*Note this story is in Tagalog
Alam mo ba kung paano ang lumipad? Ang pumaimbulog sa kalawakan nang walang pakialam sa mundo at iwanan ang mga alalahanin ng iyong buhay?
Kaya ko.
Ako at ang anak ko ay tinaguriang mangkukulam ng ilan dulot ng aming kariktan ngunit hindi nila kami naiintindihan; maligno, kahanga-hanga, marilag kung turingan. Wala kaming pakialam sa tinuturan ng mga tao para lang maintindihan kung ano kami.
Naaabot naming ang langit sa kalagitnaan ng gabi sa pamamagitan ng aming mahiwagang langis bigay ng mga anitong aming pinaglilingkuran. Ang maitim nitong kulay ang nagbibigay ng maling akala na may malakas itong mahika ng pinagsama-sama bahagi ng aming kakayahan.
Minsan nakapagimbita kami ng dalawang kabataang lalaki na makapaghapunan sa aming tahanan, binigyan naming sila ng pagkain at matutuluyan, lahat-lahat upang maipagtanggol kami sa aming pagkakalugmok. Napagod sila sa kanilang paglalakbay mula sa probinsiya ng Batangas at sa aming pagkakaalam madali silang masisila.
Ito ay noong naiwan namin sila isang gabing kami’y lumipad at mahanap namin ang langis at makita ang kapangyarihan nito. Ang tao ay lubos na natakot gamitin ito para sa kanilang sarili at hindi ko naman sila masisisi dahil hindi naman naiintindihan ng mga tao, sila ay mga nahihintakutan at sa kanilang takot tumatakbo sila mula rito.
Wala na kaming nabalitaan sa mga lalaking yaon at hindi na rin naman naming gustong alamin pa ang kanilang kalagayan para sa amin mas marami pa kaming masisila bukod sa kanila at sa totoo lang ang malawak na karimlan ng gabi ang amin lang minimithi upang makipaglaro sa kinang ng mga bituin sa saliw ng indayog ng lubos na kaligayahan.
Sa aming mga kauri ang langis ang siyang pinagmumulan ng aming kapangyarihan. Kawangis nito ay likido ng kalayaan. Hinahayaan nito kaming madampian ang pisngi ng Mundo ng Kalawakan at mamasdan ang mga likha na para bang kami ang lumikha.
Ang paglipad ang pinakamataas na antas ng Kalayaan kasama ang langis kami ay lilipad hanggang sa dulo ng walang hanggan.
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English Version
Do you know what it’s like to fly? To soar through the heavens without a care in the world, leaving all the worries of your life behind?
I do.
My daughters and I are called witches by some, beautiful by all. We are misunderstood, maligned, magnificent and majestic. We care not for the petty words used by mortals to try to make sense of what we are.
We can reach the skies in the dead of night through our magic oil, a gift from the spirits that we serve. Its blackish hue belies a magic greater than the sum of its parts.
There was one time when we invited two young men to dine in our house, we gave them food and shelter, all to keep their defenses low until we struck. They were tired from their voyage from Batangas, and we knew they would be easy pickings.
It was when we left to take our evening flight that they found our oil and saw the power it had. The humans were too afraid to use it for themselves, and I could not blame them, what mortals do not understand, they fear, and what they fear, they run from.
We never heard from those men again, and we did not want to, there will be more prey for us to have, and, in truth, the night sky is all we will ever want to have, to flirt amongst the stars in a dance of pure ecstasy.
The oil is more than just a source of magic for our kind. It is freedom in liquid form. It allows us to touch the face of the Skyworld and see creation as if we were gods.
Flying is the ultimate freedom, and with our oil, we will fly until the end of time.
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Inspired by ‘The Magic Oil.’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.
Aswang (Oriental Mindoro) Illustration by Ysa Peñas
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