Lola Aning’s Ghost Story

Circa 1930s, Lola Aning (Juana) was just a little girl when her dad (then a municipal official in our town) entertained some visitors from a neighboring town. It was the son of her dad’s colleague and his pretty new bride, who was new to Luzon. The young man and his wife were touring the province as the young lady haven’t seen much of it since they got married.

Little Juana insightfully noticed that something was wrong with the young man when he made her clean the glass he was drinking from several times, saying that it was dirty. The glass was spotless when Juana took it out from the cupboard, and it virtually shone when she was through cleaning it for the 3rd time. She expressed her distaste of their young guest to her mom, calling him “agu-uyong” (translation “neurotic”), for which she was reprimanded.

The young lady impatiently expressed her desire to see the beach while the men conversed about politics and business. Little Juana offered to take her to the sea shore. As the beach was cold and windy in mid-December, Juana’s mom suggested that they dress warmly. Juana fetched her mom’s thick, hooded bolero (ladies’ short coat) and made the young bride wear it.

They ran along the coastline and laughed like old friends; walked together holding hands, and shared stories about people they know. They returned home as soon as it started to rain.

It was the eve of the annual fiesta in February when Juana asked her dad if their former guests were going to visit again for the festivities. Her dad was silent and asked Juana to leave the room for a while. In her hiding spot near the sala’s entrance, she overheard her dad relating to her mom the massacre that took place in the other town just a few days ago.

The mentally disturbed young man, who was their guest in December, brutally stabbed his wife to death in his wild fit. He later on told the police that in his mind, he thought he was killing a wild boar that was wandering in their garden. The bright young lady, who Juana beach-walked with, has been murdered.

As Juana went to sleep that night, she uttered a soft prayer for her friend. She prayed for God to accept her in heaven and that He must always take care of her manang (”ate”). The little girl was shaken awake that night when she heard someone briskly walking in the room she shared with her parents.

A figure dressed in a bestida (gown) was walking across the room towards the armoire where her mom’s hooded bolero was hanging. The figure seemed to lift a hand to touch the coat and then turned to leave. As the figure left the room, Juana whispered, “rest in peace, manang”. As soon as Juana said this, the figured stopped and looked at little Juana full on the face. The figure had no face.

Juana’s screams shook the household and everyone thought she was having a nightmare. Her parents managed to calm her down after a few sips of tsa-a (herbal tea drink).

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Lola Aning related this story to me while I was keeping her company in the hospital after her major operation. She is now a retired gradeschool teacher and spends her retirement serving in our local Catholic church.