Category: Fiction

The Day Mother Turned Into a Goldfish

Fiction by | June 29, 2014

Mother turned into a goldfish. It happened on Tuesday morning as she was preparing breakfast. One moment, she was cracking an egg over the frying pan, and the next, she was reaching for her throat and gasping for breath.

“What’s wrong, Mother?” I cried. I reached her just in time to keep her from collapsing against the stove. Mother stared at me with bulging eyes, unable to speak. She pointed at her neck just behind her ears. There I saw reddish slits appear, the hint of gills.

After that, the rest of the transformation went very quickly. Her skin turned to golden orange scales, her stomach distended, and her hands and feet morphed into fins. Mother shrank until she fit into the palm of my hand. She flopped for breath and almost slipped out of my grasp. Luckily, I thought of dunking her into the pitcher of water I had placed on the kitchen table.

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Cinematheque

Fiction by | June 22, 2014

Sa kanto ng Quirino at Davao Doc, dito laging nakakasalamuha ni Edoy ang mga lalaking nakadamit babae, na nag-aalok ng panandaliang aliw. Gabi-gabi ay ganito, gabi-gabi rin siyang tumatanggi. Dito kung saan gabi-gabi din siyang pinaglalaruan ng kanyang damdamin at kunsensya dahil ang pagtanggi ang isa sa mga pinakamahirap na bagay para kay Edoy.

Gaya ng unang pagkakataon siyang pahithitin ng marijuana noong nasa hayskul pa. Isang kamag-aral na ‘di hamak na mas matanda kumpara sa nakararaming estudyante, kamag-aral na ‘di hamak na mas matanda para sa isang nasa unang taon pa rin sa hayskul. Hindi natanggihan ni Edoy ang alok nitong pahithitin siya. Ganoon lang sa simula, ngunit kalauna’y hindi na rin matanggihan ni Edoy ang sarili – ang panandaliang pagtakas sa nakababatong guro sa MAPEH, sa pangulo ng klaseng nagpapanggap na matalino, sa mga sipsip na kaklaseng naglilista ng maingay at hindi nakikinig, sa nakahihiyang kulay kalawanging-puti ng polong suot niya kumpara sa suot ng mga kaklase, at sa nakaaawa niyang butas na medyas na bahagyang nagkukubli sa butas niya ring sapatos – na pinalad lang siyang hindi nagpapantay ang mga butas. Ngunit sakit na ni Edoy ang hindi tumanggi, lalo’t para sa kakaunting mga bagay lamang na masasabi niyang kaniya.

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"Hapit Nata, Nay?"

Fiction by | June 15, 2014

Puno na kaayo ang jeep. Dili na makayag higot sa kundoktor ang bukag sa marang kay ang atop sa jeep gitabunan nag mga bukag sa mga prutas ug sako sa bug-at nga bugas ug mga panaliton. Itom ang aso nga gisuka sa tambutso pagkahuman ug paandar sa drayber. Sa sulod, ang mga namaypay nga mga pasahero nahimutang ra gayud kay makalarga na sila, makabalik na sila ug bukid.

Guot pud kaayo ang sulod. Ang dapat baynte nga manakay nahimung traynta. Ang uban nagsabak, ang uban nagkabit sa gawas, ang uban nanindog, labaw na ang mga batang walay mahimo kung dili musuksok aron makauli. Usa na si Ondong—ang sinko anyos nga batang itom pa sa kagabhion. Ang usa ka kamot ni Ondong nagkapyot sa tayaon nga bakal, ang isa, nakakapot sa kamot sa iyang inahan. Niginhawa si Ondong, pero ang iyang nasimhot kay ang baho nga singot sa mga kalawasan sa naglingkod palibut kaniya, ang mga baho sa isda, karne ug gulay nga dala-dala nila, ang baho sa syudad nga ila nang biyaan.

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Ink

Fiction by | June 1, 2014

One hot afternoon, by a window that opened to a meadow, Marco sat. Hair uncombed, beard unshaved, still wearing his Silliman University shirt, smothered with black ink. He was almost finished writing the last chapter of his latest story when Don Alfonso came in, a glass of brandy in hand.

“Oh, hijo, are you writing in your ridiculous diary again? Wasting your time trying to encapsulate your thoughts? Ha!” Don Alfonso exclaimed while walking around Marco’s room, kicking away soiled clothes strewn on the wooden floor.

