Pag-ikot ng Tsubibo

21. Kerguelen Montales (Horror Train)

Amid the shrill screeches that emanated from the skull-decorated tunnel, a lone passenger struggled to hold in a smile. Careful to avoid the elongated rubber fingers creeping towards his side, his eyes wandered around the dimly-lit set, nodding at the diligent work put into the production. Smiling freely now, he settled back into his uncomfortable seat relishing the vibe as total chaos ensued in his surroundings.

22. Keilah Baldomar (Fun Slide)

“Did you say there’s a slide here? Why is that even at a carnival— that sounds so boring! ...Oh, it’s a giant slide? Like, a really big, colorful one? ...Well, that’s still boring. I don’t know who’d want to ride that when all these other rides exist. Let’s go!”

“Okay, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Come with me to the giant slide?”

23. Immalie Rose Cafifge (Bumper Cars)

Silence. Time bides for the kid at the driver’s seat as her fingers drum repeatedly against the chafed rubber of the steering wheel.

Her feet sweat, her hands grow clammy every second, and her patience stretches into the thinnest thread. Silence...

Buzz!

A bumper car is sent rocketing backwards, with another kid screaming bloody murder on a Sunday evening.

24. Kiara Nicole Villa (Ferris Wheel)

Circus-goers sighed as she spun on her rusty hinges at the heart of the square. From moonrise to moonset, she twirls to her own scratched tune despite the lack of passengers who dare venture near her gravity. Though tarnished by her years, her every turn was still as grand as it was—hastening her turn, pivoting, pausing in mid-air just enough for the few valiant pairs to graze the horizons above.

25. Meryl Sigaton (Shooting Gallery)

Shuddering fingers tightly gripped the gun handle, skeptical of hitting the target prize meters away from where the gunman stands. “Aha!” she beams, trading the bull’s eye with her holy grail. Yet even with the bullets’ pummeling, she remained motionless, enthused by his desire to amass her luxury in a chamber of souvenirs.

26. Karl Brian Marqueza (Viking Ship)

A Viking ship may be the most grandiose vessel one will ever encounter in a perya. As it swings back and forth in the air with sleek, swift motion, the only thing that keeps playing in your head is this: Hold on for dear life. It’s as if the air and the ship formed an indispensable union to transport the troop, but never to lead them to a certain stop.

27. Phoebe Daidoji Jabonete (Popcorn Stall)

Clusters of three-dimensional white puffs overfill her silver pot as a palm rests against the see-through glass. “Mommy, what’s poppin’?” asks the boy, tugging at his mother’s dress. Striped in yellow and red, the label popcorn laid bare on the front view. “A kernel’s acrobatic stunt is the carnival’s euphoria,” she replies in a wistful tone.

28. Hana Patricia Raj Hautea (Cotton Candy Stall)

Around the circus’ entrance, a small, unmanned cart is seen enthusiastically rolling towards customers. Curious passersby marvel at the mobile stall, seemingly undecided on who to approach first. Though once engaged, it offers a puff of cotton candy as welcome. And even before one tastes the sweetness of the first swirl, another purple cloud greets them eagerly.

29. scythe (The High Striker)

A mix of sweat, aftershave, and brandy wafted the evening breeze as boys and men lined up to challenge their strength on the High

Striker. But no matter how strong they pounded the lever, the puck remained unmoving and so, they believed it rigged. Yet, when a patron comes bounding—tirelessly pushing his luck, He gives to the victor who caught whiff of his game despite his own bouquet.

30. birdy (Merry-go-round)

The ride moves on and on and on, but the view knew not of such physics. Frustrated, the young child fidgets atop her wooden saddle, eyes peeled for even the slightest change in scenery—only

to frown at the same people in the same places doing the same things. She shrugs, decides instead to shut her eyes, and revels in the steady motions of the carousel as it moves on and on and on.

31. Alexandra Bachoco (Globe String Lights)

“A string of warmly lit glass bulbs keeps a wooden pie stall company each passing day and night, swaying languidly to the chilly breeze that meanders through the whirlwind scene of the fair. In its inanimate silence, the piemaker claims to have found a listener and a friend.” —Folktales from the Local Fair Vol. III

32. Inocencio John Keith Ferrer V (Ring Toss)

“At a carnival, the ring toss involves a very small ring being tossed onto a very small peg, which reduces the opportunity for success— even for adults!” —Great Games for Young Children

33. Angelo Despi (Octopus)

Far too many have come and gone, yet only a select few townspeople understand the workings of the seemingly harmless Octopus.

Often understated, it takes but a few prompt spins before your head starts spinning until all you can see are stars. Take it from the carny regulars—the adrenaline rush lingers ‘til the next time.

34. Ivee Manguilimotan (Swing Ride)

Crowds swarm the lined barricades as they jostle to witness one of the wildest spectacles in the whole fair: a chair-o-plane spinning a bag of potato crackers, a feasibility study, local rum, managerial works, and the fast-paced life in its suspended seats. How it does it, no one knows.

35. Hezron Pios (Bed of Nails)

While the carnies do their tricks and bow before an audience, the true oddballs play show and tell amid the candy stalls and peculiar rides. In the hearty presentation, an attraction is beheld under a worn curtain. An upright wooden frame symmetrically littered with pointed nails greets the audience—an invitation to voluntary paralysis. Scripture is written on its base, and the only way to read?

Come up real close.

36. Patrick Billojan (Ticket Booth)

Amidst the rush of the circus, patrons came and went at the Ticket

Booth, yet not one soul stopped to tarry. They merely handed in gold for tickets and tokens before going their way. In the blur of everything, he’d surely catch your eye. Not because he was lonely but because he still flickered his huge neon sign—hounding in townspeople to come join the celebration, knowing he’d be left behind.

