19/08/2023
"Mandalengan".
Have you heard the story about the Mandalengan? It is a mythical creature that we Tëduray&Lambangian believed that it is a half horse and half human hybrid.
My name is Brut and here's my experience about how I encountered one of them.
Note: this story is completely a work of fiction and just a product of my imagination.
One day in the afternoon, I was walking towards the cliff and sat down enjoying the beautiful sunset while playing my Falëndag(flute) which my Bebe Lagëy(grandfather) gave me before he passed away.
While enjoying the moment, I noticed this creature crossing the river from a short distance thinking that it is a man riding a horse. And I shouted,
"Madih! where are you going, that part of the river is mënalëm(deep)."
The creature heard me and run fast like a startled deer towards the forest.
Fast forward, I'm in my Këloh Kayab(small farmhouse) alone, thinking about what I saw earlier. As I was about to sleep, I suddenly heard a sound of horses' footsteps and voices of people whispering.
I can't understand their language and haven't heard it before. They surrounded my Këloh Kayab like they we're marching around. I got scared and don't know what I am going to do.
Then they stopped, I heard one of them approaching the door and broke it.
I froze in fear because of what I saw. The creature that I saw earlier was a Mandalengan and know it's here ready to hit me with his Fana(bow).
And then I woke up, it was all just a dream.
I went out to see what happened, I saw many footsteps of horses around my Këloh Kayab and one actually came to my front door.
I remembered that I hung my Falëndag (flute) on the front door and found it broken. Then I realized something, "Fiyo Bagi, Bebe Lagëy guh, ënda fëndayaëm begën.
The end.
-Mr. Enigma
