- fe Unusual Trostment / Jt Dime deny “No more, Coach! I can't do it anymore!” There’s no more ssrength in your shoulders, “Dorit give up, Manny! This is the match of your life! You hhave to win by knockout!” “1 ant doit anymore!” The teas roll down your cheeks, No ‘one sees, no one Knows but you. They tickle down and mix with your blood and sweat. “You're the champ, Manny! Youre the People's Champ! You «ean doi “No more! {beg you, no more! Please.please..please. ‘The bell rings. WS the start of a new round. You don't know where your strength comes fro. Against your will, no matter how {you ress. an invisible force moves your legs, puts one foot infront fof the other. You stand again: you shufle t the center ofthe ring, Jast as your opponent, ready once more, does. 'A beautiful woman wearing almost nothing walks the edges of| ‘he rng, holding up a round card for allo see. Useless to you. You ay know what round tis is: the same as befor, the same asthe ene after it, a number that won't go up or come down. A number forever etched onthe round card. From the loudspeaker, you hear the announcement: “Round 66...Round 666...Round 666..." Ina moment, the announcement is érowed out by the lusty crow, yelling your mame. Leg Men “There are tree ways to deal with a manananggel,” said Cousin (Omeng ashe initiated me into the lore. “There's the hard way, which {sto goat it head-on with bolos and bamboo spears.” To emphasize {his point, he brought his bolo down on the head ofa green bamboo stalk, Wit that one clean stroke he tured the stalk into a spear. He charred ‘the tip over buming coals to harden it. When it was sulicietly black, he showed his handiwork to me “OF course, thats not a very smart thing to do,” Cousin Omeng continued. “Remember: a mananangeal is a creature of Hight. She ‘can stay well ou of the range that you can throw a spesr. And if she does decide to fight — Cousin Omeng shuddered — “there's her powerful but wings to reckon with.” “suppose it would work if there were @ few dozen of us,” ited out “But there's not a dozen of us, is there?” Cousin Om countered, “it's just you and me. Now dont nterup, oF wel never {get to the important parts” 7 ‘What prompted this hasty lesson was a series of manananggal sightings around our town of San Antonio, The fist one happened Just the week before. Tiago and Tebaa, the village drunks, were Saggering home fom a latenight drinking spree. Tiago (so his ‘sory went) looked up and saw massive bat wings against the waxing ‘moon, Teban laughed at his friend's overactive imagination but when he looked up, ie also saw those wings coming down in a swoop, Of course no one quite believed the town drunks. For the next ‘two days, San Antonio hada few more jokes to add about Tiago and ‘eban. But then the evening of that second day, Pedring, whom everyone knew was having an affair with Rosa, ran screaming from ‘their trysting place among the banana leaves. He sad he s2 the‘An Unusual Treatment sarang! ly by where he was waiting, ("Her eyes were as big ™ Podring hod sad, “and her tongue waggled down to her eck!) (Other accounts started pouring in, There was the story of Kula, ‘onan eand for his wife who had a midnight craving for santol. He ‘aught the mananangga's silhouette against the clouds. (“Her claws were razorshagp!™ Kulas had said, “and she had fangs thi long!") ‘Then there was the story of Bert, whose wife had banished him from his house because he lst their savings atthe cockpit, who said he saw the same. ("I could see her entails hanging fom her waist!” Berto had said.) Allthese reports sent our litle town into a tizzy. The market and the plaza buzzed with rumors and tales, Young men and women, sought the village elders for half-remembered lore; the elders nodded sagely when their prescriptions agreed, and argued fiercely when they didat, Mothers admonished their children, wives admonished ‘heir husbands: dont stay out too late or the manananggal will get you twas still several weeks till the harvest and the fiesta, but already San Antonio had come live with the thrill’ of @ ‘manananggal in our midst. Since the sightings, every day had become market day. Overnight, our reliable vendors had discovered ‘lucrative market in protective charms and foulsmelling oils; and ‘the townsfolk couldnt buy them fast enough. None it seemed, was hopper than Ong Teck, the Chinaman, At ‘he frst san of rouble, the wily rascal had comered the market in tlc cloves and onions. When the demand