My father used to love being a jeepney driver, especially when my mom accompanied him.
Mom worked as a sales lady in one of the local boutiques.
But when she was about to give birth, decided to accompany my dad whenever and wherever
he drove.
She would sit in the front seat and collect the fare from passengers.
This was a good arrangement and if needed, dad would be able to easily drive her to the
nearest hospital.
During the time, there were many researchers visiting the Tarsier Foundation, so there
was a need for transportation.
Dad was hesitant to let mom accompany him late at night, and he wasn’t the only one.
My Lola insisted that she stay home, too.
Hay naku!
Mabdos man ka.
Magpuyo diri sa balay.
Lola would say.
Ma, I’ll be alright.
I’ll just sit in the front seat with Adrian.
No problem.
Mom assured her.
Nay tao nag suroy na dili maayo para nimo.
Lola argued.
Who?
Ay basta!
My Lola believed in folktales and old superstitions.
She would give up after a few minutes of arguing, but not before giving my mom something to
carry around.
Sometimes she would hand her a crab shell; sometimes a plastic bag full of garlic, and
on that particular day, a bottle of salt.
Why is Mama asking you to carry that?
Dad asked as passengers boarded the jeepney.
I don’t know.
But she insists I carry it.
They didn’t understand until one fateful night, when they encountered something that
neither of them could explain.
One day, my dad was hired by a group of tourists to be their personal jeepney driver for the
day.
Their offer was beyond what was normally earned in a day, so he didn’t hesitate to accept
the job.
Mom was just as excited as Dad was, since they would be driving through various countryside
roads and local touristy spots.
She’d be their tour guide during the ride.
Do you think we can see the tarsiers?
One of the tourists asked.
Yes, we’ll be passing by the Tarsier Foundation soon
During the day, it was a beauty to behold, but at night, it was so dark and scary.
It felt like someone was watching them from the woods.
They escorted the passengers wherever they wanted.
And slowly it got darker, until it was nightfall.
So they drove them to their hotel and headed back home.
But when they approached the main road, there was a blockage and several construction workers.
Apparently, they were starting repairs and wouldn’t be done until dawn.
But this road leads straight to where we live.
Pasensya kayo.
One of the workers said.
There was no point in getting mad.
Dad tried to think of another possible route.
What about the route we passed earlier?
The one by the forest?
My dad was nervous.
He didn’t want her to know how that particular one scared him at night.
He asked the workers if there were any other roads that were open, but they apologized
and said no.
Adrian, let’s just go back the way we came.
I’m sleepy.
He let out a sigh and after a few minutes, agreed.
Dad turned the jeepney around and drove towards the route by the forest.
It was completely dark, save for a few street lamps that were flickering along the road.
Dad turned the high beams on and drove as carefully as possible.
There was an eerie silence.
This is nice.
Mom said as she relaxed in her seat.
We don’t usually go home by ourselves
She could sense that he was anxious.
I’ll just sleep.
She closed her eyes and fell asleep shortly after.
My dad had to be calm since he was driving with his very pregnant wife.
He took deep breaths and carefully drove along the road, humming a tune to pass the time.
He tried to focus while ignoring all the sounds around him.
It seemed like it was going to be a quiet drive when…
His heart jumped out of his chest as he heard a very odd scratching sound coming from the
roof of the jeepney.
He stopped the vehicle for a bit and stuck his head out to see what it was.
Nothing.
That’s very odd.
He thought, then continued to drive.
Perhaps he grazed a branch.
He focused on the road while listening to my mom sleep.
The sooner they got home, the better.
He continued to drive through the dark road when my mom moaned and groaned as if she were
having a nightmare.
Jer, ok ra ka diha?
He asked.
When she didn’t reply, he asked again.
Are you having a nightmare?
Again no response.
He slowly turned to see what was wrong and gasped.
There was a long, thin black tube piercing mom’s stomach.
It looked like liquid was seeping out of the hole, and she tossed and turned while still
asleep.
What was the black tube?
When he reached out and touched it, it was fleshy and wet.
It was slimy and something was going through it.
It took a few seconds for him to realize that this tube was sucking something out of Mom’s
stomach.
Or specifically someone...
My dad immediately grabbed the tube and pulled it out of her stomach.
There was an open wound.
Blood slowly seeped out, so he sped to the hospital.
The tube slithered back into the hole, through the jeepney roof.
And suddenly, there was a flapping sound coming from behind.
He looked at the side mirrors to see what it was, and saw a horrifying creature flying
towards them.
It looked like a woman with long stringy black hair and blood red eyes.
She wore a tattered blouse and had no legs.
She had long claws and large bat-like wings.
Her mouth had large fangs and a black tube sticking out of it.
It was her tongue!
The creature flew towards them.
Then it let out a screech as it increased its speed.
Mom needed to be rushed to the hospital.
It was the only thing Dad could think about.
But then, the creature broke through the back of the jeepney.
Glass shattered everywhere.
Suddenly the adrenaline rush kicked in, and he remembered.
The salt.
Before the creature could insert its tongue into mom again, dad grabbed the bottle of
salt from mom’s purse and sprinkled it on its tongue.
Immediately, the creature started to screech again but miraculously flew out of the vehicle.
He didn’t look back or listen.
Mom was still fast asleep and clearly in pain.
He continued speeding to the nearest hospital.
As soon as they reached the main road, the screeches stopped.
The creature was gone.
But Mom was slowly bleeding out.
When they got to the hospital, she was wheeled into the emergency room to have a C-section.
Fortunately, the baby wasn’t harmed.
She was born prematurely, but otherwise healthy.
While mom rested, Dad tried to understand what just happened.
Hay naku!
Thank you, Lord.
My Lola arrived.
He told her about the creature, and as soon as he finished, she said that the creature
they encountered was an abat, also known as a manananggal.
A creature that takes the form of a woman with a hunger for unborn children and organs.
Every night, she detaches from her lower half, sprouts bat wings, and flies around in search
of pregnant women.
She would then lower her long black tongue and pierce through the pregnant woman’s
stomach to eat the unborn baby.
From that day on, they made it a point to go home before 6 pm.
Mom stayed home with the baby and before leaving the house, carried salt and garlic.
They were afraid of seeing that creature again.
Some days, dad swore he could still hear the screeching and flapping of wings while driving.
And sometimes, he still hears scratching on the roof of his jeepney.