Father and daughter, missing on vacation, 15 years later, mother receives a shocking letter…
On a hot summer day, Mrs. Lourdes’ family decided to vacation on a peaceful beach in San Juan, La Union. It was supposed to be a simple trip, but it took a deadly turn. Her husband Ramon and their little daughter Tala went to the beach for an afternoon walk. They said they would go for a while, breathe in the sea breeze, and then return to the hotel for dinner. By evening, the two still hadn’t returned.
At first, Mrs. Lourdes thought her husband and daughter might have gotten lost or were playing. But after midnight, their phone calls went unanswered, so she reported it to the local police. The Coast Guard and rescue teams searched for days along the coast, in the coastal forests, and even as far as the Naguilian-Kennon pass. Still no results. Mr. Ramon and little Tala disappeared without a trace, except for a pair of small sandals washed ashore by the waves.
The incident shocked the entire region. Local newspapers reported on the mysterious disappearance, with theory after theory: swept away by the waves, abducted, or left to her own devices… But there was no sufficient evidence. Mrs. Lourdes was devastated: she had lost her husband and child. In the days that followed, she was like a shadow, clinging to the vague hope that a miracle would come.
Time passed, the search gradually ended. The police announced that the father and son had probably met with an accident at sea. Relatives and neighbors in Quezon City advised her to accept the truth. But deep down, she always thought that her husband and child were not dead. A mother’s intuition does not lie.
Since then, her life has been dark. He still lived in the old house, keeping Tala’s room intact, and nothing had changed. Every day, he taught at the public elementary school in the village, and in the afternoons he quietly burned incense in front of his wife’s picture, while looking at his daughter’s little dress hanging on the closet.
Fifteen years passed quickly. He was over fifty. His relatives advised him to remarry, but he shook his head. In his heart, he kept a place for his wife and children – even though many said it was an illusion. In class, the children talked, which made him happy and sad: happy because of their laughter, sad because he missed Tala. On Simbang Gabi or Christmas, he even set up an extra bowl and chopsticks for his wife and children – out of habit, maintaining the belief that they would return.
Then, one rainy afternoon, returning from teaching, he found an envelope on the door with no sender’s name, just a single line: “To Mrs. Lourdes – news from the past.”
She opened it with trembling hands. Inside was an old handwritten letter. The familiar handwriting made her heart ache: it was from Mr. Ramon.
“Lourdes, if you are reading this letter, a long time has passed since the day my son and I lost each other. I never wanted to leave you. But something unexpected happened that day… My son and I did not die. We were taken away, forced to live differently. I am sorry that I have not been able to contact you for so many years. Believe me: Tala is still alive. She has grown up and misses you very much…”
Mrs. Lourdes’ hands were shaking, tears streaming down her face. There was also a picture on the envelope: a young woman in her twenties standing next to a man with gray hair – clearly Tala and Ramon.
After 15 years, the first clue: his wife and son were still alive.
After his studies, he took the letter to the police station to have it checked. The result of the examination: the paper was old, the handwriting was Mr. Ramon’s. What was surprising was that the postmark was from the Mountain Province (the Cordillera Mountains).
He stopped teaching and went north to find the truth. The journey was difficult: he asked around from Baguio to Bontoc, someone said they had seen a young man and a woman living separately in a sitio (small village), with little contact with the outside world.
He followed the clues,
Tears welled up in her eyes, she hugged him. Behind him, a young girl emerged – Tala, now 23. Her face was completely different from before, but her eyes were the same as when she was a child.
In a tearful moment of reunion, Mr. Ramon told the truth: a few years ago, the father and daughter were kidnapped by a group of human traffickers on the coast. Along the way, with the help of a kind Kankanaey, they escaped. Fearing revenge, he hid his daughter in the forest for 15 years, living on the farm and isolating himself from the world. He had always wanted to report the news, but he had no safe way. When the ringleader died, he only dared to send a letter.
When Mrs. Lourdes heard this, Mrs. Lourdes was both sad and happy. Finally, the family was reunited. They decided to return to Quezon City, starting over: reporting to the authorities, getting papers for Tala, and seeking psychological support to heal the invisible wounds.
The story spread and made many people cry. Because sometimes, miracles still happen – when love and faith are not lost. Years of loss cannot be erased, but from the unfinished letter written in the rain and the journey of a mother crossing the mountain, people understand that: hope, like the waves and mountain winds, is never completely lost.