Sunday, February 20, 2011

One Piece Characters ( Straw Hat Pirates )

Monkey D. Luffy (モンキー・D・ルフィ Monkī D. Rufi?) is a pirate and the main protagonist of One Piece. He is the son of theRevolutionary Army's commander, Dragon, grandson of the famed Marine, Garp, and the foster brother of the late "Fire Fist" Portgas D. Ace and Sabo. His long life goal is to become the Pirate King by finding the legendary treasure left behind by the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. He believes that that being Pirate King means you have the most freedom in the world. As the founder and captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, he is the first member that makes up the crew as well as one of its top three fighters, the "Monster Trio". Luffy was one of eleven rookie pirates who had been referred to as "Eleven Supernovas", the eleven pirates with bounties over Bsymbol.gif100,000,000 to have reached the Red Line. Luffy's current bounty is Bsymbol.gif400,000,000, stated by the "impostor Luffy" after the time skip, and confirmed by one of the readings from a Pacifista. He has a worldwide reputation for causing trouble, even among the Yonkou, the Shichibukai, and the Marines, committing actions that were deemed dangerous by the World Government. Luffy has repeatedly committed crimes against the World Government. He has gained a reputation for being 'reckless' and, in some cases, 'insane', after causing an incident inEnies Lobby, entering and escaping Impel Down, and joining theMarineford War in the Marine HQ. This has got him to be known as the pirate who not only broke into the 3 most important government facilities but also managed to escape out of them alive. This, plus the fact that he punched out a Tenryuubito with full knowledge of the consequences and his heritage has caused Luffy to be labeled as a "dangerous future element". He has eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi.


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Nami is a young, somewhat tall girl with a slim build, and originally had short hair. She was the first main character to appear in Episode 1 before Luffy. Many people consider her to be very good looking or even beautiful. She has a blue tattoo (black in the manga) on her left shoulder which represents mikan and pinwheels (a homage to both Bellemere and Genzo, respectively), where she used to have a tattoo for being a member of Arlong's Crew. Near the beginning of the series, Nami wears a variety of clothing in the series but her longest lasting is her white and blue striped shirt, an orange mini-skirt and orange high-heeled sandals. She retains this look until the end of the Captain Kuro Arc, afterward she is seen wearing a different outfit for each arc. Nami wore thick, low cut leather boots and a simple blouse. However, during the Arlong Arc and thereafter, Nami wore strappy, heeled sandals and more revealing outfits (With the tattoo no longer being a secret). Nami wore a blue bikini and high heel sandals for the skypiea arc and then she changed to black high heel gladiator sandals during the Enies Lobby arc. During Thriller Bark, She wore a wedding dress and white high heel pumps with her dress. She seemed to have abandoned the sandals for high-heeled boots as of Chapter 435 but she started using sandals again in the end ofThriller Bark arc. She usually pairs her tops with skirts with rings on them. Her overall physique matured suddenly (though this is, most likely, a simple change in style of artwork). Her fashion frequently changes as well as her hair style. Many of her shirts feature four-letter words, such as "MODE", "GOLD", or "EVIL", similar to a shirt that Bellemere once wore that had "MACE" on it. On her left arm, there's the Log Pose, for being the navigator of the ship, and a yellow round bracelet, given by her sister Nojiko. She was also seen wearing glasses during the Skypiea Arc.
In SBS Volume 6, Oda said, according to Sanji, her measurements were 86-57-86cm = 34-22-34". The author has also replied to a fan's question saying that right now Nami's measurements are as follows:
§             Height: 169 cm = 5'6½"
§             Measurements (B-W-H): 95-55-85 cm = 37-21-33"
He later also specified in an SBS that Nami's under bust size is 65 cm, making her breasts an I-cup in Japan, or an F-cup in the US. However, her breasts seem to grow into and then "reset" throughout the arcs (this is much more obvious in the manga and in one of the movies). Oda has also said that Nami resembles a cat, that the color orange represents her, and she smells of mikan and money.
After the 2 year time-skip, Nami's hair has grown rather long, reaching down to her lower back. Her breasts have also grown larger and rounder, like Robin, but apart from this her appearance has not changed much, save the fact that both her body curves and hour-glass figure became more pronounced. She also appears to have gotten taller, as she appears to be just slightly shorter than Robin now. Her outfit after the timeskip consists of a revealing green and white bikini halter top, low-rider jeans (that expose some of her hips), and high heel sandals. Techniques
Though infrequent, Nami has a couple of other moves that she can use to incapacitate (in more ways than one) her opponents.
§             Shiawase Punch (幸せパンチ Shiawase Panchi, "Happiness Punch"): a "technique" that Nami uses to dispatch people watching her bathe; she simply drops her towel, causing any male in the vicinity to collapse from a massive nosebleed. She also uses this as a get-rich-quick scheme, as she charges Bsymbol.gif100,000 to anyone who sees her doing this. This is called Happiness Punch in the FUNimation dub.
§             Impact (衝撃貝(インパクト) Inpakuto): Nami uses an Impact Dial to absorb attacks and then send them back at her opponents. This was shown only when she finished off Hotori with Gan Fall. Sadly though, she is not yet strong enough to do this technique without causing serious damage to her arm and great pain, which is perhaps why she hasn't used it more often. This technique retains its name in the FUNimation dub.

