*Note this story is in Cebuano
Kada urom nalang nako pareho ra jod akong masinatian.
Magsugod sa akong kama. Naa jod kos ospital permaninte. Wala gihapon nahibal-an sa mga doktor kon unsay sakit nako. Moingon sila nga ipa-test na pod ko nila ug mosugot ra pod ko. Maski kahibaw kong sakit apan dili nako sila mabasol kay ginabuhat ra pod nila ilang trabaho.
Ug mi-abot na ang mga dagom. Gitusok ug gikulikot kog pila ka oras. Gipahilona kos mga nurse. Miingon sila nga mahuman ra lagi ni ug mahapsay ra ang tanan. Buhaton nila ang tanan aron walay mahitabo nga dili maayo hangtod sa mahuman, ug ang akong rang kinahanglan buhaton kay moginhawa.
Ug moabot na pod kos pinakadili nako ganahan nga parte inig mahuman ang tanan. Pagkahuman sa tanang tests ug treatments, nag-inusara ra kos akong kama. Balik sa kon asa ko nagsugod. Ingon nila nga obserbahan kuno ko ug adunay doktor ra motan-aw nako kada oras.
Sa kanang higayona dayon nako siya makita, morag taas ug pula nga gikan sa atop. Wala ko kabalo jod kon unsa siya ug wala pod ko kabalo kon naa siyay gisumpayan, apan mora siyag buhi kay galihok siya. Mi-aksyon siyag hilam kanako apan ako maoy dili kalihok. Nanluya kos tanang tests nga gibuhat nila nako.
Ug mabati-an na nako siya. Sa higayong gunitan ko niya, mora kog midagan og maraton. Ang akong kusog mahanaw hangtod maski’g ako kapoyon na og kahadlok. Ang ako ra jong mahimo kay magtutok kaniya. Bugnaw ang iyang pagkupot kanako ug ang iyang paglihok midagan sa akong kalawasan hangtod tanang parte niini iyang makaptan.
Misulay kog siyagit apan luya kaayo ko. Ka-ngilngig ang akong nabati-an ug wala koy hanaw kon unsa na kadugay iyang pagkapot kanako. Gusto ra ko matulog og balik.
Ug sa dihang misulod ang nurse. Nawala siyag kalit. Nangutana ang nurse kon okay ra ba ko apan wa koy umoy nga motubag.
“Ayaw kabalaka taod-taod pa ka makatulog tungod sa tambal,” ingon ang nurse.
Gisulayan nakog syagit usab apan walay tingog nga mogawas.
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English Version
Every nightmare I have is the same.
It all starts in my bed. I’m in the hospital, as always. The doctors still don’t know what’s wrong with me. They say that they’re going to try another test and I humor them. I know it’s going to be painful for me, but I don’t blame the doctors, they’re just trying to do their jobs.
Then the needles arrive. I get poked and prodded for hours. The nurses try to reassure me. They tell me that everything’s going to be fine and it will all be over soon. They wouldn’t do anything that would make things worse so all I have to do is breathe, just until it’s over.
The worst part comes when it’s all over. After the tests and the treatments, I’m alone in my hospital bed. Back where I started. They tell me I’ll be put on observation and there will be a doctor checking on me every few hours.
That’s when I see it, something long and red coming from the roof. I don’t know what it is and I don’t know if it’s attached to anything, but it moves like it was alive. I can’t move. I’m too weak from all the tests to stop it from touching me.
Then I feel it. The moment the red thing touches me, it’s like I ran a marathon. The energy flows out of me until I’m too tired to even be afraid. All I do is stare at the red thing. It feels cold to the touch and it moves around until it touches every part of my body.
I try to scream but I’m too tired. The strange sensation is all over my body now and I don’t know how long it’s been. I just want to go back to sleep.
“Don’t worry the medicine will only keep you awake for a little while longer then you can sleep,” she says.
I try to scream again but nothing comes out.
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*The Cebuano language, alternatively called Cebuan and also often colloquially albeit informally referred to by most of its speakers simply as Bisaya (“Visayan”, not to be confused with other Visayan languages nor Brunei Bisaya language), is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 21 million people, mostly in Central Visayas, western parts of Eastern Visayas and most parts of Mindanao, most of whom belong to various Visayan ethnolingusitic groups, mainly the Cebuanos. It is the by far the most widely spoken of the Visayan languages, which are in turn part of wider the Philippine languages. The reference to the language as Bisaya is not encouraged anymore by linguists due to the many languages within the Visayan language group that may be confused with the term.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Cebuano Translation by John
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © John
Inspired by the Mansusopsop legends
Mansusopsop Illustration by NightmareSyrup
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