*Note this story is in Tagalog
Ulan na walang mga ulap.
Doon siya lumilitaw.
Sinumpa?
Hindi ba’t ganoon din tayong lahat?
Isa siyang mito, ngunit isang makabagong mito.
Sa nag-iisang kuwento ng kanyang nakaraan, kilala lamang siya bilang isang magandang dalaga kung titingnan mula sa harapan, at isang payat at pagod na kabayo naman kung mula sa likuran.
At ang iba pang mga kuwento ay masasabing halos hindi mapapatunayan ang katotohanan.
Ang sungay.
Ang anyo ng isang kabayo.
Ang kasakiman ng kanyang espiritu.
Sinumpa?
Isa sa maraming bagay na ginawa sa kanya ng mga diyos ng kanyang mga kababayan.
Ang kasakiman at ang bahagari.
Dumura siya sap pag-iisip pa lamang niyon.
Ngunit totoo pa rin siya.
Kinuha ko siya bilang proteksyon; ginto ang ibinayad ko. Hindi matanggihan ng anggitay.
Sa larangan ng negosyo ko, nagbabantay ang pangabin sa bawat sulok. Ako ay isang kolektor ng iba’t ibang artifact, at ibinebenta ko ang mga ito sa pinakamataas na mag-aalok ng presyo
Pero siya ang premyo.
Darating ang araw na mabibigo siya, at tatayo ako sa ibabaw ng kanyang naghihingalong katawan upang kunin ang nararapat mula sa kanyang kaawa-awang anyo.
Ang kanyang sungay.
Maganda ang magiging presyo nito.
=———————=
English Version
Rain without clouds.
That is when she appears.
Cursed?
Aren’t we all?
She is a myth, but a modern one.
In the only story of her past, she is known only as a beautiful maiden from the front and a haggard mare from behind.
And the other tales border on the apocryphal.
The horn.
The form of a horse.
The greed of her spirit.
Cursed?
One of the many things done to her by the gods of her people.
Greed and the rainbow.
She spits at the thought.
But she is real all the same.
I have hired her as protection, my payment in gold. Irresistible to the anggitay.
In my line of business danger flirts in every corner. I am a collector of various artifacts, selling them to the highest bidder.
.
But she is the prize.
One day she will fail and I will stand over her broken form and claim from her wretched body.
Her horn.
It will fetch a fine price.
=————————————=
*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Ailene Pasco
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Ailene Pasco
Inspired by the Anggitay legends from Maximo Ramos’ Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology by Maximo Ramos.
Illustration by Von Milano used with permission from Rob Martin of Pine Box Entertainment and Secret Garden Games
