*Note this story is in Tagalog

Napabuntong-hininga si Leoncio. Panahon na ng mga batong simbahan at mga kalesa ngunit sa lahat ng

modernong hiwaga ay mukhang wala pa ring gamot sa madaling paglipas ng oras. Siya’y napatingin muli

sa kalyeng gawa sa cobblestone at nanalangin na dumating ang kanyang karwahe sa lalong madaling

panahon.

Tigidig – Tigidig – Tigidig – Tigidig

Narinig na ata siya ng diyos at bumati sa kanyang tainga ang hindi maipagkakamaling tunog ng kanyang

karwahe na kanina pa niyang sabik na hinihintay. Baka sa ngayong pagkakataon ay makakauwi na siya sa

oras at masasamahan ang kanyang pamilya kumain ng hapunan.

Nakasabit ang maputlang buwan sa taas ng kalangitan habang pasakay si Leoncio sa kanyang karwahe.

Binati niya ang kanyang kutsero at sinabihan na uuwi na siya sa kanyang bahay. Ito ang kanyang pang

araw-araw na gawi at mukhang wala namang maiiba sa normal hanggang sa may isang estrangherong

kumaway at nais na kausapin ang may-ari ng karwahe.

Nakiusap ang estranghero kay Leoncio na payagan siya makisakay sa karwahe. Madilim na raw kasi at

kinakatakot niya ang mapanganib na daan. Minasahe ni Leoncio ang gilid ng kanyang noo at natandaan

niya ang isang kasabihan na inuulit ng kanyang lolo “Ang diyos ay patas, hindi niya kakalimutan ang

ginawa mo at ang pagmamahal na pinakita mo sa kanya sa pagtulong ng kanyang mga tao at sa patuloy

na pagtulong sa kanila.”

Hindi niya nais mahuli sa hapunan ng kanyang pamilya ngunit hindi rin niya maiwan ang taong ito na

nangangailangan. May takot siya sa diyos at alam niyang merong nasa kaitaasan na nanonood sa kanya.

Nang may konting pag-aatubili, tumabi si Leoncio at inalok ang estranghero na umupo sa tabi niya sa

karwahe.

“Pansin ko isa kang relihiyoso,” sabi ng estranghero, tinapos ang katahimikan.

“Siguro, oo,” hinawakan ni Leoncio ang krus na suot niya sa kanyang leeg. “Nakagawian ko na siguro,”

kanyang sagot.

“Relihiyoso din ako dati.”

“Dati?”

Hindi preparado si Leoncio para sa ganitong usapan. Pagod na siya galing sa trabaho at ‘di niya nais

makipagdaldalan sa isang estranghero na nakilala niya pa lang sampung minutong nakalipas.

“Matagal na rin ‘yun, baka ayaw mo rin mapakinggan.”

Ngunit malakas na pwersa ang kuryosidad.

“Bakit hindi mo ikwento sa ’kin?”

Nagsimula ang lahat sa gabing tulad nito. Ang araw ay naglaho na at ang mga bituin ay nagsimula na

magsipaglaro. Iisa lamang akong munting magsasaka, pauwi ng bahay matapos ng isang nakakapagod na

araw mula sa trabaho sa pamilihan.

Mapagdasal ako dati, laging naniniwala na may plano para sa akin ang diyos.

Nang makauwi na ako sa bahay, alam kong may kaduda-duda. Nakabukas ang pinto at hindi ako binati ng

aking asawa. Kinatakot ko ang aking mahahanap.

Binati ako ng katawan ng aking pamilya na nakabalandra sa sala. Mukhang hinimasok ang aming bahay

ng mga tulisan at pinagtataga ang aking pamilya.

Napuno ang aking loob-looban ng luha ng galit at kalungkutan at sa sandaling iyon ay isinumpa ko ang

pangalan ng diyos sa kaitaasan. Hindi ako magiging parte ng kahit anong planong nais saktan ang aking

pamilya.

At noong araw na iyon, umalis ako sa aking bahay sa bukid na naglalagablab ng galit.

Hindi na siya ang aking diyos at pumunta ako sa iba upang humingi ng tulong ipaghiganti ang aking

pamilya.

Hindi alam ni Leoncio kung ano ang dapat niyang sabihin. Nanatili siyang nakatitig, nakatunganga, sa

estranghero na katabi niya.

“Iyon lamang ang una sa aking nararaming kalapastanganan, at hindi rin ito ang magiging huli.”

Parang may kumukulo sa loob-loob ni Leoncio, gusto niyang sabihin sa kutsero na tumigil, na itapon ang

estranghero palabas ng karwahe, ngunit parang siya rin ay nasa ilalim ng isang trance.

Kung kaya’t ipinagpatuloy ng estranghero ang kanyang kwento.

Pumunta ako sa mga lugar na hinawakan ng dilim, yung nakalimutan na ng mga naka-robe na

kalalakihan. Handa ako gawin ang lahat para mahanap ang pumatay sa aking pamilya, handa akong

bayaran anumang halaga.

Nagdemanda sila sa akin ng mga bagay na wala akong lakas na sabihin, dahil sa ala-ala nito ay

napapaiyak pa rin ako ng mapait na luha. Ngunit ito ay tiniis ko, oo.

Hindi ko kailangan ng kahit sino. Minsan sa gabi, natatandaan ko ang aking mga magulang at napapaisip

kung ano ang kanilang reaksyon sa aking mga nagawa, pero dinuraan ko ang kanilang ala-ala. Ito lamang

ang paraan upang managot sila sa kanilang ginawa.

Dahil matapos ang lahat-lahat, mayroon akong bagong mga diyos na nagbigay sakin ng sigasig sa

pagkuha ng aking paghihiganti.

Gumuhit ako ng mga idolo sa kanilang imahe upang mas mapakinabangan ko ang kanilang

kapangyarihan at pinatili na malapit ang mga ito sa akin. Ang kanilang mga bulong ang siyang nadadala

sa akin ng pinagpalang pagtulog bawat gabi.

Aking binalewala ang Araw ng Sabbath, dahil ano naman ang gamit sa akin nito noon? Wala na akong

naririnig na hipokritong pari at ang kanilang mapanlasong salita, wala nang pagluhod sa pew at pagdasal

ng mga bagay na hindi naman darating.

Buo ako sa kanilang presensya. Sa aking binyag ng dugo, nalaman ko kung saan ako dapat pumunta.

Ginabay ako ng kanilang mga bulong tungo sa isang kweba sa kalaliman ng isang gubat. Doon, nakarinig

ako ng tawanan at musika mula sa labi ng mga tulisan na nagnakaw ng aking pamilya.

Natapos ito sa isang tibok ng puso.

Iniwan ko isa sa kanila ng buhay na may patalim sa isang kamay at sinabi sa isang guardia civil na may

narinig ako na komosyon mula sa kweba. Napakadaling isisi sa kanya ang pagkamatay ng kanyang

kasamahan. Dahil sino ba naman ang maniniwala sa salita ng isang tulisan?

Pero sino ba naman ako upang manghusga? May kinuha ako sa kanila bilang pananda sa aking sarili ng

kalupitan ng tao, isang sensilyo na siguradong ninakaw nila mula sa isang kawawang kaluluwa.

Alam ko na hindi nito maibabalik ang aking pamilya. Ngunit nabubulag sa kintab ng pilak kahit ang

pinakamarangal na tao.

Nakalimutan ko na lahat ay merong kabayaran at ang mga pinaniwalaan kong tumulong sa akin ay handa

nang mangolekta.

Sinubukan kong tumako. Maniwala ka, wala na akong ibang gugustuhin pa kundi umuwi sa aking bahay,

napapalibutan ng aking pamilya. Tumakbo ako tungo sa bahay ng aking kapitbahay at humingi ng tulong

pero alam kong wala siyang tulong na maibibigay sa akin.

