Don't swallow porcupine fish

Under the cloak of a tranquil starlit night, beneath the vast canopy of the sky, a young girl named Liana sat beside her father, gazing up at the moon. sitting together outside their home in a small coastal village, they were nestled in a cozy spot near the shore, surrounded by the gentle sound of waves lapping against the beach and the soft glow of lanterns illuminating the night. It was an evening unlike any other, for the moon was gradually being enveloped by darkness.

Fascinated yet perplexed, Liana turned to her father, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Dad, what's happening to the moon?" she asked, her voice brimming with curiosity.

Her father Tala, an experienced seafarer, fisherman and above all a fantastic storyteller, smiled gently at her and patted her head. "Ah, kid,  what you see is as ancient as time itself, aye. It is the tale of Mamang and Bibigila, a story passed down through generations." He told her nonchlantly

 “My dad told me, and his dad told him. I think his aunty might of told him by I don’t know, was so long ago, aye. Back in them olden days.” He said with a wink

Liana giggled as her eyes sparkled with anticipation as she leaned in closer to her father, eager to hear the ancient tale unfold.

"Long ago, right" Tala began, his voice carrying the weight of tradition, "when the world was young and the stars were still learning their paths, there lived a mighty whale named Mamang. Mamang was the guardian of the oceans, he was big and tough, yeah. With scales that shimmered like silver and a voice that could float across all distances." He told her, flicking out his hands and pointing across the ocean as he reached the end of his sentence.

Liana listened intently, envisioning the majestic creature gliding through the endless azure depths of the sea. “But dad, whales don’t have scales” she rebutted, believing she had caught him out.

“yeah well this one did aye, you wanna hear the story, or you gunna be a marine scientist or something huh, kid?” Tala chuckled after his daughters correction.

"Now, not far from Mamang's domain," Tala continued, "there resided a humble porcupine fish named Bibigila. Bibigila was small compared to Mamang, but he possessed a clever mind and spines sharp enough to stab into anyone silly to try and gobble him up. they would really hurt, aye!" Tala enthusiastically proclaimed, all while holding his hands to his mouth, slurping and pretending to eat the fish, then holding his neck as if something was caught.

Liana nodded and laughed, her imagination painting vivid images of the characters in her mind.

"One fateful day," Tala narrated, "Mamang and Bibigila's paths crossed in a way that would forever alter the heavens above up there, aye. And the seas below too! Mamang, driven by curiosity and arrogance, approached Bibigila, intrigued by the tales of the clever fish."

"Why did Mamang want to meet Bibigila?" Liana inquired, her curiosity burgeoning with each word of the tale.

"Mamang had heard of Bibigila's wisdom and wished to learn from him," Tala explained. "But as Mamang drew nearer, Bibigila sensed danger and puffed himself up, extending his sharp spines in defense."

“pfft, pft, pfft” tala would mimic, poking his fingers in all sorts of directions.

Liana gasped, envisioning the scene unfolding beneath the moonlit waves of the heavens.

"Caught off guard," Tala continued, "Mamang inadvertently swallowed Bibigila whole!” tala proclaimed, followed by a large ‘gulp’ sound. “The moment Bibigila realised his predicament, he began to struggle, his spines pricking and poking at Mamang's insides."

"What happened next, Dad?" Liana asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"Mamang didn’t like it, aye. It was uncomfortble for the greedy whale, and after feeling the discomfort caused by Bibigila's spines, he realised his mistake," Tala whispered. "With great effort, Mamang SPEWED Bibigila back into the ocean." Blarrrgh cried Tala. "But the encounter left a lasting impact on both of them."

Liana frowned, curious about the lasting impact her father spoke of.

"After that day," Tala elucidated, "Mamang and Bibigila reached an understanding. Mamang vowed never to try and eat Bibigila again, and Bibigila promised to share his wisdom with Mamang whenever needed."

"But what does that have to do with the moon, Papa?" Liana asked, her mind trying to connect the dots. “none of it makes any sense!”

Tala smiled, knowing his daughter was ready for the heart of the myth. "You see, kid, Mamang and Bibigila's… encounter… forged a bond between the sea and the sky. Every time the moon is swallowed by darkness, it is a reminder of that ancient pact." He told her, his eyes growing more serious after every word.

Liana's eyes widened in realization. "So, when we witness an eclipse, it's Mamang trying  to swallow Bibigila, but then spitting him out again?"

"Exactly, aye!" Tala nodded. "The eclipse is called Kinotuongo lous, which means 'the hunger of darkness’ in our ancient old people talk. It is a time when Mamang and Bibigila's story unfolds in the heavens, reminding us of how important it is to respect power and strength, and not to be blinded by it. Cause otherwise we will swallow a porcupine fish and get a sore neck, aye!” Tala told her, a mixture of sincerity and humour. It is good to be curios, but you need to respect that strength isn’t everything, kid. It’s good to have power, but it's also important to have humility." This time tala spoke with less humour.

As Liana absorbed the myth, a sense of awe enveloped her heart. She looked up at the partially eclipsed moon, feeling a connection to the timeless tale her father had shared.

"Dad," she whispered, "will Mamang and Bibigila's story continue forever?"

Tala smiled, his eyes reflecting the wisdom of his father before him, and his father… or aunt before that.. "As long as there are stars in the sky and waves in the sea, their story will go on forever, kid, yeah. And as long as we remember it, the eclipse will always be a reminder of the bond that unites all things, no matter how bad they may seem."

Liana nodded, her heart brimming with wonder and gratitude for the myth that had unfolded before her. She knew that whenever she gazed upon the eclipsed moon, she would recall Mamang, Bibigila, and the timeless occurrence of Kinotuongo lous that interconnected the sea and sky, past and present, and the harmonious reminder…. Don’t swallow porcupine fish.