*Note this story is in Kapampangan

Pasisibayu ne namang medisoras ing asawa na, siningal ne naman ing lalaki.

Menagkas ya keng angin ing malating lalaki. Mengisnawa yang marimlang angin bat keng ilug at siningal yang pasibayu. Dadala no ning angin deng pamanuksu at sitsit da reng aliwang maglalage. Lulsut la keng siwang ning bale dang kwayan anggang milagpas ya kareng bulung at linuksu keng ilug.

Kening ilug ne minunang ikit ing babai.

Makapadurut keng lalaki ing danum, makalbug ya at anti ya mong makaulas mabasa. Taimik keni, asnang katunud. Aganaka ne itang aldong akilala ne ing kayang asawa. Asne kasala  ing aldo at mikapalyan ya keng kakewan, pepalbug no deng bitis na keng ilug kaybat megpiyak ya. Kanita ne minunang dimdam magkanta ing babai. Linub ya ing kanta keng balugbug ning lalaki kaybat sikmal ne ing puso na. Masaya la pa kanita.

Siyempre kontra ya ing pamilya ning babai. Aliwa la deng maglalage ning ilug kareng maglalage ning kakewan. “Ali ya map ing sirena kareng kalupa mu.” Mesukal ya lub ing lalaki kaybat da sinabi ita deng kapatad ning babai. Ali da kasi aintindian ing panamdaman na.

Ali naman dapat makanini. Ali dapat makanini kasakit ing kasal. Balu na at balu na rin ning asawa na ating bage na ali da akontrol. Ali la malyaring mikayanak maski na kasal la. Balu ning lalaki na makanta yang makuswelu ing asawa na, kaya pin paburen na nemu keng pamanintun na.

Miras ne keng lalam ning ilug at kinawe ya papunta keng lukib. Mengaligkig ya keng bawu da reng mete. Pegmasdan na lang deng mangalating butul, patung-patung at dikit-dikit la. Atin na naman kanyang bayung butul na matambak keni. Balu nang ali na dapat makaying isipan ing keinan da reng tau. Balu nang ali na no man talaga aintindian uling ali neman tau, pero aliwa ya talaga panamdaman patse akakit no deng butul.

Piniling ya kaybat kinawe ne pabalik keng pangpang. Sasabyan na keng sarili na makanini yang magkuswelu ing asawa na, na malati yang bage ini. Kabang maglakad ya pabalik keng kakewan, daramdaman nong magindredus deng aliwang maglalage. Ali na no pansin uling daramdaman na neng magkanta ing babai keng malawut.

Ing timan ning babai ing maulaga kaya.

Medisoras ne na naman ing babai at manaya ya.

===============

English Version

Again, she is late and again, her husband sighs.

The small man curses in the wind. He breathes in the cool river air and sighs for the third time. The taunts and whispers of the other sprits are thick on the wind.  They breach the sanctuary of his bamboo home until he rushes past the leaves and jumps into the river.

The river where he first met her.

The water surrounds his body, submerging him in a blanket of liquid. There is silence here, there is peace. He thinks back to the day he met his bride. There was too much sun and he was uncomfortable in his grove, he dipped his feet in the side of the river and closed his eyes. That was the first time he heard her song. It filled his ears and stole his heart. Those were happy times.

Her family never approved, of course. The spirits of the river and the spirits of the grove lived in two different worlds. “A sirena is not meant for the likes of you.” Those words from her sisters cut deep. They would never understand what he felt.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Marriage wasn’t supposed to be this hard. There were things they couldn’t control, and she knew as well as he did. Their kind could never have children, at least not together. He knew being a mother was the only thing that could make her happy, so when she started her search he could only say yes.

He is at the bottom of the river now, and he swims to the cave. The smell of death sent shivers down his spine. He stared at all the small bones, stacked neatly, side by side. Soon, there would be another set to join them. He knew better than to succumb to human frailties. After all, he was not human enough to understand them, but the sight of the bones made him feel something strange.