went up, so did the Prices. The people grumbled, but they all bought ffom Ong Teck anyway All his would have been harmless fun unl Rodrigo, the mayer's ae = in on ei, ame pw he iit se to protect the town and go after the | Leg Men ‘mananmggal. (We cannot allow this beast to terrorize ws! he said ina rousing address. “Think ofthe children!) Before long he had gathered a band of his lusty cohorts. (*We will deliver San Antonio from this creature!” he promised.) Ong Teck, who had also comered ‘the market in bamboo stalks and torches, was ecstatic. With such a brave group of men putting their lives on the line, the mayor and the village elders only saw it fit to put together a Princely bounty on the maranariggal. Five thousand pescs! More than an ordinary farmer could make in ten years. That figure sent ‘Sam Antonio into an even bigger tzzy ‘This is where my Cousin Omeng — and by association, I — ‘came in, Since the announcement, everyone was sure that the ‘bounty would go to Rodrigo and his band. As such, they all flocked tothe swain, “Rodrigo will save us," they said; and on the side, they ‘Whispered and winked: “Rodrig, dost forget us, ha?" But not my Cousin Omeng. Cousin Omeng was a tanner, and it was a trade that suited him well. He was strong, He was clever. He had nimble hands. But to the people of San Antonio, al this counted for naught, because in all ‘other respects, he was the opposite of Rodrigo. Where Rodrigo was, tall, he was shor; where Rodrigo had a full head of har, he was soing bald; where Rodrigo was handsome, he was homely. And to add to all that, between his shoulders was a litle bump, not too big, but noticeable. This, of course, marked him the village fool (and I, his loyal cousin, was his heir apparent.) He could never be part of Rodrigo's band, even ifhe had wanted to. AS I said, Cousin Omeng was quite clever, When the town ‘mayor announced the bounty, he set his eyes on the prize. Over the years, he had collected quite abit of lore; and among these were the ‘ways with which to deal with manananggal. ‘and blood, I was immediately drafted into his adRieuat Treatment “Lill don't see why we have to go after her” I sid asl eyed the business end of the bamboo spear. “After all, she hasnt hurt anyone." Cousin Omeng only granted and shrugged. He made another spear from a second bamboo stalk. These had been hard to get, seeing as how it spears were in such high demand. It seemed ridiculous, really: two spears, one for Cousin Omeng and one for ime, against the several dozen handed out among Rodrigo’s band, But Cousin Omeng was determined, and presently I saw why. ‘The silence of our labors was broken by a titer of chatter and ‘iggles. Even before we spied them on the road, we already knew ‘who it was: Elisa and her cour, on their way to join the festivities at, the plaza, lisa was the fairest girl in San Antonio, and infact, for several villages round. Every man had his eye on her, wished to woo her and win her; all these she encouraged with her tering eyelids, ‘only t dash their hopes with her cruel mouth. And yet they ‘ersited, even though they knew the coquete had eyes only for the ‘handsome Rodrigo, “Avery good morning to you, ladies,” Cousin Omeng sid in his loudest, cheriest voice. He leapt ftom our roadside camp and bowed in courtly fashion at Elisa and her frends. Elisa did not take notice of my cousin; instead, the sides of her lips curved up in thin smile, and she held her head up higher. Rosa (the same one trysting With Pedring) did cas a glance at Cousin Omeng: then, she ssid ‘Sree © he ns ht made tem bin ah And 0 weno, lace parasols rwtlng inthe sun, until they di SOL ee pce tinge, wl hey appeared “dont see why you keep hoping.” I sid. “Shel never eee hel never look at Leg Men, “Have you seen her ankles?” Cousin Omeng ssid dreamy “The pretest ve seen.” How he knew despite the lng skirts all te ‘women wore was beyond me. Bur that was my Cousin Omeng. “There ae three ways to deal with @ manonanggal” repeated Cousin Omeng. “There's the hard way, with bolos and bamboo spears as I said, And then there's the easy way: with this Cousin Onmieng thew me a leather pouch about rice the size of my fist. The pouch was of his own make and design, simple yet ingenious. There were no seams, it looked all ofa piece. You could raw its mouth open and close with its system of strings. “The pouch was heavy and fall, but its contents shifted easly. T ‘opened it and looked inside. “Sal” Tinguired. “Yes, my