Moonlight Curse: The Hunger

Chapter 4

It was a bright sunny afternoon and a seven year old me was happy, dirty and busy.

My Aunt Gloria fetched me from our backyard where I and Aura were playing "lutu-lutuan" (kids’ play of cooking). I had a complete kitchen set all made from clay, wood and some plastic. I had a real "dalikan", a clay hearth that was shaped like a flower pot used to contain coals or wood chips for cooking. I had different shapes and sizes of clay pots and pans too with wooden spoons, forks, ladles and even a whistling kettle. Of course, those were miniature versions suited for 6-10 year-olds. For sure, I wanted to be a cook… I didn’t know what a Chef was then, so being a Cook was fine by me. 

I remembered receiving countless beatings and pinching from Nana because I always used her lovely flowers and medicinal plants as ingredients to my made-up recipes. Whenever I could hear her rhythmic snores during her siestas and my two brothers were already out of the gate with their bicycles, Aura and I would sneak out of the house into our backyard to resume our role-playing wherein I was a cook who owned a classy restaurant and Aura was a customer. She just sat on her baby chair and grinned at me as I pretended to serve her. I would then get my "bayong", a basket made from weaved abaca leaves, and imagined going to the market, which would be Nana's front and back gardens. I always used the Spaghetti plant's leaves as my pasta noodles, the rose petals as my tomato sauce, her white lilies as garnishes and daisies as centerpieces for my guests' tables. Once, Aura ate a rose petal marinated in calamansi juice and gagged. Ever since, I just served her with milk and cookies.

I had so much fun living in that fantasy restaurant which I named “Delicious Food by Maya”. And I always imagined myself growing up to own the most beautiful, elegant and successful restaurant in our town someday.

My Aunt Gloria then interrupted me in the middle of cooking a new recipe called "Grilled Fish". I skewered mango leaves with bamboo sticks and were brushing each leaf with barbecue sauce made from calamansi juice and minced gumamela petals.

"Come, my dear," she beckoned at me then added, "You better hide those flowers if you want to be able to sit on your buttocks properly when you go on a trip."

I rushed to do just that then asked, "On a trip to where?"

"Your Lolo and Lola (grandfather and mother) are here to see you," she answered, helping me hide the evidence of Nana's flowers and plants, and she carried Aura who was making our clean-up almost impossible. She was grabbing the petals and tried to eat them.

"Ama and Ina! Yehey!" 

I ran inside the house leaving Aunt Gloria to fix my toys, and see after Aura. I found my grandparents sitting on our sofa with Nana and my two teenage brothers. They were in deep conversation and heard something about a burning skin. They all looked dead serious. But still, I shrieked with excitement. I ran to hug my Lolo first who was such a big, burly, old man. I called him "Ama". He let out a surprised laugh and hugged me back. 

My Lola was rather tiny, thin and had a stooped back, so I hesitated hugging her for fear of crushing her deteriorating bones. Her skin was like prunes all wrinkled and dried out. But her eyes were lovely and she always had a ready smile for me, so I kissed her on her rough cheeks instead. I called her "Ina".

"I was told you were ready," Ina said with her usual cheery tone.

"Ready for what Ina?" I asked, confused. 

Was I going for a vacation with them to Ilocos? We lived 8 hours away from my mother's hometown where my grandparents lived.

"For your training of course," she replied, "Didn't you tell her Maria?" she asked Nana. 

Maria was Nana’s given name too. And I thought I was named after her. But a lot of women in our family had that name too. So, I did not know for sure who Mama named me from.

Nana replied, "I wish you would since I knew you were coming," she answered. She was rather annoyed as always, anyway.

"My dear, you are coming home with us for your summer vacation, we'll start your training then," Ama said looking at me seriously.

"Training for what Ama?" I asked. I looked at my brothers for answers. They had those smug expressions common for teenage boys. It meant they were bored and were supposed to be elsewhere that time. Perhaps, to chase those Magubang Sisters across the street.

But instead of answering my question, Ama started giving out instructions, "Your brothers are coming with you. They have a job in Ilocos. So start packing her things Gloria. Maria, you're the girl’s guardian, so pack also. Aurora will stay with Gloria here. Take care of the baby, Gloria.”

And like cadets, those mentioned stood up to do just as they were told.

Not minding me, I was confused as ever but also excited about going back to Ilocos. I had such great vacations there because I had so many cousins my age as playmates, so it meant more adventures and naughtiness. We were often unsupervised there and so we roamed our barrio from sunrise until sundown.

