*Note this story is in Waray
“Sayo nala nga tsansa! Mao nala ak puyde mahatag saim bago ko ikaw tanggalon!” Ginlamba niya an purtahan ngan nahibilin si Josh nga nag iisip kun paanano niya mahihimuan paagi an sitwasyon.
Upat ka bulan nga problema sa pagbyahe an kanya gin-aatubang. Imposible nga an pag-upay kay mahuhuman dayon kahuman sa mga panhitabo, o bangin sabotahe samtang gin kukunbinsir ni Josh an kanya amo. Kadamo ura-ura sa mga dudrungan nga panhitabo para magin iba la ine.
Sa una nga bulan kay may landslide nga nahitabo ngan napunggan an bug-os nga kalsada. Tulo ka semana nga paglimpyo sa mga bato an dapat himuon ngan grabe ura-ura an gastos. Harani na sa pagigin over budget in nga trabahuon ngan dire na maupay.
Kahuman sa pira ka semana, bug-os na mismo nga mga trak an nagkakawara ngan dire nira mahibaruan kun sin-o may sala. Bisan padamuon pa an paragbantay kay wara gihapon pulos kay uro-utro la an nahitatabo ngan nagtikadako la an kanra gasto. Di na naruyag si Josh nga sugad nala siton pirme. Iba an basulon sa imo sala, pero maaram siya ginhimo la niya an mga tama nga butang. Yaon gud sine may sala, dapat yaon gud.
Naghulat si Josh sa construction site. Maaram siya nga pag abat sa iba nga trabahante mali na siya napapalingki, pero wara siya labot siton, mao pa nga yaon dapat himuon nga trabahuon. Mabug-at an kamera nga kanya dara, di siya danay namamati pero di man siya bungog. Delikado na an kanya trabaho, mao nga di na siya matuyang nga di kuhaon an tsansa sa kanya kinabuhi. Bisan nano nga ebidensya sap ag sabotahe kay puyde na para la mahibaruan nga dire siya an may sala.
Mga alas dos sa kaadlawon san yaon siya nahumot nga mali nasusunog. Naisip niya nga mao na ine an kanya tsansa, yaon naruyag sunugon an kanra trabahuan. Mao nga dinalagan dayon siya tikadto sa mabaho nga nahuhumot samtang dara-dara niya an kamera.
Paglabay sa tulo kaadlaw, ginlabog sa amo an mga nabilin nga gamit ni Josh ngadto sa basurahan. “Kakarag”. Wara gud niya naisip nga talawan si Josh pero ananuhon man nga may mga tawo nga di gud masarigan. “Nilarga siguro kay kadako ura-ura sine nga responsibilidad”, kanya sugad sa kanya kahampang. “Yana ako lugod an maglilimpyo sine nga kanya mga samok.”
An nahibilin nala kay an kamera ni Josh. Gin imdan sa kanya amo an mga piktyur pero wara siya iba nga naimdan kundi puro manla mga lawas saa puno. “Kawara pulos”, mao an kanya nabagaw samtang ginlalabog niya iton sa basurahan.
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English Version
“One more chance! That’s all I’m giving you before you’re fired!” The door slammed shut and Josh was left wondering how he could salvage the situation.
Four months of logistical nightmares were staring him in the face. There was no way the development could be completed after the setbacks, or sabotage as Josh kept trying to convince his boss. Too many coincidences were happening for it to be anything else.
The first month a landslide happened, completely cutting off the road. 3 painstaking weeks of clearing the rocks had to be done at a very expensive cost. The project was already dangerously close to becoming over budget and that tipped the scales.
A few weeks later whole trucks were being stolen and no one could find the culprit. Increasing the security was useless since it just kept happening and more money was being spent. Josh couldn’t handle it anymore. It was one thing to be blamed for your own mistakes, but he knew he did everything right. There was someone behind this, there had to be.
Josh waited at the construction site. He knew his workers were thinking he was crazy, but he couldn’t care about that, not when he had work to be done. The camera felt heavy in his hands, he was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid. His job was already at risk, he wasn’t going to take chances on his life. Any evidence of sabotage would be enough to clear him of any fault.
It was about 2 AM when he smelled smoke. He knew this was his chance; someone was trying to set the compound on fire. He ran towards the acrid smell with his camera ready.
Three days later his boss tossed the remains of Josh’s belongings in the garbage. “What a waste.” The man never thought that Josh would be a coward, but people had a way of disappointing you. “He probably ran away because it was too much responsibility,” he said to no one in particular “Now I have to clean up his mess.”
The last thing that was left was Josh’s camera. His boss looked through the pictures and saw nothing but tree trunks. “Useless,” He said as he tossed it in the trash.
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*Waray is the fifth-most-spoken native regional language of the Philippines, native to Eastern Visayas. It is the native language of the Waray people and second language of the Abaknon people of Capul, Northern Samar and some Cebuano-speaking peoples of eastern and southern parts of Leyte island. It is the third most spoken language among the Visayan languages, only behind Hiligaynon and Cebuano.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Waray translation by Jmee Juanerio
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Jmee Juanerio
Inspired by the Aniani entry in Myth Museum. Medina. 2015.
Aniani Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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