*Note this story is in Maguindanaon

Uwaaah! Uwaaaah!

“Telen ka den o wata ku. Tulog ka den ka di ka man mangandam.” Bageypun nu babay su tiyan nin, ka endu pakatelen su wata nin.

“Pangeniyn ku sa leka i dala ka magiging sa kani ama nengka, dika milingi i mga mama a dala tapek nin, a bangalap bu sa mapiya, na mengka makuwa nin den na matading den sekanin. Mamagidsan bun man i mga mama banya, dili nilan gapagitong i mga babay a gapasangan mengka pedtagaken nilan.”

Uwaaah! Uwaaaah!

“Katawan ku i mawli den inya a penggulan ku, ugeyd na enggulan ku bun i deyt a enggalbeken ku. Ipailay ku sa mga mama banya dala gatagan nin i dili nilan asalen bu managak i mga babay. Mapasang man i dunya, ugeyd na mas pakapasangan ku i mga mama.”

Uwaaah! Uwaaaah!

“Kagina deyt bun sa kanilan inya. Silan bun i nadsabapan na nanggula ku. Dala pan geyd sabut ku a babay, madakel pan i galinyan ku penggula, ugeyd na saguna na nabinasa aku. Saguna na nabinasa na duwa. Nakalebeng ta duwa endu seketa bun den taman sa taman, ugeyd na semuli ta, kagina kena bu deyt a sekita i gapasangan.

Kuwan ta sa kanilan i bagingatan nilan geyd banan a aden silan. Namba ipedsandag nilan geyd banan a kamama nilan, endu ta gailay i gabpulogo nilan.”

Uwaaah! Uwaaaah!

“Shhh,shhhh. Kena man wata, di ka man kagilek. Nya bun man si ina nengka. Di ko seka padtadeyn sa mga mamba a mga mama endu mga taw. Bibyag ta pun basi u kena sabap sa lekaniyan. Tagapeda ta bun basi a maninideg sa mga taw a dala nakagkapiya nin sa lekita duwa.”

Uwaaah! Uwaaaah!

“Na telen ka den man wata. Na, aden gailay ku a mama a pakauma. Di ka pan a ka san ka den mun. Embalingan aku bun ah, malegan bu geyd. Lenek ka, ka ubeyn ku pan sekanin.”

=————————=

English Version

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Hush little child, close your eyes, don’t worry we will be alright.” The woman holds her belly tight, making sure that her child is safe.

“Please don’t be like your father, don’t be like any of those hideous men, always looking for one thing then leaving when they get it. ‘Boys will be boys’ they always say, but they never realize that girls are always going to be the ones left behind.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“I know it may seem late, but mommy’s going out to do what she has to do. She has to let all those evil men know that you can’t just leave women behind. It’s a cruel world out there and I reserve a special kind of cruelty for them.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Because they deserve it. It was their filth that entered me. I was just an innocent young woman, with her whole life ahead of her, and now here I am. Here we are. We were buried together and we will be together until the end of time, but if I have to be this way, then I will not suffer alone.

I will take what they think is the most important thing that they have. Their precious ‘manhood’ and I will enjoy watching them bleed out.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Shhh, shhh. I didn’t mean to scare you. But it’s okay, mama’s here. She’ll make sure the world is safe from those cruel men. We could have lived you know? If not for them. We could have been together just you and me, against the world that made us what we are.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Now hush! I see a man on his way. Now don’t worry this won’t take long. And afterwards you can play with mama alright? Now stay quiet while I go say hello.”

————————–————————–————————–—

**Maguindanao or Maguindanaon is an Austronesian language spoken by majority of the population of Maguindanao province in the Philippines. It is also spoken by sizable minorities in different parts of Mindanao such as the cities of Zamboanga, Davao, and General Santos, and the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, as well as Metro Manila. This was the language of the historic Sultanate of Maguindanao, which existed before and during the Spanish colonial period from 1500–1888.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Traslation by Norhana Maguid
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Norhana Maguid

Inspired by the Mantiyanak legends from Mindanao

Mantiyanak illustration by Julia Kristen Delos Santos
FB: JKTD

*Note this story is in Ilocano

Nakalasat ak met lang.

Itatta nga inpanaw na kami da Papa kin Mama idjay madi nga lugar, makaturog ak mittin. Nagmayat iti maturog nga awan mang-ngeg kon nga agkatkatawa kanyak. Naragsakak idi ni Mr. Albulari-albulury-albularyo-ket inbaga na nga tumalaw kamin kit agbirok iti sabali nga pagtaengan. Nasingpet isuna.

