*Note this story is in Tagalog
Nanginginig ang kamay ni Anselmo habang siya ay nagtatanim. Alam niya na tuligsa sa kahilingan ng hari ng kagubatan ang kaniyang ginagawa at mayroon itong kabayaran. Ganoon pa man, marami siyang aanihin kapag ipagpapatuloy niya pa ito. Kung malakas lang ang loob ng mga magsasaka, lalawak ang tanim ng tabako hanggang sa maabot ang tuktok ng kabundukan.
Hinukay niya ang lupa at itinanim ang buto.
Sa gabing iyon napaginipan niyang magkaharap sila ng hari.Tinapik nito ang lupa nang tatlong beses at may mga maliliit na taong umusbong mula sa lupa. May sinabi ang hari pero hindi ito marinig ni Anselmo at nagsitakbuhan ang mga maliliit na tao sa kaduluduluhan ng kagubatan.
Mag-isa na lamang ang hari at si Anselmo. Mukhang hindi nito napansin na takot si Anselmo kaya ipinapagtuloy pa nito ang kaniyang ginagawa. Tinapik ulit ng hari ang lupa nang tatlong beses at lumabas ulit ang mga maliliit na tao. Dahil palaisipan kay Anselmo kung saan sila pumupunta at ano ang kanilang ginagawa, sinundan niya ang mga ito.
Pagdating niya sa dulo ng kagubatan, nabigla siya sa kaniyang nakita, hile-hilerang tabako ang nakatanim sa kaniyang harapan. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa dami tanim na umaabot hanggang sa kalayuan. Patuloy lang na nagtatanim ang mga nilalang sa bukid at nakita niya na libo-libo silang nagtatrabaho rito.
Kinuha niya ang isa roon at tinanong kung para saan ang ginagawa nito. “Lahat ng ito ay para sa mahal na hari,” sabi ng nilalang. “Kailangan ng hari ang hari ang tabako para sa kaniyang paninigarilyo” ipinagpatuloy pa nito. Tumalikod at tumawa ito dahil para sa kaniya hindi pinag-isipan ang itinanong sa kaniya.
Nagtapos ang kaniyang panaginip sa pangyayaring iyon. Kinakabahan si Anselmo dahil kahapon lang siya nagsimulang magtanim ng tabako at ngayon nagmumuni-muni siya sa kaniyang kaparusahan.
Ilang araw siyang nagdurusa at nagtataka kung tama ba ang ginawa niya o tama lang na bawiin na lang ang itinanim na buto. Buwan-buwan siyang natataranta kung anong nakalaan na kabayaran para sa kaniyang kamalian.
Sumikat at lumubog ang araw wala pa ring nangyayari. Nagpapatuloy lang ang paglawak ng tabako sa kalupaan ng Kanlaon.
Hanggang sa napansin ng ibang magsasaka na lumampas sa linya ang tinataniman ni Anselmo. Dahil sa pangamba na nilalamangan sila sa kíta, ginaya nila siya.
At ulit wala pa ring nangyayaring parusa. Mas lalo lang yumayabong ang tabako sa Kanlaon.
May mga iba na nagbabala sa mga magsasaka. “Naaalala niyo ba ang sinabi ng hari? Kapag nagtanim tayo na lampas sa lupa natin, uubusin niya lahat ang mga ito at gagamitin sa kaniyang paninigarilyo!”
Walang nakinig sa kanilang mga hinaing. Nakakasilaw ang pera sa mga pangkaraniwang tao.
Gumawa sila ng kampo at doon muna sila nanatili. Nang sumapit ang gabi, pumalibot sila sa apoy at nagkuwento tungkol sa hari ng kabundukan. Nagtataglay siya ng kapangyarihan sa buong kalupaan, pero mas pinili niyang mamuhay kasama ang mga tao sa halip na pamunuan ang mga ito.
Binilang nila kung ilang beses silang sinabihan ng hari na huwag magtatanim lagpas sa linya, na nakapaikot malapit sa tuktok ng kabundukan. Kinuwento nila ang araw kung kailan umalis ang hari at kung paano sila nagsiiyakan sa ipinahayag nito.
