*Note this story is in Ilocano
Ginuyod ni Bella dagiti magatgatang nga immuli iti agdan sa nagsennaay. Sabali manen nga aldaw ti pannakawayawaya.
Saan a daydiay dina kayat ti agbiag nga agmaymaysa, dina la ngamin ninamnama a kastoy ti kaadu ti matrabaho.
Trabaho. Dayta ti maysa a makagapu kenkuana no apay a saan a makawaywayas. Ti yuulina iti agdan, namintallo a daras a nagkiriring ti cellphone-na. Agkarasangpeten dagiti awan patinggana nga email kada text. Imbagana iti bagina a no malpas daytoy a lawas, usarennanto dagiti vacation leave-na a mapan iti adayo a disso a makaited bang-ar. Mabalin a Thailand? Wenno Bali. Napan sadiay ni Rosa idi kallabes a bulan ket awanen sarday a panpanunotennan dayta a lugar.
Tinaliawna ti ridaw ti apartment-na. Natinnag ti krus a nakabitin iti welcome mat ket nagsennaay manen. Kayatna nga alaen ti gundaway a mangsimpa inton bigat ngem napanunotna a mabalin a kiddawenna ti kabsatna a lalaki a mangaramid iti dayta. Uray ket kalgaw pay laeng, utangna dayta a pabor kenkuana.
Naidagunson dagiti magatgatang idiay kosina, inlukat ni Bella ti bentilador sa nagdiretso iti sopana. Mangngegna ti panagtaul ni Pogi manipud iti banger a kuarto, ngem dina inkankano. Ammona a pinakanna itayen ket mangrugi pay metten a lumukmeg. Adu pay ti agur-uray a tinultulagdan nga aggagayyem a panagpasiar.
Maysa pay a banag dayta a mainayon iti listaanna.
Nangrugin a dumagsen dagiti akkub ti matana ket inpalubosnan nga agkidem dagitoy. Lima laeng ti kasapulanna – saan, sangapulo a minuto tapno bay-anna ti bagina a makainana ket kalpasanna, aramidennanto manen ti inaldaw-aldaw nga obrana.
Saan pay ketdi a pabus-oyan ti law-ang a maaddaan isuna ti kasta a gundaway.
Idi kellaat nga adda tallo a napipigsa a panagtuktok iti ridawna ket timmangad iti bobeda. Siasino ngata dayta a tao iti kastoy nga oras? Mabalin a maysa manen kadagiti kaarrubana nga umay agreklamo. Itay napalabas, naireklamo ngamin ti panagtaul-taul ni Pogi ken sakbayna dayta, inkeddeng ti ‘asosasion’ dagiti masapul a pagannurotan para kadagiti bisita.
Kagura a kanayon ni Bella dayta a sao. No saan a gapu ti apartment-na, saan koma pulos a nakipulapol kadagitoy a tattao idi damo pay laeng. Nagsennaay ket timmakder manipud iti pagliwliwaanna a puesto ket simmirip iti peephole ti ridawna tapno ammoenna no siasino dayta a tao iti kasta nga oras.
Tallo a pigura ti mamirana, wenno panangipagarupna la a tallo dayta. Napundi ngamin ti silaw iti pasilio, maysa pay dayta a masapul a tamingen ti ‘asosasion.’ Kasla nakaabungotda.
Ammo ni Bella a pagaangawan laeng dayta, idi tinaliawna ti maysa kadakuada ket kinunana, “Diak ammo no siasinokayo, ngem saan a nakakatkatawa dayta. Mangbirokkayo ti sabali a singaenyo.”
Nakatakder laeng dagiti pigura, saanda a naggaraw.
Nalabit dagiti ubbing manipud kadagiti tallo a ridaw dita baba. Nga iti kabubuyada kadagiti tablet-da, isu metten ti tuladenda a panangipakat ti kinapilyoda, ngem ita nga aldaw ket saan nga umiso a pagaangawanda ni Bella. Iti panunotna, nakasaganan nga agunget, linuktanna ti ridaw, idi kuan —
Awan.
Awan ti tao iti pasilio. Linidlid ni Bella dagiti matana sa nagtalatalangkiaw iti aglawlaw. Sigurado a nakitana ti tallo a pigura babaen iti peephole.
Nalabit bannogna laeng dayta. No makakitkita isuna kadagiti bambanag a di rumbeng a makita, sigurado a panawenen nga agaliwaksay.
Inkabil ni Bella ti cellphone-na iti silent mode, inyadayona dagiti magatgatang sa nagtugaw a sisasango iti laptop-na.
