*Note this story is in Tagalog
Sa kaibuturan ito’y naghihintay.
Hindi lahat ay alam ang kaniyang kuwento, ngunit marami ang nakaaalam kung anong klase ito.
Ang moon-eaters.
Ang mga celestial na halimaw.
Ang leon. Ang alimango. Ang higante. Ang ibon. Ang ahas.
Ang dragon.
Lahat sila ay dumaan sa pating, at ibinaba ito sa kalaliman na tinatawag nitong tahanan.
Mayroon bang isang kuwentong dapat sabihin?
O lagi lang itong nandiyan?
Maaaring gutom ang nagtutulak sa hayop, tulad ng halimaw, tulad ng alakdan. Ano pa ang magiging biktima ng pating kundi ang init ng isang buwan?
Maaari rin itong paglaruan, tulad ng leon. Ang buwan ay isang higanteng orb na pumupukaw sa atensyon ng halimaw. Ano pang elemento ang maaaring makaakit sa pating?
Maaaring ito ay galit, tulad ng alimango. Ang pating
ba ay supling ng araw at buwan? Nangangahulugan ba ito ng kabayaran laban sa mana mula sa mga magulang nito na hindi nito alam?
Maaaring ito ay paghihiganti, tulad ng higante. Ang pating ba ay isang mortal na nilalang? Nagdulot ba ito ng galit sa mga diyos? Ano ang nangyari dito na inilipat ito sa kalaliman ng dagat?
Maaaring ito ay kadiliman, tulad ng ibon. Kapag nakumpleto ng pating ang kaniyang gawain at ang mundo ay nahulog sa anino, ano na ang susunod na kakainin nito?
Maaaring bahagi ito ng nature niya, tulad ng ahas. Sa pag-iral ng mundo, bahagi ba ito ng pag-ikot?
At nariyan ang kuwento ng dragon.
Bawat nilalang ay alam ang kuwento nito.
Ang pitong buwan. Ang diyos Bathala.
Ang gahaman na dragon.
Ang pating ay naghihintay, hanggang sa iba ay mamatay, sa mga tunog ng sangkatauhan.
May isang kuwento sa pinaniniwalaan kong totoo.
Ang mga celestial na nilalang, na tinatawag na moon eaters, ay bahagi lahat ng mundo. Bawat isa ay may kanya-kanyang dahilan para kainin ang buwan o ang mga buwan.
At doon nakatira ang pating.
Ang pinakamahinang nilalang, bigo itong makuha ang midnight orb.
Ulit.
Ulit.
At ulit.
Alam na nito ang kabiguan at hindi na susubok muli, hanggang sa malaman nitong matagumpay niyang makukuha at premyo.
Sa tahanan nito sa kalaliman ay nagkukunwari. Alam nitong hindi magiging kasinglakas ng iba, hindi kasing galit, hindi kasing gahaman.
Ang poot nito ay mas tumindi, hindi poot sa iba, kung di poot sa sarili nito.
Bakit pa ito inilagay sa mundo kung magiging hindi siya kasinglakas ng iba?
Sa tubig ikinukubli nito ang kaniyang mga luha.
At naghihintay.
Hanggang sa gumabi.
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English Version
In the depths it waits.
Not many know its story, though others may know of its kind.
The moon-eaters.
The celestial beasts.
The lion. The scorpion. The crab. The giant. The bird. The snake.
The dragon.
They all pass over the shark, relegating it to the depths it calls home.
Is there a tale to tell?
Or has it always been there?
It may be hunger that drives the beast, like the scorpion. What other prey will the shark have if not the warmth of the waning moon?
It may also be for play, like the lion. The moon is a giant orb that catches the beast’s attention, captivating it. What other element could enthrall the shark?
It may be anger, like the crab. Is the shark the offspring of the sun and moon. Does it mean retribution against the inheritance from the parents it never knew?
It may be revenge, like the giant. Was the shark ever a mortal being? Did it incur the wrath of the gods? What happened to it that relegated it to the watery abyss?
It may be darkness, like the bird. When the shark completes its task and the world is plunged into shadow, what will it eat next?
It may be a part of nature, like the snake. In the machinations of the natural world, is it part of the cycle?
Then there is the tale of the dragon.
Every being knows its story.
The 7 moons. The god Bathala.
The greedy dragon.
The shark lies in wait, until the others have fallen, to the sounds of humanity.
There is one tale which I believe to be true.
The celestial beings, called the moon eaters, are all part of the world. Each having their own reason to capture the moon, or moons to be more precise.
And it was there that the shark resided.
The weakest of the pack, it failed to capture the midnight orb.
Again.
Again.
And again.
It had known failure and would not try again, not until it knew it could successfully take its prize.
In its home in the deep it connives. It knows it will never be as strong as the others, not as angry, not as hungry.
Its hatred multiplies, not against the other beings, but against itself.
Why was it put on this earth if only to be last place?
The water hides its tears.
And it waits.
Until the night.
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*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Gabriela Baron
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Gabriela Baron
Story inspired by Baconaua entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Baconaua Illustration by Benedict Jose Villarante