16/08/2025
LITERARY | The Goddessโ Curse: The Seventh Generationโs Fate
Beneath the faint hail of the ancient nights in Maydolong, when the sea whispered secrets to the shore as it calls people to a slumber, a wonder split the heavens. A bulalakawโa streak of living fireโtore across the velvet sky, illuminating the dull shadows of the town.
In the heart of this fallen star is a goddess whose beauty rivaled the dawn. The bulalakaw was clothed in veils of stardust, each layer shimmering with the colors of dreams and cosmos.
But in the deep hours of the night, a family of farmers, bold and curious, crept to the starโs resting placeโa river hidden amongst the trees. Entranced by this unfamiliar yet divine figure, the family strippped away the goddessโs luminous veil, warm as a heartbeat. They folded the stolen light and locked it in a chest of woodโa treasure kept from the eyes of gods and men. For years, the now-powerless goddess was enslaved by the family, chained to their confines.
While the farmer was away, she took sight of a familiar piece of fabric that pulled her near. There, she saw the veil that once defined her identity. Unbeknownst to the farmer, she took claim to what once was rightfully hers. She felt her prowess flowing through her once more. Then, when the dawn broke and the farmer arrived, her voice, once gentle, rang with the weight of eternity: โYou have shamed the heavens and robbed the traveler of its honor. So let it be written in the threads of fate: ha pito ka-lito, in the seventh generation of your bloodline, the mind shall wander in shadows, and reason shall wither like leaves in a drought. This is the curse you have sewn with your own hands.โ
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But heaven, in its mercy, did not turn away. One quiet night, as the afflicted lay in their restless states, a new light descended, not a burning star, but a gentle radiance like the glow of dawn through stained glass.
It was Saint Roch, the humble pilgrim and healer, whose staff struck the ground and brought forth a spring of clear water. He looked upon the family not with wrath, but with compassion. He spoke of forgiveness and the power of faith to unbind what the past had knotted.
With prayer, divine healing was poured upon the cursed, and the madness ebbed like a receding tide. The air grew sweet again, as though sickness itself hesitated to breathe.
From that day, Maydolongnons were no longer in fear of the curse, but they rejoiced in hopeโa tribute to Saint Rochโs mercy. And every August, in honor of their patron, they walked in procession, carrying images of the saint, a pledge that no curiosity nor greed will again outweigh reverence for the gifts of heaven.
The town gathers in a joyful celebration, not only to honor tradition, but to remember the miracle of Seรฑor San Roque who broke the curse.
Seรฑor San Roque: the healer who mended bodies, soothed minds, and restored hope to the hearts of the weary.
| Digital Art by Pauleen Gail Dormentes
