*Note this story is in Tagalog

Kinapitang mahigpit ni Maria ang kaniyang rosaryo. Mataimtim siyang nagdarasal sa harap ng rebulto ng Birheng Maria.

Ipinagdarasal niya ang kaluluwa ni Juan, ang kanilang alipin na nagsabing may babaeng may gintong buhok na inanyaya siyang magpalipas silang dalawa ng gabi na magkasama.

May ilang mga kuwento katulad noon na narinig si Maria rati; ang mga tao ng gubat, mga masasamang nilalang na galamay ng demonyo.

Halos tumigil na ang mga tunog nang wikain niya ang kaniyang pangwalumpung Ave Maria. Mayroong sanhi kung bakit inulan ng bato ang kaniyang bahay. Alam niyang ang babaeng iyon ang may kagagawan.

Inutusan ni Pedro ang ibang mga tauhan na hanapin kung sinoman ang nagbato ng mga bato pero wala silang mahahanap. Ang siyang walang karunungang makitungo ng mga tao ng gubat ay siya ring kaduwagan nila. Magtatago sila sa kanilang mga puno at maghihintay ng susunod na pagkakataon na makuha nila ang nais nila.

Hindi lubusang gusto ni Maria si Juan. Mas bata si Juan sa ibang mga alipin  at malamya minsan, pero siya ay isang babae ng pananampalataya at hindi nya hahayaang magnakaw ng kaluluwa mula sa kaniyang mga tauhan ang mga nilalaang na iyon.

Nag-utos siyang ikulong si Juan sa isang silid at huwag hahayaang pumunta sa hardin. Umasa siyang mawawalan na ng pagnais ang babaeng iyon at maghanap na lamang ng ibang kaluluwang pagdurusahin.

Nakabubusog na menudo at kanin ang hapunan noong gabing iyon. Matapos magdasal si Maria, nakaramdam siya ng kakaibang ihip ng hangin. Bago pa man siya o ang kahit sino man sa hapag-kainan makaimik, tumalsik ang tumpok na tae ng kabayo sa mesa. Walang makakain sa gabing iyon dahil nabalutan ng dumi ang pagkain.

Halos masuka na si Maria sa nakakapang-ikot sikmurang larawan at malapit niyang hawak ang kaniyang rosaryo. Mukhang hindi agarang matatapos ang laban na ito ngunit disidido siyang malampasan ito sa tulong ng Dios.

Sa pang-apat na gabi, dalawang gwardiya sibil and inatasan ni Pedro na magbantay kay Juan. Sa isang iglap, nawala ang binatilyo. Kinatatakutan na ni Maria ang pinakamalubhang mangyayari, inutusan niya ang bawat matipuno at malakas na tauhan na hanapin si Juan.

Sa wakas, natagpuan nila siya sa malaking kaing na ginagamit ng mga inahin bilang pugad. Walang saysay ang mga salitang binibigkas ni Juan. Isinaad niya na nagsayaw siya sana kagabi kung alam niya lang kung paano at akala niya na mga perlas ang mga itlog na nasa loob ng kaing.

Masyado ito para kay Maria. Alam niyang kinakailangang humingi ng gabay ng binatilyo kung hindi ay mawawala ang kaluluwa nito habambuhay. Pinadala niya si Juan sa simbahan, pinagkumpisal at pinagtanggap ng komunyon.

Sumunod na umaga sinamahan mismo ni Maria si Juan upang makadinig ng misa. Lubusang taimtim na nagdarasal si Maria na yumuko ang pintuan ng langit sa kaniyang maaalab na panalangin.

Ipinagdasal niya ang kaluluwa ng binatilyo na nahuli nasa pagitan ng Panginoon at mga paganong espirito. Ipinagdasal niya ang kaniyang asawa, si Pedro, na hindi na siya magdusa sa isa pang gabi na mayroong mga batong nahuhulog. Ipinagdasal niya ang kaniyang sarili na maging matatag sa harap ng pagsubok na ibinigay sa kaniya ng Panginoon.

Matapos ang misa, walang ibang magagawa kung hindi ang maghintay.

Naghintay sila ng isang araw at wala nang mga bato na umulan sa kanilang bahay.

Naghintay sila ng isang linggo at hindi muling naglaho na parang bula si Juan.

Naghintay sila ng isang buwan at ang babaeng may gintong buhok ay hindi na nakita muli.

Nagpasalamat si Maria sa Panginoon para sa himalang ibinigay Niya sa kanilang pamamahay. Hindi na sila kailanman ipinagdusa ng mga kaluluwa ng gubat.

Lumuhod siya sa harap ng rebulto ng Birheng Maria at ipinagpatuloy ang kaniyang mga dasal, nalulugod sa gawa ng Dios.

