*Note this story is in Bicol Sorsogon
Sadto may sarong urit na babayi na warang pakadtuan. Naputos sang grabeng sakit ang lugar, ang mga tawo sa probinsya niya ay warang mahimo kungdi magtarago para makalikay sa pagwagas sadi.
Lain niya balay ang lugar na ini, igwa siya pamilya didi, totoo, pero awat na niya gusto makita ang mga daragkuong biga na abot sa mga dampog, ang kadagatan ning mga tawo na lain matapos tapos, ang mga halawig na gab-i kaupod ang mga barkada, nag iirinuman ning alak.
Nang ang mga adlaw nagging semana, nadagdagan lang ang kamunduan niya.
Wara sing paagi na makahali siya sa balay niya, kungdi madadakop siya ning mga opisyal.
Nilibang niya ang sadiri sa mga libro, pero nabasa na niya ining intiro. Ingtesting niyang libangon ang sadiri san mga gadyet na dinara niya hali sa balay niya, pero wara man nangyari maski gustuhon niya. Ingtesting niya maghimo ning tugtog pero wara siya ning inspirasyon.
Wara siya ning kung nano sa buhay niya.
Wara didto maski papan-o.
Sarong adlaw niraot siya sang kamunduan. Lain niya natagalan ang upat na pader sa kuwarto niya na wara man kadamhalan saiya.
Naghulat siya hanggang sa turog na ang pamilya niya (nang sana pati ang mga guwardiya man) nang nagdalagan sa tinampo na bagang buang.
Kung kaya nga lang masiriyak siya hanggang sa langit, sa wakas igwa na siya ning diyot na kalayaan.
Nang ayos na idto, maski para sa sarong gab-i lang.
Amo na ini ang ginibo niya pirmi, ingtetesting ang sadiri na gibuon ang mga pwede niyang himuon.
Hanggang sa sarong gab-i.
Nalibang siya sa paros na lain niya napansin ang ilaw na nagsusunod saiya. Nagdalagan kuta siya, pero lain niya aram ang parteng ini ning lugar nang inasahan na niya na madadakop siya.
“Psssssssssst. Hoy didi.”
Sa kaduluman, ang boses lang na hali sa puno ning Galawin ang nababati niya. Narumduman niya ang mga istorya ning lola niya, tungkol sa mga tawo sa lipod na nag iistar sa mga puno.
Napag isip isip niya na mas mayad pa na magkadto sa puno kaysa sa madakop nang bayaan nalang na kuwaon siya ning kaduluman.
May diyot na ilaw na nagliwanag (na laum niya) na hali sa laog ning puno.
Nakaingkod sa atubangan ang sarong nilalang, nagsatawo, natatakluban sang mga retaso ning kumot.
Siya ang unang nag istorya.
“Kumusta.”
Suminimbag ang nilalang na nakangirit.
“Kumusta, nano ang pangaran mo?”
“Ako si Julie, maugma akong makilala ka.”
“Hulat lang, pero nanong klaseng tawo ka?”
“Sana aram ko kung nano ako. Aram ba talaga natun kung nano kita?”
Napahilom si Julie sa sinabing ini ning nilalang.
“HAHAHA, nag titiaw lang ako. Kamong mga tawo grabeng kapikunon sa mga tiaw.”
“Pasensya na, lain lang ako sanay–”
“Na makakita ning tawo sa lipod? Kadamuan sa mga tawo, may rason nakay ang tawag ninda saamon alamat para makuwa ang gusto ninda.”
“Nano ang gusto mo?.” Happy ni Julie.
“Gusto ko lang makabulig,” Simbag ning tawo sa lipod na nakangirit ruluwason ang ngipon.
“Nanong ibig mong sabihon?”
“Sa pamati ko kaya ko mag paugma sing mga kalag,” (Napansin ni Julie na tiaw ini)
Naghangos si Julie, “Lain ko na kaya mag estar didi, lain di sa lugar na ini, lain na. Sana magkapakpak ako para makalayog ako pabalik sa balay.”
“Sa pagkita mo mas mapapaayad sada ang pamati mo? Namati ko wara man daw mutang didto.”
“Balay man gihapon.”
