The storm had passed, leaving silence heavier than thunder. The villagers stepped cautiously out of the cave, their feet sinking into mud, their eyes wide at the devastation below.
Kalumbayan was broken. Roofs lay scattered like fallen leaves, bamboo walls splintered, and fishing boats were tossed far inland, cracked and useless. Smoke rose faintly from cooking fires that had been drowned, and the air smelled of salt and ruin.
Children clung to their mothers, staring at the wreckage. Timmy whispered, "It's gone… everything's gone."
But Lira stood still, thumb pressed against her lips, listening. The wind was softer now, almost tender. You saved them. Now rebuild.
Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "You were right, anak. The storm came exactly as you said."
The villagers gathered around, murmuring. Elder Ramos, his staff trembling in his hand, looked at Lira with new eyes. "We doubted you," he admitted. "But you led us to safety. Without you, we would have perished."
For the first time, the people bowed their heads to her. Cindy stepped forward, her voice small. "I'm sorry for laughing at you."
Lira removed her thumb, her voice steady. "It wasn't me. It was the wind. It told me where to go."
The villagers exchanged uneasy glances. Some still struggled to believe, but none could deny the truth: the girl with the thumbsuck had saved them.
That night, as they lit fires among the ruins, the whispers returned. This is only the beginning.