Adu pay iti maubra kadaytoy baru nga lugar. Adu mit lang iti baru nga gagayyem ko kin da Kuya, Mama kin Papa ket adda mit lang ubra dan. Jay maysa nga pagayatak nga paset iti lugar kit dayjay baru nga parke asidig laeng iti balay mi, adda iti nagdakkil nga duyan, dakdakkil ngem dagijay immuna ah nakitak. Mabalin nak mit siguro agduyan sadyay, kin gaw-atik dagiti bitwen. Isun tu ti aramidil tunu bigat.

Ngem itatta, adda nasaralak nga naliday. Adda iti maladaga nga agsangsangit kin agmaymaysa sadyay sirok iti kayo idjay parke. Nakamaymayat iti rupa na kin agmaymaysa isu nga napan ko inasitgan kin nagay-ayam kami inggana sumangpit ti ina na. Inbagak iti nagan ko, Teleia, kinatawaan lang jay ubeng. Permi lakitdi iti ayat na ta kumanatawa idi.

Bumaban iti init kin jay ubeng kit kumita-kita idjayen, birbirukin na siguro dagijay nagannak nan isu nga inistoryaak pay lang ti kinabyag ni Mama kin Papa. Lummaeng ni Mama kalpasan iti napasamak idjay dati nga pagtaengan mi, haan isunan nga agsakit pay. Napigsa isunan ta mapakan nan jay kabsat ko nga maysa.

Idi madama nak nga agsao kadaydi makan, nagrungaab jay ubeng. Nag-ikkis isuna ket haan ko ammon iti mapaspasamak pay. Sumipsipngetin idi isu inbagak nga aguray lattan bassit tay ubeng ta ayabak ni Mama.

Ammo na iti ubraen.

=——————————=

English Version

I’m finally free.

Now that Mama and Papa moved us away from that bad place, I can sleep again. It’s so great to have a night where I don’t hear anyone laughing at me. I’m so glad the Mr. albulari—albulury— Albularyo—man told us to go find another place to live. He was nice.

There’s so much to do in this new place. I have so many new friends and Kuya and Mama and Papa all found new things to do. My favorite place is the new park near my house, there’s a really big swing, bigger than I’ve ever seen before. Maybe I can swing and reach the stars. I’ll try that tomorrow.

Today though, I found someone lonely. There was a little baby crying all alone under a tree in the park. It was so cute and lonely that I decided to play with it until its mommy came. I told it my name, Teleia, and the baby found it so funny. It would just laugh and laugh all the time with me.

The sun was setting and the baby was looking around and I think it was looking for its parents so I told him stories of my Mama and my Papa. Mama was getting better after what happened in our old place and she isn’t even sick anymore. She was even strong enough to feed my baby brother.

When I was talking about feeding the baby started crying a lot. It started screaming and I didn’t know what was happening. It was getting really dark so I told the baby to wait a little bit so that I could call my Mama. Maybe she can give it food.

She’ll know what to do.

=——————————————–=

*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
Ilocano translation by Stephanie Daliri Garces
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Stephanie Daliri Garces

Story continued from Aura’s Tale

Story inspired by the Tiyanak legends

Tiyanak Illustration and Watercolor by Yanna Gemora

*Note this story is in Masbatenyo

Sa kadugayon, libre na ako. Matawhay na an kamutangan ko…

Sa yana na nagbalyo kami ninda Mamay kag Papay sa harayo hali sadto na maraot na ginhalian namon, nakaturog na ako sin maayo kay wara sin nababatian na ginaparatawhan ako kun gab-i. Malipay-lipay kag nagapasalamat gad ako sadto na alublari… albulary–albularyo kay ginsabihan kami na magbalhin san bag-o na istaran. Mabuot man siya.

Damu-damo an pwede himuon didi. Damo man din an mga naamiguhon ko, amo man akon magurang na lalaki kag ginikanan sa inda mga hilig. Nagin paborito nakon an plasa apiki sa amon balay. Igwan dako na tabyugan na mas dako pa ki sa maski nano na sadto ko nakita dati. Siguro kun itabyon ini bagan makaabot ko an mga bituon. Purburan ko gani ina buwas…

Yana naman, may nakita ako na nagahibi. Igwa sin dyutay na bata na nagatangis kag usad-usad la sa idalom san usad ka puno didto sa plasa. Kay matahom san iya banghoy pero kamundo niya, kaya ginkanaman ko siya hasta mag-abot an iya iloy. Ginhingaw ko sa iya an ngaran nakon: Teleia, kag sumadya an bata. Sige an hagikhik sin katawa sa entiro namon na pag-upod.

Matunod na an adlaw kag nagaparalingo-lingo na an bata kay basi ginahanap an iya ginikanan. Kaya, gin-istoryahan ko siya parte kanda Mamay kag Papay sadto sa dati na gin-istaran namon. Wara magdugay, nag-ayo kag nagkakaigwa na san mehoras si Mamay kag dili na nagakasakit. Aba, ta kay makusog kag kaya na mag-ataman kag magpakaon sa akon dyutay na manghod.

