A Story in Progress

The Legend of Kadugyap


When Legazpi wiped out the Moslem community in Mactan which was once headed by the brave Lapulapu, his grandson, Wa-Pa-Pangalan, was brought to Bantayan Island. When he came of age, he married a local Christian girl and they had a son who soon became a local legend. The boy was named Kandugyap. (ORIGIN OF NAME??)

Kandugyap, even when he was still a boy, showed the ferocity, courage and nobility of the spirit he has inherited from his great-grandfather. His voice is so loud and strong that during the time of pirate attacks on the island by the Moros from Mindanao, he could shout from the Kota in Sta. Fe to alert the people living in Gilantagaan Island about the raid. He is also the one who could sound the "budyong" the loudest throughout the whole island.

Kandugyap was one of the sentinels at the Kota fort in Sta. Fe. He was posted on the side facing the sea which always bears the brunt of the attacks. He is known for his courage and strength. Even the pirates themselves were always hoping that they do not come accross whenever they raid the islands.

Despite his obvious strength and power, Kandugyap was also known to be a very kind-hearted person. During the time when pirates do not attact (WHAT SEASON?), he earns a livelihood by fishing. He is one of the best fishermen in the island but also someone who will always share his catch with those who are unfortunate. When a neighbor's son was lost at sea during a storm, Kandugyap took it upon himself to look after the welfare of the old mother who was left without a family to look after her.

Kandugyap loved small children. During his youth, when not busy fishing or guarding the fort, during which most of the other young men would probably be chasing the girls in the village, Kandugyap would be found most of the time in the village playground playing with the children. He performed magic tricks for the amusement of the children. He was particularly close to a young child, Kalachuchi, whose father, Tagulilong, was Kandugyap's good friend. Tagulilong was a brave warrior who was killed when he tried to help Kandugyap stave off the pirates who tried to scale the fort walls in a raid not so many years ago when Kalachuchi was still a baby.

Kalachuchi lives in the interior with her mother and old grandmother. Since Kalachuchi's father was killed, the family moved to the safety of the inland but the little girl usually goes to the shore to play in the water with her friends.

//It was also believed that Kandugyap was also learning to become a "mananambal" ...

....

Kadugyap's Capture

Moro pirates attack the island to kidnap inhabitants to make them into slaves. They usually raid when the wind blows from the south (HABAGAT??).

Kandugyap's main duty during these attacks was to guard the main tower of the fort.

One day, the pirates came so fast there was little warning before they landed on the shores. The people immediately rushed inside the safety of the fort.

The children who were playing immediately were called and rushed to the safety of the fort. Unfortunately, Kalachuchi was out too far in the water that when she was able inside the fort, the pirates have already landed.

Sensing that the child was in immenent danger of being abducted, Kadugyap immediately jumped off the wall to try and bring the child into the safety of the fort. He was thinking he could outrun the pirates before they get closer.

As he was carrying the child, Kandugyap was hit in the leg with a spear thrown by a pirate and fell forward. Before he could stand up, he was clubbed in the head and was made unconscious.

When Kadugyap came to his senses, he was already aboard one of the pirates' boats which was set on full sail southwards. His hands were bound behind his back and his leg was still bleeding a little from the spear wound.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kandugyap had espied that the pirates also have taken Kalachuchi. As he watched Bantayan Island fade into the horizon, Kandugyap swore that he will return back home and he will never leave Kalachuchi behind.

...

Time with the pirates

When they have landed in the pirates' village (WHERE??), a kind Moro medicine man took it upon himself to make sure that Kadugyap's wound healed properly and fast. Within a matter of days, Kadugyap wounds was healed back to perfection as if nothing have happened to it. Kandugyap and the medicine man became good friends and throughout the time he spent with the pirates, Kadugyap learned much about the powers of herbs from the old man.

It was a practice of the pirates to turn their captives into slaves or else sell them to the shipyards in the South. Kandugyap would have been also sold to the shipyards have it not been for two main reasons.

Kandugyap was such a skilled fisherman that the people of the village thought that it would be best to keep him in the village so that they could benefit from his skills. He was made to work with the men whenever they went out to sea. To make sure he would not try to escape, the men always made sure that the slowest boat in the fishing fleet would be the one assigned to Kandugyap.

The second reason was that the King's youngest daughter, Prinsesa Puti-Nga-Kyamay was attracted to Kandugyap. The princess persuaded her father to have Kandugyap stay in the village. She also took Kalachuchi into the royal household to make sure that not only will Kandugyap will not escape but will also visit the King's palace once in a while.

It was not long before the King ordered Kandugyap to appear before him in the palace...

Marriage and family

Kadugyap and Prinsesa Puti-Nga-Kyamay where married in June when (DETAILS of SEASON). Shortly after, their son, Ugis Kublan was born. Prinsesa Puti-Nga-Kyamay was a good wife to Kandugyap and the people in the kingdom started to warm up to the Bantayanon.

Still, Kandugyap dreamt of someday going back home to Bantayan and the King and his followers were aware of this so they always kept close watch on him lest they would loose their best provider of bounty from the sea. They still does not allow him to have his own boat and they made sure that people from neighboring villages inland will not assist anyone who will try to escape into the interior.

By around this time, Kalachuchi had already grown into a young girl. She was looked after by a household helper in the royal palace, Isabel. Isabel is originally from Leyte but was also kidnapped by the pirates when she was still a young girl and was made to work as the Queen's maid.

It was believed that during the frequent visit of Kandugyap to see Kalachuchi, he and Isabel came to love each other. When Kandugyap was married to Prinsesa Puti-Nga-Kyamay, it was very much against his will but he was aware that he would definitely be put to death if he refused the King's order. This broke the lovers' hearts but their love for each other did not end there.

....

Escape

Spiders on a Stick

In this world, we all walk on a narrow stick that we call life and if at the end of our journey, we do not see any spiders, it is because they all have fallen.

May we all never become like spiders who crawl across the stick and then fall at the end.

Some old wise men in my town say that "the monkey who stands against the might of the rushing river is like the catfish who swims across the ocean to search for more weed".

The old men may be wiser than me but some words they say are like rocks on a mountain made of sand.

I believe that "the tuba harvested in the morning is not the same tuba we drink in the evening".

This is my guiding principle in life.


