*Note this story is in Bicol
Nagkaigwa ka na daw nin amigo na namuhay nin duwang beses?
May mga sektreto an kada tawo, mga sekretong tig tatago. minsan, dai mo linalaoman, asin maaraman mo na kaipuhan mo pa mag pili
May nabâgo daw sa mga sikretong ini?
Dai ko man nanggad nasisimbag an kahapotan na iyan. Kan naaraman ko na sya… bako na kami arog kan dati. Ngonian, dai ko aram kun talagang bistado ko sya.
Naaraman ko kan naglalakaw kami papuli. Matanga na. Kan nakaabot kami sa pampang kang salog, mayo nang parabaroto na madara samo sa saibong.
Gusto kong magbalik na sa baryo, maghanap nin lugar na matuturugan, alagad pinirit ako kan amigo ko ma magbalyo nin salog.
Kan hinapot ko sya kun pano, an sabi nya “papâsanon taka”.
Nagngirit ako. Huna ko nagsusuba lang sya.
Pero dai, namalayan ko nalang, na naglalayog na kami sa panganoron na garo gamgam. May parte sako na gustong matakot, asin may parte man na naoogma sa malaya ka na dara kan paglayog mi.
Kadikit na syang mahulog sa kalangitan nin huli ta may mga limonsito ako sa bulsa. Sabi kan mga gurang, matibay daa ining panlaban sa mga arog ninda. Nagagabatan sinda sa mga limonsito.
Aswang palan an amigo ko.
Binutasan ko an mga limonsito asin binaba nya ako sa balyong salog. Dai na sya nagtaram puon kadto. Alagad aram ko na nagtitiwala sako an sakong amigo.
Napagdesisyonan ko na dai ipagsabi sa iba, nakua na niya ang sakong boot sa pagiging amigo ko asin dai ko siya kayang traydor sa ano man na rason
Alagad minsan dai ako makaturog sa banggi asin nag hohorop-horop
Amigo nya daw talaga ako o sunod na kakanon?
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English Version
Did you ever have a friend that lived a double life?
There are secrets that people hide, some you would never expect and when you find out you have to make a choice.
Does the secret change anything?
I still can’t answer that question. When I found out what he was… well things haven’t really been the same between us. Now I don’t think I ever knew him.
I found out while we were on our way home. It was past midnight and when we reached the shore of the river we found that there was no boatman to bring us across.
I wanted to go back to the barrio, find someplace to stay the night, but my friend insisted that we cross the river.
When I asked how he just said “I’ll carry you.”
I laughed. I thought he was joking.
But he wasn’t and before I knew it we were flying through the air like a pair of birds. Part of me was scared out of my mind, while another enjoyed the freedom that only soaring through the winds could give.
We almost fell out of the sky because I had lemons in my pocket. The elders told me that they were an effective weapon against their kind. The lemons would feel like heavy weights to them.
My friend is an aswang.
I let the lemons fall and he dropped me off on the other side of the river. We haven’t spoken since, but I know my friend trusted me enough to keep his secret.
I decided not to tell anyone, he had earned my trust by being my friend and won’t betray that for anything.
But sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder.
Am I really his friend or his next meal?
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*The Bikol languages are a group of Central Philippine languages spoken mostly on the Bicol Peninsula in the island of Luzon, the neighbouring island province of Catanduanes and the island of Burias of Masbate.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Bicol translation by Kevin Tiambeng and Karl Ian Basilla Basallote
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Kevin Tiambeng Karl Ian Basilla Basallote
Based on “The Aswang of Baco’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.
Aswang (Tagalog) Illustration by Ysa Peñas
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