Tropical Parasite (2026) Movie Script
1
(waves murmuring)
(suspenseful music)
- Come on.
- No. No.
Anyway.
- Come on!
Come here.
Come! Come here!
- Wait then.
(waves murmuring)
(suspenseful music)
(ominous music)
(tense music)
(woman gasps)
(woman screaming)
Babe?
Baby?
Orange.
(tense uneasy music)
(organs squishing)
(tense uneasy music continues)
(chiming)
(tense music)
(dark ethereal music)
(uneasy dark music)
(uneasy dark music continues)
(traffic honking)
(radio muttering)
(phone line beeping)
(phone ringing)
Yes?
Detective who?
Yes, Po. I was with her.
Tragic, to say the least.
No, I'm not her husband.
It was the first date
that went horribly wrong.
I hardly knew her.
No, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
It appears to be just some
sort of freak accident.
I tried, but I couldn't save her.
It was too late.
It happened so fast and I'm
left with many questions.
Has the autopsy revealed
the cause of death yet?
That makes little sense, Po.
Oceanic rashes are never fatal.
Yes, I'm familiar with such
matters. I'm a scientist.
It sounds like this must be a new strain.
Perhaps you should put up notice.
I'm perplexed
as to how it could deteriorate
her organs so rapidly.
No, I can't come in, I'm afraid.
I'm here on holiday and I fly
back to the States tomorrow.
Yes, Po. Salamat.
(traffic humming and honking)
(phone line beeping)
(phone ringing)
Yes?
Dr. Graham Chisholm. I
was expecting your call.
I'm a marine biologist. I
graduated first of my class.
I'm surprised you haven't heard of me.
My essay on the Bajau people
was award-winning and
critically acclaimed.
Published in many scientific journals.
I speak Tagalog, Bisaya,
and a little bit of Burmese.
No, I'm here for scientific research
to study the coral bleaching phenomenon.
I need to take samples
to bring back to the lab for processing
to study plasticity levels in your oceans.
My goal is to pave way
for a greener future.
Yes, I've contacted the
embassy. They know I'm here.
Of course, I have all
my documents in order.
I'll pay the fees. I just
need access to the lagoon.
No, I wasn't aware that I needed
a guide, but I'll find one.
(hand knocking)
Come in.
- Hi, I'm Huroon, your guide.
- You're late, Po.
- You know that. It's Filipino time.
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
- So you come highly recommended.
How long can you hold your breath?
- I don't know. Maybe around
four to five minutes, I think.
About half as impressive as
the Bajao people, but it'll do.
Let's test that.
- What are you doing? Not now.
- Why?
- Because you're so (indistinct).
- All right.
Well, I hope you're up for the
intensity of this expedition.
You're going on a deep
dive in dangerous waters.
Let me show you the target area.
Zun lagoon right here.
- Where is that?
Oh, no! Not the Zun Lagoon.
It's there's water there.
Oh. I don't want to be here.
(pensive music)
- [Leo] The next morning
I flew to Siquijor.
It was known for witchcraft, voodoo.
But I wasn't superstitious.
All I need is brain and brawn.
I combed the shoreline to clear my head
and attempt to reach total mental clarity.
It was there that I met Shelly.
She had a degree in tourism
and was eager to be my guide.
She became my faithful
apprentice for about a day,
before we grew intimate
and began cohabitating.
(traffic honking)
I've done it, Shelly. Wake up.
I spent the entire morning
scouring the national archives
of Zamboanga and found
this intriguing article.
"A Legend of Zun, 1804."
The daughter of a ruthless pirate
who fell in love with a cabin boy,
who refused to kill villagers
against her father's orders
and was made to walk the plank.
Zun got revenge by dumping
her father's treasure at sea.
She was then thrown overboard,
but a sea-dwelling fairy took pity on her
and brought her deep
into the oceans abyss.
In order to survive, Zun
made a deal with Arisara,
the sea witch, who
enslaved her aquatic soul.
Unless a true gentleman undoes the spell,
she will remain there for eternity.
- [Shelly] I'm still sleeping.
- But her one dying wish
is to become fully human once again.
Locals have claimed to see Zun
roaming the shoreline at
night, weeping, searching
for her long lost beloved cabin boy.
But as soon as she is seen,
she turns back into a fish-like creature
and swims back out to sea.
Huroon was right. The legend must be true.
And I must find a new
guide to bring me there.
And you are definitely not it.
You're a lazy one.
- Hey, stop it. I'm still sleeping.
- Here's fair for your jeepney home.
I go now.
(gentle music)
I never saw Shelly again.
She must have seen my passport
and learned the truth.
My real name is Leo Prawn.
I had little interest in the
environment or marine life.
My only business here
was to get rich quick
and get back to my home country.
Without her, I fear I may never
secure the permits I need.
(uneasy music)
(Leo gasps)
Bastard!
(water splashing)
(Leo grunting)
Paralysis from its venom quickly set in.
I knew I only had minutes to live.
And yet somehow it appeared
my ill-gotten fortune
would be spared by someone.
Something.
The siren of the sea.
(mysterious music)
(waves murmuring)
(mysterious music continues)
(birds chirping)
(object chiming)
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
The manifestation of Zun was real.
Just as real as the
treasure she led me to.
But as soon as I convinced
myself I wasn't dreaming,
that tantalizing water lymph was gone.
Back into the sea with all her secrets.
(water splashing)
(dreamy music)
Start talking. Tell me
everything you know.
Just give me good news. Is there a chance?
It's Yamashita's long lost
gold. Then perhaps it's Templar.
I'm well aware it will need more analysis
under the spectrometer, but
I'll bring it in myself.
This could be the greatest
find in the past century.
It defies logic,
but so has almost everything
else on this expedition.
If this is what I think it is,
you are speaking to a very rich man.
Much appreciated, Dr. Brickenstein.
Don't mention this to anyone.
My very livelihood depends on it.
(dramatic music)
A local museum was to
appraise the golden chain
later that evening.
But first I had a date with Kish,
another prude from the province.
(vehicle honking)
(uneasy music)
(gentle music)
(bright music)
(bright music continues)
She called me a boy
scout for bringing a bag
and asked where I was staying.
I explained why I was
constantly switching hotels.
I was in a dangerously good mood,
when she admired my bracelet.
So I revealed the necklace,
which she was no doubt very impressed by.
(light music)
Then she was thirsty.
So being the gentleman that I am,
I set off in search of hydration for her.
(dramatic music)
(chain clinking)
(dramatic music continues)
(ominous music)
(Leo screaming)
(tense music)
(tense music continues)
(birds chirping)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
I took pride in preparing my
own skewers, until I cashed in.
Fishball and chicken feet
were all I could afford.
I adopted the local's culinary confections
and tried to blend in.
But most would always see me as a target.
To them, English was the sound of money
and white was the color
of wealth in their eyes.
I couldn't let another
slip up ruin my affairs.
The treasure trove was mounting.
I was out harpooning my usual swordfish,
when I happened upon the
pirate king's golden cutlery.
I wasn't the best fisherman,
but boy did I have a
nose for untold riches,
which I would now forever
consume each meal with.
(upbeat music)
Zun had shown me her lagoon
and now it was up to me to deliver.
(upbeat music continues)
It wasn't even an hour
before a new prize was mine.
A second coin of unknown origin,
larger and surely made of gold.
I tipped the captain
and boat boy generously
and celebrated it.
(energetic upbeat music)
(anxious music)
(anxious music continues)
(drink trickling)
(door thuds)
Oh!
Oh no.
Oh!
Oh!
Oh, no!
(ominous music)
(Leo grunting)
(phone beeps)
(phone ringing)
Yes, front desk?
- [Front Desk] Yes, sir.
- There's been an incident in my room.
The maid robbed me.
And she soiled my life's work.
What do you mean? You clean
the room every other day?
Well, then who was in my room?
The bed is sloppily made.
- Yes, you had a visitor a while ago, sir.
She signed in as close family member.
- Hello?
I have no sister. I have no auntie.
I have no (indistinct). I am alone here.
You let visitor in my room.
You gave them key card.
- [Front Desk] So sorry, sir.
- (indistinct), do you
realize what you've done?
You let a mole infiltrate
my secret affairs
and you will pay for that.
Now send up some fresh
towels and some mini soaps.
(Leo grunts)
(blow drier whirring)
(Leo grunting)
I spent the morning with
one thing on my mind. Zun.
An aquatic human hybrid.
(mysterious music)
I was ready for my luck to change,
so I set out for more treasure.
I needed to get back on track.
I was getting desperate
for attention and gold
to pay back some bad people
and cancel the hit on me.
Without that map and its
new coordinates I made,
I couldn't seem to locate the target area.
I searched for 11 hours,
but trash and bottle caps are all I found.
Then the local authorities shut me down.
The Coral Cove was now closed.
I could return only after the
official permits were obtained
or risk arrests and imprisonment.