Tuminango ang tawo sa lipod, “Sa panahon sang pagsakit wara ning mas mamayad pa sa lugar kung sain pwede mo iluwas ang namamatian mo.”
“Oo, kita mo nasasabutan mo. Lain parehas ning pamilya ko.”
“Aram ko gusto ka lang ninda mapaayad.”
“Papan-o? Sang mga nakaagi na semana mas lalo akong nadunot. Lain ako makahiwag, lain ako makapag isip. Ni lain ko kaya maki isturayhan sa mga barkada ko kay maraot ang signal didi.”
“Nang ikaw man.”
“Oo.” Nag ingkod si Julie nang nilubog ang ulo sa mga kamot niya.
“Naisip mo ba na basi lain man tungkol saimo?”
“Baga kang ang nasa balita.”
“Lain mo naisip na may punto sinda?”
“Di aram mo ang nangyayari?”
“Pag may daragkong bagay na arug sadi ang nangyayari, ang mga tawo sa lipod nag iiristuryahan sa kada saro.”
“Sain mo ini namati?”
“Sa paros na nakiagi, pero lain na ina importante.”
“Nakay yadi ka pa? Nakay lain ka magbulig na mawara ini?”
“Lain ko na ina kaya.”
“Nakay kinakaistorya mo ako?”
“Kay para kung lain ko kaya ayuson ang dakong problema maski kuta ang–”
“Ayuson ako?”
“Kaya ko porbaran.”
“Anuhon pa? Malamang magkakarulusaw nalang ako sa kuwarto ko, habang iniisip kung nano ang gigibuon hanggang sa maipit na ako sing mga pader.”
“Mas gusto mo ina kaysa sa–”
“Kaysa sa mamatay?”
“Lain man ako patal, aram ko ang mga pwedeng mangyari. Kung lain ako mamatay sada basi ang quarantine amo. Nararamdaman ko na ang sadiri ko na nagbubuhi.”
“Nakakilala na ako sang mga kaparehas mo dati. Ang may pagkamoot. Ang maisog. Ang mga tawo na kayang silaban ang sadiri ninda mamatian lang na buhay sinda.”
“Kitaa—aram mo—”
“Nang idto na mga wara pakiaram sa mga luha na binibilin ninda.”
“……”
“Pirang raot na mga puso ang binayaan mo? Pira ang rinaot mong mga kalag kay wara ka mahimo nang gusto lang mag porbar ning bag-o?”
“Lain ina patas.”
“Bihira man sana ang kototoohan.”
Hilom na nag ingkod si Julie kaupod ang tawo sa lipod.
”Wara na sinda.”
Didto lang nakamangno si Julie na nagdudulag palang siya sa mga guwardya.
Kinita ni Julie ang tawo sa lipod nang nagpasalamat sa oras sadi.
Bag-o siya maghali nilingag niya ini nang hinapot, “Pwede ako magbalik sa aga? Gusto ko man gihapon maki isturyahan saimo.”
“Lain mo kaipuhan magkadi didi. Batiun mo lang ang paros sa gab-i.”
Nang habang kinita ning Dawinde na nagdadalagan ang babayi pabalik sa balay ngumirit ini.
Kung wara na iba pa,
Mabuot ‘yun.
=—————————-=
Once there was an angry girl with nowhere to go. A great sickness enveloped the land, and the people in her province had no choice but to close themselves off to avoid its spread.
This place was not her home, she had family there, true, but she longed for the giant girders that reached the clouds, the bustling sea of people that never seemed to end, the long nights spent with friends over a glass of wine.
And as the days passed into weeks, her loneliness only grew.
There was no way she could leave her house, lest she get caught by the officials.
She would have lost herself in books, but she had read them all. She tried to escape into the bright screens she had brought from home, but they didn’t work as fast as she had wanted them to. She tried to make music, but she had no muse.
She had nothing in her life.
Not there at least.
One day the loneliness broke her. She couldn’t stand the four walls of a room that had no meaning to her.
She waited until her family fell asleep (and hopefully the guards as well) and ran through the streets like a madwoman.
If she could she would have screamed at the heavens, finally she had a small bit of freedom.
And that was enough, for at least one night.
