*Note this story is in Tagalog

Hindi naging madali ang negosasyon, subalit paglaon, makakakita ka ng mga sinusundang pamamaraan kung paano maiisagawa ng tama ang pagba-baratilyo. Natuto ako ng bagay na ito mula sa isang matalinong dwende na nakilala ko maraming taon na ang nakalipas habang nililinis ko ang bukid ng aking kapatid. Pinagkalooban niya ako ng apat na mahahalagang aral. Mga aralin na mahalagang gunitain sa dahilang ipinatawag ako ng datu upang magtaboy ng galit na espiritu mula sa isang puno na nais niyang putulin. Ang buhay ng albularyo ay hindi naging kapanabik-panabik ngunit kapag hiningi ng pagkakataon, wala kang masyadong pagpipilian.

Ang dapat malaman sa unang aral ay kung paano mo bukas palad na papakitunguhan ang iyong susunod na layunin. Maiibigay lang ang tiwala kung ito ay una mong i-aalok, lalo na kung ikaw ang nangangailangan nito. Sa ganitong pamamaraan, nauunawaan ko kung anong klaseng espiritu ang aking kakaharapin. Isang magandang halimbawa nito ay ang kwento mula sa aking kinalakihang bayan. Kung saan, dito nagmula ang unang espiritu na nakasalamuha ko.

Noong una, tahimik ang puno ng mga ilang sandali. Subalit kinalaunan, sinaway ako at ipinabatid na nagsasayang lang ako ng panahon. Nararamdaman ko ang mapusok na panunuya na nagmumula sa mga dahon, ang Magtitima. Nang mga sandaling iyon, napagtanto ko na hindi magiging madali ang lahat.

Huminga ako ng malalim at naalala ang ikalawang aral. Mahalaga na maunawaan mo ang tuntunin mo. Nabigyan ako ng disenteng alok mula sa datu bagaman hindi ko alam kung sasapat ito. Sa pagkakaalam ko, kailangan ng datu na putulin ang puno sapagkat magtatayo siya ng isang bahay. Masusi kong pinag-aralan ang hinggil sa bagay na ito, ang nais na alok ng ganitong klaseng espiritu ay puting manok na may kasamang basi, isang alak na gawa sa palay.

Ang pangatlong aral ay, laging ikaw ang gumawa ng unang alok. Karaniwan na sa ibang mga albularyo na maghintay, nagbabaka-sakaling makakuha ng impormasyon mula sa espiritu bago sila gumawa ng kahit na anong kasunduan. Pero tinuruan ako ng duwende ng ibang pamamaraan. Ikaw dapat ang maunang magtakda sa patutunguhan ng pagpapalitan. Kaya nagsimula ako sa mababang tawad muna, nag-alay ako ng ilang supot ng bigas.

Nagsimula nang maglaro sa aking palad ang Magtitima sapagkat alintana ang pagkaka-insulto nito. Ito ang tamang pagkakataon upang isagawa ang ika-apat na aral: bigyan mo sila ng paniniwalang sila ang nakakalamang. Kahit sinong bumubili ay nais maramdaman na nagkaroon sila ng magandang alok. Samakatuwid, urong-sulong ang panghihimok ko. Gusto ng espiritu ng pinaka magarang ginto at mga alahas, at mabilis kong ihihingi ng tawad sapagkat walang ganung kahalagang ambag sa kaha ng datu. Sa halip, i-aalok ko ang ilang mamahaling bato at isang pamanang punyal.

Maraming panahon at oras ang ginugugol ng ganitong uri ng negosasyon. Mahalaga na hindi ipaalala sa espiritu na nakikipag-usap siya sa isang hamak na mortal, kaya sinisugarado ko na hindi niya mapapansin na ako ay pinagpapawisan. Pagkatapos ng waring walang katapusan na tawaran ng alay at panalangin, sa wakas ay sumang-ayon siya sa kasunduan ng limang puting manok at pitong bote ng basi.

Ngumiti ako at ipinabatid na ang datu ay mag-aalay ng isang pagdaraos bilang pag-alaala sa kabaitan ng makapangyarihang espiritu, isang bagay na buong pusong tinanggap ng Magtitima. Sinabi ko sa espiritu na maaari siyang lumipat sa ibang puno malapit sa  ilog, na kung saan mas malaki ng di-hamak kaysa sa ibang puno sa kagubatan. Bagama’t hindi na nagpaalam, walang paglagyan ang lingas ng espiritu kaya daglian itong umalis.

Tumingin ako sa mga bituin at napagtanto na kalahating-araw na pala ang nakalipas mula nang nakipag-usap ako sa espiritu. Sininop ko ang aking mga gamit at tutungo sa tahanan ng datu na may dalang magandang balita, umaasa na makakakuha ng konting bagay kapalit ng abala. Datapuwa’t sa gaya kong albularyo, hindi kami humihingi ng kung ano mang kapalit bagkus, tumatanggap lang kami.