So I made the difficult decision
to try and pawn the necklace
to secure a temporary loan.
Welcome, come in.
- Hey, my name is Alon.
I'm the gold dealer. You
must be the professor.
- Yes, Professor Prawn. And
you come highly recommended.
- Yeah, bro. I heard you
have something from me, bro?
- Yes. Wait then.
- All right.
Wow, bro. Is this a map?
- Don't look at that.
- Okay.
I'm sorry, but just quite
interesting, but yeah.
- Yeah.
- Wow, bro.
Is this a... Did you find
this area for the beach?
- Maybe. Don't expect me to
tell you where though, okay?
- Okay. All right.
- This is top secret. Very valuable.
Ancient Templar gold.
- Wow.
- Okay?
It belongs in a museum.
- Yeah, definitely.
- Okay?
- So beautiful, bro.
- I need money to fund my expedition.
- Money? Bro, trust me, bro.
I have my boss there.
He has a lot of money.
I'm pretty sure he'll pay
whatever value you have
in this gold.
- Yeah.
- No problem at all. How
much do you need, bro?
- Two million.
- Two million?
- At least.
- No, no problem at all.
- Today.
- Today, just come with me.
We go to my boss and
we'll have a deal there.
- Okay, but in two weeks,
when I find more, I want to buy this back.
- No problem at all. We go to my boss.
Let's go there. Chow.
- So I need your promise
you're not going to sell it
to another man for more.
- Trust me, we're not
going to do that, bro.
We're going to help
you with that one, bro.
- I need to trust you-
- You have to. Okay, let's go.
- Okay. Let's go.
(light music)
- All right, we're here.
Just give it to me.
My boss is inside. And
you have your money.
(tense music)
(vehicle crashes)
(vehicle crashes)
(traffic swooshing)
(vehicle crashes)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
- Sorry, po. Workers on the
roof are being so noisy.
There's a foreigner playing
tag with a small boy up there.
They should be more careful.
(tense music continues)
(Leo thuds)
(rats squeaking)
(tense music continues)
(vehicles crashing)
(tires squealing)
(tense music continues)
(tires squealing)
(vehicles crashing)
(glass shatters)
(police officer yelling)
(gun banging)
(fire raging)
(person screaming)
(tense music continues)
(vehicle crashing)
(tires squealing)
(water splashing)
(fire raging)
(tense music continues)
(fire raging)
(guns banging)
(schoolgirls screaming)
(tense music continues)
- Oh my God, look at the fire!
- Wait, Guya, there's a riot outside.
Is it election day?
(dramatic music)
(thief whining)
(siren wailing)
(fire raging)
(light jazz music)
(ominous music)
- An unexpected visitor
who was this darling (indistinct)
sent to derail my quest.
(somber music)
The logic of her curious games eluded me.
(upbeat music)
Whoever she was and whatever she was doing
was a mystery to me.
But I was very cautiously getting into it.
(anxious music)
(girl giggling)
(Leo gasps)
You must be-
- Arisara. Queen of the sea.
Give me back what belongs to me.
- You'd have to kill me first
or unleash more of your evil eels
and imprison me for eternity
in your ancient sunken city
because I will never let this go.
(tense music)
(Arisara groans)
(Arisara groans)
(tense music continues)
(dreamy music)
I had chartered a plane to Palawan,
but the pilot didn't show.
I considered entering
the fuselage by force
and hijacking the vessel.
But by knowledge of this
particular craft was limited.
It would surely be a death wish,
but still just as dire if I remained.
(dark sensual music)
(Leo snoring)
(tense anxious music)
(dreamy music)
(dreamy music continues)
(person vocalizing)
(person laughing)
(tense dreamy music)
This newer map was useless to me.
(Leo grunting)
I destroyed more evidence.
I still had another, one
that clearly marked treasure,
but it was made by the Japanese
and I have yet to decipher it.
I know I'm never going
to bring a cheap hooker
back to my private room again.
I'm ruined. It's over now.
(door ring buzzing)
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
(door ring buzzing)
(dreamy music)
I just received a message in a bottle.
It's probably just spam.
It's waterlogged. I can barely read it.
It's old English.
It's from Zun.
"Meet me at Coral Cave today at high noon
and I will aid you in
your quest for treasure,
but you must not look at me
or else I may never become
a real lasting girl.
And you must give me the one true kiss,
the one only a white
Christian male can give
to reverse the spell
and return me to my former human self
and set me free."
This is it, Ate. Redemption.
One last chance from the gods of the sea.
But it's almost noon already.
I must gather my gear and find a jeepney.
Forgive me, but our plans
in Dumaguete must wait.
This could be the big score
I've been waiting for.
(anxious music)
I couldn't believe my eyes.
I didn't know what was more beautiful.
The embodiment of Zun asleep before me
or my stolen coin that
she somehow retrieved,
now persed between her lips.
(anxious music)
(birds chirping)
(water murmuring)
(dreamy music)
Another relic that will
surely make me rich
and famous beyond my wildest dreams
and solidify me as a genuine archeologist
and humanitarian scholar in my own right.
Welcome to my condo.
Please excuse the mess.
I wasn't expecting any
aquatic creatures today.
This is what we call a
kitchen, spoon, fork,
spatula, a knife for cutting
the swordfish I caught today.
(Zun gasps)
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, baby.
You cut yourself.
Your blood is so dark.
Has a bluish tint to it.
You must be part reptilian.
Let me give you the tour.
You're probably used to sleeping
in a giant clam or something.
This is wifi.
You don't have to send
messages in bottles anymore.
It goes through the air like the wind.
These are flowers, but not real ones.
We make them fake so they
last forever and never die.
Just like you in your current situation.
Why don't you have a seat there?
It's called a chair
and it fits most of our
bodies quite conveniently.
I'd love to show you my work.
This is 10 years of research,
a map from around the time you were born.
Right here is where we first met.
Many people have wondered about you.
You've left quite the legacy, you know.
I'm the one that was meant to find you.
And therefore also find the
treasure that you led me to.
This means more to me
than anything I've ever
discovered, except you, of course.
And this coin, which is solid gold.
It'll fetch millions at auction next year.
But this is the treasure
I'd like to give to you.
I dove 700 meters to recover it,
deep between the fault
lines at the ocean floor,
perfectly heart shaped.
And I even almost got
the bends because of it.
But it was worth it.
No matter how far away, how
deep you swim, how far I dive.
As long as you have this
coral close to your heart,
I will find you.
So trust me, and we will last in eternity.
And rest assured our
troubles will be no more.
(gentle music)
It's a lot less stiffer
than most mattresses
in this global coordinates.
I hope you're not chilly
because of the air con.
I like to keep it cool.
I have a glass of water
here in case you'd like,
but perhaps you get
enough of that already.
I'm just going to clean the
fish guts off my spear gun.
I'm going to have to find
more gold to pay the rent.
I'm worried about you, Napo.
Your skin is different, soft
but scaly, like shashimi.
You've been out of the water
for nearly an hour now.
I'm just going to hydrate your
skin so you don't dry out.
Your anatomy looks quite
similar to a human's.
The average man or
woman would have no idea
that you were raised by
a sea dwelling mother
that guided you and aided you
and kept you alive this long,
feeding you mussels and seaweed.
You have a superpower you know.
There's no one else like
you known to science.
You'll be on the cover
of scientific journals
in every developed
country, a medical marvel.
We must know if there's more like you,
but I doubt there's anything else
out there remotely similar.
Pardon me, but I just have to examine you
for my research papers.
I keep notes on all my findings
and this is definitely
something to write home about.
(playful music)
We can go shopping later
and get you fashionable lady garments.
(Leo smooches)
We're going to treat you to all the things
a young girl should enjoy.
Spa days, mani/pedis, mini golf,
perusing the barangis with
your soon-to-be-ex hubby,
because it's serendipity.
And now there's just one
more thing I'd like to do.
(light music)
(monkeys grunting)
(energetic music)
(Leo grunting)
I'd kill for a hot coffee and an aspirin.
(Leo grunting)
It was the curse. Surely
it had taken over me now.
Nonsense.
It's only an ocean rash from
swimming in stagnant waters
infested with larvae and snails.
(Leo grunting)
(uneasy music)
(thunder booming)
- Zun, you fool! Everyone
knows that I am queen.
You will never threaten my
throne or inherit my vast domain.
- Ate, what do I have to do to please you?
- You know what I need, his human seed,
to cultivate the perfectly
blue-eyed warlords I deserve
to protect my kingdom
from all land dwellers.
- But I will not use your black magic
to force him to love me.
- If you live in my sea,
then you play by my rules.
- I refuse to be a machine
to produce your human hybrid army.
- Dare defy me.
And you shall return
to your former duties,
nursing and raising my baby eels.
But you just made them less evil.
- It happened already.
I let him deflower me when
he showed me his condo.
