Monster-Piece

by Jean Kristeen Mendoza Dimaunahan

It is a fine Sunday afternoon at the cathedral. The bell’s rings indicate the end of the last mass. The innocent scent of the sampaguita is all over the place which calms the ongoing chaos of the huge crowd from the cathedral. A young boy named Harry is offering people his sampaguita. He priced them as ten pesos per three laces. Some of them buy to the poor boy who also has a hydrocephalus. The happiness and contentment is embedded to his face while doing his daily job.

A short guy who happens to be a photographer sees the great child. For a while, he follows every movement of Harry. This guy named himself Jack. Unfortunately, Jack is a twenty - four year old who was caught in an accident seventeen years ago that made him lost his memories. All he knows is that after the accident, he woke up in the cathedral.

A politician walks towards the boy. Jack positions near them, readies his camera and takes a video of them. The politician is surrounded by his bodyguards but Jack finds a place to see the child and the politician clearly. He hears the politician asked the boy. At first, he wants to know the child's name and the boy tells him that it is Harry without any surname. Jack expects that the politician will ask why but the next thing he hears is the politician asking for the little guy's dream. "I want to be the greatest photographer!” the boy replies with joy. The politician tells the kid that this is his lucky day. He makes a promise to Harry that if he will take a video coverage of his good deeds in the middle of the chaotic crowd outside cathedral and if he will like Harry's work, the boy may have the camera that the politician is holding. In excitement, Harry agreed immediately. The politician hands the camera to the boy. Jack, on the other hand, forgets to focus his camera to the two because of his curiosity of why do the politician asks a kid to take a video coverage of him wherein he can absolutely hire any media person to do the task. The politician starts to walk away from the kid. Jack quietly and carefully eavesdrops to the politician's murmurs. He hears the cruel politician's plan. The politician boastfully tells his reasons to his guards. He proudly says that the height of Harry is perfect to get best angle below and a video taken by a kid with a hydrocephalus will be a heart touching one and people will think that he is trusted and seen by the child as his way of enhancing his life status. All in all, the politician does not want to give the child a break, he just wants to use the poor kid to win the race.

Harry, on the other hand, began to take pictures. Even if it is hard for him to find a great angle, he tries his best to make it perfect. On trying for a perfect position, he often stumbles and falls because of his unbalanced proportion. Jack started to video cover the sufferings of the kid. He watches Harry trying his best so he will come up with his masterpiece.

The politician starts his campaign in the middle of the crowd. The crowd starts to get wild because everyone wants to see this politician who is also a current television artist. Jack watches poor Harry as he goes through the raging crowd to get a fabulous video coverage of the politician. In his condition and height, it is impossible for him to be notice immediately. Jack continues witnessing the sorrow of the kid who wants to be a photographer. He can see himself from the poor boy, a young child dreaming of becoming a great photographer.

 Jack notices a girl on her twenties who focuses her camera on Harry, too. She looks so serious and sad at the same time. Then, Jack decides to go near the girl and ask her what is her footage for. On his way to her, the crowd go crazy and the girl screams so loud as if someone got hurt. Jack feels pained and all of a sudden, he lays his eyes back to Harry. Harry is currently bleeding to death due to the chaos. He is pressed and something hits his head so hard that made a long cut on it. The girl paves her way to Harry. Upon reaching him, Harry smilingly tells her that he get his masterpiece and is now ready to be a great photographer. The girl bursts into tears. One of the politician's guards helps the poor Harry. Jack suddenly feels dizzy and begins to lose his sight. Suddenly, he collapses. Harry is rushed to the hospital. Before Harry reaches the ambulance, he hands the camera over the girl and pleases her to give it to the politician. He says he wants to be a great photographer and that politician promises that he will make him one. The girl tells him her name to start her whole hearted promise of making him a great photographer and Harry, then, closes his eyes.

The girl watches the footage and thinks how poor Harry is for supporting and patronizing the wrong politician. The campaign in front of the cathedral is over. She is still crying and goes back inside the church. She prays for the poor boy. Someone calls her name and informs her that they need to leave now. Her name is Jaque. Jack comes back to his senses on the same place he see poor Harry selling sampaguita. Now, he gets it. It is his death anniversary. He is Harry. And what about Jack? That is not him but the girl who promises to give the camera to the politician. It was seventeen years and still she goes to the church to pray for him. "Your footage is still the best coverage. I fulfill my promise to you, dear. We won your case. I got your justice. Your masterpiece is my strongest evidence of abuse. I hope you are not set free. I wish you rest in peace." Harry leaves the church and finds his peace. Next year, there's no more Harry or Jack that will inhabit the church. There's just justice.