Vignette: The modern monsters of Taft Avenue

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE MIGHT CAUSE YOU TRUST ISSUES AMONG PEOPLE AROUND CAMPUS

Okay, before reading any further, keep in mind that the information below is to be kept to your innocent mind alone.

Please stay calm and avoid any form of eye-contact with so-called “students” and “faculty” in this university they insist of inhabiting, because as of this moment you will start to know the secrets they didn’t tell you in LPEP.

Again, this is top-secret information, which is also for your own good. So, let us go all Are you afraid of the dark? as here is a low-down on creatures who have managed to find a fitting home in Taft’s spook-inviting grounds.

Aswang

Shivers race down the spine in frenzied panic. It is biting cold. Never would it be thought that staring into the abyss could be akin to lying denuded in the brutal boreal. Two eyes stare unblinkingly, two vortexes in which malice finds an abode. “I trusted her…” is the heartbreaking cry that issues forth from lips cracked with anguish. “She betrayed me… sweet nectar to my face, poison at my back… alas! Now everyone will know that I keep up with the Kardashians!” How can the sweet face of an angel have the eyes of a demon? Such a despicable action is naught but the work of the modern day Aswang. Known in Filipino folk culture as a bloodthirsty shape-shifter who masks its vicious nature in the morn by donning a human physiognomy, the witching hour divulges the true beast. With the advent of social media, the Aswang can now take its reign of terror a step farther, by sucking the blood of friendship dry with nasty remarks made online to unsuspecting victims. What became of the cherished companion in whom faith rested? Quoth the Aswang, “Nevermore.”

Manananggal

When you hear the sound “tik-tik” in the middle of the night, know that there is a Manananggal in your midst. It is famous for its unusual physical appearance: a defaced human capable of detaching its lower body to the upper, growing giant wings used to hunt down its prey, with a diet consisting of blood and fetal hearts that it devours using its proboscis-like tongue. As far-fetched as it may sound, what if it is not far-fetched at all? In fact, they may just exist within the walls of the University. Look no further than at your own groups in class. These half-bodied monsters may take the form of your average social loafer. Just like the Manananggal, the freeloader hunts down responsible and competent group mates only to feed off them using its carefully planned tactics to slack off and pretend to look busy. Want to kill a pesky Manananggal in your group? Two words: peer evaluation.

Kapre

Surrounded in a cloud of cigars, it lurks atop alleyways and corners overlooking every passerby with each of their steps. As it takes one puff after another, nearby trees can’t help but get sucked in every exhausting drag that causes there unsettling sway. On the way home, she notices the night that seems to darken every second. Looking for any sign of light, a faint glow attracts her field of vision. Finding solace in its warmth, she walks closer to radiance that promises temporary safety. But as the glow turns blood-shot red, she knew that this night secures more than a permanent fright. Not to generalize, but besides the glowing eyes (okay, for some) this could be the perfect description of an encounter with a Kapre, or one of the Agno Smokers. Saddled in their personal spaces meant for their unending foray in tobacco smooching, an AS finds entertainment by handing out intimidating stares with each passerby who does not use that 10-minute break for a quick bum.

Kumakatok

“Hi Miss/Sir, can we have a few minutes of your time?” Uh-oh. They say the Kumakatok is an omen of death. If in the middle of the night you hear a knock on your door and three hooded figures appear before you, hold on to your loved ones for they might just disappear. The feared Kumakatok arrive at your doorstep when you least expect it, sending many to dread their forthcoming. In the university, they take on a more modern form. Instead of wearing their trademark hooded robes, the new-age Kumakatok look just like us although sometimes they tend to wear clothes in matching colors. Perhaps to make them more horrifying than usual. The modern-day Kumakatok roam the halls as they knock on our classroom doors and advertise parties and political candidates. Generally more harmless than their traditional robed counterparts, death is not a price to pay for their arrival. Unless it’s death by boredom.

Tiyanak

Forty-something hands ache in the room. They move, in a tempo quicker than a relationship with Taylor Swift. Heartbeats increase in velocity with every passing second. The silence is deafening, blocking out every other sound, including the voices screaming inside their heads: “Save me!” The battle that is ensuing shall determine the fate of all those in the room, and one wrong move, yes, just one, could spell the difference between life and death. The last challenge lies untouched; the pen lifts to mark the snow white sheet, when the inevitable happens. A howl, a cry, reverberates around the room, and for a moment it is uncertain whether it comes from the monster itself or from the forty something inhabitants of the room. For the monster has reared its head and sets forth a seemingly deceptive lament that spells death.

Philippine legends whisper of a wailing at night. The unsuspecting prey heeds the sobbing pleas, and is devoured by the Tiyanak, who oft comes in the form of a child. Like the Tiyanak, the bell rings, its sobs devouring any hopes of passing the test.

While it is no longer a secret that these so-called “mythical” creatures are nowhere near mythical, it is best to approach them with caution. Even though their secrets have been finally revealed, there is a lot more that we do not know about them. There could be more of them out there; all kinds of creatures and not just the ones listed above. They could be anyone! Your best friend, lover, classmate or maybe even your professor. So when you find yourself walking alone along the halls of the university, know that somewhere out there, you are truly not alone. You never know when they could be watching.