*This story is in Masbatenyo – Ticaoeño
Pararehas lang an damgo ko ‘pag gindadamag ako.
Nagtutuna an tanan sa akon higdaan. Kaya nagtenir na ako sa hospital. Pero dili pa gihapon aram san mga doktor an mali sa akon. An sabi ninda, kukuhaan pa ninda ako sin iba na medical tests. Gintitiawan ko na lang sinda. Aram ko na magiging masakit para sa akon, pero dili ko sinda ginbabasol kay ginhihimo man lang ninda an inda trabaho.
Kag umabot na an mga dagom. Gin-iniksyunan ako kag gintusok hasta magdesbilo. Kaya gintestingan san mga nurse na pakusugon an buot ko. Sabi ninda magiging maayo man an tanan kag apiki na ini matapos. Kag aram ko man na dili sinda mahimo san ikakaraot ko, kaya mahangos na lang ako sin halarom hanggang matapos ini.
Pagkatapos san tanan, umabot an pinakamaraot na punto. Bumalik ako kun diin ako nagtuna. Pagkatapos san tests kag pagbulong sa akon, mag-usad na gihapon ako, nakahigda sa akon katre sa hospital. Sabi sa akon oobserbaran pa daw ako. May mga doktor lang na magbuburubisita sa akon oras-oras.
Kag didto ko na nakita an kun anano na linalang. San una, may halaba kag pula na naghahali sa atop. Dili ko aram kun nano idto kag dili ko aram kun parte idto sin usad na linalang, pero naghihiwag idto na baga man lang an buhay. Ako man, nanluluya pa sa pinag-agihan ko na tests kaya dili na ako nakaato. Dili ko na idto maudong sa paglabot kag paghikap sa akon.
Kag namatyagan ko idto sa akon lawas. San maghikap na sa akon an pula na linalang, bagan ako an nagraspada sa maraton. Lumuwas sa akon lawas an tanan na nabibilin na kusog hasta sa punto na sa sobra na panluya, nawara na pati an akon kahadlok. An kaya ko na lang himuon an magtitig sadto na pula na linalang. Matugnaw idto ‘pag nagtatama sa akon panit kag naghihiwag kag naghihikap sa kada parte san akon lawas.
Nagtesting ako magguriyak pero masyado na ako kapoy kag maluya. Iba an pagmatyag ko sa akon kalawasan. Ni dili ko aram kun gaano kadugay an pangyari. Nakaturog na lamang ako.
Hasta na may sumulod na nurse. Nawara idto na pula na kun anano. Ginhunga ako san nurse kun matiano ako. Ako man wara na sin kusog para magsumat na dili maayo an akon pagmatyag.
“Ayaw kahandal, nakamata ka lang anay kay may gintumar ka na bulong hasta na makakaturog ka,” Sabi niya.
Nagtesting gihapon ako magsiyak kag magguriyak pero waran nagluluwas sa akon.
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.
Then suddenly, a nurse walks in. The red thing disappears from my sight. She asks me if I’m okay and I can’t muster the strength to say no.
“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.
*Masbateño, Masbatenyo or Minasbate is a Bicol-Visayan language spoken by more than 600,000 people, primarily in the province of Masbate in the Philippines. It is very close to Capiznon, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo and Waray-Waray, all three spoken in Visayas. It is considered a Bisakol language, meaning a language intermediate between Visayan languages and Bicolano languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by M.A.C. Villamor
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © M.A.C. Villamor
Inspired by the Mansusopsop legends
Mansusopsop Illustration by NightmareSyrup
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