*Note this story is in Tagalog
Iyon ang parehong ngiti.
Sa pagkakaalala ko, naroon na si Basilio noon pa man. Sa sandaling panahon, tama si Lola: siya ang proteksyon namin.
Sa loob ng anim na taon, iyon na ang naging ikalawang tirahan ko. Pilit mang itago ng mga nakakatanda, alam kong may isinisikreto ang sarili kong pamilya mula sa akin.
Sugarol si Itay, habang lasinggera naman si Inay. Dahil sa unos na ito kung ituring, minabuti na lamang akong kupkupin ni Lola at nina Tito.
Hindi nila nakitang pabor ang pagbuo ng sarili nilang pamilya, kaya naman dahil na rin sa pagiging nag-iisang anak ko, sa akin nila piniling ibuhos ang pagmamahal nila sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay nila sa akin ng mga regalo.
Masaya naman ako sa mga ginagawa nila para sa akin, pero kung may hihilingin man ako, iyon ay ang hindi na sana ako maging mag-isa.
Una ko siyang nakita sa ilalim ng puno ng mangga. Hindi ko iyon malilimutan dahil ang araw ding iyon ang huling araw na kinita ko si Itay, at saksi ang mga pasa kong nakuha mula sa kanya.
Umiiyak ako noon nang marinig ko siya sa unang pagkakataon.
“Huwag mong hayaang mahulog ang mga luha mo, ayaw kong mabasa ang bahay ko.”
Tumawa ako. Alam kong nagbibiro lang siya.
“Anong pangalan mo?” Tinanong niya ako.
“Cruz ang tawag nila sa akin.”
“Apelyido mo iyan, hindi ba? Lahat ng nandito ay mga ‘Cruz’.”
“E, iyon ang tawag nila sa akin.”
“Ano namang itinatawag mo sa sarili mo?”
“Ian.”
“Ian, ako si Basilio.”
“Anong nilalang ka?”
“Kung hindi mo man napapansin, isa ako sa mga munting espiritu.”
“Hindi pa ako nakakakita ng espiritu noon, malit man o malaki.”
“Kung ganoon, hayaan mong ako ang una mong makilala, Ian.”
“Basilio.”
Mula sa araw na iyon, naging sanggang-dikit kami hanggang sa limitasyong maaaring maging magkasama ang tao at espiritu. Itinuro niya sa akin ang mga salamangka ng kanyang uri habang ako naman ang nagbigay sa kanya ng halakhak.
Nalaman ko ang patungkol sa pumapalibot na mga elemento at kung paano sila hamunin.
Minsan, may isang tikbalang na nagtangkang magnakaw ng pangdisenyo mula sa punong tinitirhan ni Basilio, kaya nang wala nang iba pang paraan ay ginawa niya kung ano ang ipinagbabawal.
Dahil maaaring manirahan ang mga espiritu sa mundo ng mga mortal, may mga pagkakataong nagagawa nilang gamitin ang mga kapangyarihan nila sa pamamagitan ng mga tao.
Sumanib sa akin si Basilio at pinalayas ang tikbalang, ngunit hindi ito nakalagpas nang walang kapalit: napunta ako sa mundong hindi ko kilala. Nakita ko kung ano ang itinatago mula sa mga mortal. Dahil sa pangyayaring ito, humingi ng tawad si Basilio sa akin.
Kung hindi niya iyon ginawa, malalagay sa panganib ang buong pamilya ko. Wala siyang ibang hiningi kundi ang pagiging bukas ko sa kanilang mundo.
Tinuruan niya ako, at hinayaang makita at maranasan ang pinanggalingan niya.
Isang espiritu ng lupa si Basilio. Marami siyang mga kaibigan, at hinayaan akong magpahinga sa lilim ng puno niya.
Hindi man lumalayo sa kalupaan, ngunit inilalabas ng Idemonon ang daliri nito palabas.
Maraming mga patiyanak ang nagliliwaliw. (Natutuhan kong bukod pa sila sa mga naririnig ko dati mula sa mga kwentong-bayang mga sanggol na kumakain ng laman.)
Tagapagkasundo rin si Basilio. Mayroong pagkakataon noon isang araw bago ang kaarawan ko, kinailangan niyang ipag-ayos ang isang Nuno at isang Lamam nin Lota, parehong makapangyarihang nanirahan noon sa mundo. Pareho nilang inaangkin ang isang bahagi ng lupa malapit sa tirahan ng mga tao, at upang pahupain ang galit ng mga espiritu, maraming alay ang kinailangan, na siya namang ginustong sarilihin ng magkaaway na elemento.
