*Note this story is in Tagalog
Paborito niya ang Kapaskuhan; napakaraming batang walang kamalay-malay at madaling magtiwala.
Tulad na lang ni Jonah. Nalingat lang ang kaniyang mga magulang nang ilang minuto, nagpagala-gala na siya sa mall hanggang may nakasalubong siyang mabait na matandang lalaki na may dalang sako.
Tanong ng bata, “Ikaw ba si Santa Claus?” at sagot naman ng matanda, “Oo naman! Gusto mo ba ng regalo?”
Agad na sumilip si Jonah sa sako sa kasabikan niyang makakuha ng bagong laruan. Ni hindi niya naramdaman ang hampas sa likod ng kaniyang ulo. Masyadong mahilig sa mga materyal na bagay ang mga bata sa panahon ngayon, sayang naman kung hindi sasamantalahin.
Ibang kuwento si Lualhati. Wala nang mas babait pa sa batang ito na biyaya sa kahit na sinong magulang. Palagi niyang inaalagaan ang mga nakababata niyang kapatid.
Matapang na bata rin siya; kinuha niya ang atensyon ng matandang lalaki para makatakas ang nakababata niyang kapatid. Siyempre, wala pa rin siyang panama sa matanda, kaya naisilid pa rin siya sa sako.
Nariyan din si Flordeliza, matapobreng bata. Hindi siya makikipag-usap kahit kanino maliban na lamang kung sa tingin niya ay bibigyan siya nito ng mga kendi.
Ginamit iyon ng matandang lalaki na patibong para pumunta siya sa isang maliit na eskinita. Bago pa siya makasigaw, naisilid na siya sa sako, kasama ng iba pang bata.
Palaging nakayuko si Rizalino. Ipinapaubaya ng kaniyang mga magulang sa teknolohiya ang mahihirap na bahagi ng pagpapalaki sa mga bata.
Tuwang-tuwa siya noong nagkaroon siya ng tablet. Gumugugol siya ng maraming oras sa panonood ng mga cartoon na may matitingkad na kulay o paglalaro ng panibagong nakakabagot na video game. Tila nasa screen na iyon ang buong mundo niya.
Wala siyang kaalam-alam na may mga nangyayari sa labas ng kaniyang screen, tulad ng isang sobrang tandang lalaki na may dalang sako na nasa likuran niya at unti-unting lumalapit sa kaniya.
At, panghuli, si Amor, isang batang talagang maraming problema. Nagpapagala-gala siya sa siyudad dahil ayaw na niyang marinig ang walang katapusang sigawan ng kaniyang mga magulang.
Kung nakinig lang siya sa kanila, maaaring narinig niya ang paalala nila na huwag siyang makikipag-usap sa mga taong hindi niya kilala, ngunit napakatigas ng ulo ng mga bata kung minsan. Akala nila, alam na nila ang lahat. Hanggang mapatunayang mali ang lahat ng inaakala nila.
Tiningnan ng matandang lalaki ang kaniyang listahan at tiniyak niya na sapat na ang nakuha niya para sa kaniyang espesyal na putahe. Kailangang may matira siya na maibebenta sa palengke. ‘Kapaskuhan ngayon,’ paalala niya sa sarili. Mayroon pang ibang pagkakataon. Kailangan niya lang maghintay.
Nararamdaman niyang may gumagalaw sa loob ng sako. Masyado pang maaga para magsimulang magising ang mga bata. Dinala ng matandang lalaki ang bunga ng kaniyang pagsisikap sa munting kubo niya sa kabundukan, malayo sa siyudad.
Hindi ito ganito kadali dati. Hindi siya makakakuha dati ng ganito karaming bata sa loob ng napakaikling panahon.
Nagbalik-tanaw siya noong pangarap pa lamang ng mga negosyante ang mga nagtataasang gusali, at punong-puno pa ng puno’t halaman ang kalupaan.
Noong mga panahong iyon, naghihintay pa siya hanggang may maligaw na bata sa kakahuyan. Tuluyang maglalaho ang batang iyon. Darayo ang mga magulang at magtatanong sila tulad ng isang nag-aalalang ama o ina:
“Nakita n’yo ba ang anak na babae namin?” “Napadaan ba siya sa kubo n’yo?” “Puwede ba ninyo kaming tulungang hanapin siya?”
Ngingiti siya at magpapaabot ng taos na pakikiramay. Walang maghihinala na may kinalaman ang isang matanda at mahinang lolo sa pagkawala ng ilang bata. Nakakatawa ang ideyang iyon.
Tumawa siya hanggang makauwi.
Masalimuot ang silid sa loob ng kubo. Nagpaparamihan ang mga bahid ng dugo at pakalat-kalat na biyas.
Inilapag ng matandang lalaki ang sako at bumuwal palabas ang limang maliit na tao. May kaunting pagkilos, ngunit alam niyang mayroon pang ilang minuto bago sila magkamalay.
