*Note this story is in Kapampangan

Metung benging alang bulan anyang ikit ke

Itang lalaking tinangis api

Lepitan ke saka ke kitnangan bakit

Lua la bang lungkut den?

O lua lang mua mu?

E ya mekibat

Kontorung mengutang ku

Mas menulu ing api kareng mata na

Karin ku mipaisip

Aisip na kaya nung mengatakutan ko?

Miglawa nang malutu

Dinalumdum ne ing langit

Oneng ali ya pa din mekibat

Bagkus, tinapus naku pa palawut

Oneng kailangan kung abalu

Na ating miyayaliwang lungkut

Na ating miyayaliwang mua

Ampong sigurung miyayaliwang saya

Linawe naku kareng matuling nang mata

A manuling api king gabun

Menangis yang pilang alang anggang panaun

Anggang minaslag ya ing sulu king panakit ku king malawut

King metung iglap, mewala ne

Miglakwan yang malutung lawa

Katunayan na linabas ya

Pangabukas milbalik ku

Ampo keng benging kayari na ning bukas bengi

Bangkanita akutnan ke itang lalaki

Nung bakit ya manangis

=————————————-=

English Version

It was a moonless night when I saw him

The man who cried fire

I went up to him and asked why

Were they tears of sadness?

Or anger?

He did not reply

The more I asked

The more fire fell from his eyes

And I began to wonder

Does he think I am frightened?

By the pool of glittering red

By the darkness of the night sky

He would not give me an answer

And sought to push me away

But I needed to know

There were different kinds of sadness

Different kinds of anger

And maybe even different kinds of joy

He looked at me with his jet black eyes

Pouring flames onto the ground

He wept for several eternities

Until the light broke from the horizon

And in an instant he was gone

With only a puddle of red

As evidence of his passing

Tomorrow I will return

And the night after that

To ask the crying man

What is behind his tears

————————–————————–——————–

Inongok Illustration by Joshua Hamangal
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ishart1228

*Note this story is in Hiligaynon

Nakita ko siya sang kagab-ihon Kung diin wala ang bulan

Ang tinuga nga naga luha sang kalayo

Ging kadtuan ko siya kag namangkot

Luha bala ina sang kasubo?

Ukon kaakig?

Wala siya nagsabat

Mas nag damo ang  ilig sang luha nga kalayo sa iya mata

Amo gani nanumdom man ako

Abi bala niya nahadlok ako?

Sang pula kag naga sidlak nga balanaw

Sang madulom nga kagab-ihon

Indi niya ako pag hatagan sang sabat

Gusto lang niya ako pahalinon

Pero gusto gid ya mahibal-an

Kadamo klase sang kasubo

Kadamo klase sang kaakig

Kag siguro, kinalain-lain man nga klase sang kasadya

Ang madulom nga mata niya, nagatulok saakon

Mga mata nga naga tabiris sang kalayo sa duta

Nang halayaon siya sang makapila

Asta nga nag abot ang makasililaw nga kasanag sang tuip.

Madasig siya nga nadula

May ara lang danaw sang pula nga dagta

Ebidensya sang iya paghalin

Bwas magabalik ako

Kag sa masunod pa nga mga gab-i

Para mamangkot sa nagahibi nga tinuga

Kung ano ang buot silingon sang iya mga luha

-=——————————————–=-

English Version

It was a moonless night when I saw him

The man who cried fire

I went up to him and asked why

Were they tears of sadness?

Or anger?

He did not reply

The more I asked

The more fire fell from his eyes

And I began to wonder

Does he think I am frightened?

By the pool of glittering red

By the darkness of the night sky

He would not give me an answer

And sought to push me away

But I needed to know

There were different kinds of sadness

Different kinds of anger

And maybe even different kinds of joy

He looked at me with his jet black eyes

Pouring flames onto the ground

He wept for several eternities

Until the light broke from the horizon

And in an instant he was gone

With only a puddle of red

As evidence of his passing

Tomorrow I will return

And the night after that

To ask the crying man

What is behind his tears

————————–————————–——————–

*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 Eloiza Gaduyon
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Eloiza Gaduyon

Inongok Illustration by Joshua Hamangal
IG: https://www.instagram.com/ishart1228

*Note this story is in Tagalog

“May naririnig ka ba?”

“Oo, parang malutong. Baka may kumakain lang na hayop.”

“Iwasan na lang natin kung saan nanggagaling yung tunog. Bilisan natin, nauna na silang lahat.”

“Hindi ko talaga alam kung paano mo ako nakumbinsing sumali sa walang kwentang Scavenger Hunt. Hindi naman sa wala akong pakialam sa mga tao rito.”

“Gamitin mo iyang galit mo para manalo tayo. Tara dalian natin kasi nandoon sa burol yung susunod na palatandaan.”

“Sige, pero kapag nanalo tayo ililibre mo ako ng dalawang manok sa Jollibee.”

“Seryoso ka!”

“Sige, isang manok lang.”

“Hala! Tumingin ka rito. Ano ito, ano ito?!”

“Ano—-Ga–”

“Patay na tao!”

