Ganancial, Aira P.

Contemporary, Popular, and Emergent Literature

BSED – 3A October 7, 2023

Lucia: A Tale of Eternal Darkness

Since she was a young girl, Lucia had been the most attractive woman in the
tiny town. All who saw her expressed awe and devotion for her. No one, however,
was aware of Lucia's terrible secret: she was an aswang, a legendary monster with
shape-shifting and other supernatural abilities. Up until the death of her grandma,
Lucia was unaware of her actual identity. An amulet that served as evidence of
Lucia's link to the aswangs' otherworldly world had already been given to her by
the old woman at that point. Lucia first rejected the realization of who she truly
was and made an effort to conceal her actual self. But eventually, she started to
love it and came to terms with her new body. Although Lucia hadn't known who
she was before, the little village soon learned of her strength, and she rapidly came
to be the center of attention. People started to talk in whispers and make wild
assumptions about the strange woman's potential. It wasn't long before people
realized the horrible truth: Lucia had begun to abduct the unborn infants of
pregnant mothers. The populace was terrified by her sight, and they swiftly
developed a terror and dread of the aswang.
One day, Lucia ran across a lovely man who instantly fell in love with her.
Despite her reluctance to divulge her actual identity, Lucia was drawn to the man
and sensed a strong connection between them. Eventually, they were hitched and
began a life together. Years later, Lucia finally had her own kid. But tragedy
occurred when Lucia began to have a strong want to eat her own baby. She
struggled to fight the desires, but in the end, she caved and took the baby back
within her. Lucia was heartbroken and distraught. She was aware that the baby's
spirit still resided inside of her, and she would never be able to forgive herself for
what she had done. Her spouse was appalled when he learned what she had done
and left her shortly after.
For the rest of her life, Lucia was cursed by her own guilt. She never fell in
love again, but she did learn to embrace and live with her aswang identity, which
over time grew to become a part of her. With no one to share her power with,
Lucia was compelled to conceal her actual identity and live in the shadows. She
took the kidnapped kids and kept stalking the town's expectant moms, spreading
agony and dread in her wake. Lucia's sorrow ultimately molded her and made her a
wiser lady. Lucia may have been dreaded by the people, but to her, it appeared like
a lonely and sad existence since she would never be able to fully embrace and rid
herself of her aswang nature.