*Note this story is in Bahasa Sug

Iyutukan manuk-manuk yadtu.

Daran mag-urul kaku’ sakahaba’ aku mag-uwi’ dayn ha hinang dūm-dum.  Di’ ku pagkakitaan sa’ kaingatan ku yaun duun. Pagkarungugan ku sadja in katingug niya makahilu. Tik-tik-tik. Ugh. Marayaw tuud nakabī aku bagu headphones para aku di’ na masasat. Agun aku marupang sabab dūm dum yaun ha guwa’ sin tandawan ku. Amu in di’ ku hikatug marayaw pasal nanamun ku awn jimajaga kaku’. Kaingatan ku sattuwa sadja yaun sa’ awn tuud waktu di’ ku na katahanan.

Napuspus na tuud aku paranan ku tīlu’ sin batu kahapun. Di’ ra isab aku mabaya’ pasakitan yaun, bang man sadja muga’ iban makatūg aku misan dakuman hangka rūm wayruun sasaw, sa’ maray’ hati ku way sayu. Salta’ limagundak na pasal kiyuddanan ku ha bayhu’. In bunnal niya, bukun aku mapasu’ tau. Imus-us aku madtu supaya kitaun bang naunu sa’ di’ na misan maghibal.

Ampa aku nakakita’ biya’ sin manuk-manuk yaun pasal bukun siya biya’ sin kaibanan. Mangi’ tuud lupa niya. Di’ ku kaingatan bang biya’ diin papatahun. Biya’ sapantun manuk-manuk jiyahulaka’ sin tau. In mga mata niya… di’ ku misan maatud pasal sin pula dakuman—makagituk-gituk.

In makainu-inu tuud amu in liug sin manuk-manuk, pasal giyagallangan madtu. Hisiyu baha’ in dupang dupang magipat manuk manuk biya’ ha ini. “Aswang” in nakasulat, iban biya’ jimatu isab in ngān ha lupa ragbus sin manuk manuk yaun. Wayruun misan umbul atawa ngān sin lugal atawa misan unu na, hangkan na biyutang ku na sadja in manuk-manuk bang hain di’ siya masasaw.

Nasusa aku hangkan sulayan ku lawagun in tagdapu kaniya, iban mangayu’ aku kamaapan. Sa’ mahunit tuud pasal di’ ku misan kaingatan bang dayn diin aku magtagna’. Maray’ kaingatan sin tagdapu bang magpakain in ipatan niya sin mga limabay dūm ini.

Piyangayu’ ngayu’ ku tuud bang man kabatukan niya ra aku.

=———————–=

English Version

That damn bird.

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

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

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

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

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

Hopefully he’ll be able to find me.

=—————————=

*Bahasa Sug or Tausug is an Austronesian language spoken in the province of Sulu in the Philippines and in the eastern area of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, by the Tausūg people. It is widely spoken in the Sulu Archipelago (Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan), the Zamboanga Peninsula (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga City), southern Palawan, and Malaysia (eastern Sabah).

Written by Karl Gaverza
Bahasa Sug translation by Nurtimhar Shahaji
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Nurtimhar Shahaji

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

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

*Note this story is in Chavacano Zamboanga

Un noche, un cuago ya man tika de este cabeza desde un gueco na pono. El ulan ya man hinay na un taliti.

Siendo con hambre, ya estrecha este su maga alaz y ya vola na maga rama donde puede este encontra presa.

Ya imagina este su una sena este noche, quilaya hinde ya este ta puede espera machaca su presa y traga con este entero. El idea ya hace conele realmente almareao.

Ahora el cuago tiene bien bueno sentido de oida, de echo este experto oi maskin el pinakadiutay movimiento para cogi de este presa.

Mientras ya vola este encima de un sitio, ya puede este oi un sonor familiar.

El claro ritmo de ‘kik kik kik’.

Ay hinde era con este pone atencion el cuago como igual este pirmi ta hace, pero este curioso y ta queda ya fuerte el ulan. El maga cuago de vejes ya habla con el maga bata que este maga criatura hinde ta mete kanila, solamente na maga gente. Ya describe sila con detalle de este largo lengua, perchando na maga techo de maga casa de gente y el diila sonor otro clase.

Cerrando de este maga ojos, el cuago ya concentra para busca dond estaba el sonor, acordando cosa debe este busca.

