MAURA’S SECRET

This is a home grown tale told to my mother by a woman she had befriended  in  Davao City in the late 80s. This bizarre love story between a local girl and a snake makes you wonder about the heretical theories Eric Van Daniken wrote about Adam and Eve’s “ original sin”  Was there a grain of truth to his assertions?

                                                                MAURA’S  SECRET
                                                                by mimi illenber-mapa

        Laperal Farms was a huge agricultural estate owned by World War II veteran Sgt. Crispin Laperal  and his retired school teacher wife, Irma Dagondon.  The farm was located somewhere near the foot of Mt. Apo in Davao del Sur. In that fertile land, the Laperals grew bananas, coconuts and vegetables. They also had a thriving piggery that was the pride and joy of Sgt. Cris  and Irma. With the picturesque Mt. Apo clearly visible from their property, friends and relatives loved to vacation with them. And the  couple welcomed everybody with typical Filipino hospitality.

       The Laperals had a bevy of servants and a couple of field workers that lived with them in the farm. They were housed in a large barn like structure that was run like a dormitory with double decker beds, individual lockers, a breezy common kitchen, a laundry area and rest rooms that were clean and sanitary. Maura, an older sister of Sgt. Laperal  was in charge of this place. She was a well-loved nurse who had served their community for years.

       Among the servants assigned to the family, Marina, the new laundry girl, stood out. She was pretty, intelligent, respectful and reserved.  Marina was an abused child rescued by the nuns and brought to live with them in the orphanage meant for abandoned babies. When the girl turned 18.  the nuns thought it was time for their  ward to start looking for a paying job.  And so, upon learning the kind hearted Laperals were looking for a laundry woman, they recommended her. Marina, after all,  had been in charge of their laundry and she was good at her job.

        About a kilometer away from the rambling farm house was a forested area. Marina had accidentally stumbled upon this mountain stream of cool, sweet water that cascaded like a miniature water fall from a huge rock formation on top of a hill to a  large, catch basin below which very much resembled a huge kidney shaped swimming pool filled with crystal clear water. Since then, Marina became a regular visitor to the pool. She loved the spot because it provided her privacy from prying eyes with its surrounding thick bamboo clamps and other wild vegetation.       

              One day while the girl was waiting for her clothes to dry , she noticed this strange looking rock not too far away from her.  Wondering how she could have missed it earlier, she bent to touch it. Imagine her shock when a snake’s head bigger than that of a grown dog reared up and flipped its forked tongue at her face.

       It was a talking snake and it spoke in her native tongue. “Don’t be afraid, pretty girl. I won’t harm you. I just want us to be friends,” The snake said between hisses.   Marina froze in fear as the serpent gently wound itself around her legs and her thighs, smelling her.   After a while, he uncoiled its scaly form and slithered into the wooded area, hissing musically.

       The terrified Marina was speechless and trembling with fear when she flung herself into the arms of the startled Maura. It took a while before she was able to narrate her tale. But the story was too fantastic to believe and so the kind nurse concluded it must have been a mild case of sun-stroke and simply counseled the girl. “   Over exposure to the sun can be harmful. Next time bring a jug of water with you and wear a hat. And avoid going there alone.” 

       There was no mention of the snake after that single incident and so Maura thought there was indeed nothing to the tale. But unknown to the Laperal family and the other servants,  Marina continued to bathe in the pool by herself and the snake was still there, only this time, her fear of it was gone. She now considered the snake a harmless pet who loved cavorting with her.

       Like a child with a favorite pet, she allowed the snake to wrap itself playfully around her,  allowed it to flick its tongue on certain, sensitive parts of her body. She became so used to him, she would remove her clothes and bathe in the nude with the snake around her. What she failed to notice was when her private charms were exposed, the snake would immediate get excited and would coil itself around her and rest  its head  on those parts. And then one day, the unthinkable happened.. as Marina bent over to pick up something , the snake poked his tongue between her legs and began tasting her. Marina simply giggled and thought nothing of it when it coiled itself tight around her thighs and refused to let go until it had thoroughly explored her insides with his forked tongue.  

       It was a bizarre relationship. And the gradual seduction  went on as the snake mysteriously wove  a spell of erotic delight on the girl’s  senses. Marina began to look forward to their tryst by the pool . And soon enough, the snake was already mating with her, an act she thoroughly enjoyed, as he buried his genitals deep inside her and emptied all his seed into her womb..  And this copulation became a regular thing.   

       Tinio was an elderly bachelor who worked as a gardener for the Laperal family.  He was a good man but most women found him obnoxious because of his loud mouth and rough ways; most people  also found him too noisy for comfort.  Tinio had fallen in love with Marina and secretly entertained lascivious thoughts about the girl who unfortunately found his overtures of friendship repulsive. 

        Marina’s figure and demeanor began to change in time  and the gardener noticed it. There was something about her that suggested the presence of a man in her life and Tinio was consumed with jealousy. He had purposely kept his distance for fear of antagonizing her; he knew she had been raised by nuns in the orphanage. But  the thought that another man beat him to her charms filled him with murderous rage.  He, too,  wanted a taste of her even if it meant rape.  And so, armed with a sharp bolo, he decided to secretly follow her that fateful day.

