Earthquakes
(Y Paggafuanan na Lunig)
Once upon a time, there was a very poor couple who had
only one son. He’s name was Bernardo Carpio. Since this family led only a
hand to mouth existence, both husband and wife had to work for a
living. Whenever the mother went out to work, she would lock up the baby
in the house. She would just give him some things to play with. Upon
coming home, she would find all the toys of the baby broken into small
pieces. This happened everyday until the mother could no longer give the
baby anything to play with. So the baby was left in the house without
any toy. When she came home to feed him, the mother was surprised that
the walls and studs of their house were either broken or destroyed. She
remained silent but observant. As soon as these parts of the house had
been repaired, she again left Bernardo Carpio alone. When she came home,
she found the same in shambles. Next time, the mother deliberately gave
her son an iron rod to play with. Again he broke this rod into pieces.
Now the parents were growing alarmed over the extraordinary strength of
Bernardo. News of it also spread in the neighborhood.
As the child grew up, he was recognized as the strongest
boy in the village. He challenged to fight those who dared him and
defeated them all. As a man, his prowess was also acclaimed in the whole
country. This popularity made him very proud. He was so proud that he
even dared challenged God. At first, God gave him the upper hand. But on
the third trial, when God asked him to stop the quarrel between the two
big mountains, Bernardo failed. In a conceited gesture, he impulsively
went between the warring mountains. He extended his arms to stop them
but instead, he got caught between the two mountains and was buried
alive with only his head out.
Today, it was believed that whenever Bernardo Carpio
struggles to free himself from the grip of the mountains, the earth
quakes. The old folks also say that when he finally frees himself, that
will be the end of the world.
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