*Note this story is in Tagalog
Noong unang panahon, mayroong batang lalaki na hindi marunong magpakabait. Isa siyang napaka-suwail na bata. Lagi niyang ginagawa ang kabaligtaran ng sinasabi ng kaniyang mga magulang at araw-araw siyang mayroong bagong paraan na pasakitin ang ulo ng kanyang pamilya.
Sa kabila nito, lubusan siyang hinahangaan ng kaniyang mga mas nakababatang kapatid na lalaki. Sa kanilang mga mata, ang kanilang kuya ang pinakamatapang at pinakamatalinong lalaki sa daigdig.
Isang araw, isinama ng bata ang kaniyang mga kapatid para maglakad sa gubat kung saan may natagpuan silang yungib. “Tabi tabi po,” wika ng mga nakababatang kapatid. Tinuruan silang mabuti ng kanilang mga magulang na magbigay-galang sa lahat nararapat galangin.
Tumawa ang kanilang kuya. “Ano’ng ginagawa niyo?” tanong niya sa kaniyang mga kapatid. “Nagbibigay-galang kami sa maliit na mama sa kuweba,” sagot nila.
“Hindi totoo iyan,” nangutya ang panganay sa inaakala niyang pambatang pamahiin. “Kita niyo? Wala namang nasa kuweba. Huwag na kayong magpakaduwag at matuto na kayo sa katotohanan ng mundo.”
“Pero kuya, baka maapakan natin sila ng ‘di naman natin sinasadya!” tutol ng kaniyang mga kapatid.
Yumabag ng yumabag sa loob ng yungib ang kanilang kuya ng walang pakialam. Puno ng takot silang nanonood habang patuloy na hinahamon ng kanilang kuya ang mga espiritung naninirahan sa kuweba.
Matapos ang ilang minuto, walang nangyari. “Kita niyo? Sabi sa inyo eh walang mangyayari. Subukan niyo rin ’to.”
Hinihikayat pa ng panganay ang kaniyang mga kapatid na gayahin ang kaniyang ginagawa hanggang sa nagsalita na ang isa sa kanila. “Kuya, mga kapatid, sa tingin ko hindi ito magandang ideya,” ani nito .
Hindi siya narinig ng kaniyang mga kapatid sa lakas ng kanilang mga pagyayabag.
Ilang oras ang nakalipas na naglalaro ang mga bata sa yungib, maliban sa isa. Pinagpasiyahan na nilang umuwi dahil malapit na maghapunan.
Isang tinig ang huling bumigkas ng “Tabi tabi po” bago umalis.
Habang pauwi ang mga bata ay biglang may nahulog na sanga ng puno at natamaan ang isa sa mga bata sa ulo. Nangangamba ang kuya nila dahil siya ang mananagot sa nangyari sa kaniyang kapatid.
“Dali, humingi kayo ng tulong,” utos niya sa kaniyang mga kapatid. Nang kumaripas ng takbo ang mga bata sa utos ng kanilang kuya, napatid sila sa isa’t isa kung kaya’t nagkaroon sila ng mga sugat at gasgas. Nagsiiyakan sila.
“Magsitahan kayo!” sigaw ng panganay. Umalingawngaw ang kaniyang boses sa gubat at nakaakit ng pansin ng baboy ramo.
Tinitigan ng baboy ramo ang mga bata at umigik ng malalim.
Sinubukan ng kuya na magpahabol sa baboy ramo upang maisanggalang ang kaniyang mga kapatid ngunit hindi siya nito pinapansin. Walang imik na nakatayo lamang ang baboy ramo sa harap ng mga bata.
Hanggang sa nilapitan ito ng isa sa mga magkakapatid.
“Humihingi kami ng tawad sapagkat naapakan ka namin,” sabi niya. “Nawa’y mapagpaumanhinan mo kami.”
Muling umigik ang baboy ramo sa bata bilang kaniyang pagtugon. Sa pagkakataong iyon napansin ng ibang mga kapatid na nagsihilom ang kanilang mga sugat.
Nagdiwang ang mga bata at tinanong ang kanilang kapatid kung ano ang nangyari.
“Ako’y nagbigay-galang lamang dahil nararapat na magbigay-galang,” tugon niya.
Huminahon na ang lahat nang biglang hinanap ng isa sa mga kapatid ang kanilang kuya.
“Nakita niyo ba si kuya?”
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English Version
Once upon a time there was a little boy that didn’t know how to behave. He was a most troublesome child. He would always do the opposite of what his parents would tell him and every day the boy would find a new way to give headaches to his family.
His younger brothers idolized him though. They thought that their kuya was the bravest and most clever boy in the world.
One day, the boy took his little brothers out for a stroll in the woods, where they came upon a cave. “Tabi tabi po” said the younger brothers. They had been taught well by their parents and always sought to give respect where it was due.
The older brother laughed. “What are you doing?” he asked his little brothers. “We are giving respect to the small man in the cave,” they replied.
“There is no such thing,” the older brother scoffed at what he thought was a childish superstition. “See? No one is in the cave. You should stop being such babies and learn the truth about the real world.”
“But kuya, we might accidentally step on them!” The younger brothers protested.
The older brother stamped his feet around the cave without care. The younger brothers stared in horror as their kuya willfully defied the spirits.
After a few minutes, nothing happened. “See? I told you so. You all should try this.”
The older brother tried to make his younger siblings repeat what he did, until all but one relented. “Kuya, brothers, I really don’t think that this is a good idea,” he said.
His brothers couldn’t hear him over all the stomping they were doing.
Hours passed and the children were all playing in the cave, save one. They decided to go home for it was almost dinnertime.
One voice said a final “Tabi tabi po” before leaving.
As the children were making their way back home, a tree branch fell and hit one of the children in the head. The older brother was panicking for he knew he was going to be held responsible for his sibling.
“Hurry, one of you go and get help!” he ordered his brothers.
As the children rushed to follow the command, they tripped over one another causing bruises and scrapes. They started crying.
“Stop crying!” The older brother shouted. His voice echoed through the woods and attracted a wild boar.
The boar stared at the children and gave out a large grunt.
The older brother, knowing that he had to protect his siblings tried to get the boar to chase him, but to no avail. The beast just stood looming in front of the children.
Finally, one of the brothers approached the beast.
“I’m sorry that we stepped on you,” he said. “I hope you will forgive us.”
The boar grunted in reply. At that moment the other brothers realized that their wounds were suddenly healed.
The children rejoice and asked their brother what happened.
“All I did was give respect where respect was due,” he answered.
And all was well until one of the brothers asked an innocent question.
“Have any of you seen kuya?”
=———————–=
Story inspired by Dwende entry in Myth Museum. Medina. 2015.
Dwende Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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