Ang naging solusyon ni Basilio ay ang hatiin ito sa kanila.
Sa dami ng alay, kaya nitong punan ang pangangailangan nilang dalawa: ang parte ng tag-ulan para sa nuno at ang parte ng tag-araw para sa laman nin lota.
Bumuntong-hininga si Basilio nang sa huli ay sumang-ayon din sila.
“Hindi ko inakalang gagana iyon.” Pag-amin niya.
Pero alam kong kaya niyang gawin iyon.
Kaya niyang gawin ang lahat.
Lumipas pa ang mga taon at mas tumibay pa ang pagsasama namin. Dama ko na ang pagdaloy ng mundo ng mga espiritu sa aking mga ugat.
Magkasangga kami laban sa lahat.
Lumitaw ang ngiting iyon.
Maaari kong sabihin kung kailan ang eksaktong pagkakataong naramdaman kong may mali. Naging mabigat ang pakiramdam ko sa paligid.
Katatapos lang noon ng tag-ulan, at hindi naman ‘di pangkaraniwan ang manuluyan pansamantala ang ibang mga espiritu sa puno niya.
Hindi siya tumigil sa pagngiti.
Naging buwan ang mga araw at ginawa niya ang mga ginagawa ni Basilio: magkasundo, tumawa, at pumrotekta.
Kalaunan, humiling siya ng hindi inaasahan. Sinabi niyang mayroong darating na espiritu ng unos at mangangailangan siya ng lakas upang protektahan ang tirahan namin.
Sinabi niya noong hindi niya ako hahayaang maranasan iyon ulit, ngunit kaibigan ko siya, at nagtiwala ako sa kanya.
Mabilis lang ang ritwal subalit kahindik-hindik. Itinulak niya ang parte ng kaluluwa kong nakatali sa pisikal na mundo, at doon ko napagtanto.
Hindi iyon si Basilio.
Hinintay niya ang pagtatakip-silim para kumbinsihin akong saniban niya.
Ginamit ko ang kapangyarihan ng kaluluwa ko at nilabanan ang panghihimasok nito.
Ayon sa pamilya ko, hindi ako pumayag na iwan ang puno sa loob ng isang linggo. Tinatanggihan ko raw maging pagkain at tubig.
Nalaman nilla ang patungkol sa mundo ng mga espiritu at hinayaan akong makipaglaban. Labanan iyon ng loob. Muntik na akong matalo ng pekeng Basilio kung hindi lamang ako napaalalahanan.
Sinaktan niya ang kaibigan ko, at walang anumang makahahadlang sa pagganti ko para sa kanya.
Pagkatapos ng ikapitong araw ay sumuko siya. Alam ng espiritung iyong hindi ako manghihina. Posible ring siya ay nainip. Hindi ko alam.
Namayani ang katahimikan sa paligid pagkaalis niya.
Wala na rin si Basilio. Wala na ang aking kaibigan.
Sa pagdaan ng mga buwan, hindi na nanuluyan pa ang mga espiritu sa puno bilang patunay at parangal sa dakilang espiritung una nang nanirahan dito.
Ngayon, nananalaytay sa akin ang kapangyarihan ng mundo ng mga espiritu. Dama ko pa rin ang presensya ni Basilio. Naniniwala pa rin akong hindi pa siya tuluyang nawala.
Humingi ako ng tulong sa Nuno, Patiyanak, Lampong, at iba pang mga espiritu ng lupa.
Sabi nila, Binagoonan ang pangalan ng pekeng Basilio. Isang espiritu ng pandaraya.
Hahanapin kita, Basilio.
Hahanapin kita, kaibigan.
=——————————-=
English Version
It was that smile.
Basilio was there ever since I could remember. Lola always called him our guardian, and for a while, she was right.
I had only been there for twelve seasons. There was my second home. The elders tried to shield me from the realities of my family, but I knew.
Papa was a gambler.
Mama was a drunk.
And I was taken from there by my lola and titos, given shelter from the storm.
I am an only child and my relatives never saw fit to make their own families. They doted on me and have me gifts, their language of love.
While I appreciated their efforts, I just had one wish.
I wanted not to be alone.
I first met him under the mango tree. It was the last day I had set eyes on my father and the bruises were testament to that.
