on exhibit at KUBO LBThe Stealer of the Seven Moons
Written & Illustrated by Faye Valles
There once was a shy young woman who believed there had to be more to the night than just one moon.
She lived in a village that came alive when the sun set. The fishermen took to their boats, lanterns lit up to imitate the stars, and the streets were lined with loud market vendors and shouting children. It was an unnamed village but by no means forgotten. This was the legendary village that long ago gathered together to scare off the Bakunawa, the eater of moons.
The Bakunawa lived in the lake by the village, and the elders say there were once seven moons that shined for Earth until the Bakunawa started eating them one by one. If it weren’t for the woman’s ancestors who drove the fierce dragon away with their clamoring of their pots and pans and voices, the Earth would have no moon.
But the woman was quiet and could see that they lived in fear that the Bakunawa would strike again. They were afraid the Bakunawa would come for the last moon, so they stayed vigilant and loud through the night just in case. The woman dreamed of peace for her town, one below a shining seven moons. So one night after years of dreaming she prayed to the ancestors to take the last moon from the sky. She told them she wanted to capture the Bakunawa with it and the ancestors, who heard her call, dropped the moon for her. It fell into the lake and the woman swam to painstakingly tie a fishing line around it so it wouldn’t sink. Her family, the whole village, were outraged.
The woman tried to tell them she was going to go back to the Bakunawa and gather the six moons, but they looked down on her. “The six moons were eaten long ago. You’re not grounded in reality.”
But the woman didn’t listen. She knew the reality they spoke of didn’t serve anyone, not even them.
She dove into the lake and as she swam away from the shore her family called out. “Are you crazy?” They implored her, “Stop! You’re going to ruin everything,” another said. “Everything our ancestors worked for. Gone.”
Still, in the moonless night she passed the fishermen's boats and plunged into the depths of the wicked waters, traveling to meet face to face with the monster that plagued their town.
It had been many a moon since the Bakunawa saw a human, so when he saw the woman he amused her.
She asked him, “You, why did you take our moons?” to which he only answered, “Because I fell in love with them.”
“Your love has wrecked my village, my people, the world.” The woman said. “Generations of us have grown up not knowing the true brightness of the night sky. The stars are faded because of your selfishness.”
“Selfishness?” The Bakunawa spat. “Selfish? Selfish.” He played with those words in his mouth. “I, who live here in these depths eternally and can not see the light, while you mortals lived under the sun and seven moons? Do not call me selfish, mortal.”
The Bakunawa returned to the depths after that.
The woman, who had come so far, was determined. She swam after him and followed him to his cave where she saw the six glimmering moons the Bakunawa kept for himself. She realized she had to be sly, so when the woman approached the Bakunawa again she said, “I’m sorry for calling you selfish. To make it up, I’d like to offer you the moon. I plucked it out of the sky for you.”
“You? Stole the moon?” The Bakunawa laughed. “I’d like to see that.”
“Follow me, then.” The woman taunted.
The Bakunawa, amused at the little human’s fearlessness in the face of his prowess, followed her up. As he approached the shore, he saw the woman was not lying. The moon was glittering there waiting for him. Pupils dilated, pupils gone, the Bakunawa lost all sense of control. He darted for the moon and the quick thinking woman, who had tied the moon to a fishing line before, grabbed its rod.
She knew this was her only chance so she asked for strength and the ancestors granted it to her. The little woman pulled and pulled, and for seven days the waves tossed and turned as their fight raged on. The fishermen’s boats bobbed up and down, the villagers stayed in their houses, and no vendors lined the streets. They didn’t know what was going on until suddenly, out of the blue on the sunny seventh day, the Bakunawa’s body flung skyward from the lake.
It turns out the Bakunawa was so blinded by desire that he didn’t notice the woman had tangled him up into knots. The sea serpent, who had once so desperately wanted to be in the light, was crystallized by the touch of the sun.
The Bakunawa was finally gone.
The village cheered for three days and recovered the six moons promptly, restoring the sky to its original brightness. The fishermen, vendors, and children, finally felt safe to sleep under the six moons. They rested during the night and looked forward to a brand new day each day. And the world, who knew not the name of this little village, was a brighter place.
THE END
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