Until one day, when she learned from the pedadang kelilings that there were many other pale-skinned people just like her in the world!
She wanted more than anything—to meet them and be out there among them!
Because of the stories she heard, from Ayu's perspective, it was a fantasy land where she had a legitimate place.
Ayu began to believe that this was her true home. In her dreams, she intended to have a life very different from the one she was living in their village!
She longed for the life of grandeur she was destined to enjoy, far away from the existence she was forced to lead in their village!
The fact that she felt and looked different left her with the nagging thought, I don't belong here!
All the adulation she received didn't help either; it further made her feel entitled and above everyone else!
Ayu Indah came face-to-face with her uncertain reality. Slowly, she became aware of everyone and everything that was different from her, and it made her feel far removed.
Believing her to be a deity's daughter, the people were either in awe of her or afraid of her. Even the village shaman, or babaylan, kept a safe but respectful distance from her. When she glanced at them, they lowered their gazes. They feared her.
They were afraid of the colors of her eyes; they were cautious of her, believing that she could bewitch or curse them with her gaze or bless them with a smile.
She had no friends.
She was unfamiliar and did not fit in. A loner who could not even confide in her own Inang or Tatang without them undoubtedly agreeing to all that she said or did.
She was simply kahibulungan, a wonder, and nothing she could say or do was ever wrong; she was perfect. They would try to listen, but they could never understand her.
They've always tihin, or tiptoed, around her since she was little. Despite her admiration for her parents, Ayu secretly disliked their humble beginnings and harbored resentment.
"Gwapang natulog, nibugtaw sa lalugan," she was the sleeping beauty that awakened in a pigsty. Finding herself trapped in a strange village, she felt lost and misplaced because her life circumstances had separated her from the person that she believed herself to be.
Living with loneliness and a sense of not knowing what to do, how to feel, or which direction to lead herself was painfully unpleasant. She questioned every aspect of her life, spiraling out of control as her impending marriage approached!
She grew restless.
YOU ARE READING
Tales Of The Wisp ~AYU INDAH
Fantasy"Yes! I was in two places at once, it was ... staggering... an experience that left me stunned for days! It changed me." Enchantment, mysticism, and wonder all come together. Step into a world where the boundaries of the real and the imagined blur a...