      It  took  some time before he caught up with her in the forested area.  For a while he couldn’t find her and  then all of a sudden she was there just a few feet away -  she was on the ground , stark naked and  lying on top of freshly cut banana leaves that were arranged like a huge nest. She was moaning in pain and clutching her visibly contracting abdomen, her knees were bent and spread wide apart. Marina’s eyes were closed, she failed to notice  the gardener who was watching her with open mouth.  He had fantasized over her for months and now the sight of  her swollen breasts and her dilated,  bottom unsettled him. And so when  this large snake suddenly slithered past him and went straight between her legs to pull out something, Tinio went ballistic.  As  wiggly, slimy baby snakes  coated with greenish substance began dropping out of Marina’s body, Tinio screamed in horror and swung his bolo towards the reptile who was  assisting in the delivery.

       The snake swiftly recoiled and  the bolo struck Marina’s swollen abdomen. The half-conscious   girl  did not know what hit her,  as blood gushed out  of her slashed middle. Realizing he had hit the woman instead of the snake, the horrified gardener fled the scene of the crime. What he failed to see as he ran blindly screaming, was the strange reptilian looking creature with flailing arms and legs running  after him.   Three days later, the barrio folks living five kilometers away found  Tinio’s lifeless body hanging from  a tree.  He had been crushed to a pulp.

        After the snake-father  had gathered all his babies to the safety of the forest, he quickly  returned to his mortally wounded mate. He took her in his large scaly arms and brought her to the Laperal home as fast as his muscular legs could run. He was no longer the snake Tinio had seen earlier but a 7 foot reptilian male with strong, muscular arms and legs and an intelligent face.  Apparently Marina had seen him for what he was, an alien,  and had fallen for his charms.
  
       Summoned by the urgent ringing of the doorbell, Maura rushed to the door. There she found Marina’s bloody form on the porch table. The dying woman was in labor, a human fetus was already half way out of her body. Responding quickly , the nurse screamed for help while helping the dying woman deliver her child. She was speechless when she tried to cut the tough, scaly umbilicus, the blood that dripped from the wound was not red but some greenish substance  that smelled of  freshly caught fish.

       The responding Laperals were shocked and scandalized at what happened. Marina was a quite girl who kept to herself and somehow nobody noticed she was with child.  And three days later when the body of Tinio was also discovered, the mystery deepened…local police found the bolo used to hack the girl. But who killed Tinio, how was his body crushed to a pulp? Surely not by a giant boa constrictor!

      A pall of gloom descended on the household , everyone was saddened at the tragic turn of events. But for the childless Laperal couple, the beautiful baby boy Maura had presented to them was a reason to secretly celebrate. As for Maura, after seeing how happy her sister and brother-in-law were, she decided to keep the baby’s mysterious birth a  secret.  The baby grew up to be  a lovable and clever little tyke who fed greedily on goats milk. He was an easy fellow to care for and his funny antics were always a joy to watch. When he puckered his lips to emit whistling sounds and swayed like a cobra to the clapping of hands,  his elders laughed and encouraged him. It was only his Tita Maura who was not amused because it reminded her of  his   suspicious parentage.
      
       The baptismal celebration for the boy was lavish. It was like a town fiesta and the whole barrio was invited to the huge barbecue party that lasted far into the night with two local bands playing non-stop music. Long tables laden with food and drinks were laid out for the public at the town plaza. On the other hand, personal friends, invited guests  and family members were asked to go straight to the Laperal Farm House where a more lavish array of food and drinks awaited them.  Cris and Irma were showing off their extremely good looking son to everybody. He was christened  Angelito Marina Laperal.

       Late that evening,  when the last guests had finally  gone home and the household staff was busy tidying up the kitchen,  a strange looking vehicle with dark, tinted windows pulled  up in front of the main gate of the farm house. Somebody was apparently very sick and had sent his car to fetch for the village nurse, Ms. Maura. 

       Responding very quickly, Maura peered inside the strange looking vehicle to ask how she might be of help. There was this large man garbed in a strange luminous outfit . When he turned to look at her, she recognized him for what he was , an alien creature that was half-man, half reptilian. 

       The visitor was not of this world and Maura was scared beyond her wits. She wanted to flee but her feet remained rooted to the ground.  An unnamed force held her captive, she was immobilized – unable to move, unable to talk.

       “ Do not be afraid of me. I come in friendship.” The creature spoke in the local dialect. “ I want to personally thank you for saving my son’s life and loving him despite your doubts and fears. He is all yours to keep now. He is much too human to survive in my world.”

       “ I come from a different galaxy and was marooned here for more than a century. Only the high notes of my children’s hisses can be picked up by our machines and so, after several attempts I finally managed to establish communication with my world. Now, we are ready to leave earth for good.”

      “ I’ve come to say goodbye and beg you to please keep the story of his birth a secret so my son can live in peace among you. Do not be afraid because he will have human feelings and sentiments. It will be very difficult for him to breed and perhaps he will be the first and last of his kind.”

       A muscular arm reached out of the window and gently handed Maura a heavy black pouch. “This is my gift to you and my son.”

       Before Maura could react, the strange vehicle , which turned out to be a miniature space  ship zoomed  out of sight with the speed of light. When she opened the purse, the contents took her breath away; inside were gold nuggets and precious stones worth a fortune. END

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