*Note this story is in Cuyonon
Ang timpo datoanay, mi isarang tao nga kakonkon i’ kambing o isarang kambing nga kakonkon i’ tao. Ara tana ingboat kondi agpamadlek sa mga tao sa Bicol paagi sa anang oyeng makaradlek. Ang korimaw nga dia ingtatawag nga Laqui.
Isarang adlaw, mi isarang batang babai ang akabagat sa laqui. Ingsamitan nang panolayan ang bata por midio sa anang marimong oyen, tay agkadlaw lamang ang bata.
“Ara ako iaadleki kanimo!” makon ang bata. “Way, imong oyen pakadlaw!”
Indi maelaman i’ ang laqui kong anonong boboaten, ara tana pa kabagat i’ tao nga ara iaadleki sa anang oyen. Ingpanolayan ig ingadlek-adlek na pa ra ang bata apang agasabat lamang ang bata i’…
“Imong oyen pakadlaw ingan-ingan!” siagit i’ ang batang babai.
Indi pa ra maelaman i’ ang laqui kong anonong boboaten. Agisip tana i’ pamaagi agod maadlekan ang bata.
Screeeeeeeeee! Screeeeeeeeee!
Agsiagit i’ patorobabaw ang laqui. Ang tonog i’ dato aganingal sa bilog nga kageban. Ingsagiap i’ ang laqui ang bata, apang ingetekan tana datong masapoan nang doto pa ra nged ang bata.
“Aroy! Ang ka rimo ra imong bosis.” Ingpatererekan i’ ang bata ang laqui.
Agngereb ang laqui. Saken mi pamaagi nga aadlekan ang batang dia. Animan agboat tana i’ plano.
Nakita ‘ang laki ang maiteng kalipatpat nga agaoni sa anang katepad na pono, ingbe’ras na ang langgam ig ingpakita sa bata.
“Ang ka tinlong langgam!” Agyemyem ang bata.
Golping ingremekremek i’ ang laqui ang langgam sa anang siki, agporasik ang dogo sa oyen i’ ang batang babai.
AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH! AHHHHHHHHH!
Agbatikal ang ogiaw i’ ang pobring bata sa mga pono ig akaina’loy sa kalipay ang laqui. Dali-dali agdalagan ang bata nga agaogiaw paraye.
Ingnisnis i’ ang laqui ang anang siki sa pono ig agngirit.
Beken lamang isara ang pamaagi sa pagpanolay sa mga tao.
English Version
There was once a man that looked like a goat, or a goat that looked like a man. It spent its days trying to scare the people of Bicol through its frightening face. This creature was called the Laqui.
One day, a young girl happened to come across the laqui. It tried to scare her away with its ugly face, but the girl just laughed.
“I am not afraid of you!” said the girl. “I think your face looks funny!”
The laqui didn’t know what to do, it had never come across a human that was not afraid of its face. The laqui tried as hard as he could to scare the little girl but only got her words as a reply.
“Your face is so funny!” the little girl squealed.
The laqui still didn’t know what to do. It started to think about what it could to scare the little girl.
SCREEEEEEEE! SCREEEEEEEEE!
The laqui let out a high pitched scream. Its shrill sound echoed throughout the forest. The laqui turned to the little girl, but was disappointed to find that she was still there.
“Your voice isn’t very nice.” The little girl stared at the laqui.
The laqui grunted, surely there must be a way to scare off the little girl. So it hatched a plan.
There was a small songbird chirping in a tree nearby, the laqui grabbed the creature and showed it to the girl.
“What a cute little bird!” The girl smiled.
Without warning the laqui crushed the tiny bird in its hooves, blood from the creature splattered all over the little girl’s face.
AAAAHHHHHHH! AAAAHHHHHHH! AAAAHHHHHHH!
The screams of the girl ricocheted amongst the trees and the laqui let out a sigh of relief. The girl ran away, screaming as she went.
The laqui rubbed his bloody hooves against the bark of a tree and smiled.
There was more than one way to scare a human.
*Cuyonon is a regional Visayan language spoken on the coast of Palawan, and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Cuyonon Translation provided by Ryan D. Ibañez and Elyn Grace Bagalay
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Ryan D. Ibañez and Elyn Grace Bagalay
Inspired by the Laqui description in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010.
Laqui Illustration by Sofia Marie Cuarto
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