This became her routine, trying to stretch her body and pushing the boundaries of what she could do.
Until one fateful night.
She had lost herself in the breeze that she almost didn’t notice the flashlight moving towards her. She tried to run, but this part of the town was unknown to her and she fully expected to get caught.
“Psssssssssst. Over here.”
In the darkness, she could only hear that the sound came from the Galawin tree. She remembered the stories that her lola would tell, about spirit beings that inhabited the trees.
She figured that she’d rather take her chances in the tree than get caught and let the darkness take her.
A small light illuminated (what she assumed was) the interior of the tree.
Sitting in front of her was a creature, human in form, covered with a patchwork of fungus and moss.
She was the first to break the silence.
“Hello.”
The creature replied back with a warm smile.
“Hello, what is your name?”
“I’m Julie, it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Excuse me, but, what ARE you?”
“I wish I knew myself. Do we really know what we are?”
Julie met this statement with a confused silence.
“HAHAHA, I’m just kidding. You humans are so touchy when it comes to jokes.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just not used to—”
“Seeing a spirit? Most humans are, there’s a reason why we’re regarded as legends used by people to get what they want.”
“So,” Julie looked at the creature, “what DO you want?”
“I just want to help,” the creature replied with a toothy grin.
“What do you mean?”
“I figured I could lift some spirits,” (Julie later realized this was a joke)
Julie sighed, “I can’t stay here, not in this town, not anymore. I wish I could just grow wings and fly back home.”
“Do you think that would make you feel better? I hear it’s pretty empty there as well.”
“It would still be home.”
The creature nodded, “In times of strife nothing is more comfortable than being where you can let your heart out.”
“Yes, see you understand. Not like the rest of my family.”
“I’m sure they only want what’s best for you.”
“How? The past few weeks I’ve gotten more broken. I can’t move, I can’t think. I can’t even talk to my friends because the signal here is miserable.”
“And so are you.”
“Yes.” Julie sat down and buried her head in her hands.
“Did you ever think it might not be about you?”
“You sound like everyone on the news.”
“You don’t think they have a point?”
“So, you know what’s going on.”
“When something as big as this is happening, the spirits tend to talk to one another.”
“Where did you hear it from?”
“A travelling breeze, but that doesn’t matter.”
“Then why are you still here? Why don’t you help get rid of it?”
“That is beyond my powers.”
“Why are you even talking to me?”
“Because if I can’t fix the bigger problem then at least I can—”
“Fix me?”
“I can try.”
“Why bother? I’ll probably just melt into my room, trying to figure out what I can do before the walls start to close in.”
“Would you rather that than—”
“Than being dead?”
“……”
“I’m not stupid, I know the risks. If it doesn’t kill me the quarantine just might. I can feel myself slowly slipping away.”
“I’ve met your kind before. The passionate. The brave. The ones willing to set themselves on fire just to feel alive.”
“See—you know—”
“And those that don’t care about the tears they leave in their tracks.”
“……”
“How many broken hearts have you left behind? How many spirits have you shattered just because you became bored and wanted something new?”
“That’s not fair.”
“The truth seldom is.”
Julie sat in silence with the creature.
“They’re gone now.”
It was then that Julie remembered that she was actually running away from the guards.
Julie looked at the creature and thanked it for its time. Before she left she turned to it and asked, “Can I come back tomorrow? I’d still like to talk to you.”
“You don’t have to go all the way here. Just listen to the night air”
And as the Dawinde saw her running back to her house it smiled.
If nothing else,
It would be kind.
——————————————————————-===
*The Bikol languages or Bicolano languages are a group of Central Philippine languages spoken mostly in the Bicol Peninsula in the island of Luzon, the neighboring island province of Catanduanes and the island of Burias in Masbate. There is a dialect continuum between the Visayan languages and the Bikol languages; the two together are called the Bisakol languages.
The Tabaco-Legazpi-Sorsogon (TLS) dialect is spoken in the eastern coast of Albay and the northeastern part of Sorsogon. TLS is the dialect that has been most influenced by the Inland Bikol languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Bicol Translation by Rochelle Jarque
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Rochelle Jarque
Dawinde illustration by Marko Mikhal Gomez Deposoy
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