*Note this story is in Ilocano
Mabuteng nak launay.
Adda paylaeng ni tatang idiay, kadwa na jay halimaw. Ikagumaak ti agbalin nga natured, mangsurot kadakwada ngem awan ti maaramidak a pulos. Maysa nak laeng nga ballasitang nga mangdadael lang ti biag ti tao ti aramid na. Awan pulos ti nasiyaat nga aramid ko.
Nasipnget unay iti kabakiran nga pagnaan isu nga nagdagus nak lang iti maysa nga disu. Imbaga ni manong ko idi nga masarakan da siyak nu agtalinaed nak iti maysa a disu. Ti maaramidak laeng ket agsangit. Kalpasan ti napasamak ken Aura, nu kasatnu nga dangran ti dumalaga ni nanang, nu kasatnu nga nagpukaw ni manong ken ita ti panangtaray ni tatang ti maysa a halimaw, madik lang ammu nu anya ti dakes kanyak.
Siyak laeng ni Teleia, ti bassit a balasitang a di makataginayon a natalged ti pamiliana. Iti kayat nga saw-en ti Teleia ket “kumpleto”. Pinanaganannak ni nanang iti kasta gapu ta kunana nga idi naipasngayak pinagbalinna a kompleto ti pamiliami, ngem pagarup ko a pinisangko laeng ti pamiliami. Kasta unay ti pungtot ko ta nangala nak iti bato ket imbellengko!
Nakangngeg nak iti napigsa nga ikkis ken adda ti nakabutbuteng nga rinumwar ayanti kakaykayuan. Kasla ubing a kas kaniak, ngem magmagna isuna babain dagiti ima na. Permi iti ngisit na, kasla naaramid babaen iti aniniwan. PInadas ko nga agtaray ngem nangrugin nga agsakit dagiti tumeng ko. Permi iti sakit na.
Haan ko maigaraw dagiti sakak isu nga rinugyak nga magna usar dagiti imak. Nasdaaw nak launay ta naglaka lang gayam. Madik pay maaramid iti wheel-carti-cartwheels idi. Ngem ita, magmagna nak kadagiti imak nga napartak, napartak launay. Iti kinaprtak ko, nakaadayo nak iti nakabutbuteng a banag ti nabiit a tiempo.
Maragsakan nak. Panagkunak ammukon ti aramidek. Nagpintas unay ti kabakiran iti rabii. Mabalin ka aglimmeng ti sadinoman! Kasapulan lang nga ituloy ko ti magna usar dagiti imak ta nasakit paylaeng dagiti sakak. Talaga nga nasakit paylaeng dagti sakak nu padasek magna iti normal ngem mayaten. Kastoy ti kasasaad kun ita.
Sumayaat to latta daytoy. Nasayaat to latta ti pamiliak no awan nak.Naamwak nga makaaramid nak iti barbaru nga gagayyem ko. Kasapulak lang nga agbiruk ti baru a kaay-ayam ket agsakit met dagiti saksaka da. Ket magna danto kadagiti ima da, kas kanyak.
Makaaramid nak iti adu nga baru nga gagayyem.
Kasapulak lang ti mangbiruk ti adu nga ubbing nga makaay-ayam.
=———————————=
I’m so scared.
Papa’s still back there with the monster. I tried to be brave and run after them, but there was nothing I could do. I’m just a little girl who keeps ruining people’s lives. I can’t do anything right.
The forest is too dark for me to walk through, so I just stayed in one place. Kuya told me before that if I stay in one place then people can find me. All I could do was cry. After what happened with Aura, how the baby hurt Mama, how Kuya disappeared and now Papa’s running away from a monster, I just don’t know what’s wrong with me.
I’m just Teleia, the little girl that can’t keep her family safe. Teleia means ‘complete’. My Mama named me that because she said that when I was born it made our family complete, but I think I just tore it apart. I was so angry I took a rock and I threw it!
I heard a loud scream and something scary came out of the trees. It was like a child, like me, but it was walking on its hands. It was also very, very dark, like it was made of the shadows. I tried to run away, but my knees started to hurt. It was so painful.
I couldn’t move my legs, so I just started using my hands. I was really surprised that I found it so easy. I couldn’t even do wheel-carti—-cartwheels before! But now I was walking on my hands, really, really fast. I was so fast that I was away from the scary thing in no time!
I was so happy. I think I know what to do now. The forest is so nice when it’s night. You can hide anywhere! I just need to keep walking on my hands because my legs still really hurt. It’s really painful if I try to walk normal but it’s ok. This is how I’m gonna be now!
It’s going to be great. My family’s going to be fine without me. I found out I can make new friends. I just need to look at a new playmate and their legs will hurt too! And they’ll walk on their hands just like me!
I can make so many new friends.
I just need to find more kids to play with.
————————–
Story continued from the Harimodon’s Tale
*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Windelle Faye D Rolleda
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Windelle Faye D Rolleda
Inspired by the Bugsok entry in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010..
Bugsok illustration by Nia Cortezano
Tumblr: http://niakawa.tumblr.com/