“Mawi!”

A sudden call pulled Lumawig out of his thoughts.

“Mawi! Are you there?”

It was Nonoy who was calling, but he was not alone, there was Empoy and Caloy as well.

“Yes! Come in!” answered Lumawig. It was only eight in the morning; he was surprised that his friends came to his house this early.

Empoy told Lumawig the reason for their visit.

“We came to check on you. We heard what happened from Caloy.”

“It seems that lolo Gani is deeply affected by this.” Nonoy added.

“He sure is. Ever since we came back, lolo has always been sitting inside. He ate only a small portion of the food I prepared. He seems to be deep in thought, so I don’t dare disturb him.” Confirmed Lumawig.

“So, what do you think, Mawi?” Caloy also joined in on the conversation.

“What do I think about what?” Lumawig responded.

“What do you think did it?” Caloy walked closer to Lumawig and said in a hushed tone.

“I do not know. Whoever or whatever did that to tiya Elsie, is a monster!” there was a sadness in his tone. Even though Lumawig grew up without parents, the people in their barangay treated him well, especially tiyo Noning and his wife, tiya Elsie. Treating him like he was their own child.

“Right, right?! There must be a monster in our area. An aswang!” Empoy interjected.

“Yeah! I have heard nanay and tatay talked about it. They say that the way tiya Elsie was killed is impossible to be done by a bladed weapon. Tatay even said that the entrails found in their house looked like it was ripped out from the inside.” Added Nonoy, embracing himself and feeling scared while talking.

“I was there too, earlier. It really was so terrifying that I puked my guts out when I saw the scene. I’m telling you guys, this was not done by a person, but an aswang!” Caloy affirmed.

“I wish I were able to see the scene as well, but my nanay forbade me to go. She said that it was better if we just stayed put in the house. Only tatay could go.” Empoy lamented.

“Ha! Your nanay was right! I wished that I were not there. Now I will be having nightmares because of that scene!” reprimanded Caloy, even though he has recovered physically, the mental trauma it caused him was deep, and the consequences of it will only show later. There was a brief silence that ensued.

“So, what will happen to tiyo Noning now?” asked Lumawig, finally breaking the silence.

“After he arranged for his wife’s burial, the police took him to the station for questioning. He returned not long ago; we saw him as we were making our way here.” Nonoy answered.

“Nanay and tatay are now helping him clean the house and prepare for tiya Elsie’s wake.” Empoy added. Just as the three was about to continue their conversation, lolo Gani walked out of the house and called Lumawig.

“Mawi, come inside and help me. I need to prepare something for your tiya Elsie’s wake.” Called lolo Gani, “Please tell your parents I said ‘hi’” lolo Gani also greeted the three boys, Caloy, Empoy, Nonoy.

The three returned the gesture and bid Lumawig good-bye. Inside the house Lumawig and lolo Gani sat down on the table, facing each other. The old man looked at Lumawig, without waiting for lolo Gani’s question, Lumawig started to tell him what he experienced earlier.

“Lo, the agimat became hot earlier. It is the kind of heat that feels scalding hot, not the comfortable hot it emitted yesterday.”

Hearing Lumawig’s statement, lolo Gani went into deep thought. After a while he looked at Lumawig and started telling him about today’s events.

“Apò, do you remember earlier when we were going to the balete tree, you said that you felt someone, or something was watching you?” lolo Gani probed.

“Yes lolo, I was able to feel it earlier. However, after the ritual, I was not able to feel its presence.” Lumawig confirmed.

“Listen to me apò, I have to tell you something. As your journey to becoming a babaylan has started there are things now that are convenient to talk to you. As you are now aware, in this world, spirits exist; and they also have a lot of names given by the people, these spirits have also helped our ancestors. However, not all spirits are good. There are some that are by nature, malignant. They spread sickness, death, and corruption, and it is also one of our jobs to protect the people from these spirits.

The presence that you have felt earlier was from a bad spirit. For now, you cannot tell a good and bad spirit apart as your dungan, though fully awakened, has not reached its full potential yet. However, as you continue to nurture your dungan through the spirit that you made a connection, it will naturally become stronger. Going back on topic, I could have stopped that spirit earlier, but I did not as I was thinking that it might affect your concentration on the ritual. How could I have not foreseen that it will attack someone else?” The last part of lolo Gani’s statement was full of self-blame, it is apparent that he was blaming himself for what happened.

