The Chaot Bridge Guelo'....

written by norbert perez

 

In the early 1900s, the Chaot bridge was a mainstream thoroughfare for the people of Guahan. It connected the villages of Hagatna and Tutuhan with the outlying districts of Otdot, Maimai and Mangilao. The bridge was a single lane construction extending above the gushing and torrent Chaot River.

 

It was a late morning in March of 1903 that the body of a hairy Chamori man was found underneath the bridge. The man was over six feet tall with long gray hair and a bushy beard which covered his entire face.  He looked almost naked with the exception of a tight sadi' made of pandanus bark which was wrapped around his waist.

 

The local people did not recognize the man and it was believed that he may have come from another village. A check of the other municipalities however turned up nothing about the hairy victim.  No one seemed to know who he was? or where he came from?

 

The police classified the incident as a death by natural causes, since they found no signs of foul play. The report detailed some interesting facts such as: the man's eyes which were green and wide open as if in fear; PLUS the victim had no tongue... Other important notes reported were 1. The victim's hair was so long that it must have extended from the top of his head to the ground. 2. His teeth were charred and dark red which may have been a result of chewing betelnut for years. 3. Finally, his skin was extremely tough and leathery, a signature of old age or long exposure to the sun.  

 

The discovery of the Chaot Bridge Chamori  became a hot topic islandwide. The people talked about it at the churches, the matais, the nobenas, social events and all around the neighborhood. The island's civil and religious leaders tried in vain to quell the rumors that the man was a Taotaomona. The issue became even more serious when reports began filtering in that the dead man was seen sitting on the rail of the bridge at nights. Reports of loud screams, high shrieks and cries were also heard by the nearby residents of Chaot and Tutuhan.  

 

These unusual events forced the leaders to dispatch a militia of men to the bridge to either verify or dispell the ghostly reports. Eleven men volunteered to spend the night at the bridge. They arrived a little before sunset. They divided themselves into two groups and set-up camps on both sides of the bridge. They built fires to warm themselves and to light the dense thicket around them. One of the men produced a few bengbongs of tuba which they circulated, as they settled in for the long night of watch. The head honcho, aka: Mafnas instructed his men to remain vigilant as he spelled out the watch schedule for each man. He reminded them that this was nothing more than a hoax to scare the village people. He knew in his heart that no one believed him. Every man in his team has a personal attachment with the Taotaomonas and the Guelo'. They all grew up asking permission of the Guelo' when venturing into the Halom Tano'. They all grew up chanting stories and songs of the past as the ancient ones had commanded. And they all had partaken in the ancient sacred rituals. 

 

As the evening wore on and the men hunkered down for what they thought would be an uneventful duty, Mafnas pointed to Tahito and Fama', the first men to stand watch and said, "Go ahead and take your places at the bridge. Make sure you stay wide awake and please keep your voices down."

 

Tahito and Fama' obeyed.

 

In no time, a few snores could be heard from the direction of the camp. And not too long after, a chorus of hummms and growls in cadence filled the cold night wind.

 

Tahito and Fama' religiously kept watch as they paced the length of the bridge from opposite corners. Tahito held a long machete, which he occasionally slashed at the night in anticipation of a fight. Fama' craddled a long hunting spear, similar to the ones used for fishing.

 

At around midnight, Tahito looked up at the heavens and studied the positions of the stars. He searched the northern hemisphere for a familar pution and then he correlated it with another pution to the west. He finally said to his companion, "Oi, Fama'. Our watch duty is now done. Go awaken Tiku and Ayuyu."

 

Fama' did as he was instructed.

 

A short time elapsed before Tiku and Ayuyu came stumbling awkwardly up to the bridge....still half asleep. Ayuyu greeted Tahito with a simple gesture and said, "Ai ga'chong, the night air is too cold. Only crazy people stay awake in this weather."

 

Tahito nodded his head in agreement and left the men without so much as a word. He marched back to the camp to enjoy the warm and peaceful slumber he had already longed for.

 

Tiku and Ayuyu went about their chores on the bridge, marching back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.  Suddenly they heard a faint yawn and heavy breathing just below the bridge. 

 

"Did you hear that?" Ayuyu asked his companion.

 

"Hunggan!" Tiku replied as he bent slightly over the railing of the bridge. "It is too dark down there. I can't see a thing."

 

Ayuyu crossed the road to the other side of the bridge to survey the entire length of the underpass. He too quibbed, "You're right Che'lu. I can't make out a thing down there."

 

"Shall we go down there and investigate?" Tiku asked.

 

"No way, Jose," Ayuyu answered, shivering at the thought.

 

Just then the men heard a loud crash coming from below. It sounded as if someone had thrown a huge boulder into the gushing river.

 

Ayuyu and Tiku leaned over the rail and caught a faint shadow in the water. They could not make out the figure.

 

"Hafa ayu?" Tiku cried out.

 

"I don't know, ga'chong." Ayuyu replied almost crying. "I think we should alert Mafnas and the men. Run over to the camp and awaken them."

 

Before he completed his last sentence, Tiku was already racing in the direction of the camp.

 

Ayuyu looked across the far end of the bridge and saw a huge silvery man walking towards him. He shivered with fear as he raised his machete and took up his defensive posture.

 

"Para!" Ayuyu commanded in a weak but tense voice.

 

The figure kept coming towards him.

 

Ayuyu stood his ground. Again he called out ordering the man to halt. The figure continued his forward progress.

 

Ayuyu raised his machete high above his head in preparation for an attack.

 

Suddenly, he felt a cold hand clutching at his elbow. He felt sick and his bones quivered like jello. He could not remember dropping his weapon and collapsing to the ground. Everything went black.

 

The figure retreated to the opposite side of the bridge just as the other men arrived. Mafnas ordered the men to hold their ground as he tended to Ayuyu. Seeing that he was okay, Mafnas instructed Tiku to assist him back to the camp.

 

The cadre of warriors approached and surrounded the figure at the far end of the bridge. Mafnas ordered the figure to surrender. But the man just stood there mumbling some ancient chants. At the blink of an eye, he multiplied from one to two; from two to four; from four to eight; from eight to sixteen and so on...

 

The warriors looked at each other and shuddered in fear. They suddenly realized that they were now outnumbered by the ghost. Mafnas tried desperately to maintain control of his men. As if orchestrated, the men dropped their weapons and retreated in all directions. All that was heard was a chorus of cries begging the Guelo' for mercy. "Asi'i yu'!  Asi'i ham!  Asi'i yu' guelo'! Asi'i yu saina!"

 

Mafnas reluctantly reported to the leaders that the bridge was Taboo as it was a meeting place for the Taotaomonas. He cautioned them not to disturb the Sainas in their sacred ground. He never exactly described what happened and none of the other men would dare to talk about it.

 

Since then there have been countless occasions when the old man was seen at the bridge. There were tales of people being abducted by the ghost...never to be seen or heard from again. And to this day, the locals will not come near the bridge at night for fear of the Taotaomonas.