“Martines” Summary

By Anna Felicia Sanchez

Anna Felicia Sanchez’ short horror story starts with an opening anecdote of Richard Servacio’s
father telling a myth of a secret to immortality that “kept the land from drying, from crumbling under
the weather of a world that had lost its way along its own axis. With this knowledge, the rest of
the land could be saved from drowning in the color of blood, there would be no need for the
shadows of things long gone… there would be life…” and so the story continues with Richard and
his cousin, Totoy, driving a “grimy” owner-type jeep on the way to an isolated forest – which was
once a village – in the jungles of Batangas. Richard, who was a 25-year-old corporate speech
trainer suffering from a quarter-life crisis – after being told a “lousy” motivational speaker by his
boss for the fifth time. Because of this, he hoped to seek comfort of the countryside view of
Batangas and after Totoy promised him that Martinés – their destination – would change his life
forever. But rather the trip seemed to have worsened his emotional state by the bumpy ride and
the nuisance of his cousin’s company. The awful journey had put him to sleep in which he dreams
of a myth where a mysterious stranger in his father’s once infertile village appeared. The stranger
blessed the lands with bountiful nature that fulfilled the village. Because of the miracles brought
by the stranger, the villagers begged her to stay but she could not for she has other villages to
visit. So instead, she made them sign a contract with a condition of remembering so that the
village would continue to flourish. The head of the village worried that what if they could not
remember? The stranger then answered that their offspring should be told… and if they forget,
then “they shall be reminded.” The stranger dispersed into a thousand birds and flew down the
edge of the village where grew a young acacia tree. Richard was awakened when his cousin
parked the jeep. He accompanied Totoy to catch a live monitor lizard to offer to Martinés. He was
distracted with the appearance of a black bird with a crest on its head. Totoy rather continued
telling Richard a trivia about him being the oldest in their generation next to Tata Onsing – their
great grandfather – who was dying.

The next scene reveals the sequel to Richard’s dream where the leader of the village died. The
villagers turned to the oldest of the youngest of the members of his family who could remember
that must take the ancestor’s place as keeper of the burden of remembering. The village lived in
abundance until one day, the last person who could remember died. Everyone came to forget
until no one could take up the burden. When they could not fulfill the contract, tragedy began to
torment the village so strong that the waters colored the rocks with blood. The stranger returned
and bestowed her final gift. She called to one of the black birds in the acacia, snipped its tongue
and declared that this is how they shall be reminded. If the contract is broken once again, the
stranger promised to come back to drain the land.
The mystery unfolds as Richard and Totoy draw deeper into the forest. As they wander along the
forest, Totoy keeps stating that Richard doesn’t know anything. Richard’s perplexity about the
place and his family history alters as he comes to realize the disturbing darkness of the forest
when they approached a large acacia tree where dwell the thousand black birds. Totoy explains
that these birds are called “Martinés”. When they are young, people can teach them to speak by
snipping their tongues bit by bit. The details of the place and the myth – the red rocks, the acacia
tree, the martinés, “the oldest of the youngest must take up the burden”, “memory is a fragile
thing” unlocked the horrifying mystery of his destiny. Richard was about to run away when Totoy
hit him with a steel knocking him unconscious. Later, he wakes up in the darkness with his arms
and feet bounded. He asked Totoy for light and then he saw the remains of the lizard fed by the
martinés and Tata Onsing, moaning in pain, welcoming his death.

Totoy left the place leaving Richard behind. The bird fed on his knees making him cry in pain
causing him to open his mouth and the bird snipped his tongue. The martinés bent to his ear and
spoke of the secret memory.