Balbal – Ibanag Translation

*Note this story is in Ibanag

“Wiyyang innang i gukag na kama?” Mahina dang i boses ni Jess ta mippiga ngana itinubbo
tannisa. Megafu ta neyali kami tu ospital, kada gabi na ngana lamang iyavu nu egga i mayan na
gukag na kama na tu mappataki nisa. Tallu vulang tu tests, duwa na medisina ngana i naddalang,
amme na pa rin, adde sangawe, mammapya.

Ammu tu akkang tu balanse i pattolay ngyem sais pala i
dagunni Jess para ta kunne. Awang tu abbing ta mundo i dapat makaramdam tu piga nga aggaw tu
matubbo na dagung duwa na tube tapus awang pa rin tu mala tu sagut. Amme na wiyya.

Inumokkakku quiray na. “Awang tu banig ta gukag na kamang, magibannag ka dang.
Mawag mu i sikan para ta exam mu sonumma, di ba?” Nawawwang i assinni Jess. Babbayag
nekatrugang. Magaling i abbing ta kunne nga ira situacion, kaya ipaddasal ku na lang tu mabalinna
yawe i zigaziga na pattolay.

Ngyem, amme na nabaling. Natay si Jess ta gabi. Nekatrugang nga, ta biko na. I sunud ku
nala tu nakannamwang ay maginna ira nars duwa na doktor tu mappabibibi, makkule. Egga paga
tadday tu nars tu mappigil nyo para masingang nu anni i mesimmu. Vinulunganna ta pwerta at tari
ku nasingang ngaming. Abatakku yari normal tu tube tu masingakku la kada aggaw kani Jess i
nakaipay nisa, ngyem akkang. Duma yari. Dakal tu nagadde ngana ta gukag na kama. Yari la maalala
ta kagabi, tas nesimmu ngana i duma-duma tu bagay ira.

Nawawwang i baggi ni Jess paangay ta morgue. Tabbag na morgue, awang tu mali ta takay,
ngyem amme na nagadde na baggi tannira. Kwakku ngaming i kaya para kani Jess. Egga bi nabida
na nars, tu egga siminallung dati ta third floor na ospital. Baka egga kinalaman na ta
pakkawawwang ni Jess.

Panolikku yayya.

Mapya la metanang.

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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.

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