- Then I'll have to keep
you safe in motherhood city
so I won't lose another surrogate
as a savory sea snack to a hungry shark.
What pest they are!
- I know I'm indebted to you,
but let me keep my first baby.
Even if its eyes are more gray than blue.
- No special requests!
You have violated our verbal agreement
and will now pay by allowing me
to conduct a full physical exam.
Don't fear, my little seaweed princess.
I'll use my most gentle tentacle
to carefully slither its
way inside you and explore.
(dramatic music)
(Arisara laughing)
- [Zun] No! Please!
Leave me alone!
(Arisara laughing)
(Zun screaming indistinctly)
- [Arisara] Now, no struggling!
(Zun screaming)
(thunder booming)
- What I told the detective
about Orange was a lie.
It wasn't a first date. We were in love.
After a year of making
blissful memories together,
she changed me and showed
me a side of her country
that I grew to adore.
She was studying a new rare breed
of bioluminescent creatures
that only lived in certain caves.
We often swam among them,
waiting for their curious glow.
Yes, I was becoming interested
in marine biology after all,
but it was her I cherish
most, until it took her.
(tense music)
(light rhythmic music)
I just wish I could have
made proper love to her
one last time.
She used to tease me
about my diving abilities
compared to hers, but she
seemed very pleased in bed
that I could last much longer
than I could hold my breath.
I now regret some of
my behavior towards her
in the final days.
I began to deny her advances
because a different kind
of booty was on my mind.
But I now have feelings
for that aquatic anomaly.
Her silent sadness wrecks my soul.
(dark music)
(eerie music)
(glass shatters)
I went to bed night after
night with my secret.
I knew that no one would
believe me about Zun
and how she led me right to
what I was really there for.
She knows my desires and wants to help me,
but only if I help her.
But how can I help her?
What does she want?
(mysterious music)
At least I know where to find her.
I must go back to that secret lagoon
and find a local diver to
help me explore the bottom.
For surely those depths
are too deep for me.
I never want the bends again.
I've uncovered a hotspot of
glorious mermaid activity.
It seems this time I must be dreaming.
- I miss your kiss.
- [Leo] Zun and her sisters.
How many were there?
They needed me.
- Help us, Leo. The sea's turning dark.
Everything is slowly dying.
- [Leo] I was ready to free
Zun from the slimy suction cups
of evil Arisara who had
a sensuality all her own.
(Arisara screaming)
I was now smitten with
both sirens of the sea.
Or am I already dead?
(tense music)
(Leo grunting)
(Leo gasping)
- It's just the beginning.
Only I can curse you.
And only I can cure you.
- Fine. Take what you want.
Just cure me.
- No, it's you I need.
The ultimate treasure: man.
(dark gothic music)
(dark gothic music continues)
(energetic music)
(soft music)
- [Leo] She had a strong hold over me
that felt intoxicating.
I was a stoic playboy
that basked in pleasure,
but her energy was of a
caliber unknown to me.
Sex has clouded my purpose.
I felt her dark magic infect
me like a spore planted within.
Deep down, I feared she would
soon control my every move,
enslave my soul, create a hybrid bloodline
for an evolving ecosystem.
But I should have known
something was suspicious
during the consummation.
She refused to remove a
single article of her clothes.
I knew she needed me alive for now
or else there'd be no man to toy with.
(crickets chirping)
(dark music)
(waves murmuring)
- Hello, sir.
Come play with us.
Are you single?
Is it really you?
Hi, future husband.
Am I good enough, sir? We
know you want to protect us.
I know why you're here.
Follow me to the treasure.
Let's go.
Please, Leo, all I need is your kiss
before midnight to end an
ancient curse thrust upon me
by the evil sea witch.
And we will then pleasure
you for eternity.
I long for you, Leo.
(monster growling)
Oh no, she's here.
(water splashing)
(mermaids screaming)
Leo, do something!
(tense music)
(monster growling)
(monster growling)
(mermaids screaming)
Fight back!
(monster growling)
(mermaids screaming)
- No, let them go!
Leo!
Shoot it!
(monster growling)
(mermaids screaming)
(gun bangs)
(crickets chirping)
(tense music)
(mermaids screaming)
- Wait, (indistinct).
(tense music continues)
(stalactite slashes)
(monster groaning)
(anxious music)
(ring chimes)
(Leo groaning)
(Arisara laughing)
(tense music)
- I now understand Zun's breeding grounds.
I must return to find her
despite the potential consequences.
But first, there was
something I had to do.
Get revenge on an old arch nemesis.
(uneasy music)
(radio muttering)
The hotel's CCTV footage revealed the maid
or mole wearing a wire,
which confirmed one thing.
She was sharing intelligence with allies
of Philippine officials who felt entitled
to any spoils of war.
I was also concerned
about the other contents
of that footage.
Why was there a camera in
my room pointed at my bed?
How many hours of raunchy
ravenous coitus had they logged?
Plenty enough to blackmail me.
But I had bigger concerns,
like avoiding the vile confines
of a Southeast Asian prison.
(elephant trumpeting)
I grew paranoid. Were they
watching my every move?
Could they be skeptical of my
quest to slash emission rates?
The leaders were corrupt.
They didn't even believe
in global warming,
but the maid's uniform was proof of that.
(hand knocking)
Yes.
- Are you Mr. Prawn?
- Yes. Who are you?
- My name is Officer
Ramos. I'm from the NBI.
I'm here to give you a citation
for diving without a permit.
- [Leo] Are you serious?
- [Ramos] I am, sir.
- [Leo] So what does this mean for me?
- It's either you come with me
and do two hours of community service,
like cleaning toilets, or
you pay me 50 peso right now.
- (chuckles) 50 pesos?
- [Ramos] Yes, 50 pesos.
- Sure. Can you change 500?
- No, I need exact amount, sir.
- Well, I don't have, so
you just keep the rest
and take your family out to a nice dinner.
Okay?
- Are you trying to bribe me, sir?
- No, I just don't have exact amount.
So what are we supposed
to do? Just take this.
- Bribing is illegal in the Philippines.
You know that, right?
- Sir, I just don't have exact amount.
I don't know why Filipinos
never have change,
but I'm not trying to bribe you, officer.
I'll pay you later, how
about that? Okay, sir?
- Nope, nope, nope. You're under arrest.
- [Leo] No, no, no.
- Come with me. Put your hands up.
- Are you kidding me?
Seriously?
- Sit down. Sit down.
- (indistinct), man! I want my lawyer.
- [Ramos] You're under arrest
for trying to bribe an officer.
- I did nothing wrong.
- [Ramos] You have the
right to remain silent.
You're in big trouble now.
- [Leo] This is an outrage.
- [Ramos] You're going
to love the jails here.
- [Leo] It was just a ploy to bring me in.
(Ramos screams in foreign language)
- [Leo] I told you I destroyed the maps.
- You said some, not all.
- I'm fixing global warming, Kuya.
- We know you found
something important here.
- It was just a trinket.
- A trinket? Show us.
Now, where is it?
- I gave it away already to your wife
as payment for the kinky boom boom.
- You what? I'll kill you!
(Ramos yelling in foreign language)
- They had me now.
My scientific papers were ridiculed
as they interrogated me for
hours about my true intentions.
When I wouldn't talk, they beat me,
tortured me with water tactics,
scolding hot and freezing cold for days,
coupled with the agony of starvation.
But I swore I'd take my
secrets with me to the grave.
Without proof, they couldn't hold me.
Good thing they didn't realize
that I was partially responsible
for burning down an entire barangay.
(uneasy music)
(tense music)
(phone ringing)
- Yes, hello.
- Opal, it's me, Laika.
Thanks for covering for me.
I really needed to do my laundry.
Happy birthday, by the way.
- [Opal] You remember?
- Your patient seems like
a real explorer type.
Ask him if he has a brother.
- Four hours, right?
- Why are you mad at me?
- It's my shift.
- You owed me a favor.
- Okay.
- I needed a night off.
- You promised me.
- I'll come in later
when my uniform is dry.
(dark dreamy music)
(Arisara yelling in foreign language)
(fire raging)
(Zun screaming)
(Arisara laughing)
(fire raging)
(Zun screaming)
(Arisara laughing)
- Can I borrow your uniform
and wake him up with his
you-know-what in my mouth?
- Okay. We're going to talk it later.
Don't trick me.
I'll wait for a while. He's wake up now.
Bye. See you later.
(Leo grunting)
Sir, are you okay? Are you okay?
(Leo smooches)
Oh no.
What was that, sir?
- I'm so sorry, ma'am. I
though you were someone else.
- Who?
- Where am I? What happened to me?
- By the way, sir, I'm Nurse Opal.
I'm your (indistinct) nurse today.
So you're in recovery now?
So you've been in coma for two days
and now you're in your bedroom.
So you're okay now.
- What happened to me?