Cuantos momentos despues, este confianza que ya puede loca donde el criatura.

Entonces, ya esta este donde el ventana y ya mira con el maga siguiente suceso.

Tiene tres gente ta dormi na costao de a uno’y otro. Un bata, un mujer que claro kay preñada y un hombre.

Maskin entrey alboroto del ulan, el cuago claro ta puede oi el sonor del tulo del un liquid na barriga del mujer. El cuago ya mira con ele levanta y pone tabo donde le parte. El mujer ya move y ya encontra otro lugar donde para dormi, pero otra vez el cuago ta puede oi el tulo ta tupa na su barriga na un tempo familiar.

Y aqui ya queda listo el orejas del cuago.

Y talla. ‘kik kik kik’

Dol aquel este un hutik, como el sonor ya traveza grande distancia para llega na diila maga orejas.

Ya enfria el sangre del cuago.

El hombre y el bata ya desperta na sonor y por instinto, el hombre ya saca un bolo y ya corre pa afuera.

Ya vola el cuago en frente del casa para mira cosa hace el hombre.

Ya grita el hombre, “Si ebo hinde deja dimiyo familia, ay anda yo na de bos casa mañana!” Este mientras ta taya le con su bolo el ulan.

En seguidas este ya para, y el cuago ta oi ya lang el taliti mientras ta dale este baña con el luna del medianoche.

El criatura ya sale, incapaz de sacar de este comida, y el cuago ya habla su cuerpo na este ay hinde socede conele este noche.

Mientras el cuago ya vola para busca presa, este ya pensa:

Sabe ba gayot el hombre donde el casa del tiktik?

=———————–=

English Version

One night, an owl poked its head out of its tree hole. The rain was weakening into a manageable shower.

Hungry as it was, it stretched its wings and flew to the perches where it could find prey.

It imagined its first meal of the night, how it couldn’t wait to crush their prey and swallow it whole. The thought made it positively giddy.

Now the owl had a very good sense of hearing, in fact it was adept at listening for even the slightest hints of movement to catch their quarry.

As it flew over a human village it heard a familiar sound.

The unmistakable cadence of ‘kik kik kik’.

The owl would have ignored it as it always had, but it was curious and the rain was starting to get stronger. The elder owls told the young that these creatures are harmless to their kind, only targeting humans. They described in detail the long tongue, perching on the roofs of human houses and their confusing sound.

Closing its eyes, the owl concentrated to find the source of the sound, remembering what it should be looking for.

After a few moments it was confident that it located where the creature would be.

So, it stayed by the window and watched the events unfold.

There were three humans sleeping side by side. One child, a woman that was clearly pregnant and a man.

Even through the noise of the raindrops the owl could clearly hear the sound of some liquid dropping on the stomach of the woman. The owl saw her stand up and put a dipper where she was. The woman moved and found another place to sleep, but again the owl could hear the same sound of droplets hitting her stomach in a familiar tempo.

And then the owl’s ears piqued.

There it was. ‘kik kik kik’

It was almost like a whisper, as if the sound traveled great distances to settle on their ears.

The owl’s blood ran cold.

The man and the child both woke up to the sound and almost through instinct the man grabbed a bolo and rushed outside.

The owl flew to the front of the house to see what the man would do.

The man shouted “If you don’t leave my family, I will go to your house tomorrow!” All the while swinging his bolo through the rain.

And in an instant, it stopped, the owl could only hear the pitter-patter of the drizzle as it washed over the midnight moon.

The creature left, unable to get its meal, and the owl scoffed and told itself that wasn’t going to happen to it tonight.

As the owl flew to its hunting grounds it wondered.

Did the man really know where the tiktik’s house was?

=————————-=

*Chavacano or Chabacano refers to a number of Spanish-based creole language varieties spoken in the Philippines. The variety spoken in Zamboanga City, located in the southern Philippine island group of Mindanao, has the highest concentration of speakers. Chavacano is the only Spanish-based creole in Asia.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Chavacano-Zamboangueño Translation by Marion Bais Guerrero
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Marion Bais Guerrero

Story inspired by a story told by Gil Geolingo

Tiktik Illustration by Gil Geolingo

*Note this story is in Cebuano

Porbidang langgam.

