*Note this story is in Ilocano
Ado a sarsaritan ti nangnangeg ni Arturo’n. Maysa kadagitoy ket no kasano a paamwen daytoy a di-matatao ket agbalin a natulnog a katulungan.
Ti ubraen na laeng ket mangabut ti tallo nga balitok a bu-ok sadiay ngato ti ulo na ken dapat isuna keta addan to lang diay likudan toy tikbalang ingana lumagton to daytoy iti nakangatngato ket makalabes banbantay ken kabaybayan. Nalaka nga ibaga ngem narigat a maubra.
Ni Arturo ket desperadon. Kasapulan na ti kwartan ken ammo na met nga dakkel a tulong ti maysa a tikbalang kanyana. Ammo nanto met a haan to suna malipatan diay tikbalang no isuna ket maabak. Dagitoy ket mangteted ti saksakit, ngem ana kadi ti kabutbuteng na nga unay? Isunan ket masakiten, diay oras na ket tumartaray ket masaysayang laeng ken kasapulan na ti mamati. Haan na met ngarod kayat nga panawan pamilya na nga addaan to ti dakkel a utang, problema weno saksakiten nakem.
Timmakder ni Arturo sadiay sango ti dakkel a kayo iti Balete and nagpukkaw suna a mangay-ayab kadagiti di-matatao. Mano oras sunan a mang-mulmulagaten kadetoy a lugar a napunwan sipnget, awan pay boses nan a rumwar gapo ti kapupukkaw, nem dikwan adda nakita nan.
“Sika a muttaleng a tao, ana ti kaaddam ditoy,” imbaga diay makitkita na.
“Adda nak ditoy tapno amluyen ka,” sungbat ni Arturo.
Napunwan ti nakabutbuteng a katawa ti inwar daytoy a di-matatao, maysa a di pay pulos nangeg ni Arturo.
“Adon ti pimmadasen ket napaay da. Anan to koma met ti adda ta panunot mo a gapo a sika ti makapa-amo kanyak?”
“Awan bibyang mon kadaytoy panpanunotek, kitam no ana ti maarimadak.”
“Isu a, kitan ta.”
Simyag ket dinarop ni Arturo tay Tikbalang. Nagaraw daytoy a Tikbalang ket marigrigatan a makakapet ni Arturo. Diay ima ni Arturo ket kaslang awan serbi na kanyana, ngem itul-ituloy na latta. Napigsa iti patinaken na ket pinanunot na iti pamilya na ken no kasano da agdedepende kanyana. Haan nan to met kayat paayen isuda.
Ginabot na diay umuna a bu-ok. Kasta unay ti iryag na tay tikbalang gapo iti nakaro a sakit, ngem awan bibyang na ni Arturo. Ginabot na tay akadwa ket nakita nan nga adayo dan sadiay ayan ti Balete. Haan na ammon ti ayan dan a bantay a nangidandanunan tay di-matatao, ngem awan latta bibyang na.
Maysa laeng nga bu-oken ti kasapulan nan. Medyo nagalis ket haan na maiggaman nalaing tay bu-ok ti tikbalang isunga nga inkarkaro na ti panagbekkel na kadetoy a tikbalang ta haan to met suna matinnag.
Makitkita nan a sumingsingising ni Apo Init sadiay adayo ket napanunot nan a ado nga oras gayam ti naglabasen a adda isuna sadiay likod tay tikbalang. Mabanbannogen tay tikbalang, bumaybayag gargaraw nan ket umadado iti kamali nan.
Pumangpangaton ni Apo Initen ket ammon jay tikbalang nga isunan ket nabanbannoken ket natnag sadiay sango ti duduugan a kayo iti Balete. Kimmita isuna ken Arturo a nakaiggemen ti tallo a balitok a bu-ok na.
“Nangabak kan.”
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English Version
Arturo had heard the stories before. How the creatures could be tamed to become your loyal servants.
All he had to do was snatch the three golden hairs at the top of its head and then stay on its back until it was done jumping into the sky and going over the mountains and seas, easier said than done.
He was desperate, he needed money and he knew that the tikbalang could help him. He also knew that they would not forget him if he failed. They brought sickness, but what did he need to fear? He was already sick, time was slipping away from him and he needed something to hold on to. He didn’t want to leave his family behind with debt and regret.
Arturo stood in front of the Balete tree and called the creature out. It had been hours staring in the dark, his throat almost raw from shouting, but then he saw a figure.
“Foolish human, why have you come here,” the figure said.
“I am here to tame you,” was Arturo’s reply.
A wild laughter erupted from the creature, like nothing Arturo had ever heard before.
“Many humans have tried and failed. What makes you think you will be the one to tame me?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think, only what I will do.”
“Very well then.”
Arturo launched himself at the tikbalang, its chaotic movement challenging his grip. Arturo arms seemed to be failing him, but he held on. He thought about his family and how they always relied on him. He would not let them down.
He picked the first golden hair. The tikblang screamed in pain, but Arturo didn’t mind it. He picked the second and saw that they weren’t in the field with the Balete tree anymore. He didn’t recognize the mountain that the creature had taken them to, and he shook off the curiosity.
There was still one more hair left. The tikblanag’s mane didn’t give him a lot of traction, and he held tight against the creature’s neck.
The rising sun was visible in the distance and Arturo was surprised he lasted hours on the tikbalang’s back. The creature was getting tired, its movements slower and less erratic.
As the sun rose in the distance the tikbalang fell exhausted in front of its Balete tree. It looked at Arturo, now holding its three golden hairs.
“You have won.”
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*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
Tagalog translation by Jerald James G. Montgomery
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Jerald James G. Montgomery
Inspired by the Tikbalang description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Tikbalang Illustration by Leandro Geniston