Ugaring san magtuna sadto na nag-istorya ako amo na “pagpakaon”, nag-utro pa sa pagtangis an dyutay na bata. Nagsiniyak kag nagkurag-it ini na bata, pero wara gad ko mahimo o kun nano. Nagapadulom na kaya nag-unabi ako sa bata na hulat-hulat lang anay pa agod tawagon ko si Mamay kay basi mahatagan ta siya sin pagkaon.

Aram na niya an iya himuon.

=————————————————–=

English Version

I’m finally free.

Now that Mama and Papa moved us away from that bad place, I can sleep again. It’s so great to have a night where I don’t hear anyone laughing at me. I’m so glad the Mr. albulari—albulury— Albularyo—man told us to go find another place to live. He was nice.

There’s so much to do in this new place. I have so many new friends and Kuya and Mama and Papa all found new things to do. My favorite place is the new park near my house, there’s a really big swing, bigger than I’ve ever seen before. Maybe I can swing and reach the stars. I’ll try that tomorrow.

Today though, I found someone lonely. There was a little baby crying all alone under a tree in the park. It was so cute and lonely that I decided to play with it until its mommy came. I told it my name, Teleia, and the baby found it so funny. It would just laugh and laugh all the time with me.

The sun was setting and the baby was looking around and I think it was looking for its parents so I told him stories of my Mama and my Papa. Mama was getting better after what happened in our old place and she isn’t even sick anymore. She was even strong enough to feed my baby brother.

When I was talking about feeding the baby started crying a lot. It started screaming and I didn’t know what was happening. It was getting really dark so I told the baby to wait a little bit so that I could call my Mama. Maybe she can give it food.

She’ll know what to do.

=——————————————–=

*Masbateño or Minasbate is a Bicol-Visayan language spoken by more than 600,000 people, primarily in the province of Masbate in the Philippines. It is very close to Capiznon, Hiligaynon/Ilonggo and Waray-Waray, all three spoken in Visayas. It is considered a Bisakol language, meaning a language intermediate between Visayan languages and Bicolano languages.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Masbatenyo Translation by Gene Patrick Balisi
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Gene Patrick Balisi

Story continued from Aura’s Tale

Story inspired by the Tiyanak legends

Tiyanak Illustration and Watercolor by Yanna Gemora

FB Page: Yannami

Names are just words and they can apply to any number of different creatures.

Don’t be so closed minded to assume that there is only one thing that a name can describe.

Take the Tianak for example – everybody knows the spirit in the form of a baby, waiting to trick travelers at best and murdering them at worst.

But there are other shapes it takes.

Most of which might be unfamiliar to you.

But they exist all the same.

=——————————————————=

Analyn was busy with her cooking when she heard a sudden noise.

“Kaloy! That better not be you!” she said.

Her shouts were met with silence and she knew something important had been broken.

She rushed out of the kitchen to see shards of broken porcelain strewn about on the floor.

Analyn gasped. “How many times have I told you to be careful around the vases! Now mama and papa are going to have a fit!”

Out of the corner of the room skulked Kaloy. He was a child that had only seen eight summers, but was filled with the energy of ten children.

“I’m sorry ate, I was jumping around and I hit the vase with my elbow. Please don’t be mad.”

“It’s not to me you should apologize to, that case cost papa a lot of money when he went to China. And now it’s a million little pieces.”

“It can’t be a million, I can count them right here.”

“You know what I mean.”

Suddenly smoke started to waft from the kitchen.

“My adobo!!!” Analyn screeched.

She ran into the kitchen and saw that her pan was scorched. The chicken she had laboriously worked on was burnt to a crisp (and not in a good way).

“Kaloy! See what you made me do, now dinner is completely ruined!”

“I’m sorry ate.” He bowed his head in a sign of contrition.

“Now what are we going to do?”

Their parents had left for an important trip – something about business for her father’s company. They were left alone in the house and it would be a few days before their parents returned.

“Now what are we going to do?” she repeated.

That vase was an antique, there would be no way to replace it. The pieces were so big that repairing it was out of the question, they would be able to see the glue. The more Analyn tried to think of a solution the more she gave up and told her brother that they would have to come clean to their parents.

But Kaloy had another idea.

Now, their family was a peculiar one. They had generations of those that could see spirits. Her lolo said it was because when someone was born into their family their third eye would be open, though it didn’t work for everyone. And it didn’t work for Analyn.

Even if she was sightless, she had trusted in those that could see the world parallel to theirs.

And at this point all she had to do was trust in an eight year old boy.

Kaloy said, “Ate I know how to fix everything, we just need a favor from the spirits.”

“What do you mean?”

“Recently a new spirit moved to the trees near our house. I asked the other spirits and they said that they were powerful and would bestow good luck and fortune to those that help it.”

