Engkanto Stories in Capul Island

I grow up hearing all sorts of stories about supernatural beings in Capul. Because we only had electricity since about 10 years ago, we enjoy the moonlit nights playing hide and seek, patentiro and other sorts of child play. The plaza becomes abuzz with little children running to and fro until about midnight. The whole village becomes a virtual playground until the elders come calling their small children to go home because somebody saw an engkanto somewhere near the giant century-old tree.

Fairies, giants and other otherworldly beings: whether there was truth to it or were just figments of our imagination were part of our everyday life in the province. We were constantly reminded by our elders not to make too much noise in the well or in a creek or river especially at 12:00 noon because we might disturb the other beings inhabiting the place. Tuesdays and Fridays are considered “enchanted days” because the engkantos are frolicking during these days. We have to excuse ourselves and say “tabi po” whenever we pass by a big tree or a creek because we might accidentally hit an engkanto.

Possessed by bad spirits
The elementary school I went to has a giant tree near the main gate. It has a big hole like a big gaping wound just above its roots where it is said that several dwendes (dwarf) are inhabiting and are seen playing in the Bermuda grass at dusk. In different occasions, several people claimed that they heard clanging sounds of kitchen utensils at mealtimes and also smell foods being cooked. At the back of the classrooms were big rimas trees where the old toilets were also located. School children like us played on its big branches or simply rest on them after lunch or during recess. Beneath it are two big fishponds with water lilies and small fishes. In several instances, we were startled when a playmate started screaming like being frightened by something or someone. It turned out that a bad spirit possessed them. The local shaman was summoned to fumigate the place with herbs to counter the bad spirits.

Love Affair with the Engkantos
I was a fourth grader when my classmates and I observed Elma, the nanny of my cousin’s little baby talking to somebody outside our classroom. However, we did not see anybody with her except the few month-old-baby, Carlo. My cousin who is a teacher lives just outside the school campus so the nanny took Carlo to the school ground to play. We did not pay much attention to her because we thought she was talking to the baby. By suppertime, our other cousins asked Tatay to accompany them at our cousin’s house because Elma was missing. It turned out that she was “hidden” in the corner of one of the rooms when she shouted for help. She was panting and sweating all over. According to her, a man was chasing her on horseback named Elmo and was asking her to go with him. The men in the house helped her but she was stronger than all of them. We knew by then that she was possessed by an engkanto. When she becomes sober, she and the family members were transferred to the house of another cousin. My father along with some male cousins, sleep in the house but they could not get a rest because invisible men hurling gravels at them attacked them. The stones came from every conceivable hole of the house, from the windows, doors and from the little gaps between the roof and the walls but none of them were hit. This made them very frightened so they abandoned the house.

Meanwhile, loud knocks were heard at the door of the house where Elma my cousin’s family members were transferred. My cousin’s husband opened the door but did not saw anybody until they heard Elma talking to someone but they could not see whom. This made the whole village really frightened so small children were not allowed to go out after dark. Prayer vigils were done in the school to ward off evil spirits. Meanwhile, several shamans even from neighboring towns like Masbate in Bicol were summoned to perform “pagbawi” (literally means to take back Elma’s spirit who had been in the engkantado world). Full moon came and the last ritual of pagbawi was done where Elma was brought to the school ground to face Elmo. She was instructed to tell Elmo that she did not love him and he should let her go away because they come from different worlds. Elmo supposed to have appeared from nowhere, wearing a white suit and white shoes riding on a white horse. A soldier cousin supposedly fired at Elmo but he disappeared in thin air. It was supposed to have witnesses by several people but I do not know exactly now if the “vision” of Elmo really appeared. A few days after, Elma was brought to her hometown in Mondragon Samar but she died just a few days after.

Several other beautiful ladies were said to have been courted by engkantos especially those that are fair skinned. Another celebrated case involved the mestiza wife of a rich villager who comes from Manila. She vacationed in the island with her husband and went to the sea to gather gulaman (a sea weed used for making gelatin). A group of men supposed to have befriended her and made her dance in the big rocks. Several people saw her dancing including this writer who thought she was just enjoying the new experience of gathering gulaman. She was forcibly brought home by her husband and became delirious as if fighting several men whom she claimed wanted to take her for a ride to different parts of the island. The shaman put a rosary on her but she fought and shoo everybody away. Fortunately, she was “cured” by the shamans and since then, did not come back in the island as advised by her husband’s relatives.

Kissed by a fairy
This writer also experienced close encounters with the supernatural when I was about 10 years old. It happened one night, when my elder sisters and I went to the town to watch the Teacher’s Day presentation. Only Nanay & Tatay were left at home to care for our one-year-old niece Amy, who was staying in the house because her mother was working in Manila. At dusk, Tatay was carrying the baby in the porch and said something like: “poor child, nobody’s taking care of her” when suddenly he smelled a sweet aroma coming from the direction of the street. Nanay, who was cooking dinner in the kitchen also smelled it and asked Tatay what and where that smell comes from. Even our next-door neighbor smelled it. Unable to explain the very sweet smell, they just ignored it. The smell lingered until the following morning.

When we arrived later, we were met with the unusually sweet smell of the house coming from the room where Amy was sleeping. It was when we discovered that the sweet smell comes from Amy’s forehead as if somebody planted her a kiss. Nanay said that a fairy could have “pitied” Amy and the supernatural being kissed her on the forehead.