Kinuha niya ang paborito niyang kutsilyo at naghanda siya para sa unang taga. Pinakamalapit ang batang babae na si Lualhati. Naisip ng matandang lalaki na masarap gamitin ang kaniyang dugo para sa dinuguan.
Nagpasyang kumilos ang bata noong itinaas ng matanda ang kutsilyo para sa pagtaga. Tumama ang sakong ng bata sa sikmura ng matandang lalaki, na dahilan para tumumba ang matanda at mapasigaw sa sakit.
“Takbo!”
Dagliang bumalik ang ulirat ng apat pang bata at mabilis silang tumungo sa pinto. Nahablot ng matanda ang binti ng isa sa mga batang lalaki, ngunit kinagat siya sa kamay ng batang ito kaya napabitaw siya.
Pinanood ng matandang lalaki ang pagtakas ng mga bata sa kaniyang kubo. Hindi na siya nag-abalang habulin sila; magiging matigas at makunat ang karne nila dahil sa kanilang pagtakbo.
Kumuha siya ng silya at umupo. Kailangan niyang mas mag-ingat sa susunod.
Tumanaw ang matandang lalaki sa labas ng kaniyang bintana. Tumitig siya sa mga nagtataasang gusali sa malayo.
Hindi mauubusan ng mga bata, at subok na ang pasensya niya.
Dahil kung iisipin, matagal na matagal na niya itong ginagawa.
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English Version
He loved the holiday season, there were so many children, so naïve and trusting.
Take Jonah for example, his parents let him out of their sight for only a few minutes. He wandered off in the mall and happened upon a nice old man carrying a sack.
He asked, “Are you Santa Claus?” and the man replied “Of course I am! Would you like a present?”
Jonah immediately peered into the sack, such was the boy’s excitement in getting a new toy. He didn’t even feel the blow to the back of his head. Kids these days were so materialistic, it would be such a shame if someone took advantage of that.
Lualhati was a different story. She was the most well behaved girl any parent could ask for. She spent her days looking after her little siblings.
She was such a brave girl too, distracting the old man long enough for her little brother to run away. She was no match for him of course, and into the sack she went.
Then there was the girl, Flordeliza, such a snobby little brat. She wouldn’t talk to anyone unless she thought they could give her sweets.
The old man used that to lure her into a nice little alleyway. Before she could even think to scream she was in the sack, along with the other children.
Rizalino always had his head down. His parents believed in letting technology do the brunt of the work when it came to raising children.
He was so proud when he got his tablet, he would spend hours and hours watching his brightly colored cartoons or playing another mind numbing video game. It was as if that screen was his entire world.
He never realized that there were things happening beyond his screen, like a very old man and a sack creeping up behind him.
And finally came Amor, a very troubled child. She would wander around the city because she didn’t feel like listening to her parents getting into a shouting match for the hundredth time.
If she listened to them she might have heard them say ‘Never talk to strangers’, but children can be so stubborn. They always think they know everything. That is, until everything proves them wrong.
The old man checked his list and made sure he had enough for his special recipe, he needed to have some left over to sell to the market, ‘It’s the holidays’ he reminded himself. There would be other chances, he just had to wait.
He could feel the movement coming from the sack. The children were starting to wake up, it was much too soon for that. The old man took the fruits of his labor, far away from the city to his little kubo in the mountains.
It wasn’t always like this, of course. In the old days he would never be able to get this many children in such a short amount of time.
He thought back to when the concrete jungles were a glimmer of inspiration in the eyes of the tycoons, and a sea of green dominated the landscape.
In those times he would have to wait for the odd child to wander into the woods, never to be heard from again. Their parents would come by and ask all the questions a concerned parent needed to ask:
“Have you seen our little girl?” “Did they walk by your kubo?” “Will you help us look for them?”
He would smile and say a few remorseful words. No one would ever think that an old, venerable lolo could have anything to do with the disappearances of a few children. The very thought was laughable.
And he laughed all the way home.
The room inside the kubo was pure chaos. Scarlet stains and misplaced limbs were fighting a battle for supremacy.
The old man put the sack down and five small figures came tumbling out. There was some slight movement, but he knew they wouldn’t regain consciousness for a few more minutes.
He grabbed his lucky cleaver and readied himself for the first chop. The girl, Lualhati, was closest. The old man thought that her blood would make for good dinuguan.
As he raised his knife, she decided to strike. The heel of her foot hit the old man’s stomach, he collapsed to the ground, letting out a scream of pain.
“Everyone run!”
In that instant the four other children woke from their stupor and made for the door. The old man managed to grab the leg of one of the boys, but he bit his hand and the old man lost his grip.
The old man watched as the children fled his kubo. He didn’t bother chasing them, all that running would make their meat tough and stringy.
He pulled up a chair and sat down. He would have to be more careful next time.
The old man glanced outside his window and stared at the tall buildings in the distance.
There would always be more children, and he was nothing if not patient.
After all, he had been doing this for a very, very long time.
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**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 Maui Felix
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maui Felix
Inspired by the Tagalog Tigabulak legends
Tigabulak Illustration by Glendford Lumbao
IG: @glendlumbao
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