                                                                                          Namiportrait.png

Usopp (ウソップ Usoppu?) was born in Syrup Village. He is the sniper of the Straw Hat Pirates. When Usopp was first introduced, he was often (comically) labeled as the "Liar" of the Straw Hat Pirates. He is the fourth member of the crew, the third to join, and also the third to rejoin at the end of the Post-Enies Lobby arc. He is known with a bounty on his head by his alternate name and ego "Sogeking".

Appearance

For most of the story, Usopp is a tanned, skinny teenager with black curly hair, orange lips and a long nose, which is apparently an allusion to Pinocchio, a wooden boy from a story of the same name who possessed a nose that would stretch after he lied. He usually wears a dark yellow plaid bandanna, a blue and white striped armband on his left arm, special Sniper Goggles, brown overalls with a white sash and no shirt underneath (although he wore a murky green shirt during the Skypiea Arc). He also carries with him a yellow stachel, which he stores all his tools and gadgets in. Usopp inherited his famous nose from his mother, while the rest of his face closely resembles his father's. During the Straw Hat separation, after landing in the Forest of Gluttony, Usopp grew quite fat.

After the 2 year time-skip, Usopp, no longer fat, has grown his hair longer. He has also gained more muscle and grown "manlier", being slightly taller and more muscular than before. Usopp now has a new pair of goggles around his neck (his Sniper Goggles weren't shown) and has some headphones or ear protectors on. He also now has a little goatee along with a new white suncap he wears on his head. He also has a new pair of rolled-up yellow pants with red suspenders, and a pair of boots. His trademark yellow satchel has been replaced with a red one, but he still has his blue and white striped wrist band on his left arm.

Oda claims that Usopp is most represented by the armadillo. Oda has also said that he uses the color yellow to represent Usopp, and that he smells of gunpowder.

Abilities and Powers

According to Oda in a discussion with Tanaka Mayumi, Luffy's voice actress, regardless of who joins the crew, Usopp will always be the weakest of the Straw Hats when it comes to physical strength since otherwise it might upset the balance of the story. Oda also states that this is because Usopp is the closest in strength to a regular human compared to the others and thus this portrayal can be easily related to by the average person's own strength (though it is implied that his physical strength has increased during the two years away from the crew, this has yet to be proven). His attributes mainly lie in his ability to hit nearly everything he sets his eyes on with his slingshot.

