Kaliskis Chapter 2-3

Chapter 2: Gemstone and Pearls

“You're a…” stammered Roselda.

“Merman.” continued the young man.

Roselda was stunned while looking at the man sitting on the rock. Was she seeing an illusion? She might be really being played by 'them'. She became afraid of the thought. It's really true what the elders were saying from their village. There's really an engkanto1 in this place.

She looked again at the young man’s appearance. He actually did not seem scary. In fact, his face was amiably looking back at her. His hair was brown colored and has curls in some parts. She couldn't see ears on either side of his head, but the slices, probably gills, were instead present there. His skin has brownish complexion and on the top of his shoulders and at the large part of his back have spots that seemed to glow in the darkening enclosure. But what really caught her attention was his tail that he soaked in the calm water.

Through the light coming from the setting sun, his tail seemed to sparkle. Its color was full orange with both sides having streaks of yellow and white. But that’s not all; his hands were also different. Similar to ducks, his hands have thin skin webbed between his fingers.

“Sorry. I must have disturbed you.” she heard the merman spoke as he dived towards the water.

“Wait, don't leave!” shouted Roselda. “Please, stay.”

In the mind of the young lady, hundreds of questions surged. She found a real fay, a merman. She only read this kind of creatures in the books. Moreover, they were considered as fictional beings only. But here she was talking to one. Whether it was through supernatural means or not, this one was real in flesh and blood.

The merman stopped swimming and looked at her. A smile was drawn in his thin lips.

“My name is Eda. And you?” said the girl who shortly sat on the rock where the merman was before.

“Managat,” replied the merman. “I'm called Managat.”

“Nice to meet you,” Roselda said. “Why are you here? Isn't your home in the middle of the deep sea?"

“I’m just strolling around.” Managat replied. “Every time I get the chance to escape from the guards, I come here to hide.”

“Guards?” asked Roselda.

“It was forbidden for us to rise to the surface. Our law says that mortals should never know that we're alive.” Managat explained.

“But I'm talking with you now,” Roselda pointed out to him with concern in her voice. “That means you broke your law.”

This translation is posted only in Sharramycats. If you're reading this on a different site then you're only nurturing aggregators.

Managat smiled at her. It’s quite mesmerizing to watch his eyes. They're twinkling gray.

“I chose to not obey our law,” said the merman who neared slightly to the girl. “A choice I know that will give lots of joy to my heart.”

“You’re just a truant,” Roselda said laughing.

Managat was looking at her with puzzlement. He seemed baffled with her every laughter.

“How about you? Why is a lady like yourself in such a place?"

Roselda smiled. He's such a courteous fish, she thought.

“I was picking sh.e.l.ls and conches that I will use as decors in our house.”

Once again, the merman was puzzled. “I'm sorry but I do not understand you.”

Roselda showed her bag made of nets which was now filled with sh.e.l.ls and conches. Only then the merman had the clear understanding.

“Ah, you were gathering,” said Managat. “I, as well, gather pearls.” He rolled the small bag hanging on his side which Roselda also just noticed. “Here…”

Her eyes grew wide-open. She just saw pearls so close by. On the spread-out palm of the merman, there were different sizes and shapes of them. In their village, anyone who found even just a tiny piece of pearl was already a big jackpot; but here she was, looking at a cl.u.s.ter of glittering pearls in front of her.

“Aren't they pretty?” said the merman.

Roselda nodded then noticed the stone hanging on the neck of the merman. It's roundish in shape but also looked like a teardrop.

“Is that a pearl, too?” she pointed at his neck.

Managat automatically held to his necklace. “No, it’s a gemstone. My late mother gave me this. I always wear this as her remembrance.” There was sadness in the merman's voice.

“Sorry,” she said. “I didn't mean to remind you.”

But the merman was silent. He was looking far away, towards the place where the last light of the day was gradually disappearing. The girl also spoke no more in sympathy. And there was silence in that part of the rocky place.

1Engkanto - from Spanish word 'encanto' (incantation or charm); a Philippine mythological creature synonymous to fairies, fays, nymphs, deities, G.o.ds or G.o.ddesses who are believed to be guarding the seas, rivers, forests, trees and mountains. They are also a.s.sociated with dark beings that bring sickness and bad luck.

Chapter 3: The World Below the Sea

“Managat?” Roselda called in a whisper. “I need to go home.”

He turned to her. It was already dark around the rocky area since the sun has already set. The sky that was bright red earlier has become indigo hue.

“Please hold, miss,” Managat held off the already rising young lady. He took a pearl from his pouch and handed it to her. “A gift.”

“You don't have to.*”

(*TN: Author's original text is: Nakakahiya naman sa iyo; which directly translates to 'it's embarra.s.sing to you'. I actually wanna use 'that's embarra.s.sing' but opt for 'you don't have to’, instead. Please don't murder me. XD)

“Please, take it.” said the merman. “And hopefully this meeting remains a secret?”

(TL: Oh, a bribe XD)

The girl nodded, and though still embarra.s.sed, she accepted the pearl from the merman and ran off from the rocky area.

Managat watched the girl until he could see her no longer. He was right. Her heart was pure and his stepfather’s teaching was wrong. He secretly prayed to Bathala1 for their paths to meet again.

A mortal; he saw a human close-up. And he even talked to her. His amazement towards mortals grew more. And Eda, this was the name of the lady. The first person he encountered in the surface.

His visits in this rocky place will be more frequent, Managat thought to himself. Afterwards, he turned and swam away. He must also go home. He's certain that his stepfather was looking for him.

Even from a distance, Managat could already see the entrance to their kingdom. The tunnel was a wide hole running through the other end and was covered with the vast and wide expanse of moss. The surroundings and the wide stretch of the tunnel were illuminated with corals, anemones and various types of sea-gra.s.ses that seemed to serve as lights in the tunnel's darkness.

But there seemed to be no one guarding the tunnel. Curious.

Remember, aggregators have killed already too many translating sites.

Upon reaching the end of the tunnel, the merman was exposed to a boundless plain full of oceanic creatures. Fishes of different shapes, colors, types and sizes were swimming in schools or some by themselves. On the seafloor, there were different types of crawling creatures; crabs with large and small pincers, prawns of both huge and small proportions moved around with lots of agility, slugs, snails and colorful sh.e.l.ls were loitering around.

Of course, there were also of his own kind―mermen and mermaids. Adults and children were going in and out from those piles of twisting blocks. Most of them were made from sand which was molded through the special saliva of wild slugs and then coated with dense corals and other sea-gra.s.ses. In each blocks there were also holes which served as windows. These blocks were their homes.

In the distance, the overlooking mountain-like shape of the palace seemed to be twinkling through the lights coming from both the underwater plants and the open windows around it. Furthermore, there were also four towering spires on each corners of the palace. They're such a wonderful sight, especially as they glittered from afar.

Suddenly, he felt strange and then a vibration was felt in the surrounding. It was as if everything stilled for a moment. Soon he noticed that the other mermen and mermaids were swiftly swimming towards the palace. Even the fish and those crawling creatures swiftly moved to the source of the resonance.

Immediately, Managat knew that something was wrong. And he also quickly swam to the direction of the palace.

1Bathala - the supreme G.o.d in the Philippine Folklores (check TLseiji’s earlier post on  for more expository details.)