“Don’t fall in love with me.”
Mabel’s eyes widened in surprise, it wasn’t what she expected Tonio to say, but she would play along.
“That may be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.” She looked at him and they both knew that they were leaving the past behind. What was important now was what they did in this moment.
She didn’t care what their parents would say. She didn’t care that people didn’t like his family. The stories and rumors could throw themselves off a cliff.
She was happy. With him she was finally happy.
And that was all that mattered.
The birds stared as mute witnesses at the two lovers as they kissed passionately in the starlight. They dared not disturb the sanctity of the moment. Their time would come soon enough.
All they had to do was wait.
The couple stared into each other’s eyes and wanted so desperately for the moon to keep still, but time has no master. The first slivers of sunlight danced past the dense forest and found their place on Mabel’s shoulders.
“It’s too late now.” Tears were filling her eyes. “My heart’s already yours.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of—“ Tonio started
“I’m scared too.” Mabel took Tonio’s hands and pressed them against her heart. “You don’t think I hear them talk? Yesterday Lola Lena told me that your whole family was cursed and if I was going to be with you then that meant that I would be cursed too. But I just want the chance to love you.”
Tonio wiped the tears away from Mabel’s cheek.
“Please.” Her eyes were weapons he was powerless against.
He kissed her again in the morning sunlight and she knew she had her answer.
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Tonio still remembered her taste, no matter how hard he tried to banish the memory from his mind.
It was so intoxicating, so exhilarating.
So delicious.
“No,” he thought “I can do this for her. Nothing is more important to me than her.”
He repeated the words in his head until it became something that resembled truth.
The birds were perched on a nearby balete tree. He could feel the weight of their stares bearing down on his soul.
He breathed in deep and chose to ignore the voices in his head that told him this was a mistake.
Today would change things, today would be the day he would run away with Mabel and they would begin a new life away from their families, away from this town.
“Away from the hunger.” He so desperately wished that would be true, but he had to accept that it would be part of his new life, a life that he chose willingly.
Tonio stood by the river and waited for his future bride. Everything in him told him to tell her that he was Malain it ginhawa – of a different breath, but she would never understand.
“My heart’s already yours.” He thought back to her words, when he could feel her heartbeat through her chest.
Already his mouth began to water, but he fought it off. He hoped she would get here soon.
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“I keep telling that boy not to play with his food.”
Mabel didn’t know where she was, there was something covering her eyes. The voices around her sounded familiar but she couldn’t remember where she had heard them before.
“She’s too thin, barely enough for one meal.”
“Oh hush, you could stand to lose a few pounds.”
“Now sisters, remember why we’re here, the food can wait, what we need to do is to teach that boy a lesson.”
Mabel could feel something sharp press against her neck.
“Now which part would be best?”
“Remember what she said, sister?”
“Oh yes, that would be perfect.”
The only ones that heard Mabel’s final screams didn’t care, they had a job to do.
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The sun was setting as Tonio awoke from his nap.
The birds were gone from their perch and he knew that it only meant one thing. He ran back to his house praying he would find nothing.
There was a box waiting at his front door, on it was a card that read “We knew you were hungry.”
Tonio opened the box and wasn’t surprised at its contents. What surprised him was how quickly his mouth began to water.
His stomach rumbled and he realized he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“Oh well,” he thought “No sense in letting this go to waste.”
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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Aswang description in Amburukay. 2015. Sugidanon (Epics) of Panay. Caballero & Caballero-Castor trans Magos.
Aswang (Kinaray-a) Illustration by Kim Santiago
FB: Art of Kim Santiago
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