#zebedee te

“Subterrania” is a short fiction poem written by a Filipino named Luis Joaquin M. Katigbak. The story follows the point of view of a male character. He has a female friend named Kaye, who likes to stay in her room all the time. Most of the story is about his view on Kaye and the interactions they have together. The story starts with Kaye introducing her room as her “subterrania” to the male lead. Silence fills the room as Kaye sits, watching her TV as the narrator watches her. After a while, Kaye pays attention to the guy and they have a small friendly interaction, and he takes his leave. Before Kaye became reclusive, she and the narrator used to always hang out together. She was once a lively and outgoing girl until she decided to find her subterrania. In his next visit, he tries his best to persuade Kaye to leave her room; nonetheless, Kaye decides to stay in her room. During the conversation, Kaye explains how she doesn’t need to go outside anymore; how she has everything she needs in her room. After leaving the room, the narrator worries for Kaye. He worries if she will ever go back to her past self. He visits Kaye time and time again. In each visit, the narrator tries his best to bring Kaye outside; however, each attempt ends in failure, with Kaye expounding her love for staying in her subterrania. Months pass, and the guy has visited Kaye so much he slowly gets confused with the worlds they both live in. Before entering the room again, suddenly a thought was placed in his head, he continuously imagined how their story may end. He enters the room once more, and discovers that he has become accustomed to the darkness - the subterrania.