*Note this story is in Bisaya
Naa ba kay amigo duha ang kinabuhe
Naa sekreto ang mga tao nga ge tago, kadaghanan nila dile ka maka to-o pag nka kita naka diha nka maka huna-huna.
Ang sekreto na usab ba?
Dli ko ka tubag anang pangutanaha.Pagka kita nako kinsa siya…Dli na parehu saonaang pag tanaw nko sa among duha.Karon wla nko kaila sa eyaha.
Nahibaw-an ra nko pag ule namu.Tunga na sa kagabheon ug pag abot namu sa kilid sa sapa nakita namu wala nay bangkero nga mo labang sa amo padung sa atbang.
Mo balik na unta ko sa baryo.kay mangita ug katulganan..Pero akung amigo ni ingon nga makalabang rata.
Pag pangutana nko,Unsaon nato pag labang?? Ni ana sya pas-anun ra tika.
Ni katawa ko abe nko bino-ang.
Pero tenu-od eya jud g buhat,ni lupad me ug kalit na murag langgam.Nahadlok ko gamay pero nabati nko ang kagawasan nga nag lutaw lutaw me sa kahanginan.
Hapit me na hulog sa among pag lupad,kay naa koy dala nga suwa sa bulsa,Ang mga katiguwang-ngan ni sulti nga depensa ang suwa sa mga ungo.Mo bugat elang pamate.
Akung amigo kay ungo man
Akung gi labay ang suwa gikan sa akung bulsa.Ug gkana-ug ko sa pikas na dapit sa sapa,sukad ato wala nami nag kita o nag storya pa.Perokahibaw ko naa sya pag salig kanako kabahin sa eyang secreto.
Disidedo ko na dli mo storya sa among secreto.salig ra sya sa ako na dli ko mo traydor.
Pero usahay maka mata ko sa tunga sa kagabhiun mag hunahuna.
Amigo ba nko sya? O ako ang sunod niya nga pag kaon.
————————–
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?
————————–
*Visayan (Bisaya or Binisaya) is a group of languages of the Philippines that are related to Tagalog and Bikol, all three of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Most Visayan languages are spoken in the whole Visayas section of the country, but they are also spoken in the Bicol Region (particularly in Masbate), islands south of Luzon, such as those that make up Romblon, most of the areas of Mindanao and the province of Sulu located southwest of Mindanao. Some residents of Metro Manila also speak Visayan.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Bisaya Translation by Cresencio Vidal Jr.
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Cresencio Vidal Jr.
Based on “The Aswang of Baco’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.
Aswang (Tagalog) Illustration by Ysa Peñas
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
