The people in Betong’s village were all busy preparing for the coming New Year. Betong’s dad was filling some bamboos with gunpowder to welcome the New Tiger Year and drive away bad luck and evil spirits. His mom was preparing food and sweet pastries, tikoy, and candies for New Year’s eve, as people believed that the mythical beast Sin Nien would visit every New Year’s eve and would devour their pet animals and even small children if there were no food offerings when he came on the doorsteps of each house. She was also repairing some red clothes for the family to wear so as to drive away bad spirits, for according to tradition they were afraid of red. The other family members were cleaning house and were putting up some lanterns to invite more blessings and good luck for the new year of the Tiger.

While doing his chores, Betong asked himself thoughtfully, “Is there really a monstrous beast that will come to eat my animal friends and little children on the eve of New Year, so that we have to make all these tedious preparations to drive him away?” Then he looked at his animal friends. His carabao was happily chewing the green grass and the chickens and pigs were eating as usual, and at times fighting too.

But there was a joyous feeling in the village among the expectant people, a hopeful note among them, perhaps because spring flowers were blooming and green tree leaves were sprouting again, in the cool breeze.

Betong then thought up a plan to find out if there really was this monstrous beast that would come every New Year’s Eve. He thought, “I really want to know if there is a monstrous beast that comes every New Year’s Eve. I’ll go by night to the nearby hill and watch him arrive. Surely the beast will not come to our house because mom has put up all the lights and red linen, and prepared food and candies for him to devour. And dad has prepared the bamboo explosives. It will surely just sneak away after eating the food and pastries. What if I go to hide in the dark, far away from the village, people and lights?”

So Betong went to hide behind some bushes on a nearby hill beside the bamboo forest to see if the monstrous beast would come and grab his victims. “But at least I have to put on my red clothes to drive him away and make him afraid,” he thought.

His parents were busy with all the preparations, so they gad given him permission to carry out his plan without even thinking about it. Then with a little torch, Betong waited on the nearby hill.

It was a splendid night as the stars were shining brightly and the moon was full and smiling down on everyone. “Oh, it’s so beautiful and lovely!” Betong exclaimed. “This evening is so nice that I think the monstrous beast will never show up,” he pondered. The night air was cool and fresh, inviting him to lie down on the grass and to look at the bright sky with its moon and stars.

Midnight of New Year’s Eve approached, and from afar he could see the firecrackers from his village, welcoming the New Year. But that night the firecrackers and lights were nothing compared to the glow and brightness of the moon and stars, with the intermittent passage of some colorful shooting stars. Then as the noise of the firecrackers started to die down, and the village revelry stopped, Betong realized that he was alone on the nearby hill beside the thick bamboo forest. He could hear the gusty howling of the wind as if a monster was coming. Fear started to creep into his heart. And then he heard a barking sound, calling for help. “Oh, no!” Betong cried out loud. “The monstrous beast has found its victim,” he exclaimed. Betong thought that he should save the dog. “I should have brought some bamboo explosives to fight off the beast,” he regretted. He ran towards the source of the sound and he saw a dog encircled by five drunken men. The men cried out, “Here is our food for the feast,” as the dog continued barking at them. Betong shouted at them, “Stop your foolishness! Don’t you have mercy for this poor dog?” “Who are you, little kid, to stop us from feasting dog meat? Go away or else we’ll beat you up, too, together with this dog!”, one of the men shouted angrily at him. The dog was pleading for help. One man started to throw stones at it, making the dog cry in pain. “Please don’t hurt the dog,” Betong begged. But his plea was not heeded as the men continued to strike the dog with wooden canes. “Get out of our way, little boy! We don’t want to hurt you,” the men said to Betong.

Betong came up to embrace the poor dog and said, “You might as well beat me up when you beat the dog.” This startled the men. They said, “Oh, boy. Please don’t make our hearts bleed.” “He’s the son of the village chief and he was the one who saved our village from the local pest,” one man cried out for he had recognized him. The five men stopped hitting the dog with their stones and wooden canes. They, conceded, “Okay, boy. You got your wish.” And they left Betong and the dog in peace.

Betong was so happy to have saved the dog. As he had a gift for talking to animals, he asked the dog why it had lost its way near the forest. The dog said, “I was lost because of the noise of the firecrackers and now I cannot find my way back home.” Betong said compassionately, “Oh, come with me, and I’ll let you stay at my house until you find your worried family and owner.” So Betong walked the dog home and as he arrived, saw his family celebrating New Year’s Eve. “Oh, Betong! You’ve missed the firecrackers,” his brothers teased. “Where have you been?” his worried mother asked. “I’ve been looking for you and I thought that you might have been devoured by the New Year’s Eve monster,” her mom added. “I almost was, mom,” Betong said, “if not for this newly found dog friend that got lost in the night because of the noise of the village firecrackers.”

Everyone laughed and rejoiced because they had received a new gift–a dog friend that New Year’s Eve, which was a sign of great blessings for them for the New Year that was ahead.

Yanong Liwanag