Kanunay ko niining ginasundan samtang pauli ko gikan sa tarbaho matag gabii. Dili ko kini makita, apan nasayod ko nga nagpahipi lamang kini sa palibot. Akong madungog ang iyahang sampit:

“Tik! Tik! Tik!”

Hay nako. Maayo nalang nakapalit ko ug headphones aron dili nako mabati iyahang yamar. Kada gabii, magpundo ang langgam sa gawas sa tamboanan ug dili ko mahimutang. Dili usab ko makatulog kay kahibaw ko nga naglantaw kini kanako. Usa lang kini ka bulok nga linalang, apan niabot gyud ang punto nga dili na nako kini maagwanta.

Kagahapon, akong gilabayan ug bato ang langgam dili tungod gusto nako siyang pasakitan, apan aron makabaton lamang kini ug kahadlok. Tinguha ko lang nga dili ko samokon sa langgam bisan usa ka gabii lang.

Sa akong pagpanaghap, hinay diay kini mulupad. Naigo kini sa dagway ug nahulog paubos. Nabuhat man nakong pasakitan ang langgam, makasaad ko nga dili ko maharoson nga pagkatawo. Dali-dali nakong giduol ang langgam ug nakit-ang wala na kini naglihok.

Ang maong langgam dili tuod sama sa mga kanhing langgam nga akong nakita: maot kini ug hitsura, pirting maota. Dili ko segurado kung unsaon ko ni pagbatbat. Mura kini ug dagway sa usa ka gilusngo nga langgam. Dili pod ko uroy makatan-aw sa iyahang magil-as ug puwa nga mga mata.

Ang hilabihang baligho sa akong panan-aw mao  ang liog sa langgam. Aduna kini’y kulyar. Kinsa ba gyuy buang na muamuma ug binuhi na sama niini? Nakasulat sa kulyar ang palabra nga “Aswang” ug nakahunahuna ko nga angay lamang kini sa maong maot nga langgam. Wala kini numero o adres o bisan unsang impormasyon busa gihiluna ko ang langgam diin dili kini matugaw.

Nakabati ako ug tanlag busa akong pangitaon ang tag-iya sa langgam aron mangayo ug pasaylo, apan lisod kini buhaton. Wala ko kahibaw diin magsugod. Tingali nasayod ang tag-iya kung asa nagalatagaw iyahang binuhi karong mga gabhiona.

Hinaot iyaha kong mapangita.

=———————=

English Version

That damn bird.

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

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

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

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

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

Hopefully he’ll be able to find me.

=—————————=

*The Cebuano language, alternatively called Cebuan and also often colloquially albeit informally referred to by most of its speakers simply as Bisaya (“Visayan”, not to be confused with other Visayan languages nor Brunei Bisaya language), is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 21 million people, mostly in Central Visayas, western parts of Eastern Visayas and most parts of Mindanao, most of whom belong to various Visayan ethnolingusitic groups, mainly the Cebuanos. It is the by far the most widely spoken of the Visayan languages, which are in turn part of wider the Philippine languages. The reference to the language as Bisaya is not encouraged anymore by linguists due to the many languages within the Visayan language group that may be confused with the term.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Cebuano Translation by Melaine Mendez
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Melaine Mendez

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

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

.

*This story is in Masbatenyo – Ticaoeño

Usad na gab-i, nagtambo an bukaw sa iya buho sa puno. Nagluluya na an uran hasta sa tire-tire na lang.

Gutom, ginbuka niya an iya mga pako kag naglupad sa lugar kun diin siya makahanap sin karaunon.

Gindamgo niya an iya una na pagkaon sana na gab-i, kag kun pan-o niya dudugmukon an iya kaunon. Ina na pag-imahinar an nagpahiyaw sa iya.

San maglupad siya sa istaran san mga tawo, nakabati siya san pamilyar na tunog.

Dili siya magkakamali kun diin hali an ‘kik kik kik’.

Dili kunta niya aangayon idto, pero gusto niya makita. Usad pa, nagtuda gihapon an uran.

An sabi sa sigulanon san mga gurang na bukaw, dili man daw naglalabot sa inda ina na linalang, kay tawo manlang an gusto sana. Gin-istorya ninda an halaba na dila sana na linalang kag an paglumpat niya sa atop san kabalayan san mga tawo.

