*Note this story is in Hiligaynon
“Lakat diri, ari diri!” Si Jason nagadalagan sa lampas sa babaw sang bungyod. Nabatyagan ni Nick ang iya kasing-kasing nga daw malupok. Indi gid man siya ang pinaka-mabukod nga bata kag indi siya kauyon nga padumdumon sang ini, apang amo gid ini ang pierme nagakahitabo kag si Jason iya labing maayo nga abyan gani ang mapilitan magbuhat sang mga bag-o nga butang daw bahin na sang iya kabuhi.
Nabudlayan gid si Nick sang mga ulihi nga metro pasaka sa bungyod kag naghigda siya sang nakadab-ot na siya sa babaw. Si Jason ara man lang sa tupad niya, nagapamangkot kung okey lang siya, pero sa ini nga tion nakunyag siya nga patanawon si Nick sa dalum sang bungyod. “Ano gid ang tigas dira nga ginpalakat mo ako pila ka bungyod kag….” Amo ato ang pagkakita ni Nick.
May sementeryo sa dalum, pero indi ordinaryo nga sementeryo. Pila ka dosena, basi ginatos pa nga kalabera sang karabaw daw gin lapta sa tiilan sang bungyod. “Okey ah, ensakto ka, grabe gid man ini gali, “ hutik ni Nick. “Siling ko gid sa imo ih,” sabat ni Jason, “Pero wala mo pa nakita ang pinaka-tigas nga parte.”
Gindala siya ni Jason sa kalasangan sang mga kalabera. Nadiparahan ni Nick nga ang mga tul-an indi kumpleto, may mga bahin sang mga kalabera nga wala na, laban ang mga bahin sa likod, pamatyag ni Nick nga indi ini maayo nga magsigue pa sila lakat sa sementeryo sang mga kalabera sang karabaw, pero may salig man siya kay Jason kag laban-laban sa maayo man lang ang nagakahitabo sa punta. Laban-laban.
“Hipos ka lang, ari diri ang alagyan, “ hutik ni Jason sa iya. “Tu-od bala?” Ginatan-aw ni Nick ang daw bukid sang bato nga gusto ni Jason ila taklason. “Siling ko sa imo hipos lang bala, basi ma pukawan mo pa siya.” Gintakpan ni Jason ang baba ni Nick sang iya kamot, “Seryoso ko bala.”
Gulpi lang nag-uyog ang duta. Ginkaptan ni Jason ang butkon ni Nick kag iya siya ginbutong pakadto sa dalum sang isa ka kahoy. “Nano ‘to man?!” Nagasalasala na si Nick. May ginatudlo si Jason sa babaw kag nakita ni Nick kung ano ang nagpa-uyog sang duta. Makakululba. Mas ta-as pa sang sa mga kahoy kag may boses nga daw dagu-ob.
“Indi niya kita makita kung ari lang ‘ta sa dalum sang kahoy, mahulat lang ‘ta asta matulugan siya liwat,” siling ni Jason. “May dala man ako nga pagkaon.”
Nanghayhay si Nick. Amo lang ‘ni pierme nagakatabo kung upod si Jason.
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English Version
“Come on it’s over here!” Jason was running over the hill. Nick felt his heart almost burst. He wasn’t the most athletic child and he didn’t like being reminded of that fact, but this was always how it went and Jason was his best friend so being pushed to do new things was a fact of life.
Nick struggled up the last few steps of the hill and he dropped as soon as he reached the top. Jason was by his side as always, asking if he was okay, but this time he was more exited to get Nick to look below the hill. “What could be so cool that you made me walk through a bunch of hills and—–“ Then Nick saw it.
It was a graveyard, but not by any normal standards. Dozens, maybe hundreds of carabao skeletons were scattered around the foot of the hill. “Okay, you were right, this is really cool,” Nick whispered. “Told you so,” Jason replied, “But you haven’t seen the coolest part.”
Jason led them though the skeletal forest. Nick noticed that the bones were never complete, there were giant chunks of them missing, mostly from the back, he didn’t think this was a good idea, but he trusted Jason and that always worked out fine. Mostly.
“Be very quiet. It’s through here,” Jason whispered. “Seriously?” Nick was looking at the rock face Jason wanted them to climb. “I said be quiet, you don’t want to wake it up.” Jason clamped his hand over Nick’s mouth. “I’m dead serious.”
Suddenly the ground shook. Jason grabbed Nick’s arm and he dragged him under a nearby tree. “What was that?!” Nick was starting to get frantic. Jason pointed upwards and Nick saw the cause. It was terrifying. It towered over the trees and it roared with a voice like thunder.
“It won’t see us from under this tree, we should wait until it goes back to sleep again,” Jason said. “I brought food.”
Nick sighed. Stuff like this always happened with Jason.
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*The Hiligaynon language, also colloquially referred often by most of its speakers simply as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, mainly in Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN, most of whom belong to the Visayan ethnic group, mainly the Hiligaynons. It is the second-most widely spoken language and a member of the so-named Visayan language family and is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Hiligaynon translation by Stephen A. Matti
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Stephen A. Matti
Inspired by the Bungisngis entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971. and in 101 Kagila-gilalas na Nilalang. Samar. 2015
Bungisngis Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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