I have decided to write stories for the time being. I am posting a story which I wrote a few months back. It's actually written for children and takes the form of a myth.

The First Trees on Earth

In the early days, the earth was still young and newly formed by the sky goddess Inang Mayari from the soil of her heavenly home, Maluwalhati. The earth was greatly parched and rock-strewn, rippling in hillocks as far as the eye can see. The sky, which was but an arm’s breadth distance from the earth, was constantly tinged orange and yellow since the sun blazed brightly among the clouds. All that abundantly grew in this arid land were vines, prickly cogon grass, and hard shoots of rattan cane.

Inang Mayari had not yet created the first human beings. She formed the earth solely as a home for her pets. These beloved pets were a carabao named Nuang, a monkey named Kiririk, a rooster named Sari, a snake named Uleg, and a frog named Patang. They were very special to Inang Mayari because of their unusual beauty, having ivory skin and silvery hair that gleamed brightly under the sun. In order that her pets would not become lonely, Inang Mayari created other animals out of clay and breathed on them to give life.

One day, the sun scorched the earth with its blistering rays. Hot fumes rose up from the earth and spread out the sweltering heat. All of the animals, even Inang Mayari’s pets were fretting anxiously at the oppressive weather. The uproar reached Inang Mayari’s ears, and she promptly descended to the earth.

Nuang the carabao cried out piteously to Inang Mayari, “Mistress, we are suffering terribly because of the sun’s rays. There is no shade to give us relief from the heat.”

“The rattan does not give us enough cover,” Uleg the snake moaned.

“The cogon grass is prickly on the skin,” croaked Patang the frog.

Inang Mayari was saddened at the animals’ discomfort. “My dear pets, how can I help you?” she whispered.

“Farther up from the highest peaks of Maluwalhati, the gigantic Tree of Life grows. We could gather its seed pods and sow them on earth,” exclaimed Kiririk the monkey.

“We can shower these seeds with Maluwalhati’s sweet waters to help them grow into strong trees,” observed Sari the rooster.

Inang Mayari liked the idea very much, but was uneasy. “How do we get up to the highest heaven? I can only fly up to Maluwalhati and no further,” she mused.

“We can build large wings!” suggested Sari the rooster.

“I can bring down two long rattan poles with the help of the other carabaos!” offered Nuang the carabao.

“I and the other monkeys can weave the cogon grass into mats to cover the rattan frame,” said Kiririk the monkey.

“The snakes can gather the vines to twist into ropes,” said Uleg the snake.

“We frogs can knot the vines to tie up the poles and mats together,” trilled Patang the frog.

“I can ask Habagat, the North Wind to give us a lift,” crowed Sari the rooster.

Inang Mayari bid the animals to work together to finish the wings.

The animals all worked hard. Nuang and the carabaos uprooted two long rattan poles with their horns and tugged them to the animals’ work place. Kiririk and his monkey friends wove the cogon grass into huge mats, and created straps to help Inang Mayari wear the wings. The snakes dragged and twisted vines into ropes, while the frogs began to nimbly tie up the poles and mats together. Sari and other birds of the air entreated Habagat the North Wind to buoy Inang Mayari up when she flew.

Habagat the North Wind was also tired of the oppressive sun that he agreed to help the animals. He even lent to Inang Mayari, his weathered magical parasol, which could make them light as a feather.

As soon as the wings were finished, Inang Mayari hopped on Nuang’s back, strapped on the wings while the other pets clambered up. Inang Mayari held on her left hand Habagat’s magic parasol and began to flap the wings upward and downward. The parasol tinkled sweetly, and shortly they were lifted far from the ground. Swiftly, Habagat blew them further up with a windy puff.

Inang Mayari and her pets flew past the highest heavens of Maluwalhati and saw the glistening branches of the Tree of Life. When they reached it, Kiririk the monkey climbed up and began to harvest the Tree’s golden seed pods.

While Inang Mayari and her pets were descending to earth, they scattered the seeds on the ground, which immediately took root. Inang Mayari commanded Maluwalhati’s streams to rain down on the earth to water the seeds.

Soon enough, large trees sprouted and covered the earth with emerald foliage, giving all the animals shelter from the fiery sun. These are the first trees to grow on earth.