- [Opal] Well, the authorities
tortured you for informations.
- Oh my gosh.
Did they get anything
out of me? Did I talk?
- Nothing, sir. It's all in your bag.
But you need to eat first, sir.
You have to gain all your strength.
- Thank You. Salamat.
It's some pretty weak broth.
Thank you. You're so kind.
You really shouldn't be this close to me.
- [Opal] It's okay, sir.
- [Leo] Shouldn't I be in
quarantine? I'm infected.
- Well, it's fine. I'm vaccinated, sir.
- Are you sure? Actually, it
looks like I'm healing already.
- Yeah, I don't have bruises or anything.
- You look fine.
So tired and thirsty. I'm so confused.
Wait a minute. What day is it?
- It's Sunday.
- Sunday?
- Yes.
- What time?
- Why?
- It's nearly midnight.
I have somewhere to be.
- No, sir. I have to check you first.
- What do you mean?
- I'm going to check if you
have any pressure in your body.
You cannot go out.
- I don't need to-
- You cannot leave.
- I have to.
- You don't have to, you have to...
You have to rest.
- No, I must go now.
Don't come here.
(phone ringing)
- [Opal] Hello?
(tense music)
- [Leo] I knew from my
dream where she comes
when the moon is full
and the tide is strong.
Only then will she let
me hear her sweet song.
(person vocalizing)
Midnight came and went.
I wandered and roamed
all night, aimlessly,
completely alone, spell bound
by the memory of her bliss.
Not even the crabs kept me company.
Meanwhile, my live-in caretaker
was making herself quite
comfortable at my condo.
She prepared herself for a bath.
She noticed a curious
rash forming on her wrist.
It had her too now.
The virus had taken hold of her appendage
and would soon wreak havoc
on her entire nervous system.
It was only at sunrise
that I became convinced.
I knew she'd surely be back by high noon.
The chill of the wind
stirred my restless soul.
Soon I was mistaking
any woman I saw for Zun.
I'll wait for her
and maybe do a little
prospecting on the side.
I was desperate for either
more gold or more lovemaking.
It then dawned on me to
wear the enchanted pendant
close to my battered heart.
And the luck it brought
me, I sure did find Zun.
(person vocalizing)
My hypothesis is complete.
Zun is a multimorpher with
multi-morphing capabilities,
the first of its kind,
able to swap back and forth
between man and beast.
Remarkable.
(gentle music)
(bird screeching)
I confessed my love to Zun.
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
Let me love you long time.
She replied with her usual silent stare.
I wanted to flee with her,
hide out in the jungles of Indonesia.
Suddenly she spoke to me.
- Thank you, Leo, for everything.
But I really only needed you
to help me find my family
and my one true love, the cabin boy.
- [Leo] She was certain
he survived the shipwreck,
but I made her realize that it
happened over a century ago.
- [Zun] You mean all the
people I love are now gone?
- [Leo] I assured her
that I would love her
and we could start our own
family and make new friends.
But she already had a million friends,
the creatures of the sea,
and she could hear them calling her now.
(whale chirping)
- I no longer desire land to live on.
I want to be one with
the ocean once again.
It's the only home I know
and the only place I can live forever.
- [Leo] I begged her to take me with her,
to not abandon my mortal being
in this cursed archipelago.
- [Zun] You cannot come with me, Leo.
You have no gills. I'm sorry.
- [Leo] I kissed her with conviction.
Then she returned to me her
only worldly possession.
(dramatic music)
I watched in agony
as she simply submerged back into the sea.
(dramatic music continues)
(dark gothic music)
I then heard the haunting
cackles of Arisara,
(Arisara laughing)
rattling the delicate
stalactites of the coral caves.
(person screams)
The neighbors had reported screams,
Mother of God,
why the nurse was dead
in a puddle of blood
I may never know.
Even the vaccine couldn't save her
from this ever evolving parasitic curse.
And it's all my fault,
spreading the deadly fever
of a farfetched reality,
thrusting the plague
upon this simple servant
who took a sworn oath to protect me.
Oh, black child of
Christ, where are you now
in this dark, unholy hour?
How will I ever explain it?
They'll never believe an
evil entity was at work here.
It's my own knife, the
one I filet my fish with,
I must get rid of it and examine
the wounds she succumbed to
for a better understanding of this.
(tense music)
What am I supposed to do with her body?
I can't keep her in my
comfort room forever.
I check out tomorrow.
I could wait until nightfall
and bring her to Malapascua.
Yes. I'll hire Huroon
to schlep the suitcase
with Nurse Opal's remains.
Feed her to the sharks there.
No, it would be too risky of an endeavor.
Surely I'd be found out.
That's somebody's daughter.
At least the little angel
can return to heaven now.
I need more time.
I should have left the crime scene alone.
There's no hope for me now.
(phone line beeping)
- [Front Desk] Yes?
- [Leo] I'm going to have to extend.
- Okay, sir. For how many days?
(goat bleating)
- [Leo] I needed to blend my science
with the power of prayer.
The parasite was out of control
and wreaking havoc on a micro level,
but could soon dominate
the entire Western hemisphere and more.
I attempted to collect
a specimen, an offering
to the protector and patron of Sebu,
the statue of the child Christ,
delivered by Magellan himself,
my very own sacred forefather.
(uneasy music)
(Leo grunts)
Oh, miraculous, Santo Nino.
We prostrate before your sacred image.
We beseech you to cast a merciful look
on our troubled hearts.
Let your tender love, so inclined to pity,
be softened by our prayers,
and grant us that grace
for which we ardently implore you.
Take from us all unbearable
affliction and despair.
For your sacred infancy's
sake, hear our prayers
and send your consolation
and aid that we may
praise you with the Father
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
(tense music)
Arisara.
(tense music continues)
(snake hissing)
Arisara.
Zun.
Perhaps you are one and the same.
(snake hissing)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(thunder booming)
(Arisara yelling in foreign language)
(Arisara yelling in foreign language)
(dramatic music)
- [Leo] What a bastard
I've become. A serial pimp.
I needed to face my true self
and feelings for my
transforming aquatic maiden,
even if her reproductive
organs were unknown to me.
How might I circumnavigate
her delicate purpose whole
or wrangle a minute sea snake of her own?
I wasn't emotionally prepared to find out.
Either way, I knew that pursuing her
would only lead to a toxic heartache.
We were from different worlds.
I became immune.
Her power was losing its grip on me.
She is in fact the very
virus that took my first
and last great love away from me.
(uneasy music)
I was beginning to wonder
if it was all a sham.
Was she just another Filipina
desperate for financial gain?
My recollection of her
was becoming warped,
inconsistent with reality,
but part of me was still (indistinct),
smitten by her mysterious charm.
(dark mysterious music)
If I couldn't have her, no one could.
If the kiss didn't cure the
curse, perhaps this would.
(dramatic music)
(gun bangs)
(dramatic music continues)
(uneasy music)
(person vocalizing)
(ominous music)
(chain clinking)
I must return these priceless
treasures back to antiquity.
(water gurgles)
To whatever origins those might be.
I give thee back to the sea,
(coin clinks)
so the curse can follow me no more.
(dramatic music)
And now, when I awake tomorrow,
it will be as though
it was all a nightmare.
Although sometimes it felt
more like a pleasant dream.
(gentle dreamy music)
(gentle dreamy music continues)
(seagulls screeching)
Sometimes you have to let go to rebuild.
I didn't want a life in exile,
hiding, consumed by fear.
My only life critic and captain is me,
happily single and content.
I'm currently terrified of women.
- [Person] Come on, guapo.
- [Leo] But I'm sure my
insatiable thirst for them
will soon be quenched.
- Come see the eel garden with me, sir.
They only bite after the sun goes down.
- [Leo] I'm finally fulfilled
with a treasure trove
of thrills and memories
to last a lifetime.
By now, the Washington Post
should have received my detailed account
of my brazen attempts
to exploit the ancient artifacts of Asia.
Whether it's deemed as fact or fiction
is up to you to decide.
But my heart is at peace
with the facts released.
The States could indict me
on treason and espionage,
but I am a diehard expat,
a globally minded romantic
tourist, a citizen of the world,
and a wanted man already.
But even with their sights
set on me, I wasn't worried.
Because out here, I'm the boss.
I'm the prize.
I go now.
Where? No one knows.
For my glorious destination
is my final secret.
A place where no guide can bring me,
to the far ends of obscurity
to reunite with her,
Arisara, the queen of the sea,
and rule our great kingdom
together in secrecy,
our future dynasty,
concealed from all mankind
in the deepest depths of the Andaman Sea.
(dark dreamy music)
(gun bangs)
(water splashing)
(dark tense music)
(dark tense music continues)
(dark eerie music)
(dark eerie music continues)
(Arisara sighs)
(chain clinking)
(Arisara laughing)
(dark eerie music continues)
(bright music)
(waves murmuring)
(suspenseful music)
- Come on.