I did not know what the training was all about so I went to ask Aunt Gloria. She was always so sweet to me and she was my favorite aunt after all. She was an old maid and older than my mother for 3 years. She lived with my family and Nana ever since my parents moved to Tuguegarao City. 

Nana also never married, she was Ama's youngest sister. Ama was the eldest of 7 siblings, 3 boys and 4 girls. I heard Nana was sent to our home to be my guardian, since my parents were rarely home. I guessed I needed a guardian because I was the only girl for almost six years and so when Aura came along, she became her guardian too.

"Aunt Gloria, what training was Ama talking about?" I asked. 

She was busy packing my things in my pink knapsack. Aura followed me around sucking on her thumb. She looked so adorable I had to pinch her chubby cheeks. I would definitely miss the little imp.

“Can Aura come too? I’ll take good care of her,” I asked and promised Aunt Gloria expectantly.

"She’s still a baby,” she answered looking down at me and Aura then added, “Our family has developed training for young bloods starting at your age. When Aura gets to your age, she can join you." 

"A training to be a farmer? But I don't want to plant rice and corn Aunt Gloria," I whined and I was ready to burst in tears.

"I want to play, not plant! And when I grow up I want to cook in a big restaurant, not plant!" I continued to whine.

I was close to shouting those words while trying my best not to cry. So, I hiccupped instead. Aura hiccupped too, imitating me.

"My dear, that's our second livelihood, we are farmers to earn money and put food on the table. But first of all, our ancestors and us who came after them are hunters," she replied, not looking up from folding my favorite pink t-shirt.

"Hunters?" I asked, "You mean we kill animals? I don't want to do that either, I can always buy dead ones in the market. You know, from your Kumpare Pilo! (Pilo’s son was her godson)" then came out another hiccup which made Aura giggle.

"No dear, we kill “halimaws” or bad monsters," she answered happily and gave me a wide smile then added, “Bad ones only, because not all of them are evil.” And with a strange creepy excitement in her voice, she advised me, "Try yawning to get rid of that hiccup dear."

My eyes popped wide open and gaped at her, speechless. My hiccup was gone even without a forced yawn. If I wasn't so stunned, I could have noted a discovery that shock could also stop hiccups. Take that down. It really works!

Many thoughts ran through my mind then. I watched her pack and she was humming a tune she only knew how. I was thinking that she was going mad. My poor aunt had loosen a screw in her brain again, an expression I heard Nana say to her. Maybe it was because she was thrown off a horse when she was a little girl that's why her family treated her like an invalid even as an adult. That was why she had to live with us and be our helper instead.

"Poor Aunt Gloria," I sighed speaking softly to Aura who whispered, “Mans-thersh.”

“Do not believe what she said. She’s being cuckoo again,” I hushed her who gave me a toothless grin.

Holding her sticky hand, we went to my brothers' room. It was locked as usual so I knocked. And I anticipated the rude remarks coming from Daniel, the oldest. 

"Get the hell away from here!"

But instead of doing just that, I waited. The door was opened by Samuel. He was my favorite brother. He was always nice to me although he was 6 years older.

"Maya, what's wrong?" he peeped through the door.

"I need to speak with you, Sam," I whispered, so Daniel won't hear.

"Okay, wait a sec, I'm almost done packing," He replied, closing the door and locking it again. 

So, I waited by the door twisting my fingers. I did that when I was worried, nervous or even scared. Aura then was slurping on her whole fist. She could really put her whole fist inside her mouth! I laughed at her silliness.

Samuel got out holding his backpack and faced me "What's up kid?” 

But before I could answer, he picked up Aura, “Hi there, Buddha!" 

My brothers call me “kid” because according to them I was childish, loved playing kid’s games, did baby talks to myself when I thought I was alone while they nicknamed Aura as “Buddha” because she was so chubby and when she sits, her tummy was so big, she really resembled a statue of the Buddha.

"I think Aunt Gloria is having her episode now. She told me I will be trained to hunt “bad” monsters!" I was emphasizing the adjective by drawing the “” with my forefinger and middle finger up in the air.

"Okay, and?" he asked, walking away from their room towards the main hall carrying Aura.

I chased after them; I had to stop him before they got to my grandparents who were still in the living room.

"She said not all monsters are bad! But it's crazy talk isn't it? She said our family hunted only “bad” monsters. That's what we do, all of us," I was making weird gestures with my hands like an orator again. I knew I was making my brother go nuts.

But surprisingly, "Welcome to the Rapisura family, kid," he answered with a serious tone and looked down to me with a more serious expression adding, "Don't worry, you'll be trained by the best in the family. Dan and I were also trained when we got to your age. It will be okay. Papa and Mama will join us in Ilocos as soon as they wrap up their hunt in Bicol."