My tears were falling on the tree’s roots and I heard him for the first time.
“Please don’t let your tears fall, I don’t like my house to be wet.”
I sensed that was a joke and gave a giggle.
“What is your name?” He asked.
“People call me Cruz.”
“That is your last name isn’t it? All those in this abode are ‘Cruz’”
“That is what they call me.”
“What do you call yourself?”
“Ian.”
“Well then hello Ian, I am Basilio.”
“What are you?”
“If you haven’t noticed I am one of the small spirits.”
“I’ve never met a spirit before, small or otherwise.”
“Then let me be your first. Hello Ian.”
“Hello Basilio.”
Since that day we had become close as a human and spirit could be. Basilio taught me the magics of his kind and I kept him laughing.
I learned about the elementals that surround the physical world and how to challenge them.
There was a time a tikbalang spirit tried to claim Basilio’s tree for its own designs and Basilio had no choice but to do the forbidden.
Spirits can live in the physical world and in certain cases they can augment their power through mortals.
He possessed me and banished the tikbalang.
But that did not come without a cost.
The moment we mended I was thrust into a foreign world.
I could see what was kept from human eyes.
And Basilio was so very sorry.
If he didn’t fight off the tikbalang then the entire family would be in danger. His only recourse was to open myself to the spirit world.
And then my lessons came.
He exposed me to the realm from where he originated.
Basilio was an earth spirit and he had many friends that he invited to rest in the shadow of his mango tree.
The Idaemonon would not leave the ground but its fingers would poke out from the earth.
Many brown-skinned patiyanaks frolicked. (I learned that the patiyanaks were different from the flesh eating demon babies I had heard of in many legends).
Basilio was also a mediator. There was a time right before my birthday that he had to settle a dispute between a Nuno and Lamam nin Lota, both very powerful spirits that inhabited the earth.
They both claimed a patch of ground was their domain. This specific lot was near human settlements and to placate the spirits, many sacrifices were made there and each of the earth wanted it for themselves.
Basilio’s solution?
They would share.
The sacrifices were many and the bounty could be spread to both. Each would take the lot for a season, the rainy for the nuno and the dry to the lamam nin lota.
They greed and Basilio let out a sigh of relief.
“I didn’t think that would work.” He confessed.
But I knew he could do it.
He could do anything.
The years passed and we became stronger together. The flux of the spirit world finally flowing in my veins.
It was us against the world.
And there was that smile.
I cant tell you when exactly I felt something wrong. The atmosphere just felt weighted.
It was after rainy season and it wasn’t out of the ordinary for the spirits to dwell (temporarily) in his tree.
He wouldn’t stop smiling.
The days bled into months and he did what Basilio does: mediate, laugh and protect.
Then he asked the unthinkable.
He told me that there was a great spirit of the storm that would pass and he needed strength to keep it from destroying our home.
Before he had always said that he would never let me go through that again.
But he was my friend. I believed him.
The ritual was quick and brutal. He pushed back the part of my soul that tied me to the physical realm, and then I knew.
The spirit wasn’t Basilio.
It bided its time through the sunsets until it could convince me to be possessed.
But the real Basilio’s teachings were etched into my memory.
I summoned the power of my soul and fought back against the intrusion.
My family said I refused to leave the tree for one week, rejecting offers of food and water.
They knew of the spiritual world and let me have my battle.
It was a fight of wills. The fake Basilio nearly broke me if not for the reminder.
He hurt my friend.
And there was no way in the many layered worlds that I would not avenge him.
After the seventh day it had given in. That spirit knew I would not falter. Or maybe he just got bored, I do not know.
Once it left only silence reigned.
Basilio was gone.
My best friend was gone.
In the coming months the spirits rested in the tree no longer, a silent testament to the great spirit that once called it home.
Now the power of the spirit world runs through me. I could still feel Basilio’s presence and I think he may not be gone for good.
I asked aid from the Nuno, the Patiyanak, the Lampong and other earth spirits.
They told me that the fake Basilio was named Binagoonan, a spirit of deceit.
I will find you Basilio.
I will find my friend.
=—————————=
*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 Dave Cábbuy
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Dave Cábbuy
Inspired by the description in Pinatubo Aytas: Continuity and Change. Shimizu. 1989. pg 57
Illustration by Von Milano used with permission from Rob Martin of Pine Box Entertainment and Secret Garden Games