Ang buhay ng albularyo ay hindi naging kapanabik-panabik ngunit kapag hiningi ng pagkakataon, wala kang masyadong pagpipilian.

=————————————–=

English Version

Negotiations are never easy, but eventually you see patterns in the way the bargains are done. I learned this from a savvy dwende I met a few years ago while clearing out a part of my brother’s farm. He gave me four very important lessons. Lessons that I must recall today because a datu has contracted me to move an angry spirit away from a tree he intends to cut. The life of an albularyo is never glamorous, but when you are called, there is little choice.

The first lesson is to approach your target with an open hand. Trust must first be offered before it is given, especially when you are asking for it. This also gives me an opening to see just what kind of spirit I’m dealing with. I open with a story about my hometown and the first spirit I ever spoke to. The tree is quiet for a while before it scolds me for wasting its time. I can sense the prideful scorn emanating from the leaves. A Magtitima. I soon realize this isn’t going to be easy.

I take a deep breath and remember the second lesson. It always pays to know what your terms are. I was given a modest offering from the datu, but I don’t know if it will be enough. The datu needs the tree to be cut down to build a new house that much I know. At least I did my research, the preferred offering of this spirit is a white chicken served with basi, a rice wine.

Lesson number three is to always make the first offer. Most other albularyos would wait, trying to see how much information they could get out of the spirit before making any sort of deal, but the dwede told me a different tactic. You have to set the stage, I give a low bid of a few bags of rice to start with.

The Magtitima is insulted and plays right into my hands. The fourth lesson now comes into play: always make them think they have the advantage. Every buyer wants to feel they got a good deal, so I start the back and forth. The spirit demands only the best gold and jewels and I apologize for the lacking resources in the datu’s coffers. I counter with some precious stones and an heirloom kris.

The negotiation takes hours of time and effort. A spirit must never be reminded that he is conversing with a mortal so I make sure he doesn’t see me sweat. After what seems like an eternity haggling offerings and prayers I finally bargain him down to five white chickens and seven bottles of basi.

I smile and tell him the datu will offer a celebration in commemoration of the powerful spirit’s great generosity, something that the Magtitima agrees to wholeheartedly. I tell the spirit that it can move to another tree by the river, one that is bigger than the other trees in the forest. The spirit’s pride is too much to contain and it moves there immediately, not even saying a word of goodbye.

I look up at the stars and realize it’s been more than half a day since I started talking to the spirit. I pack up my things and head to the datu’s house with the good news, hoping that I can get something for my troubles. An albularyo can never demand payment, only accept it.

The life of an albularyo is never glamorous, but when you are called, there is little choice.

=——————————————————=

Inspired by the Magtitima entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Magtitima Illustration by Leandro Geniston fromAklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

The post Magtitima – Tagalog Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

“Please stop! Why are you doing this to me!”

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID

“I don’t! I promise! Whatever I did to you I’m sorry!”

YOUR APOLOGIES DON’T MATTER PITIFUL HUMAN

“Get off me! I can’t breathe!”

THIS IS PUNISHMENT FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS
“I don’t know what I did! Please just get off me!”

But no one could hear Enrico, not in the real world, at least. The entire conversation echoed endlessly through the dreamscape.

All he did was buy a new bed frame from some local artisans, nothing out of the ordinary. But the moment he slept on it she was there.

It started out innocently at first, he would see the woman in his dreams. Sometimes she would be the nurse in a hospital, other times she would cook a nice meal that his dream self would savor.

He never noticed the glint in her eye, a small, but not insignificant glimmer of rage.

This carried on for months, until the dreams became more violent.

Most of the time when something shocking happens in the dream world, you immediately get jolted awake. It’s the subconscious sparing you from having to experience the horror.

But Enrico couldn’t wake up.

The first time he was walking through a haunted house, there were screams covering the entire area, but he wasn’t scared. He thought that it was a lucid dream and that nothing could hurt him.

Walking through the tight corridors he saw what he assumed was the serial killer, a large man complete with a giant bolo knife. He tried to run away but Enrico tripped on something and he went spiraling down the stairs.

Unable to move his legs, he was at the mercy of the man with the knife. He tried to change his dream, still hoping that this was a lucid experience, but nothing worked. There was no rescue to be had. The man with the knife raised his bolo.

Enrico screamed. His right leg had been cut off below the knee. Shouts of help fell on deaf ears as the man with the knife prepared a second slash.

It took five slashes before Enrico returned to the safety of the waking world.

And all he could remember were the blood and the screams, and, of course, her.

