by Alyzza J. Casas | Featured in Issue 02 - A Council of Stars
“It’s your fault, Kuya.” Lulu sneers at her older brother, picking up a candy wrapper among the wet sand. Her puffy eyes are still tearing up. “If only you had listened, maybe Lola wouldn’t have made us pick up trash while everyone is having buko pandan and ube leche flan.”
“My fault? You refused to help Mom!” Sino bares his teeth, dismayed. He rolls his eyes as Lulu attempts to defend herself. Swiftly tossing cans in the garbage bag, he huffs. “I did listen, you didn’t, idiot.”
“Then why are you helping me?”
“Whatever. Let’s finish cleaning. These tourists suck; they destroy our beaches.” Sino’s ears flush red, hastily picking the garbage up. Quietly, they grab more broken trinkets, paper plates, bamboo napkins, and a dirty diaper (which Lulu chased Sino with) before they sit for a break. They remove their gloves, wash their hands with seawater, and sing off-key melodies about one-sided love. Sino pulls out some choco sticks and rambutan from his cargo pocket to share. Lulu decides to hate him less tonight. They sit near the shoreline, gazing at the bright twilight and the millions of stars that once guided their ancestors. “I hope Bathala punishes them.”
“Is that our mayor?”
“Ha?”
“The mayor!”
“No, that’s the god Lola talks about.”
“What?”
“She never told you? It’s why kids don’t play at night. They’re scared Bathala might punish them.”
“Yet here we are.” Lulu sighs, fiddling with a rambutan. She peels it carefully. “What is the story anyway?”
“Mm, I don’t remember how it exactly goes.” He presses his lips together, his head swirling in thought. “I remember bits from Lola, and other re-tellings of it from the barangay titas. Oh, it’s also a story that’s been passed on for a long time, too. I have no idea if Lola’s version is still the same one. Most likely not.”
“Can you tell me your own version?”
“Uh, okay.” Sino takes a deep inhale, closing his eyes while breathing out slowly. “I’ll try.”
Bathala, who created the World, lived among the heavens with his mortal wife Samal and their children. Their three daughters Mayari, Tala, and Hanan were admired and loved by the mortals. Powerful and charismatic, Bathala blessed the world with abundance and protection, honouring the Creator’s request to care for the world with grace, and care.
Every Seven Moon Cycle, the worlds alone go under deep cleansing. The washing of body, mind, and spirit. A gruelling blessing of its kind.
The ruler of the seven moons, Bakunawa, oversees this particular ritual. It is what the stars intended for the moon-eating serpent to do, even if life is stripped apart. Even if it is against the moon eater’s will.
When this ritual devastates the world once again, Samal disappears under the grasp of the everflowing tsunamis. Enraged by the outcome of her ill fate, Bathala calls upon the power of the sun to subdue the serpent, his daughters fleeing for safety. Once the ritual ends, so does the Seven Moon Cycle.
The daughters become their true selves: Mayari with the moon, Tala with the stars, and Hanan with the mornings. Bathala says to whisper prayers for guidance and new beginnings, even if the light appears dim.
Bathala leaves one moon for the world, as a reminder that you can fight for your destiny. For the other six moons, he transformed them into the stars in the night sky, to provide a deeper purpose for the people: to guide, craft, and lead.
“That’s all I can remember,” Sino says, sinking his toes into the white sand. Lulu stares in awe, impressed by her brother’s storytelling. His voice had been vibrant and firm as he carefully laid out the story, despite him being barely eleven. She does not notice how Sino’s hands are shaking. “I… I don’t remember the other parts of the story. You can ask Lola about it, but I know Lola gets antsy about telling stories twice.”
“Makes sense.” Lulu nods in agreement, staring at the bright full moon amongst the twinkling of stars. They sit in silence before Lulu asks, “Do you think Samal found her way back?”
“Samal?” he asks, eyebrows raised. Lulu nods. “Don’t know. Why do you think that?”
“I just wonder if Bathala loved his wife so much, he transformed the moons into stars to guide her back home.” Shifting her feet to feel the deeper warmth of the sand, Lulu glances over to the distant seas. She senses a gentle stillness, the salty cool air, and the faraway bustle of the barangay. “The story said she disappeared, not died. I think she’s still alive if that’s what the story says.”
Sino blinks at his sister, his mind unravelling a new meaning about fighting against fate. Do stars pre-determine the course of action, every exhale, the sweat, the heartache, the raw anger that makes you go hungry? Are humans too stubborn and the stars more forgiving than he believes? Maybe love makes gods feel human, and love makes humans feel godly. Curiosity fills his mind. He wonders if Bathala loved Samal the way his father loved his mother. To move the world to find their lost love again. Can humans even hope to achieve such godly feats?
“Huh. I never really thought about it that way.”
“To do things out of love, even if the stars suck. To avoid getting star-stitched.”
“Ha?”
“Isn’t that what Romeo and Juliet are?”
“Idiot, it’s star-crossed.”
Lulu just sighs.
Alyzza Casas (they/them/she/her) is a Filipino-Canadian creative who inks paper and skin. Graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in English at St. Mary’s, they have been tattooing for about four years. Alyzza has recently started dipping their toes into the writing world, and aspires to publish either her first poetry collection or debut novel— whichever arrives first. You can find Alyzza @harana.inks on instagram.
