tree. Stood and noticed me coming, then he slowly walked-up to the same stair, I retreated back and goosebumps wrap me, my heart was pounding so fast on my chest but I wasn't sure, to what I saw so I remain, looking back and have stood still, making sure if he is really headless because the silhouette of the tree covered him it's difficult to see him clearly, as he came nearer and nearer to me at the stairs he stopped and raises his hatchet from his hand and starts coming to me, as he came nearer and nearer to me, the moonlight touches him and revealed his whole appearance, it was only neck & no head with a real hatchet on his right hand walking towards me, to my startle so I retreated and controlled my panic and run off from the beach to my uncles house and never looked back with a thousand beetles on my chest.

As the morning arrived I asked my uncle and told him on what horror I saw in that night it is rumored that long time ago there was a fisher man murdered by a common town robbers, chop off his head and threw up his head on the sea. Under that old balete tree, the townsfolk recovers his body but they have no clue where to find his head, years passed the townsfolk foretell about the headless fisherman walking at that same beach, under that old balete tree seems that like he's seeking for his missing piece of his body and he shall not rest until his head be returned and bury together with his own body, the people of that town never dare to cross nor walked in that old tree. When the late evening arrived.

According to my uncle "he's been waiting and seeking to the one who really murdered him. that's why he always bring a hatchet on his hand, walking back and forth searching for his head." as for me I didn't dare to what mystery lies in that tree nor what's the real story beneath that tree. Since then I never walked on that beach were I used to play again.

"It all happen when I was Nineteen Years old, now that I am twenty-four, the beach were the headless fisherman I've seen is now a fish port. But the Balete tree is still there."

The Balete Tree - Rey Mar Noe Cañete

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Rey mar noe canete Jul 3, 2012

By the Way I was born September 23, 1987 case if I grow old :)... Rey Mar Noe

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