Ang huling bagay sa aking isipan bago nila pilasin ang aking balat mula sa aking dugo’t laman ay kung

gaano ko gusto ang bahay ng aking kapitbahay. Kung gaano ko gusto maging ligtas at kumportable sa

yakap ng pamilya na nasa loob.

Siyam na beses ko iniulit ang mga pangyayaring ito. Yung patalim, yung katakot-takot na imahe, at ang

pagbigo ng kasunduan na inilatag ng iyong diyos.

Nahirapan maghanap ng salita si Leoncio. Mula tao, ang estranghero ay naging isang nilalang na

mukhang kalansay, ang kanyang damit ay gulanit.

“Siya nga pala. Alam mo kung saan ang pinakamalapit na simbahan?”

Tinuro ni Leoncio ang kanyang daliri tungo Timog, sa direksyon ng simbahan ng Molo. Sa sunod na kurap

ng kanyang mata, wala na ang estranghero at ere na lang ang natira kung saan siya nakaupo.

Sa gabing iyon, rinig ang mga hiyaw ni Leoncio kahit ilang kilometro kalayo sa paligid at kumalat ang

alamat ng Siyam-siyam sa Iloilo.

*Sa gitna hanggang dulo ng ika-19 dantaon sa Iloilo, may mga manlalakbay sa gabi na nakasakay sa

kabayo o karwahe na nagkwento na nakasalamuha sila ng isang multo. Noong una, yung multo ay

mukhang normal na tao at nakiusap na makisakay sa mga manlalakbay. Ngunit habang naglalakbay,

kakausapin nito ang kasakay niya at ipapagtapat sa kanila ang siyam na kasalanan na ginawa niya ng

siyam na beses. Sunod, ang multo ay magmumukhang kalansay na may suot na damit na gulanit at

magtatanong kung saan ang pinakamalapit na simbahan at maglalaho habang humihiyaw o tumitili ang

naiwan na manlalakbay. Sa isang kwento, nakahanap ng kapayapaan ang Siyam-Siyam noong nakahanap

ito ng isang pari.

=——————————–

Leoncio sighed deep. It was the era of stone churches and horse drawn carriages, but it seemed that with all those modern marvels time was still running out. He glanced once more at the cobblestone street and prayed that his carriage would arrive soon.

Tigidig – Tigidig – Tigidig – Tigidig

God must have finally heard him and the telltale sound of his carriage greeted his ears with fervent anticipation. Maybe this time he would make it in time to join his family for dinner.

The pale moon hung high in the sky as Leoncio boarded the carriage. He greeted his driver and told him that he was headed home. It was his daily routine and things seemed to be going normally until a stranger waved his arms and asked to speak with the owner of the carriage.

The stranger begged Leoncio for a lift, it was dark and he was afraid of the treacherous road. Leoncio rubbed his temples and remembered a verse that his grandmother would repeat “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

He didn’t want to be late to have supper with his family, but he couldn’t leave a person in need. He was a God-fearing man and knew that there was someone up there, watching.

With a hint of reluctance Leoncio moved and offered the man a seat in his carriage.

It was going to be a long night.

“I see you’re a religious man,” the stranger said, breaking the silence.

“I guess I am,” Leoncio clutched the cross around his neck. “A force of habit I guess,” he replied.

“I was a religious man too.”

“Was?”

Leoncio felt unprepared for this conversation. He was tired from the day’s work and would rather not have to engage in petty small talk with a stranger he had just met ten minutes ago.

“It was a long time ago, you probably don’t want to hear about it.”

But curiosity is a strong force.

“Why don’t you tell me about it?”

It was a night much light this. The sun had faded and the stars began to play their games. I was a lowly farmer, headed home after a hard day’s work in the market.

I was a prayerful man, always believing the Lord had a plan for me.

As I reached my house I knew something was amiss. The door was hanging open and my wife did not greet me. I feared the worst.

I was greeted by the bodies of my family sprawled across the living room. It seemed that robbers had broken in and put them to the knife.

Tears of sadness and rage filled me and it was then that I cursed the name of the Lord, most high. I would not be part of any plan that sought to do my family harm.

And that day I left my farmhouse in a blaze of anger.

He was no longer my God and I turned to others to help me avenge my family.

Leoncio didn’t know what to say. He stared, mouth agape, at the stranger beside him.

“That was the first of my many misdeeds, but it wouldn’t be the last.”

Something was bubbling inside Leoncio, he wanted to tell the driver to stop, to throw the stranger out of the carriage, but it seemed that he too was in a trance.

And thus did the stranger continued on with his tale.

I went to the places touched by the dark, to those forgotten by the men in robes. I would have done anything to find those that killed my family, I would have paid any price.

They demanded things I dare not speak aloud, for the memory still makes me weep bitter tears. But endured them, I did.

I needed no one. Sometimes in the night I would remember my parents and wonder what they would have thought of my actions, but I spat at their memory. This was the only way to make them pay for what they had done.

And when all was said and done, I had new gods who gave me the zeal to take my revenge.

I carved idols in their image to better gain their power and kept them close to me. Their whispers carried me off to blessed sleep every night.

I ignored the Sabbath day, for what use was it to me then? No more hearing the hypocritical friars and their words of venom, no more sitting at the pews praying for things that would not come.

I was whole in their presence. In my baptism of blood, I knew where I should go.

Their whispers lead me to a cave hidden deep within the forest. It was there I heard laughter and music on the lips of the men that took my family from me.

It was over in a heartbeat.

I left one of them alive with a knife in his hand and told the guardia civil that I had heard a commotion from the cave. It was all too easy to blame the man for the deaths of his compatriots. Who would believe a thief?

Though who am I to judge? I took something from them to remind myself of the cruelty of man, a single coin that they had no doubt stolen from another poor soul.

It would not bring my family back, that much I knew. But the glint of silver blinds even the most righteous men. I took it and fled to the forest.

I had forgotten that everything came at a price, and those that I believed had helped me were ready to collect.

I tried to run, believe me I wanted nothing more than to be back in my house, surrounded by my family. I ran to a neighbor’s house and asked for help, but I knew he could give me none.

My last thoughts before they ripped the skin from my flesh was how I wanted my neighbor’s house. To be safe and warm in the embrace of the family inside.

And I relived those events nine times. The knife, the craven images, breaking the covenants set by your god.

Leoncio struggled to find words. The stranger had suddenly turned from a man into a skeletal being, its clothes in tatters.

“By the way, my good man. Where is the nearest church?”

Leoncio pointed to the south, in the direction of Molo church. He blinked and the stranger was gone, an empty seat was all that remained.

That night Leoncio’s screams could be heard for miles around as the legend of Siyam-Siyam was spread throughout Iloilo.

*In mid to late 19th century Iloilo, travelers on horseback or carriage told of encountering a restless spirit at night. The spirit at first appeared as a normal human and asked to hitch a ride. On the way it would talk casually and confess of its nine sins that it committed nine times. Then the hitchhiker will turn into a skeleton in tatters and ask for the nearest church and disappear while the travelers screamed their heads off. In one story, Siyam-Siyam finally found peace when he encountered a friar.

=————————-=

Based on the Siyam-Siyam myth from Iloilo

Siyam-siyam Illustration by Justine André Villapa
Instagram: @art.justineandrev

*Note this story is in Bicol-Legazpi

Paagi sa mabakawang lati, lagpas sa salog, igwang sadit na kadlagan. Ngunyan, kadaklan sa mga tawo, wara man maiiling na sala duman. Mas maaaraman pa ngani na igwang sala kun warang puno sa gilid nin salog.

Pag-iniling nindang maray, maaaraman ninda kun nyata makatakot an mga bangkay na ini. Kada sarong puno nakakaros an mga pandok kan tawong nagapururipot sa saindang pasakit. An balat kan puno tigapailing an saindang dinimalas na mga itsura.

An mga lokal na tawo, tigaapod nindang sumpa ini, asin an iba naggigibo nin maray nganing marayuan an mga punong ini.

