My Father goes to court

Narrator: When I was four, I lived with my mother and all of my siblings in a small town on an island
of Luzon. Due to some disaster, my father's farm was destroyed in 1918 because of the
sudden flood so several years afterwards we all lived in the town although my father really
loved living in the country we had no other choice.

Well it all started when we realized we had a rich man as our neighbor whose sons and
daughters seldom go out of the house and get some sunlight.

Sunshine: Tessa wake up! The sun is already shining brightly!

Tessa: Alright…alright… just 5 more minutes!

Sunshine: What!? 5 more minutes?? You mean 5 hours! Come on, wake up!

Jay: It's early in the morning, why are you guys already shouting like chickens?

Sunshine: Have you ever seen a gorgeous chicken like me?

Jay: I am speechless of your over confidence!

Sunshine: Hey…! Uhmm….

Mom: My…my…my… you guys are so loud. The breakfast is ready. I prepared our favorite dish…
first blanched green leafy veggie with crushed sweet tomato in sparkling salted seafood
(talbos ng camote) and freshly fried dried salted fish (tuyo)!

Children: Wow! Thanks our favorite! Thanks mom!

After they've eaten the cheerful children settled down a bit and went outside to play

Jessica : Wow! our neighbor’s house is so huge.

Sunshine: Yeah! I wonder how many people can fit in there! Maybe, I should go inside secretly to
see!

Jessica: What did you say?

Sunshine: Oh! Nothing my dear sister, you're so beautiful forget everything you heard. Anyway, let’s
go and play outside.

They played and sang happily exposed in the sun and laughed to their hearts content
enjoying their time out in a beautiful day.

Jared: Woah hey, Someone's looking at us from that big house. She seems to be our age too!

Tessa: Oh? Oh! There is a girl and she looks like a doll. She is so cute but why is she so pale?

Sunshine: If only my teeth is as white as her skin.

Tessa: What?!

Sunshine: No! nothing my beautiful sister, I shall adore you from afar.
Jay: I saw those children watching us at times.

Tessa: oh yeah me too I wanna get to know them and play with them

Jared: I never saw them go out of their house even once

Sunshine: maybe they're afraid of the sun like vampires oooh spooky

Jessica: oh stop with your imagination they may probably be too weak to go out since they're very
pale

Sunshine: oh no... I hope they get better

Tessa: *sniff* sniff what's that smell

Sunshine: oh my gosh is that the smell from heaven?

Jared: oh no don't tell me somebody farted

Sunshine: what are you talking about it smells so delicious it makes me hungry

Jared: oh yeahh

After that they would sometimes go out and stand by outside the windows of the rich
man's house and listened to the music of sizzling ham and bacon and the enchanting odor
of the foods that the servants of the rich man were preparing

Sunshine: that's some good food they got

Jared: I wonder how many chickens they've killed

Sunshine: I wonder too

Jared: wait why did this turn gruesome?

Sunshine: I don't know ask your brain

Jared: if they're so full with delicious food why are his children so pale and weak like they'll die
if i poke them

Jessica: it's because even tho they're full with delicious food it isn't healthy and they don't get
exposed to the sun or even exercise causing them to be weak

Jared: that's sad altho we may not have the best foods we are all healthy enough to play outside
and enjoy ourselves im thankful

Sunshine: shush lemme focus all my inner energy to smell their feast.

Jared: oh okay why do you sound like a hungry wolf

Sunshine: *closes eyes* shh a wise man never stays and asks wolf how they sound they usually run
bites Jared suddenly
Jared: WOAH NO YOUNG LADY you have forgotten you're a chicken butt uwaaaaaah

One day the rich man looked at us one by one, as though he were condemning us

Sunshine: the sun is shining once again I'm feeling hyper already!

Jessica: calm down lil sis

Tessa: woohoo! I'm ready to smack Jay's head and run like sonic

Jay: what did you say?

Tessa: no nothing runs

Jay: you're not gonna escape me you lil dumb head!

Jessica: oh no,guys Don't run too much you might get hurt!

Jared: it's okay to be physically hurt than being heartbroken ACK my heart

Jessica: Ill hit you if you don't stop

Sunshine: *splashes Jared with cold water*

Jared: what the? What's your problem do you want war?

Jessica: *splashes water on Jared's back*

Jared: so you guys want war huh

They splashed water all around and played for hours

Jessica: wanna hear a joke?

Tessa: sure

Jessica: what did darwins son tell his siblings

Tessa: what?

