*Note this story is in Ilocano

“Agsaganaka, masapul a pumanawtayo sakbay a sumingising ti init.”

Riniingnak ni Papa iti napintas a tagtagainep. Agtaytayabak idi iti rabaw dagiti bantay ken lumasat iti kabakiran a kasla superhero. Ngem kanayon nga addaan ti patinggana dagiti tagtagainep, ita, masapul a sanguen ti baro nga aldaw. Rugiak ti kadawyan nga araramidek a mangala iti taraon ken mangisagana iti amin nga abasto para ita nga aldaw. Nagkullayaw manen dagiti imak kadagiti iket gapu kinabannayad ko, binabalawnak ni Papa. Kas met laeng idi kalman.

“Mapantayo iti baybay ita nga aldaw.”

Karkarna dayta. Kanayon a liklikan da Papa ken amin a natataengan a mangngalap ti umasideg iti baybay. Kunada a napeggad dayta yantangay ta haan nga mapakpakadaan ti ayos didiay a lugar. Ngem ammok nga awan met lang maaramidanmi. Bumasbassit nga bumasbassit ti makalkalap inaldaw ket madik ammo no kasano kabayag ti panagbiagmi pay iti taaw. Ibagak ngata ken ni Papa a mapanak langen idiay siudad tapno agbirok iti trabaho. Nasaysayaat kaysa panangpanunot no makatiliwkami iti umdas nga ikan a mangpakan iti bagimi.

“Agannadka ken siguraduem a saanmo a suroten dagiti silaw.”

Daytati pakdaar nga ibagbagami a mangngalap sakbay kami mapan idiay danum. Diak ammo no ania ti kayatna a sawen daydiay ngem kanayon a makaliwliwa nga denggen.  Panagkunak, inaldaw ko a mangngegan dayta sipud pay idi nataenganakon a makalugan iti bangka. Kasla nalaglag-an dagiti iket ita, maysa a pagilasinan a pumigpigsaakon. Baka makasarakak iti trabaho iti maysa a construction site idiay siudad.

“Kaluban dagiti lapayagmo!”

Nabutengannak iti bugkaw ni Papa. Madik ammo no apay nga ababbonganna dagiti lapayagna. Napintas unay ti musika nga mangmangngegko. Kasla koro dagiti anghel nga agtaytayab iti aglawlawko. Nawaya unay iti pangritnak, kasta unay ti pannakilangenko iti lubong. Kayatko ti mapan idiay aniaman a paggapwan iti kasta a napintas nga uni.

“Saanka a mapan dita danum!”

Kastan sa ti kinuna ni papa, ngem diak unay nangngegen. Pinadasna nga ginuyod dagiti takiagko ngem kayat ko nga sapulen ti agkankanta iti daytoy nakaskasdaaw a kanta. Masapul nga isardengnan iti kanayon nga pananglappedna kanyak. Dina ammo no kasano ti kinarigatna iti masakbayan. Awanen ti nabati kadakami ditoy. Madin agtultuloy a mangted kadakami iti ikan, saanen. Masapulmi iti mapan iti sabali a lugar a mabalinmi nga pagnamnamaan.

“Dayta silaw! Saanmo a suroten dagiti silaw!”

Makitak ida itan, nagpipintasda. Daydiay silnag manipud iti uneg ti danum ket mangaw-awag kaniak. Madi nga maawatan ni Papa. Lakay unay isunan a mangkita ti masakbayan. Saan a kas iti kabaelak. Surotek ti lawag ket isu mangisalakan kanyami amin. Makaurnong nak iti umdas a kuarta nga pangbiag iti pamiliami. Makitananto. Makitadanto amin.

=—————–=

English Version

“Get ready, we have to leave before sunrise.”

Papa woke me up from a nice dream. I was flying over the mountains and going through the woods like a superhero. But dreams always have to end, now it’s time to face another day. I start my routine, grabbing a meal and preparing all the supplies for the day. My hands got tangled in the nets again and Papa scolded me for being slow. Just like yesterday.

“We’re going by the cove today.”

That was strange. Papa and all the older fishermen would always avoid going near the cove. They say it’s dangerous since the current is unpredictable in that area. But I know we don’t really have much of a choice. The catch of the day has been getting smaller and smaller and I don’t know how long we can live off the ocean. I think I’m going to tell Papa that I should go to the city to find work. It’s better than wondering if we can catch enough fish to feed ourselves.

“Be careful and make sure you don’t follow the lights.”

It’s the warning that we fisherman say before we go out on the water. I don’t know what it’s supposed to mean but it’s always comforting to hear.  I think I’ve heard it every day since I was old enough to be on a boat. The nets seem lighter today, a sign that I’m getting stronger. Maybe I can find work in a construction site in the city.

“Cover your ears!”

Papa’s shout scared me. I don’t know why he was covering his ears. The music was so beautiful. It was like a chorus of angels floating all around me. I feel so free, so in touch with the world. I want to go to whatever’s making such a beautiful sound.

“Don’t go in the water!”

I think that’s what papa said, but I didn’t hear him so well. He tried to pull me back by the arm but I need to go find the singer of this wonderful song. He needs to stop doing that, always holding me back. He doesn’t know how hard it’s going to be in the future. We don’t have anything left here. The sea isn’t going to keep giving us fish, not anymore. We need to go somewhere else somewhere where we can hope.

“The lights! Don’t follow the lights!”

