Before the third episode of the Philippines Graphic Literary Workshop (PGLW) concluded on April 18, we knew that we had one more thing that we can offer our bright young fellows: a starting platform for their creative endeavors. Here, we present one of their final outputs from the workshop. We also asked them to provide an artwork that they think best represents their stories. Read on.
I need to get this done quickly, if I wanted to go out I would have to prepare everything now. A huge flat paintbrush in my hand, a tub of light foundation in the other. I step closer to the mirror to gaze at myself in entirety, I need to cover up as best I can. The first step is to cover up the purple hues that trailed my torso and arms with the brush. Covering up all the parts of my so-called skin to make it look like earthly flesh. I cover what I can with the tan and peachy toned pot of make up to the best of my abilities. I stop once I reach my face –staring for a moment. Red and gold shimmery horns greet me in my reflection, my smile containing the power of what humans would deem a million tiny suns. My eyes become rounder, more almond like as I paint my once purple face with skin tones further with the brush. My cheeks are a little fuller and rosy as the foundation works its magic. The pot isn’t exactly makeup as you can see, I swish the brush into the pot to get more of the mystical foundation I’m using. I paint the base of my horns, the beautiful arches disappearing in the mirror. The golden scales now hidden from human view. It looked normal or what humans deemed normal now. I had a set of bangs covering my forehead, not the horns I was used to seeing. Stroke after stroke, dipping my brush back and forth and all is over. I look at myself to see a human –or what seems to be human enough. She looked like me, but I knew deep down that she was just a version of me that existed to coexist with the humans we lived with. She was pretty, there was no doubt about that. Despite that observation there was something off with how I viewed her. She was not me.
I had to get ready, I really could not spend more time looking at myself and my now human looking body as I rushed to put on a dress, a belt, earrings, bangles here and there and shoes that would cover my feet. Something that made me feel more me when I felt like I was looking too ordinary was what humans liked to call accessorizing. It was like playing with the idea of having what I normally had, different colored bracelets on my arms and wrists. Chains on my waist or on my neck. Dangling little gems on my earlobes. Everything made me feel a bit more like my true form as I dressed human enough. One last look in the mirror and I was off, heading to the train station to get to wherever I wanted to go.
The trains were pretty things, always quick and easy to use. They amused me to no end with how beautiful and tragic they could be. Working fine one day then not working at all in the next hour. I stepped on the train, nothing amiss with myself as the guards did not stop me. Once I got on the cart I took a seat near the end of it. It is always better to stay unnoticed in a train where you were unsure of if there was anyone like you in there. It was deafening, the white noise as the train went on to each station. I popped my earphones in, scrolling through the many playlists in each genre of human music I seemed to enjoy. A sense of relief washed over me as I heard the upbeat pop tunes I decided to spin for the train ride. The train was making one too many stops. I couldn’t help but notice it, it was just a little unnerving but considering the trains in the Philippines they were truly dysfunctional at times. Too many “sorry for the inconvenience” announcements blaring as we continued to stay mid station. I drowned them all out, not wanting to worry for no reason. The magic pot really did its work as always, I looked at my reflection in the train windows and an objectively pretty woman stared back at me. She was what Filipino humans would define as a mestiza, light skinned, but more hispanic or western features. Her eyes were round, wide eyed as she stared back at me. It was odd, I knew this was my human reflection yet I couldn’t fathom being her for a long time.
Soon enough the train lurched to life, it was moving way too fast now. I noticed a few things on the train walls, there were sigils of Chronos on the walls. I smiled to myself, bracing for impact as best I could for now in case anything went awry. The train seats were melting into little bubbles now, everyone on the train floating in the air with the multicolored bubbles that started touching each and every individual on the train. Everyone was changing –this train or maybe even just this cart was protected by Chronos.