Usopp's role in the crew is that of the marksman, and also a jack-of-all-trades. Since early in the series, he was shown to have inherited much of his father's exceptional marksman skills. In a challenge to shoot a weathervane shaped as a whale that was far off in the distance, he managed to shoot the crown of the whale which even the amazes the best marksman in the marines. His abilities mainly rely on his resourcefulness and understanding towards engineering (easily analyzing the tunnel networks made by Miss Merry Christmas), using the cannons of the ship with great ease. His marksmanship is nearly unmatched, hitting the government flag albeit under the persona of Sogeking. Another one of Usopp's attributes is that he is a fast runner. In battle, Usopp uses hit-and-run tactics, and works best as part of a team where there are more physical fighters to watch his back. This is due to the fact that he is so high-strung and jumpy, and he often gives into his basic instincts of survival: fight or flight (usually choosing flight).

Prior to the introduction of Franky, Usopp served as the Straw Hat's sole unofficial gadgets and mechanics specialist. His creative engineering has resulted in the creation of both the Clima-Tact and Kabuto. He also appears to have some knowledge concerning chemistry, being solely responsuible for manufacturing the highly innovative slingshot pellets, or "stars", that he uses for ammunition . For other more complex activities, such as acting as the shipwright for the Going Merry, he is largely inexperienced, as he was barely able to keep the Going Merry going using patchwork repairs. As Franky pointed out, his skills are amateur and he barely knows how to use a hammer correctly for such jobs. After Franky joined the crew, Usopp gladly let him take over the reins of maintaining the ship even agreeing to Franky's request to assist him. In return Franky provided a workshop for Usopp to work on his gadgets and creations, something he's more at home with. Even Franky admitted that his skills in gadgets are considerable.

After a major battle, Usopp tends to have severe injuries often caused by his determination to reach his goal. He will attempt to continue even with his injuries. A prominent example of his incredible durability can be observed when Usopp was hit in the face by Mr. 4's 4-ton bat, and not only survived, but was able to continue fighting.

Usopp is also a great artist, as he proved in the beginning of the series when he made his and the Straw Hat's Jolly Rogers in response to Luffy's poor art skills. A running gag involves Luffy and Chopper building simple snowmen or sand castles only for Usopp to show off his vastly superior skills with a professional work of his own. He also boasted, just like Luffy and Sanji, that he has never been ill during his life (which impressed Vivi). Usopp used to make spiders fight when he was young and knows how to handle them without being bitten by their fangs and being poisoned in the process.


                                                                                        Usoppportrait.png 

Sanji is a pirate and the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates. He is the fifth member of the crew and the fourth to join. Since he was born in North Blue, he is the first Straw Hat not to originate from East Blue. Being labeled as one of the "Monster Trio," he's one of the top three fighters in the crew, the other two being Luffy and Zoro. His dream is to find the rumored All Blue which is where East Blue, West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue meet.

Appearance

Sanji is a slim, long-legged, young man with blond hair, often well-dressed, and keeps his hair brushed over one side of his face. For the initial part of the series, this side was the left side. Due to his left eye not being seen, many fans have questioned the assumption that he has one at all. In the manga it was usually covered one way or another, but is seen in the anime (episodes 21, 27, 82, 128 and Movie 6 although usually very briefly and most likely due to animation errors). Later, after the two year timeskip, he switched his hairstyle so that it covers the right side.

Among Sanji's physical traits are his distinctive eyebrows. Both form a spiral but at different ends. His right eyebrow forms a spiral at the outer end, while his left eyebrow forms a spiral at the inner end. Basically, his face is asymmetrical with the position of his eyebrow spirals. This however is not fully seen due to his hairstyle. He still however gets very upset if somebody, usually Zoro, chooses to point out the spiral that is seen. A note is that in the anime, sometimes on rare occasions Sanji's other eye was seen prior to chapter 598, however the spiral was not seen.

Sanji almost always wears a black, double-breasted suit with a tie and long-sleeved, buttoned shirts of varying colors, usually orange, blue or black, with or without pinstripes. His fashion changes at times, like in the Water 7 Arc where he had no suit jacket, but a black vest over an orange, pinstriped shirt. He also wears dress shoes, mostly for his Black Leg martial arts. These shoes are extremely durable, and were designed to increase the power of his attacks, though he can very well attack without them as he did against Kuroobi. Sanji is also a chain-smoker and is rarely seen without a cigarette.