Nagpiyong siya kag ginhanap an ginhahalian san tunog.

Makaligad an pira kamomento, kumpiyansado siya na nahanap niya an ginpapaghalian.

Kaya nagkadto siya sa bintana san balay kag nagsaksi sa pangyari.

May tulo katawo na dururog — usad na bata, usad na babaye nga budos, kag usad na lalaki.

Maski makusog an tunog san uran, nakita san bukaw kun pan-o mahulog an likido sa tiyan san budos. Nagtindog an babaye, ginbutang an tabo sa iya dati na ginhigdaan kag naglipat. Pero nabati gihapon san bukaw an pagturo san likido sa tiyan san budos.

Kag napamatian niya.

Ada na naman. ‘kik kik kik’

Bagan man lang an hingaw-hingaw, na bagan hali pa sa harayo antes ninda mabatian.

Kinulbaan an bukaw.

Nakamata an lalaki kag an bata, kag ginkuha dayon san lalaki an iya bolo kag dali-dali na lumuwas.

Lumupad an kuwago pakadto sa atubangan san balay para makita an hihimuon san lalaki.

Nabati niya an kurahaw san lalaki, “Kun dili mo uudungan an akon pamilya, kakadtuon ta ikaw sa imo balay buwas!” Kag ginwaya-waya san lalaki an iya bolo sa luwas.

Kag sadto mismo na momento, nag-udong ang linalang kag humali. Dili niya nakuha an iya panigab-ihan kag aram san bukaw na dili makakaon an linalang sadto na gab-i.

San maglupad ang bukaw para maghanap san iya makakaon, hinunga niya an iya sadiri kun aram man gayod san lalaki kun hain an balay san tiktik.

English Version

One night, an owl poked its head out of its tree hole. The rain was weakening into a manageable shower.

Hungry as it was, it stretched its wings and flew to the perches where it could find prey.

It imagined its first meal of the night, how it couldn’t wait to crush their prey and swallow it whole. The thought made it positively giddy.

Now the owl had a very good sense of hearing, in fact it was adept at listening for even the slightest hints of movement to catch their quarry.

As it flew over a human village it heard a familiar sound.

The unmistakable cadence of ‘kik kik kik’.

The owl would have ignored it as it always had, but it was curious and the rain was starting to get stronger. The elder owls told the young that these creatures are harmless to their kind, only targeting humans. They described in detail the long tongue, perching on the roofs of human houses and their confusing sound.

Closing its eyes, the owl concentrated to find the source of the sound, remembering what it should be looking for.

After a few moments it was confident that it located where the creature would be.

So, it stayed by the window and watched the events unfold.

There were three humans sleeping side by side. One child, a woman that was clearly pregnant and a man.

Even through the noise of the raindrops the owl could clearly hear the sound of some liquid dropping on the stomach of the woman. The owl saw her stand up and put a dipper where she was. The woman moved and found another place to sleep, but again the owl could hear the same sound of droplets hitting her stomach in a familiar tempo.

And then the owl’s ears piqued.

There it was. ‘kik kik kik’

It was almost like a whisper, as if the sound traveled great distances to settle on their ears.

The owl’s blood ran cold.

The man and the child both woke up to the sound and almost through instinct the man grabbed a bolo and rushed outside.

The owl flew to the front of the house to see what the man would do.

The man shouted “If you don’t leave my family, I will go to your house tomorrow!” All the while swinging his bolo through the rain.

And in an instant, it stopped, the owl could only hear the pitter-patter of the drizzle as it washed over the midnight moon.

The creature left, unable to get its meal, and the owl scoffed and told itself that wasn’t going to happen to it tonight.

As the owl flew to its hunting grounds it wondered.

Did the man really know where the tiktik’s house was?

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by M.A.C. Villamor

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © M.A.C. Villamor

Story inspired by a story told by Gil Geolingo

Tiktik Illustration by Gil Geolingo

*Note this story is in Karay-a/Kinaray-a

Sangka gabi-i, may sangka bukaw nga naglingling halin sa buho kang kahoy.  Dungan na kadiya ang pag-amat-amat kang hinay kang uran nga kaina pa wara naga-untat.

Tungod kay gutom, ginhumlad na ang ana nga mga pakpak kag naglupad, nagdapo sa kun diin dali tana makapangita kang ana nga karan-un.

