Hora ya tambien.

Mas de maga gente ta desaleha kun el maga sementeryo. Nukere sila acorda kay el mga muerto tali lang are-redor na priyo, eskuru parte del mundo. Pero hinde sila debe mas man lingasa, kay el maga muerto hinde ya ta tarda na maga sepultura. El sunor del drums ta trabesa na maga lapida. El sunor hinde suena como kosa expectao na maga selebrasyon, kay el maga kalabera hinde man para ase sunor. Pero ya buska sila manera.

Baka ta estranya ustedes porque iyo taqui. Que porke un respetado mojer, igwal kumigo taki na sementeryo ta sigui el sunor para alya kanila. Ya prinsipya este na kuryusidad, como mas de maga kwento. El mi mayores ya abla kumigo nomas anda na sementeryo pero ya anda yo syempre, ansina de simple.

El primer notche iyo ya uyi kunel maga drums, ya mira yo kunel maga kabug y pero y insecto ya kambya. Ya pwede sila kumigo mira kwando ya bira sila, entonses nusabe yo kosa ase. Ya insinya sila kunel grande ojas de saging, y talya na ojas si Pay Tonio. Un mes antes, talya iyo na disuyu inchero.

Ya guia sila kumigo na kuerpo, y el kosa yo ta pwede mira, ta selebra sila. Makamyedo klase de Pyesta. Chene sila maga kutsilyo y armas de bukug. Pero ta sinti yo paz. Nuay sintimiento de myedo como mas de maga gente si sila el na miyo pwesto. Maskin kuwando ya oprese sila un pedazo karne del di ila kumida.

Hora ya tambien. Y ta puede iyo uyi ta keda mas suena el sunor del drums.

Este tyempo ta pensa yo, kien gaha el nuebo kumida?

=——————————-=

English Version

It’s time again.

Most people like to keep graveyards at a safe distance. They don’t like to be reminded that the dead still linger somewhere in the cold, dark earth, but they shouldn’t worry, the dead never stay in the grave for long. The drums ring across the gravestones. The sound isn’t as loud as you would expect from the celebrations, but human skulls weren’t made for noise. They had to be resourceful.

You would ask why I’m here. Why a respectable girl like me would be in a cemetery following the sound towards them. It all started with curiosity, like most stories do. My parents told me not to go to the graveyard, and I went. It was as simple as that.

The first night I heard the drums. I saw the bats and dogs and bugs turn into them. They looked at me as soon as they turned, and I didn’t know what to do. They pointed towards a huge banana leaf and on it was Manong Tonio. A month before I was at his funeral.

They led me to the body and I could see they were celebrating. It was a macabre fiesta. They had knives and clubs made out of bones and somehow, I felt at peace. I wasn’t scared as most people would be. Not even when they offered me a piece of their meal.

It’s time again and I can hear the drumbeats get louder.

I wonder who will be the feast this time.

=—————————————–=

*Chavacano or Chabacano refers to a number of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in  Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Chavacano-Zamboangueño Translation by JC Duterte
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © JC Duterte

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

Kagkag Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

*Note this story is in Chavacano Zamboanga

Un noche, un cuago ya man tika de este cabeza desde un gueco na pono. El ulan ya man hinay na un taliti.

Siendo con hambre, ya estrecha este su maga alaz y ya vola na maga rama donde puede este encontra presa.

Ya imagina este su una sena este noche, quilaya hinde ya este ta puede espera machaca su presa y traga con este entero. El idea ya hace conele realmente almareao.

Ahora el cuago tiene bien bueno sentido de oida, de echo este experto oi maskin el pinakadiutay movimiento para cogi de este presa.

Mientras ya vola este encima de un sitio, ya puede este oi un sonor familiar.

El claro ritmo de ‘kik kik kik’.

Ay hinde era con este pone atencion el cuago como igual este pirmi ta hace, pero este curioso y ta queda ya fuerte el ulan. El maga cuago de vejes ya habla con el maga bata que este maga criatura hinde ta mete kanila, solamente na maga gente. Ya describe sila con detalle de este largo lengua, perchando na maga techo de maga casa de gente y el diila sonor otro clase.

Cerrando de este maga ojos, el cuago ya concentra para busca dond estaba el sonor, acordando cosa debe este busca.

Cuantos momentos despues, este confianza que ya puede loca donde el criatura.

Entonces, ya esta este donde el ventana y ya mira con el maga siguiente suceso.

Tiene tres gente ta dormi na costao de a uno’y otro. Un bata, un mujer que claro kay preñada y un hombre.

Maskin entrey alboroto del ulan, el cuago claro ta puede oi el sonor del tulo del un liquid na barriga del mujer. El cuago ya mira con ele levanta y pone tabo donde le parte. El mujer ya move y ya encontra otro lugar donde para dormi, pero otra vez el cuago ta puede oi el tulo ta tupa na su barriga na un tempo familiar.

Y aqui ya queda listo el orejas del cuago.

Y talla. ‘kik kik kik’

Dol aquel este un hutik, como el sonor ya traveza grande distancia para llega na diila maga orejas.

Ya enfria el sangre del cuago.

El hombre y el bata ya desperta na sonor y por instinto, el hombre ya saca un bolo y ya corre pa afuera.

Ya vola el cuago en frente del casa para mira cosa hace el hombre.

Ya grita el hombre, “Si ebo hinde deja dimiyo familia, ay anda yo na de bos casa mañana!” Este mientras ta taya le con su bolo el ulan.

En seguidas este ya para, y el cuago ta oi ya lang el taliti mientras ta dale este baña con el luna del medianoche.

El criatura ya sale, incapaz de sacar de este comida, y el cuago ya habla su cuerpo na este ay hinde socede conele este noche.

Mientras el cuago ya vola para busca presa, este ya pensa:

Sabe ba gayot el hombre donde el casa del tiktik?

=———————–=

English Version

One night, an owl poked its head out of its tree hole. The rain was weakening into a manageable shower.

Hungry as it was, it stretched its wings and flew to the perches where it could find prey.

It imagined its first meal of the night, how it couldn’t wait to crush their prey and swallow it whole. The thought made it positively giddy.

Now the owl had a very good sense of hearing, in fact it was adept at listening for even the slightest hints of movement to catch their quarry.

As it flew over a human village it heard a familiar sound.

The unmistakable cadence of ‘kik kik kik’.

The owl would have ignored it as it always had, but it was curious and the rain was starting to get stronger. The elder owls told the young that these creatures are harmless to their kind, only targeting humans. They described in detail the long tongue, perching on the roofs of human houses and their confusing sound.

Closing its eyes, the owl concentrated to find the source of the sound, remembering what it should be looking for.

After a few moments it was confident that it located where the creature would be.

So, it stayed by the window and watched the events unfold.

There were three humans sleeping side by side. One child, a woman that was clearly pregnant and a man.

Even through the noise of the raindrops the owl could clearly hear the sound of some liquid dropping on the stomach of the woman. The owl saw her stand up and put a dipper where she was. The woman moved and found another place to sleep, but again the owl could hear the same sound of droplets hitting her stomach in a familiar tempo.

And then the owl’s ears piqued.

There it was. ‘kik kik kik’

It was almost like a whisper, as if the sound traveled great distances to settle on their ears.

The owl’s blood ran cold.

The man and the child both woke up to the sound and almost through instinct the man grabbed a bolo and rushed outside.

The owl flew to the front of the house to see what the man would do.

The man shouted “If you don’t leave my family, I will go to your house tomorrow!” All the while swinging his bolo through the rain.

And in an instant, it stopped, the owl could only hear the pitter-patter of the drizzle as it washed over the midnight moon.

The creature left, unable to get its meal, and the owl scoffed and told itself that wasn’t going to happen to it tonight.

As the owl flew to its hunting grounds it wondered.

Did the man really know where the tiktik’s house was?

=————————-=

*Chavacano or Chabacano refers to a number of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Chavacano-Zamboangueño Translation by Marion Bais Guerrero
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Marion Bais Guerrero

Story inspired by a story told by Gil Geolingo

Tiktik Illustration by Gil Geolingo