He shook his head and swam back up the river. He told himself that this was the only thing that would make her happy, and it was a small price to pay. As he walks to his grove, the gossip of the other spirits reaches his ears. It doesn’t bother him, because he hears her song in the distance.

The only thing that matters to him is her smile.

She is late and he is waiting.

=——————=

Story inspired by Litao description in El Folk-lore Filipino written by Isabelo de los Reyes, translation by Dizon and Peralta-Imson. 1994. (Original Spanish Manuscript Printed 1889)

Litao Illustration by emirajuju
IG: https://www.instagram.com/emirajuju/

Colors by Alexa Garde
Website: Lexa.us

*Note this story is in Kapampangan

Buong bie ku panayan kung damdaman ko keka deng salitang aren. Balu ku kabolangan ing maging matula, ing kabud namu magnasang damdaman deng salita, pero nang akarapat ku? Talagang buong bie kung manayang damdaman la deta.

Aganaka ku detang milabas a aldo na magkulung ku keng kwartu, makasubsub mamasang libru bang akalingwan ke ing tampalasang yatu ayni, pero ngeni balu ku na na aku at aliwa ing yatu ing tune tampalasan.

Pagmasdan ke ing ilug ngeni. Ali makaying mangye patse makanining oras ning bengi. Ing bulan singlagu de reng mamagus na kyapu. Aganaka mu pa niyang minuna meng ikit ing ilug ayni? Kitnan mu ku nan la dening tanaman at kinwentu ke keka i Larina.

Kalwat na na nita. Mapali ya pa kanta ing api. Mapapaltos ta balat keng aping alang kasingpali. Sinilab na ing eganaganang itamu, kingwa no deng panaung milabas ampon deng paninap at ala yang tinagan, uling ala nang aliwa nung ali ining mamaping lugud.

Ali naku magpanggap. Buri daka sanang akit magkasakit. Anti ku mong i Larina na mandakap talubang kaybat sisipit ko keng bwak ku bang akit ku lang manasakit. Nanu ngan gewa ku bang akit ku ing sakit kareng mata mu, bang akit ku keng lupa mu ing sakit na akakit ku keng salamin aldo-aldo.

Oneng ing kwentu ku meyari ya ring kalupa ning kang Larina. Mesumpa kung kalupa na nitang babayi na mekulung keng lalam ning lauk, aldo-aldong manyukle keng bwak na bang milako la deng kyapu. Abalu da, ababalu da talaga deng kalupa na. Deng anggang kalaraman ku, deng penako ku.

Eku agyung maging maganaka keka kaybat ning gewa mu oneng eku rin agyung maging marok keka kaybat ning gewa ku. Ing kanung lugud makatakut ya ampong mayap ya, mabangis ya ampong maamu ya, at masakit ngan itang intindian. Oneng ngeni balu ku nang tutu ngan ita.

Eku balu nung apatawad mu ku, pero eme sisisyan ing sarili mu keng dapat kung gawan. Nung atin man dapat mate kekatamu, aku namung atin lasun keng pusu.

Ume na ku.

=———————–=

English Version

I waited all my life to hear those words from you. I knew it was crazy for me to be happy, to be so desperate to hear those words that I blocked out everything else, but what could I do? I really was waiting all my life to hear them.

I remember spending all those days locked away in my room, drugging myself with books so that I could forget the cruelty of the world, but now I know that the world wasn’t the cruel one, it was always me.

I’m staring at the river now. There isn’t much noise at this time of night. The moon’s as lovely as the water lilies making their way down the current. Remember when you first saw the river? You asked my what the plants were and I told you about Larina.

That was a lifetime ago. When the fire was still warm. It seared through our skin, hotter than anything we’ve ever felt. It burned through everything we were, taking our pasts and our dreams and left nothing, because there was nothing outside this burning passion that was there.

I won’t pretend. I wanted to see you suffer. I was like Larina, taking those butterflies and pinning them to her hair just to see them in agony. I did everything I could to see the hurt in your eyes, to see in your face what I saw in my mirror every day.

