THE STORM

 It was a stormy day,one could count how many times a storm and not just an ordinary storm,a fierce storm have occurred in the village of batanes located in the Philippines.

Apart from the waves of the storm nothing else could be heard except for the loud cries of Maria.

Who was Maria?

 A young woman who was in labor. Albert Maria's husband was a fisherman he goes out as early as 4:00 in the morning to the river to get fishes, in which he would sell in the local market.

 Everyone who lives in the village was not rich the main struggle was to be able to put food on the table by the end of the day no matter how little it may be.

" Since the stomach couldn't understand the words of the poor man".

 Albert just like other men in the village endeavor to provide for his family which consists of him and his pregnant wife Maria.

 Maria loved her husband but hated the fact that he was too kind and she also believe that he wasn't hardworking enough.

 Maria would always tell him 'if you were strong and hardworking, you would have taken me out of this village to the city'.

 Maria went to a local jewel maker who stays in the market named jumal,she seek for a necklace something rare and beautiful. jumal showed her a lot of beautiful necklace but she dislike them she complained that they wasn't up to her taste but when she was about to go, Jumal called her attention and open a little box in it was something glittering, something unique and different shaped like a heart, it was like a crystal.

Jumal said to her 'this is my lifetime work, it took me 7 years to make this, the requirements and materials are almost impossible to find'.

" I never intend to sell it", jumal continued,"but I will give it to you if only you can pay for it".

 The necklace was quite expensive but, desperate Maria used her life savings and that of her husband to purchase the necklace. Albert wasn't happy when he found out what Maria had done he felt that she was selfish and greedy to have done that.Albert told her to return it but she refused.Instead she hid it where her husband couldn't find it. 

One faithful day Maria brought out the necklace in other to admire it but, it mistakenly slipped out of her hand fell and broke into three parts she tried to fix it but it wasn't possible. She took it back to jumal for it to be fixed,But the only option he give to her was to get another necklace.

Maria was disappointed but throwing it away wasn't an option for her instead she wrapped the pieces together folded it and put it in her bag. she believed that one day she would find someone who could fix the necklace.

It was a cold day the weather wasn't bright neither was it friendly it looks cloudy like is like he's going to rain heavily soon .

Maria was feeling sick,she was close to delivery since she got into her 9th month,her husband often stayed at home to take care of her but that day,Maria forced her husband out of the house,she said to him"I don't need a babysitter,I can take care of myself besides we have neighbors if i am in need of something I could call them". Go out and work She concluded.

Few hours after Albert left for the river bank,Maria started feeling so uncomfortable she had slight pain underneath her stomach,she thought perhaps she had sit for too long,she lay down but then the pains became severe.

At once she understood was happening to her IT WAS TIME FOR THE BABY TO SEE THE WORLD.

Maria screamed loudly and the attention of her neighbors was drawn,They rushed her to village midwife named Yahara who took her into a little cottage and started the delivery process immediately,due to the unfriendly weather everyone left too soon to do some task before the rain will begin.

Maria pushed with all her might,she was having a difficult labour

Yahara succeeded in pulling out the first child,but to her amazement there was a second and a third one.

After the delivery,Yahara said to Maria"three beautiful princess" Maria smiled weakly and fell into a deep sleep.

She later woke up to the babies cleaned and wrapped in a her wrappers she looked closely to discover that each piece of her broken necklace was hanged on their neck.She looked at Yahara but yahara smiled that told her that she found them in her bags,the ones they brought her in with.

Yahara further explained to Maria " the necklace might be broken but it isn't useless Although it couldn't be fixed but you can still make use of it. I hang each of the necklace on their neck so that even if they got separated,the necklace could be a clue for them to be reunited since when all pieces are joined together,it form a heart".

Maria loved those very words of yahara she found wisdom in them.

News reached to Albert that is wife has put to bed he was so excited he began rounding off so as to go meet his wife and children.

 Few minutes later Yahara needed herbs to make tea for Maria,she needed someone to get it in the market but there was no one around. Maria told her to go that she will be fine since it was a local market closed by. Yahara went to get the herbs but after a while the storm started and yahara wasn't back from the market..

The storm was strong and heavy and it came with a mighty Wind, It pull things up everyone ran helter skelter in search of shelter and no one could step outside both buildings and trees that weren't strongly rooted on the ground were pulled up.

Unfortunate for Maria the little cottage wasn't strong enough and it started collapsing Maria was scared Although she was weak she pulled herself up and went to the door,but the strong wind shut the door tightly she saw no means to save herself so she decided to save her babies.

The house was coming down and the woods on the roof were already falling.Maria picked a basket and cover the first child,she saw a carton opened it up and put the second child in it then covered it up.when she was about to hide her third baby a big wood from the roof fell down on her, hitting her hardly on the head,she fell down and died instantly.