I stared up at my brother and was about to scream at him to stop scaring me when Daniel walked past me saying, "Ready, kid?"

"Maya! Go get change already! And Sam, leave Aura with Gloria. Dan, go pick up my bags, now!" Nana shouted at us. 

I got over my paralysis and ran to do just that.

When we were ready to go, Aura was screaming, “No! No! No!” She cried while I got inside Ama’s Passenger jeepney. I waved goodbye to her and tearfully said, “Be good girl, baby Buddha!”

Next thing I remembered, I was vomiting inside the jeepney holding a plastic bag. I was getting car sick, or was it dread for the truth and the unexpected.

I woke up realizing that from that moment on, my childish views about life evaporated like the content of a broken bottle of expensive perfume. My eyes were opened to a more sinister, unfriendly, chaotic and complex world.

Momentarily, I got back to the present and looked at the clock, it was just 2:00 a.m. I walked to the fridge to get something to drink.

From such a long time, once more, I felt reunited with my past through that dream.

True enough, we are hunters of “bad” monsters. I then learned they were referred to as “evil sups”. “Sups” is short-term for supernatural beings. Just like in the FBI, they refer to their suspects as the “unsub” or short-term for “unknown subject”. Cool, huh? But for a seven-year-old girl, it was mind-boggling, mind-blowing and scary.

My family and relatives have offered their whole lives to protect others from harm. It’s not a choice they made but it is what they were born to do. It’s the price they had to pay, the burden they have to carry, the duty they need to perform and the protection they are entrusted to give… all because they… or should I say, we share the same ancestor, we inherit the same blood, we carry the same name… Rapisura.

I went back to the sofa and lied down once more. I then thought of my Ama. He was my first mentor. He trained me separately from my cousins who were my age and had shown the potential to be hunters too. He then explained that unlike during the time of his great grandfather, all Rapisuras had to be trained and become a hunter. But time had changed and so did men. 

He said some married weak wives or husbands and therefore produced weak children. He and his brothers had to select amongst their own children and grandchildren who were still worthy to carry out their ancestors’ duty to mankind. Also, they insisted on choosing their wives and husbands. And he was proud to say that our Ina was a very gifted healer. Her whole family came from a long line of babaylans, shamans, healers and good witches. So, they produced two strong daughters and one brave son. 

“Two? Isn’t it, you have three daughters, Ama?” I was confused counting my Aunt Max, Aunt Gloria and my Mama Claire.

“One was weak, Maya. That’s your Aunt Gloria, though I love her still but she was never ready to be a hunter.”

I asked, “How do you know who is ready?” I, myself had no intention whatsoever to be a hunter. I was just a seven year-old kid still learning how to ride a bike, even scared of climbing trees and sometimes even wet my bed! And now, all my elders were telling me I had to kill bad “halimaws” (monsters)? Sorry, I should have said evil sups! I could not even wrap my mind around the right terminology! 

“Wake up, please. Just a bad dream,” I kept pinching my cheeks on the jeepney. Sorry… It was a reality.

Ama answered by asking, “Maya, why do you think you see monsters in your dreams? And Nana reported to me you have a very vivid imagination and can even call out for help in your dreams. How was that possible?”

I thought to myself, “Oh, that’s how it works! Nana was a blabber mouth! And a spy?” But I did think it through and asked myself, how did Nana kill the monster in my dream?

I had no answers and Ama did not even give me one, though I asked how. He just said, “You’ll figure it out on your own someday.”

But until now… I was still trying to!

Ever since my Nana died, it dawned on me how life can be taken away from you in an instant. One day, she was just there happy and alive. The next day, she lay there lifeless and cold. She never prepared me for that event. There were no lengthy words of goodbye or even a clear hint of her end being imminent.

That night she died, I was on her bedside at our ancestral house in the province where I was born, Sta. Catalina, Ilocos Sur. When my mother covered her whole body with a white blanket, I vowed to Nana I would find out what happened to her and make them pay... with their own lives. Brutal, I know. I was so angry then… Maybe, I was angrier at myself and was only displacing my wrath to feel better. It was futile though. I still wanted to kill somebody! 

I hadn’t totally moved on yet. I had just set aside revenge and sleuthing to just fix my crumbling life first. 

I closed my eyes and tears fell freely. I missed her… I missed my Nana. I succumbed to sleep ready for a nightmare that didn’t come. For the first time in many years, I slept for five hours, dreamless.