- No. No.
Anyway.
- Come on!
Come here.
Come! Come here!
- Wait then.
(waves murmuring)
(suspenseful music)
(ominous music)
(tense music)
(woman gasps)
(woman screaming)
Babe?
Baby?
Orange.
(tense uneasy music)
(organs squishing)
(tense uneasy music continues)
(chiming)
(tense music)
(dark ethereal music)
(uneasy dark music)
(uneasy dark music continues)
(traffic honking)
(radio muttering)
(phone line beeping)
(phone ringing)
Yes?
Detective who?
Yes, Po. I was with her.
Tragic, to say the least.
No, I'm not her husband.
It was the first date
that went horribly wrong.
I hardly knew her.
No, nothing out of the ordinary happened.
It appears to be just some
sort of freak accident.
I tried, but I couldn't save her.
It was too late.
It happened so fast and I'm
left with many questions.
Has the autopsy revealed
the cause of death yet?
That makes little sense, Po.
Oceanic rashes are never fatal.
Yes, I'm familiar with such
matters. I'm a scientist.
It sounds like this must be a new strain.
Perhaps you should put up notice.
I'm perplexed
as to how it could deteriorate
her organs so rapidly.
No, I can't come in, I'm afraid.
I'm here on holiday and I fly
back to the States tomorrow.
Yes, Po. Salamat.
(traffic humming and honking)
(phone line beeping)
(phone ringing)
Yes?
Dr. Graham Chisholm. I
was expecting your call.
I'm a marine biologist. I
graduated first of my class.
I'm surprised you haven't heard of me.
My essay on the Bajau people
was award-winning and
critically acclaimed.
Published in many scientific journals.
I speak Tagalog, Bisaya,
and a little bit of Burmese.
No, I'm here for scientific research
to study the coral bleaching phenomenon.
I need to take samples
to bring back to the lab for processing
to study plasticity levels in your oceans.
My goal is to pave way
for a greener future.
Yes, I've contacted the
embassy. They know I'm here.
Of course, I have all
my documents in order.
I'll pay the fees. I just
need access to the lagoon.
No, I wasn't aware that I needed
a guide, but I'll find one.
(hand knocking)
Come in.
- Hi, I'm Huroon, your guide.
- You're late, Po.
- You know that. It's Filipino time.
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
- So you come highly recommended.
How long can you hold your breath?
- I don't know. Maybe around
four to five minutes, I think.
About half as impressive as
the Bajao people, but it'll do.
Let's test that.
- What are you doing? Not now.
- Why?
- Because you're so (indistinct).
- All right.
Well, I hope you're up for the
intensity of this expedition.
You're going on a deep
dive in dangerous waters.
Let me show you the target area.
Zun lagoon right here.
- Where is that?
Oh, no! Not the Zun Lagoon.
It's there's water there.
Oh. I don't want to be here.
(pensive music)
- [Leo] The next morning
I flew to Siquijor.
It was known for witchcraft, voodoo.
But I wasn't superstitious.
All I need is brain and brawn.
I combed the shoreline to clear my head
and attempt to reach total mental clarity.
It was there that I met Shelly.
She had a degree in tourism
and was eager to be my guide.
She became my faithful
apprentice for about a day,
before we grew intimate
and began cohabitating.
(traffic honking)
I've done it, Shelly. Wake up.
I spent the entire morning
scouring the national archives
of Zamboanga and found
this intriguing article.
"A Legend of Zun, 1804."
The daughter of a ruthless pirate
who fell in love with a cabin boy,
who refused to kill villagers
against her father's orders
and was made to walk the plank.
Zun got revenge by dumping
her father's treasure at sea.
She was then thrown overboard,
but a sea-dwelling fairy took pity on her
and brought her deep
into the oceans abyss.
In order to survive, Zun
made a deal with Arisara,
the sea witch, who
enslaved her aquatic soul.
Unless a true gentleman undoes the spell,
she will remain there for eternity.
- [Shelly] I'm still sleeping.
- But her one dying wish
is to become fully human once again.
Locals have claimed to see Zun
roaming the shoreline at
night, weeping, searching
for her long lost beloved cabin boy.
But as soon as she is seen,
she turns back into a fish-like creature
and swims back out to sea.
Huroon was right. The legend must be true.
And I must find a new
guide to bring me there.
And you are definitely not it.
You're a lazy one.
- Hey, stop it. I'm still sleeping.
- Here's fair for your jeepney home.
I go now.
(gentle music)
I never saw Shelly again.
She must have seen my passport
and learned the truth.
My real name is Leo Prawn.
I had little interest in the
environment or marine life.
My only business here
was to get rich quick
and get back to my home country.
Without her, I fear I may never
secure the permits I need.
(uneasy music)
(Leo gasps)
Bastard!
(water splashing)
(Leo grunting)
Paralysis from its venom quickly set in.
I knew I only had minutes to live.
And yet somehow it appeared
my ill-gotten fortune
would be spared by someone.
Something.
The siren of the sea.
(mysterious music)
(waves murmuring)
(mysterious music continues)
(birds chirping)
(object chiming)
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
The manifestation of Zun was real.
Just as real as the
treasure she led me to.
But as soon as I convinced
myself I wasn't dreaming,
that tantalizing water lymph was gone.
Back into the sea with all her secrets.
(water splashing)
(dreamy music)
Start talking. Tell me
everything you know.
Just give me good news. Is there a chance?
It's Yamashita's long lost
gold. Then perhaps it's Templar.
I'm well aware it will need more analysis
under the spectrometer, but
I'll bring it in myself.
This could be the greatest
find in the past century.
It defies logic,
but so has almost everything
else on this expedition.
If this is what I think it is,
you are speaking to a very rich man.
Much appreciated, Dr. Brickenstein.
Don't mention this to anyone.
My very livelihood depends on it.
(dramatic music)
A local museum was to
appraise the golden chain
later that evening.
But first I had a date with Kish,
another prude from the province.
(vehicle honking)
(uneasy music)
(gentle music)
(bright music)
(bright music continues)
She called me a boy
scout for bringing a bag
and asked where I was staying.
I explained why I was
constantly switching hotels.
I was in a dangerously good mood,
when she admired my bracelet.
So I revealed the necklace,
which she was no doubt very impressed by.
(light music)
Then she was thirsty.
So being the gentleman that I am,
I set off in search of hydration for her.
(dramatic music)
(chain clinking)
(dramatic music continues)
(ominous music)
(Leo screaming)
(tense music)
(tense music continues)
(birds chirping)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
I took pride in preparing my
own skewers, until I cashed in.
Fishball and chicken feet
were all I could afford.
I adopted the local's culinary confections
and tried to blend in.
But most would always see me as a target.
To them, English was the sound of money
and white was the color
of wealth in their eyes.
I couldn't let another
slip up ruin my affairs.
The treasure trove was mounting.
I was out harpooning my usual swordfish,
when I happened upon the
pirate king's golden cutlery.
I wasn't the best fisherman,
but boy did I have a
nose for untold riches,
which I would now forever
consume each meal with.
(upbeat music)
Zun had shown me her lagoon
and now it was up to me to deliver.
(upbeat music continues)
It wasn't even an hour
before a new prize was mine.
A second coin of unknown origin,
larger and surely made of gold.
I tipped the captain
and boat boy generously
and celebrated it.
(energetic upbeat music)
(anxious music)
(anxious music continues)
(drink trickling)
(door thuds)
Oh!
Oh no.
Oh!
Oh!
Oh, no!
(ominous music)
(Leo grunting)
(phone beeps)
(phone ringing)
Yes, front desk?
- [Front Desk] Yes, sir.
- There's been an incident in my room.
The maid robbed me.
And she soiled my life's work.
What do you mean? You clean
the room every other day?
Well, then who was in my room?
The bed is sloppily made.
- Yes, you had a visitor a while ago, sir.
She signed in as close family member.
- Hello?
I have no sister. I have no auntie.
I have no (indistinct). I am alone here.
You let visitor in my room.
You gave them key card.
- [Front Desk] So sorry, sir.
- (indistinct), do you
realize what you've done?
You let a mole infiltrate
my secret affairs
and you will pay for that.
Now send up some fresh
towels and some mini soaps.
(Leo grunts)
(blow drier whirring)
(Leo grunting)
I spent the morning with
one thing on my mind. Zun.
An aquatic human hybrid.
(mysterious music)
I was ready for my luck to change,
so I set out for more treasure.
I needed to get back on track.
I was getting desperate
for attention and gold
to pay back some bad people
and cancel the hit on me.
Without that map and its
new coordinates I made,
I couldn't seem to locate the target area.
I searched for 11 hours,
but trash and bottle caps are all I found.
Then the local authorities shut me down.
The Coral Cove was now closed.
I could return only after the
official permits were obtained
or risk arrests and imprisonment.