During the Straw Hats' separation, Sanji starts to dress exactly like a typical okama complete with a wig and heavy makeup though reverts back to his usual outfit and appearance off screen sometime after. He is also seen to wear a orange shade in Arabasta arc.

According to Oda, Sanji most resembles a goose, is identified by the color blue, and smells of seafood and cigarette smoke.

On the thumb of his right hand, Sanji has three small scars from when he cut himself peeling apples.

After the 2 year time-skip, Sanji now covers his right eye, shows his left eye, and has grown his hair just slightly longer. He also grew a dark goatee and stubble on his upper lip. Both his left and right eyebrow are curled to the right. He wears a black and yellow 3-piece suit.

                                   Sanjiportrait.png

Tony Tony Chopper is the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. Chopper is a reindeer that consumed the Devil fruit, Hito Hito no Mi. He comes from Drum Island, which makes him the only member of the Straw Hat Pirate Crew who was born on the Grand Line. He is the sixth member of the crew and the fifth to join, as well as being the youngest member on board. He ate the Hito Hito no Mi, or human human fruit.

Appearance

Most of the time, Chopper is a toddler-sized human/reindeer hybrid, his Devil Fruit abilities allow him to change his appearance depending on the situation. Chopper's left antler has a metal plate wrapped around it at all times, from being broken in a fight when he was younger. The usual clothing he wears includes a pale red/pink, fuzzy top hat with a sideways medical cross (given to him by Hiluluk) and a maroon pair of shorts. He also sometimes wears a blue backpack that has the sideways medical cross as his hat. Chopper also has a remarkable feature that no other reindeer have, and that is a blue nose, while normal reindeers have black ones. As Oda's style evolved, Chopper has been given a more "chibi" appearance. This means that when in his Brain Point, Chopper has a larger head and eyes.

Chopper wears different outfits just as any other character in the crew.

In Arabasta, he wore a shirt with a green-lined collar then a bigger one w/ giant sleeves that is light blue the has dark blue liners.

At Enies Lobby, he wore a red leather jacket.

A running gag is that various characters in One Piece think Chopper is a tanuki (raccoon-dog, often simply translated as "raccoon") whilst in his Brain Point form. This is a play on the similar word "tonakai," the Japanese word for reindeer, from which the "Tony" in Chopper's name is derived. His heavy point form likewise is mistaken for a gorilla or an abominable snowman.

Many female characters, such as Nami and Porche, find Chopper very cute.

Oda has stated that he uses the color pink to represent Chopper, and (Oda was answering the questions as Chopper) for his smell, "how am I supposed to know?"

After the two-year time skip, Chopper wears a new blue and pink cap about the same size as his old pink hat. The X has a white circle surrounding it, and a ring of dots around the circle and the cap has buckles hanging from it. He also wears a white and yellow vertical-striped tank top and a orange pair of shorts. Chopper's Brain Point form has changed little, aside from being slightly slimmer. His Walk Point form has grown considerably, now being roughly as tall as Usopp. His horns are larger, he has more muscle, and his fur is longer. His Heavy Point has not been shown.

Abilities and Powers
Though it is rare for Doctors to fulfill roles other than medical practices for the benefit of those around them, as the Straw Hat Crew's Doctor, Chopper's responsibilities are not limited to medicine alone. He occassionally performs tasks like steering the ship as their unofficial Helmsman. During battle, fulfills the role of a physical fighter.

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Saturday, February 12, 2011

marco 16: Lupang Tinubuan by Narciso Reyes

marco 16: Lupang Tinubuan by Narciso Reyes: " Ang tren ay tumulak sa gitna ng Sali-salimuot na mga ingay. Sigawan ang mga batang nagtitinda ng mga babasahin, Tribune, mama, Tribune..."

