Attack of the Siyokoy

Introduction: Story of a Lunatic

Our story began when we met Mang Ceasar during our vacation in the Bagobo River, Surigao Del Sur in the Philippines. As an American, the Philippines is no stranger to us since after all it is our former colony.

My name is Shiela and my companion on that trip is Karen. We are both varsity in swimming and are currently in senior high.

We heard a lot of things from the locals regarding Mang Ceasar. The story goes that he had an encounter with the entity called Siyokoy. According to the locals, a siyokoy is a humanoid creature with green scaly skin that lives in the caves in the river and sometimes oceans. Mang Ceasar claims that the siyokoy tried to take him inside the cave complex of the Bagobo River but he was lucky enough to escape. From that point onwards he vowed to never swim in that river again and has been warning everyone most especially his son not to go near the area. Instead he advised everyone to go swim in Bugac Cold Spring which is just nearby.

One day his only child defied him and swam on the river. The child was never seen again after that. Mang Caesar was seen sobbing by the riverbank, clutching his 10-year-old son's slippers.

After that, he was spotted driving away tourists who wanted to swim in the river, but he was reprimanded by the town officials, who requested him to allow the people to enjoy the water. Mang Caesar was seen as a lunatic at the time and was shunned.

It was one of those days that we met Mang Caesar. When he saw us swimming he immediately came to us.

“The water is so cold that it would cause cramps,” he shouted even before he got near.

He also told us about the creature and told us that we should go to the nearby resort instead. Of course, we ignored him. We didn’t know that doing that would turn out to be fatal.

Act 1: The Better Swimmer

Being in the same sport, I and Karen always engaged in healthy competition, But it was Karen who was consistently winning contests and I came in second. We became the best of friends despite competing in numerous swimming competitions.

The place was recommended to us by another friend for our summer get away. The clear waters attracted us. “The water is clear because someone is taking care of it,” Mang Caesar stated. He got spooked when he heard a splash on the water. He immediately raised his arms in his chest and ran away.

We simply laughed and began removing our outerwear. We were both in their swimming suits when we got the feeling of being watched. We glanced around but couldn't find anyone nearby and we could see Mang Caesar still running away from the river.

We decided to have a contest of whoever will be the fastest to cross the river. Karen laughed, “And what will be the prize?” she asked.

I answered “A kiss on the lips.” We both chuckled.

We both went up to the river bank and prepared to jump in the water. We counted one, two, three and jumped and swam across the river. The current was strong but Karen managed to cross the river first. I, on the other hand, was taken by the current towards the cave. There was a narrow entrance to the cave where the water flows.

I saw a blurry shadow of what looked like a big green fish-like creature which quickly disappeared when Karen approached me.`Did you see that? I asked Karen.

“See what?” Karen asked as she looked in the direction where I was pointing.

It was also that time that I felt that I was having cramps so Karen assisted me in coming back to our cottage.

Act 2: The Cave

We rested for a while and took our meal. We ate Chicken barbeque and Sayongsong which is a rice cake wrapped in banana leaves. Karen threw the leaves at the river. My eyes turned big as I told my friend “You should not have done that!”

Karen argued, “But It is biodegradable!” and also threw the barbeque stick to the river.

After a while, Karen remembered the cave and got curious about it so she told me that she wanted to go there. Since I have not fully recovered from cramps I told her it’s dangerous to go there alone.

Karen was adamant, and dove into the water, heading for the cave. She came closer to the tight opening. That's when I saw her sunk as if something pulled her underneath. I immediately dove in the water.

I swam as fast as I could. When I reached the area I went underwater. The moment I opened my eyes, right in front of me was the creature of my worst nightmare. Staring right in front of my face is the head of a fish but the rest of his body is greenish and is covered with scales. From the shape of a body I could distinguish it as a man. It’s teeth are as sharp as a blade. I immediately panicked and tried to put a distance between me and the creature. The creature did not move. When I looked back I saw it holding Karen who is by now struggling to breathe.

I mustered enough courage to approach it again and try to snatch Karen from its grasp. But before I could grab Karen the creature suddenly jerked her arms towards his face and took a massive bite out of Karen’s arm. Her blood mixed up with the water, I could taste the saltiness of the blood from where I am.

Karen managed to slip out of the hold of the creature. On instinct, she swam to the surface to breathe. I also took the opportunity to take another breath on the surface. I could hear Karen’s scream the moment my head appeared on the surface. I was about to swim towards her when the creature surfaced and bit Karen’s neck decapitating her in the process.

At that point, I was in self preservation mode. I was shouting and weeping loudly while giving it my best to reach the shore. Halfway to the shore I felt a tug on my right leg. A few seconds later I felt another tug, this one more forceful than the previous. I swam faster.

At that point, I felt a hand pulling me to the bottom of the water. Once underwater I saw the creature dragging and nibbling flesh from my right leg. I felt a sharp pain and the water was filled with my blood. I was getting desperate at this point and was about to give up. I already accepted death.

Then something hit the water, bubbles everywhere I could not comprehend what’s happening. When bubbles cleared, I saw someone else in the water. It was Mang Caesar, he had what seemed like a dagger in his hand. He kept on stabbing the creature everywhere. He didn’t stop until both of them sinked to the bottom of the river.

I passed out.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. I was told that Mang Caesar drowned trying to save me. Karen, my companion, was still missing.

-The End-