Ti Bali ti kangrunaan a lugar iti listaanna, ngem mangrugin a maalukoy ti riknana ti Korea. Saannan a sinango dagiti rumbeng nga obraenna iti dayta nga aldaw. Mabalin nga agpaimpierno ti trabaho, panawenen tapno magun-od ni Bella ti kalkalikagumanna a bakasion. Panangpasingked daytan a nasken a bumirok isuna ti paggatangan ti tiket, no man pay masapul a lumuas inton bigat.
Naimbag laengen ta nagpambar a masakit. Maysa dayta a banag nga ammona a masapul nga aramidenna.
Nagpa-book ni Bella iti flight ket insagananan dagiti masapsapulna. Kasla rimanniag ti masakbayanna.
No laeng dimngeg idi, impangpangagna koma ti pannakatuktok ti ridawna, ngem nalabit saanna koma manen nga inkankano.
Bareng nasaysayaatton no bigat.
Masiguradona dayta.
Nagtultuloy ti panagtuktok agingga iti agsapa ket magagaran unay ni Bella a dina payen nadnadlaw. Nakariing a napnek iti turog, innalana ti pasaportena ket tinurongnan ti eropuerto.
Dina ammo a nalipatan ti inheniero nga aramiden ti nasken a panangsukimat ti makina ti eroplano sakbay a mapalubosan daytoy a mapatayab.
Nailibayna bayat ti panagtayab ti eroplano. Ngem kagiddan ti uni ti eroplano, apagapaman a nangegna dagiti babassit a pannakatuktok ti tawa ti batog ti nagtugawanna.
Ket isu daytan ti naudi a nangegna.
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English Version
Bella dragged the groceries up the stairs and sighed. Another day of independence.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like living alone, she just didn’t expect it to be this much work.
Work. Another thing that wouldn’t leave her alone. Since she went up the stairs her phone rang 3 times. The endless emails and texts were starting to get to her. She told herself that after this week she was going to use her leaves and go somewhere nice. Maybe Thailand? Or Bali. Rosa went there last month and wouldn’t stop raving about it.
She looked at her apartment door. The cross that hung there fell on the welcome mat and she sighed again. She’d find time to fix it tomorrow or maybe she could ask her brother to do it. It was summer anyway and he owed her a favor.
The groceries were unceremoniously dumped on the kitchen counter and Bella turned on the fan and went straight for her couch. She could hear Pogi’s barks coming from the other room, but she ignored them. She knew she had already fed him today and he was gaining too much weight. More walks were in order for her spoiled friend.
Another thing to add to the list.
Her eyelids started to feel heavy and she let them close. She just needed five—no, ten minutes to let the day wash over her and then she could get back to her routine.
The universe wouldn’t even let her have that.
Three loud raps came from her door and she looked at the ceiling. Who was it this time? Probably one of her neighbors complaining again. Last time it was about Pogi barking and the time before that the ‘association’ needed to decide on rules for visitors.
Bella always hated that word. If it wasn’t for her apartment she’d never associate with these people in the first place. She sighed and left her palace of comfort and looked through the peephole to see who it was this time.
She could see three figures, or at least she thought it was three. The hallway light was out, another thing that the ‘association’ would have to deal with. They all seemed to be wearing hoods.
Bella knew a prank when she saw one and said, “I don’t know who you are, but it’s not funny. Bother someone else.”
The figures just stood there, unwavering.
It was probably the kids from three doors down. They finally looked up from their tablets to cause mischief, but today was the wrong day to mess with Bella. She mentally prepared a sermon and opened the door and then—
Nothing.
There was no one in the hallway. Bella rubbed her eyes and looked around. She was sure she saw three figures in the peephole.
Maybe the stress was really getting to her. If she was seeing things then it was definitely time for a vacation.
Bella set her phone on silent, put the groceries away and sat in front of her laptop.
Bali was definitely at the top of her list, but Korea was starting to speak to her. She brushed off the day’s events. Work could go to hell, it was time for Bella to have what she needed. It was definitely a sign when she found a sale for tickets, even though the catch was she had to leave tomorrow.
It was fine, she’d call in sick. This was something she knew she had to do.
Bella booked the flight and packed her bags. The future was looking bright.
If she listened, she would have heard the knocking coming from her front door, but she’d probably brush it off as hearing things again.
Tomorrow would be better.
She’d make sure of it.
The knocking continued until morning and Bella was too excited to notice it. She woke up fully refreshed, got her passport and made her way to the airport.
Unknown to her, and engineer forgot to do his due diligence and let the plane fly without checking its engine.
She fell asleep as the plane took off. Over the sound of the airplane she could make out small raps by her window seat.
It was the last thing she would ever hear.
*The Kumakatok warn of misfortune and death. They knock on your door signaling that someone will die the next day.
*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 Deo M. Ramos
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Deo M. Ramos
Inspired by the Kumakatok legends from Luzon and Visayas.
Kumakatok Illustration by Aiyan Von Einzbern