*Note this story is in Cuyonon
“Pwidi kaw ag silip sa idalém ang kama?” Maroya ang bosis i Jess téngéd sa anang masakit. Akasanayan na rén kada gabi ang binoatang dia ompisa ang tana ma-ospital. Aparét tana na mi bagay sa idalém anang kama na rason sa anang padayon nga pagmasakit.
Tatlo ka bolang pagpabulong piro ara pa ra éngéd ititinglo anang pamati. Naélaman ko na ang kabui békén patas, man lang si Jess ay aném ka dagon pa lamang na bata. Ig dapat ara bata na adlaw-adlaw asasakitan téngéd sa tingway ig mga tubo na ingpapasék sa anang lawas, piro ara pa ra éngéd i ayad. Békén patas ang kabui.
Ag ngirit ako ig ing arékan ko anang dai. “Ara mga padlék sa idalém ang kama, pagpanari rén. Mi mga check-up ka pa aroman, ministir mo imong késég, ayos?” Ag ngirit balés si Jess ig loay-loay akakatorog. Akabibilib ang tibay ang léba ang mga bata, piro basipa na makaya na pa ra ag padayon na mabui sa madarason nga adlaw.
Piro ara natabo. Apatay si Jess ang gabi rang dato. Akakaturog ako sa anang tépad, ig nasintian ko ron lamang na agadaragoyon ig agaorogiaw ang mga doktor ig nars. Ing kapétan ako ang isara sa mga nars mintras agarégés ako na séléngén kung anono ang atatabo.
Inggoyod ako ang nars sa puertan, ig doto ko nakita. Akéng kaysip isara lamang sa mga tubo na akakabit sa lawas ni Jess, piro midiang békén i normal. Masyadong mabael ang bagay na dato para sa tubo, o anumang bagay na pariho sa tubo, na ag alin sa idalém ang kama.
Dato akéng natandan ang gabing dato, ig maraké pang mga makabébéréng na mga bagay ang naynabo pagkatapos. Nadora ang lawas ni Jess mintras ing dadara sa punirarya, ara ra kuno problima sa pag-byahi, piro ara kuno kaabot ang lawas doto.
Ing bubuat ko ang tanan na maélaman kung anono ang atabo. Makon ang nars ing takawan kuno ang 3rd floor ang ospital ang aglébas nga bolan, siguro koniktado dato sa pagkadora ang lawas ni Jess.
Sasagiapén ko tana.
Maski diyang ilélébéng ko tana rén lamang.
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English Version
“Can you check under my bed?” Jess’ voice was weak from the treatments. It had been her routine every night since we moved to the hospital, she was convinced there was something under her bed that kept making her sick.
Three months of tests and medicine and she still hasn’t gotten any better. I know life’s not supposed to be fair but Jess is only six years old. No child should have to go through days of needles and tubes and still not getting any answers. It wasn’t fair.
I smile and I kiss her forehead. “There aren’t any monsters under your bed, now go get some rest. You need your strength for the tests tomorrow, alright?” Jess smiles at me and drifts off to sleep. The resilience of youth never failed to impress me, but I hoped that it would be enough to get her through one more day.
It wasn’t. Jess died that night. I had fallen asleep next to her and the next thing I knew doctors and nurses were rushing in and shouting. One of the nurses had to restrain me because I kept trying to see what was happening.
The nurse lead me to the door and I that was when I saw it. At first I thought it was one of the tubes that was attached to Jess, but there was something off about it. It was too big to be a wire or anything like that and it ended at the bottom of the bed.
That’s all I remember from that night and there were too many strange things that happened after. Jess’ body was “lost” en route to the funeral home, the morgue says there was nothing wrong with the transport, but the body never got there.
I’m doing all I can now to find out what happened to Jess. The nurses said that there was a break-in a month ago on the third floor of the hospital, maybe that’s connected to Jess’ disappearance.
I will get her back.
If only to bury her.
=——————————=
*Cuyonon is a regional Visayan language spoken on the coast of Palawan, and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Cuyonon Translation provided by Arlan P. Belen & Agnes A. Factor
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Arlan P. Belen & Agnes A. Factor
Story inspired by the Balbal description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Balbal Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
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