The Story of Olayra
The underground creatures have kingdom of their own. They have power that no ordinary people posses. Their ways of living are very much advanced than ours. They can mingle with ordinary human beings but they couldn�t be seen by our naked eyes. There are times when they show themselves to ordinary people and befriend them. Their difference from us is they do not have souls. When they die, they do not have second life. Some of those underground creatures want to marry ordinary people because they believe that if they do so, their children will have souls like us.
In a certain village here in Antique called Carit-an, their lived a couple named Akoy and his wife Mengay. Near their home, stands a very sturdy tree called Bubog. It was a very big Bubog tree and it was believed that underneath that tree was the kingdom of these underground creatures.
In Carit-an, their lived a man named Mente. It was believed that Mente had a fairy friend who gave him power to heal sick people. His fairy friend told him that if he treats people, he would not receive payment for his services. But Mente did not heed to the advice of his friend. One day, Mente was found dead. It was believed that his friend brought him to their kingdom.
This underground kingdom was reigned by a king and a queen. The queen became pregnant and the King and Queen planned that if the baby is born, they will send the baby to the other world, so that when he or she grows up, he or she will get used as a mortal-therefore, if they will bare children, their children would have souls like human beings.
On the other hand Akoy wanted his wife Mengay, to become pregnant so that they will have a baby. Mengay, became pregnant a delivered a baby girl. The couple were very glad that they have a baby, and they named her Natalie.
In the underground kingdom, the queen who was also pregnant gave birth to a baby girl. The king and queen wanted to give a nice name for their baby. One day the King and Queen decided to call all royal families in the different kingdoms for a meeting.
They want members of the royal families to come and suggest what beautiful name they would give the baby. Among the guests who came was a couple with their four-year-old girl named Celina. All guest who came tried to give the best name to the baby but the queen did not choose any from the names that were given. Celina, who was sitting near the baby was asked by the queen what name she would give to her baby girl. Celina answered �Olayra�. The queen was pleased with the answer. She liked the name �Olayra�. �Yes, yes, it�s a very beautiful name, �the queen said. Then she asked Celina what prize she would asked for giving a name to her baby. Celina said that she would like Olayra as her gift. The queen told Celina that she would ask other things as a gift, but not Olayra. Celina did not insist. The queen thank her for giving a beautiful name to her baby.
One morning, Mengay with her baby Natalie in her arms, went for a stroll on beach. While she was walking, a very big wave rose and Mengay was so frightened when the wave struck her and because of the strong impact, Mengay lost hold of her baby and she was carried by the wave. Mengay grieved so much because she lost her baby girl. Natalie was fortunate because on the beach that was from Mengay�s home, a woman found Baby Natalie on the beach, wrapped in her diaper with her name on it. The woman was so glad because the baby was heaven-sent. She reared the child as her own.
In the kingdom under the Bubog tree, in Carit-an, the king and the queen were planning to send Olayra to the outer world. They want her to grow up with mortals or human beings so that when she is already a grown-up lady, she would marry a human being and have a possibility of bearing a child who would already have a soul. Their problem was how and to whom would they give Olayra. The king and queen knew about Mente�s whereabouts. They sent for him and inquired to whom would they give Olayra? One morning, before the sun was up, they brought Olayra to the outer world. They wrapped the baby in a diaper bearing the name �Olayra� and placed her under the tree near Mengay�s house. When Akoy and Mengay woke up, they heard a baby crying. They tried to find out where the baby�s cry came from. The y found the baby girl wrapped in a diaper with the name Olayra. Akoy and Mengay were happy to have a baby who took the place of Natalie. They reared the baby until she was of school age. Every now and then, the king and queen visit their child, but human beings couldn�t see them. They gave Olayra everything that she needs without the knowledge of her foster parents, often times; they took Olayra to their kingdom. When Olayra was of school age, she was sent to Patnongon to attend classes in the elementary grades. She went to school with Celina. In as much as Celina was a fairy, nobody could see her. When they were in college, Celina and Olayra were sent to Central Philippine University in Iloilo to take up college course. The king and queen gave Olayra a ship made of gold and this was the ship Olayra rides whenever she goes on a cruise to other kingdoms. Akoy and Mengay were not aware that their adopted daughter was a fairy.
Olayra grew up into a beautiful lady. Her foster parents love her very much. Many young men wanted to marry Olayra but she rejected all young men who fell in love with her.
Fitzgerald, a young man of an Italian parentage, was very fond of going to other places for an adventure. He has a very luxurious yacht that takes him on a cruise with some of his friends. One day, while he was having a cruise, a storm came and broke his yacht to pieces. All of them were thrown into the raging water. Most of his friends got drowned. Fitzgerald was the only survivor. Some residents living near the Bubog tree found him. A couple took him to their house and nursed him until he got well. He couldn�t go back to his homeland because his yacht was already destroyed. Means of transportation that time was very difficult.
One day, while he was waiting near the beach, he met Olayra. Other meetings followed their first meeting. Fitzgerald knew where Olayra resides and he became very fond of her until finally he fell in love with the young lady.
On the other hand, rumors spread that Natalie was the daughter of Mengay and Akoy who was found on the beach while still a baby she was known from the diaper that was wrapped around her. People kept on wondering. Of Natalie was Mengay�s daughter, then who is Olayra?
Because Olayra also liked Fitzgerald very much, they set a date for their wedding. Their wedding took place in Patnongon. After the wedding, Fitzgerald found out that Olayra was not the daughter of Akoy and Mengay. Fitzgerald asked Olayra repeatedly who were her parents but Olayra ignores his questions, until Fitzgerald became impatient. Because Olayra did not tell Fitzgerald who her parents were, Fitzgerald slapped her. When Olayra�s parents, the queen and the king learned about the incident, they became angry. They decided to get rid of Fitzgerald. One day, Fitzgerald could no longer be found. There was a long search for him but no one could tell where he was. Olayra knew what happened to Fitzgerald.
Finally, she made a revelation to her foster parents that she is a fairy and that her real parents wanted her to live with them in their kingdom. Mengay and Akoy knew that their daughter Natalie is alive so they took her from the people who adopted her.
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