cousin salt!" Cousin Omeng said, Startled by bis own ‘exuberance, afrsid that someone would hear, he dropped his voice considerably. He went on to explain the scheme tome. By day a manananggal was an ordinary woman, one as you may find walking inthe plaza or shopping in the market. They lived apart, though, because of their curse. Not all of them were ‘manananggals by choice. ‘But in the dead of night, when the hunger came upon them, they would undergo a horrible transformation. Their skin would melt, their hands became claws, their teeth grew into fangs. Bat wings ‘would sprout from their backs. Then, their bodies would split atthe torso, The upper half would take fight in search of prey; but the lower half was vulnerable, “What does the salt have to do with it?” 1 asked. “We find the manananggal's lower half and we spread salt all ‘over it, Salt is their mortal enemy. With the lower half destroyed, she can't come together anymore! And we can do it without even ‘coming face-to-face with her”Unusual Treatment | was impressed by this strategy, until flaw inthe plan occurred to me. “Cousin Omeng,” I said, “wont it be a problem to look for the lower half!” San Antonio itself wasn't vey big, but we were surounded all around by hills and forests, Cousin Omeng, though, had an answer to this objection. From his own pouch, he took out a branch from what must have been & very uply plant. Its length was hooked with barbs, and it leaves and buds were a dark shade of purple. “A branch from the sidlakan plant," he explained; “where it grows, the manonanggal can't be fa” ‘Thus began our quest forthe manananggal of San Antonio. Our search was methodical, We followed the reported sightings and scoured the areas around for any signs of the sidlakan bramble. “The story, according to Cousin Omeng, was this: th blood ofthe ‘manananggal was poison of the foulest kind. Where it fell it would ‘ul the plants around it, From that spot on the earth, the sidlakan would grow: where it grew in profusion was where the ‘manananggal effected her transformation. The sidlakan was $0 named because it gave off an eerie purple glow in the dark, an astonishing property my cousin demonstrated to me with his specimen, (Our frst forays ito the forests tured up nothing. We searched until early evening and tured back before it became too dark. ARet all, we were going forthe second, easy way (so my cousin claimed) of dealing with the manananggal. ‘When we retumed to San Antonio, it was with downeast hearts, ‘Not only did we arrive empry-handed, we also came back to an early Sesta. So sure were the townsfolk of Rodigo's success that they ‘ossted pigs and roasted a calf, and since it was unthinkable to eat these delicacies alone, they also prepared the sweet sticky rice, the fragrant spicy noodles, the strong coconut wine, and teats of every er. To round out the afr the rondala band came to play, The Leg Men, ‘whole town came alive. With their merry noise would have scared sway even the most fearsome manananggal; and ifthe manananggal id indeed come, they would have been too drunk to notice. Iewas fiesta aight, but festa to which we were not invited Sill Cousin Omeng and [soldered on. Come morning the usual ‘quiet of the land would return, and Cousin Omeng and 1 would find ourselves in a cheerier mood. We set off again on our hunt. The sun was high, but not hot the breeze from the sea blew gently on our faces and rustle the tes in whispered song. The trees were in full leaf their fruits ripe and heavy forthe picking. The night's foul ‘mood forgotten, Cousin Omeng would regale me with other legends he heard, for he was a teasure trove of lore. And when that thread of conversation ran stale, we began to make fun of Rodrigo, of his frends, ofhis father the blowhard mayer. ‘And when there were no more horrid names to throw at Rodrigo and his kinsmen, we tured tothe besutful belles of San Antonio, Elisa, of course, was atthe head of Cousin Omeng's list; and for that T made a face. How could he like such a haughty beauty? T myself ‘referred Mara, because had a weakness for pouty lips and big breasts. ‘We ran through the lit ofthe gels in San Antonio. At the end of it, we hit some disappointment: however high or low we set our Sights, we were doomed to be bachelors. There we were: Cousin ‘Omeng the hunchback, and me, the village idiot. Only once in our hunt for sidlakan did our conversation tum buck to the manananggal, and I remember it was I who