*Note this story is in Ilocano
Naminsan adda makapungtot a balasang nga awan ti papanan na. Maysa a sakit ti nangbalkot iti daga, ket awan ti maaramidan dagiti tattao iti probinsiana no di ti mangiserra iti bagbagida tapno maliklikan ti panagsaknapna.
Daytoy a lugar ket saan a pagtaenganna, adda pamiliana sadiay, pudno, ngem il-iliwenna dagiti higante a girder a dumanon kadagiti ulep, ti naariwawa a baybay dagiti tattao a kasla pulos a di agpatingga, dagiti atiddog a rabii a nabusbos kadagiti gagayyemna iti rabaw ti maysa a baso nga arak.
Ket bayat ti panaglabas dagiti aldaw iti sumagmamano a lawas, dimmakkel laeng ti panagmaymaysana.
Awan ti pamay-an a rummuar iti balayna, ta amangan no matiliw dagiti opisial.
Napukawna koma ti bagina kadagiti libro, ngem nabasana amin dagita. Inkagumaanna ti aglibas kadagiti naraniag nga iskrin nga inyegna manipud pagtaengan, ngem saan a napartak ti panagtrabahoda a kas iti kayatna. Inkagumaanna ti agaramid iti musika, ngem awan ti muse-na.
Awan ti adda kenkuana iti biagna.
Saan nga adda uray la.
Maysa nga aldaw ti panagmaymaysa ti nangburak kenkuana. Dina maibturan ti uppat a diding ti maysa a siled nga awan kaipapanan kenkuana.
Inurayna agingga a nakaturog ti pamiliana (ken sapay koma ta dagiti guardia met) ket nagtaray kadagiti kalsada a kasla nauyong a babai.
No mabalinna koma nagpukkaw kadagiti langit, kamaudiananna addaan iti bassit a wayawaya.
Ket umdasen dayta, iti di kumurang a maysa a rabii.
Nagbalin daytoy a rutinana, nga ikagkagumaanna nga iyunnat ti bagina ken iduronna dagiti beddeng ti mabalinna nga aramiden.
Agingga iti maysa a gasat a rabii.
Napukawna ti bagina iti angin a dandani dina nadlaw ti flashlight nga agturong kenkuana. Pinadasna ti agtaray, ngem daytoy a paset ti ili ket saan nga ammona ken naan-anay a namnamaenna a matiliw.
“Psssssssssst. ditoy. “
Iti kasipngetan, mangngegna laeng a naggapu ti uni iti kayo ti Galawin. Nalagipna dagiti estoria nga isalaysay ti lola-na, maipapan kadagiti espiritu a parsua nga agnanaed kadagiti kayo.
Napanunotna a kaykayatna nga alaen dagiti gundawayna iti kayo ngem ti matiliw ket bay-anna a ti sipnget ti mangala kenkuana.
Maysa a bassit a lawag ti nangsilnag (ti impagarupna) iti uneg ti kayo.
Nakatugaw iti sanguananna ti maysa a parsua, tao ti pormana, a naabbungotan iti patpatgen ti fungus ken lumot.
Isu ti immuna a nangburak iti kinaulimek.
“Hello.”
Simmungbat ti parsua a nabara nga isem.
“Hello, ania ti naganmo?”
“Siak ni Julie, mayat a maam-ammoka.”
“Nagsayaat met a maam-ammoka.”
“Dispensarennak, ngem, ania ti ka?”
“Sapay koma ta ammok ti bagik. Talaga kadi nga ammotayo no aniatayo?”
Sinabat ni Julie daytoy a sasao buyogen ti nariribuk a kinaulimek.
“HAHAHA, agang-angawak laeng. Dakayo a tattao ket kasta unay ti pannakasagidyo no maipapan kadagiti angaw.”
“Ladingitek, diak la nairuam—”
“Makitam ti espiritu? Kaaduan a tattao ti kasta, adda rason no apay a maibilangtayo kas sarsarita nga us-usaren dagiti tattao tapno magun-odda ti kayatda.”
“Gapuna,” kinita ni Julie ti parsua, “ania ti kayatmo?”
“Kayatko laeng ti tumulong,” insungbat ti parsua buyogen ti kasla ngipen nga isem.
“Ania ti kayatmo a saoen?”
