Ana (not her real name) just wanted their swimming pool to be leaf-free. Their neighbor’s sampaloc tree was causing the hassle of perpetual cleaning, so she had asked the homeowners’ association to ...

“Don’t move, Lina. The spirits are listening.” Candles filled the room like a restless forest, and sage smoke mixed with molten wax on my tongue. Kamangyan incense clung to the air, and it pressed ...