The moon was full, hung over the great night sky like a giant eye watching over the fishermen. They looked like tiny star on the floating over the sea with their lanterns. Baybay could do nothing but sit by the beach and watch them from afar. It was a year ago that he was supposed to start fishing, every men were expected to once they come of age, but here he was doing nothing but watching. He was tired of it, waiting as the days passed by, people around him did their part for the balanggay but he was just a freeloader.
Baybay clench his fists on the sand but it just flowed away. Nanagat was the only fishing balanggay in their kingdom far into the north east of the main balanggay, Taritala. He was adopted by the Datu Kudyapi when his father drowned in the sea, his mother on the other hand died of sickness, waiting by the beach for his father. He could have easily resorted to being a vendor of fish or deliverer to Taritala but sadly, Datu Kudyapi would not allow him to leave the balanggay. All the kindness the datu had given him and he can't even repay him by serving the balanggay.
"Ah, there you are child, you shouldn't be out here in the cold you know? You might catch a cold." There was a wispy voice behind Baybay.
"I'm sorry babaylan, I just couldn't sleep." Baybay said still facing the ocean.
The old babaylan sighed "Ah, child. I always tell you, everyone has their roles in the society, you just haven't found it yet." The babaylan tried to ease Baybay's troubles.
"I know babaylan, but what if my role isn't in here? what if I was supposed to be out there." Baybay stood and faced the babaylan, wrinkles covered her old wizened face. "There's nothing for me in here." he slowly walked towards the balanggay.
"Child, come." The babaylan called out to him.
Baybay reluctantly approached her.
"Come with me to my hut." The babaylan was already on her way.
The babaylan was very old, every skin on her body showed creases, she was even older than the datu. Amazingly, she could still stand and think straight. The pace was slow and it took them quite a while to arrive at her hut. The babaylan's hut was large but inside was always dark. Even though the darkness was eerie, he could not help but feel serene, like he felt lighter than usual.
"Did you know that we named you after a diwata?" The babaylan asked as she walked inside the hut.
"Um... my... name? I don't think I was ever told about that." Baybay answered while surveying his surroundings. Seeing inside was quite difficult but he could see that the babaylan was taking something from a pot.
"Ohohoho it was such a funny night..." The babaylan clearly got was she was looking for and was walking towards him slowly. "...you were supposed to be named Luyong Baybay after the diwata of the seas..."
Baybay was surprised "But, babayalan, wasn't Luyong Baybay..... a girl?"
The babaylan laughed heartily "Funny, wasn't it?"
"Errr..." Baybay did not know what words to grasp "Anyway, what was it about Luyung Baybay?"
"Ah, yes..." The babaylan scattered what she was holding in the air "But first.... Hiraya Manawari."
It seems that what she was holding was sand... or ground up glass, but whatever it was the particles floated in the air and slowly it glowed and the darkness in the room faded away. Then the room itself vanished and what was left was an endless sea without land in sight, and Baybay was seating in the middle of it.
