Agapito: The Philippine Cinderello

Once upon a time in the islands called the Phillippines, where sea stars bloom in a shimmering emerald sea, there lived a fisherwoman named Amihan, her husband, Apolinario, and their handsome son Agapito. Underneath a happy sun and graceful coconut palms, the house where they lived was a castle of joy to little Agapito.
When Agapito was thirteen, his father suddenly became ill and died. He was buried in the cool shade of a nearby forest, leaving behind a son and a wife whose hearts were filled with sorrow and tears. Agapito felt that his carefree world had suddenly crumbled.
Sometime later, on a trip to another island, Amihan met a widower with two sons. The lonely widow married the man and brought the stepfamily home, hoping that they would make a loving family for her and Agapito.

The Stepfather immediately saw how plan and mean-spirited his sons were compared to Agapito's charms and kindness. He secretly swore to make his new stepson's life miserable. Of course, Amihan had no knowledge of her new husband's evil side.
With a large family to support, Amihan had to go on more fishing trips that took her away for long periods of time. In her absence, Stepfather began treating Agapito harshly. He made Agapito work from morning to night, cleaning the house, fetching water from the river, cooking all the meals, and tending the stove.
"Why do you love to powder your face with soot, Kitchen Prince?" The stepbrothers would mock him. Their constant taunting was now a part of Agapito's life. Tired, sooty, and sweaty, he would fall asleep each night on the kitchen floor.

Whenever Agapito was tired and tried to rest, Stepfather would grab a broom and swing it through the air to harass him. "You good-for-nothing lazy boy, next time I will whip you with the tail of a stingray!" Stepfather would screech at the top of his voice.
One morning, while Agapito was scouring clay pots in the kitchen, Stepfather threw two handkerchiefs in Agapito's face and ordered, "Wash these these two handkerchiefs until the white one turns black and the black one turns white. Do exactly as I tell you, or I will whip you until your bones crack."
Sadly, Agapito went to the river bank. Sitting beneath the shade of a leafy bamboo, he watched the clear water freely flowing downstream. He remembered the life he had before his father passed away, free and happy.

Alone he wept, through his tears, he cried out,
"Father, Oh Father
Bathala, Creator of the Earth,
Amitos, Spirits of my ancestors,
Hear me and help me, please."
At the water's edge, the wind softly rustled the leaves of the trees. Agapito turned and saw a handsome man bathed in radiant light. His gentle face was full of kindness.
"I am the Spirit of the Forest, the faithful guardian of all that live and grow here. I have come because I have heard your cry for help. Do not worry. Your patience and hard work will be rewarded one day."
Gently, he took the handkerchiefs from Agapito's hand and waved them with a flick in the air.

Out of nowhere two more spirits appeared, a man and a woman. They bowed to Agapito and each took a handkerchief. Together they began a magical dance. Spinning about with delicate steps, they playfully chased each other. Pulling and tossing the handkerchiefs, they gracefully waved their arms above their heads. Round and round, faster and faster, swift as a whirlpool they went! Then suddenly they stopped, and handed the handkerchiefs back to Agapito. Amazingly, the white handkerchief was now black, and the black one was white.
Agapito hurried home to give the handkerchiefs to Stepfather.
"So, our Kitchen Prince was able to do this," snorted Stepfather.
For the first time, Stepfather had lost a chance to make Agapito suffer.

The next morning Stepfather was still furious about the night before, and he continued to demands on Agapito. Agapito had to spread newly harvested rice on a mat to dry in the sun, then he was to pound, winnow, and cook the rice for the evening meal.
While Agapito was busy in the kitchen, a hungry pig wandered into the yard and gobbled up the drying rice, learning the mat into tatters and shreds with its sharp hooves. Stepfather watched the whole time and did nothing until the pig left. Then triumphantly, he called in Agapito, and screamed into his ear, as he pulled on his hair, "Careless boy, see what the pig did to the rice and the mat! You must weave the ruined mat back into one whole piece again!"

Carrying the tattered mat, Agapito cried all the way to the river bank where the Spirit of the Forest had appeared before.
"Father, Oh, Father,
Bathala, Creator of the Earth,
Anitos, Spirits of my ancestors,
Hear me and help me, please."
This time the Spirit of the Forest quickly appeared, and clapped his hands three times. In the wink of an eye, a group of young male spirits surfaced and started to weave the mat skillfully back together. In just a few moments the mat was entirely new again.
Before Agapito could thank them, the Spirit of the Forest took a sarimanok, a chicken with a long flowing tail and feathers the color of the rainbow. "Take this with you. It is now yours."
Agapito said in awe, "I have never seen a more beautiful bird. I am so grateful for your kindness."
Carefully, he put the sarimanok and the mat under his arms and started the walk home.