Friday, February 4, 2011

Lupang Tinubuan by Narciso Reyes

 Ang tren ay tumulak sa gitna ng Sali-salimuot na mga ingay. Sigawan ang mga batang nagtitinda ng mga babasahin, Tribune, mama, Tribune, Taliba? Ubos nap o. Liwayway, bagong labas. Alingawngaw ng mga habilinan at pagpapaalam. Huwag mong kalimutan, Sindo, ang baba mo ay sa Sta. Isabel, tingnan mo ang istasyon. Temiong, huwag mong mabitiw-bitiwan ang supot na iyan. Nagkalat ang mga magnanakaw, mag-ingat ka! Kamusta na lang sa Ka Uweng. Sela, sabihin mong sa Mahal Na Araw na kami uuwi. Ang pases mo Kiko, baka mawaglit. Maligayang Paglalakbay, Gng. Enriquez. Ngumiti ka naman, Ben, hindi naman ako magtatagal doon at susulta ako araw-araw. Kamusta na lamang. Paalam. Paalam. Hanggang sa muli.
Ang tren ay nabuhay at dahan-dahang kumilos. H-s-s-s-Tsug. Tsug. Naiwan sa likuran nina Danding ang takipsilim ng Tutuban, at sila’y napagitna sa malayang hangin at sa liwanag ng umaga.
Huminga nang maluwag ang kanyang Tiya Juana at ang sabi, ‘Salamat at tayo’y nakatulak na rin. Kay init doon sa istasyon.’ Ang kanyang Tiyo Goryo ay nakadungaw at nagmamasid sa mga bahay at halaman sa dinaraanan.
Ang galaw ng makina ngayon ay mabilis na’t tugma-tugma, tila pintig ng isang pusong wala nang alinlangan. Napawing tila ulap sa isip ni Danding ang gulo at ingay ng pag-alis, at gumitaw ang pakay ng kanilang pag-uwi sa Malawig. Nagsasalita na naman ang kanyang Tiay Juana, ‘Ang namatay ay ang Tata Inong mo, pamangkin ng iyong Lola Asyang at pinsan namin ng iyong ama. Mabait siyang tao noong siya’y nabubuhay pa.’
Si Danding ay sinagian ng lungkot, bagama’t hindi niya nakita kailanman ang namatay na kamag-anak. Ang pagkabanggit sa kanyang ama ang tumimo sa ilang bahagi ng kanyang puso, at naglapit sa kanyang damdamin ang hindi kilalang patay. Naalala niya na sa Malawig ipinanganak, lumaki at nagkaisip ang kanyang ama. Bumaling siya sa kanyang Tiya Juana at itinanong kung ano ang anyo ng nayong iyon, kung mayaman o dukha, kung liblib o malapit sa bayan. At samantalang nag-aapuhap sa alaala ang kanyang butihing ate ay nabubuo naman sa isip ni Danding ang isang kaaya-ayang larawan, at umusbong sa kanyang puso ang pambihirang pananabik.
Sa unang malas, ang Malawig ay walang pagkakaiba sa alinmang nayon sa Kallagitnaang Luzon. Isang daang makitid, paliku-liko, natatalukapan ng makapal at manilaw-nilaw na alikabok. Mga puno ng kawayan, mangga, niyog at akasya. Mga bahay na pawid, luma na ang karamihan at sunog sa araw ang mga dingding at bubong. Pasalit-salit, isang tindahang hindi mapagwari kung tititigan sa malapit. Doon at ditto, nasisilip sa kabila ang madalang na hanay ng mga bahay. At sa ibabaw ng lahat, nakangiti at puno ng ningning ng umaga, ang bughaw, maaliwalas at walang ulap na langit.
‘Walang maganda rito kundi ang langit,’ ang sabing pabiro ng kutsero ng karitelang sinasakyan nila. Pinaglalabanan ni Danding ang sulak ng pagkabigo sa kanyang dibdib. ’ Hindi po naman,’ ang marahan niyang tugon. Naisaloob niyang sa mga nayong tulad nito isinilang at nagsilaki sina del Pilar, at iba pang bayani ng lahi, at sa gayong mga bukid nagtining ang diwa ng kabayanihan ng himagsikan laban sa mga Kastila. Ang alaalang iyon ay nakaaaliw sa kanya, nagbigay ng bagong anyo sa lahat ng bagay sa paligid-ligid.