Ginapanumdum na pa lang ang una na nga madagit kadiya nga gabi-i kag daw hindi run gid tana makahulat nga dunuton kag lamunon diya kang buo. 

Ang amo diya nga bukaw, may tama ka anting nga pamati-an, tama ka sagad kay biskan ang pinakahinay-hinay nga paghulag kang ana nga daragitun, ana gid nga mabatian dayon.

Sa ana nga paglupad, may sangka baryo kang mga tawo tana nga na-agyan, kag gulpi man may nabati-an tana nga huni nga man-an na gid kung ano.

Hindi na gid masal-an ang huni nga daw nagatabyug-tabyug kang “kik kik kik.”

Kalabanan, ginapabay-an na lang man ang mga huni nga diya kun ana nga mabatian, ugaring daw natingala gid tana kadiya nga gabi-i kapin pa kay daw naga-amat-amat run man ka tudo liwat ang uran.  Nadumduman na dayon ang mga gina-hambal kang mga mal-am nga mga bukaw nga wara man kuno nagapanakit kang anda nga lahi ang mga tinuga nga diya kay ang mga tawo lang man ang gina-tuyo nanda.  Hambal nanda, ang mga tinuga nga diya labug ti dila, naga-hapon sa mga bubong kang mga panimalay, kag nagahuni-huni para patalangun ang mga tawo.

Ginpirung kang bukaw ang ana nga mga mata kag ginpamatyagan kun sa diin ayhan nagahalin ang huni, ginapandumdum kun ano gani ang dapat na nga pangita-un.

Burubhay, naman-an na run gid man kun sa diin ayon naga-hinumtang ang tinuga.

Ana nga gin-agtunan ang lugar kag nagdapo sa bintana, ginalantaw kun ano ang mga masunod nga mga mahinitabo kadiya nga gabi-i.

May tatlo ka mga tawo nga iriringud naga-tururog.  Sangka bata, sangka babayi nga naga-busong, kag sangka lalaki. 

Biskan tudo ang uran, mabatian gid giyapon kang bukaw ang huni kang basa nga naga-turo sa busong kang babayi.  Nakita kang bukaw ang pag-tindug kang babayi kag gin-butangan ka inug-salo ang gina-turu-an kang basa.  Nagsaylo ang babayi kang pwesto nga ana nga turugan, ugaring nakita kang bukaw nga gin-sundan man giyapon tana kang basa nga sa busong na man giyapon naga-turo.

Burubhay, may nabatian liwat nga huni ang bukaw.

Tu-ay liwat.  “Kik kik kik!”

Daw hani-hani lang nga abi mo bala halin sa marayu ang huni.

Nagpangraramig ang pamatyagun kang bukaw.

Gulpi nag-bugtaw ang lalaki kag ang bata tungod sa huni, kag ang lalaki, abtik nga nag-buol kang binangon kag nagdalagan paguwa. 

Dali-dali nga naglupad ang bukaw paagto sa tubang kang balay agud lantawun kun ano ang himu-on kang lalaki.

Naga-hana-hana nga manglabo ang lalaki kang ana nga binangon sa kadul’man kag nag-singgit, “Kun hindi mo pag-untatan ang pamuloy-an ko, agtunan ta gid kaw sarum-an sa balay mo!”

Kag gulpi lang man nga nag-untat ang huni.  Gulpi nag-linung kag wara run ti iba nga mabati-an ang bukaw kung hindi ang hinay-hinay nga pag-turo kang uran sa tunga kang kagab-ihun.

Nag-halin ang tinuga nga wara naka-dawi kang ana nga panyapon.  Nagkara-kadlaw na lang ang bukaw kay sa ana nga pinsar, hindi gid ria matabo kadiya nga gabi-i. 

Naglupad run man parayu ang bukaw angud mangita man kang ana nga karan-un. 

Man-an gid man ayhan kang lalaki kun sa diin ang balay kang tiktik?

English Version

One night, an owl poked its head out of its tree hole. The rain was weakening into a manageable shower.

Hungry as it was, it stretched its wings and flew to the perches where it could find prey.

It imagined its first meal of the night, how it couldn’t wait to crush their prey and swallow it whole. The thought made it positively giddy.

Now the owl had a very good sense of hearing, in fact it was adept at listening for even the slightest hints of movement to catch their quarry.

