A Rocky Tale

Once upon a time there was a talking rock… I know this sounds ridiculous, a fairytale about a talking rock. But I do hope that you take time on reading this story. =P

Back to my story, once upon a time there was a talking rock. Nobody knows how he learned to speak a certain language. In our story, let us say that the language he speaks is English. Maybe he learned it from a rock school, or probably from his rock band mates, or from his fellow rockista, no one really knows. He was living a crazy life, a tambay, perhaps. And he was not really happy with the way things were going in his life.

One bright morning, the talking rock decided to go out, and so he walked his way to the Carabao park (What? A talking and walking rock?). He was walking for a couple of hours since he left his house. But even though he walked slow, he is proud that he never walked backwards (Johnny Walker). Soon, he was able to reach the park, around 10:00pm. Yes, he was that slow…

He was tired. He turned his head around to look for a place to sit, perhaps a stool, or a rock (wait, he cannot sit on a rock), or some clear ground. After spending two hours searching for a place to rest, he again felt the stress on his neck as it became stiff. He then decided to sit down on where he was standing two hours ago.

From where he was sitting, he noticed the dark skies blazed by various stars (Ate V., Nora, Sharon, Maricel Soriano, not them… ok?). He was greatly amazed by what his eyes see. Maybe because this was just the first time that a talking walking rock was used in a story, thus the amazement was really that great. He tried to reach his hands towards the stars (yes, he has hands too…), and tried to connect the stars as seen in the Globe commercial on TV.

While he was doing that, he suddenly felt that he was levitating (nosebleed….). He saw that the ground was getting far away from him, or technically, he was the one getting far away from the ground. Confused with what’s happening, he turned his head and saw a hand holding his entire solid rock body. He was moving, or shall we say, he was being moved. He screamed, so hard so that everyone could hear him. But he soon realized that he only knew how to talk, screaming was not taught in rock school.

Soon they arrived in an old room. He felt himself rolling on a wooden table. He opened his eyes, and noticed a woman walking here and there in that room. His eyes also noticed a machine with a disk, “a sharpening tool or grinding tool”, he thought to himself. He suddenly felt cold like a rock, he forgot that he was a rock. Fear started to consume him. He tried to feel if his heart was beating fast but he was not able to find the pulse.

“Is this my last day on earth?” he sobbed.

The woman heard the talking rock, astounded with what she heard, she draw near that rock. She picked up the rock with her hand and closely she examined it.

“Can you really speak?” the woman asked the rock.

“No.”, replied the rock, trying to hide his talent.

The woman laughed hard, not really sure if she was insane at that moment. But she knew that everything is possible in this fairytale. She stopped laughing soon when she realized that laughing too hard was not part of the script.

She turned to the rock again, and said to him, “What is your name?”.

“Batu Puti”, the rock replied. He got his name from the writer of this tale. (Can anyone suggest a better name, please?)

The woman said to the rock, “Batu Puti, from now on, I will call you Duke.”

Tears started to roll from on the face of the rock. His heart, though he does not have one, was pierced by this happy moment in his life. No one has ever done this before. For several years, nobody seemed to care about his existence. He was just the same as the other rocks that can be found somewhere else, maybe in Batong Malake, though I don’t know if there are other talking slash walking slash crying rocks out there. He felt special at that moment, as if his life had its bearing in this world. The two became friends as they talked, shared stories, and talked again, and shared stories again (the woman in the story is not Muztahpuh).

After a while, the woman lifted him again and placed it on a vise. She turned on the machine and started to trim the Duke. She worked at different angles, carefully touching each side so as to maintain harmony in what she was doing. Duke felt the pain forming in his rocky body, as if he was suffering a tremendous pain. Maybe because that was the first time a sharpening tool touched him.

Several hours of grinding and sharpening soon came to a stop. Duke opened his eyes and saw the woman smiling at him. The woman picked up a mirror and faced it towards Duke. Light reflected on the mirror as he gleamed in his own reflection. He was not the same as before, technically, after that long series of sharpening and grinding. He has a new form. Light was reflected and refracted (nosebleed…) over his entire body. He was not an ordinary rock anymore. The long suffering reached its limit, thus opening the gates of salvation, he felt special.

He had a new name. He had a new friend. He had a new form. Most specially, he had a new life. At that moment, his heart was softened (though he doesn’t have one, again he forgot this fact), he was happy that he met the woman.

Duke was affirmed with what the woman did. The woman restored Duke’s dignity, she gave him a new identity, one that will restore him. His new life inspired him to change for the better, to live a good life. He was thankful to the One who created everything. He was grateful that God allowed their paths to cross, so as to give him restoration of life.

Just as how most fairytales end, everyone lived happily ever after. The woman continued to inspire more rocks. Duke was now at a jewelry shop (don’t get me wrong, he was happy here living a new life here as a manager). :-D


May we be an affirmation to everyone :-) AMDG!


P.S. If you wish to suggest better names for the characters, please feel free to do so. :D I know I'm not an expert here hahahah! :D