#10 – The Separator

Or: Garlic only thins the blood; the heart beats on

The Manananggal is a vampiric entity from the Philippines which lives as a normal woman during the day but cleaves her body at night, grows wings, and flies (top half only) to find her sleeping victims. She’s particularly fond of pregnant women, and can be slain by keeping the two halves separated (using garlic, salt, ash, and/ or vinegar) until dawn.

It must be nice to fly so high, she sighs;
She’s never stepped beyond the village green.
She longs for all the wide expanse of skies,
The sights that she’s imagined still unseen.

I smile, and tell her of the scents of clouds,
The songs the wind makes in the chimney-tops,
The calling of the tik-tik bird – so loud!
This beauty should feel real before it stops.

She snuggles deep, now I must do my part
To take away the thing that holds her down.
I’ll siphon out this claim that chains her heart
So she can find her way out of this town.

It’s hard to dance when half yourself is tied.
Forget the salt and ash – I’m on your side.

This, believe it or not, was one of the least pornographic images of the Manananggal I could find. This is what happens if you’re a female monster in horror movies, I guess…