As it flew over a human village it heard a familiar sound.

The unmistakable cadence of ‘kik kik kik’.

The owl would have ignored it as it always had, but it was curious and the rain was starting to get stronger. The elder owls told the young that these creatures are harmless to their kind, only targeting humans. They described in detail the long tongue, perching on the roofs of human houses and their confusing sound.

Closing its eyes, the owl concentrated to find the source of the sound, remembering what it should be looking for.

After a few moments it was confident that it located where the creature would be.

So, it stayed by the window and watched the events unfold.

There were three humans sleeping side by side. One child, a woman that was clearly pregnant and a man.

Even through the noise of the raindrops the owl could clearly hear the sound of some liquid dropping on the stomach of the woman. The owl saw her stand up and put a dipper where she was. The woman moved and found another place to sleep, but again the owl could hear the same sound of droplets hitting her stomach in a familiar tempo.

And then the owl’s ears piqued.

There it was. ‘kik kik kik’

It was almost like a whisper, as if the sound traveled great distances to settle on their ears.

The owl’s blood ran cold.

The man and the child both woke up to the sound and almost through instinct the man grabbed a bolo and rushed outside.

The owl flew to the front of the house to see what the man would do.

The man shouted “If you don’t leave my family, I will go to your house tomorrow!” All the while swinging his bolo through the rain.

And in an instant, it stopped, the owl could only hear the pitter-patter of the drizzle as it washed over the midnight moon.

The creature left, unable to get its meal, and the owl scoffed and told itself that wasn’t going to happen to it tonight.

As the owl flew to its hunting grounds it wondered.

Did the man really know where the tiktik’s house was?

=——————————————————=

*The Karay-a language, or Kinaray-a is an Austronesian regional language spoken by the Karay-a people, mainly in Antique in the Philippines, Iloilo and other provinces on the island of Panay, as well as portions of the SOCCSKSARGEN region in Mindanao. It is one of the Visayan languages, mainly along with Aklanon/Malaynon, Capiznon and Hiligaynon. As of 2015, there is an estimated 1,200,000 speakers of Kinaray-a with almost half of them are from Antique and Iloilo provinces.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Rolls Pagunsan

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Rolls Pagunsan

Story inspired by a story told by Gil Geolingo

Tiktik Illustration by Gil Geolingo

One night, an owl poked its head out of its tree hole. The rain was weakening into a manageable shower.

Hungry as it was, it stretched its wings and flew to the perches where it could find prey.

It imagined its first meal of the night, how it couldn’t wait to crush their prey and swallow it whole. The thought made it positively giddy.

Now the owl had a very good sense of hearing, in fact it was adept at listening for even the slightest hints of movement to catch their quarry.

As it flew over a human village it heard a familiar sound.

The unmistakable cadence of ‘kik kik kik’.

The owl would have ignored it as it always had, but it was curious and the rain was starting to get stronger. The elder owls told the young that these creatures are harmless to their kind, only targeting humans. They described in detail the long tongue, perching on the roofs of human houses and their confusing sound.

Closing its eyes, the owl concentrated to find the source of the sound, remembering what it should be looking for.

After a few moments it was confident that it located where the creature would be.

So, it stayed by the window and watched the events unfold.

There were three humans sleeping side by side. One child, a woman that was clearly pregnant and a man.

Even through the noise of the raindrops the owl could clearly hear the sound of some liquid dropping on the stomach of the woman. The owl saw her stand up and put a dipper where she was. The woman moved and found another place to sleep, but again the owl could hear the same sound of droplets hitting her stomach in a familiar tempo.

And then the owl’s ears piqued.

There it was. ‘kik kik kik’

It was almost like a whisper, as if the sound traveled great distances to settle on their ears.

The owl’s blood ran cold.

The man and the child both woke up to the sound and almost through instinct the man grabbed a bolo and rushed outside.

The owl flew to the front of the house to see what the man would do.

The man shouted “If you don’t leave my family, I will go to your house tomorrow!” All the while swinging his bolo through the rain.

And in an instant, it stopped, the owl could only hear the pitter-patter of the drizzle as it washed over the midnight moon.

The creature left, unable to get its meal, and the owl scoffed and told itself that wasn’t going to happen to it tonight.