>> tuba - coconut wine

the little man who lived in a peanut shell

> I know of a little man who lives in a peanut shell. He is a very very tiny man. You see, you have to be very, very tiny if you have to live in a peanut shell.
> His home used to be the home of three peanuts. Now, those places that the peanuts used to be in are the little man's bedroom, living room and dining room, respectively.
> He has a door on one end of the peanut shell. This is the only door in this house and it leads directly to his bedroom. In the middle of the peanut shell house is the living room and on the other end is the dining room. There is a hole on the roof of the dining area. This is for the smoke from the stove to escape.
...
> This little man has a bluebearded monkey friend who lives in an empty bottle of gin. One day, the monkey visited the little man and they had coffee in the living room.
> After a few sips, the bluebearded monkey friend said, "You know what, my friend? I think you should consider moving into a glass house. You see, living in a glass house is very exciting. Look at me, everynight before I go to sleep, I can see the stars and all the glorious constellations. Each morning, when I wake up, the beautiful sun is always there for me to marvel at its beauty. Throughout the whole day, even if I don't go out of the house, I can see the birds and butterflies flying happily all around."
> "I can see my neighbors when they pass by and I don't have to go out to greet them. I just wave my hand and smile and go on with my business. And the best thing is, I am always safe in my glass house because nobody would dare steal or creep into my house 'coz for sure, they will be seen. Isn't that wonderful? Why don't you let me help you find a glass house so you can move out from this boring dump that you live in?", the monkey said.
> The little man just smiled and excused himself to get some more coffee from the kitchen.
...
> The next day, another friend visited the little man. This friend was a nosy lady who works for the Department of Justice. She used to be a witch in her past life and she seems to be still a witch in her present life although she had sworn to never eat children again. Unfortunately, she there are a lot of nasty habits that she haven't sworn off yet.
> As she was invited into the house, the very first thing she noticed was the little man's little bed and she started ranting right away, "Why, in Evil Galicano's name, put your bedroom in this part of your house, little man?! Did you not notice that everytime you have visitors, they will have to pass through your bedroom before they could get into the living area? What if you have a party in your dining room? Do you your guests have to go through your bed and then through your sofa to get into the table?! Why don't you rearrange? Haven't you heard of feng shui?! What a pity!"
> The little man just smiled a smile which was tinged with a bit of annoyance. He then asked his guest to sit down and even before the lady's ass could touch the bottom of the couch, the little man was off to the end of the house to make some porridge for his guest.
...
> The little man did not have visitors for almost a week after that visit and he was delighted about it. Unfortunately, his happiness was shortlived because when Friday came, an old neighbor dropped by without an invitation.
> This guest was a rusty old can opener who used to live in a paper tower tent next to the peanut shell house. Three months ago, this rusty fellow won the lottery and he bought a big tin can house on the richer side of town and haven't been seen on the little man's side of town until then.
> The can opener started to chatter about how life has been good to him. "you know, my little friend, I used to be afraid of strong wind. I even get scared of the slightest breeze. I was always worried that my tent will be blown away and I hae no roof over my head.", he said.
> "Look at me now, " the can opener continued. "Not even the strongest hurricane scares me. My tin can house can stand even the fiercest tempest from hell!"
> Then with a look of pity in his eyes, the can opener stared into the little man's eyes and said, "I worry about you, my friend. What if a strong wind will come and blow your peanut shell house away? You see, your house is not as strong as mine. Im afraid you will not have a roof to protect you in a storm. Why dont you let me help you look for a stronger house made of steel or concrete?"
> The little man just smiled and said, "No, thank you." He then excused himself to water the flowers growing by his living room window.
...
> Early the next day, the little man got a piece of flat board and using red hot iron chisels fashioned a sign and hung it above his front door. The sign says," It's not your pig I'm roasting so mind your own business."
> I don't know how to end a story so I'll just stop here.

Colored Starfishes for My Ceiling

…I have built my hut under the shade of the coconut trees, near the water’s edge. I am proud of my own little hut, made from bamboo and palm leaves, built by my own two hands.

…I have spent days making my hut comfortable to live in. I also have made myself a bamboo bed. Sometimes, I take it outside to take a nap under the shade of the coconut trees or just to lie down idly and listen to the waves. I have made a table and a couple of chairs from bamboo, too. I don’t really need more than one chair for my house but who knows somebody might drop by for a visit. I live alone in this tiny island but pirates are known to roam these waters around so one or two might drop by to say hello. It would be rude to let them sit on the floor.

…I am on the beach today. The water has ebbed and a lot of creatures have been stranded on the sandbar. I am gathering colored starfishes. Yesterday, I looked up to my ceiling as I was lying on my bamboo bed and thought that maybe I could make my ceiling more interesting and lively if I hang some colored starfishes over my bedroom. The wind could then blow into my window and make the starfishes dance to the music of the waves. That would be nice.

…The first starfish I saw today was white. I threw it away. It was too plain and boring. I left my hometown in the mainland to escape the dreariness of life. I wanted to see the sunset on the beach, to swim in the ocean and talk with the fishes. The white starfish reminded me of those boring and ordinary things that I have left behind. I don’t want to have something like that hanging from my ceiling.

…There are already some interestingly colored starfishes in my sack. They will make my ceiling look more beautiful. I will dry them under the afternoon sun and hang them with twine from coconut barks.

…I have collected many red starfishes. I think they are beautiful, as beautiful as the sky over my family’s home when the sun is setting behind the mountains in the west. They also look like the fire in our kitchen where my mother cooks the frogs that my father brings home from the farms.

…Ah! Blue! It is the color of my father’s carabao’s eyes. Blue also are the songs my mother sings as she puts my little brother to sleep in the hammock. My sister’s favorite dress, the one she wore to the wedding of our cousin last May is also of a lovely shade of blue.