=—————————

English Version

Maria clutched her rosary tight. She said her prayers in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary with an almost manic fervor.

She prayed for the soul of Juan, their servant who said that a lady with golden hair invited him to spend the night with her.

Maria had heard stories of them before; the people of the forest, evil beings that were agents of the devil.

The sounds had almost stopped when she said her 80^th Hail Mary. Something was causing a rain of stones to fall upon her house. She knew it was the woman.

Pedro would tell the other servants to go and look for whoever threw the stones, but they would find nothing. The people of the forest were as cowardly as they were tactless. They would hide in their trees and wait for another chance to get what they want.

Maria didn’t particularly like Juan, he was younger than most of the servants and a bit clumsy at times, but she was a woman of faith and she would not let those creatures steal a soul from under her.

She ordered Juan to be shut in a room and not be allowed to go into the garden. She hoped that the woman would lose interest and find another poor soul to torment.

That night’s supper was a hearty meal of menudo and rice. After they said their prayers Maria felt something wrong in the air. Before she, or anyone at the table, could react a mass of horse manure splattered across the table. No one would eat that night for the food was covered in the dung.

Maria almost vomited at the revolting sight and she held her rosary close. It seemed that this fight would not end soon and she was determined to see it through with the grace of God.

On the fourth night two guardia civiles were called by Pedro to sit with Juan. In a heartbeat the boy disappeared. Fearing the worst Maria ordered every able bodied servant to look for Juan.

They finally found him in a large basket used by hens as their nest. Juan’s words were pure nonsense. He talked about how he would have danced last night if he knew how and he thought the eggs in the basket were pearls.

This was too much for Maria. She knew that the boy would have to seek guidance lest his soul be lost forever. She sent Juan to the church and made him confess his sins and receive communion.

The next morning Maria accompanied Juan personally to hear mass. She prayed so hard the gates of heaven bent at her missives.

She prayed for the soul of the boy, caught between the lord and the heathen spirits. She prayed for her husband Pedro that he would not have to suffer through another night of falling stones. She prayed for herself that she would be strong enough to face the challenge that God had set upon her.

After the mass was over there was nothing to do but wait.

They waited a day and no stones showered over their house.

They waited a week and Juan did not vanish into thin air.

They waited a month and the woman with the golden hair was nowhere to be seen.

Maria thanked God for the miracle He had given their household. No longer would they be tormented by the spirits of the forest.

She knelt in front of the statue of the Virgin Mary and continued her prayers, contented with the Lord’s work.

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

Adapted from ‘Juan and the Engkantada.’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Engkantada Illustration by Armand Dayoha
IG: http://instagram.com/mr.aramanada
Email: mr.aramanada@gmail.com

*Note this story is in Tagalog

Noong unang panahon, mayroong batang lalaki na hindi marunong magpakabait. Isa siyang napaka-suwail na bata. Lagi niyang ginagawa ang kabaligtaran ng sinasabi ng kaniyang mga magulang at araw-araw siyang mayroong bagong paraan na pasakitin ang ulo ng kanyang pamilya.

Sa kabila nito, lubusan siyang hinahangaan ng kaniyang mga mas nakababatang kapatid na lalaki. Sa kanilang mga mata, ang kanilang kuya ang pinakamatapang at pinakamatalinong lalaki sa daigdig.

Isang araw, isinama ng bata ang kaniyang mga kapatid para maglakad sa gubat kung saan may natagpuan silang yungib. “Tabi tabi po,” wika ng mga nakababatang kapatid. Tinuruan silang mabuti ng kanilang mga magulang na magbigay-galang sa lahat nararapat galangin.

Tumawa ang kanilang kuya. “Ano’ng ginagawa niyo?” tanong niya sa kaniyang mga kapatid. “Nagbibigay-galang kami sa maliit na mama sa kuweba,” sagot nila.

“Hindi totoo iyan,” nangutya ang panganay sa inaakala niyang pambatang pamahiin. “Kita niyo? Wala namang nasa kuweba. Huwag na kayong magpakaduwag at matuto na kayo sa katotohanan ng mundo.”

“Pero kuya, baka maapakan natin sila ng ‘di naman natin sinasadya!” tutol ng kaniyang mga kapatid.

Yumabag ng yumabag sa loob ng yungib ang kanilang kuya ng walang pakialam. Puno ng takot silang nanonood habang patuloy na hinahamon ng kanilang kuya ang mga espiritung naninirahan sa kuweba.

Matapos ang ilang minuto, walang nangyari. “Kita niyo? Sabi sa inyo eh walang mangyayari. Subukan niyo rin ’to.”

