(9 years later) (2015)

Walking along the dirt road, blue umbrella in hand, tiny raindrops collided on the umbrella's old material and exploded into pearl-like afterthought of the young man under the black and greyish hue of the dimming afternoon.

The man dressed in a full black and white suit covered by a grey overcoat winced and groaned at the unrelenting weather hovering above him.

He, after just passing the licensure exam for his degree in Clinical psychology was invited to join one of the popular psychiatric hospitals in the country. Popular by means of their recovery rate, but nothing always bathes in sunshine and rainbows.

The hospital, despite its popularity, housed fewer patients compared to others lesser to its prestige.

He used to wonder why, but now, as he ascends the final mountain which will lead him to this hospital, he pondered if the location contributed to its low patient rate.

The hospital is situated on top of a mountain, miles away from any form of civilization. Remembering the hurdle that he overcame earlier, Dr Zackary Salvador clicked his tongue and replayed the entire journey leading to where he's at.

After riding the train, he met with his guide, rode a car, and was dropped in front of an odd-looking carriage.

Later, he and the chaperone sent by the hospital mounted the cart. After passing a full town, they were once again dropped off in front of an old rest house. Then his guide, while picking up their luggage, revealed that they have to reach the hospital by foot from there on, leaving Zackary dumbfounded.

After his musing, Dr Zackary let out a desperate sigh. Well, who would

want all that trouble, when they can shove their crazies in a nearby hospital, he thought to himself.

Still, on the trail, he shrugged his body in hopes to reduce the pooling rivulets of raindrops that attached themselves on his coat, luckily, he wore one that's waterproof, for god knows the amount of anger he would feel had he not, and the rain destroyed the only presentable suit he owns.

Mr Salvador? The question sounded like it came from a tiny and innocent mouth, but he knows better.

The man that picked him up from the train station a few hours back, is a

mountain, towering over 6'7 in height, his body muscular and powerful. The hands that now carry his suitcases are big and rough. With his judging eyes, he sees an unimaginable threat from this intimidating giant, a full contrast to his voice, which sounded innocent and angelic. If anyone had seen him during his descent from the train and was presented with this man, one would find horror in his face and tremor on his body.

But, the reluctance he showed while handing his belongings hours back to this man, might be uncalled for.

He is a Psychologist now, a licensed one at that. He should know better. He should have assessed the man with more scrutiny before jumping to conclusions. Note to self he thought, before sending the giant beside him a glance.

"Uhmm, Mr Salvador, if you want, my aunt's house is a few meters ahead. We can take a short break and have some hot beverage before we proceed to the hospital." The man asked nervously.

Zackary hummed and then gave him a warm smile, "I would love that," he replied. The giant gave him a wide smile, teeth and all. "Please lead the way," the doctor added. The man walked ahead of him, skipping with glee.

After a few minutes of walking, they came upon a Nippa hut house sandwiched between two Molave trees, its front lawn blanketed with well-trimmed grass and wildflowers.

"Well here we are," the giant in front of him exclaimed. "It's not much but it's well kept," he added while throwing a smile at him. Zackary smiled back while taking long strides towards the house. The rain has not let up, and all he wants now is to rest his aching legs and get out of his wet coat. The umbrella did not give him justice from the downpour.

The giant gave the hut's door a light knock, shocking Zackary in the process. Those large hands he thought, can't possibly give such soft and light vigour, but it did.

The door slowly opened and out came an old lady. She smiled, Damien, she murmured, in a soft old grandma tune while giving the giant a quick hug.

"Aunt, may we take shelter here for a while, it has been raining and I'm supposed to deliver this, Mr Doctor here to the hospital, but I think he's tired." The last sentence, barely a whisper, did not escape Zachary's ear.

He squinted his eyes but gave a hearty smile to the old woman who was still standing behind the half-opened door. It took a while before she fully opened the wooden barricade and gestured for the two of them to come in.

Zackary, sighing with relief, stepped inside without hesitation.

The young doctor, now sitting on a wooden chair in front of a fireplace with a cup of steaming hot choco on hand, gazed with serious scrutiny at the two souls sitting adjacent from him. As a Doctor, he is familiar with human genetics and can clearly see the huge resemblance between the old woman and the humongous man.

The man said the old lady is his aunt, but Zackary feels the similarities in their features are too prominent, one would merit them to be mother and son, though having a relative that looks like you is quite common, he still felt like the two are not what they claim to be. His train of thoughts was disrupted when Damien suddenly stood from his chair and beckoned for him to leave before night falls.

Zackary stood up and walked towards the two, carefully placed his cup on the table and gave the old woman a warm smile. "The choco tasted great madam," he said, before giving the old lady a quick bow. The old woman with her wrinkled face looked up at him and gave a nod.

After a brief exchange of words between the old woman and her niece, Damien started to pick up the suitcases which he carefully pilled before the front door when they came inside, while Zackary too, began to collect his coat and doctor's bag. Damien opened the door and stepped outside. "The rain has lit up," he exclaimed with glee while looking back at Zackary.

Zackary smiled and began to take a step towards the half-opened door, but a few footfalls before reaching it, the old woman who was trailing behind him tugged at his arm.

He looked back and gave her a questioning look.

"He is a good man, just a bit behind." She said to him. It took a while for Zackary to understand that she was talking about his giant companion, and when he did, he smiled and patted the old woman's hand before taking back his arm. "I can tell" he answered, using the sweetest tone he could muster.

"He will be up there with the most of you, so do keep a good watch on him will ya?" the old woman added.

There is uneasiness in her eyes and voice, and Zackary couldn't help but wonder why? It seems the giant is accustomed to the place and would not have been tasked to guide him, if he was inadequate, or if there was not enough respect or trust given to him by those in charge of the hospital.

He kept that thought to himself though and gave the woman a reassuring smile while nodding.

They continued their journey, walking through fallen branches and thick vegetation. The fauna that thrived on their path gave the doctor a sense of relief despite his aching foot. He is, after all, a nature lover.

But despite that, the journey towards the famed hospital had proven to be more of a challenge than he first imagined, making him second guess whether accepting the job was a good idea.

Keeping his head down, carefully picking which place to land his foot, he barely heard the small voice that said "we are almost there." He looked up, and finally, he saw it, the roof of a building.

Judging from the view, he can tell it won't be long before they reach the actual building itself, and for the first time in the hours that passed, the young doctor felt his heart, race with excitement.

After several huge trees and endless greenery, they arrived at a clearing.

The freshly mowed lawn presenting itself before him gave a serene feeling.

They continued, and not long after, he found himself standing in front of a white building. There is nothing special about its exterior construction, except for the huge letterings, just above the seemingly metal made door that says, El Corazon Esta en la Razon.