Chapter 16: Sisa

Narrator: Distant from the town
an hour’s walk lives the mother
of Basilio and Crispin. The wife
of a heartless man,
she struggles to live for her sons,
while her husband is a vagrant
gamester with whom her
conversations are rare but always
painful. Sisa was confined at
home doing sewing jobs. After
she finished working, she would
deliver it to her customers but
only received a promise of
payment at a later date. Narrator:
At night, Sisa was always
anticipating the arrival of her
sons. She cooked the whitest of
rice and
prepared wild boar’s meat, duck
leg, five little fishes, and
tomatoes but resulting to his
husband eating it all. But
Sisa only smiled. Husband:
Where are the boys? Narrator:
That appeased her appetite. After
eating, Husband: (Grabbed his
rooster and went away) Sisa:
"Don't you want to see them?",
"Old Tasio told me that they
would be a little late. Crispin
now knows how to read and
perhaps Basilio will bring his
wages." Husband: (Stopped
walking) "In that case keep a
peso for me." Narrator: Sisa wept
bitterly, but the thought of her
sons soon dried her tears. She
cooked some more rice and
prepared the only three fishes
that were left. Sisa: "They'll have
good appetites, the way is long
and hungry stomachs have no
heart." Narrator: She waited for
Basilio and Crispin to come but
they never came. She put the
fishes in the pot to keep them
warm. Sisa: (Humming)
Narrator: Suddenly, a black dog
appeared before her. Sisa was
frightened and throw stones at it.
Then, she closed the door and
went to their room to pray to the
Virgin and upon God to watch
over her sons. All of a sudden,
she felt her hair rise on her head
and her eyes stared wildly;
illusion or reality, she saw
Crispin standing by the fireplace,
he said nothing as he gazed at her
with those large, thoughtful eyes,
and smiled. Basilio: "Mother,
open the door! Open, mother!"
Chapter 17: Basilio
Basilio: (Staggered and went to
his mother’s arms)
 (Has blood on his forehead)
Sisa: My sons (Hushed tone)
Basilio: Don’t be afraid mother, "
Crispin stayed at the convento.
Sisa: At the convento? He stayed
at the convento? Is he alive?
Basilio: (Raised his eyes on his
mother) Sisa: Ah! (Embrace
Basilio). Crispin is alive! You
left him at the convento! But why
are you wounded, my son? Have
you had a fall? Narrator: Basilio
told his mother what happened.
The senior sacristan took Crispin
away and told him that he could
not leave until ten o'clock, but it
was already late and so he ran
away. In the town the soldiers
challenged him, he started to run,
they fired, and a bullet grazed his
forehead. He was afraid they
would arrest him and beat him
and make him scrub out the
barracks, as they did with Pablo,
who is still sick from it. Sisa: My
God, my God! Thou hast saved
him! (Looking for bandages,
water, feathers and vinegar) A
finger's breadth more and they
would have killed you, they
would have killed my boy! The
civil-guards do not think of the
mothers. Basilio: You must say
that I fell from a tree so that no
one will know they chased me
Sisa: Why did Crispin stay?
Narrator: Basilio hesitated a few
moments, he related little by little
the story of the gold pieces,
without speaking, however, of
the tortures they were inflicting
upon his young brother. Sisa: My
good Crispin! To accuse my
good Crispin! It's because we're
poor and we poor people have to
endure everything! Haven't you
had any supper yet? Here are rice
and fish. Basilio: I don't want
anything, only a little water. Sisa:
Yes. I know that you don't like
dried fish. I had prepared
something else, but your father
came. Basilio: Father came?
SIsa: He came and asked a lot
about you and wanted to see you,
and he was very hungry. He said
that if you continued to be so
good he would come back to stay
with us. Basilio: What! (Disgust)
Sisa: Son! Basilio: Forgive me,
mother, But aren't we three better
off--you, Crispin, and I? You're
crying--I haven't said anything.
Sisa: Aren't you going to eat?
Then let's go to sleep, for it's now
very late. Basilio: (Dreaming of
Crispin) Sisa: What's the matter?
Why are you crying? Basilio: I
dreamed--O God! It was a
dream! Tell me, mother, that it
was only a dream! Only a dream!
Sisa: What did you dream?
Basilio: (Crying) A dream, a
dream! Sisa: Tell me what you
dreamed. I can't sleep, Narrator:
Basilio told him about his dream
about Crispin. He dreamed that
they had gone to glean the rice-
stalks--in a field where there
were many flowers--the women
had baskets full of rice-stalks the
men too had baskets full of rice-
stalks--and the children too
—
 Basilio: I don't remember any
more, mother, I don't remember
the rest. Basilio: Mother, I've
thought of a plan tonight. Sisa:
What is your plan? Basilio: I
don't want to be a sacristan any
longer. Sisa: What? Narrator:
Basilio told his mother about his
plan to let his mother get Crispin
and his wages and will tell them
that he would not be a sacristan
anymore. He also told his mother
that he will asked Don
Crisostomo Ibarra to hire him as
a herdsman of his cattle and
carabaos. Sisa: What can I say
but yes? Narrator: So Basilio
went back to sleep but his mother
cannot.
Chapter 18: Souls in Torment
Padre Salvi: (preaching)
Narrator: It was about seven
o'clock in the morning when Fray
Salvi finished celebrating his last
mass. Woman1: (Whisper to her
seatmate) The padre is ill. He
doesn't move about with his usual
slowness and elegance of
manner. Sacristan1: (Whispers to
other sacristan) Attention! The
devil's to pay! It's going to rain
fines, and all on account of those
two brothers. Padre Salvi:
(Walking in the isle) Narrator:
Upon seeing him approach, the
women arose and one of them
pressed forward to kiss his hand,
but the holy man made a sign of
impatience that stopped her short.