“Abaadaw kay kabog gud adto! Waray na gud iba. Nakit-an ko adto lahos han bintana ngan may ada hini dagko nga mga pako, lugaring maaram ako kun ano’t kabog.”

“Lurong ka, tuko adto. Nakit-an ko an pula nga mga mata hadto tikang pira ka milya an kahirayo. May ada ulo hin tuko ngan daw usa hadto’n nakakalupad. Diri adto kabog uy! ngan siring mo pa, likod la hadto an imo nakit-an!”

“Nga duha kamo sayop, nakit-an ko an mga kamot hadto ngan makakasiring gud ako nga amu adto.”

“Bungaw ka.”

“Mamaupay na la kontra hit’ sayop.”

“Mga kaupdanan, may ada la hito nag-iinintrimis ha aton. Nakit-an ko an mga tiil hadto nga kanan tawo, ngan nakit-an man naton an ikog di ba nga daw sugad hin hilaba nga buhok hin babayi. Bangin ada may ada la karuyag manhadlok ha aton tikang han mga babayi.”

“Maaram ako kun ano an akon nakit-an ngan waray bisan hin-o nga makakalupad sugad hadto.”

“Bangin may nagbunlot ha ira gamit hin higot o kun ano man.”

“Diri gud kamo natuod ano?”

“Ah! waray dadangatan inin aton pagrinungag!”

“Man, nakit-an ta na an aton nakit-an, puyde adto kabog, puyde adto tuko o amu, puyde liwat nga may ada gud nag-iinintrimis ha at’. It importante, waray na ini, adto na.”

“Asya na. Unta. Kun ano man adto, baadaw kay napangirhat nga gayod.”

“Mga kaupdanan?…”

“Hunahunaa daw niyo kun nga tanan kita sakto? Kay puyde man liwat nga adto nga binuhat kay naghahalo nga tuko-kabog-amu?”

“Tinuyaw na iton, kay ano ka maghuhunahuna hin sugad?”

“Kitaa daw ha igbaw.”

=———————————————————-=

English Version

“It was a bat! That’s the only thing it could be. I saw it through a window and it had huge wings, but I know a bat when I see it.”

“You’re crazy it was a lizard. I could see the red in its eyes from a mile away. It had the head of a lizard and it was probably one of those flying ones. There’s no way it could have been a bat, besides you only saw it from behind!”

“You’re both wrong, I saw its hands and I can definitely say it was a monkey.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Better than being wrong.”

“Guys it was someone playing a prank. I saw the thing’s feet and it was human, besides we all saw the tail anyway and it looked like a woman’s long hair. Probably one of the girls wanted to scare us or something.”

“I know what I saw and there’s no way someone could fly like that.”

“Maybe they pulled themselves up on a string or something.”

“You really don’t believe that do you?”

“This arguing is getting us nowhere!”

“Look we all saw what we saw, it could have been a bat, it could have been a lizard or a monkey or someone pranking us. What matters is that it’s gone.”

“Yeah I hope so. Whatever that thing was it gave me the creeps.”

“Guys?”

“You think we could all be right? Like the thing could be a weird lizard-bat-monkey hybrid?”

“That’s crazy, what makes you think that?”

“Look up.”

=————————————————————–=

*Waray is the fifth-most-spoken native regional language of the Philippines, native to Eastern Visayas. It is the native language of the Waray people and second language of the Abaknon people of Capul, Northern Samar and some Cebuano-speaking peoples of eastern and southern parts of Leyte island. It is the third most spoken language among the Visayan languages, only behind Hiligaynon and Cebuano.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Waray translation by Hiyom Labon Buhi
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Hiyom Labon Buhi

Inspired by the Mansalauan description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Mansalauan Illustration by Jowee Aguinaldo.

*Note this story is in Tagalog

“Paniki yung nakita ko! Sigurado ako dahil nakita kong mayroon itong malalaking pakpak sa bintana.”

“Baliw butiki iyon. Hindi mo ba napansin yung pula sa mga mata nito sa kalayuan. Ang ulo niya ay kahalintulad ng sa butiki at maaring nakakalipad ito. Hindi maaring paniki yung nakita mo, dahil nasilayan mo lang likuran nito.”

“Mali kayong dalawa, hindi niyo naman napansin yung kamay eh. Unggoy iyon.”

“Baliw.”

“Sa halip naman na mali.”