It was a train cart filled with creatures like me…
There was no reason to hide now, bubbles flowed towards me and I touched them with my hands, bubbles melting into my skin as my purple hues came back to life. My true form coming back to life as I let myself be enveloped in each and every speck that touched my skin. The fleshy tones that would usually stick when touched by regular water or liquids washing away completely as did everyone else’s human forms. It felt freeing, liberating even. I looked at the other creatures on the train; pretty red feathers, white ivory horns, sea green and blue scales, tails, ears, horns of all kinds on these individuals. It was safe to just be ourselves. It was something to be celebrated in the realm of Chronos herself. Time didn’t take from creatures like us, for we were always happy and lively when with others like ourselves. We didn’t mind being called weird, we didn’t mind doing things where humans would normally have inhibitions. I could still hear the music from my earphones playing as I danced around with those on the train with me. The upbeat tunes from a song playing in my ear as I moved to the rhythm, feeling no shame, no need to hide.
That was all until I noticed one still ever human looking, under a clear umbrella that seemed to protect them from anything of Chronos as a whole. I moved closer, dancing through the train cart to reach them myself. It wasn’t even a train cart but a space within galaxies, stars glittering all around us as we continued celebrating even for a moment. They looked up at me once I reached them, eyes wide as I touched their face. My touch rubbed off some of the flesh toned skin, revealing a beautiful orange hue underneath.
“ You’re hiding…” I spoke, not a question but a complete statement of someone who seemed to have forgotten what it was like to be under the protection of time itself. I looked over to them, smiling brighter than I ever did. I could see that this individual had been hiding for a long time. Was it shame keeping them in their human form? Was it fear? Was it forgetting who they were?
“Would you like to dance?” They clutched the umbrella even harder, but made no move to take my hand off of their face. I smiled once more, trailing my hand around their cheek this time, more of the beautiful orange hues popping out again.
“C’mon, it will be okay.” I let go of their face and their umbrella dropped, as I moved around to the music I heard in my earphones. I put one of my earbuds in their ears as I extended my hand to them.
“Just one dance?” My laughter and light energy filled the space around us. I don’t know why I felt so happy to be dancing with them, to be talking to this stranger.
They finally nodded, reaching for my hand as the bubbles around us finally took flight, transforming them into their beautiful true form.
“There you are, finally free, yes?” I asked with a smile as I pulled them along to the bigger crowd of individuals like us. We danced, feeling free and happy to be in our true forms out in the open for what seemed to be forever. There was something serene, about feeling like there was everything fun and happy in this moment, laughter in the air, instruments being played, songs being blasted as best we could in this pocket of time Chronos gifted us.
They stared at me, smiling a little more as we continued dancing, their hands on my waist as we were able to freely dance, moving further and further away from the others as if we were caught in our own moment in time. It felt like a million butterflies flying around us. We were gliding in our little corner of the pocket of time we were all gifted.
“This rarely happens, did you know that?” They finally spoke, their deep voice rumbling in echoes as I realized we were pretty far from the crowd of creatures like us.
I raised an eyebrow as they pulled me back for a spin, “What rarely happens?”. They chuckled, looking at me with a smile as they leaned in closer.
“Chronos rarely creates pockets of time, some say she does it for us to find our soul tribes, maybe even soulmates…” He chuckled as he could feel my breath stop for a moment as he spoke.
“How sure are you that this is what you think it is?” I asked as bubbles surrounded us once more. There were bubbles floating around us right now, everything turning blurry as we danced. They were fading through the bubbles…Chronos was telling us to say goodbye. They grabbed my arm and pulled me closer once again, smiling through the bubbles as they whispered.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll recognize you on the train home?”
As the bubbles pushed us away I was back on the train, the same pretty mestiza Filipina woman staring back at me in my reflection. I was standing in the corner still but this time around there was someone standing in front of me, they smiled, I smiled back. This was the same individual I danced with –one who was just like me.
“Maybe hiding won’t be so bad anymore, for now…” I spoke as we both got off at the next station, hand in hand as we walked to wherever the city streets would take us.
Written by Maria Isobelle Cleofas
