"BAKUNAWA" THE COLOSSAL MOON-EATER
It was late afternoon when my mother asked me to have a bath. And because It was almost two days since the last time I take a bath, I decided to go to the lake.
When I was walking, I saw the moon turning red and I remember my mother said to me every full moon.
In philippine mythology, There are various myths about the red moon, also known as a Lunar eclipse, one of the popular myths involved a giant mythological sea creature with the head, gills, scales, and fins of a fish, the body of a snake, and wings. It was enamored with the moon and would rise from the sea to devour it whole. The sign that the said creature was attempting to eat the Moon was what we now call a lunar eclipse. Humans would make loud noises to ward off the beast, such as beating drums, tapping pots, and playing musical instruments. These noises irritated the creature.
But my most favorite myth was one
that my mother told me.
It was all about a beautiful goddess who fell in love with the god of the Moon, Bulan who has a sister, Haliya, the goddess of the moonlight. My mother said that this goddess did everything to be loved back by Bulan.
The goddess itself courted Bulan.
Because the goddess was powerful She told birds and sirens to sing for Bulan, she told flowers to send fragrance for him, she told clouds not to cover him so that Bulan could shine every night, she told the stars to sparkle and amaze him with their beauty. She gave everything she had, but Bulan refused her love.
The goddess got angry when her love was unreturned. She transformed into the giant serpent (the Bakunawa), so that she could devour both Bulan and Haliya. But, Bulan and Haliya defended themselves. The fight was seen by the supreme god and he became angry at the Bakunawa. As punishment, he cursed the broken-hearted goddess to remain a serpent for eternity. This curse did not quell the goddess's desire to eat and kill the Moon god and his sister, and she still attacks them even to this day.
It was my favorite myth but I don't believe in it because it was just a myth after all.
When I was done taking a bath and was about to leave the lake, I noticed that the middle part of it was boiling. And because curiosity ate me, I look unto it. When I was about to touch it an earthquake occurs and the water rises.
I was astonished by what I saw. The Bakuna itself. It was staring at me intently.
"Haliya..." I was stunned because she called me by my name.
"Finally, I found you..."
My knees turn into jelly because of the overflowing emotion I felt.
I just closed my eyes when I noticed her that she will attack me. Then suddenly, a roar of pain from the bakunawa made me back to my senses. There, I saw my mother fighting the bakunawa but what makes me shock the most when I witness her turning into a man.
Their fight last for more than ten minutes before the bakunawa itself decided to leave us.
"Are you okay?" He asked me.
I just nod at him.
"I'm sorry for not telling you the truth and for erasing your memory my little sister. It was for your safety."
I'm still speechless because of the sudden revelation about our real identity.
I look at him and he just left a deep sigh.
"Let's go we need to leave this place. It was not safe for us."
And there, the realization hit me.
That my mother was my brother Bulan and I'm his sister Haliya.
We are in a game of hide and seek. We hide and the goddess itself is haunting us until the next blood moon.