My bedtime stories didn't come from books, but from tales told by Lil' Boy. I miss their innocence. Their charm. Here is one that I love and remember.
On me your voice falls, as they say love should,
like an enormous, 'Yes.' - Philip Larkin
When the world was still new, spirits and ghosts roamed everywhere, Dadee starts, staring up at the ceiling. My eyes get big. With riveted attention, I am hanging on his every word. I don't have the breath to say anything.
A brave and beautiful young girl named Raya would always search for these spirits, he says in a crisp voice. One day, she heard someone call her name, 'Raya!' When she looked up, she saw a handsome young man.
My mouth drops open. Dadee's voice lowers into a whisper. His name was Sag-in. He confessed that he had fallen in love with Raya.
What happens next? I ask with unusual patience. They got married and had a child! Dadee answers with a smile in his voice. And they lived happily ever after, I applaud with a grin.
A gesture of Dadee's hand negates the thought, No. He gives an uneasy laugh. But Sag-in knew that his time on earth was short-lived and that he had to return to the spirit world soon. I watch Dadee make a shrugging gesture with his hands. Ohh, I sigh, my heart twisting in a braid of disappointment and sorrow. My smile stiffens and dissolves.
But he was going to leave a part of him behind, he says consolingly. Raya saw a bleeding heart on the ground. My heart must have missed a beat. I'm scared stiff.
Dadee continues with a straight face. She planted it and took care of it until one day, long green leaves sprouted from the grave. Soon, the tree bore a fruit that is shaped like a heart. Raya lovingly caressed it believing that this could be Sag-in's heart until it slowly opened and long golden fruits sprouted from it.
I squint in an effort to understand. My eyebrows bunched in a scowl, I ask raising my voice, So that's where we get the banana? From Sag-in's heart?
Dadee simply continues in a creaky voice. She peeled and bit the fruit and heard Sag-in's voice telling her, 'Yes, Raya, it is my heart. Take care of this plant. Its trunk and leaves will give you shelter and clothing. The heart and fruit will be your food. And when you sleep at night, I will stand and watch by your window. I will stay by your side forever.'
Dadee's voice trails off into a mumble as the night outside, vast and menacing, clamors at our windows and seeps through the cracks of the house.
By the story's end, I have drifted into sleep and abandoned myself to my dreams.
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