“Alam ko!”

“Anong gagawin natin?”

“Kailangan muna nating huminga at kumalma!”

“Dios Mio!”

“SABI KO HINGA! Sabayan mo ako, isa, dalawa, tatlo.”

“Isa. Dalawa. Tatlo.”

“Gumana ‘di ba? Kailangan lang nating kumalma at—- ANO IYON?!”

“GUMAGALAW! DIOS MIO!

“Hindi ko alam kung ano ka, pero lumayo ka sa amin! Hindi ka namin sasaktan.”

“Grabe, mayroon siyang dugo sa leeg niya.”

“Ang gusto lang sabihin ng kaibigan ko ay wala kaming gagawing masama sa iyo.”

“Huwag mo kaming sasaktan.”

“Diyan ka lang!”

“AAAHHHGHGH!”

“……teka.”

“……buhay ka pa ba tayo?”

“Ano yung ginagawa niya?”

“Sa tingin ko tinatawanan niya tayo.”

“Nakikita mo ba wala siyang bibig.”

“Kung hindi siya tumatawa, ano yung ginagawa niya?”

“Sa tingin ko namamaalam siya sa atin.”

“A…..Anong nangyari?”

=—————————————————————-=

English version

“What’s that sound?”

“I don’t know, sounds like crunching. Maybe a wild animal’s having lunch.”

“Let’s avoid the path where it’s coming from then. Come on we need to hurry, the rest of them are already ahead.”

“I don’t know how you talked me into going on this stupid scavenger hunt, it’s not like I even like these people.”

“Exactly, you can use that hatred to fuel our victory, now let’s go, I think the next clue is over this hill.”

“Fine, but if we win you owe me a 2 piece chicken from Jollibee.”

“OH MY GOD!”

“Ok, ok, fine, a 1 piece.”

“No! Look over here. Oh my god, oh my god!”

“What’s—– HOLY—–“

“It’s a dead body!”

“I can see that!”

“What do we do?!”

“Okay, calm down, just breathe!”

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.”

“I SAID BREATHE! Count with me, one. Two. Three.”

“One. Two. Three.”

“See? We just need to stay calm and—– WHAT THE HELL”

“It’s moving! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod”

“I don’t know what you are but stay away! We don’t want any trouble.”

“Ohymygodthere’sbloodonitsneck.”

“What my friend is trying to say is we don’t mean you any harm.”

“Pleasedon’thurtus.”

“Stay back!”

“AAAHHHGHGH!”

“……wait.”

“…..are we still alive?”

“What’s it doing?”

“I think it’s laughing at us.”

“It doesn’t have a mouth.”

“Well what else do you think it’s doing?”

“I think it’s waving goodbye now.”

“I…..What just happened?”

————————–————————–————————

*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

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

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

Every night when I was a child

I laid on my bed, oft beguiled

I could not drift into sleep

Because it would always creep

By the foot of my bed

Where it would poke out its head

And wait until the sandman came

So it could begin its game

Now, it was nothing sinister

It would just administer

Tickles until I laughed myself awake

And through the years this would take

My mind off what life depleted

All the arguments that were heated

The shouting and tears

The pushing and fears

That no child should ever face

In the home that was my space

Those nights in my bed

When I wished I was dead

It came without warning

And stayed ‘til the morning,

Tickling until I smiled,

Made me remember I was a child

Those were times long past

And I have searched and I have asked

Tracked and looked and scoured and penned

All to find my long-lost friend

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the Pongkoe legends from Aklan

Pongkoe Illustration by Abe Joncel Guevarra
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008285862780

“What’s that sound?”

“I don’t know, sounds like crunching. Maybe a wild animal’s having lunch.”

“Let’s avoid the path where it’s coming from then. Come on we need to hurry, the rest of them are already ahead.”

“I don’t know how you talked me into going on this stupid scavenger hunt, it’s not like I even like these people.”

“Exactly, you can use that hatred to fuel our victory, now let’s go, I think the next clue is over this hill.”

“Fine, but if we win you owe me a 2 piece chicken from Jollibee.”

“OH MY GOD!”

“Ok, ok, fine, a 1 piece.”

“No! Look over here. Oh my god, oh my god!”

“What’s—– HOLY—–“

“It’s a dead body!”

“I can see that!”

“What do we do?!”

“Okay, calm down, just breathe!”

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.”

“I SAID BREATHE! Count with me, one. Two. Three.”

“One. Two. Three.”

“See? We just need to stay calm and—– WHAT THE HELL”

“It’s moving! Ohmygodohmygodohmygod”

“I don’t know what you are but stay away! We don’t want any trouble.”

“Ohymygodthere’sbloodonitsneck.”

“What my friend is trying to say is we don’t mean you any harm.”

“Pleasedon’thurtus.”

“Stay back!”

“AAAHHHGHGH!”

“……wait.”

“…..are we still alive?”

“What’s it doing?”

“I think it’s laughing at us.”

“It doesn’t have a mouth.”

“Well what else do you think it’s doing?”

“I think it’s waving goodbye now.”

“I…..What just happened?”

————————–————————–————————

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

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

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