On any other night she would take advantage of the overcast sky and find fresh victims.
On any other night the sound of church bells would be enough to make her flee.
On any other night the taste of blood in the air would make her smile.
Tonight she sat alone in the square across the church of Santo Stefano. She could feel the lingering ringing of the church bells dig into her bones and she trembled. There was nowhere to run to, not in this land so she waited.
She looked to the sky. It seemed like the stars were hiding behind a wall of clouds, as if they did not want to witness what she was about to do.
Blood. That’s what this all boiled down to. There was blood that needed to be avenged.
She had tracked him across oceans and mountains to get to this place. He thought that distance would be his saving grace. His prayers were left unanswered.
It would be an hour before the service would end and she looked to the San Bernardino alla Ossa. Beings like her had the sight beyond sight and she could hear the old bones clatter in a grisly parade.
They stopped in front of her and beckoned her to join in the dance. She bared her fangs and pointed away, this was no time for distractions.
A small sliver of moonlight escaped the shadows and rested on her shoulders. She closed her eyes and thought of quieter times.
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“Run away! Get the children to safety.”
Marisol laughed. She enjoyed playing with her food. Here wings were more than enough to challenge their short legs. She
licked her lips and imagined the taste of their sweet flesh.
“You monsters won’t get away with this!” The husband brandished a bolo and swung at Marisol. He was too weakened from the blood loss and she ripped open his chest and grasped his still beating heart.
She took a bite out of it, too stringy, she thought, but it made the wife scream out. Food always tasted better if you worked for it that was her mantra.
“Ate! The children!”
“Don’t worry about them Dores, here have some of this.”
Marisol shoved the heart in front of her sister.
“I wish you’d stop doing that.”
“Try some, it’s good for you.”
“What was that? This one is screaming too much.”
Dores took her claws and slashed straight across the wife’s throat.
“Much better. Now where were we?”
“The children.”
“Ah yes, time for us to stretch our wings.”
“Last one to get a piece is a turtle.”
“No fair! You got a headstart!”
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The church bells rang again and her dream dissipated into the night. The crowd was starting to mill around the entrance of the church.
Her mind told her to stop, that it was suicide to continue with her plan.
Her wings stretched out from under her coat and she pointed a nondescript man in a black coat.
“You took my sister away from me!”
She rose high into the clouds, her entrails tailing behind her. She was surprised to find that the crowd didn’t scatter like she thought they would, instead they all grabbed crosses and rosaries from their pockets and started to pray.
“We knew you were coming, monster. And we are prepared.” The man took out a vial of water and tossed it at her.
Her shrill cries echoed through the square. No matter how much it hurt she would avenge her sister.
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“Be careful when you go out to hunt tonight.”
“You always say that, what could happen? The humans are afraid of us and that should help with the hunt.”
“The new priest in town has been giving sermons about us. I overheard the girls in the village talk about it. They said he was giving out holy water to families that lived near the forest.”
“You should stop worrying, he’s only one man. And If he decides to meddle in our affairs then…”
Doris mimed her finger slashing through her throat.
“…Maybe you’re right, after all what can he do?”
“That’s the spirit, now which house are we going for tonight? I heard that the Carpio woman is going to give birth soon, it would be such a shame if something happened to her.”
Marisol’s fangs grew out of her mouth as she gave a twisted smile.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
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Everything was burning, she could almost taste the flames on her tongue. Those damned people wouldn’t stop praying and they kept throwing water at her.
She didn’t know if she was still screaming. It didn’t matter, she only needed to get close enough to him to slash his throat.
That’s all she needed to do. Just one moment was all she needed.
The rattle of bones from the danse macabre stopped as the night sky was filled with a bright flame. The old skeletons didn’t know where the light came from, they would dance all the same.
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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Story inspired by the Aswang (Ilonggo) entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Aswang (Ilonggo) Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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Watercolor by Catherine Chiu
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