Arturo had heard the stories before. How the creatures could be tamed to become your loyal servants.
All he had to do was snatch the three golden hairs at the top of its head and then stay on its back until it was done jumping into the sky and going over the mountains and seas, easier said than done.
He was desperate, he needed money and he knew that the tikbalang could help him. He also knew that they would not forget him if he failed. They brought sickness, but what did he need to fear? He was already sick, time was slipping away from him and he needed something to hold on to. He didn’t want to leave his family behind with debt and regret.
Arturo stood in front of the Balete tree and called the creature out. It had been hours staring in the dark, his throat almost raw from shouting, but then he saw a figure.
“Foolish human, why have you come here,” the figure said.
“I am here to tame you,” was Arturo’s reply.
A wild laughter erupted from the creature, like nothing Arturo had ever heard before.
“Many humans have tried and failed. What makes you think you will be the one to tame me?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think, only what I will do.”
“Very well then.”
Arturo launched himself at the tikbalang, its chaotic movement challenging his grip. Arturo arms seemed to be failing him, but he held on. He thought about his family and how they needed him. He would not let them down.
Arturo managed to position himself holding the creature by the mane.
He picked the first golden hair. The tikblang screamed in pain, but Arturo didn’t mind it.
“Why are you doing this, human? I thought we were forgotten by your kind.” The creature’s wild movements matched the tone of its voice.
“I’m doing this for my family, something you will never understand.” Arturo hoped his strength would last, already he felt like he was slipping. He could feel his heart beating through his chest.
“What do humans know of family? All your kind does is destroy.”
“I don’t care what you think. I have to leave something behind for them.”
“I thought I smelled the stench of death upon you. You don’t have long do you, human?”
Arturo didn’t answer. Since the diagnosis, his whole life was defined by his sickness, today that didn’t matter. Nothing did except taming the tikbalang.
He picked the second hair and saw that they weren’t in the field with the Balete tree anymore. He didn’t recognize the mountain that the creature had taken them to, and he shook off the curiosity.
“Anna! Reymark! Julia!”
“Asking for help, human?”
“I’m remembering who I’m doing this for!”
“I will never understand creatures like you.” The creature calmed down just a bit, long enough for Arturo to look at the burnt husk of what he thought was a balete tree.
“That used to be my home, that is, until your kind came along” Arturo could sense the disgust in the tikbalang’s voice “All I wanted was to be left alone, but they took my home. My family.”
There was still one more hair left. The tikblanag’s mane didn’t give him a lot of traction, and he held tight against the creature’s neck.
“My family is all that matters.” Arturo remembered how they had to sell their house to pay for the medical bills, how Reymark and Julia had to transfer school because of him. He closed his eyes and gripped against the tikbalang.
The rising sun was visible in the distance and Arturo was surprised he lasted hours on the tikbalang’s back.
The creature was getting tired, its movements slower and less erratic.
As the sun rose the tikbalang fell exhausted in front of its Balete tree. It looked at Arturo, now holding its three golden hairs.
“You have won.”
Arturo clutched at his chest; he could feel the pressure building up in his heart, spreading to his back and neck. His breaths were rapid, and his head felt light.
He reached into his pocket and took out a photo.
“….save them.”
“I will obey.”
With that, the tikbalang disappeared. Sunlight rested on Arturo, his face showing a look of contentment. He allowed himself one last smile.
“Thank you.”
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Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Inspired by the Tikbalang description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.
Tikbalang Illustration by Leandro Geniston