prompted him that time “Cousin, you said there were three ways t0 dea! with a ‘monananggal,” | suid when we paused to rest by the Baniko River. “There was the hard way, and there's the easy way. But that’s only ‘0, Whats the third?"Cousin Omeng shuddered. “Oh, its too horible to mention,” he sid “Hey come on, tell me!” He looked at me solemnly, and said: imsele” “Sactifce himself? How?” ‘ee whispered the answer in my eat stared a him in disbelief; ry hair stood on end. “You'e kidding!” He shook his head inal serioumess. ‘Other than that, it did not feel like we were hunting the smanananggel a. “A man has to sacrifice It was at dusk of the third day when we stumbled upon the ‘manananggal's li. ‘Our searches along the Baniko River and the paths through the ‘pil Forest had been fruitless. We were about to head home when, from the corner of my eye, I spotted a fant purple glow through the ‘ees in the distance. I gripped Cousin Omeng’s arm and pointed. He nodded; he saw itt. ‘We wended our way through the ypilypil trees, The sun was setting, painting the horizon behind us in warm orange hues; but under the heavy cover of leaves, we were already in the shadow of the growing darkness. To the le, to the right, we saw the glow of the scattered sidlakan plans. They made a trail that led deep into the ‘The sun had gone dovin by the time we reached a clearing inthe woods. In its place was the rising full moon. The area was aglow, not caly with the light ffom the moon, but from the sidlakan that ‘grew thick onthe ground. At the far end ofthe clearing, there was a lonely nipa but, dark inside but forthe faint glow of candlelight. Cousin Omeng motioned me to squst, and he did likewise. We hid behind the runk ofa giant acacia tre. We stole quick glances at the hut, then ducked fr cover lst we be seen. ‘A first it was hard to breathe, My heart beat like thunder and my chest felt tight. My mouth was dry. I would have kecled over from fright had it not been, ionically, for the gently soothing fragrance ofthe sidlakon that bloomed all around us. It was sweet yet light, unlike anything I had ever smelled. Presently, 1 calmed ‘down, as did my cousin, T dont know how long we waited. The light inside the hut flickered yet remained. Cousin Omeng and I would take tums spying round the trunk to se if anyone had come out ‘And then, Cousin Omeng whispered: “The light is out. T peeked atthe hut. Indeed, the open window had gone black. ‘Momentary, we heard a sound. A figure emerged from the door, It could not quite make out her face; all could see was that her hair was long and that her fame was tall. From the way she moved and carried herself, I guessed that she was quite young. She climbed ‘down the steps in dainty steps as women in skits often did. Tstole a lance at Cousin Omeng, and I could see that he, too, was captivated by the sight. ‘Then the most amazing thing happened: the woman tured into a ‘manananggal. ‘How shall I describe the transformation? It was nether sudden ‘nor violent as I thought it would be. The woman looked tothe sky, then bent her bead down as ifto pray. She held her arms across her chest, then leaned forward, Her blouse partedat the back, and from the opening emerged, ever so shyly, the hint of a wing. It was like 2 buttefly emerging from 2 cocoon. | felt like an intruder ata solemn ceremony; had I not been $0 ‘entranced, I would have looked away in shame.Stony the wings spend ot wl ily even ot magnificence. They fluttered ‘once, oa ‘ice, testing the air, Th ‘sequsinted with their element, they Mapped with zalousjoy. ‘Then she was off, lke a bird fed fm erage She aed Sth hy. props by toe mighy Wigs Inne was abrite shout pit ight te mon __So sudden was her fight, I did not even see the moment of Separation. only” wealized when, having” low sight of the ‘manananggal in the clouds, my eyes sted on the waist that stood ‘on legs in the middle of the clearing. ‘The legs were long, because the manananggal was tall round the waist was wrapped a malong of intricate design, held in place by a knot. Along the side ran a tong slit that revealed the skin of the le all the way tothe thigh From the neck of the malong skit I could see part ofthe sbdomen ‘that ended atthe nave. And above that nothing 1 was amazed, but Cousin Omeng transfixed: I hissed to remind im of our mission “Wow, Cousin Omeng?