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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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Story inspired by Baconaua entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Baconaua Illustration by Benedict Jose Villarante