...There are also many blue starfishes in my sack. I’ll make sure there will be plenty of blue starfishes hanging from my ceiling. They remind me so much of many things from home.

…I’ll also make sure to a hang a lot of yellow starfishes. Every summer, when my brother makes kites, he always uses yellow colored paper. We used to fly them in the afternoons after school. Sometimes, our father would scold us because we used to step on the newly planted corn seedlings and we would just run away laughing. I wonder if my brother would still make kites next summer.

...Perhaps, the most beautiful starfish I have found today was a small pink one. It reminded me of the ribbons my beloved used to put in her hair. Pink was the color of the sky when she first kissed me under the mango tree behind her father’s house on that beautiful summer night. Pink was the color of her eyes when she smiled as I gave her the wild flowers I have picked from the fields near the old cemetery. Pink is also the color of the tears that fell from her eyes when I told her that I am leaving.

…I don’t remember now the reasons why I have left my home, my family and my sweetheart. They say that if you will look into the eyes of the shark, you will see your soul. I have done that but when I looked into the shark’s eyes I could not see my soul. When I looked into the eyes of the blowfish, I saw the soul of the blowfish but I might as well have been blind. It was just an illusion. Maybe, everything is just an illusion.
…
…Tomorrow, I will go out again to for more colored starfishes.

The Vegetarian Lion and the Cursed Carrot

The Fairy Queen was out on her usual daily stroll one day when she chanced upon a lion sitting under the shade of a tree. The Queen’s attention was piqued when she noticed that the lion was talking to an orange thing on its paws in a very animated manner. Now, it is not very unusual for animals in the Weasel Wonderland to be able to talk. (As a matter of fact, it was a monkey who once made the entire musical score for a sci-fi movie directed by some up and coming director who happened to be named Betel the Dog. As to whether the director was actually a dog or just a man with a rather unfortunate nickname is not covered by this story. )

But for lions it is an entirely different story because lions are such proud and royal creatures. They are very much capable of speech but rarely talk except when matters of religion are concerned or when they are at a restaurant and ordering their favorite dish of steak in chickpea sauce. Most of lions are atheist so there is not really much talk when lions are around. Other creatures also tend to shy away for lions because of their pride.

And so it was, indeed, rather unusual for the Fairy Queen to hear the Lion talk in such an animated manner and converse with what seemed to be an inanimate object. And so it passed that the Queen, no matter how queenly she might be and without any regard to the dangers to her own bones, drew nearer to the tree to catch a listen. Luckily for the Queen, the Lion was paying much attention to the orange thing in its paws so she was able to take a closer look without being noticed.

When she was able to put into closer inspection the orange object that the Lion was holding and talking to, the Queen was very much surprised at what she saw for the Lion was talking to a carrot! And when she also saw that the Carrot was indeed also talking to the Lion, she was completely fascinated for never in her whole life had she neither seen nor heard a vegetable utter a single word before. Yes, talking animals are a-plenty in her kingdom but fruits and vegetables are never known to hold conversations. Neither is it known to for them to have ears for listening nor mouths or tongues for speaking.

And so it passed that the Queen was able to hear the following conversation:

Carrot: I can not possible imagine why you would want to eat me, Mr. Lion. You eat gazelle and deer, zebra and other animals but you do not eat vegetables like me!

Lion: My dear Mr. Carrot, indeed I am sorry for your plight. Yes, lions indeed eat meat and not fruits or vegetables because it is in our nature as carnivores. In my case though, it is rather different because I have decided to become a vegetarian since that terrible accident in July which shaken my faith to its foundations. I apologize, Mr. Carrot but I must eat you or else I will perish in hunger.

Carrot: Oh, Mr. Lion. How I sympathize with your unfortunate fate! My heart breaks as I listen to your story. I pity you, Mr. Lion, very much. And if only I were a true vegetable, I would gladly offer myself to be your next meal for there no greater honor than to sacrifice one’s own life so others can live. How I wish I could be the one to save your life BUT I am afraid I am not qualified for that honorable position because the truth is, I am no vegetable. As a matter of fact, I am no carrot at all.
I am a frog or at least, I used to be one. That is the reason why I can talk like no other real vegetable or fruit can. I was cursed by an evil wizard and was turned into a carrot as I appear to you now. The curse can only be broken when I die. If you will eat me, Mr. Lion, I will expire and turn back into a frog in your stomach. I can not possibly imagine a vegetarian eating a frog. That is simply horrible! Don’t you agree, Mr. Lion?