“Napanunotko a mabalinko nga ipangato ti sumagmamano nga espiritu,” (naamiris ni Julie idi agangay maysa daytoy nga angaw)
Nagsennaay ni Julie, “Diak makapagnaed ditoy, saan nga ditoy nga ili, saanen. Sapay koma ta agtuboak lattan kadagiti payak ket agtayabak nga agsubli iti pagtaengan.”
“Panagkunam, sumayaat kadi ti riknam dayta? Mangmangngegko a medyo empty met sadiay.”
“Agtaeng latta dayta.”
Nagtung-ed ti parsua, “Iti panawen ti panagsusupiat awanen ti ad-adda a komportable ngem ti kaadda a mabalinmo a pagruaran ti pusom.”
“Wen, makitam a maawatan. Saan a kas iti dadduma a kameng ti pamiliak.”
“Siguradoak a ti laeng kasayaatan para kenka ti kayatda.”
“Kasano? Ti napalabas a sumagmamano a lawas ad-adda a nadadaelko. Diak makagaraw, diak makapanunot. Diak pay ketdi makasarita dagiti gagayyemko ta nakalkaldaang ti signal ditoy.”
“Ket kasta met kenka.”
“Wen.” Nagtugaw ni Julie ket intabonna ti ulona kadagiti imana.
“Napanunotmo kadi a mabalin a saan a maipapan kenka dayta?”
“Kasla kala dagijai arajai balita.”
“Dimo pagarupen nga adda puntoda?”
“Ipagarup ko, ammom ti mapaspasamak.”
“No adda mapaspasamak a kas kadakkel daytoy, agannayas dagiti espiritu a makisarita iti maysa ken maysa.”
“Sadino ti nangngegam?”
“Iti angin, ngem saan a napateg daytan.”
“No kasta, apay nga addaka pay laeng ditoy? Apay a dika tumulong a mangikkat iti dayta?”
“Dayta ket nalablabes ngem iti pannakabalinko.”
“Apay pay ketdi a katkatungtungen niak?”
“Ngamin no diak matarimaan ti dakdakkel a problema ket uray la mabalinko—”
“Atarimaannak?”
“Mabalinko a padasen.”
“Apay ag pakarigat kapay? Marunaw nak tumitang iajai kuartok, ikagkagumaak a panunoten no ania ti maaramidak sakbay a mangrugin nga agserra dagiti pader.”
“Kaykayatmo kadi dayta ngem—”
“Ngem ti panagbalin a natay?”
“……”
“Saanak a maag, ammok dagiti peggad. No saannak a patayen ti quarantine basta mabalin. Mariknak ti bagik nga in-inut nga umadayo.”
“Naka amammo ak ti kasta idin. napasnek. natured. Dagidiay sidadaan a mangpuor iti bagbagida tapno laeng mariknada a sibibiagda.”
“Kitaem—ammom—”
“Kin dagidiay saan a maseknan kadagiti lua nga ibatida kadagiti tugotda.”
“……”
“Mano a nadunor a puso ti nabatim? Mano nga espiritu ti naburakmo gapu laeng ta nauma kan ken kayatmo ti baro?”
“Saan a patas dayta.”
“Ti kinapudno ket manmano.”
Naulimek a nagtugaw ni Julie a kadua ti parsua.
“Awandan.”
Idin a nalagip ni Julie nga tartarayan na gayam dagiti guardia.
Kinita ni Julie ti parsua ket nagyaman iti oras na. Sakbay a pimmanaw nagturong iti dayta ket dinamagna, “Mabalin kadi ti agsubli inton bigat? akayat ka pay nga makatungtong”.
“Saan a kasapulan a mapanka ditoy. Agdenggeg kala ti angin iti rabii”.
Ket idi makita ti Dawinde nga agtartaray nga agsubli iti balayna immisem dayta.
No awanen ti sabalin,
Nasayaat ngarod.
=———————————=
English Version
Once there was an angry girl with nowhere to go. A great sickness enveloped the land, and the people in her province had no choice but to close themselves off to avoid its spread.
This place was not her home, she had family there, true, but she longed for the giant girders that reached the clouds, the bustling sea of people that never seemed to end, the long nights spent with friends over a glass of wine.
And as the days passed into weeks, her loneliness only grew.
There was no way she could leave her house, lest she get caught by the officials.
