*Note this story is in Cuyonon
Agasilabong sa angin ang paamot maintras ingboboat i’ ang padis nga pakpakan ang andang katengdanan. Agoroli ren ang mga agaloksa, agpamatbat den i’ mga pangadi ang imam, inglebeng den sa logta ang lawas apang mi isarang bagay pa ang dapat boaten.
Mabedlay andang obra, ang kamatayen pirming katabid sa kaboi. Kondan kita ingboat i’ ang Makagagaem. Ara sanda ren ipapalaman sa pilosopiang tiolohikal. Dapat boaten nanda andang katengdanan, ig kong tapos don ngani dato, boboaten nanda oman tegka maglongbos don ang adlaw ‘ang pagokom.
Akapakon sanda ren sa lebengan ‘ang mga pobri ig mga adi, sa mga mi pagtoo ig sa ara. Doto nanda nasapoan ang karoyaan i’ tao. Kong ara ang tulkin indi enged kasasabat ang minatay apang kaisan maski mi tulkin den mi iba nga indi pa ra maliag agsabat.
Nakakita sanda ren i’ mga rilihiosong mga tao nga ingpapasipalan tenged sa andang mga kakorangan ig agtaw sanda ren i’ langitneng katorog para sa mga tao nga mategas ang leba sa paneleng ‘ang ibang tao.
Sakep nanda ang pagtoo ig kamatayen. Dengan sandang agatindeg sa kilid ‘ang minatay nga ingpapatogpoan i’ ang silot ‘ang Makagagaem.
Dia maman ang kabegatan nga papasanen nanda sa maayad nga leba.
Kong parapit sanda ren ngani sa lebengan, ang minatay agamata ig agabangon. Agpakiman i’ mga pangotana ang padis ig ara ipedped sa pagsabat ang minatay.
Ingostoan sanda sa anang sabat. Pagkatapos dadi, ingpadayon nanda ren ang minatay sa anang pagparanarien. Ara iboay ingtawag sanda reman.
Dadi’ na, ang lebengan ara masiadong kaministirang logta nga itampek. Sayod sanda nga matamang loa ang agtororo para sa taong dia apang matenten sanda pa ra sa andang katengdanan.
Agbangon ang minatay ig agatobang sa mga imbistigador i’ ang Makagagaem.
Agpakiman sanda ren i’ andang mga pangotana ig agalaem sanda ostong sabat andang dadawaten. Kong sosogon, boboaten nanda andang katengdanan. Apang ara sanda ra iaangot nga tomanen ang bet ‘ang Makagagaem labi pa sa mga taong tolad kanana.
Bago na sabaten andang mga pakiman, agpakiman tana anay i’ anang pangotana:
“Ayamo ingbayan ‘ang Makagagaem nga matabo kanaken dia?”
Ara isabat ang mga anghil. Ara sanda sa logar para maglimeg para sa Makagagaem. Dian sanda para boaten andang katengdanan, ara reng iba pa. Agpakiman sanda oman i’ mga pangotana ig ingsabat da ‘ang babai nga tolad da sa mga minatay nga mi pagtoo.
Ingsalan anda ang minatay nga babai sa anang langitneng pagkatorog ig agsaka sanda ren sa langit. Ingtawag sanda oman nga magtogdon sa logta para boaten andang katengdanan.
Dadi’ na, agabatok ang minatay. Ang minatay nga dia ara’ paggalang sa anang pagtoo ig ingtabonan na ang talinga sa tulkin. Ang erang i’ ang mga minatay aganingal sa anang lebengan piro ara mi saka bilog doto nga magatabang kanana. Dan ang bales i’ ang pagkaignoranti.
Agsaka sanda roman sa langit ig ingtawag roman sa logta. Ara sanda itatakes andang obra basi sa oras, ay kapaiwan da ang oras sa mga katolad kananda?
Sa paglebas ‘ang tanan, adedemdeman nanda ang kada kalag, ang kada isara nga agpadayon sa andang katorog tegka sa Adlaw ‘ang Pagokom ig ang kada isara nga agaantos i’ kakori sa impirno.
Ingaatobang nanda andang katengdanan kong anono ang oyon sa mga anghil.
Tanan para sa bet i’ ang Makagagaem.
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English Version
The air was thick with perfume as the winged pair went on with their duty.
The mourners had gone to their homes, the imam had recited the prayers, the body had been lowered to the grave, yet one more thing still had to be done.
Theirs was a tedious task, death was ever present with life. It was something to do with the Almighty’s design. They wouldn’t concern themselves with theological philosophy. They needed to do their duty, and when that was done, they would do their duty again, until the day of judgment had passed.
They had been to the graves of paupers and kings, of the faithful and the faithless and it was there they learned of humanity’s frailness. Without the tulkin the dead would not be able to answer them, and even with the tulkin there were those that refused to answer their questions.
They had seen seemingly pious men and women tortured for their failures and they had given blessed sleep to those that others would deem hard hearted.
Faith and death were their domains. Together they would stand beside the recently passed and rain the Almighty’s judgment upon them.
It was a burden they were both willing to bear.
As they approached the grave the dead awoke and took its position. The pair asked their questions and the dead replied without hesitation.
The pair was satisfied with his answer. They let the dead continue his rest and it was not long before they were called again.
This time the grave didn’t need much earth to cover it. They could tell that many tears were shed for this one, but they were steadfast in their duty.
The dead rose and faced the Almighty’s investigators.
They asked their questions and hoped that they would receive the proper answers. If they were asked, they would do their duty, but they took no pleasure in pursuing the Almighty’s will, especially on one such as this.
Before she would answer their questions, she asked them one of her own:
“Why would the Almighty let this happen to me?”
The angels would not answer her. It was not their place to speak for the Almighty. They were there to do their duty and nothing more. They asked their questions again and she answered them, as one that died in the faith.
They left her with blessed sleep and ascended into heaven. Again, they were called down onto earth to do their duty.
This time they were met with hostility. The dead did not respect his faith in life and closed his ears during the tulkin. The screams of the dead echoed in his grave, but there was no one there to help him. Such was the price of ignorance.
Again they ascended and again they were called down. They did not measure their duty in time, for what was time to those such as them?
Through it all they remembered each soul, each one that continued their sleep until the day of judgment and each one that faced tortures in the realms of hell.
They faced their duty as angels should.
All for the will of the Almighty.
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*The Tulkin is the set of special instructions in preparation for the dead’s investigation toward his or her final judgment.
*Cuyonon is a regional Visayan language spoken on the coast of Palawan, and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines.
Written by Karl GaverzaCuyonon
Translation provided by Ryan D. Ibañez
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Ryan D. Ibañez
Story inspired by the descriptions in Munabi. Narrated by Mullung.Voices from Sulu A Collection of Tausug Oral Traditions. Rixhon (ed). 2010.
Nakir Illustration by emirajujuIG: https://www.instagram.com/emirajuju/