A MIRACLE (TRUE STORY )

Disciplining Children

In the family, Anne's mother is always the one who's disciplining the children. Her mother would command their father at times to do the same. Her father seems cannot talk well and when he did, he's stammering, his words are jumbling maybe because he's not used in talking or maybe because he has different dialect compared to them and their mother.

He rarely got angry to his kids but when it happened, he couldn't control it, it seems it was stored in a long time and it just overflowed in their storage tank that went off forcefully.

One evening, their mother got home and she found out that their drinking vessel is empty, it is a big earthen jar with a small cover on top of it. They are just using a small cup to get water from its opening above.

The place where they get drinking water is far from them, they need to walk a few meters away from the house. Then they will go down to a certain slope with the surrounding coconut trees, tall grasses above it. It seems a hidden place, no one would expect there's a drinking water there. The children need to slide down every time due to the slippery way of going there. They're enjoying it at times, when it's the dry season, they'd get the coconut branch and each will ride unto it from the top going down. And if it's the wet season, they will remove their slippers and will go down carefully barefooted and at times they slipped accidentally straight downward and they cannot help but cry aloud. They're lucky, there were trees below that could catch them every time if not, the pit of water will catch them.

They are getting their drinking and bathing water from an aquifer type where water only springs and flows from the rocks and the ground. Then they just made a small pit, with a few centimeters deep only below it to store the water, it's only very shallow, where it turned turbid easily when carelessly disturbed. They are only using a little bamboo strip from the very outlet of the water to get a clean drinking water if the supply on the small depth below is already disturbed and cloudy. And if it's only for bathing or washing, they just use the water below it. They're just using a small bucket cut from Caltex plastic container or any plastic gallons to transfer or get water or to remove all the turbid water replacing it with new ones that are draining from the rocks' opening above it.

Anne and her elder sister Ning (the 3rd one), since they're closer at birth's order, usually went together either to bath or wash clothes. When they're bathing, they sometimes gathered coconuts that are falling on the ground. Ning is stronger than her, so she will break it by banging it through the rocks or hardwoods. Then, they will bite and chew the coconut meat until the milk of it has been extracted. They will use the extracted milk of coconut as their shampoo. It's the reason may be, that in the past they have a black, shinier, and stronger hair compared to the present.

Ning has strength like a man, she grew up with boyish moves. Others thought she's a lesbian, but she's not. She's so strong that even on her young age of 11, she could carry a large container of water on her shoulder, and at times she will carry it by putting the container on top of her head. Though she looked strong, she's a little bit coward, she's very afraid of the dark.

It's already dark when Anne and Ning were commanded by their mother to fetch water. They know it's too dark there below and there are no available flashlights or anything they could use going down the road.

They're afraid of their mother, so they're forced to follow the order.

"Go! The two of you, fetch water!"

Along the way, the two girls are halting now and then every time there's a sudden movement through the leaves of the trees. They couldn't see clearly whatever it was. Ning doesn't want to be left behind by Anne, so she's walking on the front of Anne going down below.

They bravely went down to fetch water. And as they are about to go up with Ning carrying a big container on her shoulder and Anne carrying a small container, there's sudden flapping of a very big bird above the trees. They are both afraid. They thought it's an evil creature popularly know to them as "aswang". Folks there are always spreading rumors that those evil creatures can transform into any kind of animals and birds and would hunt down babies or would attack humans.

Ning commanded Anne to walk behind her back but Anne won't do it either. They kept on arguing who will go first and who will go last, the same scenario as before they got there. Until Ning cried louder and would slap Anne. She insisted she would come first since she got a heavier container of water than her. So Anne cannot win on their arguments. She had to obey her sister though she hated to went after behind her back. She's afraid too, something might suddenly touch or else grab her behind. It's really the cause of the dark thoughts and literally because of the darkest night they went through without any small light.

They arrived home safe, nothing happened but both of them are tired and breathless. They had walked so fast and ran from time to time as if someone is chasing them, though there's none.

They received a sermon from their mother upon entering the house, that next time they should fetch water as earlier as possible before dark.

Their mother is a bit harsh in disciplining the children. She would get usually a branch of guava tree near their yard, any kind of sticks or anything she could see around the house, then she will use it to spank the kids. She would spank anyone if ever her command isn't followed, if others failed to remember to finish their delegated tasks and if the kids would reason out, talk back or murmur when she's speaking. It happened that Anne is about to be spanked by her mother. She saw her coming with that thin long guava stick. She knows that the thinner it is, the more painful the effect, the pain seems to reach to the bones. So she ran away as fast as she could. But the more she ran, the more her mother kept on chasing her, she seen her mother's face and heard her voice more annoyed, angrier than before.

They kept on circling around their house until Anne went away towards the bamboo tree. She hid under the bamboo trees. Her mother couldn't follow her, only a small child could enter below it, it is full of thorny bamboo branches. She's on her angriest mood, she couldn't hit Anne and couldn't force her to go out.

"You kid! Go outside! Come here! And you'll see! You cannot run forever. The more you run the more I like to hit you even harder! You cannot hide there forever, and we'll see when you go out!"

Anne is crying saying, "Mother, please stop. That hurts! I don't want to do it again!"

But later on, Anne couldn't help but obey her mother after a few long hours. She went out of that hiding place and just receive the punishment from her mother.

It's a normal thing in the family. It seems her mother inherited it to her father. Her father was so strict to his children even they're already adults and have their own family. The children tried hard to always obey their mother, afraid to be spanked again and again. Their father wanted to stop her every time but in return, she's the one to be yelled at by his wife, so he just fell silent.

However, there are times that even though only one had committed a mistake, everyone will be punished. According to their mother, it's called "equality", everyone will be treated equally and there were no favorites for her. It's also called "one for all" and "all for one", the mistake of one is the mistake of all.

Their mother is like an army commander, she's like the King of the house with complete control and power.

26th September 2018 12:22pm