Kay rami pala niyang kamag-anak doon. Hindi mapatid-patid ang pagpapakilala ng kanyang Tiya Juana. Sila ang iyong Lolo Tasyo, at sila ang iyong Lola Ines. Ang mga pinsan mong Juan, Seling, Marya at Asyas. Ang iyong Nana Bito. Ang iyong Tata Enteng. Yukod at ngiti rito, halik ng kamay roon. Mga kamag-anak na malapit at malayo, tunay at hawa lamang, matatanda at mga bata. Ang lahat yata ng tao sa bahay, buhat sa mga nangasapuno ng hagdan hanggang sa nagasaloob ay pawang kamag-anak ni Danding. ’Mabuti na lamang at likas na sarat ang ilong ko,’ ang naisaloob niya. ’ Kung hindi ay pulpol na marahil ngayon.’
Sapagkat sila lamang ang nagsipanggaling sa Maynila, sa pagtitipong iyon ay napako kina Danding ang pansin ng lahat. Umugong ang kamustahan. Balana ang nagtanong kay Danding ng kung ano ang lagay ng kanyang amang may sakit at ng kanyang inang siya na lamang ngayong bumubuhay sa kanilang mag-anak. Sinulyapan ng kanyang Tiya Juana si Danding at sinikap na saluhin ang mga tanong. Bantad na siya sa pagkamaramdamin ng kanyang pamangkin, at alam niyang ang kasawian ng ama nito ay talusaling na sugat sa puso nito. Ngunit hindi niya maunahan ng pagtugon sai Danding, na tila magaan ngayon ang bibig at palagay na ang loob sa piling ng mga kamag-anak na ngayon lamang nakilala.
Isang manipis na dingding ng sawali ang tanging nakapagitan sa bulwagan at sa pinakaloob ng bahay, na siyang kinabuburulan ng patay. At sa bukas na lagusan, na napapalamutihan sa magkabilang panig ng mga puting kurtina salo ng pinagbuhol na lasong itim, ay walang tigil ang pagyayaut-yaot dito ng mga taong nakikiramay sa mga namatayan, nagmamasid sa bangkay. Ngunit pagpasok na pagpasok ni Danding ay nag-iba ang kanyang pakiramdam. Napawi sa kanyang pandinig ang alingawngaw sa labas, at dumampi sa kanyang puso ang katahimikan ng kamatayan. Dahan-dahan siyang lumapit sa kabaong, at pinagmasdan ang mukha ng bangkay. Maputi, kaaya-aya ang bukas, isang mukhang nagbabandila sa katapatan at kagitingan. Nabakas ni Danding ang lapad ng noo, sa mga matang hindi ganap ang pagkakapikit, at sa hugis ng ilong, ang bahagyang pagkakahawig sa kanyang ama. Bigla siyang nakaramdam ng awa at lungkot.
’Hindi mo nababati ang Nana Marya mo,’ ang marahang paalala ng kanyang Tita Juana. ’At ang pinsan mong si Bining,’ ang pabulong pang habol. Humalik ng kamay si Danding sa asawa ng yumao, at naupo sa tabi ni Bining, ngunit wala siyang nasabing anuman. Puno ang kanyang puso. Pagkaraan ng ilang sandali ay umabot siya ng isang album sa mesang kalapit, binuksan iyon, at pinagmuni-muni ang mahiwaga at makapangyarihang kaugnayan ng dugo na nagbubuklod ng mga tao.
Pagkakain ng tanghalian ay nanaog si Danding at nagtungo sa bukid sa may likuran ng bahay. Nakaraan na ang panahon ng paggapas, at namandala ana ang ani. Malinis ang hubad na lupa, na naglalatang sa init ng araw. Naupo si Danding sa ilalim ng isang pulutong ng mga punong kawayan, at nagmasid sa paligid-ligid.
