Encounter with a Kapre

Narrated by Napoleon Barrientos

This is what happened to me before the war when I was still a bachelor.

There were five of us, all guys, who went to Alipustos, Numancia, to serenade
someone. Aliputos is about four kilometers from Kalibo. Along the way, at about
one oclock in the morning, we were followed by a wakwak and a titktik. We did not
see them but we heard their sounds. We had brought with us three knives and one
box of matches. I whispered to my companions to get some li-ay (dried coconut
leaves) and light a torch. But still those sounds followed us. Upon reaching Laguing-
Banwa, we passed by a river and picked some corn which we later broiled. As we
were about to finish broiling the ears of corn, we saw two women in wooden slippers
running. That was about two oclock in the morning. I told Juaning, one of my
companions, Juaning, lets follow them and find out where they came from. But
Juaning replied, But what about the corn?

I followed the two women alone.

As I was approaching the dam near my place, I picked up some wooden spikes and
ran toward the dam to follow those women. I chased them for about a kilometer,
but they disappeared from view.

As I stood on the dam, I suddenly saw a gigantic creature stretching his hands
sideward and wearing a huge hat and suit made of sheepskin. It was a very tall and
black creature hovering about me. It had probably three times the height of an
ordinary person and a width four times that of a human being. It was so big indeed
and it had very long nails. I wanted to run but it was blocking me. Thereupon, I
remembered the wooden spikes, and so I stabbed the creature on the side, causing
it to fall off the dam. He felt the pain and he roared. He wanted to climb up the
dam again. I could not determine how thick were its hairs all over because of its
long sleeves. But it had huge eyes and nose. That is what the old people call kapre.

When I saw it climbing up the dam again, I hurled a wooden stick about one meter
long as it, causing it to roll till it fell into the waters. It managed to float and was
able to find a coconut wood to lean on. I watched it closely. Thereupon, I ran as
fast as I could and called my companions. I told them there was a kapre over there.
My companions even saw it floating. Thereupon it slid off the log and began to
disappear. Then we all went to eat our boiled corn and parted. (From Claire Zarate-
Manalo, Kalibo Supernaturalism and Its Social Relevance (M.A. theses, Centro
Escular University, Manila, 1981, pp. 150-151. In: Philippine folk literature: the
legends. Edited by Damiana Eugenio, Diliman, Quezon City, UP Press, 2002, pp.188-
189)