She would have lost herself in books, but she had read them all. She tried to escape into the bright screens she had brought from home, but they didn’t work as fast as she had wanted them to. She tried to make music, but she had no muse.
She had nothing in her life.
Not there at least.
One day the loneliness broke her. She couldn’t stand the four walls of a room that had no meaning to her.
She waited until her family fell asleep (and hopefully the guards as well) and ran through the streets like a madwoman.
If she could she would have screamed at the heavens, finally she had a small bit of freedom.
And that was enough, for at least one night.
This became her routine, trying to stretch her body and pushing the boundaries of what she could do.
Until one fateful night.
She had lost herself in the breeze that she almost didn’t notice the flashlight moving towards her. She tried to run, but this part of the town was unknown to her and she fully expected to get caught.
“Psssssssssst. Over here.”
In the darkness, she could only hear that the sound came from the Galawin tree. She remembered the stories that her lola would tell, about spirit beings that inhabited the trees.
She figured that she’d rather take her chances in the tree than get caught and let the darkness take her.
A small light illuminated (what she assumed was) the interior of the tree.
Sitting in front of her was a creature, human in form, covered with a patchwork of fungus and moss.
She was the first to break the silence.
“Hello.”
The creature replied back with a warm smile.
“Hello, what is your name?”
“I’m Julie, it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
“Excuse me, but, what ARE you?”
“I wish I knew myself. Do we really know what we are?”
Julie met this statement with a confused silence.
“HAHAHA, I’m just kidding. You humans are so touchy when it comes to jokes.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just not used to—”
“Seeing a spirit? Most humans are, there’s a reason why we’re regarded as legends used by people to get what they want.”
“So,” Julie looked at the creature, “what DO you want?”
“I just want to help,” the creature replied with a toothy grin.
“What do you mean?”
“I figured I could lift some spirits,” (Julie later realized this was a joke)
Julie sighed, “I can’t stay here, not in this town, not anymore. I wish I could just grow wings and fly back home.”
“Do you think that would make you feel better? I hear it’s pretty empty there as well.”
“It would still be home.”
The creature nodded, “In times of strife nothing is more comfortable than being where you can let your heart out.”
“Yes, see you understand. Not like the rest of my family.”
“I’m sure they only want what’s best for you.”
“How? The past few weeks I’ve gotten more broken. I can’t move, I can’t think. I can’t even talk to my friends because the signal here is miserable.”
“And so are you.”
“Yes.” Julie sat down and buried her head in her hands.
“Did you ever think it might not be about you?”
“You sound like everyone on the news.”
“You don’t think they have a point?”
“So, you know what’s going on.”
“When something as big as this is happening, the spirits tend to talk to one another.”
“Where did you hear it from?”
“A travelling breeze, but that doesn’t matter.”
“Then why are you still here? Why don’t you help get rid of it?”
“That is beyond my powers.”
“Why are you even talking to me?”
“Because if I can’t fix the bigger problem then at least I can—”
“Fix me?”
“I can try.”
“Why bother? I’ll probably just melt into my room, trying to figure out what I can do before the walls start to close in.”
“Would you rather that than—”
“Than being dead?”
“……”
“I’m not stupid, I know the risks. If it doesn’t kill me the quarantine just might. I can feel myself slowly slipping away.”
“I’ve met your kind before. The passionate. The brave. The ones willing to set themselves on fire just to feel alive.”
“See—you know—”
“And those that don’t care about the tears they leave in their tracks.”
“……”
“How many broken hearts have you left behind? How many spirits have you shattered just because you became bored and wanted something new?”
“That’s not fair.”
“The truth seldom is.”
Julie sat in silence with the creature.
“They’re gone now.”
It was then that Julie remembered that she was actually running away from the guards.
Julie looked at the creature and thanked it for its time. Before she left she turned to it and asked, “Can I come back tomorrow? I’d still like to talk to you.”
“You don’t have to go all the way here. Just listen to the night air”
And as the Dawinde saw her running back to her house it smiled.
If nothing else,
It would be kind.
——————————————————————-===
*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 Princess Jaselle
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Princess Jaselle
Inspired by the story “How Dauin got its Name” in Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island Legends, Beliefs and Folkways. Aldecoa-Rodriguez. 2000.
Dawinde illustration by Marko Mikhal Gomez Deposoy
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