Another auction was about to start. The curator was used to pieces mor macabre than artistic, but this one sent shivers through her body.
The name of the piece was “Madonna and Babe.”
She sighed.
“The next item up for bid starts at 30 million.”
=——————————-=
A battered woman.
An innocent child.
A beast that would bring them peace.
=——————————–=
Looking at the wretched item of wood, the buyer grimaced.
“So what is the true story?” He asked. “This wasn’t carved. I can see no evidence of that, not even a chip.”
The curator sat at the table across the buyer.
“I believe you have heard tales of the Angongolood?”
“Ah yes, I know the stories. Are you saying this—–”
“Yes.”
“What a wonderful addition to my private collection.”
The curator had to hide her disgust.
Tried and failed.
“You disapprove” The buyer caught her eye.
“I hope you enjoy it,” she said. “I have other matters to attend to.
She stood up and walked out of the room, her footsteps punctuated by the buyer’s glee.
At the end she was still human and shed a tear for the mother and child.
*The Anglolood is a humanoid beast. It embraces its victims and turns them into trees.
=——————–=
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Based on the Angongolood description in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010.
Illustration by Juneo “Bainite” Fernando used with permission from Rob Martin of Pine Box Entertainment and Secret Garden Games