Hinihikayat pa ng panganay ang kaniyang mga kapatid na gayahin ang kaniyang ginagawa hanggang sa nagsalita na ang isa sa kanila. “Kuya, mga kapatid, sa tingin ko hindi ito magandang ideya,” ani nito .

Hindi siya narinig ng kaniyang mga kapatid sa lakas ng kanilang mga pagyayabag.

Ilang oras ang nakalipas na naglalaro ang mga bata sa yungib, maliban sa isa. Pinagpasiyahan na nilang umuwi dahil malapit na maghapunan.

Isang tinig ang huling bumigkas ng “Tabi tabi po” bago umalis.

Habang pauwi ang mga bata ay biglang may nahulog na sanga ng puno at natamaan ang isa sa mga bata sa ulo. Nangangamba ang kuya nila dahil siya ang mananagot sa nangyari sa kaniyang kapatid.

“Dali, humingi kayo ng tulong,” utos niya sa kaniyang mga kapatid. Nang kumaripas ng takbo ang mga bata sa utos ng kanilang kuya, napatid sila sa isa’t isa kung kaya’t nagkaroon sila ng mga sugat at gasgas. Nagsiiyakan sila.

“Magsitahan kayo!” sigaw ng panganay. Umalingawngaw ang kaniyang boses sa gubat at nakaakit ng pansin ng baboy ramo.

Tinitigan ng baboy ramo ang mga bata at umigik ng malalim.

Sinubukan ng kuya na magpahabol sa baboy ramo upang maisanggalang ang kaniyang mga kapatid ngunit hindi siya nito pinapansin. Walang imik na nakatayo lamang ang baboy ramo sa harap ng mga bata.

Hanggang sa nilapitan ito ng isa sa mga magkakapatid.

“Humihingi kami ng tawad sapagkat naapakan ka namin,” sabi niya. “Nawa’y mapagpaumanhinan mo kami.”

Muling umigik ang baboy ramo sa bata bilang kaniyang pagtugon. Sa pagkakataong iyon napansin ng ibang mga kapatid na nagsihilom ang kanilang mga sugat.

Nagdiwang ang mga bata at tinanong ang kanilang kapatid kung ano ang nangyari.

“Ako’y nagbigay-galang lamang dahil nararapat na magbigay-galang,” tugon niya.

Huminahon na ang lahat nang biglang hinanap ng isa sa mga kapatid ang kanilang kuya.

“Nakita niyo ba si kuya?”

=—————————=

English Version

Once upon a time there was a little boy that didn’t know how to behave. He was a most troublesome child. He would always do the opposite of what his parents would tell him and every day the boy would find a new way to give headaches to his family.

His younger brothers idolized him though. They thought that their kuya was the bravest and most clever boy in the world.

One day, the boy took his little brothers out for a stroll in the woods, where they came upon a cave. “Tabi tabi po” said the younger brothers. They had been taught well by their parents and always sought to give respect where it was due.

The older brother laughed. “What are you doing?” he asked his little brothers. “We are giving respect to the small man in the cave,” they replied.

“There is no such thing,” the older brother scoffed at what he thought was a childish superstition. “See? No one is in the cave. You should stop being such babies and learn the truth about the real world.”

“But kuya, we might accidentally step on them!” The younger brothers protested.

The older brother stamped his feet around the cave without care. The younger brothers stared in horror as their kuya willfully defied the spirits.

After a few minutes, nothing happened. “See? I told you so. You all should try this.”

The older brother tried to make his younger siblings repeat what he did, until all but one relented. “Kuya, brothers, I really don’t think that this is a good idea,” he said.

His brothers couldn’t hear him over all the stomping they were doing.

Hours passed and the children were all playing in the cave, save one. They decided to go home for it was almost dinnertime.

One voice said a final “Tabi tabi po” before leaving.

As the children were making their way back home, a tree branch fell and hit one of the children in the head. The older brother was panicking for he knew he was going to be held responsible for his sibling.

“Hurry, one of you go and get help!” he ordered his brothers.

As the children rushed to follow the command, they tripped over one another causing bruises and scrapes. They started crying.

“Stop crying!” The older brother shouted. His voice echoed through the woods and attracted a wild boar.

The boar stared at the children and gave out a large grunt.

The older brother, knowing that he had to protect his siblings tried to get the boar to chase him, but to no avail. The beast just stood looming in front of the children.

Finally, one of the brothers approached the beast.

“I’m sorry that we stepped on you,” he said. “I hope you will forgive us.”

The boar grunted in reply. At that moment the other brothers realized that their wounds were suddenly healed.

The children rejoice and asked their brother what happened.

“All I did was give respect where respect was due,” he answered.

And all was well until one of the brothers asked an innocent question.

“Have any of you seen kuya?”

=———————–=

Story inspired by Dwende entry in Myth Museum. Medina. 2015.

Dwende Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen