*Note this story is in Chavacano Zamboanga
Chene maga momento ta keda anyos si kere kita. El hora muchu amo,pero el bien mapwersa kon todo el meido. Ese iyo ya aprende kwanto anyos ya ya pasa.
Ele… Ele.. Nusabe iyo quilaya iyo detalla si konsa man akel. Ensegida le ya aparese.
No, Hendeh presto. Ta akorda yo el sunor del bayle de maga ojas. El blando risas de un hombre, y el olor de tabako. Ese hendeh gad iyo ay puede ulvida.
Alto ele. Mas alto kontra na maskin quien gente ay pwede keda. Ya supla le humo del de suyu sigarilyo y ya mira le kumigo.
Bien muchu iyo kosa ta ase de akel diya. Ta trabaha yo na un palayan serka na buukan. Mientras ta ase seka kunel maga ropa. kay para timing el ani si sinta ya yo na sombra de pono de balete
Ya dispierta yo y talya ele. Yan mirahan kame na unu y otro, que ya tarda como kwanto dia. Despues, ya kiembra el silencio cuando ya komberza le.
“Hola, Ta ama iyo kuntigo”
Chene maga cuentos acerca na maga kapre ta kere na maga mojeres. Ta acorda gane yo el cuento del un mojer kun nombre Juana. Que ya pursuegi kunele el un kapre y ka converti el kapre de suyu itsura y forma na nobyo di Juana. Ya tira kunel kapre maga bala estaba na pusil de maga pulis. Pero cuando ya mira sila kunel kapre ya incuntra sila pono de saging kun maga aguero de bala.
Hendeh con migo puede ayuda el maga bala ahora. Nusabe yo si kosa ay puede. Tres palabras lang kel pero ya ase con migo paralisao na miedo y ya empesa yo llura cuando ya kontesta yo.
“Nukere iyo kuntigo, nukonose gane yo kuntigo”
El itsura del de suyu kara ya abla con migo el kosa yo debe sabe. Ya ase yo kunele sinti duele. Mas de dolor na puede saka si ya tira kunele bala de un pusil.
Ya puma le otra vez y yan sonrisa.
“Konose lang tu con migo, y ama tambien tu con migo”
Despues ya perde para alya na suyu pono.
El kosa maka estranya na todo, que amo el kosa le ya abla. Cuantos anyos ya pasa, ya expectao yo chene con migo pursuigi un burujo, Ni nuay yo expectao kay ele ay keda miyo amigo, y mas pa.
Na de atun vida, chene gad maga kosas quita ta expecta que hendeh na sosede. Muchu gad sorpresa na di atun maga vida.
El kapre talya na primer vez ya sinti duele el miyo corazon, kada playto del di miyo pamilya. Talya ele cuando ya muri el miyo mayor anak y cuando ya keda grande el miyo otro .
Ta dale le sinti suyu presensya na kada ulan de pyedra na di amun kasa, El olor de sigarilyo que ta liba el biento. Sabe yo tali lang ele pirmi. Ta protehe na silencio.
Ta devolve yo kuneste na manera que to pricura yo proteje kunel di su yu kasa, El pono de balete como kasa ya tambien di miyo. Cuantos notches ta mira yo maga estrellas na ciello mientras tanto ele ta mira con migo.
Ta sinta iyo aki, Otchenta verano ya ya pasa na miyo vida, y taki iyo na pono del bale junto kunel miyo amor.
“Konose yo kuntigo y ta ama yo kuntigo”
=—————–=
English Version
There are moments that stretch into years if you let them. Time has many masters, but none more potent than fear, this I learned many years ago.
It….He… I don’t know how to describe whatever it was. It just suddenly appeared before me, no, not suddenly. I remember the sound of rushing leaves, the soft laughter of a man and the smell of tobacco. I could never forget it.
He was tall, taller than any human had any right to be. He took a puff from his cigar and just stared at me.
I’m getting ahead of myself. I was doing chores in the field next to the forest, drying the laundry and making sure that the harvest would be ready when I sat under the Balete tree for some shade.
I woke up and he was there. We stared at each other for what felt like days, until he broke the silence.
“Hello, I love you.”
I had heard stories of the Kapre falling in love with human women before. I even remember a story of a girl named Juana who was stalked by her Kapre and the creature even changed form to be that of her lover. It was shot at by police officers but when they looked at the creature they only found a tall banana tree with bullet holes.
Bullets couldn’t save me now, I didn’t know what could. Three simple words were all that it took to paralyze me with fear and I cried as I said my reply.
“I don’t love you, I don’t even know who you are.”
The look on the Kapre’s face told me all I needed to know. I had hurt it. Far more than if I had taken a gun and shot it.
He took another drag out of his cigar and smiled.
“You will know me, and you will love me.”
Then, he vanished into his tree.
The strange part was he was right. Years had passed and I expected to be stalked by a monster, I had never expected that it… he… would become my friend, and then something more.
Life is full of expectations that are never met; it is even more full of surprises.
The Kapre was there through every broken heart, every fight with my family. He was there when I lost my first child, and when my other children grew to be strong.
He would show his presence in the small ways, a shower of stone outside my house, the smell of his cigar wafting on the wind, but I always knew he was there. A silent protector.
In return I would never let anyone harm his home, the Balete tree was as much my home as it was his. I spent countless nights, watching the stars with him watching over me.
And here I sit, 80 summers have passed through my life and I am under the Balete tree with my love.
“I know you, and I have loved you.”
=———————–=
*Chavacano or Chabacano refers to a number of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Chavacano-Zamboangueño Translation by JC Duterte
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © JC Duterte
Inspired by the Kapre Myths and description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Kapre Illustration by Abe Joncel Guevarra
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