Part 5 Aura’s Revenge
I’m so scared.
Papa’s still back there with the monster. I tried to be brave and run after them, but there was nothing I could do. I’m just a little girl who keeps ruining people’s lives. I can’t do anything right.
The forest is too dark for me to walk through, so I just stayed in one place. Kuya told me before that if I stay in one place then people can find me. All I could do was cry. After what happened with Aura, how the baby hurt Mama, how Kuya disappeared and now Papa’s running away from a monster, I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.
I’m just Teleia, the little girl that can’t keep her family safe. Teleia means ‘complete’. My Mama named me that because she said that when I was born it made our family complete, but I think I just tore it apart. I was so angry I took a rock and I threw it!
I heard a loud scream and something scary came out of the trees. It was like a child, like me, but it was walking on its hands. It was also very, very dark, like it was made of the shadows. I tried to run away, but my knees started to hurt. It was so painful.
I couldn’t move my legs, so I just started using my hands. I was really surprised that I found it so easy. I couldn’t even do wheel-carti—-cartwheels before! But now I was walking on my hands, really, really fast. I was so fast that I was away from the scary thing in no time!
I was so happy. I think I know what to do now. The forest is so nice when it’s night. You can hide anywhere! I just need to keep walking on my hands because my legs still really hurt. It’s really painful if I try to walk normal but it’s ok. This is how I’m gonna be now!
It’s going to be great. My family’s going to be fine without me. I found out I can make new friends. I just need to look at a new playmate and their legs will hurt too! And they’ll walk on their hands just like me!
I can make so many new friends.
I just need to find more kids to play with.
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Story continued from the Harimodon’s Tale
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Bugsok entry in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010..
Bugsok illustration by Nia Cortezano
Tumblr: http://niakawa.tumblr.com/