Tiyanak child vampire of Philippine Legend
Another Philippine mythical creature is the Tiyanak or patianak (also known as "Impakto"). It is said to be the soul of a miscarried or aborted fetus. A baby who dies before receiving the baptismal sacrament of the church. It returns from the dead possessed by evil spirits, seeking retribution on the living, especially on it's mother and the abortionist.
The Tiyanak's ability to change it's form into what looks like a normal baby provides camouflage to attract victims.During the day a Tiyanak appears like an ordinary child but changes into it's real form at night. Transforming into a creature with sharp claws and fangs, it lures it's victim by imitating the cries of an infant. It then feeds on their blood and inner organs.
To defend against the Tiyanak and break free from the enchantment of it's baby cries, you are supposed to turn the clothes you are wearing inside out. This confuses the creature who find this action ludicrous and would then just leave the victim.
Listlessly, the curtain move....
The Child Vampire (short story)
" Dede*..dede..." The boy was sitting on the wooden floor and waving his empty bottle at the old couple. Now at age two he was a frisky child and a beehive of activity.
Zac was left in his grandparent's care when both his parents became OFW's (oversea Filipino worker) in the middle east. Two more among the millions in the Filipino diaspora, looking for jobs abroad because their own country could not provide them.
"I'm going to bed, don't forget his milk." His wife got up after the Tagalog movie featuring her favorite actress was over. She had no interest in the evening news."Nothing but politicians and bad news." she says. "Same thing." the man would riposte. He watch her take short unsteady steps as her overweight body waddle out of the living room. Since their children have grown up and left, life had settled into an unvarying daily routine.
His thoughts were interrupted by his grandson tugging on his fingers.
"Dede..dede", "wala na (no more) "
"Haven't you had your fill?" Breaking out a smile the man continued, " I think you should lay off the bottle."
Now that the couch was relieve of his wife's bulk, he was attempting to align himself ergonomically into a more comfortable position. Unfortunately the sofa had seen better days. Like them it too had lost it's springiness.
Zac pouted his lips and continued to tug. Reluctantly the man gave in.
"Okay kiddo, let's have our nightcap." They headed to the kitchen.
With a hop-skip of his stubby legs, Zac race back into the living room holding his bottle of milk in both hands. Chasing behind him was an old fool with a shot glass of whiskey precariously held between three fingers and trying not to spill any.The libation was more in aid of sleep rather than to get drunk.
"Zac, the remote?"
"Uhh..."
"Give..give,give lolo (grandpa)"
"Ou..ou.." sucking contently on his milk bottle, he gave up the remote.
A local news reporter was detailing the horrid story of yet another discovered batch of fetal matters. Footage showed the blurry image of a fully develop fetus pack inside a shoe box. The child was probably alive and took his final breath outside his mother's womb before dying.
It was dumped in a nearby river not far from their home. The stream was polluted by untreated industrial effluent and garbage from illegal shanties squatting around it's riverbank.The shoebox was found floating among the refuse.
The man glance at his grandson who was laying on the couch beside him. Zac was staring and pointing at the TV screen. "Bebe..bebe.."
"God damn abortionist." Anger at the suspected perpetrator swelled inside him.
