*Note this story is in Chavacano-Zamboangueño
Tiene un niño quien jende ta puede durmi.
Todo’l noche, acostao lang le dispierto, esperando con el tiempo cuando ay puede ya le durmi. Cosa-cosa medecina ya yan reseta conele el maga doctor pero nuay lang siempre epecto.
Ya cumbinsi conele el disuyo amiga pruba otro solusion. Ya manda conele concentra na un cosa, na un cosa lang para queda calma disuyu pensamiento y resuello.
Ya pensa le na nuay ay cosa perde conele si pruba le. Na primer noche, ya pensa le con el dos luz na camino na ta puede le mira estaba na ventana. Ya mira le buenamente con esos y ala mañana, ya espanta kay buenamente le ya dispierta.
Ya continua le con ese na cuatro noche pa y ya obserba kay epektibo gayot. Na ika-cinco noche, ya obserba le kay ta queda ya iscuro el maga luz como ta queda pundido, pero ya concentra lang siempre le con estos y ya puede durmi.
Ala mañana, ya atraca le na ventana para mira si tiene ba problema el maga luz. Serca perde el su rusuello cuando ya mira le con el maga marca de cambras na ventana.
Na mismo noche, ya tapa le manta con el entero cuerpo disuyo y ya pensa otro cosa. Pero bien de ficil gat ‘ste ace.
Ya bira el maga luz.
Y mas arde ya ahora.
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English Version
There was once a boy who had a terrible case of insomnia.
Night after night he would stay awake, trying to pass the time until he could finally get to sleep. The doctors tried to give him different drugs so he could sleep better but they didn’t help.
Finally, his friend suggested another method to help him deal with his problem. She told him to find something to focus on, just one thing and to see it in his mind’s eye. To think about it until his body was calm and his breath was slow.
The boy didn’t have anything to lose so he tried it. The first night when he was in his room he decided to focus on two street lights he saw from his window. He looked right into them, focused as much as he could and to his surprise, the next day, he woke up after a good night’s rest.
For four nights the boy continued this new method and every time it worked. On the fifth night, he noticed that the lights were fading in and out, like something was broken, but he focused anyway and he managed to get some sleep.
The next morning he went to his window to see what was wrong with the lights. He almost couldn’t breathe when he saw the claw marks by his windowsill.
That night he put his blanket over his head and he tried to focus on something else. But that was a very difficult thing to do.
The lights were back.
And they were brighter than ever.
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**Chavacano or Chabacano refers to a number of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia.
Chavacano-Zamboangueño Translation by May Temple Maravilles
Translation Copyright © May Temple Maravilles
Story adapted from Kubot entry in Myth Museum. Medina. 2015. And a half-remembered Creepypasta
Kubot Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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Watercolor by Nicole Chiu
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