“I understand lolo. But you do not have to blame yourself for what happened. It’s not your fault.” Lumawig tried to comfort lolo Gani.

“Thank you apò.” Replied lolo Gani.

The day went on as usual for the people of Dumadalig except for a few, as they were helping tiyo Noning in preparing his house for Elsie’s burial. A few people also went to check on lolo Gani and Lumawig as they knew the close relationship of this grandfather and grandchild pair with tiyo Noning and tiya Elsie. While the world was busy, the maglolo pair were also busy. On the table one can see a mixture of leaves, roots and vines, and tree barks. Apparently, lolo Gani and Lumawig are in the midst of creating a potion, though the potion they are trying to concoct is a bit advanced for Lumawig, lolo Gani is there to assist him. This activity will also serve as training for him.

“Lo, what are we mixing?” Lumawig started the conversation.

“We will be mixing a potion that will help ward away the evil spirit. This will be your protection for the next few days.” Lolo Gani answered while continuing to sort out the ingredients for the potion.

Lumawig was no longer able to contain his curiosity, asked lolo Gani the question that has been bugging him since his three friends’ visit.

“Do you believe that it was an aswang, lolo?”

“Yes.” was lolo Gani’s only answer.

Lumawig did not ask any more questions, as the simple answer given by his lolo was already sufficient to confirm his doubts. However, just as he was about to help his lolo in sorting out the ingredients, lolo Gani continued talking to him.

“In my opinion it IS an aswang. However, my gut is telling me that it is not. I have noticed some anomalies and other unusual things in your tiyo Noning’s house. One of them is Elsie herself.”

“Tiya Elsie? What do you mean lolo?” a confused Lumawig asked.

“There is no doubt that your good tiya was killed by a bloodthirsty creature, however, if it was an aswang, why did it not eat her heart? An aswang’s favorite food is the human heart, liver, and other innards like the intestines and kidneys, and fetus and young babies. But your tiya Elsie has not had her heart ripped out just like what happened to her lower abdomen. If it were an aswang, why would it leave out one of its favorite foods? It just does not add up.” Explained lolo Gani.

“Then there’s the bloody handprint and scratches. If there were scratches on the wall, why is it that your tiyo Noning did not hear any sound being made from those scratches. Third, the failure of my hintura oil to detect its presence. When your tiya Elsie became pregnant, I concocted a hintura oil for her so that it can serve as an early warning if there is an aswang in her vicinity. The oil would bubble if there was an aswang near them, but when I checked it earlier, I noticed that there had been no reaction to the oil. Lastly, your agimat. You told me earlier that it became hot, and that you have felt pain. But it should not have happened if it were really an aswang, instead, the librito should have had a reaction earlier, not the agimat. Although this is the first time that I have heard of it reacting to anything.” This long explanation of lolo Gani was able to help Lumawig understand more of the words his lolo said earlier.

“Is it possible that it was not an aswang that attacked and killed tiya Elsie, lolo?” asked Lumawig.

“I…do not have the answer to your question, apò. Despite all the years I have lived, I know of no other creature that is able to do this. I have encountered tikbalangs, duwendes, kapres, and aswangs. Out of all those I have mentioned, only the aswang can inflict such grievous wounds like that. If there is another, I am not sure as to what it is or where it came from.” Hearing Lumawig’s question, lolo Gani was at a loss. He did consider that it may have been the work of another bloodthirsty creature, but he did not dwell on it, as he was not sure if it existed. With all his experiences and vast knowledge, it is still a fact that he is not omniscient. There are many things that he does not know, so it is of no surprise that he was at a loss with Lumawig’s question.

“This is also why we are concocting potions now. So that we can be ready or at least be able to resist if that monster attacks again. For now, as well, it is important that you carry the librito and the agimat with you at all times. They will be another layer of protection for you. But let us stop with these talks for now and focus on concocting potions.”

After answering Lumawig, lolo Gani then instructed Lumawig to prepare himself in making potions.

“Creating potions is an integral part of being a babaylan. Of course, depending on the hand that you have raised during your ritual, your affinity to a certain craft of being a babaylan will be affected. If you raised your right hand, this means that you are inherently a good person and patient as the gimokud residing on your right hand is good. This means that your healing prowess as a babaylan will be stronger. If it was left, then you are more suited as a spirit medium. However, as you have just received your abyan, you are still on the first stage of your apprenticeship as a babaylan.” Explained lolo Gani.