“And that makes 5.”
Teacher Anne put down the excuse slips and gestured to teacher Paul.
“Who do you think started it?” She rubbed her temples. “I know for sure they won’t learn their lesson.”
“5 kids, 5 victims. Their parents didn’t teach them well.” Teacher Paul recounted.
“You know when I was teaching in Manila, this was unheard of.”
“Well you get used to it, this won’t be the last time.”
“It’s not that I don’t think there were any …. Beings like that, but it was a shock.”
Teacher Anne ruffled through the excuse slips again and read silently.
Na – Nuno
The reason why 5 of her kids were home, ill.
“So, what happens now?” Teacher Anne looked pensive.
“Now we wait. There is a nearby albularyo that does house calls. This should be finished in a few days.”
Teacher Anne hadn’t been in the province long before she had time to acclimate to her surroundings.
They (Other well meaning teachers) told her the basics, of course.
Watch out for the trees and those that inhabit them.
Always. ALWAYS say ‘Tabi tabi po’
Keep your rosary and/or cross with you at all times.
Watch out for handsome strangers.
If you get lost turn your clothes inside out.
Keep kalamansi in your pockets so aswang can’t fly away with you.
She wished she took notes.
She turned to teacher Paul and sighed. “So are things always this interesting?”
“You should have been here last year, we had a run in with a Kapre. A terrible situation. It had fallen in love with a grade 7 student. Pretty girl but not all there as what my lola would say. It tried kidnapping her twice. The first time she still had a cross and it recoiled, biding its time for the next attempt. They had to call in the parish priest to the tree where the Kapre dwelt. It was, I think, four to five hours of continual prayers and blessings before she suddenly appeared at the foot of the balete tree. She missed two weeks of school, but was smart and managed to catch up well. If I’m remembering right her family moved to the nearest city and she’s now in a science high school.”
“Wow and I thought this was intense.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“With the Nuno, what do I look out for? I have the sneaking suspicion that it was more than those 5.”
“They look like old men, though I have also heard there were old women as well. When they are crossed they make the offender’s whole body swell. They are also able to cause fever and skin rashes. You have to keep the pretty girls away from them. Like the Kapre, they can kidnap their victims. They feed her strange food and play sungka with her. The victim can break away though and if she says she is homesick the Nuno would give her gems. When she is found though, the gems would turn into feces.”
“So fever, rashes, inflammation. All this because they didn’t say ‘Tabi-tabi po’?”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.”
“Is it?”
“Hahaha, now you’re getting it. The kids did something more than not reciting the saying.”
“What would those kids want from the Nuno anyway?”
“A tale as old as their pockets are deep.”
“Money?”
“The Nuno is also known to harbor great treasure.”
“What would they even use the money for?”
“Who else is missing from your class?”
“The only other one absent is Felicia but—-”
“But?”
“Her parents said she needed to stop school. I don’t know exactly why, but they told me she was sick.”
“Could they afford the treatment?”
“I don’t know. Wait— do you think?”
“We care for our own in this town.”
“Those poor kids, just wanting to help her.”
“Anyway the school day is already done. I’ll see you around tomorrow.”
Teacher Anne watched him walk out the room and she felt a certain heaviness upon her. He was right, they care for their own and as their teacher so should she.
She found the mound of the Nuno and breathed in.
“Tabi-tabi po.”
=————————=
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Nuno description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Nuno sa Punso Illustration by Benedict Jose Villarante
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