Everyone needs stories in their lives. It’s what makes them more human.
Anyone that disagrees might need to have their hearts reexamined.
That’s what Jaime’s lolo tells everyone, or at least everyone that listens.
His family loves him, of course. Every reunion he goes around to all of his grandchildren and tells them wonderful stories.
And they all listen.
Well, most of them do.
Jaime is a special case.
See, Jaime is the type of child whose parents spend too much time doing important adult things that they forget that they have a child at home.
Jaime got his first tablet at the age of four and his first cellphone at seven. His parents bought an unlimited data package and in their heads they thought that it would keep Jaime busy long enough to forget he was alone.
They were wrong, as most parents are when they have an only child. See they haven’t tested anything out yet, everything’s brand new.
And so Jaime sits in front of his lolo half-listening to his stories.
Even before the story ends Jaime interjects, “That’s not true!”
His cousins all look at him with the same resigned face. This isn’t the first time he’s interrupted a story and they know it won’t be the last.
Jaime’s lolo sighs, “What is it this time?” he says with a smile.
“There’s no such thing as an Engkanto, they’re made-up!” Jaime says.
“How do you know that?” his lolo replies.
“I read it on the internet!” because reading things on the internet is what you do when you have a tablet and unlimited data.
“Well it’s true, I swear on my mother,” Jaime’s lolo’s beamed.
“It can’t be true, and I know for sure!”
Meanwhile, all the other grandchildren were busy watching the spectacle. This was their favorite part of story time. Lolo and Jaime’s arguments could last all day and there were nothing if not entertaining.
“It’s true! I was taken to the balete tree and went to the realm of the engkanto!”
Jaime shakes his head vigorously. “There’s no such place! It’s not even on Google Maps!”
Lolo was a lawyer in a past life and there was no way he would lose to someone barely nine years old.
“If you had listened to my story you would know that their realm cannot be found by human technology.”
“I don’t need to listen to your story to know it’s made up.”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“Well I’m not calling you a truther.”
“What does that even mean?!”
And on they went until it was time for dinner (and sometimes even during dinner, even Lola Anding’s Adobo couldn’t stop their arguments).
This scene played itself year after year.
That is, until one year when lolo was too sick to tell his story and the titos and titas talked about lolo in hushed sounds.
Jaime didn’t know what to do. No one had ever taught him how to let his anger out, so he took his tablet and his phone and tried to run away from the world.
His parents didn’t think there was anything wrong with him, after all teenagers are known to be masters at sulking.
So Jaime sulked and played loud music to try to make sense of his feelings, but none of it helped.
He would cut his classes to visit lolo in the hospital, because no matter how much they argued Jaime loved his lolo very much.
“I’m going to be fine,” his lolo would say through closed eyes.
“No you’re not.”
“Now why do you think that?”
“I read it on the internet.”
“I keep saying that you should stop hiding your head in your gadgets. There’s a whole world to explore if you look up.”
“You’re trying to distract me.”
“All that time on your phone and you’re still so observant.”
“Please don’t leave me lolo.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s not what I read.”
“Life is lived in more than words, my boy.”
“I know what cancer is.”
“The internet can’t teach you everything.”
“It taught me enough.”
“So what does it say?”
“That you might not make it out of here alive.”
“I will.”
“Really?”
“Are you calling me a liar?”
“I..Lolo..” tears were starting to stream down Jaime’s face.
“Promise me you’ll do me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“Go to the balete tree in my backyard and watch the stars.”
“Lolo I’m being serious.”
“So am I. It’s time that you learned there are some things the internet can’t teach you.”
“Lolo..”
“Do you promise?” Lolo looked at him with a gaze that disintegrated the word ‘no’.
“I promise lolo.”
“And I promise I’ll be alright.”
The fluorescent lights in the hospital room flickered as Jaime’s parents entered the room. They didn’t know how to deal with a child that skipped school to see his grandfather, so they did what they thought was sensible and took away his gadgets.
Jaime didn’t mind. He had a promise to fulfill.
Lola Anding gave Jaime some tea to help him settle in. When he showed up at her door he didn’t know what to say, but he didn’t need to. Lolas always seem to know what you’re thinking and she gave a smile as she said, “Bring a jacket, it might get cold outside.”
Jaime thanked her and sat under the tree. It was late, but as everyone knows teenagers are masters of staying up through the night. He felt naked without his phone and tried to think of what his lolo said.
It’s time you learned something the internet can’t teach you.
What did he know? His phone still had buttons. Jaime knew everything that you ever need to know was on the internet.
Lolo’s house was far outside the city and Jaime wasn’t used to seeing so many shimmering lights in the night sky.
He wished he had his angry music to keep him company, but there was just the sound of rustling leaves and the occasional croak from a frog.
Jaime rested his head against the winding roots of the balete tree and closed his eyes.
When he opened them again a woman was standing in front of him. She glowed in the darkness, he had never seen anyone as beautiful as her before and his heart skipped a few beats. In these situations it paid off to have confidence and sureness, unfortunately Jaime had neither.
“Ummm..ahhh,” he managed to say.
“You must be Jaime, we’ve been expecting you,” the beautiful woman said.
“Excuse me?” Jaime had dreams before, everyone has, but he had never been in one so real. He pinched himself to try go back to the waking world and when that didn’t work he looked at the woman again.
“Don’t be frightened, your lolo told us you were coming.”
“He did?”
“Of course he did, and it is such a pleasure finally meeting our hero’s grandchild.”
“Your hero?”
“Yes, didn’t your lolo tell you?”
And in that moment it all came back to him. Years of stories rushing their way into his head. There was the one where lolo said he ate the black rice in the world of engkantos but managed to bargain his way out with some play money he had in his pocket, or the one where the engkanto hired him to keep the Bakunawa away so that they could have their moonlight dances.
“Do you mean all of it was true?” Jaime was bewildered.
“All that and more. Now, take my hand, we have something special for you.”
Jaime did as he was told. He still wasn’t sure if this was a dream, but there was no point in fighting. He wanted to know more about his lolo’s stories.
“So do you have it?” Lolo always wanted to get to the point.
“I do,” Jaime said in the voice of someone that really needed to take a nap.
“You sound like you’ve had quite the adventure.”
“You don’t know the half of it.. or maybe you do.”
“Did you run from the guards of Kamaritaan?”
“Of course.”
“Did you challenge the children of Ulilangkalulua?”
“Twice.”
“How about Ibabasag? Did you talk to her?”
“She sends her love and told me to tell you ‘thank you’”
“Did you know I helped her deliver 20 children one time?”
“Yes, she mentioned that.”
“And what about—–“
“Lolo, please just eat the root.”
“You young people these days, always trying to avoid conversation. You know back in my time—”
“I think I know enough about that time.”
“Oh the stories I could tell.”
“Tell them at the next family reunion.”
“Why wait? Grab that chair and listen to an old man.”
“Lolo?”
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry I called you a liar.”
“Don’t be, some of the things I did I don’t even believe myself.”
“But they did happen?”
Lolo gives Jaime a wry smile and motions to the seat beside him.
“I think it’s time for another story.”
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Engkanto description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Engkanto Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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