She didn’t notice her bleeding feet, or the fact that she had almost been sunburned to a crisp. All she could think about was the young man walking beside her. He was what dreams were made of, all too literally. She didn’t know it then, that oblivion was wrapped in beauty.
Kelita’s mother and father were worried. It wasn’t like her to just abandon her chores right before sunset. They searched around Ogahong, trying to find their precious daughter, until one neighbor said he saw her with a handsome young man.
They were by the river now, a calm twisting waterway that made her smile. She was somehow wearing a long dress, but she didn’t remember changing. It was covered in the most beautiful pearls she had ever seen and her companion was wearing a very dapper barong. This was what she always wanted.
Kelita’s parents grabbed whoever could help and rushed to the forest. They would not let their girl be taken by that creature. They always knew her beauty would attract undesirable young men, they never realized they had to warn her against a spirit of the forest.
She danced along the wide road, smiling along the way. It was a rush to have all your desires come true and she wished it would never end. He foot struck a rock and she exclaimed “Jesus!”.
It was then that the dream was over.
Her parents’ voices were hoarse from shouting. The noise was the only way they could make Kelita find them, they prayed they weren’t too late. Each beating of the drums and cans took a little bit of their hope with them, it had already been a day but, they knew their prayers would be answered. Somehow they knew.
Kelita could not speak, not at first. She was in the forest, that much she knew, but everything else was a blur. How did she get here? Where was the handsome young man? Why wouldn’t her voice work? All she could feel was the pain from her feet crashing down upon her.
They finally heard it. After hours of searching they heard their daughter’s voice and it was the most beautiful sound they could think of. Her father picked her up and she fell asleep in her arms.
Kelita knew then that she was loved.
————————–
Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Story adapted from “Kelita and Her Enchanted Lover.” from Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island Legends, Beliefs and Folkways. Aldecoa-Rodriguez. 2000.
Kelita’s Engkanto Illustration by Marc Magpantay
FB: Murcy Murc Art
Tumblr: Glassy-draws.tumblr.com
