There is an island where
She used to frolic.
Marshland, forest, river, jungle…
A bounty of nature.
She used to lay in the current, and
Let it bob her from island to island.
Until one day she was swept off the map.
She awoken in dragon’s wings.
The bakanawa had found her.
Reminded of another Visayan girl,
The dragon dared to eat the last moon.
Until the girl sang a song so soothing,
The dragon was fast asleep.
She escaped and ran to the beach.
Unaware of her surroundings,
Where home would be.
Could be?
She lay in the current, and
Prayed to the gods for someone
To find her.
Only then,
Did she awaken.
Her heart chakra clear from the
Ocean water.
Opened and untethered.
She dreamt
All day
She come to realize.
She was severely dehydrated and
Hungry. Unsure of where
She had been all day.
The sun was setting, and the
Full moon was near.
She could feel the vibrations of
Wings storming towards her.
Scared the bakunawa had awoken again,
She swam towards shore,
But the vibrations of the wings had not stopped.
Suddenly she crept onto land.
A storm was brewing and she had
Barely made it.
She ran into the woods,
Discovering she was stuck in a marshland swamp.
Yet the echoes of the wings fluttering did not stop her.
Until suddenly she came upon a hut,
And surrounded were thousands of
White butterflies.
Lighting up a shrine.
With a huge mangrove tree in the middle where the hut lay underneath,
Built into the woods.
Suddenly, an elderly woman walked out.
She had tattoos on her arms, neck, and legs.
Everywhere you could see poking out of her dress and boots.
“Where have you been, young girl?”
The woman asked.
“I don’t know how to explain it. Where am I?” The girl said, confused.
“The bakunawa has chosen you a new path. I saw you riding its wings and could hear your song. You are chosen, don’t you understand?” The woman frowned.
“Don’t you see, young girl? Every single one of these butterflies represent a soul that has passed on that tamed the bakanawa and saved mankind for all good. We live here near its lair, and once your service is done, you must teach the next generation. It’s your turn!” The woman exclaimed.
“B-but I have to get back home…” the girl said.
“You are a far and perilous journey from home, this is your home now. I will teach you and take you in. There’s a village nearby but you must cross a river. I grow everything we could need in my garden and otherwise live off the land. I earn money by making jewelry and giving tattoos to warriors and priestesses. This is the life you’ve been waiting for!”
The young girl looked
At the sky
And saw bakunawa wings over the moon.
So far away but lit by the radiance of the halo around the moon.
“This is your time to sing your song. Sing for me.” The elderly woman said with a smile.
The young girl sang, and
All around her the visibility cleared, and
All the white butterflies bounded for the sky in a conga line. Led by a symphony of nature and boundless breeze, the song started to warm the elderly woman’s heart.
“The white butterflies never stop fighting for mankind, but they live here. All you have to do is sing your song every full moon to protect mankind and our shining light. Could it all really be so bad, with the strength you have? You let the ocean lead you here. The bakanawa will never stop searching for you, but you’re not alone.” The elderly woman shared hopefully.
The young girl finished her song, and said “ If I can’t change it, this may just be the life for me. I have much to learn and I thought all today was a dream, but now I’m assured. “
She can sing again.
