My brother and I nearly drowned

 My brother and I nearly drowned

Dr Abe V Rotor

When we were kids, Eugene and I nearly drowned in a river. And this is the story.

Busiing River today as it was in our childhood.

There was a friendly man who would come around and dad allowed him to play with us. He knew many things like making slingshot, bird trap (taay), kites, bow and arrow - which kids love to have. People were talking he was a strange fellow, but we simply didn't mind. He was perhaps in his twenties when Eugene and I were in the early grades in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur.

One day this guy (I forgot his name) took us to Busiing river, a kilometer walk or so from the Poblacion. The water was so inviting - and what would kids like best to do? We swam and frolicked and fished, but then the water was steadily rising so we had to hold on the bamboo poles staked in the water to avoid being swept down by the current. I held on tight, and I saw Eugene doing the same on a nearby bamboo pole. the water was up to our neck. The guy must have forgotten us. He was quite far downstream and couldn't hear us shouting for help amid the rushing current and wind. Just then dad came running and saved us at the nick of time. Dad was really angry at the fellow. I never saw him like that.

We realized the extent of the psychiatric condition of this friendly fellow. There are people who are like him. They appear normal but suffer fits of madness. In Ilocano we call them agma-uyong (crazy), samsamatic (abnormal) and agkabus (lunatic, particularly during full moon). Beware of these persons. They may unwittingly put you in extreme danger, and not know you are in it. ~