As the owl flew to its hunting grounds it wondered.

Did the man really know where the tiktik’s house was?

————————————————————————-

Written by Karl Gaverza

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by a story told by Gil Geolingo

Tiktik Illustration by Gil Geolingo

Her back aches, her feet are sore and she just went to the bathroom for the third time this past hour, but through it all she had never been more thankful for the pain.

It was the seventh month of her pregnancy and Clara was on bedrest. Her husband, Angelo, had taken the day off work and was busy making her breakfast.

By the bedside the phone rang.

“Hello?”

It was the raspy voice of a woman, unfamiliar to Clara.

“Hello, this is Clara Campos, who is this?”

“Is this the pregnant woman that lives on Zaragosa street?”

“Who is this? How did you get this number?”

“Do not go outside your house! You’re in terrible danger!”

“Is this a prank call?! It’s not funny!”

“It’s for your baby! You have to listen to me!”

Clara should have put the phone down. She should have ignored whoever it was on the phone and continued on with her day. But things change when you’re about to become a mother. No matter how crazy things might seem, if there’s even the tiniest chance of helping your baby, you do it. No questions asked.

“What are you talking about?” Clara’s tone was sharp. “What does this have to do with my baby.”

“Listen to me!” There was a pause and, in the silence, Clara could feel her heartbeat echo in her bones.

“It comes in the night. Once you hear the sounds coming, head for cover. Keep a knife and kalamansi around you to protect yourself from its evil. Do not think that just because you are in your home you are safe. It can creep in through unseen corners and open windows and it will come for your baby!”

“What is it? What will come for my baby?!”

There was another long pause and Clara felt the anticipation seep into her skin, making it tingle.

“The tiktik will come for you. Be prepared.”

And the line went dead.

It was a few minutes before Angelo came in and gave Clara breakfast in bed. He noticed the look on her face and asked,

“What’s wrong sweetheart? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“It’s nothing. Nothing at all.”

She didn’t know why she lied to her husband. Part of her was ashamed for thinking that a crazy phone call had any effect on her, but she noticed that she was holding her stomach tight.

“It comes in the night.”

“What was that sweetheart?”

“Nothing, Gelo, just thinking about something.”

“Well don’t think too much. Worrying can’t be good for the baby.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll try not to stress myself out. Thank you for breakfast.”

“Now go eat, I’ll clean up in the kitchen.”

“Okay babe.”

Clara could feel her appetite slipping away, but she fought through it. She needed to think of the baby.

It was the only thing that mattered.

That night, Clara drifted off into a dream.

She was in her bedroom and Angelo was nowhere to be seen. She could hear a soft sound throughout the room.

Tik-Tik-Tik-Tik

There was something wrong in the air, an aura of heaviness that permeated the entire room. She looked around to see if there was anything she could use to defend herself, something that would make her feel safe.

By her bedside there was a knife and she grabbed it readily before anything could happen.

Minutes passed, maybe hours and Clara sat alert on her bed, waiting.

Her eyelids felt heavy and tiredness enveloped her body, but she would not move from her position. And in the darkness, she could notice something moving.

It was a thin, red line, almost like a ribbon. It twisted around her leg and she could feel it like ice coursing through her veins.

She took the knife and slashed at the red line and was greeted with an inhuman scream, a loud, guttural ululation that didn’t belong in this world.

And then she saw it. It was as if a bird and a man had been twisted together in some Frankenstein like abomination. Drops of red were falling from its mouth and its eyes burned with fury.

And then she awoke.

Her pillow was soaked with a cold sweat and Angelo asked her if she was okay. Clara brushed it off, saying it was just the pregnancy and hopefully she would brush it off and get more rest later.

She got up and said she was going to get a glass of water, telling Angelo she could get it herself this time.

Clara went to the kitchen and grabbed the first knife she saw and remembered, if there’s even a slightest chance, you take it.

No matter how crazy it may seem.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by the Tiktik descriptions from Western Visayas

Tiktik Illustration by Ian Sagun
FB: Ian Sagun Art​
Instagram: @iansagunart

#PhilippineMythology #TheSpiritsofThePhilippineArchipelago #FilipinoMythology #FilipinoMyths

That damn bird.

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

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

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

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

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

Hopefully he’ll be able to find me.

————————–————————–———————-

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

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

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