37. Alan Villanueva Jr. (Roulette)

If you happen to pass by me, call the deities to bid you good luck, for no one shall dare only pass and not submit to my never-ending game of chances. I will sup the life out of every single penny you drop on my table, and I will make sure you go home broke.

38. Alvin Legario (Dunk Tank)

Just a few paces away from the ticket booth, lay the worn and faded wooden facade of the Dunk Tank. Its hinges rusted, its screws loose, yet its seat remained rooted in place, holding up the scrawny fella who seemed to bask in the stillness of its pool. As throngs came and went without but sparing it a glance, a lad of five, fiddles with a dust-coated red ball before it. He eyes its target, steeling himself.

Chubby arms winding up, he flicks his wrist, and deafening splash rips throughout the fair.

39. Alyssa Nicole Maquiran (Clairvoyant)

The visions dart a path behind her temples, hands clutching the fingers of a man who seeks erudition, an epiphany. “What does the future entail for me?” he asks as she stares at him through the curtains of a draped marquee. At first, she is hesitant to speak, but when clouds from his iris clear, she smiles softly at the imminent cataclysm that she sees.

40. Carl Hason Gerale (A Burning Tent)

Fingers twitching, the madman shakily brings the chipped ceramic cup to his mouth, paying no heed to the blazing heat and plumes of smoke surrounding his person. He takes a long sip of coffee before proceeding to stare vacantly at an indistinct point in the distance.

Some say he could be heard convincing himself to stay. Others say he started the fire himself.

ACKN WLEDGEMENTS

Pau, Nong Hez, Nong Alvin, Dizney, for your wisdom that reminded me to anticipate the diverging path ahead as much as I marveled at the spectacles that have passed before me. Your insights have been the thrill that cheered my trudging through the meandering Wiles. And for that, I am forever honored and grateful.

Lance, Tin, for being the ones that shared the head-spinning, topsyturvy ride in unraveling this conundrum with me. Without your perfectly timed frenzy of ideas, the lights and the blurs would have been enough to spellbind me into believing stagnancy.

Ferry, Immalie, Krizzia, for lending me your vision in plotting the course of this folio against every twist and turn and misconceptions that came with the finding.

Jaziel, Jella, Chris, Alex, for your unfettered imagination that captured the tiniest speck of sparkle to the kaleidoscopic colors of that very fair. How you conjured the bliss, the blues, and the riddles of the place through your art will always astound me.

Marq, Keilah, Angelo, Ino, Phoebe, for every scene and motion that you eternalized with every deliberate shot throughout the escape from the dreamscape. Your works, like mirrors, are reflections of your surreal passion and dedication to the creation of this folio. Mikey, for your foresight that guided every instance of lucidity to settle and reveal this grand act of rousing within the bounds of this book.

Ibee, Kynah, Hana, for teaching me the tricks to keeping on when the horror began its unwelcome descent once again. Your constant reassurances will perpetually rival those who perceive the days to come, words bigger than the ill omens spoken by these trying times.

Meriene, Patriz, Chua, Kri, for being the crucial weight that grounded me as I juggled life and sanity in continuity. The stakes were high in every toss and catch, but your constant support made for a portion of my strength to persist until the end.

To our beloved families, for being the ones that demonstrated the ways to shadow our dreams and defy the daze. Your unwavering guidance will always be our most genuine applause.

And to all our contributors, for mustering the courage to have your tales and musings take center stage in this folio of rattling questionings, opportune awakenings, and destined departures. May this daring act of seeing past the magical charades and denying the familiar beckoning of the Wiles follow you as you venture out to a world even bigger than our perception.

THESPECTRUM

FOUNDED 1956

facebook.com/thespectrumusls · thespectrum.usls@gmail.com Member Alliance of Lasallian Campus Journalists and Advisers and College Editors Guild of the Philippines

Lance Christian M. Juarez EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Ma. Kristine Joy R. Bayadog ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Ivee E. Manguilimotan MANAGING EDITOR

Paula Mae E. Villarosa EXTERNAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR

NEWSPAPER EDITOR Kynah Rhea B. Fuentes ASST. NEWSPAPER EDITOR Drexel John N. Amit MAGAZINE EDITOR Hana Patricia Raj E. Hautea ONLINE EDITOR Patrick N. Billojan LITERARY EDITOR Carl Hason T. Gerale PHOTOS AND VIDEOS EDITOR Karl Brian T. Marqueza LAYOUT AND GRAPHICS EDITOR Mikey Vincent T. Vicente

NEWSPAPER WRITERS Alan S. Villanueva Jr. Alyssa Nicole T. Maquiran Anna Maria J. Villanueva

MAGAZINE WRITERS Elizabeth D. Fernandez Gabriel M. Lezama Adrianne H. Saplagio

ONLINE WRITERS Ezra Chrislaine L. Ortega Meryl C. Sigaton Juliet Angeline D. Alvarez

LITERARY WRITERS Immalie Rose E. Cafifge Krizzia Ricci T. Nepomuceno Ferry Lyra B. Fronda

WEB ADMINISTRATORS Angela A. Coronel Christian Dominic L. Ledesma

PHOTOJOURNALISTS Angelo F. Despi Keilah N. Baldomar Phoebe Daidoji Q. Jabonete Ma. Micah Dearielle V. Trajera

VIDEOGRAPHERS Rodney A. Jarder Jr. Kyle Jobe B. De Guzman

LAYOUT AND GRAPHICS ARTIST Trizia C. Hassim

ILLUSTRATORS Jaziel Ann V. Seballos Psalm Jules D. Sabandal

PUBLICATION MODERATOR Edward Timothy N. Nubla