CHAPTER 2: THE CONCH IN THE ATTIC

Kael didn’t sleep much that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the glowing waves and the woman with sea-blue eyes. When dawn finally broke, he crept out of his room so he wouldn’t wake Lola Isang.

He’d been meaning to clean out the small attic space above their hut for weeks. His mother, Elena, had passed away when he was ten, and most of her things were still tucked away up there – old clothes, books, and boxes she’d never opened after moving back to Nasugbu from Manila.

The attic was hot and dusty, filled with the dry smell of wood and old paper. Kael pulled down a small wooden chest from the shelf – the only one with a lock that wasn’t rusted shut. He’d never been able to open it as a kid, but when he tried the latch now, it clicked open easily.

Inside were folded dresses, a faded photograph of his parents on their wedding day, and at the bottom – wrapped in a piece of dark cloth – something hard and curved.

Kael unwrapped it carefully. It was a large conch shell, carved with intricate patterns that looked like waves and stars. The surface was smooth from age, and when he held it to his ear, he didn’t hear the usual roar of the sea – he heard whispers.

“The tide rises… the gate waits… the keeper must awaken…”

The words weren’t in Tagalog or English, but somehow he understood every one. His hands began to shake, and the shell grew warm against his palm – the same warmth he’d felt when he touched the glowing water.

“Kael?”

Lola Isang was standing at the attic doorway, her face pale. She was holding a cup of tsokolate eh but hadn’t moved to give it to him. Her eyes were fixed on the conch in his hands.

“Lola – what is this?” Kael asked.

She stepped into the attic and closed the door behind her. For a long moment, she just stared at the shell, running her fingers over the carved patterns as if remembering something.

“Your mother wanted you to find this when you were ready,” she said quietly. “I was hoping… I was hoping the time would never come.”

“Ready for what?”

She sat down on a wooden crate and patted the spot beside her. “Come, anak. Let me tell you a story your Tatay never knew, and your mother could never speak of.”

Kael sat beside her, the conch still warm in his lap.

“Long before the Spanish came, before even the datus ruled these lands, our family was chosen to be the Tide Keepers,” Lola began. “We guard the gateway between our world and the Batis ng Kalikasan – the Spring of Nature, where all the sea’s life begins. The conch is our symbol, our link to that realm.”

“The woman on the beach – she mentioned the Tide Keeper,” Kael said.

Lola nodded. “She must be from the Batis. They watch over their side of the gate, just as we watch over ours. For generations, we’ve kept the balance – performing rituals when the tide calls for them, making sure no one disturbs the hidden cove where the gate lies.”

“The glowing water…”

“Is a sign,” Lola said, her voice heavy. “The gate is weakening. Something is trying to break through.”

Kael looked at the conch, then out the small attic window at the sea. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Because this duty comes with a price, anak,” she said, taking his hand. “The Tide Keeper cannot leave. They must stay close to the sea, close to the gate. Your mother – she wanted to be a teacher in Manila. But when her time came, she had to choose. She chose us. She chose Nasugbu.”

Kael felt his chest tighten. His scholarship interview was only two weeks away. All his plans, all his dreams – were they about to slip away like the tide?

“The developer,” he said suddenly. “Marcus Villareal – he wants to build his resort right near the hidden cove, doesn’t he?”

Lola’s face darkened. “He’s already bought the land. If he starts digging there… I don’t know what will happen. The gate has never been disturbed like that before.”

The conch in Kael’s hands grew warmer, and the whispers inside grew louder, as if urging him to listen.

“The time has come… the keeper must choose…”

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