I can see them now, they’re so beautiful. The glow under the water is calling me. Papa doesn’t understand. He’s too old to see the future. Not like I can. I’ll follow the light and it will save us all. I can make enough money to feed our family. He’ll see. They’ll all see.

=—————————-=

*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Nelmar A. Mallari, MDC
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Nelmar A. Mallari, MDC

Story inspired by Kataw/Catao entry in  Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Kataw Illustration by Leandro Genisto from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

Watercolor by Mykie Concepcion
Tumblr: http://mykieconcepcion.tumblr.com/

*Note this story is in Pangasinan

“Grrrah,”  Inmakis so buwaya.

“Mampainawa ka la, magano lan onsabi so naakan, pian walay naakan tayon dua.” Maaron inkuan na aswang ed alaga to.

Mairap so mananap na ayep ed sarayan agew, amta na totoo a sayan pasen ed katakelan so pasen a panaganen na aswang tan say ayayep to, balet ag-itan makapangigapo ed sikato a mananap na naakan.

“Kaukolan tayo labat so onasingger ed baryo, tan mas onaligwas so amin a bengatla,” Say buwaya so nanngulngul lamet tan pinaseguroan na aswang.  “Amtak, makalmo kami na pigaran ugugaw, amtak ya labalabay yo so panangan na saratan.”

Malikeliket ya inmawet so ikol na buwaya; pigay bulan to lan ag-agawa itan.

On, onasingger itayo ed baryo tan manggawa na patit. Naerel tayo iramay manlangoy ed gilig na ilog! Akiulop si aswang ed ayep to diad gilig na ilog.

Sikatoy narasan, tan ontan met so alaga to. Lapud panag-alwar na totoo, mairap so pananap na tagano. Say unor a panangan da et sakey a managsigay a dinmalan ed kaarawi na katakelan. Sikatoy mabisbiskeg tan maruksa, ya ag-itan labalabay na balang sakey ed sikara.

Say aswang et amin a imis balet. Amta to a dakdakel so naala ton ayep. Sikatoy lawas nanmatalek ed biskeg na ayayep to pian narel so tagano ra, agto singa arum ya aswang a mantikyab ed kaliberliber na baryo pian manaktakot ed saray totoo.

Sikatoy sakey ya agalon hayopan, sakey a klase na aswang a mamapabaleg ed saray buwaya pian mananap ya nabuwag da. Mabetbet a babalawen tan tatawagen na arum ya aswang a mangiras iray kapara ran totoo, balet agda amta so irap a kaukolan na sakey pian napabaleg labat so sakey a buwaya manlapud sakey ya iknol.

Nampalner lamet so alaga to tan inmelek. Pigay taon iran nankakasakey tan pinabaleg to iyan buwaya manlapu la’d inkaugaw to. Amta to iray ugali tan ugali to a singa met ed sikato. Sikara so agnibiig. Amta to a no walay kanen to, magmaliw lan mangiras.

“Wadia kami la,” so aswang tan say alaga to so akaalagey ed gilig na ilog.

“Panaon la pian mangala na naakan.”

“Grrrah,” so ebat na alaga to.

=—————————–=

English Version

“Grrrah,” The crocodile groaned.

“Hush now, the food will come by soon, then we will both have something to eat.” The aswang said lovingly to her pet.

Prey was hard to come by these days, the humans knew that this place in the swamp was the hunting ground for the aswang and her pet, but that wasn’t about to stop her from finding a meal.

“We just have to go closer to the village, and then everything will be better,” The crocodile grunted again and the aswang reassured him. “I know, we’ll find some children, I know how much you like the taste of those.”

The crocodile wagged its tail with joy; it had not had that treat in many months.

“Yes, let’s go nearer to the village and set a trap. We can catch the ones swimming by the river!” The aswang walked alongside her pet to the riverbank.

She was hungry, and so was her pet. Due to the human’s caution, food was hard to find. The last meal they both had was a fisherman that strayed too far into the swamp. He was stringy and tough, not a dinner that either of them savored.

The aswang was all smiles though. She knew that prey would be plentiful. She had always relied on the strength of her pet to catch their meals, she was not like the other aswang who would fly around the village terrorizing the humans.

She was an agalon hayopan, a kind of aswang that would raise crocodiles to hunt their prey for them. The other aswang would often jeer and call their kind lazy, but they would never know the hardship one would take just to raise a single crocodile from an egg.

Her pet grumbled again and she laughed. They spent years together and she had raised this one ever since he was a hatchling. She knew his quirks and quips just as well as he knew hers. They were inseparable. She knew that once he had something to eat, he would change back to his lazy self.

“We’re here,” The aswang and her pet stood by the river.

“Time to get some food.”

“Grrrah,” replied her pet.

=——————–=

*Pangasinan (Salitan Pangasinan) – sometimes called Pangasinense is one of the major languages of the Philippines. It is the language spoken in the province of Pangasinan, on the west-central seaboard of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, the northern portion of Tarlac and southwestern La Union, most of whom belong to the Pangasinan ethnic group. Pangasinan is also understood in some municipalities in Benguet, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, and by the Aeta or Aeta of Zambales.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Nelmar A. Mallari, MDC
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Nelmar A. Mallari, MDC

Inspired by the Agalon Hayopan legend from Bicol: Filipinas Volume 12, Page 53, Filipinas Pub., 2003

Agalon Hayopan Illustration by NightmareSyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/