the first note

Once upon a time, in a world under the world, there was a shadow that used to be a child.

They had faint memories of their life before the Rift, when they were more than just grasping hands and wandering feet, when their soul was tethered to their body, and they could still feel the warmth of the sun holding them to the earth.

But it had been countless days since then and their memories were cold and muddy.

All that kept them stirring were the prayers of those still above--Lolo and Tita and Kuyah and Ate--who kept their memories painted to the world with abiding love and fragile faith.

It was because of these prayers that this shadow that used to be a child could now feel their limbs stirring. Their clammy hands stretched and their cold toes grew.

There, on the edge of their mind, they felt the brief memory of a name.

“Baba,” the prayers said, “please come home.”