™ = “Not yet. The manananggal might sil be close, If we ike too soon, she could catch us. Let's wat il the moon ishigher”™ ‘And so we waited, and an interminaby long wait it was. The Jeaves rusted in the wind the crickets chirped, but the woe it” seemed, had frozen, The oaly mark to the passage of time was the ‘ever ising moon which took forever to cmb tits place. Finally, Cousin Omeng drew me close and outines his plan. We ‘would approach the legs from opposite directions, 1 would stay —— where Iwas, he would ctcle round. At his signal, we would move towards our target 1k was a good plan, one that required the rinimum of stealth: After all, there were no ears to hear. AS he ssid, Cousin Omeng ‘rced tothe othe side, and I waited unt I saw the sparks fom hi flint, Perhaps it would all have gone accordingly had 1 not 8 | the Teps veered away, heading towards the woods. ‘The sit ofthe Leg Men (8 8 dy branch that gave an eacpliting crack; so loud was it that the crickets topped their song ‘The legs mast have sensed it, pecs through the vibrations in the ground. They jumped up with a star, then began to shu tothe side, away fom the ine that Cousin Omeng and I made, Wead been discovered. It was now or never Sensing our fouls, ‘along flapped wildy inthe wind, but otherwise the skirt bel Cousin Omeng had covered quite 8 distance before we were found out, snd so he was closer. He leapt and tackled the walking toro, and caught it around its thighs. He lifted the legs off the ‘ground ina tight embrace. The legs failed wildy, | had fieed the pouch ffom belt and its neck lay open in my hand, The white salt came pouring ou into my palm. “Hold her steady!” Leried as I Dung the fist handfl towards the kicking monstrosity. When the grains touched the opening, it would be the beginning ofthe end. 1 was not prepared for what happened next. nie Cousin Omeng twisted away so his body shielded the waist. My volley instead caught him on his back. Why did he do that? Was he possessed? “Hold sil” I shouted as I prepared another round. “Stop! We cant" 1 had moved far t00 close ‘The legs filed so wildly they foot caught me on the nose. 1 fell over backwards, as did Cousin Omeng, ‘And now the legs were fre; they an towards the forest. “What are you doing?” I spat. But he was on his feet chasing after the leeing legs. I followed ater him.Foca exile they caused, Tl admi ves to guide them, no hands for balane, it was amazing how fr ‘air of legs could carry 8 waist. We would have lost them ia the forest were it not for the rocky, uneven ground underneath the ‘tearing. A foot must have stumbled on a rock ora hole, because the legs fell forward and rolled — once, twice, a third time — before finally coming ores. ““O-000k,” Cousin Omeng moaned pitifully. “Is it dead?” I asked. ‘We drew in close, The legs did try to move, but all it could ‘manage was a twitch, . ‘Again my hand went for the salt pouch, but Cousin Omeng ‘pushed it away. “Are you out of your mind?” I demanded. “Quick! Before the ‘manananggal comes back!” “We cast” Cousin Omeng said, The moonlight reflected in the ‘cars welling up in his eyes. “Don't you see? This is..perfecton.. it ‘would bea crime!” ‘Cousin Omeng picked up the legs and eraled them in his arms. ‘Whether they were hurt ffom the fll, or sensed that Cousin Omeng ‘meant no harm, the legs no longer struggled. Cousin Omeng carried them with utmost care back fo the hut. Dumbstruck, I could do nothing else but follow. We entered the hut, and Cousin Omeng directed me to light Some candles. Thus illumined, we saw what few men have seen the Ini ofthe dreaded manananggal which, as it tured ou, was not so dreadful tall ‘As we saw from its exterior, the walls were made of nips; the oor, of bamoo slats, It was extraordinary in that it was — ordinary. Infact, it was remarkably clean, much cleaner than the hovel that Cousin Omeng and I kept. On the windows were la Was quite a feat, No Lag Men curtains with bBo, onthe abe was a woven runner, and over to the side rested a porcelain vase with flowers | Cousin Omeng, though, was oo preoccupied to tke notice. He | setthe legs down on the floor and ran his nimble fingers gently down | theca | Rotbcokenhesighed wiht just wise ankle” From his pouch he produced some Aayabar leaves and chewed "them to make a paste, He massaged the ankle with the paste at some length. Then he wrapped it ght wih a clean strip of cloth, For a flourish, he made a tiny bow by the oo. “lease, plese less, Cousin Omen” I sida stamped my fee and pulled my bai “I dont understand” Or maybe I id, bat id not wan toad it Cousin Omeng st the