The Salamander

I found myself right smack in the middle of that MRT rush hour clusterfuck with my elbow nestled between a cute bank teller’s overripe tits, my one-eyed soldier in a stiff salute against a college coed’s thong panties, and some other bloke’s cock probing my own ass. Two out of three ain’t at all bad, I tried to remind myself as my arm and my groin sang hallelujahs and my asshole warily clenched tighter. Indeed, these daily train scenes can get so horrid that if you squeeze a pretty young virgin into that moshpit she’ll hop out some stations later pregnant.

Amidst that dystopian horror, I found myself wondering if I should feel elated or violated. Ah, the Third World. Gotta love it.

For those who don’t know, the television series Nginiiig! and Nginiiig! The Hidden Files are two different shows. Nginiiig! is a docu-drama horror program, kinda like a crime show. We dramatize real stories of people who have had their brush with the world of spirits and the like. Nginiiig! The Hidden Files, on the other hand, is basically a documentary program. We have five young psychics investigating the pinoy paranormal scene. These shows take us into wild romps across the country exploring paranormal phenomenon and hunting demons, monsters, and ghosts. It’s a helluva fun way to earn a living.

I should tell you that I’ve always been a skeptic. But after more than a year of snooping into the pinoy occult and chasing down the angry dead, I’ve seen and been through some strange things. I’ve spotted shadow children running around in a crypt. I’ve felt invisible fingers grabbing me in an empty room. I’ve seen locked doors opening by themselves right in front of me. I’ve helped in shooting ghost photos. I’ve heard raps, bangs, knocks, moans, groans, howls, growls, and other mysterious noises in countless haunted houses.

And so, I’m a skeptic with a disclaimer. To paraphrase the Bard: there are stranger shit out there than are dreamt of in your philosophy, Horatio.