Tikbalang on the Devil's Mountain

Tikbalang on the Devil's Mountain

Introduction

There is a saying that if you test the mountain, the mountain will test you.

I am Daisy, and this day marks the third month of my pregnancy. I’ve been in and out of the hospital for the past few months since I am suffering from a deep and lingering depression.

It all began when we climbed Mount San Cristobal.

That was a day I'll never forget. It was raining that day while the sun shined brightly, just as it does now. It’s like a joke being played on us. And certainly, no one, at least of those that did not perish, is laughing.

Act 1

“Let's put the Devil’s Mountain to the test on this hike,” my former boyfriend Harold exclaimed. We are full of excitement about this challenge. After all, nothing could be more mysterious in this part of the world than this mountain.

Harold was the president of our mountaineering club. We met on a mountain, fell in love on a mountain without knowing that our relationship will end on this mountain as well.

On this trek, we are joined by our close friend Geofrey who is also a member of our club. Geof as we call him is a cheeky fellow, there’s one instance, he shaved his head to avoid needing shampoo. He also enjoys playing hilarious practical jokes. However, he was warned not to play any more pranks on this journey. In addition, he is very frugal and always wears the same jacket.

Mount San Cristobal is a potentially active volcano located between the provinces of Laguna and Quezon on Luzon Island, Philippines. It's located beside Mount Banahaw otherwise known as the Sacred Mountain by locals. There has been a lot of myth concerning both mountains, one is a source of dread and nightmare while the other is the path to salvation.

Our 16-seater white Hyundai van was stopped for an inspection. A fat police officer greeted us with an ominous warning. “Mt. Cristobal is called the Devil’s Mountain for a reason,” the cop exclaimed. “If I were you, I won't proceed on this journey,” he held his hand to feel the rain on his palm. “See, It’s raining while the sun is shining brightly,” the police officer warned us. “Believe me, I have seen this situation before.”

Geofrey jeered when he heard this and proceeded to laugh.

The officer was visibly irritated, so he explained that three tourists had gone missing while climbing the mountain last week.

The smile was wiped off Geofrey’s face when he heard this.

“That’s enough,” another police officer gently tapped the first. “Stop scaring the kids with your mystical nonsense,” he took our travel documents and returned them to the driver. “Go on and be careful.”

As soon as the second police officer was a few distances away, the first officer whispered to us. “Remember, if you get lost out there, turn your shirts inside out.”

In hindsight, we should have listened.

The hike had not fully started yet when Harold found a hairy caterpillar from his bag. He suspected Geofrey put it there so he reminded him again of not playing any pranks. Geofrey just shrugged his shoulders and raised his two palms.

The right side of Harold’s cheek soon became inflamed. It became so itchy that it irritated him. Geofrey handed him a lotion and an anti-inflammatory tablet that he got from our medicine kit. He convinced the leader that he has nothing to do with it.

Harold was still upset after taking the medication. I persuaded him to continue the journey after seeing a swamp of hairy caterpillars on the tree leaves. As we left the area, I noticed how they fell and crawled to the ground as if they were following us.

The surroundings were already dark, although the sun had not yet set. The rainforest on Mt. San Cristobal sent chills down my spine with its moss-covered ancient trees and gloomy fog.

We stumbled across a terrifying sign that warned us that the region is haunted by spirits and that we must always be courteous. The sign was hanging on a Balete tree. My curiosity about who put it there was aroused.

Geofrey laughed heartily. He was sure that it had been placed there by locals to frighten visitors and make the mountain eerie. He stopped laughing when he felt something on his neck.

As Harold was still nursing his rashes, I quickly ran near Geofrey and found several black and brown leeches on his neck. “These are blood-sucking limatik,” he mentioned as he tried to remove them from the right side of his neck. He trod on them swiftly with one foot and was delighted when he saw the leeches crushed and their blood splashed all over his trekking shoes.

I was concerned about Geofrey's neck when I glanced at it. Some areas appear to have turned black and developed holes as a result of the leeches’ attack. I caught Harold looking at me as I was putting some medicated cream on Geofrey's neck. I sensed he was becoming jealous, so I teasingly proceeded to lightly stroke our friend’s neck and also examined his chest.

Geofrey shoved me and joked that Harold would kill him. I also chuckled. Geofrey forgot the discomfort in his neck and set up his hammock. I then came near Harold as he was setting up our tent. I embraced him from behind, but he immediately turned away. This led Geofrey to tease us with a song.

He suddenly stopped singing when some stones were thrown near our tent. Geofrey was suspicious that some locals were playing pranks on us. Harold also sought the source of the stones and did not find anyone. Geofrey cracked a joke that the spirits in the mountain hurled stones at him because of his poor singing voice.

The darkness had already covered the area, so we depended on a campfire that Harold had built. I heated some food using the fire and gave some to my boyfriend. I was pleased when he took it, it means he is no longer jealous. Geofrey chose to stay in his hammock which made me pleased as well. But it turned out that he was not interested in having dinner because of the pain in his neck.

I haven't been able to eat anything because of my fear. Harold then approached me and gave me a piece of meat. I bit a small portion of it while scrutinizing his cheek and neck. The rashes are still there but the skin is no longer that swollen. Then I put the food to my mouth, moved my head in front of my partner, inviting him to also take a bite of the meat. He was delighted as he smiled and as he took a mouthful, we stopped because some stones were again thrown near us.

Harold instantly spat out the contents of his mouth and glanced around. Geoffrey was still in his hammock, so it wasn't him. Then, beyond the Balete trees, I spotted a weird shadow. I tried to show it to my partner by pointing to it, but it vanished.

