Ever had the feeling of being watched? If so, beware the trees because like Ryan Bang, you may have just seen the elusive kapre… or the mysterious tikbalang, the one-eyed Bungisngis or who knows what else lurks in the balete trees of old.

Just so when you think it’s safe, the paranormal appears and gives you a wake-up call.

In Kuya Kim’s case, though, it’s a call from Ryan Bang.

“Kuya Kimmm... Kuya Kimmmm! Nakita ko siya! Nakita ko siya Kuya Kim!”

”Teka, teka Ryan... Hindi kita maintindihan... Sino ba tong nakita mo?” Kuya Kim asks.

By the time Ryan had calmed down, Kuya Kim knew that whatever Ryan saw was gigantic. And so began their quest to find out what this mysterious creature was.

While Ryan returns to the place where he first spotted the creature, Kuya Kim agrees to go out into the streets to find answers...disguised as a tikbalang, no less!

But the madalang pipol aren’t fooled though, even with a horsehead on, there’s no mistaking Kuya Kim’s signature hat!

But what exactly is a tikbalang?

According to experts, they’re examples of creatures with theriocephaly, the word itself coming from ”therion” meaning creature and ”kefali” which means head.

Stories tell of half-horse, half-human creatures that are seven to eight feet tall-- very far from the mini-horse, especially bred from Shetland and Dartmoor ponies to enter very small mining caves, that accompanied Kuya Kim in the streets as he asked around if they have seen a tikbalang.

Believe it or not, tikbalangs are actually popular. They have been featured in series like Pedro Penduko and Flash Bomba, the animated movie ”Dayo,” the comic book ”Stone: The Awakening” and even as an item in the hit computer game World of Warcraft!

The item, Tikbalang Ward, protects a player’s character from damage, but did you know that according to old tales, one can gain superhuman powers and tame a tikbalang just by riding on its back and plucking out three of its hairs?

There is also a saying that whenever it rains while the sun is out, a tikbalang and its female counterpart, the Anggitay, are being wed. Fact or fiction?

Experts say that this belief may have come from parents who don’t want their kids going out while it’s raining. But based on science, however, sunshowers occur when cumulus clouds give out rain instead of the dark and huge nimbulus clouds, which explains why we can still see the sun.

So does this mean tikbalangs aren’t real?

For some, like Mang Ben Hur, experience convinced him otherwise.

He has been seeing a figure in the tree near his house but he didn’t really think of it. Then one day, his wife suddenly grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground.

Matanglawin brought in paranormal experts to investigate and they told Mang Ben that the tikbalang in the tree just wanted to protect its territory. After all, like most creatures of old Philippine mythology, tikbalangs also act as guardians of nature. Hmm, maybe Kuya Kim can enlist their help in saving the environment?

But going back to the original question: what was it Ryan saw?

Kuya Kim continues on and even gets the help of Zorro and meets former actor Dranreb Belleza!

The list is finally narrowed down to the giants of folklore. Could it be the Bannog, a giant bird from Ilocos that loves to swoop down to catch pigs and carabaos  as easily as a Philippine Eagle Owl swoops down to catch rodents? Or the Bungisngis, the local version of the cyclops that has the strenght of 30 men and has a habit of throwing carabaos?

But none of them could compare to the tobacco-smoking kapre as Kuya Kim realizes later on.

The kapre, which comes from the arabic ”kaffir” meaning Islam non-believer, is said to be so tall that it rivals the tallest man in the world Sultan Kosen who stands at 8’2” and the late Robert Wadlow whose height reached 8’11”!

Kapres are also associated with tall trees such as the acacia and of course, the Ficus stipulosa, more popularly known as the balete tree.

Balete trees are said to be portals to another world. Kuya Kim is then accompanied by a clairsentient, someone who is sensitive to the presence of elementals, as he looks at balete trees.

”There is a boy standing there,” the clairsentient begins, “para siyang bata pero madungis iyong balat… banda dito sa bandang baba, may maliliit naman, behind the tree. They are watching us. Tinitingnan nila kung ano iyong ginagawa natin.”

What’s more, Kuya Kim is told that aside from an elemental hanging from the balete, there were also three spirits, probably students, near the tree.

When Kuya Kim wanted to investigate further, the clairsentient warned him not to get any closer because the spirits might think they were hunting them down.

And so ends Kuya Kim’s journey…for now. Ryan’s, however, was just beginning.

“Ryan,” Kuya Kim calls from his library, “may nakalimutan pala akong sabihin.Iito pala iyong mga senyales kapag may kapre raw sa isang lugar: may alitaptap (fireflies), amoy usok, may mga upos ng tabako na nakakalat sa paligid ng puno…”

But typical Ryan was just too excited to listen and notice the exact signs Kuya Kim just described, because a few moments later, a dark giant loomed over him with fiery eyes and a laugh that shook the forest.

Poor Ryan running for his life! Then again, as Kuya Kim would say, they won’t harm you unless you harm them.

Until the next adventure: maging mapanuri, mapagmatyag, mapangahas…Matanglawin! March 6, 2011