“Isa lang ang hinihiling ko sa inyo, at iyon ay huwag kayong magtatanim lagpas sa linyang ginawa ko. Kung susuwayin niyo ang aking hiling, kukuhanin ko lahat ng tabakong nakatanim dito, at wala nang tutubo sa buong kabundukan dahil magiging sigarilyo ko na ang mga ito.” Tinapik ng hari ang lupa at bumukas ang buong lupain hanggang naglaho siya sa kabundukan.
Tinupad ng mga tao ang kanilang pangako, at dumating si Anselmo.
Kahit na alam niya ang naganap na kasunduan, patuloy lang siyang nagtanim ng mas maraming tabako. Naalala niya ang panaginip, kung paano niya ninanais na ang kanyang mga bukirin ay magmukha ng sa hari, malawak hanggang sa abot-tanaw.
Lumipas ang mga taon nakalimutan na ng mga tao ang ipinangako nila sa hari.
Nababalot na ng tabako ang kabundukan ng Kanlaon at yumayaman ang mga tao dahil kanilang mga ani.
Dumarami ang mga taong nakikisaya sa mga marangyang kapistahan. Nagmumukhang hindi na magtatapos ang kanilang pagyaman bunga ng kanilang pagsasaka.
Iyon, hanggang sa bumukas ang kalupaan at nagbalik ang hari ng kabundukan.
Si Anselmo ang unang kumaripas ng takbo. Nararamdaman niya ang pagyanig at takot dahil alam niya na dumating na ang paghuhukom para sa kanilang mga kasalanan. Hindi na niya naisipang lumingon habang tumatakbo pababa sa paanan ng bundok.
Kagila-gilalas ang mga kaganapan sa Kanlaon. Ang dating malalagong mga tanim ay naglaho na parang bula. Hindi makapaniwala ang mga magsasaka na biglang mawawala ang kanilang mga pananim, nakalimutan nila kung gaano kalakas ang hari.
Nababalot ng katahimikan ang mga tao, na parang alam na nila kung ano ang mangyayari. Biglang sumabog ng tuktok ng bundok at naglalaman ito ng usok at apoy.
Sa lahat ng naganap, wala sino man ang hindi matatakot pati ang mga matatapang. Natataranta ang mga tao sa iba’t ibang direksyon bunga ng ipinamalas na galit hari.
Nang gabing iyon, nanaginip si Anselmo.
May makapal na usok sa kaniyang harapan. Naubo siya at nakita niya ang haring naninigarilyo. Lumuhod siya tapat nito at humingi ng kapatawaran.
Hindi napansin ng hari ang kaniyang prsensya. Tinapik nito ang lupa nang tatlong beses at may lumabas na maliliit na tao. Nagdala pa sila ng mga tabako para gamitin ng hari.
Nababalot ng usok ang buong kabundukan, at napupuno na rin ang mga butas nito. Napakalakas na yanig ang naramdaman sa paligid ng Kanlaon. Bumigat ang dibdib ni Anslemo dulot ng paghinga niya sa makapal ng usok.
At bigla siyang nagising.
Lumipas ang ilang taon at may namuhay ulit sa lugar. Nagtayo sila ng mga barrio sa gilid ng kabundukan, pero wala ng naglalakas loob na magtanim ulit ng tabako.
Walang nakakaalam sa kinahinatnan ni Anselmo, may nagsasabi na kinuha siya ng hari para sa kakaibang parusa. Ang sabi naman ng iba nagpakalayu-layo na siya para takasan ang hagupit nito.
Hindi na mahalaga kung nakipagsabwatan ang mga tao sa kasalanan ni Anselmo. Wala ng puwedeng maitanim sa kabundukan ng Kanlaon.
Habang hindi pa tapos ang kaniyang paninigarilyo.
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English Version
Anselmo felt his hands quiver as he planted the first seed. He knew what he was doing was against the wishes of the king of the mountain, and he was fearful of the price. Yet, there was so much to gain. Tobacco plants could stretch until the mountaintop if only the farmers had enough backbone to take the leap.
The earth was parted and the seed buried.
That night he dreamt of the king. They were in a forest facing each other. The king tapped the ground three times and small men sprang from the earth. The king said something Anselmo couldn’t hear and the small men ran towards the edges of the forest.
