Everybody in Bansa knew that Maria Elena was someone special. They knew her
from the day she was born. After that day, things went well for every one.
Harvest was abundant. The trees bore more fruits than ever before, the
fishermen did not have to go too far out into the ocean. The lambo-o and pigok
filled the Bansa river. For sixteen years there was not a single flood, and
no one died of anything other than from old age. Except for one impudent moro
half breed hunter from Cabadbaran who dared to kill a wild pig with one single
arrow into the poor animal's eye, penetrating the brain. He did not dress the
carcass for food nor did he give it to the townspeople. He disrespectfully,
wastefully left the pig for the crows to feast on.
They say that a large boar went to the river that afternoon, and complained to
Maria Elena. She was barely five years old then. Yes, there was a witness to
this, young Melencio, son of the village seamstress. He swore that the boar
meekly approached Maria Elena. The wild animal bent his front legs in
submission. They seemed to talk but he did not hear any sound except for the
animal's grunting nor did he see her lips move. That was on a Wednesday. By
Saturday noon, news reached the village that the hunter had died screaming,
horrible skin lesions all over his body as if he were wrapped in the most
poisonous bagyang.
Everybody in Bansa knew that Maria Elena was somebody special, except Maria
Elena, who accepted as not unusual that, unlike the birds and the animals,
people and children were avoiding her. Her only playmate was a stray cat, No
Name, that was what she called it. No Name appeared from nowhere one day, and
had been by her side since then, silent, watchful, unnoticed, not particularly
a special looking cat, nondescript.
Itay, why don't children come and play with me ? she asked Manoy Tomas one
summer day. I go to the river when the water rises during high tide and the
children are having fun, swimming and swinging from the vines of the acacia
trees. When they see me coming, they all all scamper away. They don't like me,
I think.
It's not like that, Manoy Tomas replied with an expression in his face that
only a father could have when his child is hurting. It's just that we're
...different. It did not come out exactly as he wanted.
He did not know what to say. He never knew what to say. He could not look
straight into her eyes. He diverted his eyes to the window and focused on a
hibiscus bud , like the gumamela buds that he and Maria Elena's mother used to
pick and to suck the sweet nectar from during their courting days. It was not
that as if it was all his wife's fault. Oh, my darling Josefina, why did you
have to go so soon? His wife was the strong one in the family. How he wished
she were here to answer Maria Elena's other questions that only a mother could
answer. He felt so inadequate, downright dumb. And he always ended up telling
her to ask Padre Itsi.
Perhaps you can ask Padre Itsi tomorrow?
Previous Chapter - Chapter 2
Next Chapter - Chapter 4
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