So I made the difficult decision
to try and pawn the necklace
to secure a temporary loan.
Welcome, come in.
- Hey, my name is Alon.
I'm the gold dealer. You
must be the professor.
- Yes, Professor Prawn. And
you come highly recommended.
- Yeah, bro. I heard you
have something from me, bro?
- Yes. Wait then.
- All right.
Wow, bro. Is this a map?
- Don't look at that.
- Okay.
I'm sorry, but just quite
interesting, but yeah.
- Yeah.
- Wow, bro.
Is this a... Did you find
this area for the beach?
- Maybe. Don't expect me to
tell you where though, okay?
- Okay. All right.
- This is top secret. Very valuable.
Ancient Templar gold.
- Wow.
- Okay?
It belongs in a museum.
- Yeah, definitely.
- Okay?
- So beautiful, bro.
- I need money to fund my expedition.
- Money? Bro, trust me, bro.
I have my boss there.
He has a lot of money.
I'm pretty sure he'll pay
whatever value you have
in this gold.
- Yeah.
- No problem at all. How
much do you need, bro?
- Two million.
- Two million?
- At least.
- No, no problem at all.
- Today.
- Today, just come with me.
We go to my boss and
we'll have a deal there.
- Okay, but in two weeks,
when I find more, I want to buy this back.
- No problem at all. We go to my boss.
Let's go there. Chow.
- So I need your promise
you're not going to sell it
to another man for more.
- Trust me, we're not
going to do that, bro.
We're going to help
you with that one, bro.
- I need to trust you-
- You have to. Okay, let's go.
- Okay. Let's go.
(light music)
- All right, we're here.
Just give it to me.
My boss is inside. And
you have your money.
(tense music)
(vehicle crashes)
(vehicle crashes)
(traffic swooshing)
(vehicle crashes)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
- Sorry, po. Workers on the
roof are being so noisy.
There's a foreigner playing
tag with a small boy up there.
They should be more careful.
(tense music continues)
(Leo thuds)
(rats squeaking)
(tense music continues)
(vehicles crashing)
(tires squealing)
(tense music continues)
(tires squealing)
(vehicles crashing)
(glass shatters)
(police officer yelling)
(gun banging)
(fire raging)
(person screaming)
(tense music continues)
(vehicle crashing)
(tires squealing)
(water splashing)
(fire raging)
(tense music continues)
(fire raging)
(guns banging)
(schoolgirls screaming)
(tense music continues)
- Oh my God, look at the fire!
- Wait, Guya, there's a riot outside.
Is it election day?
(dramatic music)
(thief whining)
(siren wailing)
(fire raging)
(light jazz music)
(ominous music)
- An unexpected visitor
who was this darling (indistinct)
sent to derail my quest.
(somber music)
The logic of her curious games eluded me.
(upbeat music)
Whoever she was and whatever she was doing
was a mystery to me.
But I was very cautiously getting into it.
(anxious music)
(girl giggling)
(Leo gasps)
You must be-
- Arisara. Queen of the sea.
Give me back what belongs to me.
- You'd have to kill me first
or unleash more of your evil eels
and imprison me for eternity
in your ancient sunken city
because I will never let this go.
(tense music)
(Arisara groans)
(Arisara groans)
(tense music continues)
(dreamy music)
I had chartered a plane to Palawan,
but the pilot didn't show.
I considered entering
the fuselage by force
and hijacking the vessel.
But by knowledge of this
particular craft was limited.
It would surely be a death wish,
but still just as dire if I remained.
(dark sensual music)
(Leo snoring)
(tense anxious music)
(dreamy music)
(dreamy music continues)
(person vocalizing)
(person laughing)
(tense dreamy music)
This newer map was useless to me.
(Leo grunting)
I destroyed more evidence.
I still had another, one
that clearly marked treasure,
but it was made by the Japanese
and I have yet to decipher it.
I know I'm never going
to bring a cheap hooker
back to my private room again.
I'm ruined. It's over now.
(door ring buzzing)
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
(door ring buzzing)
(dreamy music)
I just received a message in a bottle.
It's probably just spam.
It's waterlogged. I can barely read it.
It's old English.
It's from Zun.
"Meet me at Coral Cave today at high noon
and I will aid you in
your quest for treasure,
but you must not look at me
or else I may never become
a real lasting girl.
And you must give me the one true kiss,
the one only a white
Christian male can give
to reverse the spell
and return me to my former human self
and set me free."
This is it, Ate. Redemption.
One last chance from the gods of the sea.
But it's almost noon already.
I must gather my gear and find a jeepney.
Forgive me, but our plans
in Dumaguete must wait.
This could be the big score
I've been waiting for.
(anxious music)
I couldn't believe my eyes.
I didn't know what was more beautiful.
The embodiment of Zun asleep before me
or my stolen coin that
she somehow retrieved,
now persed between her lips.
(anxious music)
(birds chirping)
(water murmuring)
(dreamy music)
Another relic that will
surely make me rich
and famous beyond my wildest dreams
and solidify me as a genuine archeologist
and humanitarian scholar in my own right.
Welcome to my condo.
Please excuse the mess.
I wasn't expecting any
aquatic creatures today.
This is what we call a
kitchen, spoon, fork,
spatula, a knife for cutting
the swordfish I caught today.
(Zun gasps)
Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, baby.
You cut yourself.
Your blood is so dark.
Has a bluish tint to it.
You must be part reptilian.
Let me give you the tour.
You're probably used to sleeping
in a giant clam or something.
This is wifi.
You don't have to send
messages in bottles anymore.
It goes through the air like the wind.
These are flowers, but not real ones.
We make them fake so they
last forever and never die.
Just like you in your current situation.
Why don't you have a seat there?
It's called a chair
and it fits most of our
bodies quite conveniently.
I'd love to show you my work.
This is 10 years of research,
a map from around the time you were born.
Right here is where we first met.
Many people have wondered about you.
You've left quite the legacy, you know.
I'm the one that was meant to find you.
And therefore also find the
treasure that you led me to.
This means more to me
than anything I've ever
discovered, except you, of course.
And this coin, which is solid gold.
It'll fetch millions at auction next year.
But this is the treasure
I'd like to give to you.
I dove 700 meters to recover it,
deep between the fault
lines at the ocean floor,
perfectly heart shaped.
And I even almost got
the bends because of it.
But it was worth it.
No matter how far away, how
deep you swim, how far I dive.
As long as you have this
coral close to your heart,
I will find you.
So trust me, and we will last in eternity.
And rest assured our
troubles will be no more.
(gentle music)
It's a lot less stiffer
than most mattresses
in this global coordinates.
I hope you're not chilly
because of the air con.
I like to keep it cool.
I have a glass of water
here in case you'd like,
but perhaps you get
enough of that already.
I'm just going to clean the
fish guts off my spear gun.
I'm going to have to find
more gold to pay the rent.
I'm worried about you, Napo.
Your skin is different, soft
but scaly, like shashimi.
You've been out of the water
for nearly an hour now.
I'm just going to hydrate your
skin so you don't dry out.
Your anatomy looks quite
similar to a human's.
The average man or
woman would have no idea
that you were raised by
a sea dwelling mother
that guided you and aided you
and kept you alive this long,
feeding you mussels and seaweed.
You have a superpower you know.
There's no one else like
you known to science.
You'll be on the cover
of scientific journals
in every developed
country, a medical marvel.
We must know if there's more like you,
but I doubt there's anything else
out there remotely similar.
Pardon me, but I just have to examine you
for my research papers.
I keep notes on all my findings
and this is definitely
something to write home about.
(playful music)
We can go shopping later
and get you fashionable lady garments.
(Leo smooches)
We're going to treat you to all the things
a young girl should enjoy.
Spa days, mani/pedis, mini golf,
perusing the barangis with
your soon-to-be-ex hubby,
because it's serendipity.
And now there's just one
more thing I'd like to do.
(light music)
(monkeys grunting)
(energetic music)
(Leo grunting)
I'd kill for a hot coffee and an aspirin.
(Leo grunting)
It was the curse. Surely
it had taken over me now.
Nonsense.
It's only an ocean rash from
swimming in stagnant waters
infested with larvae and snails.
(Leo grunting)
(uneasy music)
(thunder booming)
- Zun, you fool! Everyone
knows that I am queen.
You will never threaten my
throne or inherit my vast domain.
- Ate, what do I have to do to please you?
- You know what I need, his human seed,
to cultivate the perfectly
blue-eyed warlords I deserve
to protect my kingdom
from all land dwellers.
- But I will not use your black magic
to force him to love me.
- If you live in my sea,
then you play by my rules.
- I refuse to be a machine
to produce your human hybrid army.
- Dare defy me.
And you shall return
to your former duties,
nursing and raising my baby eels.
But you just made them less evil.
- It happened already.
I let him deflower me when
he showed me his condo.