“Kaloy I know you mean well but dealing with spirits is not as easy as you may think.”

“The spirits are nice and will help us, I know they will.”

“You’ve never had to hear stories from our relatives.”

Analyn bade Kaloy to have a seat on the sofa.

“Do you remember tita Kim?”

“Who’s that?”

“I guess you were too young the last time you met. Anyway, hers is a story that you should hear.”

“It was about 4 years ago, tita Kim was working in Makati as an interior designer. She had just finished a job when she got a call about a space near the Rockwell area. The owner was sparing no expense to have it renovated and tita sprang at the chance.”

“The moment she went through the door, she knew something was wrong.”

“What was it?” Kaloy intoned.

“She never spoke of specifics, but it left a huge scar.”

“She was attacked?”

“No, something much worse.”

“Tita entered the living room and she saw a woman in black crying on one of the chairs. She was with her client and she knew that she was the only one who could see the woman. She tried to ignore her but the sobs became louder and louder until it was a deafening screech. At that point she excused herself to go to the bathroom and in the reflection, she saw the woman, tears running down her face.”

“She was about to cut her losses and cancel the project but the client was insistent that she do the work. It was at that point that the client confessed that he knew tita’s third eye was open. He was begging her to help him stop the black lady.”

“Tita agreed to help him but it came at a price. She never said what she did or what ritual she used, but in the end the black lady never visited the house again.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad ate, she was able to get the ghost out of the house,” said Kaloy.

“You didn’t let me finish. The black lady never went back to the house because she found another thing to haunt.”

“What was that?”

“Not what. Who.” Analyn’s face became dour. “Tita did get rid of the ghost in the house but that meant that the black lady started haunting her. Every night she would hear the ghost crying and every time she would look into a mirror the morose face would be there.”

“What happened to tita?”

“It became too much to bear alone so she called for help from the family. It took three whole days for the ritual to be done. Our relatives (at least those that had the third eye) put all their power and knowledge into sealing the ghost away. It left a mark on tita Kim, she quit her job and went back to the province to try to get as far away from it as she could.”

“But ate the spirits I am talking about are different from that! They are spirits of nature and would not seek to harm us, or anyone else.”

Analyn sighed, might as well listen to his plan before she shoots it down. “Alright, what are you thinking of?”

“Ate, like I said there is a new spirit. If we ask it for help it might be able to repair the vase (and maybe the kitchen).”

“But what will it cost? Nothing is ever free in these situations.”

“I’m sure we can come up with something.”

“If you say so.”

“It’s getting late, if we want to talk to the spirit we might as well do it now.”

The siblings trudged through the forest and Kaloy pointed towards a balete tree.

“Ate! Here it is!”

It was at this point that Analyn gave her trust to her brother. She couldn’t see the spirit, much less talk to it so she had to rely on Kaloy. That did not ease her anxiety about the situation.

“Spirit!! Spirit!! Are you there?!!”

Suddenly the atmosphere shifted. Even Analyn felt it. There was something there and not there at the same time.

It began with a crying baby that suddenly materialized.

Kaloy stepped towards it but Analyn shouted, “NO! DON’T TOUCH IT!”

Her words came a moment too late. As soon as Kaloy touched the baby its true form appeared. The baby changed into a little man with an old man’s face wrinkled skin and a moustache. It had a flat nose and eyes the size of coins and its right leg was much shorter than the other.

The spirit pounced on Kaloy and opened its mouth to show bloodstained teeth.

The story would have ended there had Analyn not prepared.

She had salt and garlic, typical wards against most spirits. And it was time to use them.

Analyn threw the salt at the spirit and it let go of Kaloy. She grabbed his arm and ran towards their house.

“What was that!!?” Kaloy screamed.

“I think it was a Tianak.” Calmly replied his sister.

“Not like the Tianak that I know. Aren’t they just babies? What was that thing it turned into?!”

“Wait, didn’t we pass that tree already?”

“Did we? I was too busy running to notice”

“You have a lot to learn. Turn your clothes inside out.”

“What will that do?”

“It will confuse the creature and break the spell that we’re under.”

“Wait, we’re under a spell?”

“Yes, tito Boy always told us about this. If you meet a spirit in the forest it will most likely seek to confuse you and make you lost using their magic. No arguments just turn your clothes inside out.”

Kaloy surrendered to his sister and the moment he turned his shirt inside out, the moment he did the trees shifted

“The spirits can’t tell we’re the same people if our clothes are inside out. Now hurry! Let’s get back home.”

After what seemed like hours they eventually got to their house. The clocks showed that they had only spent 30 minutes out.

Analyn looked at Kaloy with sharp eyes.

He broke the silence. “I know I know, you told me so.”

“Next time, when your spirit friends tell you about a new spirit, you’d better be more careful.”

“Yes ate, I will. Let’s just tell ma and pa that we broke the vase.”