west on har an stetched he sprained leg to rest onthe table. “Dont you se?" he sai. He sooked the shin ever so lghly the Teg quivers, but didnot resist. “These legstheyre perfect! The proportions! Look! The breadth ofthe ‘high. The way the calf curves so, like agente sloping dune. Look at the angle it makes dwn to the ankle, And the skin, so sft and creamy! And look at the fet, s0 dainty!" At that, the rmananangga'sred-pinted oes wiggle slg ‘Any moment now the manananggo! would come swooping in We would both die, but that would be « weleome end to the embarassment fe. No mananangga! came, though, and finaly, Cousin Omeng decided it was time to go, He tok one last long look a the legs with ‘much hesitation. In the end, he worked up the nerve: he brushed his band agsnsa knee and brought it up a high along the thigh ashe dared. The leg quivered, and responded witha gentle kick to his | thin, My cousin chorted with le. When we left the hu, the moon was on its way down, The clearing was as much as we bad sen i, sil aglow withthe purple 7_ sistakan aura. The Woes swayed gently inthe wind, the night beds ae footed and hooked 1 seamed the skis fue signe of ie ‘Apacety, just the night before, the vlog elder had fay ‘mananangal; here vas none oc teh atten cong te aereaue sat, sna! te a ae Es bine coee moconge in tates tase aay fe at ea cece eaaes oi aucun oat eco I woke with a star the following morning, felt for my bed, my ae saan ae cmna mening TRE Os i dd wa it le wa 1 ‘We made our way back to San Antonio. ‘Cousin Omeng was ina =| dreamed the events fhe pst igh? | Vootny pavictynatgnactefing 1 | very light mood. Hands in his pockets, he whistled as he walked Overhead, the leaves rusted. I thought {could hear a giggle : | ound my path blocked by Rodrigo and his fiends. Cousin Omeng was up and about, He was already bathed and “Ab, Omeng’s cousin,” Rodrigo said through his perfect smile seemed. He moved with « spring his ps. “Good momisg, =! ie hed me ight around the shoulders, Two more of hs fends cousin! he greeted me heartily. He thumped me on my shoulder, sacronda el TAuy ee oul ts miceecey tele (Rise oee rou dang aliet “No, no luck atl,” Isaid. Ie did not feel Hike aie, “Gave up, “Carit chat, cousin, I have @ busy day ahead of me.” And with seta” that he was out the door, “Really now? Where were you lst night? We dn ste yoa He came back a litle afer lnch lowers in ene hand, att | come home™ in the other. In the basket were sweet and tes, winkes, and eam colorful cloths. In i, too, were new and expensve-looking shins {All sftemoon long, he was a whirlwind around the house, cleaning this comer and that, wrapping. up presents, and whisting with sbandon. By Iste afternoon, he had bathed once more and drowned = bimselfin perfume. To complete his transformation, he put on new shin and pats. Then he was out the door. ‘Don't wait up, I might be late" he called from the yard, 1 ‘buried my head in my hands, not knowing what to do. As it tured out, other events were in motion. If things were 5 looking up for Cousin Omeng, it was quit the ther way fo the rest of the town. AS I wandered into the square, I could sense the ful ‘mood of people around me. People were scowling and frovming; not 2 few threw dagger looks in my diection. “Maybe you should show us where you got lost, so. you know..we dont get lost ourselves.” ‘They gathered ther ropes and knives and spears and torches. It was 8 right and proper posse that had formed, now ofall times. We Inuted out of town, with meat the head ofthe mob. 1 wanted to lead them far away ftom last nights clearing However, Berto had seen us return from Baniko Rive, from which ‘here was only one path. My ruse was discovered quickly. Rodtigo held a knife close to my throat, a warning that he would brook no trickery t [Night had fallen on the Ypil Forest, but no peace came with it. Instead, the woods were alive with the nose of angry men bearing torches. The torches, thankfully, overwhemed the light of the sidlakan plans, so there was no chance of accidental discovery. AsTaree Leten forme, feigned ignorance ofthe wa i SS tees ance of the way to the clearing. We travelled Cousin Omeng wasn' thereafter all. 1 paused to catch ‘my breath. pie in forest path several times. ‘Then from behind me, I heard loud curses ‘They were too close! a ly, Rodrigo lost patience with me. é ‘Torches began to emerge fom the trees around the clearing. aan. You Title fo8” he growled “you take us to Omeng s| ANB