Wattpad Must-Read Stories by Filipino Authors

18. What Brings Luck by lunatrix

Author's Own Blurb:

A short story about the unlikely source of "luck". (Wattpad's Writing Battle of the Year 2015 Audition Entry)

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This one has been sitting around on my Wattpad library list for quite a while now. Nagdadalawang-isip kasi ako kung I would post this or wait for The Scribe na matapos at iyon and ife-feature ko dito. Ang kaso, medyo matagal pa yata ang The Scribe matatapos at nagu-guilty naman ako everytime na nadadaaanan ng daliri ko ang kuwentong ito sa library ko. Kaya I've decided to post this instead of waiting for The Scribe. Anyway, wala naman dito sa rules ng list na I can't feature an author twice.

This one (as what lunatrix have said on her blurb) is an entry to a Wattpad writing ccontest. Wala akong balita if nanalo ito. I hope it did.

At first, I was attracted to this work because of the book cover. A black cat on a pale yellow background. Simple lang kung tutuusin pero malakas ang dating sa akin. I don't know why. Maybe because it reminds me of our pure black cats (yep. Cats. Plural. We have five of them now. Well, five and a half really 'cause one of the females is pregnant.) And when I read the story, the work became more interesting to me.

A black cat is a staple in fantasy-paranormal writings. At dito sa Pilipinas, marami tayong mga paniniwala na umiikot sa mga itim na pusa. Karamihan sa mga ito ay hindi masyadong maganda. Para sa karamihang mga Pilipino, malas ang mga pusang itim. Ang iba ngang matatanda naniniwala na they are the familiars of aswangs. In western culture, ganoon din. Black cats are the harbringer of evil and are considered unlucky. I think, only the Egyptians have something good to say about black cats. Their goddes Bastet (the Egyptian goddess of war) is depicted as a black cat.

Ang haba na ng intro ko pero I think it's necessary para ma-establish ko how interesting the work became to me. Ginamit ni lunatrix ang mga pangitaing hindi magaganda tungkol sa mga itim na pusa, tweak it a bit and created an interesting concept. Sorry kung hindi ako masyadong magde-delve into the specifics of this. Kapag ginawa ko kasi 'yon mawawala na ang mystery ng story. Sobrang ikli kasi nito! Konting clue lang wala na. Alam mo na ang kuwento. Kaya just trust me when I say, the concept is interesting. It may not be absolutely new pero it was handled skillfully.

Another thing that I find great about this short story is that the narrative was well-paced. Dinala ng concise descriptions ang buong kuwento. The descriptions set the mood of this story and for its being in the category of fantasy, kailangan nitong maipahiwatig na something out of this world is coming. Most writers achieve this tone via the combination of descriptions and creative dialogues. Lunatrix didn't do that. Dito, tatatlo lang ang dialogue. Yep. Binilang ko. Tatlo lang talaga tapos ang lahat ng iyon ay iisang character lang ang nagbitaw. And the longest dialogue is this (HEADS UP! Spoiler alert!):

Nine lives of a cat,

Nine lives to share.

Nine miracles to grant,

This boy's life I spare.

Ahhhh! I find this chant (ito ba ang tawag doon sa taas?) really, really neat and cool. And what happens after that is more cool pero hindi ko na sasabihin dito. Hehehehe. It is for me and the others who have read this to know and for you to discover.

For the potential readers, huwag papadaya sa seemingly simple narrative. Let the scent and claws of the story sink in and let your imagination build the images. Then you will see why I think this story deserve an award in that contest. This is the kind of work that will show you why fantasy-reading is such fun.

For lunatrix, thank you for this work. As short as it was, I really, really enjoyed it. To be honest, panay swipe ko ng phone ko trying to see the next chapter only to find out that it was completed na pala. Na 'yon na talaga 'yon. I'm not saying na kulang siya. Okay na rin naman. Hindi naman hanging ang ending pero parang napaka-open-ended kasi. Hindi ko maiwasang umasa na may next chapter pa ko na makikita. Pero if hanggang dito na lang talaga 'yon, okay lang. Also, sorry ha, hindi na ako makapaghintay kay The Scribe pero swear sinusundad at umaantabay pa din ako doon. I hope you won with this piece and I hope you write more of this kind of work para may pangtawid gutom kaming mga naghihintay for the next chapter of The Scribe. Hehehe. Just saying. Pero no pressure. Promise.