“And that I burned the kitchen.”

“As long as they don’t know about the Tianak.”

“Agreed.”

=——————————————–=

Written by Karl Gaverza

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by a Tianak description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Tianak Illustration by Christian Bitao

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anegs.gg/

*Note this story is in Hiligaynon

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Hipos lang langga, kipota imo mga mata, indi ka magkabalaka.” Ginkapyotan sang babaye ang iya nga tiyan sang mahugot, ginasigurado niya na wala may matabo sa iya nga bata.

“Palihog indi ka magparehos sa imo nga tatay, indi ka magparehos sa mga makakululba-an nga mga lalaki, pirme lang ginapangita ang gusto nila pero baya-an ka kung nakuha na nila. ‘Mga lalaki, lalaki gid na’ pirme lang amo na ginahambal nila pero ang wala nila ginapanumdom na ang mga babaye ang pirme kagabaya-an.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Kabalo ko nga medyo ulihi na, pero himu-on ni mommy tanan ang dapat niya himu-on. Kailangan niya pahibalo-on sa mga demonyo nga mga lalaki nga indi lang basta-basta ginabaya-an ang mga babaye. Kapintas sang kalibutan kag may ara ako ginreserba nga espesyal nga kapintason para sa ila.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Mangindapat na para sa ila. Ila ini garuk nga nagsulod sa akon. Isa lang ako ka inosente nga dalaga kung sa diin madamo ako sang handom para sa akon kabuhi, kag sa subong amo na ko ni. Amo na ni kita. Gindungan kita lubong kag mag-ulopdanay kita liwat sa katapusan pero kung kailangan nga maging amo ko ni, indi lang ako ang dapat mag-agwanta.

Kuha-on ko ang pinaka-importante nga bagay nga ara sa ila. Ang ila nga ginahigugma nga pagkalalaki kag malingaw ako samtang ginalantaw ko sila gadululugo.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Shhh, shhh. Wala ko gintuyo nga hadlukon ta ka. Pero sige lang, ari lang diri si mama. Siguraduhon niya nga hilway ang kalibutan nga wala sila.  Kabalo ka buhi pa tani kita? Kung indi lang ni tunggod sa ila. Tani ulopdanay pa kita duwa, kita indis sa kalibutan nga kung sin-o nag amo ni sa aton.

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Hipos anay! May nakita ko nga lalaki nga gapadulong. Indi magkabalaka, indi ni magdugay. Pagkatapos ni makahampang ka liwat upod kay mama ha? Sa subong paghipos lang anay kay kadtu-an ko siya.”

=—————————————————————=

English Version

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Hush little child, close your eyes, don’t worry we will be alright.” The woman holds her belly tight, making sure that her child is safe.

“Please don’t be like your father, don’t be like any of those hideous men, always looking for one thing then leaving when they get it. ‘Boys will be boys’ they always say, but they never realize that girls are always going to be the ones left behind.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“I know it may seem late, but mommy’s going out to do what she has to do. She has to let all those evil men know that you can’t just leave women behind. It’s a cruel world out there and I reserve a special kind of cruelty for them.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Because they deserve it. It was their filth that entered me. I was just an innocent young woman, with her whole life ahead of her, and now here I am. Here we are. We were buried together and we will be together until the end of time, but if I have to be this way, then I will not suffer alone.

I will take what they think is the most important thing that they have. Their precious ‘manhood’ and I will enjoy watching them bleed out.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Shhh, shhh. I didn’t mean to scare you. But it’s okay, mama’s here. She’ll make sure the world is safe from those cruel men. We could have lived you know? If not for them. We could have been together just you and me, against the world that made us what we are.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Now hush! I see a man on his way. Now don’t worry this won’t take long. And afterwards you can play with mama alright? Now stay quiet while I go say hello.”

=————————————————————————-=

*The Hiligaynon language, also colloquially referred often by most of its speakers simply as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, mainly in Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN, most of whom belong to the Visayan ethnic group, mainly the Hiligaynons. It is the second-most widely spoken language and a member of the so-named Visayan language family and is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Hiligaynon translation by Seyrah

Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Seyrah

Inspired by the Mantiyanak legends from Mindanao

Mantiyanak illustration by Julia Kristen Delos Santos
FB: JKTD

*Note this story is in Tagalog

Sasabihin ko sa’yo kung ano ang pakiramdam ng mawala sa kagubatan.

Una, sa tingin mo nagkamali ka nang dinaanan. Medyo namumukaan mo pa rin ang mga puno sa paligid at iniisip mo na kapag bumalik ka, magiging maayos ang lahat at makikita mo ulit ang tamang daan.

Susunod, nagsimula kang magtaka kung malalagpasan mo ulit yung batong nakita mo nang nakalipas na limang minuto. Nagsimula nang mag-iba ang hitsura ng mga puno sa paligid, pero sigurado ka na iyon yung mga punong nalagpasan mo kani-kanina lang. Kaya tumigil ka para bigyan ang sarili ng oras para makapag-isip.