Harold drew his jungle bolo and walked over to the nearest Balete tree. There was nothing there that he could see. However, I noticed the shadow moving quickly from one tree to the next along with a succession of thunderous thumps. The noise jolted Geofrey awake, and he whipped out his jungle knife and peered through the trees but found no one as well.

We decided to leave the area, now that we were certain someone was hiding in the trees.

Act 2

I had a strange impression that someone was chasing us since I could still hear faint thuds nearby.

“We should have hired a tour guide,” Harold was breathing heavily as he directed the flashlight forward.

“But you mentioned we are already experienced mountaineers and we don't need one,” Geofrey argued while holding his neck.

“You Geof persuaded us that we should not hire one to save money,” I argued exasperatingly.

We came upon a nipa hut which gave me instant relief. When we came inside, we found out that it had been abandoned. The floor was made of bamboo sticks that squeaked whenever we stepped on it. The nipa leaves on the roof were already loose and disorganized, allowing us to see the full moon through them. The windows were widened, and some of the wall coverings had begun to break away.

I saw the shadow again, there is something wrong with it. Maybe the perspective was playing tricks on my eyes but for a while there the shadow seemed human but not quite at the same time. There it was again in the front window, accompanied by a series of loud thuds. Harold and Geofrey did not see the shadows but heard the heavy thumps so we left the abandoned hut and looked for help.

We traveled for almost an hour and did not encounter anyone. All we heard was the noise of toads, crickets, and other indistinct sounds along with the heavy thuds coming from the uncanny intruder that was following us.

We then arrived at the same abandoned hut and realized that we were lost and we were going in circles. I remembered what the police told us if we were lost so I turned my shirts inside out. After I finished, I assisted Harold in doing it and when I turned to Geofrey, he declined.

Geofrey was breathing heavily from his mouth. He stopped and dropped to his knees to catch some air. “Go ahead I’ll catch up later,” he said while pointing his fingers to the direction that we are going.

“Harold, we should stop here and let him rest,” I shot at my boyfriend.

“No! Let him rest here, we'll get help once we reach the base.” Harold shot back.

“Go on lovebirds, I’ll be fine. I just need a few minutes to catch some wind.” Geof quipped.

The locals would later find Geof’s pale body drained by thousands of leeches. They were horrified because this has never happened before.

Act 3

With a sigh of relief, we could now see the nearest town at the base of the mountain. Just as we were on the way out of the forest into the unpaved road. On the side, we noticed something staring at us. Sure enough, when we gazed at the area, there it was sitting beneath a huge Balete tree, a huge dark towering human-like figure with the head of a horse. Its eyes burning with rage as it stands with all fours. It has two abnormally long arms and two long slender legs. Surrounding its body was dark smoke with the smell of sulfur.

I could even taste the acidity of the smoke surrounding its body from where I was standing. We were petrified. I would later learn from the "albularyo" or spiritual healer that this creature is called a Tikbalang.

The Tikbalang slowly stands on its two slender legs. It’s gigantic, we were overwhelmed by its presence. I was certain that we would die at this point.

Harold dropped to the floor as if his legs gave out their strength. He started muttering unintelligible nonsense that only he could hear.

I was crying profusely, praying to God to help us. But no, God wasn’t listening to us that time because he did absolutely nothing. Looking back, I would say that even God would be trembling at the sight of this creature.

The Tikbalang was laughing at us. It looked at me with its massive fiery eyes. “You will be my wife,” it continued laughing. Its voice was thunderous and his words were authoritative.

Harold screamed at me. “You bitch,” his eyes were blank. He was talking to me but it is as if he’s not mentally there. “I hope you die, you cheating bitch!”

My heart sank, I was nothing but loyal to him but now I know what was really in his heart.

The creature pointed to Harold revealing its razor-like claws, “You have no use to me, I will kill you later,” it smiled menacingly “Try to outrun me. Go!”

Harold did not even think twice, he grasped the nearest protruding root of a tree and used it to pull himself upright. He glanced at me with contempt and ran. Falling several times on his way down the hiking trail.

I was left there not knowing what to do. My will to survive completely left me. I already accepted death as the quickest way to get out of this situation. I did not notice that the creature was already on top of me. I choked at the smoke coming from its body and lost my consciousness.

I have learned long after from the investigating police officers that Harold was found drowned on a shallow creek not far from where I fainted. Was my boyfriend killed by the Tikbalang? I have no answer to that.

I was out of my mind when I woke up. I don’t even remember how I got out of the forest. All I know is when I woke up, I got up and started walking. I walked for hours notwithstanding my swollen body. I vaguely remember having crossed paths with some of the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Each one gasped in terror as if they had seen a ghost.

I kept walking until a village elder who was probably called by those that I have crossed paths with approached me. He was carrying an old weathered bathroom towel and immediately covered me up. I did not realize that I was fully naked with blood oozing from my private part. This explains the look on the villagers' faces.

The village elder brought me to his house. He told me that he was an “albularyo”, an albularyo is also called a spiritual healer. After giving me decent clothes, he took a white chicken and slit its throat while uttering some words that appear to be prayers in Latin. Without asking what happened to me, he told me we were attacked by a Tikbalang.

A large number of police and locals have now arrived to comb the forest to look for my companions. As the ambulance personnel were preparing to bring me to the hospital, the village elder whispered that it’s not over. He beckoned ominously that the Tikbalang would come for me again.

“The only way to end this is the next time it comes to you, pluck a mane of the sharp spine from its back.” The old man turned his back and entered his house as the ambulance crew secured me in the vehicle.

-End-