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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