It was the last evening of the year and the rain still wouldn’t leave Danica alone. The sound of her chattering teeth joined the raindrops in a melancholy symphony. She huddled against her bare legs and naked feet to lure the last bit of warmth her body could give.
The hand me down slippers that her mother gave were much too big and they had fallen off while she ran for shelter. Danica noticed that one of them fell into the gutter and the other seemingly disappeared in the dark street.
So there Danica was, alone in the cold and damp, clutching her sampaguita flowers close to her chest. It was a slow day, not many cars were about and she hadn’t sold a single string of sampaguitas. No one had given her so much as a peso.
The lightning lit up the sky and the poor girl retreated into her corner. She didn’t dare go home, for she had sold nothing and her father would surely be angry with her. At home it was cold as well since the winds would surely come violently through here window and leave her room wet and freezing.
Her small hands were shivering. She held her flowers close and breathed in their scent. Danica always found comfort in the smell of flowers, they reminded her that there were still beautiful things in the world, if one cared to look.
The streetlights cast shadows that played in front of Danica’s eyes. She noticed that across her was a furniture shop. The lightning filled the street and for a brief second she could see into the store.
There was a table and on it was a lily white tablecloth. Beautiful silverware sat there surrounding a whole roast lechon. The pig was staring right at her and she thought she could see it smiling.
The spell of the scene broke as the thunder rang in Danica’s ears.
The roof above her began to leak and the raindrops mixed with her tears.
This year, Christmas was more somber than happy. It had been a difficult time; her father had lost his job in the factory and began to drink his problems away. Her mother tried to find work as a cleaning lady, but she wasn’t able to make enough for all their needs.
And lola Fatima, the only person who had loved her, was now no more. There was a pain in Danica’s heart that never went away after that.
Another bolt of lightning struck near, illuminating the street. Thousands of small lights danced in the air, and wonderful colors played in front of her. The little girl reached out and tried to grab them, but the light disappeared and once again, she was left alone.
She looked to the sky and waited for the lightning to come, and the sky answered her prayer. It was again light and in that radiance stood lola Fatima, so bright and lovely, with a smile that made the hurt in Danica’s heart leave.
“Lola!” The child cried out. “Please let me come with you!” She knew that her grandmother would disappear as soon as the thunder came rolling in, just like the floating lights. Danica’s breath stopped as thunder shook the windows around her.
But Lola Fatima did not disappear. She was surrounded by beautiful creatures, their skin porcelain white and their faces calm. They waved at Danica and she smiled back.
And all of them, the creatures and Lola Fatima stretched out their arms to the girl as if beckoning her to come. Danica stood up and walked to her lola. She wanted most to just feel warm again, to ignore the rain and the cold and be with someone that loved her.
The lightning struck one final time and Danica disappeared with the flash of light.
Some say that she ran away, preferring a life on the streets to her own home life. Others say a rich man found her and gave her a home and that she lives with him now as his adopted daughter.
Still one story persists, one where the girl finally finds peace in a heaven filled with beautiful faeries where she is finally safe and warm in the embrace of her lola.
————————–
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Story inspired by the Faeries of Niza description in Tuwan Nahuda. Narrated by Muham Julasman. in Voices from Sulu A Collection of Tausug Oral Traditions. Rixhon. 2010.
The Faeries of Niza Illustration by emirajuju
IG: https://www.instagram.com/