CERTAINLY NOT A COWARD

How did Celso prove to his friends that he was not a

coward?

The boy’s name was Celso. It’s a pretty name,Isn’t it?

But very few ever called Celso by his pretty name. Almost all
his playmates call him “Sissy.” Others baptized him “Cely”,
and still others called him “Totoy.” And they called him
“Totoy” , not because they wanted to call him lovingly. They
called him “Totoy” mockingly because they thought that he
was more of a baby than a boy.

One evening Celso’s mother heard loud voices calling

from below.

“Hoy, Cely, come down. We shall play,” called one.

“Come down quickly, Sissy,” seconded another.

Celso peeped out of the window. He waved his hand

happily. He even smiled and called out, “Coming!” Then with
a skip and a run, he was soon bouncing down the stairs.

“Come back Celso,” the mother called.

“What is it Mother?” Celso asked impatiently.

“I heard them call you ‘Sissy’ and ‘Cely’. Why do you

allow them to do that?”

Celso bowed his head. He twisted his fingers and

wiggled his toes.

“Answer me, Celso, why do you allow them to make

fun of you that way?”

“Because I didn’t climb the high belfry. And I refuse

to join them in fighting with the boys across the river. Again,
I didn’t go with them when they raided Tandang Tasyo’s
santol trees,” Celso explained.

“And they call you ‘Sissy’ and ‘Cely’ for refusing to join
them in their foolish pranks?” the mother angrily repeated.

“Come down Sissy. Hurry Cely!” called the voices

below.

The mother stood and leaned out the window. In a

voice soft but clear she said, “No boy by those ugly names
lives here. If you wish to play with my son, then call him by
his name.”

The boys were embarrassed. They were so ashamed of

themselves that they ran away. The mother turned away
from the window for she heard someone sniffing and sobbing.
It was Celso, of course.

“And now what are you crying about?” she asked.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Mother. Now, more

than ever, they will call me ‘Sissy’. They will say that I’m like
a baby who tells Mother about his petty troubles!” And Celso
cried some more.

The mother patted his son’s back. She lifted his face
and said, “Look at me, Son. I believe that you are braver than
your playmates because you refused to do things that are
wrong, even if by so refusing, you lost their good will. I know
of many boys who were good at heart, but they became bad
because they were not brave enough to refuse to do
something naughty and foolish. I am proud of you, Celso, but
don’t allow them to call you ‘Sissy’ or ‘Cely’. Some day you can
prove to them that you are braver than they.”

His mother’s words cheer up Celso. He wiped away his

tears. He even managed to smile as he thanked his mother.

“And now, you may join your playmates,” the mother

said, “but be back early. You must be in bed before nine
o’clock.”

Celso’s heart was light, as light as his steps, as he ran

down. But he didn’t see his playmates on the street. He found
them huddled together at the stairs of Aling Ninay’s home.
And Raul, Aling Ninay’s son was begging them to call the
midwife for his mother.

“No, no, I can’t fetch the midwife for your mother,

Raul. Her home is near the cemetery which is haunted by
ghosts,” said Badong, the tallest boy of the group and the
toughest, too.

“How about you?” Raul turned to Roman “Please.”

“I can’t either,” said Roman. “I’m afraid of ghosts.”

And he trembled at the mere thought of going.

Meantime, Aling Ninay groaned and moaned

upstairs. “Please help me. Fetch Aling Sebya, the midwife.
Please!”
 “Won’t you go, Jose?” begged young Raul. “You aren’t
afraid of ghosts.”

“Of course not,” said Jose, “but the night is dark and
the bridge is so narrow that I’d certainly fall into the river if
I go.”

“Who will fetch Aling Sebya then?” little Raul asked.

“I’ll go!” said Celso to the surprise of everyone.

“Anybody likes to go with me?”

There was silence. Nobody wanted to go with Celso.

“Not I,” said Fredy, the bully, after a while. “If ghosts
were only human beings with whom I could fight, then I
wouldn’t mind going. But I certainly would not like to fight
with ghosts.”

“Neither would I,” seconded Badong.

So Celso had to go alone. He walked alone into the

darkness of the night to the place near the cemetery where
the ghosts are said to dwell. He walked alone and unafraid
much to the surprise and shame of the boys who thought that
he was chicken-hearted.

And from that time on, nobody ever called Celso

“Sissy” for he was certainly braver than anyone of them.
Neither would anyone call Celso “Totoy” for he had proved
that he was more of a man than all of them put together.

Author: Unknown

Encoded by: Elona Jean S. Abarquez

Date Encoded: April 21, 2023, 8:55pm

Source: old book under my care probably printed 1950’s

onwards