Clara is a typical employee at a large call center in Makati. Her life revolves around headsets, coffee, and the noise of jeepneys in Pasay where she rents.

For five years, the only “travel” she has done is to commute from her apartment to the office, and occasionally go to the nearby mall when she gets paid.

But behind her quiet employee image, Clara has a secret vice—waiting for the “Piso Fare.”

Every night, even after waking up from a shift, she never sleeps without checking the airline websites. Her dream is to reach Batanes, the land of green hills and blue seas that she often sees on her computer wallpapers.

One early morning, while everyone else is fast asleep, Clara’s face lights up. Finally, after years of waiting, she gets a ticket. It’s not just a ticket; it’s the fulfillment of her dreams.

She immediately filed for leave. She bought new clothes, a yellow dress that would flutter in the wind, and a wide-brimmed hat that was actually for tourists.

In her mind, this was her chance to show her former high school classmates that she was not just a “clerk” in Pasay, but a woman who could travel and enjoy the beauty of the Philippines.

The day of her long-awaited vacation arrived. In her social media posts, every caption was filled with excitement.

“Finally, Batanes! See you in a bit!” she said while standing in front of a window with a view of the clouds.

After a few hours, she started uploading photos. The first picture was of her, standing in front of what looked like a lighthouse, the wind blowing through her hair, and behind her were the huge green hills.

The “likes” and “hearts” poured in like rain.

“I hope all!” one of her friends said.

“Clara is a rich kid!” another said.

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

As the day wore on, Clara’s photos got better and better. There was a photo of her eating “Uvud” and seemingly chatting with the Ivatan elders. Each of her posts looked like a page from a luxury travel magazine.

But in the midst of all this, a netizen named “Watcher3000” commented on something that made everyone stop.

“Why is the cloud behind you, it hasn’t moved in the video for a while?”

This was followed by another comment, “Ma’am, why is your shadow on the ground, it looks like there’s a reflection of neon light?”

This sparked a huge conversation. People started zooming in on her photos. Someone noticed that the “rock” Clara was sitting on had a small sticker on the side that read “Property of Creative Studios.”

This is where Clara’s followers became extremely nervous. Many thought she was the victim of a major scam or was in a strange situation. Suspense surrounded every refresh of her profile.

Clara was live streaming, but she didn’t speak. She just had her back to the camera while facing “Marlboro Country.”

Suddenly, a loud horn was heard in the background. It wasn’t the horn of a small car, but the horn of a huge truck.

At the same time, the beautiful view of Batanes behind her suddenly “glitched” and became a huge advertisement for a famous sardine brand.

The truth is, it’s not because she’s in Batanes or in a studio in Makati. Clara is currently sitting behind a “Mobile 3D LED Billboard Truck”—a new advertising technology where trucks have giant screens that display hyper-realistic scenes.

The driver of that truck is none other than her father, Mang Berting. Since it’s Clara’s birthday and Mang Berting knows that it’s his daughter’s dream to visit Batanes, he took her on his trip around Metro Manila.

While they were stuck in heavy traffic on EDSA, Mang Berting turned on the “Batanes Experience” display just to make his daughter happy.

Clara, dressed in her best yellow dress, jumped on the opportunity. She took in all the angles as the truck slowly crawled through the pollution and noise of the city.

Her “Batanes” was a digital illusion in the middle of the hot road.

When people found out the truth, instead of getting angry, many were moved. This is not a story of pretending to be rich, but a story of a father who will do anything to give his son his dream, even if it’s just on a digital screen in the middle of traffic.

At the end of her live stream, Clara faced the camera with tears in her eyes, not out of embarrassment, but out of love.

“Even though this isn’t the real Batanes,” she said, “this is the best trip of my life with the hero of my life.”