Before Pa Sigichor's father died, he had left instructions that he
should be the custodian and keeper of the family oracle, Gibotong. As
the eldest son in the family, he was obligated to assume this
responsibility. However, Pa Sigichor had left the village at a very
early age, and had never returned since then. The responsibility to
care for the god then fell into the hands of his younger brother. Since
he had never abdicated his responsibilties to the god by offering a
sacrifice, the god was therefore on the hunt for Pa Sigichor where ever
he might be. When Pa Sigichor's nephew travelled from Kubalang to vist
him, Gibotong surrepititiously follwed suit.
Pa Sigichor walked back and forth along the narrow streets from
his compound. His mental condition deteriorated as quickly as sour
milk. He ran in the narrow streets of the village wrapped around an old
blanket, as if an invisible rascal was chasing after him.
Ya- Njaha sat cross-legged facing the soothsayer who judiciously
sat before his cowry shells. She had visited the soothsayer to find the
answer to her husband's sudden illness. The soothsayer gathered half a
dozen cowry shells in the palm of his right hand; he raised the shells
to his lips and muttered some incantations, lightly spitted on the
shells and then threw them on the floor of the hard mud. He
thoughtfully examined each of the shells in their various positions;
one shell faced upwards, another shell faced downwards and the rest
were sitting on their side. He moaned to himself and knowingly shook
his head.
"It is right here," the soothsayer calmly said. "The shells
have said it all. You see this one and that one. Those two cowry shells
we have to pay attention to."
The soothsayer pointed to two of the cowry shells that were
sitting on their side. He gathered the shells and threw them on the
floor again and got the same results.
"It seems to me that your husband's illness has to do with an
oracle. How long ago did he last visited his birthplace?"
"He had not visited his birthplace since he left it a very
long time ago," Ya-Njaha replied.
"He has to go back as soon as possible. He has to offer
sacrifice and pour libation. He has to abdicate his responsibility to
the oracle. The god is not going to kill him, but if he doesn't perform
the sacrifices he is not going to get well either," the soothsayer
said. "Meanwhile you can take out this charity for him. Go to a
junction where two streets meet in the early hours of the morning. In
the middle of the junction place four white eggs, four white candles
and four white colanuts."
Ya-Njaha had visited four other soothsayers and heard the
same story. The oracle, Gibotong, had ceaselessly been searching for
her husband. He had to perform certain sacrifices to abdicate his
responsibilities to the god. Since Pa Sigichor had never returned to
the village after he left many, many years ago, he needed to go back
and appease the god.
Pa Sigichor was constantly on the move for a week now. He
had been wandering without a sleep day and night. Occassionally, he ran
or walked briskly as if pursued by someone. At times he gave a
reverberating wail that echoed through the depths of the night. He
looked weary and hungry. His eyes were swollen. His voice croaked like
a frog when he spoke. Ya-Njaha tried to convince him to come back to
the compound, and had prepared some food for him.
"You have to eat and rest. You cannot go on like this," she
implored.
Pa Sigichor succumbed to his wife's overtures when he was
acutely hungry and tired. Within a short period he was loudly snoring
at the foot of the Mango tree in the compound. However, he abruptly
woke up as if rudely awaken by an invisible rascal, and the nightmare
started all over again.
When the tormenting became so excruciating, Pa Sigichor had
sought the sanctaury of the local church. Once he entered the church he
felt a sudden restfulness. The duel between the two forces presumably
had taken place at the entrance to the church. When he came out of the
church later, he started to run again and shouted at the top of his
voice. Gibotong, seemingly, followed in high pursuit...
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