Jessica: you're adapted laughs

Tessa: you know what wanna hear a joke?

Jessica: sure

Tessa: you're a joke

Jared: sis you just got crushed haha

Old man: HAHAHAH young lady you just beat your sis

Jared: he always comes by with his friends to laugh with us thats cute

Jessica: well we can't help it our laugh is contagious

Sunshine: why is he looking at us like that..?

Jared: im so tired from all our water fights.wait wha—who?

Sunshine: that rich man on the window

Jared: dang that's terrifying

Times passed the rich man's children became anemic and more thin. The rich man and his
wife got also became weak and was coughing day and night. The cheerful children listened
and wondered what happened.

Sunshine: they're getting worse day by day

Jessica: if they continue to eat fried food they'd get more sick

Sunshine: it's not from the lack of nourishment it's their food!

Tessa: those delicious food are dangerous oh my

Jared: did anyone mention food!

Tessa: uh.. us?

Jared: give me

Tessa: give you what

Jared: food

Tessa: your arms and legs are already so big

Jared: how about you? You look like you could fight a bull with that big body of yours

Sunshine: *laughs* oh..? The rich man is looking at us again

The rich man banged the windows shut

Sunshine: my gosh why shut the windows on us

Tessa: remind me to throw a pebble up there at noon

Sunshine: hey that's not nice

Jessica: he's not nice what a rude man

Days passed the windows on the rich man's house remained shut

Jared: their windows are still shut

Jay: yeah but no matter how closed they are we can still smell the food

Sunshine: if they continue that they'll seriously get sick

Jay:q im sick of this fake love

Tessa: oh no here we go again

Jessica: the children that are about the same age as us doesn't even go out anymore im worried

for them

Judge:have you brought your lawyer with you

Father:no judge I dont need any lawyer

Judge:proceed

The rich man’s lawyer jumped up and pointed his finger at Father.

Lawyer:do you or do you not agree that you have been stealing the majestic the heavenly the delicious
spirit of the complaints wealth and food?

Father:I do not

Siblings:*nods*yes we do not *whispered

Lawyer:Do you or do you not agree that while the complaint’s servants cooked and fried fat legs of lamb
or young chicken breast you and your family hung outside his windows and inhaled the heavenly spirit of
the food?

Father:I agree

Siblings:*nods* oh that yes we do *whispered

Father:Do you or do you not agree that while the complaint and his children grew sickly and tubercular
you and your family became strong of limb and fair in complexion?”

Father:I agree

Sunshine:wait whats that got to do with this case?

Judge:how do you account for that Father got up and paced around, scratching his head thoughtfully.

Then he said, “I would like to see the children of complaint, Judge.”

Judge:Bring in the children of the complaint.

The children came in and the people inside the court was shocked how thin and pale they were. Father
could not say anything at first. He just stood by his chair and looked at them. Finally he said,

“I should like to cross – examine the complaint.”

Judge:you may Proceed.

Father:Do you claim that we stole the spirit of your wealth and became a laughing family while yours
became morose and sad?
“Yes.”

Father:Do you claim that we stole the spirit of your food by hanging outside your windows when your
servants cooked it?

“Yes.”

Father:if that is what you have said we will pay you right now

Jay:oh father? How are we going to pay them?

Father:May I walk to the room across the hall and stay there for a few minutes, Judge?

Judge:As you wish.

“Thank you,” father said.

He strode into the other room with the hat in his hands. It was almost full of coins. The doors of both
rooms were wide open.

Father:are you ready?

Judge:Proceed.

The sweet tinkle of the coins carried beautifully in the courtroom. The spectators turned their faces
toward the sound with wonder. Father came back and stood before the complaint.

Father:hear this? Did you hear it all?

Rich old man:Hear what?what do you mean?

Father:The spirit of the money when I shook this hat?did you or did you not?

Rich old man:yes I did

Father:then you are paid.

The rich man was speechless and fell to the ground the judge then said

Judge:Case dismissed.

Father:see guys that's how we justify our innocence

Sunshine:*giggles*

Father strutted around the courtroom the judge even came down from his high chair to shake hands with
him.

“By the way,” he whispered, “I had an uncle who died laughing.”

Father:ou like to hear my family laugh, Judge?

Judge:sure then Why not? Hoho Father:Did you hear that children? My sister sunshine started it. The rest
of us followed them soon the spectators were laughing with us, holding their bellies and bending over the
chairs. And the laughter of the judge was the loudest of all. The case has been closed and the family proved
their innocence and spread their contagious laugh to everyone.