Hindi kalayuan, sa gawing kaliwa niya, ay naroon ang kanyang Lolo Tasyo na nagkakayas ng kawayan. Ang talim ng matanda ay tila hiyas na kumikislap sa araw. Tumindig si Danding at lumapit sa matanda. Si Lolo Tasyo ang unang nagsalita.
’Kaparis ka ng iyong ama,’ ang wika niya.
’Bakit po?’
’Balisa ka sa gitna ng karamihan; ibig mo pa ang nag-iisa.’
’May mga sandali pong kailangan ng tao ang mapag-isa.’
’Ganyan din siya kung magsalita, bata pa’y magulang na ang isip.’
’Nasaksihan po ba ninyo ang kanyang kabataan?’
’Nasaksihan!’ Napahalakhak si Lolo Tasyo. ’Ang batang ito! Ako ang nagbaon ng inunan ng ama mo. Ako ang gumawa ng mga una niyang laruan. Naulila agad siya sa ama.’
Tumayong bigla si Lolo Tasyo at itinuro ng itak ang hangganan ng bukid. ’Doon siya malimit magpalipad ng saranggola noong bata pa siyang munti. Sa kabilang pitak siya nahulog sa kalabaw, nang minsang sumama siya sa akin sa pag-araro. Nasaktan siya noon, ang akala ko’y hindi siya titigil sa kaiiyak.’
Lumingon ang matanda at tiningala ang punong mangga sa kanilang likuran. ’Sa itaas ng punong ito pinaakyat ko at pinagtago ang ama mo isang hapon, noong kainitan ng himagsikan, nang mabalitaang may mga huramentadong Kastila na paparito. At doon, sa kinauupuan mo kanina, doon niya isinulat ang kauna-unahan niyang tula-isang maikling papuri sa kagandahan ng isa sa mga dalagang nakilala niya sa bayan. May tagong kapilyuhan ang ama mo.’
Napangiti si Danding. ’Ang dalaga po bang iyan ang naging sanhi ng pagkakaluwas niya sa Maynila?’
’Oo,’ natigilan si Lolo Tasyo na tila nalalasap sa alaala ang mga nangyari. ’Nahuli sila sa tabi ng isang mandala ng palay.’
’Nahuli po?’
’Oo – sa liwanag ng aandap-andap na bituin.’
Marami pang ibig itanong si Danding, ngunit naalala niya ang patay at ang mga tao sa bahay; baka hinahanap na siya. Unti-unting pinutol niya ang pag-uusap nila ni Lolo Tasyo, at iniwan ang matanda sa mga alaala nito.
’Ano ang pinanood mo sa bukid?’ ang usisang biro ng isa sa mga bagong tuklas niyang pinsan.
’Ang araw,’ ang tugon ni Danding, sabay pikit ng mga mata niyang naninibago at hindi halos makakita sa agaw-dilim na tila nakalambong sa bahay.
Ang libingan ay nasa gilid ng simbahan, bagay na nagpapagunita kay Danding ng sumpa ng Diyos kay Adan sa mga anak nito, at ng malungkot at batbat – sakit na pagkakawalay nila, na kamatayan lamang ang lubusang magwawakas. Nagunita niya na sa maliit na bakurang ito ng mga patay na nakahimlay ang alabok ng kanyang ninuno, ang abang labi ng Katipunan, ng mga pag-asa, pag-ibig, lumbay at ligaya, ng palalong mga pangarap at mga pagkabigo na siyang pumana sa kanya ng kanyang angkan. Magaan ang pagyapak ni Danding sa malambot na lupa, at sinikap niyang huwag masaling maging ang pinakamaliit na halaman.
Handa na ang hukay. Wala na ang nalalabi kundi ang paghulog at pagtatabon sa kabaong. Ngunit ng huling sandali ay binuksang muli ang takip sa tapat ng mukha ng bangkay, upang ito’y minsan pang masulyapan ng mga naulila.
