The lady who sleeps in the water

Banyan Tree

Chapter Eleven

Have you wondered if your really safe from this woman in red? Saying she only resides in Ponhpei? Well you may be wrong. You see she travels. No matter where you are she can reach you.
The Pohnpeians elevated her to a status so high. That her name lihmwodeleng means "seated lady of heaven" , that even saying her name is blasphemy.
In some countries you could relate her to some goddesses. Like ishtar, middle eastern goddess of fertility , love and heaven. It is believed in Pohnpei that the lihmwodeleng lays in lidunduniahp in nett. Like lihmwodeleng, Ishtar also claims the  euphrates river.
She is the same. The same woman. But she is the most feared goddess or ghost in pohnpei. No one would dare say her name.

There was a tree in saipan. This tree was considered very sacred. This tree was sacred to the chammoro people because of lihmwodeleng or Taotaomona. She lives in the tree since there are no rivers in Saipan she inhabits the trees, the banyan trees. No one goes close to these types of tree, even in pohnpei which is called in pohnpei language " aiou". This tree has roots hanging down from its branches. Like lihmwodeleng, Ishtar also claims a type of tree. During ceremonies they would light up the tree and worship lihmwodeleng or Ishtar.

Well there was a time in Saipan that her activities became worse.

Juan was a hard working young man. Everyday he would go to their farm in San Vicente and cut the grasses and clean his farm all by himself. Everyday he went to the farm,was the same routine. He would walk to the farm which is not a long distance from his home and clean the farm or plant vegetations. There were no houses that was near the farm . Whenever he went to his farm he was all alone. And he liked it because he could tend to his plants and clean it while no one disturbed him. There was a banyan tree in his farm but he was told to never go near the tree. So he never went near the tree.

Until one day..
Juan was walking toward his farm. He couldn't wait to get started planting his Tapioca's.

He was about to pass the banyan tree when he noticed a woman sitting in one the large branches of the tree. She was so beautiful. Juan never minded woman all his life. The only thing he prioritized is his farm. Until he saw this mysterious woman sitting in the tree. He had never seen such a beautiful woman in his life that he forgot that he was never to go near the tree.

Juan approached the woman and was astonished that she was more beautiful up close.
" Hello what is your name? " juan asked her.
"Taotaomona" she replied him.
Juan introduced himself and asked her where did she come from, because there was no house near his farm.
Taotaomona just replied him that she was from a far away place.

Juan started courting taotaomona. But they would only meet at the farm under the banyan tree.
Everyday he would go the farm to meet taotaomona. He stopped working in his farm. The grass were growing longer and weeds were starting to kill his vegetations. But juan didn't care anymore. All his time he spend in the farm he would spend it with taotaomona.

Weeks went by juan was still  courting taotaomona. He was so captivated in her beauty that he was sure that he was in love with her . He wanted to marry her.
" I want to meet your parents. When can I meet them?" He asked her.

"Not yet. You have to be patient. " she replied his question.

Day by day he would go the farm. Visiting the love of his life. He was starting to go crazy. But his parents didn't notice he was going out of his mind. They thought that maybe he wanted a bride so they let him be. One day when juan and taotaomona were sitting under the banyan tree , juan finally asked taotaomona to be his wife.

" I can be your wife but in one condition." Taotaomona told him.
" Tell me." He told her.

" I will be your wife if only you wouldn't tell anyone about me." Taotaomona told juan.

" But how will I tell my parents?" Juan asked her .
" You mustn't tell your parents. You mustn't tell anyone. I will be your wife but it will only be between ourselves only." She replied juan.

With that juan gave up and agreed to her terms. He promised her that he wouldn't tell any living soul about her. But juan was overjoyed.

Juan returned to his home to his parents leaving his new wife behind the banyan tree at the farm. He was excited to tell his parents what had happened. He thought that if he told them taotaomona wouldn't know after all, she was at the farm. So he told them about taotaomona but he left out the part about him meeting her under the banyan tree.

The next day he went to the farm. He went to the banyan tree but she wasn't there . He looked around the farm and called for her but she was nowhere to be found. He went back home early and was depressed.
The next day was the same as the day before. He called for her but she didn't showed herself. She was gone.

The third day, juan went back and searched but it was the same. He finally gave up and went back home .

The sun set and the moon rose and it was time for slumber. Juan was already asleep. He turned only to bump into a cold body. He opened his eyes, a woman was sleeping beside him but her back was to him . He turned her face around  only to be horrified. What was laying there looks so similar to taotaomona but she was old. He stumbled out of bed trying to run out of the room but when he reached the door she was standing there.

"  I warned you not to tell anybody about me. But you came back to your home and told your parents. For betraying me, your body is mine now." She told him and possessed his body.
Everyday and every night the spirit in Juan's body tortured him. He went to a great length of torture that no human could stand. His parents were scared to go near him .

Matters got more worse so the parents had the church involved. The parents had begged the church to perform an exorcism on their son. They brought him to the archbishop of their village. An exorcism was tried on him. The bishop asked the spirit who he or she was.

The spirit replied that she was from pohnpei and that she was visiting her lands in the Marianas.

It isn't known if juan had survived after the exorcism. But lihmwodeleng could get any where she likes . She travels the world. And She can change her name for she has many names.