Lion: That is a very sad story you have told me, Mr. Carrot. I am moved to tales listening to your horrible tale, you poor pitiful creature. But pitiful no more you shall be for I am of a proud and mighty race and we, the majestic lions of the rolling plains, never forsake anyone who needs our help and assistance.
Mr. Carrot (or Mr. Frog, whatever the case may be), indeed, it is a difficult task for me for I have sworn to abhor meat for the remainder of my mortal life but I must forget my own miserable self for I am now called into the service of a hapless and miserable creature that you are, Mr. Carrot. My own inconvenience is but a small price to pay for your redemption from this wicked curse that has befallen you. My dear friend, it will be an honor to end your misery and give you the freedom that only death can give.

Carrot: Mr. Lion, you are indeed of a noble and brave race. I am deeply honored by your kindness. I am not worthy, sir. Please do not trouble yourself on my account. I am perfectly willing to live another day in this miserable existence for what more can a day or two do to a wretched creature like me. Perhaps, a lowly mongrel or a dirty buzzard will come along tomorrow and free me from this evil curse. Therefore, you need not to trouble yourself on my account.
May I also be permitted to say that even though I have been reduced to being a despicable orange carrot, I still have little pleasures in life like the sunshine and the songs of birds? Mr. Lion, please trouble yourself no more and be on your way for I am indeed unworthy of your time and attention.

Lion: Oh my dear Mr. Carrot! Your courage brings tears to my eyes. I have not met any fellow with such a stout heart as you have. Might I even be forgiven for thinking that perhaps in your past life you have been a lion, so brave and so mighty? Indeed you are one noble creature worthy of praise and adulation but you must forgive me, Mr. Carrot. I will have to eat you now or I perish in starvation. And please know that it has been an honor to have met a noble soul like you and I will cherish this day forever as long as I live. My children and grandchildren will sing of your praises as long as the sun and the moon shine in the skies above.

Carrot: Wait! Mr. Lion! Sir, I implore you not to be too hasty. I am a carrot and a frog! Surely, you can not, in your own good faith afford to have me for your supper. A wise man once said: “Lucky is the bull with two heads for two heads are better than one but unlucky is the bull with two heads in opposite directions. Too many cooks will surely spoil the broth”. Please spare a moment to reflect on this, I implore you.

Lion: A wise man, indeed, he is who has spoken those prudent words. His name will be long remembered in the books of knowledge. However, I must disagree with you for my old uncle Goldie once said: “The beautiful rose may have thorns but only those who are pricked can truly feel the pain”.

Carrot: Your uncle Goldie is wise indeed. Perhaps, I now know where you have inherited your sharp intellect, my dear Mr. Lion. His words remind me of what the King of Olives once said as he was about to send his knights off to war with the Kingdom of the Roses: “If a spider where only a tree then with birds it would be dining in plenty.” Wise these men indeed are. The world would indeed be a different place without them. Please don’t eat me!

At this point, the Fairy Queen have had enough of the conversation she was hearing so she went out from behind the tree and exclaimed, “What rubbish, you gentlemen are talking about! Why don’t we all go to Mrs. Baskins’ place down the road and eat some cakes and cookies so no frog nor carrot will have to be eaten today?!”

Surprised by sudden appearance of the Queen, both creatures where dumbfounded for a moment and were unable to utter a single word and merely could look at the Queen with wide eyes of disbelief. By and by, the Lion gathered himself and thus spoke in a very furious manner, “Lady, how dare you intrude into our conversation without an invitation?!”

“And with that horrible dress that you are wearing, have we not known that you are a fairy, we would have thought you are a witch!” quickly added the red-faced Carrot.

And that’s the moral of the story.