It was daybreak when we left. Faces lit up with excitement. Thoughts of walking on the white sands, of island hopping, of bathing on the cold waterfalls, of all the activities prepared… these must have been keeping everyone’s minds busy that time.
All was set for the trip.
Our short stopover for breakfast by the beach was so fun. Everyone was enjoying their meals. Everyone was having fun,but they were oblivious of what was about to come up.
The trip continued with everyone full after the hearty breakfast. Some were asleep, some talking, some were watching the view from the windows of the bus.
I was asleep like some. It was ideal for dozing off because the wind became even cooler with the movement of the bus.
Then suddenly…
Shrill cries of horror woke me up from my deep sleep. I opened my eyes. Leaves.Dust.A crashing sound.
“Oh, God! This really happened to us,” was the first thought that crossed my mind.
I awoke just a few milliseconds before the bus hit the roadside. I felt the impact, but was unconscious of whether I was able to hold on to anything. The next thing I knew was that my face was pressed on the glass window. I can’t move my entire body, and my forehead is starting to ache. A few people were on my back, and I heard cries and moans from everywhere.
It was like in the movies, when everything happens in slow motion…when some characters get a close up showing their scared faces. Had it been a film, the musical score would have been that of thudding drumbeats… that one when the viewers’ heartbeats rise and fall along with every loud beat.
After what felt like eternity of being stuck, unable to move, I felt the heavy load on my back becoming lighter and lighter. I get up after realizing that I already can.
Bags, slippers, the people, everything seem to scatter everywhere. Some are already getting up, others are still struggling to.The view is horrifying. Everyone’s face depicts horror and fear.
“Oh, God! This really happened!”
I managed to get out of the horrible-looking bus with the help of people I can never remember what looked like. I was barefoot, but I never felt anything.I was walking on broken glass and pebbled roadside, but I never seemed to mind. When I looked back at the bus… that was when I started to cry.
I cried not because I was hurt. I cried not because I left my things in there… but I cried because I could not believe that everyone is alive.
It was a really ghastly view.The bus.The sirens from ambulances, fire trucks and police cars. The running medics.It was all chaotic and heartbreaking.
Our angels were there. God was definitely there with us.He was guiding us and shielding us from any serious harm. That was God’s work I have witnessed right there. He was there with us that day when the unthinkable happened.
*Credits to Mr. R. Cadapan for the photo.
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