Nabasag ang katahimikan at naghari ang impit na mga hikbi at ang mga piping pananangis na higit na makadurog-puso kaysa maingay na pag-iyak.
Pinagtiim ni Danding ang kanyang mga bagang, ngunit sa kabila ng kanyang pagtitimpi ay naramdaman niyang nangingilid ang luha sa kanyang mga mata.
Sandaling nag-ulap ang lahat ng kanyang paningin. Nilunod ang kanyang puso ng matinding dalamhati at ng malabong pakiramdam na siya man ay dumaranas ng isang uri ng kamatayan. Balisa at nagsisikap ang dibdib ng damdaming ito, si Danding ay dahan-dahang lumayo at nagpaunang bumalik sa bahay.
Ibig niyang mapag-isa kaya’t nang makita niyang may taong naiwan sa bahay ay patalilis siyang nagtungo sa bukid. Lumulubog na ang araw, at nagsisimula nang lumamig ang hangin. Ang abuhing kamay ng takipsilim ay nakaamba na sa himpapawid. Tumigil si Danding sa tabi ng pulutong ng mga kawayan at pinahid ang pawis sa kanyang mukha at leeg.
Ang kapayapaan ng bukid ay tila kamay ng isang inang humahaplos sa nag-iinit na noo ni Danding. Huminga siya nang malalim, umupo sa lupa, at ipinikit ang mga mata. Dahan-dahang inunat niya ang kanyang mga paa, itinukod sa lupa ang mga palad; tumingala at binayaang maglaro sa ligalig niyang mukha ang banayad na hangin.
Kay lamig at kay bango ng hanging iyon.
Unti-unti siyang pinanawan ng lumbay at agam-agam, at natiwasay ang pagod niyang katawan. Sa kapirasong lupang ito, na siyang sinilangan ng ama niya, ay napanatag ang kanyang puso.
Palakas nang palakas ang hangin, na nagtataglay ng amoy ng lupa at kay bango ng nakamandalang palay! Naalala ni Danding ang mga kuwento ni Lolo Tasyo tungkol sa kanyang ama, at siya’y napangiti nang lihim. Ang pagsasaranggola sa bukid, ang pagkahulog sa kalabaw, dalaga sa bunton ng palay, ang lahat ay nananariwa sa kanyang gunita. Tumawa nang marahan si Danding at pinag-igi pang lalo ang pagkakasalampak niya sa lupa. Tila isang punong kababaon doon ang mga ugat, siya’y nakaramdam ng pagkakaugnay sa bukid na minsa’y nadilig na mga luha at umalingawngaw sa mga halakhak ng kanyang ama.
Sa sandaling iyon ay tila hawak ni Danding sa palad ang lihim ng tinatawag na pag-ibig sa lupang tinubuan. Nauunawaan niya kung bakit ang pagkakatapon sa ibang bansa ay napakabigat na parusa, at kung bakit ang mga nawawalay na anak ay sumasalunga sa bagyo at baha makauwi lamang sa Inang Bayan. Kung bakit walang atubiling naghain ng dugo sina Rizal at Bonifacio.
Sa kabila ng mga magigiting na pangungusap ng pambihirang mga pagmamalasakit, at ng kamatayan ng mga bayani ay nasulyapan ni Danding ang kapirasong lupa, na kinatitirikan ng kanilang mga tahanan, kinabubuhayan ng kanilang mga kamag-anak, kasalo sa kanilang mga lihim at nagtatago na pamana ng kanilang mga angkan. Muli siyang napangiti.
Sa dako ng baybay ay nakarinig siya ng mga tinig, at nauulinigan niyang tinatawag ang kanyang pangalan. Dahan-dahan siyang tumayo. Gabi na, kagat na ang dilim sa lahat ng dako. Walang buwan at may kadiliman ang langit. Ngunit nababanaagan pa niya ang dulo ng mga kawayang nakapanood ng paglikha ng unang tula ng kanyang ama, at ang ilang aandap-andap ng bituing saksi ng unang pag-ibig nito.