- Then I'll have to keep
you safe in motherhood city
so I won't lose another surrogate
as a savory sea snack to a hungry shark.
What pest they are!
- I know I'm indebted to you,
but let me keep my first baby.
Even if its eyes are more gray than blue.
- No special requests!
You have violated our verbal agreement
and will now pay by allowing me
to conduct a full physical exam.
Don't fear, my little seaweed princess.
I'll use my most gentle tentacle
to carefully slither its
way inside you and explore.
(dramatic music)
(Arisara laughing)
- [Zun] No! Please!
Leave me alone!
(Arisara laughing)
(Zun screaming indistinctly)
- [Arisara] Now, no struggling!
(Zun screaming)
(thunder booming)
- What I told the detective
about Orange was a lie.
It wasn't a first date. We were in love.
After a year of making
blissful memories together,
she changed me and showed
me a side of her country
that I grew to adore.
She was studying a new rare breed
of bioluminescent creatures
that only lived in certain caves.
We often swam among them,
waiting for their curious glow.
Yes, I was becoming interested
in marine biology after all,
but it was her I cherish
most, until it took her.
(tense music)
(light rhythmic music)
I just wish I could have
made proper love to her
one last time.
She used to tease me
about my diving abilities
compared to hers, but she
seemed very pleased in bed
that I could last much longer
than I could hold my breath.
I now regret some of
my behavior towards her
in the final days.
I began to deny her advances
because a different kind
of booty was on my mind.
But I now have feelings
for that aquatic anomaly.
Her silent sadness wrecks my soul.
(dark music)
(eerie music)
(glass shatters)
I went to bed night after
night with my secret.
I knew that no one would
believe me about Zun
and how she led me right to
what I was really there for.
She knows my desires and wants to help me,
but only if I help her.
But how can I help her?
What does she want?
(mysterious music)
At least I know where to find her.
I must go back to that secret lagoon
and find a local diver to
help me explore the bottom.
For surely those depths
are too deep for me.
I never want the bends again.
I've uncovered a hotspot of
glorious mermaid activity.
It seems this time I must be dreaming.
- I miss your kiss.
- [Leo] Zun and her sisters.
How many were there?
They needed me.
- Help us, Leo. The sea's turning dark.
Everything is slowly dying.
- [Leo] I was ready to free
Zun from the slimy suction cups
of evil Arisara who had
a sensuality all her own.
(Arisara screaming)
I was now smitten with
both sirens of the sea.
Or am I already dead?
(tense music)
(Leo grunting)
(Leo gasping)
- It's just the beginning.
Only I can curse you.
And only I can cure you.
- Fine. Take what you want.
Just cure me.
- No, it's you I need.
The ultimate treasure: man.
(dark gothic music)
(dark gothic music continues)
(energetic music)
(soft music)
- [Leo] She had a strong hold over me
that felt intoxicating.
I was a stoic playboy
that basked in pleasure,
but her energy was of a
caliber unknown to me.
Sex has clouded my purpose.
I felt her dark magic infect
me like a spore planted within.
Deep down, I feared she would
soon control my every move,
enslave my soul, create a hybrid bloodline
for an evolving ecosystem.
But I should have known
something was suspicious
during the consummation.
She refused to remove a
single article of her clothes.
I knew she needed me alive for now
or else there'd be no man to toy with.
(crickets chirping)
(dark music)
(waves murmuring)
- Hello, sir.
Come play with us.
Are you single?
Is it really you?
Hi, future husband.
Am I good enough, sir? We
know you want to protect us.
I know why you're here.
Follow me to the treasure.
Let's go.
Please, Leo, all I need is your kiss
before midnight to end an
ancient curse thrust upon me
by the evil sea witch.
And we will then pleasure
you for eternity.
I long for you, Leo.
(monster growling)
Oh no, she's here.
(water splashing)
(mermaids screaming)
Leo, do something!
(tense music)
(monster growling)
(monster growling)
(mermaids screaming)
Fight back!
(monster growling)
(mermaids screaming)
- No, let them go!
Leo!
Shoot it!
(monster growling)
(mermaids screaming)
(gun bangs)
(crickets chirping)
(tense music)
(mermaids screaming)
- Wait, (indistinct).
(tense music continues)
(stalactite slashes)
(monster groaning)
(anxious music)
(ring chimes)
(Leo groaning)
(Arisara laughing)
(tense music)
- I now understand Zun's breeding grounds.
I must return to find her
despite the potential consequences.
But first, there was
something I had to do.
Get revenge on an old arch nemesis.
(uneasy music)
(radio muttering)
The hotel's CCTV footage revealed the maid
or mole wearing a wire,
which confirmed one thing.
She was sharing intelligence with allies
of Philippine officials who felt entitled
to any spoils of war.
I was also concerned
about the other contents
of that footage.
Why was there a camera in
my room pointed at my bed?
How many hours of raunchy
ravenous coitus had they logged?
Plenty enough to blackmail me.
But I had bigger concerns,
like avoiding the vile confines
of a Southeast Asian prison.
(elephant trumpeting)
I grew paranoid. Were they
watching my every move?
Could they be skeptical of my
quest to slash emission rates?
The leaders were corrupt.
They didn't even believe
in global warming,
but the maid's uniform was proof of that.
(hand knocking)
Yes.
- Are you Mr. Prawn?
- Yes. Who are you?
- My name is Officer
Ramos. I'm from the NBI.
I'm here to give you a citation
for diving without a permit.
- [Leo] Are you serious?
- [Ramos] I am, sir.
- [Leo] So what does this mean for me?
- It's either you come with me
and do two hours of community service,
like cleaning toilets, or
you pay me 50 peso right now.
- (chuckles) 50 pesos?
- [Ramos] Yes, 50 pesos.
- Sure. Can you change 500?
- No, I need exact amount, sir.
- Well, I don't have, so
you just keep the rest
and take your family out to a nice dinner.
Okay?
- Are you trying to bribe me, sir?
- No, I just don't have exact amount.
So what are we supposed
to do? Just take this.
- Bribing is illegal in the Philippines.
You know that, right?
- Sir, I just don't have exact amount.
I don't know why Filipinos
never have change,
but I'm not trying to bribe you, officer.
I'll pay you later, how
about that? Okay, sir?
- Nope, nope, nope. You're under arrest.
- [Leo] No, no, no.
- Come with me. Put your hands up.
- Are you kidding me?
Seriously?
- Sit down. Sit down.
- (indistinct), man! I want my lawyer.
- [Ramos] You're under arrest
for trying to bribe an officer.
- I did nothing wrong.
- [Ramos] You have the
right to remain silent.
You're in big trouble now.
- [Leo] This is an outrage.
- [Ramos] You're going
to love the jails here.
- [Leo] It was just a ploy to bring me in.
(Ramos screams in foreign language)
- [Leo] I told you I destroyed the maps.
- You said some, not all.
- I'm fixing global warming, Kuya.
- We know you found
something important here.
- It was just a trinket.
- A trinket? Show us.
Now, where is it?
- I gave it away already to your wife
as payment for the kinky boom boom.
- You what? I'll kill you!
(Ramos yelling in foreign language)
- They had me now.
My scientific papers were ridiculed
as they interrogated me for
hours about my true intentions.
When I wouldn't talk, they beat me,
tortured me with water tactics,
scolding hot and freezing cold for days,
coupled with the agony of starvation.
But I swore I'd take my
secrets with me to the grave.
Without proof, they couldn't hold me.
Good thing they didn't realize
that I was partially responsible
for burning down an entire barangay.
(uneasy music)
(tense music)
(phone ringing)
- Yes, hello.
- Opal, it's me, Laika.
Thanks for covering for me.
I really needed to do my laundry.
Happy birthday, by the way.
- [Opal] You remember?
- Your patient seems like
a real explorer type.
Ask him if he has a brother.
- Four hours, right?
- Why are you mad at me?
- It's my shift.
- You owed me a favor.
- Okay.
- I needed a night off.
- You promised me.
- I'll come in later
when my uniform is dry.
(dark dreamy music)
(Arisara yelling in foreign language)
(fire raging)
(Zun screaming)
(Arisara laughing)
(fire raging)
(Zun screaming)
(Arisara laughing)
- Can I borrow your uniform
and wake him up with his
you-know-what in my mouth?
- Okay. We're going to talk it later.
Don't trick me.
I'll wait for a while. He's wake up now.
Bye. See you later.
(Leo grunting)
Sir, are you okay? Are you okay?
(Leo smooches)
Oh no.
What was that, sir?
- I'm so sorry, ma'am. I
though you were someone else.
- Who?
- Where am I? What happened to me?
- By the way, sir, I'm Nurse Opal.
I'm your (indistinct) nurse today.
So you're in recovery now?
So you've been in coma for two days
and now you're in your bedroom.
So you're okay now.
- What happened to me?
- [Opal] Well, the authorities
tortured you for informations.
