Tuwing gumigising sa umaga, sakit ng katawan agad ang nararamdaman. Hirap gumalaw ang mga balikat, ‘di makalingon dahil sa ngalay ng leeg, ‘di makayuko dahil sa sakit ng likod, at ‘di mawala ang sakit ng ulo dahil kinakapos sa tulog. Ngayong umaga, ganoon pa rin ang gawain. Pupunta sa banyo at maghihilamos, mahapdi ang pakiramdam dahil sa mga sugat na galing sa mga Personal Protective Equipment namin. May sugat sa noo, marka ng linya mula isang tainga papunta sa kabila, namumulang mga pisngi, pati na rin ang likod ng tainga. Magbibihis at hindi malilimutan ang maskara at face shield. 

Pagdating sa trabaho, takbo agad patungo sa emergency room. Kaunti lang at hindi kami sapat para sa dami ng tao na kailangang tugunan. Buong araw kami naglalakad, pabalik-balik, at paikot-ikot sa ospital. Hindi na nakararamdam ng pahinga. Hindi man lang makaupo kahit saglit lang. Nakaiidlip tuwing nasa trabaho at minsa’y napagsasabihan. Nahihirapang gumalaw sa hirap ng nararanasan. Pero alam sa sarili na para ito sa nakararami. Para sa kaligtasan ng lahat, gagawin ang makakaya.

Pagkatapos ng isang araw ng pagod, muli itong uulitin. Muling isasakripisyo ang buhay para makatulong. Hindi nakakasama ang pamilya para sa kaligtasan nila. Dahil ito ang masakit na kailangang gawin bilang isang frontliner. 'Pag natapos ang lahat ng ito, makauuwi na sa pamilya at mararamdaman ang matagal nang hinihintay na yakap nila.

Salamat sa inyo mga bayani, mga bayani natin sa kasalukuyang panahon.

Saan ka ba nahihirapan?

Minsan nagtataka ako,

Tila ba ayaw mong tanggapin na mayroon ka ritong matututunan

Bakit nga ba ayaw mo itong maranasan?

Mali ba ang paraang ginagawa ko kaya ika’y nahihirapan?

O dahil ayaw mo lang ako bilang tao?

Dapat mo pa ba akong kwestyunin nang ganito

At pagdudahan ang pamamaraan ko

Kung simula't sapul, tanging kapakanan mo ang tunay na iniintindi ko

Bakit mo ito ginagawa?

Sa halip na ako’y iyong kwestyunin,

Sana ri'y pakinggan muna at intindihin

Gusto ko lang nama’y may mapulot kang aral sa lahat ng iyong gagawin

Ang mga magulang ang kadalasang kinukuhanan ng inspirasyon,

Ngunit kabaliktaran ang iyong iniisip dahil sa iyong naging sitwasyon

Palagay mo ma'y walang makauunawa sa iyo, nais pa ring iparating ang tugong ito

Maaaring galit at lungkot ang lumulukob sa iyo

Ayos lamang na ito ang nararamdaman mo, subalit huwag hayaang tumagal ito

Panatilihing mabuti ang iyong puso, nagdusa man ay huwag sumuko

Maaaring nasaktan ka ng taong inaasahan mo

Tingnan mo ito bilang motibasyon upang mas maging mabuting tao

Naranasan mo ang masaktan, ang iparanas ito sa iba ay hindi kasagutan

Subukin mong maging kabaliktaran ng iyong ama

Isang taong gagawin ang lahat para sa kanyang pamilya

Isang taong magiging magandang halimbawa sa pamilya at sa kapwa niya

Three days until we meet again, three days till this year's big event… Carnival Day!

- Day one -

My name is Merry, short for Merry-go-round. I am a ride in this carnival and I have been here for about four years already.

One early morning, I woke up because of two voices. I recognized one of them; it was our manager. They were talking about the clean-up schedule today. He mentioned that he had already hired enough workers who would arrive soon. I looked around slowly and saw thick layers of dust on me and the other rides.

I gazed at the morning sky, and after a few minutes, I saw at least ten guys in blue and green uniforms wearing masks. After some time, more guys came and they started to use leaf blowers, water hoses, and damp towels to remove the dust and dirt on everything.

Many hours later, we were all squeaky clean. But one worker said that Octopus, the Octopus ride, had too much dirt on him, and it turned out that the dirt he was talking about was rust.

He was so rusty that he looked like it would cost millions if he were to be fixed, it was quite clear that wasn't going to work as well as he did before.

They said they would sort it out tomorrow since they were to have two test runs for each of us to check our quality and see if they would still include us for the big event.

- Day two -

We were all set and ready for Carnival Day. They approved all the rides except for Octopus. They tried to turn him on but his engine was burned out; he even started to emit smoke. He was broken. When our manager saw what state he was in, he didn't hesitate to say, "He's a goner. Get him outta here. We might get sued if we let him through." Those words struck me like lightning. I kept thinking to myself, "What if he says those exact same words to me one day?" It haunted me since I was also one of the old rides. But I didn't let it bother me.

Anyways, tomorrow is the day, the day we meet. I hope I can make you smile the way you used to every year.

- Day three -

Carnival Day!!!

Opening time! I couldn't wait to see your smiling face and hear your excited little voice. Five years ago, you always enjoyed going to Carnival Day. You always came to visit me and even got in line twice or thrice. You caught my eye; you were the only kid I saw who wasn't screaming for their guardian every now and then. You were smiling, laughing, and bringing out so much positive energy. Since then I knew that you were different.

Hours had already passed since the carnival opened and I still hadn't seen you. I felt sick after multiple rounds, I somehow saw familiar faces here and there. Some faces were slightly familiar but I also got the feeling that they were complete strangers. After all that, there still wasn’t a single sight of your face. Only thirty minutes left till closing. I started to lose hope of you coming to visit this year.

With ten minutes left, finally you came! I saw you pass by but you didn't fall in line. You didn't even look at my bright lights. A fistful of emotions went through me, and my bright lights dimmed.

Three minutes passed and you came back, and my lights brightened again! But when I took a closer look at you, you were on your phone with a serious and uninterested face.

Before I could think about anything else, I saw your brother pull you towards the now short line and tell you to ride again just like the old days. But you said you didn't want to, and my heart stopped. After an argument with your brother, you went on anyways, but I could tell you were only forced to.

I focused my eyes on you. You sat on the same spot where you always did, on one hand you were holding on to the rod while on the other was your phone. You were even letting go of the rod every now and then just to get a tighter grip of your phone, I was thinking about your safety while you were thinking about something else.

You looked like you didn't care at all, you weren't the same happy person you were five years ago that used to hold on tight to the rod with both your hands with a tight grip. I guess time does change a person, and it changed you a lot.

As the carnival closed, I felt sadness run through me. At the end of the day, you walked home with your brother and got a good night's sleep. I stayed still in the dark, unlit, waiting for you and your happy and energetic arrival. Just like how you were before.