Ugaring may sarong oragon an warang takot na tigharap an ilang nganing makahanap nin mga simbag na su mga puno sana an makaka-inging saiya.

Ini an saiyang istorya.

Abuonon ni Simeon Boñaga an saiyang pangaran. An saiyang kapangaran sarong bayani, an panghudyan na heneral na nag-suko kan panahon kan giyerang Pilipinas laban Estados Unidos, asin ini sana sya, sarong 27-anyos na sawi, an saiyang mga mararahay na aldaw tarapos na.

Sya an inot sa saiyang pamilya na makatapos sa sarong unibersidad. Ali sa sadit na baryo na dae ka mabubuhay kun dae ka manira, saro na utong dakulang tagumpay. Ugaring, sagkod uto kan pag pailing kan kinaban an saiyang makanos na itsura.

Sa dakulang multinational na kompanya an saiyang inot na trabaho pagkatapos sa unibersidad, saro uto sa mga lugar na pirmi nya nadadangod kaso dae sya nagkakaigwang oportunidad na mailing arani. Sakto sana an bayad saiya asin sakto man an mga oras, kaya sa pag-una nya yaon na saiya gabos.

Ugaring, pirming may boses sa saiyang payo na nag-nagtitikwil saiya. Gari gabat na nagbubutong saiya urualdaw. Natinuhan nya uto sagkod kan ika-limang bulan nya sa trabaho. Dae sya nakakaisip nin makaskas, dagitunon sya asin naiirita na sa saiyang mga katrabaho asin dae sya nakakaturog.

Una nya mawawara man sana uto, na saro man sana utong pangiturugan na magigimatahan nya. Saka uminabot an ikaduwang bulan asin paraot na nin paraot an mga bagay. An saiyang eyebags duminakulaon asin ilingunon kaya tigpapara komentaran ini kan mga tawo.

Huli kaito, mas naging marauton na lugod an itsura nya. Tig-baluan nyang dae tinuhon an mga chismis na nadadngog nya, ugaring an mga boses sa luwas kasing kusog man sana kan mga boses sa saiyang payo. Natinuhan ni Simeon na an saiyang mga katrabaho nagapuon nang magrayo saiya. Pagnaglalakaw sya paduman sa may pahingaluan, garo nagaarali gabos na tawo sa palibot nya.

Naapektuhan na kan saiyang kamugtakan an saiyang pag-trabaho. Sa puon pa sana kan taon, nagigibo nya pang mag asikaso nin mga spreadsheets asin sobra an tubod nya sa sadiri pag may mga presentasyon. Sa pag-agi kan panahon, mas naparayo si Simeon sa sadiri nya, pipaali an saiyang mga barkada na muya kutang magtarabang saiya.

Kun nag-agad kuta syang tabang kan atab pa, dae nya kuta nasuriyawan an saiyang amo. Kun tig tuga nya kuta na may igwa saiya, dae kuta sya nawaran nin trabaho. Kun bako kuta sya nagin ambugon, igwa pa kutang paagi nganing ipadagos an saiyang buhay.

Tig-hohorop-horop utong mga panahon ni Simeon habang nakailing sya sa salog arani sa arong nya. Abo nya man sana kuta mag-uli talaga sa probinsya, kaso pagkatapos kan ginibo nya, wara naman syang magiginibo.

Grabe an saiyang pagkamundo, nagtutukaw sana sya sa mga gapo asin tiga-iling an pag-agos kan tubig paduman sa kadlagan.

Dae man nasasabutan kan saiyang mga magurang kun ano an nangyayari sa saindang aki. Tinaraman pa ngani ninda ini na nasa utak nya man sana an gabos. Muya nya kutang sabihun, “iyo man talaga, nasa utak ko uto gabos, sa iling nindo nasain an alimantak ko?” pero bako naman uto kaipuahan. Ka-simple sana kan saiyang mga magurang, warang salak na medical jargon na naging bago nyang reyalidad.

Saro itong buhay na dae nya ma-aagad sa maski kisay.

Nagbuntong hininga sya asin nagpuon lakawon an arayong agihan paduman sa sunod na baryo. Abo ni Simeon na mag-saro kaiba an saiyang mga tig-iisip. Saro utong pagabat na kinaag sa saiyang mga abaga na sana kuta pwede nyang iinda na sana. Sa paglaog nya sa baryo, nailing nya an mga tawong nagtitiripon palibot sa may sentro. Sa kadiit na momento, nagpurunduhan an mga boses sa saiyang payo asin naka-pokus na sya sa nangyayari sa saiyang palibot.

Grabe sa pagpara-ibi an sarong babae na napandukan nya na si Aleng Norma. Suriyaw nya, “Angongolood! Angongolood!” habang daeng ribok na tigpaparairiling sya kan mga tawo.

Aram nya an alamat nanggad. Kada sarong tawo sa baryo, aram. Su higanteng garo gorilyang bakulaw na nambibiktima nin mga parasira sa may ngimot kan salog.

Gabos man sana uto mga pamahiin, mga istorya na ginibo nganing takuton an mga parasira na parayuon sa mga delikadong parte kan lati. Kaso garo si Aleng Norma tubudunon duman sa istoryang uto. Pirming marurumduman ni Simeon an pandok kan babaeng namarahan na nin luha, nagpaparaibi para sa saiyang agom.

“Jherick! Jherick nyata dae ka nag dangog?! Ano na an mangyayari samuya ngunyan? Nyata dae mo naisip an sadiri mong mga aki?!” An saiyang ibi nagaalingawngaw sa buong sentro kan baryo, mas kinusog pa ta grabeng silensyo kan mga tawong nakapalibot saiya.

Garo man sana nakontento an mga tawo sa pagiling kan nangyayari asin si Simeon dae mapugulan an sadiri na mairak sa mga tawo maski kay Aleng Norma. Bako man dapat arog kato an senaryo. Rinanihan nya si Aleng Norma nagtukro sa kataning nya, kinaag an saiyang kamot sa abaga nya.

Nakigkig si Aleng Norma sa kapot ni Simeon. Puminundo na sya sa pagibi asin nagbagsak sa saiyang mga takyag nin aloy.

Dae nya aram kun gurano kaaloy nya na tigkakaputan si Aleng Norma. Nag-arali na su mga tawo, padiit-diit sagkod an natada na sana sina Simeon asin Aleng Norma pati an ibang mga paralaw lakaw sana.

Iniling ni Aleng Norma si Simeon na may pagal sa mata. Tigpakaray nya an sadiri nya asin tigpasalamatan sya para sa pag-konsolar saiya. Tinaraman ini ni Simeon na wara man uto, Ugaring dae si Aleng Norma nagtutugot. “Wara man lamang may makusog na boot na magrani sakuya kan naaraman nindang nawawara na an sakuyang agom. Salamat.”

Dae aram ni Simeon an saiyang tataramon. Dae nya mataram sa babae na nagiibi man sya burubanggi arog kan pag-ibi nya. O pano nagkaigwang bagyo na nagpaparatalibong sa saiyang payo asin nakatabang man an pagtabang nya sa iba nganing malingawan nya an paglala kan emosyon nya na diit n asana masabog na.

Inapot nya si Aleng Norma kun nyata sa iling nya angongolood an nagkuwa kan saiyang agom asin sinimbag nya, “Nagduman sya sa may mga puno.”

“Aring mga puno?” apot ni Simeon.

“An kupo kan angongolood igwang lason pagnadutan ka, sisay man an madakop sa saiyang mga takyag magiging makanuson na mga puno,” taramon nya, may mga bagong luha an nagtururo sa saiyang mga mata.

“Aram ko maiiling man sana ninda yan.”

“Dae na man. Udyan na gabos. Sobrang udyan na.” Iniling ni Aleng Norma si Simeon sa mata asin an saiyang mapanasong iling natamaan an saiyang kalag. “Dae ka magduman sa lati, warang maray an maitatao kan lugar na uto.”

Nagtindog sya asin binayaan si Simeon na nakatindog magsaro sa tahaw kan sentro kan baryo. Tigrumdum nya an mga taramon kan babae asin na-iro sya kan saiyang garantiya na an pagkawara kan saiyang agom konektado sa sarong bakulaw kan alamat. Ugaring si Simeon sarong lalaking nagtutubod sa lohika. Igwang sarong bagay o sarong tawo an responsable digdi.

May saro dapat na mag-iro asin igwang mapiritong boses sa saiyang payo na sya daw uto. An namamatian nya uminagi nanaman asin nagging alipin nanaman si Simeon kan saiyang emosyon. An pagmati nya kan puro kamunduan uminuran saiya asin dae nya marumduman kun nyata yaon sya sa baryo.

“May saro dapat na mag-iro,” tigtaram nya sa sadiri nya sa pagpuon nya maglakaw sa arayong agihan pauli.

“Buwat na! Maaga na!”

Nakabungkaras si Simeon huli kan saiyang ama. Dae nya namumuyahan an pagmatang atabunon. Tinaraman sya kan saiyang ama na kaipuhan nindang dakol na oras magkaibahan, na maggibo nin tapat na trabaho, asin puminayag man si Simeon. Arog man kaini an nangyari kan aki pa sya, an ama nya tigpaparamata sya sa kinaagahan asin parehas sinda maluwas paduman sa may salog nganing makadakop nin labas na mga sira.

Priniparar ninda an mga silo asin nag-agab si Simeon sa pag-guyod ninda kan bangka paduman sa tubig.

Magayunon sa pangiling an mga bakawa sa irarom kan aldaw asin pareho sinda daeng ribok na nagsagwan paarayo. An am ani Simeon bako talaga maribok na tawo asin dae nya mataram nin maray an mga muya nyang taramon. Sa bilog na pagbangka ninda, binalo kaurunon si Simeon kan saiyang ama na magbalik sa syudad asin maghanap nin trabaho, kun pano kamarhay an mga gigibo nya asin baka oras na na i-balo nya liwat.

Dae sya tig-tino ni Simeon. Ano an aram kan saiyang ama sa saiyang tig-aagihan, ano an aram kan iba? Tigrumdom nya an ika-hudyan nyang parabulong sa payo na tig-dudumanan nya. Mas may pakiaram pa sya sa sadiri nya kaysa sa kamugtakan ni Simeon asin dagit pa nanggad sya ngunyan na nagpara gastos sya para sa mga sesyon na mas pinadipisil pa an gabos.

Asin igwa pang mga bulong. Minsan namamatian ni Simeon na garo sya sombi na minasabay sana sa agos kan buhay. Dae sya nakakaisip nin tanos, pirmi syang paha asin nasusuka asin dae uto nakatabang sa saiyang padusa burubanggi.

Siguro mabalik sya sa syudad para maghanap nin saykayatrista na makakatabang nanggad saiya, ugaring makakaalat man sana uto. Ngunyan an oras para sa pagdakop nin mga sira.

Tinapok ninda an mga silo asin nag-alat na may makukuwa sindang maray, maski tuna sana. An pagdakop ninda medyo bigo, ta puro man sana mga saraday na sira asin naglipat n asana sinda sa kabilang parte kan salog. Tigpaparaulit ninda ini nin pirang oras, wara pa nanggad sindang nakukuwa sagkod nauuyam na si Simeon.

Nagsagwan sinda arani sa may lati na aram nindang dae sindang may makukuwang maray na kuha. Baka saro sana ini sa mga paagi kan ama nya nganing magkaigwa sindang sadiring oras na magkaiba, kaso dae man ini namuyahan ni Simeon.

Abo nya man digdi, bako sa saiyang baryo, bako sa saiyang pamilya. Nagpaparapangadyi si Simeon na makasuriyaw kuta sya sa bilog na kinaban, ugaring aram nyang wara man madangog. Kaipuhan nya pang magtios sa katahimikan asin magsulog pa kan itsurang ‘ayos’ sana sya. Muya nya sa gabos an masabutan sya maski kan sarong tawo sana, maski sisay.

Tuminalikod sya sa saiyang ama asin nag-angos. Turo kan saro sa saiyang mga parabulong na an pag-angos nakakatabang mabawasan an saiyang pagparahadit. Tulong ararom na angos asin makakayanan nya na gabos, tigaasahan nya man.

Kan priparado na sya, tuminalikod liwat sya nganing ampangon an saiyang ama. Mas kalmado na sya ngunyan. Una nya ngani madadagit an saiyang ama, dae man pano nasasabutan kan saiyang ama an kamugtakan nya, kaya mas kaipuhan nya mag-sabot.

Kan pagtalikod nya, nakigkig sya ta wara na an ama nya. Kinuskosan ni Simeon an mata nya nganing makasigurado na dae sya nangingiturugan o saro utong utik sa saiyang mga tig-iinom na bulong, ugaring wara talaga asin paros na sana an igwa sa kabilang parte kan bangka.

Inapod nya an ama nya, nagsusuriyaw sagkod magkaparaos. Kaso wara man nangyari, tanog sana kan kalikasan an nagsisimbag saiya.

Magsaro na sana si Simeon.

Madali sana asin taimtim an serbisyo.

Sarong taon na an nakaagi puon kan nawara an saiyang ama asin panahon na nganing pahingaluan an saiyang memorya.

Daeng pundo an pag-ibi kan in ani Simeon sa burol. Dae nya mailing sa mata si Simeon arog kan dati bago mangyari an insidente. Naiiling nya sa mata kan ina nya na sana sya na sana an nawara.

Bako marahay an taon para kay Simeon. An pagkawara kan saiyang ama mas nadara sana sya paarayo sa kinaban. Sa pagkakaaram nya, wara naming igwa sa luwas kan apat na kanto kan saiyang kwarto.

Kun mas may pakiaram kuta sya, mas nasabutan nya kuta na an saiyang mga tigipunan paubos na asin kaipuhan nya nang mag-hanap nin ibang trabaho. Kaso, dae sya makaali sa lati na yaon sa sadiri nya. Mas nagpaparakusog an mga boses sa saiyang payo asin tigpangadyi nya sana may paagi pa nganing ma-aali ini gabos sa payo nya. An mga bulong dae naman naggagana saiya asin naisip nyang magpundo na sana sa pag inom kan mga uto.

Muya nya sana mailing an saiyang ama liwat. Muyang sabihon ni Simeon sa saiyang ama na nagaagad sya nin tawad ta dae sya naging maray na aki asin dinara nya pa an kasusupgan sa pamilya ninda. Muya nyang mag agad nin tawad para sa saiyang kamugtakan, maski garo na inda pag dangugon. Muya nya sana maging normal.

Dae naman uto mangyayari ngunyan, bibaba na ninda an kabaong sa saiyang lubungan. Dae na ninda naaram o nailing an ama nya.

May mga chismis, syempre. An mga gurang sa baryo, tigiiring-ing ninda na angongolood daa ta sigi nang dakol an mga nawawara.

Ugaring wara man labot si Simeon.

Pagmati nya, garo sya naglalakaw sa dugi. An mga simple sanang mga bagy arog kan paglimpya kan arong o pagbuwat sa igdaan, padipisil nin padipisil para saiya. Tiga-iling uto kan ina nya na saro nanamang kaugakan, sarong pagabat na kaipuhan nya mang darahon.

Para saiya, madayaon gabos. Nawara saiya an padaba nya sa buhay asin an saiyang aki nagrarayo na sa reyalidad. Aram nyang may dapat syang gibuhon.

Sarong aga sa pagsakat kan aldaw, kinuwa nya an bangka kan agom nya asin duminuman sa may lati.

Nagimata si Simeon asin una nya maiiling nya an ina nyang nagpipriparar nin pamahawan. Naghuna sya kun nyata wara sya duman. Kan pag-iling nya sa luwas asin naaraman na nawawara an bangka, aram nya kun sain nagduman an ina nya.

Madali man sana kuta para kay Simeon na dae uto intindihon, na magpakalugmok sa saiyang kamunduan asin magluksa sa saiyang sadiring ina. Naka-anap sya nin kusog dae una nya wara sya, asin nagduman sa saiyang kapitbahay nganing magsubli nin bangka para hanapon an saiyang ina.

Sa pag-sagwan nya pairarom sa salog, tigsunggaban kan takot an saiyang puso. Dae nya aram an saiyang gigibo, hahanapon nya an saiyang ina tapos ano? Nyata man nanggad nagduman sa lati an ina nya? Nganing hanapon an ama nya?

Dae sya priparado na kaurunon an saiyang ina na mag-uli, ugaring uminangos sya asin duminerecho. Nawara nya na an ama nya, dae nya na mawawara an saiyang ina.

Nakuwa ni Simeon an bangka na ginamit kan saiyang ina sa may mabakawang lati. Wara utong laog asin garo duminerecho pa an ina nya sa kadlagan na naka bitis.

Nagbaba sya sa bangka nya asin sinundan an bakas na nawalat kan ina nya.

Makapalon an paros asin naglalagkit asin nagpupuon namang madumog nin daplos si Simeon. An pag-agi nya sa may lati, narurumduman nya an mga tig-agihan nya buong buhay. Pagduman nya sa may mamarang daga, pagmati nya na kada tungtong nya digdadara sya asin namamatian nya na bako na sya komportable.

Wara na syang oras mag-horop-horop mangongod duman, ta nadangog nya na an maluway na pag-ibi sa inutan nya.

An nailing nya, sarong makagirabong ilingon. Sarong puno na may pandok kan saiyang ama, nagapuripot sa kulog, asin an saiyang ina nag-iibi sa irarom kan punong uto.

“Dae ka na kuta nagdigdi,” taramon kan ina nya habang nag-iibi.

Warang simbag si Simeon, makasakason an mga nangyayari. Dae nya masabutan kun nyata may pandok an puno kana ma nya, naka-karos sa balat kaito.

Nagpawalat sinda duman nin pirang oras sagkod nagkaigwang kusog nin buot si Simeon na aputon an saiyang ina na magsabay na saiya pauli.

“Nyata nagdigdi ka?” apot ni Simeon.

“Muya kong maaraman.”

Buminalik sinda asin sa pagbaba kan aldaw, dae sana sindang ribok, muyang makuwa an saktong mga taramon na makakadiskribiha sa nailing ninda.

Kan naka-antos sinda sa saindang bangka, nailing ninda uto. Sa madikom, garo sya tawo, alangkaw asin dakulang lalaking nakadungaw sainda. Aram ni Simeon kun ano uto, asin preparado na sya.

“Kwaon mon a ining bangka, mag-uli ka na,” taramon nya sa ina.

“Dae ta ka babayaan.”

“Kaipuhan ko ining gibuhon.”

Nagrani sya sa bakulaw na nakabukas an mga kamot. Ini an saiyang tig-papara alat. An ikahudyang paglaya sa priso na tiga apod nyang buhay.

Nagsuriyaw an ina nya nganing magpundo sya. Pero dae sya nagmati.

Sa pagkupo kan halimaw kay Simeon, namamatian nya na an pagtagas kan saiyang balat asin an saiyang mga bitis nagigi nang mga ugat.

Nakakurit na sa balat an nakangirit nyang pandok.

Sa wakas, malaya na sya.

=——————————————————————————————————=

English Version

Through the mangrove ridden swamps, past the riverbanks, lies a small grove of trees. Now, most people would find nothing strange about it, they would probably find it stranger if there weren’t any trees by the riverside.

As they look closer, they can see what makes this copse so horrifying. Each tree is etched with the face of a person, twisted in agony. The bark of the tree outlines their wretched visages.

Locals call the area cursed and most do well to avoid these trees.
But one brave soul dared to brave the wilderness to seek answers that only the trees can whisper.

This is his story.

Simeon Boñaga always hated his name. His namesake was a hero, the last general to surrender during the Philippine-American war and here he was, a 27-year-old burnout, whose best days were behind him.

He was the first of his family to graduate university. Coming from a small town where you either became a fisherman or starve, it was a big accomplishment. That is, up until the real world turned its ugly head.

His first job after university was in a large multinational company, the kind of place that he had always heard about but never got the opportunity to see up close. The pay was good and the hours were reasonable, he finally felt he had it all.

But there was always that voice in his head that nagged him. It was like a weight that slowed him down every day. He noticed it after the fifth month of work. His mind didn’t think as fast, he was angry and irritable to his coworkers and he couldn’t sleep.

He thought it would pass, that it was just a bad dream he would wake up from eventually. Then the second month came and things started to get worse. His eyebags got so big and obvious that people couldn’t help but comment on them.

That made him feel more terrible. He tried to ignore the gossip floating around, but the voices outside were just as loud as the voices in his head. Simeon noticed that his officemates started to avoid him. Whenever he would walk up to the lounge people seemed to disperse.

His mood affected his performance at work. At the start of the year he could glide through spreadsheets and was confident with presentations. As the months went by Simeon retreated more into himself, pushing away even his friends that tried to help.

If he had gotten help early maybe he could have avoided shouting at his boss. If he admitted that there was something wrong, he could have kept his job. If he wasn’t so prideful, there would have been a way to continue the life he was living.

Simeon thought back to those days as he stared at the river by his home. He didn’t want to have to go back to the province, but after what he did there was no choice. He felt alone now more than ever, sitting by the rocks and watching the water flow through the forest.

His parents didn’t understand what was wrong with him. They told him it was all in his head. He wanted to reply, “of course it’s in my head, where do you think my brain is?” but that would be unnecessary. His parents were simple people, far removed from the medical jargon that became his new reality.

It was a life he wouldn’t have wished on anyone else. He sighed and started the long to the nearby town. Simeon hated being alone with his thoughts. It was a burden put upon his shoulders that he wished he could just shrug off.
As he entered the town, he saw people gather around the square. For a few brief moments the voices in his head quieted down and he was able to focus on what was happening before him.

A woman who he recognized as Aling Norma was sobbing hysterically. She shouted, “Angongolood! Angongolood!” as the crowd watched silently.
He knew the legends, of course. Every person in town did. The giant gorilla-like beast preying on fishermen at the mouth of the riverbank.

It was all just superstition, a story made up to scare fisherfolk away from dangerous areas in the swamp. But it seemed like Aling Norma believed every word of it. Simeon would always remember the look on her tear-stained face as she cried out for her husband.

“Jherick! Jherick why didn’t you listen?! What will happen to us now? Why didn’t you think about your children?!” Her cries echoed through the town square, made even louder by the silence of the bystanders.

It seemed that people were just content to watch the spectacle and Simeon couldn’t help but feel pity for the crowd as well as Aling Norma. This scene wasn’t meant to turn out like this. He walked towards Aling Norma and bent down beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Aling Norma was surprised by Simeone’s touch. She stopped crying long enough to crumple into his arms.He didn’t know how long he held Aling Norma. The crowd dispersed, bit by bit until the only people left were Simeon and Aling Norma as well as a few stragglers.

Aling Norma looked at Simeon with tired eyes. She composed herself and thanked him for comforting her. Simeon said it was nothing, but she disagreed. “No one would even come near me when they found out my husband went missing. Thank you.”

Simeon didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell her that he would cry himself to sleep every night the way she did. Or how there was a storm brewing inside him and it helped to be of help to others to forget the emotional buildup that threatened to burst.

He asked Aling Norma why she thought it was the angongolood that took her husband and she replied, “He went to the trees.”

“What trees?” Simeon asked.

“The angongolood’s embrace is poison to the touch, anyone caught in its arms is twisted into a horrible tree,” she said, new tears forming in her eyes.
“I’m sure they’ll be able to find him.”

“They won’t. It’s too late. Far too late.” Aling Norma looked Simeon in the eye and her piercing gaze shot to his soul. “Do not go out to the swamp, nothing good can come from that place.”

She stood up and left Simeon standing alone in the town square. He thought back to her words and he was moved by her assurance that her husband’s disappearance was tied to a mythical beast. But Simeon was a man of logic.
There had to be something or someone responsible. Someone had to do something and there was a persistent voice in his head that it should be him. The feeling passed though and once again Simeon was a slave to his emotions. The feeling of ennui showered over him and he couldn’t even remember why he went to the town.

“Someone else has to do something,” he said to himself as he started the long walk home.

————————————————————————

“Get up! It’s nearly sunrise!”

Simeon was jolted awake by his father. He didn’t appreciate being woken up this early. His father had said that they needed to spend more time together, to do honest work, and Simeon reluctantly agreed. It was like this when he was younger, his father waking him up at the break of dawn and both of them going out to the river to get a fresh catch.

They got ready with their nets and Simeon yawned as they pushed out into the river.

The mangroves were radiant in the morning sun and they both were silent as they went upriver. Simeon’s father was a man of few words and he couldn’t express as much as he would like to. Throughout the boat ride his father had tried to talk Simeon into going back to the city and finding work, how he was doing so well and it was about time he tried again.

Simeon ignored him. What would his father know about what he was going through, what did anyone know? He thought back to the last therapist he was seeing. She cared more about herself than she did Simeon’s well being and he was still mad that he spent too much money on sessions that made things more difficult.

And there was the medicine. Half the time Simeon felt like a zombie going through the motions of life. He couldn’t think straight, he was always thirsty and nauseous and it didn’t help with his night terrors.

Maybe he would go back to the city to find a psychiatrist that would help, but that would have to wait. Now was the time for fishing.

They cast out the nets and hoped that they would find something good, maybe tuna. The catch was disappointing, nothing but small fish and they moved on to another area. They repeated this for hours, finding nothing all while Simeon was getting frustrated.

They had drifted near the swamp where it was sure they wouldn’t get a good catch. Maybe this was his father’s way of giving them some alone time, though Simeon didn’t appreciate it.

He didn’t want to be here, not in this town, not with his family. Simeon wished so hard that he could scream out into the world, but he knew no one would listen. He had to suffer in silence and put on a façade of being ‘alright’. More than anything he wanted to be understood by someone, anyone.
He turned his back to his father and tried to breathe. One of his older therapists had taught him breathing exercises to minimize anxiety. Three deep breaths and he would be able to handle things, or so he hoped.

When he was ready, he turned back to face his father. He was calmer now. He had expected his father to be angry, his father never understood anything about his condition, so he had to be more patient.

He turned and was surprised to find his father missing. Simeon rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming or a trick of his medication, but there was nothing more than empty air on the other side of the boat.

He called out for his father, screaming until his lungs gave out. It didn’t matter though, there was only the sounds of nature that answered him.
Simeon was alone.

————————————————————————–

The service was brief and solemn.

It had been a year since his father had disappeared and it was time to put his memory to rest.

Simeon’s mother didn’t stop crying through the funeral. She never looked at Simeon the same way since the incident. He could see in her eyes that he should have been the one that vanished.

The year was not kind to Simeon. His father’s disappearance only led to him retreating from the world. As far as he was concerned there was nothing outside the four walls of his room.

If he had cared more, he might have realized that his savings were dwindling and he would have to look for a job soon. Unfortunately, he couldn’t move past the mire he found himself in. The voices in his head were getting louder and he wished he could find some way to make them stop. The meds weren’t working anymore and he had decided a few months ago to stop taking them.

He just wanted to see his father one more time. Simeon wanted to tell him that he was sorry he was a bad son and that he brought shame upon the family. He wanted to apologize for his condition, as strange as it sounds. He just wanted to be normal.

That would never happen now, as they slowly lowered an empty casket into the grave. They hadn’t even found a trace of his father.

There were rumors of course. The elders in town would whisper of the angongolood as more disappearances happened.

But that didn’t matter to Simeon.

He felt like he was moving through mud. The simplest things like cleaning the house or getting out of bed were getting more and more difficult for him. His mother saw it as laziness, a burden that she had to bear as well. To her, nothing was fair. She had lost the love of her life and her son was retreating from reality. She knew that something had to be done.

One morning as the dawn began, she took her husband’s boat and made her way to the swamp.

Simeon woke up and expected to find his mother making breakfast. He was puzzled why she wasn’t there. As soon as he looked out and saw the boat was missing, he knew where she had gone.

It would have been easy for Simeon to just ignore it, to wallow in his own sadness and grieve for his missing mother. Where he found strength, he didn’t know, and he went to his neighbor’s house and asked to borrow their boat to find his mother.

As he delved deeper into the swamp fear gripped his heart. He didn’t know what he was doing, he would find his mother and then what? Why had she gone to the swamp in the first place? To find his father?

He wasn’t prepared to talk his mother off that ledge, but he breathed in deep and pushed forward. He lost his father, he wouldn’t lose his mother too.
Simeon found the boat his mother used by the mangrove trees. It was empty and it looked like she had gone deeper into the swamp on foot.

He got out of his boat and followed the trail that she left.The air was thick and humid and Simeon began to sweat through his shirt. Trudging through the bog reminded him of how he felt every day. Moving through rough terrain, feeling like every step forward took everything within you and being uncomfortable through it all.

He didn’t have time to reflect on that as he heard soft sobbing ahead of him.
What he saw was a macabre sight. A tree with the face of his father, twisted in pain, stood with his mother weeping under it.

“You shouldn’t have come,” his mother said through the tears.
Simeon had no answer, things were happening too fast. He didn’t understand why the tree had the face of his father etched in its bark.

They stayed there for hours until Simeon was brave enough to ask his mother to go back home.

“Why did you come here?” he asked.

“I needed to know for sure.”

They made their way back and as the sun set, they sat in silence, desperately trying to find the words to describe what they had seen.

As soon as they reached their boats, they saw it. In the dark it looked almost human, like a tall, burly man hunched over. Simeon knew what it was, and he was prepared.

“Take the boat and go home,” he told his mother.

“I won’t leave you.”

“This is what I have to do.”

He walked towards the creature with open arms. This was what he was searching for. A final release from the prison he called life.

His mother screamed for him to stop. He didn’t listen.As the monster embraced Simeon, he could feel his skin harden and his legs turn to roots.
The bark etched his face in a solemn smile.

Finally he was free.

=————————————————————————————————-=

*The Bikol languages or Bicolano languages are a group of Central Philippine languages spoken mostly in the Bicol Peninsula in the island of Luzon, the neighboring island province of Catanduanes and the island of Burias in Masbate. There is a dialect continuum between the Visayan languages and the Bikol languages; the two together are called the Bisakol languages.

The Tabaco-Legazpi-Sorsogon (TLS) dialect is spoken in the eastern coast of Albay and the northeastern part of Sorsogon. TLS is the dialect that has been most influenced by the Inland Bikol languages.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Jeremiah Cordial

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Jeremiah Cordial

Based on the Angongolood description in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010.

Angongolood Illustration by Justine André Villapa

Instagram: @art.justineandrev

Through the mangrove ridden swamps, past the riverbanks, lies a small grove of trees. Now, most people would find nothing strange about it, they would probably find it stranger if there weren’t any trees by the riverside.

As they look closer, they can see what makes this copse so horrifying. Each tree is etched with the face of a person, twisted in agony. The bark of the tree outlines their wretched visages.

Locals call the area cursed and most do well to avoid these trees.
But one brave soul dared to brave the wilderness to seek answers that only the trees can whisper.

This is his story.

Simeon Boñaga always hated his name. His namesake was a hero, the last general to surrender during the Philippine-American war and here he was, a 27-year-old burnout, whose best days were behind him.

He was the first of his family to graduate university. Coming from a small town where you either became a fisherman or starve, it was a big accomplishment. That is, up until the real world turned its ugly head.

His first job after university was in a large multinational company, the kind of place that he had always heard about but never got the opportunity to see up close. The pay was good and the hours were reasonable, he finally felt he had it all.

But there was always that voice in his head that nagged him. It was like a weight that slowed him down every day. He noticed it after the fifth month of work. His mind didn’t think as fast, he was angry and irritable to his coworkers and he couldn’t sleep.

He thought it would pass, that it was just a bad dream he would wake up from eventually. Then the second month came and things started to get worse. His eyebags got so big and obvious that people couldn’t help but comment on them.

That made him feel more terrible. He tried to ignore the gossip floating around, but the voices outside were just as loud as the voices in his head. Simeon noticed that his officemates started to avoid him. Whenever he would walk up to the lounge people seemed to disperse.

His mood affected his performance at work. At the start of the year he could glide through spreadsheets and was confident with presentations. As the months went by Simeon retreated more into himself, pushing away even his friends that tried to help.

If he had gotten help early maybe he could have avoided shouting at his boss. If he admitted that there was something wrong, he could have kept his job. If he wasn’t so prideful, there would have been a way to continue the life he was living.

Simeon thought back to those days as he stared at the river by his home. He didn’t want to have to go back to the province, but after what he did there was no choice. He felt alone now more than ever, sitting by the rocks and watching the water flow through the forest.

His parents didn’t understand what was wrong with him. They told him it was all in his head. He wanted to reply, “of course it’s in my head, where do you think my brain is?” but that would be unnecessary. His parents were simple people, far removed from the medical jargon that became his new reality.

It was a life he wouldn’t have wished on anyone else. He sighed and started the long to the nearby town. Simeon hated being alone with his thoughts. It was a burden put upon his shoulders that he wished he could just shrug off.
As he entered the town, he saw people gather around the square. For a few brief moments the voices in his head quieted down and he was able to focus on what was happening before him.

A woman who he recognized as Aling Norma was sobbing hysterically. She shouted, “Angongolood! Angongolood!” as the crowd watched silently.

He knew the legends, of course. Every person in town did. The giant gorilla-like beast preying on fishermen at the mouth of the riverbank.

It was all just superstition, a story made up to scare fisherfolk away from dangerous areas in the swamp. But it seemed like Aling Norma believed every word of it. Simeon would always remember the look on her tear-stained face as she cried out for her husband.

“Jherick! Jherick why didn’t you listen?! What will happen to us now? Why didn’t you think about your children?!” Her cries echoed through the town square, made even louder by the silence of the bystanders.

It seemed that people were just content to watch the spectacle and Simeon couldn’t help but feel pity for the crowd as well as Aling Norma. This scene wasn’t meant to turn out like this. He walked towards Aling Norma and bent down beside her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Aling Norma was surprised by Simeone’s touch. She stopped crying long enough to crumple into his arms.He didn’t know how long he held Aling Norma. The crowd dispersed, bit by bit until the only people left were Simeon and Aling Norma as well as a few stragglers.

Aling Norma looked at Simeon with tired eyes. She composed herself and thanked him for comforting her. Simeon said it was nothing, but she disagreed. “No one would even come near me when they found out my husband went missing. Thank you.”

Simeon didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t tell her that he would cry himself to sleep every night the way she did. Or how there was a storm brewing inside him and it helped to be of help to others to forget the emotional buildup that threatened to burst.

He asked Aling Norma why she thought it was the angongolood that took her husband and she replied, “He went to the trees.”

“What trees?” Simeon asked.

“The angongolood’s embrace is poison to the touch, anyone caught in its arms is twisted into a horrible tree,” she said, new tears forming in her eyes.
“I’m sure they’ll be able to find him.”

“They won’t. It’s too late. Far too late.” Aling Norma looked Simeon in the eye and her piercing gaze shot to his soul. “Do not go out to the swamp, nothing good can come from that place.”

She stood up and left Simeon standing alone in the town square. He thought back to her words and he was moved by her assurance that her husband’s disappearance was tied to a mythical beast. But Simeon was a man of logic.

There had to be something or someone responsible. Someone had to do something and there was a persistent voice in his head that it should be him. The feeling passed though and once again Simeon was a slave to his emotions. The feeling of ennui showered over him and he couldn’t even remember why he went to the town.

“Someone else has to do something,” he said to himself as he started the long walk home.

————————————————————————

“Get up! It’s nearly sunrise!”

Simeon was jolted awake by his father. He didn’t appreciate being woken up this early. His father had said that they needed to spend more time together, to do honest work, and Simeon reluctantly agreed. It was like this when he was younger, his father waking him up at the break of dawn and both of them going out to the river to get a fresh catch.

They got ready with their nets and Simeon yawned as they pushed out into the river.

The mangroves were radiant in the morning sun and they both were silent as they went upriver. Simeon’s father was a man of few words and he couldn’t express as much as he would like to. Throughout the boat ride his father had tried to talk Simeon into going back to the city and finding work, how he was doing so well and it was about time he tried again.

Simeon ignored him. What would his father know about what he was going through, what did anyone know? He thought back to the last therapist he was seeing. She cared more about herself than she did Simeon’s well being and he was still mad that he spent too much money on sessions that made things more difficult.

And there was the medicine. Half the time Simeon felt like a zombie going through the motions of life. He couldn’t think straight, he was always thirsty and nauseous and it didn’t help with his night terrors.

Maybe he would go back to the city to find a psychiatrist that would help, but that would have to wait. Now was the time for fishing.

They cast out the nets and hoped that they would find something good, maybe tuna. The catch was disappointing, nothing but small fish and they moved on to another area. They repeated this for hours, finding nothing all while Simeon was getting frustrated.

They had drifted near the swamp where it was sure they wouldn’t get a good catch. Maybe this was his father’s way of giving them some alone time, though Simeon didn’t appreciate it.

He didn’t want to be here, not in this town, not with his family. Simeon wished so hard that he could scream out into the world, but he knew no one would listen. He had to suffer in silence and put on a façade of being ‘alright’. More than anything he wanted to be understood by someone, anyone.
He turned his back to his father and tried to breathe. One of his older therapists had taught him breathing exercises to minimize anxiety. Three deep breaths and he would be able to handle things, or so he hoped.

When he was ready, he turned back to face his father. He was calmer now. He had expected his father to be angry, his father never understood anything about his condition, so he had to be more patient.

He turned and was surprised to find his father missing. Simeon rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming or a trick of his medication, but there was nothing more than empty air on the other side of the boat.

He called out for his father, screaming until his lungs gave out. It didn’t matter though, there was only the sounds of nature that answered him.
Simeon was alone.

————————————————————————–

The service was brief and solemn.

It had been a year since his father had disappeared and it was time to put his memory to rest.

Simeon’s mother didn’t stop crying through the funeral. She never looked at Simeon the same way since the incident. He could see in her eyes that he should have been the one that vanished.

The year was not kind to Simeon. His father’s disappearance only led to him retreating from the world. As far as he was concerned there was nothing outside the four walls of his room.

If he had cared more, he might have realized that his savings were dwindling and he would have to look for a job soon. Unfortunately, he couldn’t move past the mire he found himself in. The voices in his head were getting louder and he wished he could find some way to make them stop. The meds weren’t working anymore and he had decided a few months ago to stop taking them.

He just wanted to see his father one more time. Simeon wanted to tell him that he was sorry he was a bad son and that he brought shame upon the family. He wanted to apologize for his condition, as strange as it sounds. He just wanted to be normal.

That would never happen now, as they slowly lowered an empty casket into the grave. They hadn’t even found a trace of his father.

There were rumors of course. The elders in town would whisper of the angongolood as more disappearances happened.

But that didn’t matter to Simeon.

He felt like he was moving through mud. The simplest things like cleaning the house or getting out of bed were getting more and more difficult for him. His mother saw it as laziness, a burden that she had to bear as well. To her, nothing was fair. She had lost the love of her life and her son was retreating from reality. She knew that something had to be done.

One morning as the dawn began, she took her husband’s boat and made her way to the swamp.

Simeon woke up and expected to find his mother making breakfast. He was puzzled why she wasn’t there. As soon as he looked out and saw the boat was missing, he knew where she had gone.

It would have been easy for Simeon to just ignore it, to wallow in his own sadness and grieve for his missing mother. Where he found strength, he didn’t know, and he went to his neighbor’s house and asked to borrow their boat to find his mother.

As he delved deeper into the swamp fear gripped his heart. He didn’t know what he was doing, he would find his mother and then what? Why had she gone to the swamp in the first place? To find his father?

He wasn’t prepared to talk his mother off that ledge, but he breathed in deep and pushed forward. He lost his father, he wouldn’t lose his mother too.
Simeon found the boat his mother used by the mangrove trees. It was empty and it looked like she had gone deeper into the swamp on foot.

He got out of his boat and followed the trail that she left.The air was thick and humid and Simeon began to sweat through his shirt. Trudging through the bog reminded him of how he felt every day. Moving through rough terrain, feeling like every step forward took everything within you and being uncomfortable through it all.

He didn’t have time to reflect on that as he heard soft sobbing ahead of him.
What he saw was a macabre sight. A tree with the face of his father, twisted in pain, stood with his mother weeping under it.

“You shouldn’t have come,” his mother said through the tears.
Simeon had no answer, things were happening too fast. He didn’t understand why the tree had the face of his father etched in its bark.

They stayed there for hours until Simeon was brave enough to ask his mother to go back home.

“Why did you come here?” he asked.

“I needed to know for sure.”

They made their way back and as the sun set, they sat in silence, desperately trying to find the words to describe what they had seen.

As soon as they reached their boats, they saw it. In the dark it looked almost human, like a tall, burly man hunched over. Simeon knew what it was, and he was prepared.

“Take the boat and go home,” he told his mother.

“I won’t leave you.”

“This is what I have to do.”

He walked towards the creature with open arms. This was what he was searching for. A final release from the prison he called life.

His mother screamed for him to stop. He didn’t listen.As the monster embraced Simeon, he could feel his skin harden and his legs turn to roots.
The bark etched his face in a solemn smile.

Finally he was free.

———————————————————————

Written by Karl GaverzaCopyright © Karl Gaverza

Based on the angongolood description in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010.

Angongolood Illustration by Justine André Villapa

Instagram: @art.justineandrev

Leoncio sighed deep. It was the era of stone churches and horse drawn carriages, but it seemed that with all those modern marvels time was still running out. He glanced once more at the cobblestone street and prayed that his carriage would arrive soon.

Tigidig – Tigidig – Tigidig – Tigidig

God must have finally heard him and the telltale sound of his carriage greeted his ears with fervent anticipation. Maybe this time he would make it in time to join his family for dinner.
The pale moon hung high in the sky as Leoncio boarded the carriage. He greeted his driver and told him that he was headed home. It was his daily routine and things seemed to be going normally until a stranger waved his arms and asked to speak with the owner of the carriage.

The stranger begged Leoncio for a lift, it was dark and he was afraid of the treacherous road. Leoncio rubbed his temples and remembered a verse that his grandmother would repeat “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.”

He didn’t want to be late to have supper with his family, but he couldn’t leave a person in need. He was a God-fearing man and knew that there was someone up there, watching.
With a hint of reluctance Leoncio moved and offered the man a seat in his carriage.

It was going to be a long night.

“I see you’re a religious man,” the stranger said, breaking the silence.

“I guess I am,” Leoncio clutched the cross around his neck. “A force of habit I guess,” he replied.

“I was a religious man too.”

“Was?”

Leoncio felt unprepared for this conversation. He was tired from the day’s work and would rather not have to engage in petty small talk with a stranger he had just met ten minutes ago.

“It was a long time ago, you probably don’t want to hear about it.”

But curiosity is a strong force.

“Why don’t you tell me about it?”

It was a night much light this. The sun had faded and the stars began to play their games. I was a lowly farmer, headed home after a hard day’s work in the market.

I was a prayerful man, always believing the Lord had a plan for me.

As I reached my house I knew something was amiss. The door was hanging open and my wife did not greet me. I feared the worst.

I was greeted by the bodies of my family sprawled across the living room. It seemed that robbers had broken in and put them to the knife.

Tears of sadness and rage filled me and it was then that I cursed the name of the Lord, most high. I would not be part of any plan that sought to do my family harm.

And that day I left my farmhouse in a blaze of anger.

He was no longer my God and I turned to others to help me avenge my family.

Leoncio didn’t know what to say. He stared, mouth agape, at the stranger beside him.

“That was the first of my many misdeeds, but it wouldn’t be the last.”

Something was bubbling inside Leoncio, he wanted to tell the driver to stop, to throw the stranger out of the carriage, but it seemed that he too was in a trance.

And thus did the stranger continued on with his tale.

I went to the places touched by the dark, to those forgotten by the men in robes. I would have done anything to find those that killed my family, I would have paid any price.

They demanded things I dare not speak aloud, for the memory still makes me weep bitter tears. But endured them, I did.

I needed no one. Sometimes in the night I would remember my parents and wonder what they would have thought of my actions, but I spat at their memory. This was the only way to make them pay for what they had done.

And when all was said and done, I had new gods who gave me the zeal to take my revenge.

I carved idols in their image to better gain their power and kept them close to me. Their whispers carried me off to blessed sleep every night.

I ignored the Sabbath day, for what use was it to me then? No more hearing the hypocritical friars and their words of venom, no more sitting at the pews praying for things that would not come.

I was whole in their presence. In my baptism of blood, I knew where I should go.

Their whispers lead me to a cave hidden deep within the forest. It was there I heard laughter and music on the lips of the men that took my family from me.

It was over in a heartbeat.

I left one of them alive with a knife in his hand and told the guardia civil that I had heard a commotion from the cave. It was all too easy to blame the man for the deaths of his compatriots. Who would believe a thief?

Though who am I to judge? I took something from them to remind myself of the cruelty of man, a single coin that they had no doubt stolen from another poor soul.

It would not bring my family back, that much I knew. But the glint of silver blinds even the most righteous men. I took it and fled to the forest.

I had forgotten that everything came at a price, and those that I believed had helped me were ready to collect.

I tried to run, believe me I wanted nothing more than to be back in my house, surrounded by my family. I ran to a neighbor’s house and asked for help, but I knew he could give me none.

My last thoughts before they ripped the skin from my flesh was how I wanted my neighbor’s house. To be safe and warm in the embrace of the family inside.

And I relived those events nine times. The knife, the craven images, breaking the covenants set by your god.

Leoncio struggled to find words. The stranger had suddenly turned from a man into a skeletal being, its clothes in tatters.

“By the way, my good man. Where is the nearest church?”
Leoncio pointed to the south, in the direction of Molo church. He blinked and the stranger was gone, an empty seat was all that remained.

That night Leoncio’s screams could be heard for miles around as the legend of Siyam-Siyam was spread throughout Iloilo.

*In mid to late 19th century Iloilo, travelers on horseback or carriage told of encountering a restless spirit at night. The spirit at first appeared as a normal human and asked to hitch a ride. On the way it would talk casually and confess of its nine sins that it committed nine times. Then the hitchhiker will turn into a skeleton in tatters and ask for the nearest church and disappear while the travelers screamed their heads off. In one story, Siyam-Siyam finally found peace when he encountered a friar.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Based on the Siyam-Siyam myth from Iloilo

Siyam-siyam Illustration by Justine André Villapa
Instagram: @art.justineandrev