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First published in hardcover by CANVAS, 2008Originally published in EnglishSecond printing in softcover, 2012Printed in the Republic of the Philippines

Book design by Daniel Palma TayonaCover Illustration (The Boy, His Message and The Sea) by Roel ObemioPhotography by Mike Cheung

MESSAGE IN THE SANDSulat sa Buhangin

Charmaine Aserappa

Translated into Filipino by Atilio Alicio

This is a message written in the sands of time.

The sands of time are running out.

Ito ay mensaheng isinulat sa buhangin ng panahon.

Ang buhangin ng panahon ay nauubos na.

Miguel lived near the beach and loved the sea.

Nakatira si Miguel malapit sa dalampasigan at kinagigiliwan niya ang dagat.

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But he was sad that the beautiful fish were dying.

His mother told him how a local mining company was dumping waste into a river which led out to the sea.

Subalit siya’y malungkot dahil namamatay ang mga magagandang isda.

Ikinuwento ng kanyang ina kung paano ang isang kumpanya ng minahan ay nagtatapon ng mga basura sa ilog na ang tubig nito’y dumadaloy patungong dagat.

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“Who can stop them?” Miguel asked.

“You,” she replied.

“Me?”

“It’s always up to us,” said his mother. “Send them a message.”

“Sino ang maaaring pumigil sa kanila?” tanong ni Miguel.

“Ikaw,” sagot ng ina.

“Ako?”

“Nasa atin ang kapasiyahan,” sabi ng ina niya. “Padalhan mo sila ng isang mensahe.”

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Miguel found a stick and wrote a message in the sand.

“Save Our Seas,” Miguel explained.

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Nakakita si Miguel ng isang patpat at isinulat niya sa buhangin ang mensaheng: S.O.S.

“Iligtas ang ating karagatan,” pahayag ni Miguel.

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The tide roared in. It washed away his words.

Dumagsa ang mga alon.Tinangay ang mga isinulat niya.

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Over and over, Miguel wrote the message.

He wrote it in fronds of seaweed.

Paulit-ulit na isinulat ni Miguel ang mensahe.

Gumamit siya ng mga halamang-dagat sa pagsulat nito.

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He wrote it using broken seashells.

Isinulat niya ito gamit ang mga basag na kabibe.

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Over and over, the waves washed away the words.

Paulit-ulit na binubura at tinatangay ng mga alon ang mga isinulat niya.

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“It’s just no good. Nobody will ever see my message,” Miguel sighed.

“Try again,” his mother encouraged him. “Pray, and be patient. Never give up. One day someone will see your message and things will change.”

“Talagang walang mangyayari. Kahit kailan, walang makapapansin sa aking mensahe,” hinagpis ni Miguel.

“Subukan mong muli,” hikayat ng ina. “Manalangin ka’t maging matiyaga. Huwag kang susuko. Balang araw may makapapansin din sa iyong mensahe at magbabago ang mga pangyayari.”

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Not long after, a shining black car pulled up to their home. Two men in business suits and sunglasses got out.

Hindi nagtagal, isang makintab at itim na sasakyan ang pumarada sa tapat ng kanilang bahay. Dalawang lalaki na nakasuot ng amerikana’t itim na mga salamin ang lumabas.

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“Every morning, when the President of our mining company flies his private airplane over this beach, he sees your message in the sand down below,” said one of the men.

“He sent us here to find out: What does this S.O.S. mean? Are you in trouble?”

“Tuwing umaga, kapag ang Presidente ng aming kumpanya ay nagpapalipad ng kanyang pribadong eroplano sa ibabaw ng dalampasigan, natatanaw niya ang iyong mensahe sa buhangin,” wika ng isa.

“Pinapunta niya kami rito para alamin ang ibig sabihin nitong S.O.S. Kayo ba ay nasa panganib?”

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“Tell your President, S.O.S. means Save Our Seas,” said Miguel.

“Tell him to stop dumping his waste in the river.”

“Sabihin ninyo sa inyong Presidente na ang ibig sabihin ng S.O.S. ay ‘Iligtas ang ating karagatan’”, pahayag ni Miguel.

“Sabihin ninyo sa kanya na itigil na ang pagtapon ng kanyang mga basura sa ilog.”

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“The river leads to the ocean. Waste poisons the fish and plants. It makes the water and beach dirty. It makes the birds sick.

And that makes me sick!”

“Patungong dagat ang daloy ng tubig mula sa ilog. Nilalason ng basura ang mga isda’t halaman. Nagpaparumi ito sa tubig at dalampasigan. Nagkakasakit ang mga ibon.

At ito’y kinasusuklaman ko!”

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Miguel continued to pray.

And every day, he wrote the message in the sand.

Patuloy sa pagdadasal si Miguel.

At araw-araw, sinusulat niya ang mensahe sa buhangin.

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And every day, the sea roared up and washed away his words.

At araw-araw, dumaragsa rin ang alon at tinatangay ang mga isinusulat niya.

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MINING COMPANY GETS THE MESSAGE WASTE DUMPING TO STOP

Then one day, Miguel’s mother showed him the newspaper headline:

Tapos, isang araw, ipinakita ng kanyang ina kay Miguel ang pamagat ng isang balita sa peryodiko:

MINAHAN NAKUHA ANG MENSAHETITIGIL SA PAGTAMBAK NG BASURA

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Miguel smiled, ran out to the beach and found a stick. He wrote a message in the sand.

Napangiti si Miguel, tumakbo siya sa dalampasigan at nakakita ng isang patpat. Sumulat siya ng mensahe sa buhangin.

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The sea roared up and washed away his words.

It carried them to lands far away.

Dumagsa ang mga alon at binura ang kanyang mga sinulat.

Tinangay ito sa mga malalayong lupain.

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My thanks...

to God, for the glory and bounty of the oceans.

to Gigo Alampay and CANVAS for the opportunity

to write this book.

to Roel Obemio for his illustrations.

to my mother, Gladys May Aserappa, for her kind support.

to my son, Nicolas Bernard Re, whose art inspires me.

Charmaine Aserappa

THE ARTIST

ROEL OBEMIO completed Fine Arts studies at the University

of the East, in the Philippines, where he majored in Painting.

Widely admired for his works in watercolor and acrylic, his art

is influenced by his admiration for the art of two great painters:

Fernando Botero (Colombia) and Mauro Malang Santos

(Philippines).

THE AUTHOR

CHARMAINE ASERAPPA is Communications Officer of a church

named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of living

creatures and the environment. She has lived in Asia, North

America and Europe, and is the author of the international

bestseller, IN A JAPANESE GARDEN (Council Oak Books, 1999).

Charmaine Aserappa is Poetry Ambassador for the Keats

Society

We enjoy hearing from our readers.

Please feel free to let us know what you think of this book

by emailing us at info@canvas.ph, or by mail at CANVAS,

No.1 Upsilon Drive Ext., Alpha Village, Diliman,

Quezon City, Philippines 1119.