*Note this story is in Ilocano
“Pardasam! Adda ditoyen!” Agtartaray ni Jason iti tuktok ti bantay. Kasla bumtak ti puso ni Nick ti panagriknana. Saan a naparagsit nga ubing ken dina koma kayat a maipalagip dayta a kinapudno, ngem kanayon laeng a kasta. Ni Jason ti kasingedan a gayyemna isu a no man maiduron nga agaramid iti baro a padas ket gagangayen a paset ti biagna.
Inkarigatan ni Nick a kinalay-at dagiti maudi nga addang agingga iti ngato ti bantay, sana intupak ti bagina idi madanonna daytoy. Gagangay nga adda ni Jason iti abayna ket kumustaenna daytoy, ngem iti dayta a gundaway ket nakarkaro ti gagarna a kumita ni Nick iti babada. “Ania kadi aya ti makapasiddaaw ta pinapagnanak iti banbantay ken -” Ket nakita ngarud ni Nick.
Maysa daytoy a sementeryo – ngem saan a kas ti gagangay a kaammuan. Dose-dosena, wenno ginasut a tultulang ti nuang ti naiwaras iti sakaanan ti bantay. “Wen, husto ka. Talaga a nakakaskasdaaw daytoy,” inyarasaas ni Nick. ”Imbagak met kenka,” sungbat ni Jason.” Ngem saanmo pay a nakita ti naisangsangayan a pasetna.”
Indalan ni Jason ida iti katultulangan a kabakiran. Nadlaw ni Nick a saan a kumpleto dagiti tulang. Adda dagiti dadakkel a paset nga awan, aglalo iti likod a parte. Madi ti rikna Nick kadayta, ngem talkenna ni Jason nga awan ti madi a mapasamak. Kankanayon.
“Agulimekka. Adda ditoyen,” inyarasaas ni Jason. “Talaga?”Namatmatan ni Nick ti bato a rupa a gandat nga ulyen ni Jason. “Agulimekka kunak, ta baka mariingmo.” Inyapput ni Jason ti dakulapna iti bibig ni Nick. “Seryosoak.”
Idin ta nagunggon ti daga. Ginuyod ni Jason ti takkiag ni Nick sana inturong iti sirok ti kayo. “Ania daydiay?” Mangrugin nga agdanag ni Nick. Intudo ni Jason iti ngato ket naammuanda ti gapu ti ginggined. Nakaal-alingget daytoy. Timpuar daytoy kadagiti kaykayo ket nagungor a kasla gurruod.
“Saannatanto a makita ditoy sirok ti kayo. Urayenta nga agsubli a maturog,” impasingked ni Jason. “Nagbalonak ti makan.”
Nagsennaay ni Nick. Dagiti kastoy a bambanag ket kanayon a mapasamak no kadduana ni Jason.
=———————=
English Version
“Come on it’s over here!” Jason was running over the hill. Nick felt his heart almost burst. He wasn’t the most athletic child and he didn’t like being reminded of that fact, but this was always how it went and Jason was his best friend so being pushed to do new things was a fact of life.
Nick struggled up the last few steps of the hill and he dropped as soon as he reached the top. Jason was by his side as always, asking if he was okay, but this time he was more exited to get Nick to look below the hill. “What could be so cool that you made me walk through a bunch of hills and—–“ Then Nick saw it.
It was a graveyard, but not by any normal standards. Dozens, maybe hundreds of carabao skeletons were scattered around the foot of the hill. “Okay, you were right, this is really cool,” Nick whispered. “Told you so,” Jason replied, “But you haven’t seen the coolest part.”
Jason led them though the skeletal forest. Nick noticed that the bones were never complete, there were giant chunks of them missing, mostly from the back, he didn’t think this was a good idea, but he trusted Jason and that always worked out fine. Mostly.
“Be very quiet. It’s through here,” Jason whispered. “Seriously?” Nick was looking at the rock face Jason wanted them to climb. “I said be quiet, you don’t want to wake it up.” Jason clamped his hand over Nick’s mouth. “I’m dead serious.”
Suddenly the ground shook. Jason grabbed Nick’s arm and he dragged him under a nearby tree. “What was that?!” Nick was starting to get frantic. Jason pointed upwards and Nick saw the cause. It was terrifying. It towered over the trees and it roared with a voice like thunder.
“It won’t see us from under this tree, we should wait until it goes back to sleep again,” Jason said. “I brought food.”
Nick sighed. Stuff like this always happened with Jason.
=——————=
*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Inspired by the Bungisngis entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971. and in 101 Kagila-gilalas na Nilalang. Samar. 2015
Bungisngis Illustration by Leandro Geniston fromAklat ng mga Anito
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