Nagsimula ka nang mataranta. Hindi mo na alam kung gaano katagal ka nang nawawala, at sa puntong ito hindi na iyon mahalaga. Sinimulan mong tingnan ang mga gamit mo na maaaring makatulong sa iyo: telepono, ilaw, at iba pa, pero lahat ng ito ay hindi gumagana. Bigla kang napaisip kung ano ang mangyayari kapag walang nakakita sa iyo. Bumilis ang tibok ng puso mo habang palakas nang palakas ang iyong paghinga.

Ang kaligtasan mo ang iyong prayoridad. Binuksan mo ulit ang iyong bag at tinitingnan mo kung aabot ang iyong pagkain at inumin hanggang sa ikaw ay mailigtas. Sabay mong inaatupag ang paggawa ng plano kung sakaling hindi ka makita at itinatanggi ang ginagawa mong paghahanda.

Umabot sa pagkakataong nagkaroon ka ng pag-asa. Mayroon kang nakikita sa malayo, hindi mo sila makilala, pero nawawala ang iyong pag-aalala. Nakita mo ang daan pabalik sa iyong bahay.

Sumigaw ka sa kanila, pero hindi sila sumasagot. Sinubukan mong tumakbo papunta sa kanila at umaasa na tumigil sila sa paglalakad, pero hindi mo sila maabutan. Wala ng ibang mas mahalaga. Kailangan mo silang maabutan para ikaw ay makauwi.

Kaya hinabol mo sila, tumakbo ka nang tumakbo.

Naabutan mo ang padilim na kagubatan, hanggang sa naglaho ang natitirang liwanag sa kalayuan.

Sinubukan mo pa rin silang habulin. Umaasa at Nagdarasal.

Sila ang gagabay sa iyo pauwi.

=———————————————–=

English Version

Let me tell you what it’s like to get lost in these woods.

First, you think that you just took a wrong turn. The trees still seem familiar and you tell yourself that if you just turn back, everything will be fine and you’ll be back on the trail in no time.

Next, you start to wonder if that rock was the same one you saw five minutes ago. The trees are starting to look different, but you could swear they were the ones you knew you passed. You stop and tell yourself it’s time to think. You need to be rational about this.

Then the panic starts to set in. You don’t know how long you’ve been lost, and at this point it doesn’t matter. You check all your things for anything that might help: A cellphone, a flashlight, anything, but nothing seems to be working. You start to think about what would happen if no one found you. Your heart starts to beat ten times faster as your breath gets louder and louder.

Survival is your new goal. You start to go through your backpack and think about how your food and water are going to last until someone finds you. You make plans for the worst case, all the while denying that you’re right in the middle of it.

Then you see hope. Someone in the distance, you can’t make out who they are, but your heart gets lighter. You found your way home.

You shout at the person, but they don’t respond. You run towards them hoping they would stop, but you can never catch them.
Nothing else is important. You have to get to them so that you can go home.

So you chase.

And run.

Until the woods get darker, until the last sliver of sunlight vanishes from the distance.

You go after them. Hoping, praying.

They will lead you home.

————————–————————–————————

*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Translation by Emman Bernardino
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Emman Bernardino

Inspired by the Tiyanak description in ‘Vicente Meets a Crowd of Tianac’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Tiyanal (Kapampangan) Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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*Note this story is in Hiligaynon

“Sa ika-tatlo ka adlaw bag o ang pagkabanhaw, ang demonyo mahimo magakadto sa tagipusu on sang tawo. Paghalong sa mga lugar nga inyo pag gakadtu an kag sa mga bagay nga inyu malapitan.”

Medyo tulog ko samtang gapamati sang sermon. Ang misa ang isa sa mga indi masadya nga nahimo ko subong nga adlaw kay ginbutong lang ko di ni lola. Mas gusto ko pa nga ara ko sa balay kag mag tubang sa akun “computer” kag mag himo sang mga interesado nga bagay. Makahampang pa ko tane bag o magkadto sa dasun nga misa.
“Ang mga bata ka demonyo galakat sa sini nga k Patiyanak. »

“Sa ika-tatlo ka adlaw bag o ang pagkabanhaw, ang demonyo mahimo magakadto sa tagipusu on sang tawo. Paghalong sa mga lugar nga inyo pag gakadtu an kag sa mga bagay nga inyu malapitan.”

Medyo tulog ko samtang gapamati sang sermon. Ang misa ang isa sa mga indi masadya nga nahimo ko subong nga adlaw kay ginbutong lang ko di ni lola. Mas gusto ko pa nga ara ko sa balay kag mag tubang sa akun “computer” kag mag himo sang mga interesado nga bagay. Makahampang pa ko tane bag o magkadto sa dasun nga misa.

