*Note this story is in Aklanon
Maubra ko ra sa sueud it daywang minuto.pilang metro malang sa sunud nga building ag maka daeagan akut madasig batyag mu ing tagipusuun Ursa padtu sing siki.ing Altima gapang eamig ag Gina hueasan it maeamig padtu sing likod una eun it pilang uras.
ru Unud sing paa gaumpisa eun magpanghugut..ginhawat madaeum ag bagu dumaeagan it uman…raya eun lang siguru Ang ulihi nga paginhawa.ru kadasig hay gapaeanutsut sa ing eawas..kada eak Ang hay batyag gid nimu.ikaw ru pinakamadasig sa bilog nga kalibutan.ru imung hibayag hay ga traidor raya eun ra imaw eun gid ra..ag ru akun nga planu hay pilang eak Ang eun lang gid …ay nanu hangawa ka kun hamat mas madasig ka ag makaabut sa bukut tamang uras sa mas tempranu..may Baye nga gatueok kimu mapuea ra mata.
ag ru anang uyahun nga may ginatagu ag suminggit it gulpi…Indi!!!may limog sing piniino nga nag hambae nga Indi ta dapat sa makaraya…ring paa hay nagliso ag gindaea ka sa ibang aeagyan..binalik ka sa siguridad nga Lugarhaman uwa lang ikaw magduhung sa baeay.ru disisyun nga inubra mu hay nagbalik ag ikaw hay naeagas..haman uwa gid mabuoe pagdaeagan ko.haman iya gihapun aku sa Lugar ngara..haman uwa aku namati tag may uras pa.
ru limug sing utuk nga galinibut libut..ru kahuy hay tan aw ko eon…Indi eon puydi nga balikun ru mga sanga it nakataliwan.nabatygan ko nga bukun eun gali it limang minuto ru nagtaliwan nga aku hay gadinaeagan.ru kueang sa limang minuto hay bukun man it mabahoe nga depirinsya ru mkarun ag sa bilog nga kabuhi..isang eak Ang lang gid ag una eon aku.isang agi lang gid ag Indi mu eun aku mabooe..
may unang Lugar nga gaisip kapa bagu makasandad sa mga ugat it kahuy. Indi kaeon kabatyag dahil sa gaoy ka eon ag buhi pa ag grabing kalipay ru nabatyagan..hasta binuytan mu ing dughan Indi… Indi…Indi…ru ing piniino hay gasala eon nga may pagkangawa bukun ag haman it makara..hamat bukun tat makara kadasig…ru dugo gaumpisa sa pag ilig padtu sing mga tudlo ag sa ibang parte king eawas ag eambong..haubra ko man ra ag ag dapat maeayu aku sa kataeagman…
ginpiniino Mut Mayad ag sigi eang pabalik balik sing piniino kun Anu natabo.ag abu eon nga dugo ru naduea.dapat eowas aku ruyun ru naisip hasta ipiyung lang gid ru mga mata nga gauy eun.ag raya eun lang ra..basi ulihi eon lag gid ra….
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English Version
“I can make it in two minutes. It’s only a few feet to the next building and I can run fast.” You can feel your heartbeat reverberate to your feet, your hands are cold and sweaty and the chill down your spine has been there for the better part of an hour. The muscles in your legs start to tighten and you take one deep breath before starting your sprint.
“This might be the last breath I’ll ever take.” The adrenaline surges through your body. Each step makes you feel like you’re the fastest person in the world. Your face betrays a smile, “This is it!” you think, “I made it!” Your objective is just a few steps away.
“Oh no.” You don’t know how it got there so fast. You were so sure that you were going to outrun it. The woman stares at you with her bulging red eyes and her hideous face twists in a scream. “No!” The voice in your head shouts “It wasn’t supposed to be this way!”
Your legs take you in the opposite direction, back to the relative safety of the tree. “Why didn’t I stay indoors?” The decisions all start coming back to haunt you “Why didn’t I take up running?”, “Why am I in this place?”, “Why didn’t I listen when I had the chance.” The voices in your head won’t stop screaming.
The tree is in sight now. “It won’t be able to get past the branches.” You realize it’s been less than five minutes since you started running. Less than five minutes would make the difference between now and the rest of your life.
“One more step and I’m there.” Just one last dash and it won’t be able to grab you. There is a moment of doubt before you lunge under the tree and crash into the roots. You don’t feel much of the pain because of your adrenaline. “I’m still alive.” You’ve never been more grateful.
Until you put your hand to your chest. “No, no, no…” Your mind trails off. “It couldn’t have been that fast.” The blood starts to trickle down your fingers onto the rest of your clothes. “I made it, I’m supposed to be safe.”
You repeat those words in your head until there’s too much blood loss.
“I should be safe.” Was what you thought before you closed your eyes, maybe for the last time.
*Aklanon (Akeanon), also known as Bisaya/Binisaya nga Aklanon/Inaklanon or simply Aklan, is an Austronesian language of the Bisayan subgroup spoken by the Aklanon people in the province of Aklan on the island of Panay in the Philippines. Its unique feature among other Bisayan languages is the close-mid back unrounded vowel [ɤ] occurring as part of diphthongs and traditionally written with the letter ⟨Ee⟩ such as in the autonyms Akean and Akeanon. However, this phoneme is also present in other but geographically scattered and distant Philippine languages, namely Itbayat, Isneg, Manobo, Samal and Sagada.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Aklanon Translation by Zaldy M Domingo
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Zaldy M Domingo
Inspired by the Abat entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Abat illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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