tet tmmple th sidan fed. Driven tytn. I Sah now, or wel bum the forex down” Heist beaparne | eh “Omer! The els feet eens ee ‘Anife against my rib. 3 them away...” Suddenly, someone shouted: “I see something!" More shous, A fchring light came to if inside the hut A window swe ce eg fan Rati Be edinet em dency =} AMON In esCon Cg! ‘round me. They were all distracted by the commotion and paid me. ere ene i Zs Ro heed. I escaped into the forest and hid behind a tree. The shouts ees ceeee ceeeeS e from he pose pew loud Serato eres 2 See ‘A seam of uses ested from Cousin Omeng’s mouth Even “xa | ee cnet ens He amped rae ee 2 Se eres Mal Reo ee he ut le i Witte ening of is? Conn eng eae sigy fly mange steph et “Omeg, Hee ster monroe : "Arogsa?? Wt bi” Cousin Oneng shoe “Cont youve man peace wh is Woman” ‘oe ed wonan pce ly cu the window. Ste eda Sankt rudy om rsh. mei nme eat the mona! at ght Shean nie a sa sere tend Cui Ong. No at ngs tte Se awe ‘cou ble my tcl men ad et ink fre sane eso, “Wha we yu liga ous” bed Cosa Ones “eto ethes!Dat mat me one dwn! “You fool! Ie’ just a bat!” “Where's the village idiot™ “T thought you had him!” “Spread out! Find him! He cant have gone very fa!” ‘managed my escape, they were likely to come across the hut. Would they find the manananggal? I didnt care, But if they found Cousin ‘Omeng there, they would ter im to pices had no choice. I had to outrun them. I had to find Cous ‘Omeng. Uhad to war him about Rodrigo and his men ofthe silakan. 1 only hoped I woulda stumble 3 | found my way to the clearing. On the far side, I saw the such a it was the night before. The windows were dark. 9s- Thus chastised, the band dispersed and headed back into the forest. The men grumbled and shook theit ‘who looked like a him, ‘heads. I saw Rodrigo, doused in water, I stuck my tongue out at ‘When everyone hed gone, ran up to the hut to Cousin Omeng and the woman. “Tw $0 soy, cousin,” I said, tears streaming down my eyes, “They were so close, Thad to come to wam you." “Not your fault,” he sai, patting my shoulder. “Infact, 'm glod ittumed out the way it did” “But.what about. er?” “Ah, yes, het. My woman. My one true love” He pecked a the ‘woman's cheek. The woman blushed and giggled. “Remember the third way of dealing with 8 manananggat?” “You did “Oh, yes I did. Tmaried ee” “But.but.married? How could you do that? There's no church! ‘There's no priest!” He winked at me, and grinned “Ah, my poor innocent cousin, there's more than one way to get ‘married, you know, Now if youll excuse us, we'e going to get arsed again. and agai, ‘That would have been the end of my story, but there was still the mater ofthe reward. Five thousand pesos was five thousand pesos, afterall. Cousin Omeng wanted to collect, He deserved to collec, What was needed was proof, and that be managed to procure. "You se, when Cousin Omeng, er, marred Milagros — that was the ‘manananggei's name — it had the effect of shedding her wings. It was a shame, really, because they were quite majestic. Twelve feet cach wing spanned, and along the ridges stretched a fine black skin 06 7” =e | | | | : | ‘Leg Mon covered wih silky down. Bur it was just 8 wel, beeause there was no way anyone could claim it was afk. Wie brought the wings before the council, After careful ‘examination ofthe evidence, they awarded us the bounty. No one ‘sked about the beautiful woman who never left Cousin Omeng’s slide. Rodrigo and his men, aftr that evening's tongue lishing. were meek as lambs and raised no hue. Besides, they had heir creditors ~ tw wary about. = Cousin Omeng graciously gave me half the reward in tur, 1 offered it back asa wedding present to Milagros and him. After ll, it was all his sarifice, though in the end, no one can say that he suffered very much frit eft San Antonio not long after to seek my fortunes elsewhere ‘A fos years Inter, my travels brought me back othe town. I ent to visit Cousin Omeng and Milagros. By then Cousin Omeng bad grove rch, second only to old Ong ‘eek. Cousin Omeng had not squandered the reward money. He Jnvesed in what he knew bos: a tannery. He partnered with Ong ‘Teck, who tumed ut tobe a decent fellow. Shrewd, yes, but fir and generous. Later on, the partners expanded theit venture into factory. Cousin Omeng and Milagros, in fact, are quite famous, and Ia certain you have heard of them. Ttis known far and wid, after all, that they make the finest and most exquisite ladies’ shoes this side of the galleon trade fe