“Pards, may nanloloko ata sa atin. Nasilayan ko na yung paa nito ay paa ng isang tao at napansin naman natin yung mahabang buntot ay isang mahabang buhok lamang ng isang babae. Maaring isa ito sa mga babaeng gusto tayong takutin.”

“Alam ko yung nakita ko, walang taong nakakalipad.”

“Baka saranggola lang iyon at may humahatak ng tali.”

“Walang pupuntahan itong pag-aaway natin!”

“Iba-iba yung nakita natin kanina, puwede itong paniki, butiki, unggoy, at maaring may nanloloko sa atin. Pero ang mahalaga wala na iyon.”

“Sana nga. Kasi kinalibutan ako sa nakita natin, kung ano man iyon.”

“Pre?”

“Magiging maayos lang ba tayo? Na maaring yung nakita natin ay pinagsama-samang butiki, paniki, at unggoy?

“Baliw, paano mo naman naisip iyon?”

“Tingnan mo.”

=——————————————————-=

English Version

“It was a bat! That’s the only thing it could be. I saw it through a window and it had huge wings, but I know a bat when I see it.”

“You’re crazy it was a lizard. I could see the red in its eyes from a mile away. It had the head of a lizard and it was probably one of those flying ones. There’s no way it could have been a bat, besides you only saw it from behind!”

“You’re both wrong, I saw its hands and I can definitely say it was a monkey.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Better than being wrong.”

“Guys it was someone playing a prank. I saw the thing’s feet and it was human, besides we all saw the tail anyway and it looked like a woman’s long hair. Probably one of the girls wanted to scare us or something.”

“I know what I saw and there’s no way someone could fly like that.”

“Maybe they pulled themselves up on a string or something.”

“You really don’t believe that do you?”

“This arguing is getting us nowhere!”

“Look we all saw what we saw, it could have been a bat, it could have been a lizard or a monkey or someone pranking us. What matters is that it’s gone.”

“Yeah I hope so. Whatever that thing was it gave me the creeps.”

“Guys?”

“You think we could all be right? Like the thing could be a weird lizard-bat-monkey hybrid?”

“That’s crazy, what makes you think that?”

“Look up.”

=—————————————————————=

*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino

Inspired by the Mansalauan description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Mansalauan Illustration by Jowee Aguinaldo.

“Selamat pagi!” Aish greets me in his native language and I reply “Nice to see you.” He’s a new guy, an exchange student from Malaysia who wanted to see what the Philippines had to offer so here we are. In the middle of Negros backpacking through the “great” outdoors. Yay.

It’s not that I don’t like being a tour guide, but that would be a lie. I am a city boy, born and raised and I do not like it here. There are too many trees, there’s too much green and I haven’t had coffee in 5 hours. I don’t think I’ll survive this.

After a trek that seemed to last forever we finally hit camp. Aish goes around the area to take some nice pictures for his souvenir book and I’m left at the campsite wondering how this sort of thing is popular these days. Trekking through the mountains is just not my idea of fun and after this trip I don’t think it will ever be.

I lay out a hammock and try to take a small nap before preparing dinner. The sun set early tonight but the moon is full so it isn’t that inconvenient. I close my eyes and hope that I get to dream about something good.

“Penanggalan! Penanggalan!”Aish’s shouts wake me up and I don’t know if it’s another one of his Malaysian customs, but right now I am not interested in a cultural exchange. Aish shakes me from my hammock and says, “Where is the food!?”

“Look Aish—“ I stop mid-sentence when I see her. It. I know what that is.  An ungga-ungga or at least that’s what they call it in these parts, back in Bikol we just call them anananggal. The tour groups would always try to scare tourists with stories of the witch that flies with its guts hanging out. I don’t take another moment before I run like hell. I should have stayed in my house.

“Where is the food?!” Aish shouts again. “This is no time to think about your stomach!” I scream as I run alongside him. I don’t think I’ll ever get Malaysians. “I’m serious!” he shouts again, so why not, if the guy wants his last meal then I won’t stop him. “It’s behind the tent.”

Aish dashes to the tent and the ungga-ungga follows him. I was never the brave one but Aish is still my friend. Kind of. I have to run back and get him. I see him with a pineapple and he throws it at the thing and hits it. I don’t know what’s happening but the ungga-ungga screams and flies away.

I just stand there, confused.

“Where I come from, pineapples are grown because their thorns keep the Penanggalan away. The thorns go into their lungs and intestines which makes it harder for them to fly. I knew that would work just as well here.” Aish smiles and hands me some snacks.

“You hungry?”

