by Kadi Serafica

One would not fault an observer for assuming Facunda Praxedes Santisima was 60 years younger than her 122 years. Her skin may be wrinkled and her back bent, but she was as agile as she had always been. When queried, Facunda would reveal a mastery of Tagalog, Cebuano, Waray, Ilocano, Tausug, Spanish, and a form of Baybayin she called Letra y Santisima. Every so often she convinced a guest by navigating at that perilous line between decency and forcefulness, to sit-in for a trail down memory lane on how she, as a young woman was able to unite her clan, the Santisima, by learning the language of each branch, and through adventures grafted the disparate branches back into the family tree under her leadership. 

Facunda’s vision was as sharp as it had ever been. Her sense of smell had not lost its edge. And yet she always felt weary these days. Facunda couldn’t pin-point exactly when she started feeling old. It snuck on her. A muscle cramp from stepping on a loose stone, then a bad back from sleeping in the wrong position. Her knees flaring up and then a migraine upstages it, minor pains and aches. No more than a nuisance, really. But they kept piling up. On and on a parade of discomfort. Like the ghosts of her departed, they haunted her. 

Funa-ay Claver is an Indigenous youth from the Cordillera, Philippines, specifically a Bontok from Mountain Province. She is currently a 4th year BA Creative Writing student in the University of the Philippines-Diliman. She actively participates in several Indigenous Peoples (IP) rights organizations, serving as the Secretary-General of Asia Young Indigenous Peoples Network and Spokesperson of KATRIBU Alliance. Funa-ay was published in Ili Press, based in Baguio City, for her poem, “Mountain-minded” and creative nonfiction piece, “The Butatiw.” She writes with the intention of shedding light on the IP struggle as well as to reclaim narratives of the Indigenous Peoples to battle cultural, social, and economic discrimination. “What We Choose to Keep”, the featured story for February,  is her first published short story. 

by Funa-ay Claver

Maiaw-awan

It was the third week of school already, and by this time, everyone had their own groups they gravitated to every time the bell rang. Everyone knew where to go when class was over. Everyone knew where to sit and who to share their food with. Everyone except Nini.

Nini still ate alone at lunchtime, and she always took her time doing so, chewing ten times before swallowing and pretending that she was disinterested in the taste. She wouldn’t know what to do in the remaining minutes of lunchtime if she finished eating too fast. She didn’t want to look lonely. 

It wasn’t that she was ugly, as was usually the reason for becoming a high school outcast. It was more that the others viewed her as a bit dim, and dim students did not belong in this school. Only the smartest came here, or so she was told when everyone in Bahong was convincing her to take the scholarship even if it meant leaving home. Everyone counted on her to be something different from the rest of her community, but what did different mean? 

Naomi S. Inting is from Quezon City, Metro Manila who loves to read stories about fantasy, mystery, and comedy. At 9 years old, she’s lived with four cats throughout her life: Boxer, Liger, Duday, and Shiro. She likes cats because they are cute and furry, and can jump really high. While she’s never lived with a dog, she likes chihuahuas because they’re small, loud, and have dark beady eyes. In her spare time, she enjoys playing piano, reading, drawing, watching anime, and practicing karate. She dreams of being a zookeeper who helps with restoring endangered species and reintroducing them into the wild. “No More CATS!” is her first published story. 

by Naomi S. Inting

Flufy the dog hated cats. 

He hated cats more than anything. More than the fact that his poop was always super hard. More than the fact that ALL his teachers were strict. More than his annoying sister. There was no doubt about it. He HATED cats. 

He hated cats because his mean neighbor was a cat named Scruffy. He was a tabby cat and he loved to challenge Flufy to jumping contests in which Scruffy always won. And then sometimes he would call Flufy mean things like “Stinky” just to make him angry.