“Ang mga bata ka demonyo galakat sa sini nga kalibutan subong, indi mag ubra sang sala, magakuha sila sang isa ka nawong kag magatemptar sa imu para buligan sila. Magapanago sila sa pagka innocente kag magapa-kuno kuno sa imu nga sila mabuot. Ang produkto sa pag anib sa demonyo ay magadala lamang sang pasakit ”

Nanami an guid guro maghambal ang pari. Medyo gapamati ko nga daw indi, gapanumdum man ko bi sang lain lain para makahalin sa sini nga lugar. Ang pulunku-an sang simbahan katig-a, guba pa ang aircon kag pare-pareho ang tsura ka mga tawo: kalmado pero gapamati man gyapun.

“Tanda an nyu ni nga paandam. Sa sulod sang tatlo ka adlaw ang mga kampon ka demonyo maga kari. Nadumduman ko ang isa ka storya, nga ang isa ka demonyo nag-upod sa isa ka halimaw. Ang bata sang kadulom gapangita sang kasudlan ka tawo kag ini gasingit kag magahimo pa sa parehos sa iya.”

Daw katingalahan. Ang pari nag lain iya tingung. Daw nag nubo na guid. Indi ko ka intsende sang iya ginahambal pero daw nga a gakaapektuhan sya.

“Ang akun iloy isa sa iya mga biktima. Ang presyo sang isa ka sala kis a kabug at guid dal on. Pero ang Ginoo indi magpadala sang kaupod sang demoyo para ubrahun ang iya ubra. Ang Ginoo mafapatawad, indi magapanguba. Tanda an and suga sang higugma mapa ara sa inyu. ”

Gahibi sang mahinay ang pari. Kung tane namati ko kagina sa mga una nga parti sang sermon. Daw nadula sya sa iya nga panghuna huna.

“Ang demonyo himu on nga madula ka sa intsakto, kag ang iya bata pareho man sa iya. Ibutang guid permi ang imu pagsalig sa Ginoo. Kay sya lang makadala sa imu sa tuod tuod nga kaluwasan. ”

Kag da natapos ang sermon. Medyo natingala ko gyapun sa paglain sang tingong sang pari samtang gahambal sya. Naglakat ko sa plasa sang may nakita ko nga lain.

Isa ini ka bata. Daw ginbilin ini nga gaisahanon, kalu oy man. Ginpalapitan ko ini para mabal an ko kung makita ko ang iya ginlikanan. Ang mga hambal ka pari daw nagsulit sulit sa akun dalungan pero gin pabay an ko lang.

Indi man ko masakit ka bata.

English Version

“In the three days before the resurrection, the devil will make his way into the hearts of man. Be careful of the places you go and the things that you meet.”

I’m half asleep as I listen to the sermon. Mass hasn’t been the most exciting thing I’ve done today, but lola dragged me here. I wish I was back home in front of my computer doing something interesting. I could squeeze in a few games before the next mass I have to go to.

“The children of the devil walk the earth at this time, make no mistake, they will take forms that will entice you to help them. They hide under the shroud of innocence and they pervert what will be good. The product of a union with the devil will only bring pain and misery.”

The priest seems to really like talking. I’m still drifting in and out, thinking about anything else that will get me out of this place. The pews are hard, the aircon’s broken and everyone has the same look on their face: placid, but still listening.

“Remember this warning. In these three days the agents of the devil will come. I am reminded of a story where the devil had a union with another monster. This child of darkness seeks to devour the flesh of man and its screams will create more like it.”

This is strange. The priest is changing his voice. It seems a lot deeper now. I don’t know what he’s been talking about but it really seems to be affecting him.

“My mother was one of its victims. The price of one’s sin is sometimes too much to bear. But the Lord would never send agents of the Devil to do his work. The Lord will forgive, not destroy. Remember the light of love will be with you all.”

The priest is softly crying now. I wish I had paid more attention to the earlier part of the sermon. He seemed to be caught in a trance.

“The devil will seek to lead you astray and his child is no different. Always put your trust in the Lord. For only in Him will you find true salvation.”

The sermon ends with that. I’m still a bit shaken from the change that the priest had while he was saying it. I take a small detour to the park where I notice something strange.

It’s a baby. It seems to have been left alone, the poor thing. I go near it to see if I can help it find its parents. The words of the priest still echo in my ears, but I ignore them.

A baby can’t hurt me.

————————–————————–————————––

*The Hiligaynon language, also colloquially referred often by most of its speakers simply as Ilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, mainly in Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN, most of whom belong to the Visayan ethnic group, mainly the Hiligaynons. It is the second-most widely spoken language and a member of the so-named Visayan language family and is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Hiligaynon translation by Allen Suating
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Allen Suating

Patiyanak Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
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WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Hush little child, close your eyes, don’t worry we will be alright.” The woman holds her belly tight, making sure that her child is safe.