But I guess my story ends like Larina’s. I’m as cursed as the woman trapped underneath the bay, spending her days combing the water lilies out of her hair. They found out, their kind always does. How I lied about everything, what I stole.

I couldn’t be kind to you after what you did, but I couldn’t be cruel after what I had done. They said that love was terrifying and tender, wild and sweet and none of that made any sense. But now I know every word of that is true.

I don’t know if you will ever be able to forgive me, but don’t blame yourself for what I need to do. If one of us had to die, it might as well be the one with poison in her heart.

Goodbye

=————————————=

Inspired by ‘Mangita and Larina’ in Philippine Folklore Stories. Miller. 1904

Illustration by Joncel Guevarra

*Note this story is in Kapampangan

Anti ya mong istoryador i apu ku. Inyang migretiru ne minuli ya king balen mi king Siargao, pane yang atiu munisipyu mangalkal mamasang lumang libru. Gewa na ini angga king mete ya inyang milabas a bulan.

Ala kung makaying agaganaka kang apu ku. Marayu kami tuknangan anya mikikit kami mu patse atin okasyun, pero asno pangasanting ding istorya na. Ing pane kung agaganaka itang istorya ning kampanario ning Busay.

“Oryana ring pirata.” Antimo keng dimdam bosis. Yapin ita ing pekaburi ku king istorya na. Asne kabiasnan mamagbayung bosis i Apu anya makule ing pamag-istorya na. “Mimingat ka karing pirata.” Ing tauli nang linya king pamagkuentu. E ku buring pane lang manyambut ding marok king istorya na dapot ing kapupusan e ne man pin siguru mas maulaga king milyari libutad.

Ala kung obra pilang aldo anya migbiayi ku pa-Dinagat Islands, makanta ya pa mu rin, taimik, matunud, manyaman mimisip. Patse miglakad-lakad ka, amanan me ing kasalesayan. Makayawa ya.

Migdesisyun kung munta Busay para akit itang bito king istorya ng apu ku. Malati ya mu pala, dapot pane namang aliwa ing imahinasyun king katutuan. Kakwa kung retratu aganaka ke i apu ku. Ring mata nang kikinang patse inumpisan neng ikuentu itang pamanako dang kampana ring pirata bayu de inugse king bito, ampo ing alang pakalulu dang pamamate karing Dinagatnon. Ngeni ku mu apiunab ing lungkut  ning istorya.

Mengadi ku lele ning bito bayu ku meko, para king apu ku ampo karing tau king istorya na. Kaluat nang migbante karing tau ning kampana. Magnasang king lalam nitang Bito, mipainawa neng masalese.

=—————–=

English Version

My lola is a historian of sorts. After her retirement she went back to our small town in Surigao and spent her days going through the old books in the town hall. She did this until she passed away a month ago.

I don’t remember much about my lola. We lived so far away that I would only see her on the holidays, but she would always have the best stories. The one I would always remember was about the bell of Busay.

“The pirates are coming.” I could almost hear her say. That was the best part about the story. Lola had the talent of being able to change her voice when it suited her and this made her storytelling much more vibrant. “Be careful of pirates.” Was the last line from her story sessions.  I never liked that the bad guys won in her story but I guess the ending wasn’t as important as the middle.

I had a few days off work so I took the trip back to Dinagat island and it was the same as it always was, quiet and tranquil, the perfect place to think. Walking around the area, you could feel the sense of history around you. It was almost infectious.

I decided to go to Busay and see the bito from my lola’s story. It was smaller than I imagined, but that’s always what happens when imagination meets reality. I take a picture and I think about my lola. About how her eyes would light up when she started on the part where the pirates stole the bell of the chapel and tossed it down this bito, and how they mercilessly slaughtered the Dinagatnons after. I never realized how dark that story was until now.

I say a little prayer by the bito before I leave, partly for my lola and partly for the people in her story. The bell spent so many years protecting people. Hopefully, at the bottom of that Bito, it can finally rest in peace.

=—————-=

*A bito is a natural well

Story inspired by “The Bell of Busay” in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Magbalantay sa Linggaya sa Busay Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/