A Spooky Night

We visited Mark's grandma in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, a 6-hour travel away from our own town. Mt. Kanlaon  is a clear view from here when the sky is clear. This place caters for most of Mr. Danding Cojuangco's sugar cane, pili, and mango plantation. So most of the people here depend on his 

hacienda for a living.

I've been to this place for a number of times already and Kristoff for three times. Most of our visits here with our little boy didn't give us any problem. Without any problem, I mean, our travels and stays here were just easy. I could say that Kristoff can just easily adopt to the new environment.

But our last night to this week-long vacation was an exception. It's a Saturday and we went back to the house of Mark's aunt at around nine in the evening from a visit to his other relative. Kristoff was already asleep at that time and after I laid him to bed, I just wiped him with a damp cloth and changed his diaper. He was in deep sleep, so undisturbed.

The house was situated at the back border of the subdivision facing the sugarcane plantation.

Half an hour before midnight, I felt him sucking his thumb, a sign that he's hungry. I got up to prepare for his milk when he suddenly burst into wild cries as if in pain. It was just one of his ways to tell me that he's starving already and I'm too slow to feed him, I thought. So I rushed up.

But then, when I gave him his bottle, his wails even persisted and made Mark wake up. I thought he might be having a colicky abdomen but dropped the idea when I percussed and listened to his tummy. This scenario is not usual, Kristoff always have peaceful nights of sleep even when away from home.

Mark closed the curtains from the two windows of the room. I don't really believe in aswang, but Mark's actions made me have goosebumps! I couldn't protest with my son in that situation. The househelp awakened and suggested that we move to the living room. Kristoff only stopped crying for awhile and feed and then resumed his wild wails. Nanay Lucia, Marks granny awakened and upon knowing what's happening, ordered Mark to go and check around the house. She then prayed the Apostle's Creed, while I cradled my son. Molo, the helper burned charcoal and sugar and made the smoke fill the house. In Hiligaynon, we call it "tuob" and is believed to ward off evil spirits. 

Mark also burnt something outside the house.

Like a miracle, Kristoff fell silent and relaxed, with his eyes closed. I fed him and he just sucked his bottle as a normal him. Mark entered the house and told me that he heard a "tiktik" outside. Actually, I haven't and I couldn't identify the sound of that tiktik but most of the people I know do. They said a tiktik is an aswang that transforms to a bird.

We ended up sleeping in the living room and this event left me thinking about all these beliefs of aswang and the like.

Hmmm...yet, I'm still undecided. Kristoff's cries might have other causes and besides I really haven't heard that tiktik or saw an aswang in my entire life and hope I won't if there's really one. The only thing I know is that I'm thankful that my son is not crying anymore and is peacefully asleep.