Anselmo and the king were left alone, but it seemed that the king couldn’t see the scared man. The king tapped the ground three more times and even more small men appeared. Alfonso was curious so this time he followed the small men to see what they were doing.
As he reached the end of the forest he gasped at the sight, rows of tobacco plants that extended towards the horizon. He had never seen so many tobacco plants. The small men were busy planting even more tobacco. Anselmo counted hundreds, no thousands of small men toiling in the fields.
He grabbed one of the small men and asked what they were doing. “Why this is for the king, of course,” said the small man, “the king needs his tobacco to smoke.” The small man then turned his back on Anselmo snickering at such a stupid question.
The dream ended there, with the small man and the tobacco plant. Anselmo’s heart was pounding, it was yesterday when he planted the first seed and he wondered what his punishment would be.
He agonized for days, wondering if he should take back the seed he planted. His mind raced for months about what his punishment would be.
Still, nothing happened. The sun still rose and the moon faded into the night. The roosters crowed at the same time every day and the tobacco plants grew around Kanlaon as they always have.
Soon, others noticed that Anselmo was planting above the line. Their eyes grew greedy with the promise of gold and they too took tobacco seeds and planted where Anselmo did.
And again, nothing happened. Kanlaon was filled to the brim with tobacco.
There were those that tried to warn the farmers. “Remember what the king said! If we plant here then he would carry all the tobacco away and smoke it all!”
Their cries fell on deaf ears. Money blinds even the most humble of men.
In the night there would be those that huddled around campfires and told the story of the king of the mountain. How he had absolute power over the earth, but sought to live alongside humans rather than rule over them.
They recounted how he had asked the people not to plant above a certain line that he had ordered his small men to draw around the mountain near the top. They told of the day when the king left. How the people shed tears at the kings pronouncement.
“I only ask that you will not plant above the line, if you do I will take all the tobacco away and no more shall grow along the mountainside until I have smoked it all.” The king tapped the ground and opened the earth, disappearing into the mountain.
The people kept their promise until Anselmo, of course.
Throughout all this he planted more tobacco. He remembered the dream, how he wished that his fields would look like the king’s, stretching until the horizon.
Years passed and the people forgot about the king of the mountain and their promise to him.
The mountain of Kanlaon was covered entirely by tobacco plants and the people grew rich and fat from their harvests.
Even the most humble of the people joined in the lavish fiestas that were held. It seemed like nothing could stop their celebrations of the people’s newfound wealth.
That is, until the earth opened and the king of the mountain returned.
Anselmo was the first to flee. He could feel the rumble in his bones and he knew the day of reckoning had come. He didn’t even look back as made a dash for the foot of the mountain.
It was a terrible sight to behold. Once filled with tobacco, Kanlaon was now bare. The farmers could not believe that their crops had disappeared so easily, but they had forgotten the true power of the king.
There was silence among the people, as if they knew what was about to happen. Suddenly the mountaintop exploded into the air, creating a crater filled with smoke and fire.
This was too much for even the bravest of them. The people fled in all directions, fearful of the king’s wrath.
That night Anselmo dreamed.
A thick cloud of smoke appeared before Anselmo. He coughed until he saw the king smoking tobacco. He went down on his knees and asked for forgiveness.
Again, the king did not notice his presence. He tapped the ground three times and small men appeared. The small men then brought more tobacco for the king to smoke.
Smoke filled the mountain, filling each crevice. It was an oppressive force. Anselmo felt his chest about to explode from inhaling so much smoke.
Then he awoke.
Years passed by and there were those that returned to the mountain. They set up their villages along the sides, but no one was brave or foolish enough to grow tobacco on the mountain.
No one knows what became of Anselmo, some say the king stole him away for special punishment. Others say that he moved far away, trying to escape the king’s wrath.
It does not matter, for the people know they are complicit in his crime. Nothing will be planted on Kanlaon for generations.
Not until the king is done smoking his tobacco.
*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino
Story adapted from THE TOBACCO OF HARISABOQUED http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/pfs/pfs03.htm
Hari sa Bukid Illustration by Camille Chua
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