“You can’t even clean your own room. What will my amigos and amigas say when they see this? The son of Don Alfonso Aguerre, a wealthy, well-known haciendero, untidy! What? You don’t put your used clothes in the laundry area. You have all day… wait, all year to do so! Yet you spend all your days scribbling nonsense! … Why, you are no different from the pigs found in our farm! You are hopeless, son. Hopeless.”

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The Savior

Fiction by | April 26, 2014

Three months left. That was all. And it was not even a whole three months. It was two months and twenty nine days. He had been counting. Every morning, since that visit to the doctor, he had been counting. And tomorrow, it would just be two months and twenty eight days. And then, in the end, he would have to leave his son. Alone. There was clearly nothing left to do, but pray. And cry.

They were on a bus, his son and himself, going no place in particular, on the sunniest of spring days. The boy almost looked normal, except that his eyes seemed a little uncoordinated, somewhat unfocused. But you had to look at him closely to notice. The way he acted, however, gave his condition away. He looked ten, perhaps eleven, but he was most decidedly too childlike for his age. “Fire truck!” he would say, identifying the red vehicle parked in its station. “Dog!” he exclaimed, pointing at a morning jogger’s pet on a leash. “Flag!” he said, looking up at a waiving banner, glancing at his father for reassurance and acknowledgement that he had identified correctly.

The boy had his father’s visage. Lines and wrinkles on the older man’s face camouflaged the similarity, but the boy’s eyes whispered of his father’s. Assenting with a nod and a smile, the father thought back to a moment just half a year ago, when all hope was snatched from him.

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Ngano'ng Nangaso si Balaw sa Patag sa Palawpao? Part 2

Fiction by | March 30, 2014

Photo RAE, from "Daloy"
Photo RAE, from “Daloy”
Gipadayon gikan sa Part 1.

Pagliko ni Balaw sa naay kawayan, nakita niya ang payag ni Don Angelo. Gilibotan kini sa iyang mga sakop nga walo kabuok. Mga dagko ang mga sakop ni Don Angelo ug ang matag usa dunay gigunitan nga bunal. Milusot si Balaw sa kural ug miduol sa payag nga galungot-lungot. Nabantayan siya sa mga sakop ni Don Angelo. Dali-dali nga nagtapok sila atubangan sa payag kay atoa man si Don Angelo sa sulod mga namantay ug nagpaminaw.

“Igawas ang mananap nga mipatay sa akong amahan ug nangilog sa among yuta!”, ang singgit sa galungot-lingot nga si Balaw sa mga sakop ni Don Angelo.

Nagtinan-awa ang mga sakop ni Don Angelo ug nangbuhakhak og katawa sa ilang nadungog. Gikantsawan nila si Balaw.

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Ngano'ng Nangaso si Balaw sa Patag sa Palawpao? Part 1

Fiction by | March 23, 2014

Photo by RAE, from "Daloy"
Photo by RAE, from “Daloy”

Kining sugilanon ang nakadaog sa Unang Ganti, Ika-2ng Satur P. Apoyon Tigi sa Mobung Sugilanong Binisaya.

Wala pa nagmata ang adlaw apan duna nay napukaw’ng kaisog taliwala sa matun-og nga kalasangan sa Palawpao. Sa sayo’ng kabuntagon, nakigharong na si Balaw ug ang iyang sundang sa taas nga bangkil. Bangkil sa dako nga baboy-ihalas nga gitawag nila og lablab. Ang lablab nga gikahadlokan bisan sa mga tigulang nga mangangaso. Ang lablab nga gaipanghinadlok sa mga layoran nga bata. Ang lablab nga mangilog og teritoryo o kaha pagkaon sa ubang mga mananap. Ang lablab nga mandaog-daog ug maghari-hari sa kalasangan. Apan wala nahadlok si Balaw niini’ng mananapa. Ni walay bisag usa ka gamay nga kakulba ang gatagumbol sulod sa iyang dughan. Gani pa, gihulat pa niya nga muabot kini nga higayona.

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Please Don't Leave Me

Fiction by | March 2, 2014

It was a nice place to rest. The walls were painted pink. The window was covered with pink curtains. The books were arranged neatly on the pink bookshelf. The bed on the opposite side was neatly overlaid with a pink blanket, a pink pillow by the head. The pink lampshade on the pink table by the bedside illuminated the whole room.

Yes, it was a nice place to rest. It was a place to stay in and relax. It was a place that radiated positivity. It was supposed to be.

But Lois, in her oversized plain white shirt and black skinny jeans, only stared into space. Her eyes were unblinking. Her lips were pursed together, not daring to move a word.

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