Candy Strings
written by: Genevieve S. Aguinaldo
“Did you bring your guitar?” my cousin asked me, excitedly adjusting his skull mask.
“Of course, Halloween won’t be the same without it.”
I told him as I strummed the strings with my painted hands. I painted my hands white and added blood and veins. It was my attempt to be scary.
This is our third year doing trick-or-treat with a Filipino twist. Since migrating to Canada, my family missed home and wanted to include even a bit of our culture in everything we do. And now, it’s trick or treating with a mix of “pangaluluwa” or souling. My cousin and I sing our traditional song for the dead in exchange for treats.
“I hope we get a lot tonight,” he said, already pointing at a house. It was covered with Halloween decorations: pumpkins, witches in brooms, and a snowman wearing a sign that says: “Not this year!”
I started adjusting the tune when I felt someone watching us. It was as if someone was blowing on my ear. I tried to ignore it and started to sing:
Kaluluwa’y dumaratal
sa tapat ng durungawan
Kampanilya’y tinatantang
Ginigising ang may buhay
Kung kami po’y lilimusan
dali-daliin po lamang
baka kami’y mapagsarhan
ng pinto ng kalangitan
I felt proud of my heritage as I let my voice shake with every word. I tried to imagine that I was a ghost hunting this house. I looked at my cousin and he was giving his all to sound like a pleading ghost. We sang louder as some kids stopped to listen to our song.
We are the souls
knocking at your doorsteps
bells are tolling
to awaken the living
If you will give us alms
oh please please hurry
before the heavens
close their doors upon us
Alms for the dead
Someone from the house finally came out and gave us chocolates. “Not bad for our first house,” my cousin said as he popped one of the chocolates in his mouth. I tried to laugh but I could not help feeling like someone was following us.
On our fourth house, our bag was already filled with candies. “This, by far is our biggest night. We could be Halloween Stars!” my cousin said in between candy. I laughed with him and enjoyed our treats. Suddenly, I felt a cold touch on my cheek.
“alms…” someone whispered.
“alms for the dead…”
“alms for me…”
I frantically looked around. There were so many kids around us. Someone dressed like a ghoul, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, someone was dressed as a Minion, another as a bleeding man with an axe on his head. I started to feel weak and dizzy. The kids in costumes were becoming a blur. “Are you ok? You’re so pale.” my cousin asked me.
“Did you hear that?” I asked him.
“Hear what?”
“There was a voice, just now. Asking for alms.”
“Please don’t scare me,” my cousin said as he held my arm.
“I’m not,” I said. I ignored my pounding heart as we reached the next house.
Both of us marveled at the decorations. Jack O’ Lanterns lit the whole porch and there was a maze that kids must go through to get their candies.
“The owners must have spent a lot this year, huh?” I said, trying to focus on the decorations to keep myself from fainting.
“This will be our last house, right?” my cousin asked.
I nodded and started to strum the strings on my guitar. The same icy touch came back. This time it touched my arm as it whispered:
“alms…”
“alms for the dead…”
“alms for me…”
I could not stop singing. My trembling voice was so real that kids gathered around us and cheered. As we neared the end of the song, I was covered in sweat. I could still hear the voice:
“alms…”
“please please hurry…”
“doors are closing…”
Before the owner of the house could give us candies, I turned around and poured all of my candies on the ground.
“Take them all!” I shouted. The people around me were confused but I didn’t care. Suddenly both the voice and touch were gone.
“Let’s go home.” I told my cousin who was also shaken in fear.
“Good night, po,” he said to everyone as we hurried back home.
We passed by a house with an old witch sitting on a rocking chair.
A boy was standing beside it and waving his hand at me.
“doors closing…” came a whisper in my ear as the boy vanished.
I stopped walking and took a deep breath.
“I couldn’t waste our night on this.” I smiled at my cousin and adjusted my guitar strap.
“Are you sure, you want to go back?” he asked as we started walking to another house.
I nodded and started singing our song.
“alms…”
came another cold whisper in my ear as I strummed the tunes on my guitar.
This time, I took a candy from my cousin’s bucket and placed it on the ground as I continued with our song…
Kaluluwa’y dumaratal
sa tapat ng durungawan
Kampanilya’y tinatantang
Ginigising ang may buhay
- Wishing for Cicadas - May 6, 2024
- Candy Strings - November 1, 2023