Stepfather was quite annoyed when he saw the fully restored mat. "If I ever find out how you are cheating me, you will be in terrible trouble. And where did you get that wild bird?" Stepfather said while grabbing the sarimanok from Agapito's arm.
"But, it is my pet," Agapito pleaded.
"I will take care of this bird for you," Stepfather replied with a twisted smile.
Early the next morning while Agapito was sweeping the yard, Stepfather took the sarimanok from the coop, and without any warning, chopped its head and feet off with a knife. He went straight to the kitchen and began roasting the bird. As Agapito came to the kitchen and saw the lifeless feet of the sarimanok, he began crying bitter tears.
Stepfather said maliciously, "This bird is big and fat. Dinner tonight will be delicious."
Weeping, Agapito gathered the sarimanok's feet and ran to the river.

When Agapito reached the river, the Spirit of the Forest was there to meet him.
"If my stepfather could do this to my pet, he could do the same to me." Agapito sobbed as he realized the danger around him.
Tenderly, the Spirit spoke, "Do not be afraid, my child. Go bury the sarimanok's feet by your father's grave and pray to your ancestors."
Obediently, Agapito did what he was told, and he planted a little garden around his father's grave. Then he knelt down and prayed, "Since you left, oh, dear father, the days are longer, the work is harder. My tears are flowing like a river. If I could touch you in my heart, I would be stronger."
As if heaven was answering his prayer, a warm, gentle rain began to fall and wash away his tears.

The rainy season came and left before Agapito went back to his father's grave. Miraculously, where he had planted the sarimanok's feet, there had grown an enchanted tree laden with treasures. Rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pearls, diamonds, and golden tights all hung from the boughs. Agapito was excited to have found this unusual tree, yet he decided to keep it a secret, and only took a few pieces of jewelry with him.
Returning home, Agapito hid the pieces in an old trunk in the granary. When he went into the house, Stepfather was already waiting for him.
"Where have you been? You are trying to get away from work again," the cruel man said harshly as he threw a blanket at Agapito. "Now, mend the blanket and went to the corner of the kitchen. There, even though piles of work awaited him, he found solace by the warm stove.

While hunting in the forest one day, the beautiful daughter of the island chieftain saw a sarimanok. She followed it to Agapito's secret garden. The princess could not believe her eyes when she caught sight of the tree. She immediately understood that it must be a magical tree. She took out tobacco leaves and betel nuts from her bag and respectfully laid them in front of the trunk. Then she knelt down and bowed her head.
"Bathala, and Spirit of the forest, forgive me for stepping on your sacred ground. Please accept my humble offerings and all me to receive one of your precious gifts from the tree." The princess picked a ring from a branch and slipped it onto her finger.
That evening at home, the princess's finger began to swell. She called out to Dalisay, her mother.
"Mother, my finger hurts badly, and I can not remove this ring." the princess said with a shaking voice, her face distorted with pain.

Dalisay sent for the Babaylan, the priest-healer, right away. The Babaylan performed a ritual but failed to remove the ring. She could help very little except to say. "Listen to your heart. It will tell you what to do."
The night wore on and the pain in the princess's finger became unbearable. In a fevered dream, a sarimanok came to her with an orchid in its beak. The princess took the flower and kissed it. All of a sudden the flower turned into a handsome bachelor. He opened his hand and showed her a ring. The princess looked down at her hand and the ring was no longer on her finger.
The princess woke up in a heavy sweat and told her mother what was revealed to her in the dream. Dalisay quickly summoned the island messenger and ordered, "Beat your drums! Tell everyone that the boy who can remove the ring from my daughter's finger will be her bridegroom."

The messenger wasted no time. By midday she had spread the news to all the islands. A great number of unmarried boys flocked to see the princess, but none of them could remove the ring.
When Agapito heard about the ring, he asked for permission to go.
"You do not deserve to see the princess. Your place is in the kitchen." Stepfather pushed Agapito inside and locked the door.
As Stepfather lay down on a hammock for his nap, the Spirit of the Forest appeared and unlocked the door. "The princess is waiting for you," he told Agapito with a smile. "Go now and see her."

Agapito's stepbrothers were at the princess's royal house when he arrived.
"How dare you come here!" the first one snarled.
"Look at yourself. You are so filthy!" the second one said with a glare.
The princess heard the commotion and signaled, "Let him come near."
Everyone looked on in disbelief as Agapito in his ragged clothes approached the princess. Lovingly he took the princess's hand and gently removed the ring from her finger. The princess was overjoyed and kissed Agapito's hands. She exclaimed as she pressed his hands against her heart, "You are the one! Today you shall be my bridegroom."

All the people on the islands of the Philippines rejoiced at the wedding of Agapito and the princess.
Dancers, singers, musicians, poets, and magicians put on their best performances to celebrate the largest and the merriest wedding anyone had ever seen. Agapito wore a golden Barong suit and the jewelry from the enchanted tree to his wedding. Hovering happily nearby was the Spirit of the Forest, Agapito's very special guest whom only he could see.
Agapito's mother came home just in time for the occasion. She was sad that Agapito had to endure such suffering while she was away, but she was proud of his courage. As for Stepfather and two sons, the princess banished them to the the chicken yard where they spent the rest of their lives.
Agapito and his princess shared their happiness and wealth with the people on the islands. They enjoyed a long life of harmony, peace, and love.

—The End—