Tinu ig na nga gakatingala ang mga siyentipiko sang mga buyog. Gamit ang daan nga “aerodynamic theory”, indi ni sila dapat maka lupad. Subong makita nga ang mga buyog maka lupad gamit ang baskog nila nga pwersa. Ang ila paglupad daw indi instakto, daw natunga nag ini nga insekto sa tunga. Ang wala kag tuo nga pakpak makalupad tig isa kag nag hangin nga gaagi sa iya pakpak wala gabulig sa buyog nga makalupad sang maayu.
Isa ini nga mysteryo sa siyensya asta sang isa ka dekada niligad. Pero ako matingala kung anu mapanumduman sang mga siyentipiko kung matubangan nila ang nakita ko.
Tskato guid hambal sang buang nga tigulang, ari guid di sila. Bal an ko nga kung patihun ko akun nabatyagan na makita ko na sila. Tinu ig nga paghulat kag pag hunahuna, mahambal ko naman guid kay lolo nga instakto sya. Ang tanan nga istorya sang Handiong taming parti sa mga ini kag panu nga wala na sila makita ay tuod. Si lolo kag ang iya “platoon” indi mga buang. Abi sang ila mga superyor ang ila mga storya parti sa mga galupad nga bagis isa lang ka pati-pati kag indi matuod. Indi ko na mahulat nga makita ang ila mga tsura kung mapakita ko na sa ila ang Tiburones.
Ang ini nga mga bagis tama ka interesado. Indi ko mahambal kung paano sila ka tinir sa hangin. Sila bala may “swim bladder” nga nag ebolb kag nag “adopt?” Kilanlang ko ini mapalapitan para mabal an ko. Ang mga bato kay perti ka talom, napilas pa ko gane pagsaka ko pero wala ini kaso. Anu man ang gamay nga dugo para sa presyo sang siyentipiko nga ebolusyon.
Nakapalapit naman guid ko sa tubig para makita ang ginaubra sang mga Tiburones. Daw ang ila ginakaon mga pispis kag mga isda sa sina nga bahin. Ang ila pagpanakup wala ga lain sa ordinaryo nga pating kag galupad lang sila sa tubig kung makagwa ang pispis halin sa ila.
Ang mga normal nga pating ga salig sa ila nga panimaho sa tubig ti salbar man ko basta indi lang ko madagdag. Ang pinakadaku nga pating daw gapakita nga sya ang mayor. Ang mga ini lain sa mga ordinaryo nga pating kag ang mga ordinaryo nga pating indi lapit sa kaalaam nga ginapakita sang mga Tiburones. Sila daw mga “dolphins” sa ila pamatasan.
Ara ko sa pil as para magkuha sang mayu nga mga “shots.” Ini mga ibedensya para makakuha ko suporta para sa isa ka madaku nga ekspedisyun. Pero ang mga Tiburones may iban nga plano. Sila maka panimaho kung ara sila sa hangin ukon sa tubig. Nakapalagyo ko sa malapit nga kweba.
Ara pako gyapun sa sulod sang kweba. Ang mga pating ga tiyog tiyog sa gwa sa hangin. Basi makapoy man sila, amu na ang tsansa ko nga makapalagyo.
Kung indi, kung sin o man makabasa sang sini nga sulat, palihog pagwa sang kamatu oran. Kilanlan ini makagwa. Palihog nga indi pag usiki ang akun nga sakripisyo.
Scientists have been baffled by the bumblebee for years. Using old aerodynamic theory they shouldn’t even be able to fly. Today, it has been shown that the bumblebee adopts a brute force approach to flying. Their flight is inefficient, as if the insect has been split in half. The left and right wings flap independently and the airflow around the wings never joins to help the bee slip through the air more easily.
It was a scientific mystery until only about a decade ago, but I wonder what those scientists would think if they would be faced by what I saw.
That crazy old woman was right, they would be here. I knew that if I followed my instincts that I would finally find them. Years of waiting and wondering and I can finally tell my lolo that he was right. All those stories of Handiong taming these things and how they were never seen again were true. Lolo and his platoon weren’t crazy. Their superiors thought that stories of flying sharks were silly superstition. I can’t wait to see their faces when I show them the Tiburones.
These sharks are incredibly interesting. I can’t tell what keeps them in the air. Is it a swim bladder that they somehow evolved and adapted? I have to get closer to find out. The rocks along this cove are very sharp, I managed to cut myself on a steep part of the climb, but it doesn’t matter. What’s a little blood if the prize is a scientific revolution?
I finally got close enough to the water to see what the Tiburones are doing. It seems like their diet consist of the birds and fish around the area. Their hunting pattern isn’t any different from regular sharks and they only fly out of the water when there’s a bird that’s attempting to get away.
Normal sharks rely on their sense of smell in the water so I was safe as long as I didn’t fall in. The largest shark in the frenzy seemed to be exhibiting leader behavior. This is different from regular sharks and I don’t think these things are anywhere close to the intelligence exhibited by those specimens. They seemed to be acting more like dolphins in their outward behavior.
I was by a cliffside to get better shots. This evidence can help me get the support I need for a full expedition. But the Tiburones have a different plan. They seem to be able to smell in the air as well as they do in the water. I barely escaped to a nearby cave in time.
I’m still inside the cave. The sharks are circling outside in the air. Maybe they’ll get tired and I can have a chance to escape.
If I don’t, to whoever’s reading this letter, please let the truth get out. They are out here. Don’t let my sacrifice be in vain.
*The Hiligaynon language, also colloquially referred often by most of its speakers simply as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, mainly in Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN, most of whom belong to the Visayan ethnic group, mainly the Hiligaynons. It is the second-most widely spoken language and a member of the so-named Visayan language family and is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Tagalog translation by Allen Suating
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Allen Suating
Story inspired by the Ibalon (A Bikolano epic).
Pating na Pakpakan Illustration by Leandro Geniston
FB: That Guy With A Pen
Watercolor by Mykie Concepcion
Tumblr: http://mykieconcepcion.tumblr.com/