- Oh my gosh.
Did they get anything
out of me? Did I talk?
- Nothing, sir. It's all in your bag.
But you need to eat first, sir.
You have to gain all your strength.
- Thank You. Salamat.
It's some pretty weak broth.
Thank you. You're so kind.
You really shouldn't be this close to me.
- [Opal] It's okay, sir.
- [Leo] Shouldn't I be in
quarantine? I'm infected.
- Well, it's fine. I'm vaccinated, sir.
- Are you sure? Actually, it
looks like I'm healing already.
- Yeah, I don't have bruises or anything.
- You look fine.
So tired and thirsty. I'm so confused.
Wait a minute. What day is it?
- It's Sunday.
- Sunday?
- Yes.
- What time?
- Why?
- It's nearly midnight.
I have somewhere to be.
- No, sir. I have to check you first.
- What do you mean?
- I'm going to check if you
have any pressure in your body.
You cannot go out.
- I don't need to-
- You cannot leave.
- I have to.
- You don't have to, you have to...
You have to rest.
- No, I must go now.
Don't come here.
(phone ringing)
- [Opal] Hello?
(tense music)
- [Leo] I knew from my
dream where she comes
when the moon is full
and the tide is strong.
Only then will she let
me hear her sweet song.
(person vocalizing)
Midnight came and went.
I wandered and roamed
all night, aimlessly,
completely alone, spell bound
by the memory of her bliss.
Not even the crabs kept me company.
Meanwhile, my live-in caretaker
was making herself quite
comfortable at my condo.
She prepared herself for a bath.
She noticed a curious
rash forming on her wrist.
It had her too now.
The virus had taken hold of her appendage
and would soon wreak havoc
on her entire nervous system.
It was only at sunrise
that I became convinced.
I knew she'd surely be back by high noon.
The chill of the wind
stirred my restless soul.
Soon I was mistaking
any woman I saw for Zun.
I'll wait for her
and maybe do a little
prospecting on the side.
I was desperate for either
more gold or more lovemaking.
It then dawned on me to
wear the enchanted pendant
close to my battered heart.
And the luck it brought
me, I sure did find Zun.
(person vocalizing)
My hypothesis is complete.
Zun is a multimorpher with
multi-morphing capabilities,
the first of its kind,
able to swap back and forth
between man and beast.
Remarkable.
(gentle music)
(bird screeching)
I confessed my love to Zun.
(Leo speaks in foreign language)
Let me love you long time.
She replied with her usual silent stare.
I wanted to flee with her,
hide out in the jungles of Indonesia.
Suddenly she spoke to me.
- Thank you, Leo, for everything.
But I really only needed you
to help me find my family
and my one true love, the cabin boy.
- [Leo] She was certain
he survived the shipwreck,
but I made her realize that it
happened over a century ago.
- [Zun] You mean all the
people I love are now gone?
- [Leo] I assured her
that I would love her
and we could start our own
family and make new friends.
But she already had a million friends,
the creatures of the sea,
and she could hear them calling her now.
(whale chirping)
- I no longer desire land to live on.
I want to be one with
the ocean once again.
It's the only home I know
and the only place I can live forever.
- [Leo] I begged her to take me with her,
to not abandon my mortal being
in this cursed archipelago.
- [Zun] You cannot come with me, Leo.
You have no gills. I'm sorry.
- [Leo] I kissed her with conviction.
Then she returned to me her
only worldly possession.
(dramatic music)
I watched in agony
as she simply submerged back into the sea.
(dramatic music continues)
(dark gothic music)
I then heard the haunting
cackles of Arisara,
(Arisara laughing)
rattling the delicate
stalactites of the coral caves.
(person screams)
The neighbors had reported screams,
Mother of God,
why the nurse was dead
in a puddle of blood
I may never know.
Even the vaccine couldn't save her
from this ever evolving parasitic curse.
And it's all my fault,
spreading the deadly fever
of a farfetched reality,
thrusting the plague
upon this simple servant
who took a sworn oath to protect me.
Oh, black child of
Christ, where are you now
in this dark, unholy hour?
How will I ever explain it?
They'll never believe an
evil entity was at work here.
It's my own knife, the
one I filet my fish with,
I must get rid of it and examine
the wounds she succumbed to
for a better understanding of this.
(tense music)
What am I supposed to do with her body?
I can't keep her in my
comfort room forever.
I check out tomorrow.
I could wait until nightfall
and bring her to Malapascua.
Yes. I'll hire Huroon
to schlep the suitcase
with Nurse Opal's remains.
Feed her to the sharks there.
No, it would be too risky of an endeavor.
Surely I'd be found out.
That's somebody's daughter.
At least the little angel
can return to heaven now.
I need more time.
I should have left the crime scene alone.
There's no hope for me now.
(phone line beeping)
- [Front Desk] Yes?
- [Leo] I'm going to have to extend.
- Okay, sir. For how many days?
(goat bleating)
- [Leo] I needed to blend my science
with the power of prayer.
The parasite was out of control
and wreaking havoc on a micro level,
but could soon dominate
the entire Western hemisphere and more.
I attempted to collect
a specimen, an offering
to the protector and patron of Sebu,
the statue of the child Christ,
delivered by Magellan himself,
my very own sacred forefather.
(uneasy music)
(Leo grunts)
Oh, miraculous, Santo Nino.
We prostrate before your sacred image.
We beseech you to cast a merciful look
on our troubled hearts.
Let your tender love, so inclined to pity,
be softened by our prayers,
and grant us that grace
for which we ardently implore you.
Take from us all unbearable
affliction and despair.
For your sacred infancy's
sake, hear our prayers
and send your consolation
and aid that we may
praise you with the Father
and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
(tense music)
Arisara.
(tense music continues)
(snake hissing)
Arisara.
Zun.
Perhaps you are one and the same.
(snake hissing)
(tense music continues)
(tense music continues)
(thunder booming)
(Arisara yelling in foreign language)
(Arisara yelling in foreign language)
(dramatic music)
- [Leo] What a bastard
I've become. A serial pimp.
I needed to face my true self
and feelings for my
transforming aquatic maiden,
even if her reproductive
organs were unknown to me.
How might I circumnavigate
her delicate purpose whole
or wrangle a minute sea snake of her own?
I wasn't emotionally prepared to find out.
Either way, I knew that pursuing her
would only lead to a toxic heartache.
We were from different worlds.
I became immune.
Her power was losing its grip on me.
She is in fact the very
virus that took my first
and last great love away from me.
(uneasy music)
I was beginning to wonder
if it was all a sham.
Was she just another Filipina
desperate for financial gain?
My recollection of her
was becoming warped,
inconsistent with reality,
but part of me was still (indistinct),
smitten by her mysterious charm.
(dark mysterious music)
If I couldn't have her, no one could.
If the kiss didn't cure the
curse, perhaps this would.
(dramatic music)
(gun bangs)
(dramatic music continues)
(uneasy music)
(person vocalizing)
(ominous music)
(chain clinking)
I must return these priceless
treasures back to antiquity.
(water gurgles)
To whatever origins those might be.
I give thee back to the sea,
(coin clinks)
so the curse can follow me no more.
(dramatic music)
And now, when I awake tomorrow,
it will be as though
it was all a nightmare.
Although sometimes it felt
more like a pleasant dream.
(gentle dreamy music)
(gentle dreamy music continues)
(seagulls screeching)
Sometimes you have to let go to rebuild.
I didn't want a life in exile,
hiding, consumed by fear.
My only life critic and captain is me,
happily single and content.
I'm currently terrified of women.
- [Person] Come on, guapo.
- [Leo] But I'm sure my
insatiable thirst for them
will soon be quenched.
- Come see the eel garden with me, sir.
They only bite after the sun goes down.
- [Leo] I'm finally fulfilled
with a treasure trove
of thrills and memories
to last a lifetime.
By now, the Washington Post
should have received my detailed account
of my brazen attempts
to exploit the ancient artifacts of Asia.
Whether it's deemed as fact or fiction
is up to you to decide.
But my heart is at peace
with the facts released.
The States could indict me
on treason and espionage,
but I am a diehard expat,
a globally minded romantic
tourist, a citizen of the world,
and a wanted man already.
But even with their sights
set on me, I wasn't worried.
Because out here, I'm the boss.
I'm the prize.
I go now.
Where? No one knows.
For my glorious destination
is my final secret.
A place where no guide can bring me,
to the far ends of obscurity
to reunite with her,
Arisara, the queen of the sea,
and rule our great kingdom
together in secrecy,
our future dynasty,
concealed from all mankind
in the deepest depths of the Andaman Sea.
(dark dreamy music)
(gun bangs)
(water splashing)
(dark tense music)
(dark tense music continues)
(dark eerie music)
(dark eerie music continues)
(Arisara sighs)
(chain clinking)
(Arisara laughing)
(dark eerie music continues)
(bright music)