Now is a good time for angel stories. 4 October was the Feast of the Guardian Angels.

Odette Alcantara (bless her soul) was called the Green Witch by co-environmentalists close to her.

Her home was literally an Angel Museum, with dozens of photos, paintings, and sculptures of angels scattered all around, from sala to kitchen to dining room, of all sizes and shapes. Angels, in photos or real life, was her total obsession.

Odette's close friend and alter ego (let us call her Evelyn) told us this anecdote. They were on their way with some friends to the farm of Dr. Jasmin Acuña in Tanay, Rizal (where Odette would later be buried). In the sudden heavy downpour, as they approached the farm, they were confronted by a landslide with a fallen tree blocking the road. They could not maneuver around it. They were frantic. Their 4-wheel drive was useless. Suddenly, a second landslide came crashing down behind them. They were trapped, sandwiched between two landslides. They wanted to leave the vehicle and run.

Just then, a ten-wheeler truck appeared out of nowhere. The driver tied a cable to the fallen tree and moved it out of the way. This mysterious man instantly rescued them. Odette asked the driver to follow the truck to thank the man. But he was gone, poof, vanished into thin air.

Evelyn quoted Odette, "Everything around us is alive with spirits in many forms (referring to angels). They are all around us." Odette's angels were always with her.

Once, I was with Odetski on the way to Laguna with friends to attend an affair. The car was crowded, and we had to squeeze Odette in the back seat. Somewhere around Lipa, we got lost in heavy traffic. We asked around, but we were still waiting for someone to help us.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a tall, handsome guy dressed in white came up from his vehicle and gave us directions. Odette said, "See, that was my angel to the rescue." I pooh-poohed Odette's remark, but it was not until I heard the story about the landslide rescue that I began to believe in Odetski's angels.

Another anecdote told by Evelyn: Odette and Evelyn were at an affair at the Manila Peninsula in Makati. It was 4:45 p.m., and they had to be at Blue Ridge in Quezon City at 5:30 p.m. for a soiree Odette had organized. At rush hour, this was impossible. It took a while before they finally got a taxi. Odette told the driver to step on the gas. Curiously, there was no traffic.