The large woman was whispering to the man with the knife and was there for every single slash.

Enrico couldn’t forget the look in her eyes. She wanted to see him suffer.

And still, he did not know why.

The next few months were a series of nightmares and caffeine. Enrico tried to keep himself awake by any means necessary. He couldn’t handle the torture of his dreams, especially now that they were slowly becoming worse.
It didn’t even matter if he wasn’t sleeping on the bed frame anymore. No matter where he was the woman would follow him, infecting his dreams like a giant bacterium.
He was desperate for an answer so he tried asking for help.

The albularyo wasn’t what he had expected. He imagined someone older, not a skinny boy barely out of his teens. Assurances were given that Paeng (the young albularyo) was genuine enough for his needs.

As they entered the house Paeng froze. His eyes glazed over and it looked to be like he was caught in a trance.

“Where did you get that?” Paeng pointed to the bed, which could easily be seen from the corridor.

“That thing? I bought it from a woodworker,” replied Enrico.
“You have let the infestation spread,” Paeng stared into Enrico’s eyes. Jolts of electricity ran down his spine as the steely gaze peeled back the tiredness.

“What do you mean?” Enrico managed to blurt out.
“Everything has to live somewhere and all are angered when their homes are ripped from them. The tree that this bed was made from was the abode of a spirit, great and vengeful. She has since moved on from occupying this bed to permeating your entire home——”

At that moment Paeng’s legs buckled. He fell to the floor and gasped for air.

“You will not win this one, spirit,” Paeng shouted to the ceiling. He started to mutter in some unintelligible language and pointed to the bed.

“Enrico,” Paeng said. “You must sleep.”

“What! What do you mean?! Are you even alright?! It looks like you’re barely breathing,” was Enrico’s reply.

“Listen to me, this spirit brings madness through dreams, and it is only there that we can face it. Trust me. You must fall asleep on the bed, as you have many times before and face her.”

“What do you mean face her? That’s what you’re here for. I can’t do this by myself.”

“You will not be alone. Trust in me. We will face her together.”

The room was still with expectation. Enrico noticed that Paeng would clutch his chest from time to time. “Probably from the spirit,” he thought.

“And you’re certain this is the only way to be rid of her?” Enrico asked.

“Yes.” Paeng took his place by the side of the bed.
“Alright. I trust you.” After all that had happened, Enrico thought that it would be difficult getting to sleep, but months of tiredness had come to claim their due. The instant he laid his head on the pillow the jaws of sleep engulfed him.

Enrico found himself in a small room, but not alone. There she was, a corpulent mass of flesh standing in front of a door.

HUMAN THAT YOU ARE YOU THINK YOU CAN CHALLENGE ME IN MY PLACE OF POWER

His skin tensed as the vibration of her voice attacked his senses. What had he been thinking? There was no way he would be able to face this thing even with Paeng’s help. Paeng didn’t even tell him what to do, now it was just him and a very angry spirit.

“Look, can we reason this out?”

THERE IS NO REASON TO BE HAD HERE, HUMAN

“I’m sorry that they tore down your home, but I had nothing to do with that, believe me.”

YOU THINK THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE, BUT YOU BOUGHT THE CORPSE OF MY HOME AND LAID YOUR HEAD DOWN UPON IT

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know—-”

AND IT MATTERS NOT WHAT YOU KNEW THEN, MY HOME IS BROKEN AND I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE

“Please—–”

His words were engulfed by the sprawling spirit. In an all too familiar move, the giant woman lunged forward and pressed herself against Enrico, depriving him of life-giving breath.

“So, this is how it ends,” thought Enrico. “Crushed to death in my dreams by the fattest spirit in the world.” Moments of his life flashed before him, some he now regretted and others he wished he could savor one more time.

“Bite your thumb.”

A familiar voice echoed in his ear. He couldn’t remember who it belonged to, but it was strong and imperative.

“BITE YOUR THUMB.”

Enrico did as he was told and the moment he did, he could feel the air rushing to his lungs.

He could breathe again.

It was Paeng’s voice that he heard! Young Paeng, the albularyo. Enrico awoke to find his new friend standing by the bedside with a look of relief upon his face.

“Thank you!” Was all Enrico could think to say before jumping towards Paeng and giving him a hug.

Joy overtook Enrico and if he had thought to be more mindful, he would have seen a forlorn look upon Paeng’s face.

But maybe it wouldn’t have mattered to Enrico, the spirit was gone and he would finally have a good night’s rest.
For the first time in what felt like forever things were looking bright.

Until Paeng spoke.

“Naluganan.”

“Excuse me?” Enrico was still excited by the thought of being free from his spirit tormentor.

“That is what you are now,” Paeng said.

“What do you mean, what is ‘Naluganan’?”

