THE first time I set foot in the island of Rota in 2011, I was
immediately drawn to it, mesmerized by the feel of mystery and enchantment. It was
like stepping into an undiscovered paradise, a gem of an island still untouched
by commercialism.
I rented a car and ventured on my own, following the road
until I reached the hotel in Songsong where I was booked for the next three days.
I was there to cover the first Sweet Potato Festival and the
event was in Sinapalo. I left my hotel early and drove to the festival grounds
for the opening night. To cut it short, the opening event was successful and
very soon it was time to go back to Songsong. It was already past 11 p.m. and it
was raining. I was not looking forward to the drive back.
I admit I’m not the world’s best driver, especially on an
unfamiliar road in a dark and rainy night. I began hoping someone who can drive
needs a ride. Unfortunately, the only one I found needing a ride was Angie from
NMC Saipan and she does not drive.
Left with no choice, I got behind the wheel and slowly
maneuvered our way into the dark road. I tried to keep focused on the road and was starting to
feel at ease when we approached the curved part past Teteto Beach. There were
no lights in the electric posts and the place was in total darkness, except for
our headlights. I was driving real slowly when suddenly the lights from a car behind us blinded me. It was so close and I was getting pissed off. I was driving an unfamiliar car on a dark rainy night on slippery, unfamiliar roads with curbs and bends. I couldn’t see the car behind us clearly because of the bright lights but I saw it was a truck.
Muttering loudly, I said if he wants to overtake I don’t
care. I told Angie the car’s headlight behind us was blinding me, and she
looked at me strangely but did not say anything. We passed another bend. This time
the road snaked between a very high cliff on one side, with huge boulders and
the sea on the other side before emerging into a straight road. I pulled over
to the side and stopped so the car behind us could overtake and I could regain
my vision without his lights blinding me.
Glancing into the rear view mirror, I saw no more lights or
car behind us. I waited for a few more minutes, but there was not even the sound
of another car in the distance. I looked at Angie but was unable to voice out
my question of where the truck went. Still not saying anything, she signaled
for me to drive on.
The car behind us disappeared at the spot where there was no
place to turn, between the cliff and the sea. I was sure it did not make a
U-turn either, or I would have seen it.
Thanks to my confusion and delayed reaction I was able to drive
us back safe to our hotel. And it was only then that Angie told me there was no
car, and she saw no headlights behind us. My hair stood on end as I realized
she knew what was happening but didn’t tell me until we were back at the hotel.
Other guests and locals at the hotel said it also happened to some people
before.
Even now, as I’m writing this, three years later, I could
not stop the goose bumps up my arms and legs. Little did I know that night was
just my ‘welcome encounter’ I had with the occupants of Rota from the ‘other
side.’ I was warned that more encounters were to follow in the future, and the
warning was right. I had more encounters with them later.
