Burning Hope.
Jeremiah Beltran Saquing BES
Upon learning that his mother had spiraled to insanity, Basilio went to the town of San Diego. Upon his arrival, he immediately felt the quiet and somber atmosphere of the town despite the peak of Christmas Eve. He went from one place to another inquiring about his mother, until a voice was heard on his way to the Alferez’ house.
There was no mistaking it. It was Sisa singing. Wasting no time, he ran towards her, trying to catch her attention. A town guard in the streets hollered, which startled Sisa and sent her dashing. In the pursuit, a woman loitering in the streets mistook Basilio for a tormentor and hurled a rock at him. But this hit Sisa instead.
The chase ended in a nearby cemetery, where Basilio finally caught up with his mother. He slowly opened the gates and saw his mother wailing. Her head gashed by the stone.
“Basilio…Crispin… Basilio…Crispin…” she kept repeating.
Sisa's madness momentarily broke as Basilio finally knelt before her.
Upon realizing that her missing son was still alive, she felt a moment’s relief, but the reunion would be cut short, as Sisa succumbs from her head injury. As she slowly fades, Basilio’s tears up. “Mama, don’t leave, I don’t know what to do,” he whimpered.
As Basilio mourned the loss of his mother, a man’s figure suddenly emerged. He was badly wounded, bleeding in different areas of the body – it was Elias. He wasted no time and explained to Basilio what needs to be done.
“Hurry, as I do not have much time left. Gather dried leaves and cover our bodies. Cremate our bodies. there is a stash of treasures beneath this cemetery. Use it to for good purpose - for your schooling.” instructed Elias.
As the flames of the pyre grew stronger, Basilio’s uneasiness grew. Loneliness, helplessness, and all the loss he experienced started to weigh on him.
A Captain of the Civil Guard accompanied by his men arrived to inspect the area upon hearing the news that a escapee was at the cemetery to hide.
Basilio denied the Captain’s claims until he noticed his pipe. He was smoking opium, and soon realized something. As morning came, he dug Ibarra’s stash of wealth.
For as long as the friars had preached from their pulpits, they had warned that gold could turn a man ' s heart to stone. And so it was with Basilio. The immense fortune he stumbled upon, combined with the ghosts of his tragic past, led him down a dark and winding path, a road far from the light. He used the wealth to purchase land for planting opium, which he circulated and sold within a ring of powerful men.
As time went by, he consolidated enough power through his trade to secure a position, earning him the title of Captain. Basilio realized that in this society, you cannot rise in the hierarchy if you will not get your hands dirty. There is no rags to riches story, only reality.