NARRA

In a far away remote area in the visayan region, a couple just gave birth to a baby girl. The baby grew up to be a very beautiful young woman called Narra, and the couple loves her so dearly. One day, while Narra was gathering fire wood in the forest, she was bitten by snake. Rushing home to her parents, she died on the doorstep of their house.
The couple upon arriving home, saw their daugther lying still, and upon closer look came to realize their daugther is already dead. The couple so stricken with grief, that the mother became sick. The father not knowing what to do, just then got his tools of trade and went to the narra tree in front of their house and released his grief began to work on the huge piece of lumber. Everyday the man works on the tree upon completing his daily routine and taking care of his wife.

One stormy night, a wandering anito (spirit) of the forest passed by and and rested on the narra tree. when lightning struck, the anito notice something different on the body of the tree. It saw a sculpted form of a beautiful woman in the trunk of the narra tree. Marveling at the beauty of what it saw, tha anito sang and dance joyfully. As fate would have it, lightning struck and hit the narra tree and the anito.

Because of the crack of thunder and ligthning, the old man woke up, and saw his tree burning. He rushed down towards it, and as soon as he was near, he saw a figure move and was shocked to see his work of art falling down tearing itself away from the burning tree. Shocked and surprised for a long while, the old man soon regain his senses, and made a close inspection of what he saw. Before him was a naked young woman, with yellowish skin and green hair. He then brought the young woman into their home, and when her wife saw what he was carrying cried in tears and was thanking the Lord, babbling that her daugther lives. The old man upon seeing the face cried too.

The next morning, the young woman woke up, and saw the elderly couple. When asked who she was, she was not able to answer, she can barely talk and she was like a little child trying to discover the world. The couple taking this as a gift from above named the young girl Narra, after their child and also dyed her hair black. The mother then taught her how to read and write and she lived a normal life.

A few days later, strange armed men wandered in their home, asking for food. The couple gave what they can offer and they were leaving. But then Narra just arrived from her visit to the market. The armed men upon seeing Narra, were enchanted by her beauty decided to stay and walk towards her. They began talking about her, and some were even caressing her. His father was outrage and scolded the strangers, but he was hit by one of the men, he fought back killing one of them with his bolo. Angered by what happened, one of the stranger just shot him and also her wife when she came running to help.

Shocked, upon what she witnessed, Narra was in tears. But the strangers were just laughing, and began undressing in front of them. Narra's grief then turned to anger, her features seems to have changed. Her anger exploding, the dye on her hair disappeared and the trees in the area seems to move. In total trance now, she was gesturing and the vines, roots, weeds in the area began to move towards the strangers. Soon they found themselves bounded and and strangled. Narra, then gestured and the sounds of bones breaking emanated in the area.

Narra then began to look at the sorrounding, and then looks at herself and was amazed. Her long forgotten memories has returned. She now realizes, that she is not an anito any longer, neither is she a human. She then buried, the dead bodies and gave her last respects to the couple who looked after her.

The next morning she walked towards the city once again, anxious of the new experiences she will learn.