“Please don’t be like your father, don’t be like any of those hideous men, always looking for one thing then leaving when they get it. ‘Boys will be boys’ they always say, but they never realize that girls are always going to be the ones left behind.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“I know it may seem late, but mommy’s going out to do what she has to do. She has to let all those evil men know that you can’t just leave women behind. It’s a cruel world out there and I reserve a special kind of cruelty for them.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Because they deserve it. It was their filth that entered me. I was just an innocent young woman, with her whole life ahead of her, and now here I am. Here we are. We were buried together and we will be together until the end of time, but if I have to be this way, then I will not suffer alone.

I will take what they think is the most important thing that they have. Their precious ‘manhood’ and I will enjoy watching them bleed out.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Shhh, shhh. I didn’t mean to scare you. But it’s okay, mama’s here. She’ll make sure the world is safe from those cruel men. We could have lived you know? If not for them. We could have been together just you and me, against the world that made us what we are.”

WAAAAH! WAAAAAAH!

“Now hush! I see a man on his way. Now don’t worry this won’t take long. And afterwards you can play with mama alright? Now stay quiet while I go say hello.”

————————–————————–————————–—

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Mantiyanak legends from Mindanao

Mantiyanak illustration by Julia Kristen Delos Santos
FB: JKTD

“In the three days before the resurrection, the devil will make his way into the hearts of man. Be careful of the places you go and the things that you meet.”

I’m half asleep as I listen to the sermon. Mass hasn’t been the most exciting thing I’ve done today, but lola dragged me here. I wish I was back home in front of my computer doing something interesting. I could squeeze in a few games before the next mass I have to go to.

“The children of the devil walk the earth at this time, make no mistake, they will take forms that will entice you to help them. They hide under the shroud of innocence and they pervert what will be good. The product of a union with the devil will only bring pain and misery.”

The priest seems to really like talking. I’m still drifting in and out, thinking about anything else that will get me out of this place. The pews are hard, the aircon’s broken and everyone has the same look on their face: placid, but still listening.

“Remember this warning. In these three days the agents of the devil will come. I am reminded of a story where the devil had a union with another monster. This child of darkness seeks to devour the flesh of man and its screams will create more like it.”

This is strange. The priest is changing his voice. It seems a lot deeper now. I don’t know what he’s been talking about but it really seems to be affecting him.

“My mother was one of its victims. The price of one’s sin is sometimes too much to bear. But the Lord would never send agents of the Devil to do his work. The Lord will forgive, not destroy. Remember the light of love will be with you all.”

The priest is softly crying now. I wish I had paid more attention to the earlier part of the sermon. He seemed to be caught in a trance.

“The devil will seek to lead you astray and his child is no different. Always put your trust in the Lord. For only in Him will you find true salvation.”

The sermon ends with that. I’m still a bit shaken from the change that the priest had while he was saying it. I take a small detour to the park where I notice something strange.

It’s a baby. It seems to have been left alone, the poor thing. I go near it to see if I can help it find its parents. The words of the priest still echo in my ears, but I ignore them.

A baby can’t hurt me.

————————–————————–————————––

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Patiyanak entry in Bikol Beliefs and Folkways: A Showcase of Tradition. Nasayao 2010.

Patiyanak Illustration by Leandro Geniston fromAklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

Let me tell you what it’s like to get lost in these woods.

First, you think that you just took a wrong turn. The trees still seem familiar and you tell yourself that if you just turn back, everything will be fine and you’ll be back on the trail in no time.

Next, you start to wonder if that rock was the same one you saw five minutes ago. The trees are starting to look different, but you could swear they were the ones you knew you passed. You stop and tell yourself it’s time to think. You need to be rational about this.

Then the panic starts to set in. You don’t know how long you’ve been lost, and at this point it doesn’t matter. You check all your things for anything that might help: A cellphone, a flashlight, anything, but nothing seems to be working. You start to think about what would happen if no one found you. Your heart starts to beat ten times faster as your breath gets louder and louder.

Survival is your new goal. You start to go through your backpack and think about how your food and water are going to last until someone finds you. You make plans for the worst case, all the while denying that you’re right in the middle of it.

Then you see hope. Someone in the distance, you can’t make out who they are, but your heart gets lighter. You found your way home.

You shout at the person, but they don’t respond. You run towards them hoping they would stop, but you can never catch them.
Nothing else is important. You have to get to them so that you can go home.

So you chase.

And run.

Until the woods get darker, until the last sliver of sunlight vanishes from the distance.

You go after them. Hoping, praying.

They will lead you home.

————————–————————–————————

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Tiyanak description in ‘Vicente Meets a Crowd of Tianac’ in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Tiyanal (Kapampangan) Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen