*Note this story is in Tagalog

“Gusto ko talagang akyatin ang bundok na ‘yon!”

“Hindi. Hindi dapat.”

“Hindi mo ‘ko kailangang tratuhin na para bang lagi akong bata!”

“Kailangan, lalo na kapag parang bata ka naman talaga umasta.”

“Walang matinding dahilan para hindi ako umakyat.”

“Nando’n siya. Sapat nang dahilan ‘yon para manatili ka dito.”

“Hindi ‘yan dahilan. Ni hindi nga totoo ang alinman sa mga kuwento tungkol sa kanya.”

“Hindi mahalaga kung ga’no katotoo ang mga usap-usapan. Nando’n siya at hindi natin siya gagambalain.”

“Pakinggan mo nga ang sarili mo! Natatakot ka sa isang tsismis!”

“Hindi lang siya isang tsismis at marami ka pang ‘di nalalaman.”

“Katulad ng?”

“Bakit siya tumigil?”

“Alam mo naman ang kuwento.”

“Bakit niya itinigil ang pamamahagi ng ginto sa mga mahihirap?”

“Talaga bang tinatanong mo sa’kin ‘yan?”

“Bakit?”

“Dahil naging sakim ang mga tao. Pinaghuhukay nila ang kanyang hardin upang nakawin ang mga tanim niyang luya na nagbabago-anyo at nagiging ginto.”

“Bakit siya tumigil?”

“Gaya nga nang sabi ko, lumabis ang pagnanais ng mga tao. Teka, ano bang kinalaman nito sa—“

“Bakit siya tumigil!”

“….”

“Dahil binigo natin siya. Binigo natin ang bundok. Higit pa sa simpleng kuwento ng kasakiman ang kuwento niya, dahil kailanman’y ‘di naging simple ang kasakiman. Sasairin nito ang pinakamahuhusay na bagay, hanggang sa wala nang matira ni isa. Ang kuwento niya ay paalala sa ating lahat na walang hinihinging kapalit ang bundok. Magbibigay ito nang magbibigay hanggang sa maghangad tayo ng higit pa sa dapat nating hangarin.”

“Gusto ko lang naman tumanaw mula sa tukok—“

“Tapos, ano? Kumuha ng mga litrato? I-post online para makita ng lahat?

“Oo, pero—“

“Pero, ano? Sandali lang na panahon at susunod ang mga tao sa’yo. Ga’no pa katagal hanggang sa sila na mismo ang umakyat sa tuktok, umapak sa lupa, wumasak sa mga damo, at kumuha ng mga mag bagay na hindi naman sa kanila?”

“….”

“Tinatrato kitang bata dahil ni minsa’y di mo naintindihan ang aral ng kanyang kuwento.”

“Na binigo natin siya?”

“Na binigo natin ang bundok.”

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English Version

“I want to go up the mountain!”

“No, you really don’t.”

“You can’t keep treating me like a child!”

“I can if that’s how you’re acting.”

“You still haven’t given me a good reason why I shouldn’t go up.”

“She is up there. That is all the reason there needs to be.”

“That’s not a reason. Those stories aren’t even real.”

“It doesn’t matter how real the stories are. She is there and we will not disturb her.”

“Listen to yourself! You’re scared of a story.”

“There is more to the story than just Her.”

“And what is that?”

“Why did she stop?”

“You know the story.”

“Why did she stop giving gold to the poor?”

“I can’t believe you’re asking—“

“Why?”

“Because the people got greedy. They dug up her garden because a ginger root from her turned into gold.”

“Why did she stop?”

“Like I said, they got greedy, what does this have to do with—“

“Why did she stop!?”

“….”

“Because we failed her. Because we failed the mountain. There is more to Her story than simple human greed, because greed isn’t simple. It finds the most brilliant solutions to take until there’s nothing left. Her story reminds us that the mountain wants for nothing. It will give until we decide to take more than we can hold.”

“I just want to see the summit—“

“And what then? Take a few pictures? Post it online so that people can see?”

“Yes, but—“

“How long will it take until people decide to follow your lead and go up the mountain themselves? How long until their feet trample on the earth and the grass? Until they take what was never theirs?”

“…..”

“I treat you like a child because you haven’t learned her lesson.”

“That we failed her?”

“That we failed the mountain.”

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Written by Karl Gaverza
Tagalog Translation by Alpine Moldez
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Alpine Moldez

Inspired by Mariang Makiling in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Mariang Makiling Illustration by Laura Katigbak
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Her footsteps were lighter than the mist surrounding the Laguna de Bay. The beautiful woman liked to reminisce about her previous adventures, especially around her place of power. The other spirits wondered why she would choose a place with so many humans around to be her locus, they would never know the joy that one could acquire through toying with the denizens of the earthrealm. Boredom and immortality were intertwined, and she had to deal with the former somehow.

The water lilies were lighter today. A chill in the air told her that Larina had been crying again. The engkanta remembered the crime for which she had punished the spoiled girl, it was many human lifetimes before.

She remembered when Larina was a beautiful maiden with golden hair and cruel intentions. The sister was the complete opposite, hair as black as a night when the Laho would do its business and kinder than a Kamanan Daplak. Was it Mara? Maria?… Mangita, of course, it had been so long she had almost forgotten her name.

The cold wind blew again and the engkanta stopped herself from laughing. It had been a wind like this that helped her spread the sickness that Mangita caught, which gave her an excuse to save her and punish her sister.

The seeds would have never healed Mangita of course, they were just there to spread the curse when the engkanta returned. It had taken twelve seeds, twelve times when instead of giving a cure to her sister, Larina put a seed in her hair. The engkanta was impressed, that kind of cruelty befitted a dalaketnon. She would have given the girl to those spirits had it not been for the revenge the engkanta craved.

It wasn’t the cruelty that Larina showed to Mangita that the engkanta loathed, not even the fact that Lariana had disrespected the spirit by not offering her food. It was when the girl had the audacity to push the engkanta to the ground.

There was a small lesson for the humans in all this:

Never touch an engkanta.

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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story continued from “Mangita and Larina” http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/pfs/pfs08.htm

Story inspired by Philippine Folklore Stories. Miller. 1904. (Full text can be accessed at http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/pfs/index.htm)

The Engkanta of Laguna de Bay Illustration by Marc Samuel Magpantay
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