“It means that you can see what others cannot.”
Enrico didn’t understand what he meant.

“Look outside,” said Paeng.

In that moment the tapestry of the invisible world that surrounded all things was open to him. He saw not only the spirits of the forest, but also of those he thought long gone.

“What— How—-”

“You are now as I am,” Paeng answered.

“Is this because of the batibat?” Enrico didn’t understand how he knew the spirit’s name, the thought just came flooding to his mind.

Paeng nodded.

Enrico tried to say he wasn’t ready, that this responsibility was not for him, but the words died in his throat.

He knew fate had chosen him for some unknown reason.
And he would do his best to meet the challenge.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Ilocano Batibat myths

Illustration by likhatsining

Deviant Art: https://likhatsining.deviantart.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/likhatsining/

The post Batibat appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

Negotiations are never easy, but eventually you see patterns in the way the bargains are done. I learned this from a savvy dwende I met a few years ago while clearing out a part of my brother’s farm. He gave me four very important lessons. Lessons that I must recall today because a datu has contracted me to move an angry spirit away from a tree he intends to cut. The life of an albularyo is never glamorous, but when you are called, there is little choice.

The first lesson is to approach your target with an open hand. Trust must first be offered before it is given, especially when you are asking for it. This also gives me an opening to see just what kind of spirit I’m dealing with. I open with a story about my hometown and the first spirit I ever spoke to. The tree is quiet for a while before it scolds me for wasting its time. I can sense the prideful scorn emanating from the leaves. A Magtitima. I soon realize this isn’t going to be easy.

I take a deep breath and remember the second lesson. It always pays to know what your terms are. I was given a modest offering from the datu, but I don’t know if it will be enough. The datu needs the tree to be cut down to build a new house that much I know. At least I did my research, the preferred offering of this spirit is a white chicken served with basi, a rice wine.

Lesson number three is to always make the first offer. Most other albularyos would wait, trying to see how much information they could get out of the spirit before making any sort of deal, but the dwede told me a different tactic. You have to set the stage, I give a low bid of a few bags of rice to start with.

The Magtitima is insulted and plays right into my hands. The fourth lesson now comes into play: always make them think they have the advantage. Every buyer wants to feel they got a good deal, so I start the back and forth. The spirit demands only the best gold and jewels and I apologize for the lacking resources in the datu’s coffers. I counter with some precious stones and an heirloom kris.

The negotiation takes hours of time and effort. A spirit must never be reminded that he is conversing with a mortal so I make sure he doesn’t see me sweat. After what seems like an eternity haggling offerings and prayers I finally bargain him down to five white chickens and seven bottles of basi.

I smile and tell him the datu will offer a celebration in commemoration of the powerful spirit’s great generosity, something that the Magtitima agrees to wholeheartedly. I tell the spirit that it can move to another tree by the river, one that is bigger than the other trees in the forest. The spirit’s pride is too much to contain and it moves there immediately, not even saying a word of goodbye.

I look up at the stars and realize it’s been more than half a day since I started talking to the spirit. I pack up my things and head to the datu’s house with the good news, hoping that I can get something for my troubles. An albularyo can never demand payment, only accept it.

The life of an albularyo is never glamorous, but when you are called, there is little choice.

————————–————————–————————–—

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Magtitima entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Magtitima Illustration by Leandro Geniston fromAklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

The post Magtitima appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

I’m finally free.

Now that Mama and Papa moved us away from that bad place, I can sleep again. It’s so great to have a night where I don’t hear anyone laughing at me. I’m so glad the Mr. albulari—albulury— Albularyo—man told us to go find another place to live. He was nice.

There’s so much to do in this new place. I have so many new friends and Kuya and Mama and Papa all found new things to do. My favorite place is the new park near my house, there’s a really big swing, bigger than I’ve ever seen before. Maybe I can swing and reach the stars. I’ll try that tomorrow.

Today though, I found someone lonely. There was a little baby crying all alone under a tree in the park. It was so cute and lonely that I decided to play with it until its mommy came. I told it my name, Teleia, and the baby found it so funny. It would just laugh and laugh all the time with me.

The sun was setting and the baby was looking around and I think it was looking for its parents so I told him stories of my Mama and my Papa. Mama was getting better after what happened in our old place and she isn’t even sick anymore. She was even strong enough to feed my baby brother.

When I was talking about feeding the baby started crying a lot. It started screaming and I didn’t know what was happening. It was getting really dark so I told the baby to wait a little bit so that I could call my Mama. Maybe she can give it food.

She’ll know what to do.

————————–————————–———————

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story continued from Aura’s Tale

Story inspired by the Tiyanak legends

Tiyanak Illustration and Watercolor by Yanna Gemora

FB Page: Yannami

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