————————–————————–————————

*The Anananggal is called the Ungga-ungga in Negros, and Wuwug in Eastern Visayas. It is very similar to the myths of the Penanggalan found in the Malaysian archipelago.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Ananaggal entry in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010.

Anananggal Illustration by Leandro Geniston fromAklat ng mga Anito
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Watercolor by Catherine Chiu
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IG: https://www.instagram.com/wildlingchild/

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.

————————–————————–————————––

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by the Ibalon (A Bikolano epic).

Tiburones Illustration by Leandro Geniston
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There was once a boy who had a terrible case of insomnia.

Night after night he would stay awake, trying to pass the time until he could finally get to sleep. The doctors tried to give him different drugs so he could sleep better but they didn’t help.

Finally, his friend suggested another method to help him deal with his problem. She told him to find something to focus on, just one thing and to see it in his mind’s eye. To think about it until his body was calm and his breath was slow.

The boy didn’t have anything to lose so he tried it. The first night when he was in his room he decided to focus on two street lights he saw from his window. He looked right into them, focused as much as he could and to his surprise, the next day, he woke up after a good night’s rest.

For four nights the boy continued this new method and every time it worked. On the fifth night, he noticed that the lights were fading in and out, like something was broken, but he focused anyway and he managed to get some sleep.

The next morning he went to his window to see what was wrong with the lights. He almost couldn’t breathe when he saw the claw marks by his windowsill.

That night he put his blanket over his head and he tried to focus on something else. But that was a very difficult thing to do.

The lights were back.

And they were brighter than ever.

————————–————————–————————–—–

Story adapted from Kubot entry in Myth Museum. Medina. 2015. And a half-remembered Creepypasta

Kubot Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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Watercolor by Catherine Chiu
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IG: https://www.instagram.com/wildlingchild/

That damn bird.

It’s always following me every night on my walk back form work. I can’t always see it but I know it’s there. I can hear its annoying call. Tik-Tik-Tik. Ugh. I’m glad I bought new headphones to help me deal with that. Every night it’s outside my window and it’s driving me insane. I can’t sleep knowing that it’s there watching me. I know it’s just some dumb animal but there’s a point where I just can’t stand it.

I finally had enough and I threw a rock at it yesterday. I didn’t want to hurt it, just scare it enough so I could have one night without being bothered, but I guess it was slow. I hit it right in its face and it came crashing down. I’m not a violent person, I swear. I rushed to see if it was okay and it wasn’t even moving.

It wasn’t like any kind of bird I’ve ever seen before. It was ugly, really ugly. I don’t even know how to describe it. It was as if someone took a regular bird and distorted it. The eyes were… I couldn’t even look at the eyes, they were red and gave me the chills.

The strangest part was the bird’s neck. It had a collar on it. What kind of crazy person has a pet bird like this. It read “Aswang” and I guess that’s an appropriate name for a bird as ugly as this. There wasn’t a number or a return address or anything like that so I put the bird’s body somewhere it wouldn’t be bothered.

I feel bad so I’m going to try to find its owner and apologize. But it’s going to be hard, I don’t even know where to start. Maybe the owner knows where his pet has been going all these nights.

Hopefully he’ll be able to find me.

————————–————————–———————-

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by the Tiktik description in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao. 2010.

Tiktik Illustration and Watercolor by Nightmaresyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/

Ek-Ek-Ek

The old woman hears the sound from her bedroom and her heart drops. “Please God not her.”, she whispers. She screams, and silently hopes that this can be enough to scare the creature away but she knows that her voice isn’t strong enough to reach her daughter’s bedroom.

Ek-Ek-EK

There’s not enough time to go to the kitchen to get a knife, it might be too late. She looks around her room and sees a pair of scissors. “Good enough.” she thinks. But there’s no time to think, not when this much is at stake. She runs out of her room with the scissors in her hand, praying that it may be enough.

Ek-EK-EK

She is close enough now. She screams again, louder than before, louder than anything she has ever screamed. It may be enough to wake up the others in the house, but she knows her daughter is alone in the room. She opens the door with the scissors in her hand.

EK-EK-EK

She stares down the beast. She sees its long, red tongue attached to her daughter’s womb and she remembers that dark stormy night when she first heard the sounds. When she lost her first baby. She vows that it will never hurt her family ever again.

EK-EK-EK

The old woman grasps the scissors in her hand and charges at her nightmare.

————————–————————–————————–—

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by the Ekek legends

Ekek Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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Watercolor by Catherine Chiu
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