“The Great Maga’lahi Atdao”

Si Palao’an Tottot

                                                Written by:  Norbert Perez

            A long time ago, in the beautiful paradise Tano’ Guahan and beyond, there lived a Maga’lahi named: Atdao.

            He wasn’t an ordinary Maga’lahi. He was a god; a god with special traits and special talents. He was all-knowing and all-powerful. He could see the future and he could read minds. He could communicate with anyone through mental telepathy. And he could travel through the vast spaces of time using his spiritual being.

            Atdao was not born with these special qualities. As the anointed one, he received his powers from the ancient being known to the Taotao Tano’ as PUTI’ON, the visitor from the heavens. The Taotaomo’nas had many stories about PUTI’ON, which they passed down through the centuries.

            Atdao was a handsome god. His muscular frame and fair skin made him stand out among the Taotao Tano’. His facial contours were perfect and his long, shiny hair and big, brown eyes brought subjects to their knees.

            His all-knowing powers made him Great, the greatest Maga’lahi that ever lived. He was ruthless and decisive with his enemies. Yet, he was fair. He was compassionate and sensitive with his family, friends and subjects. Yet, he perpetuated the spirit of kindness and humanity among all the Taotao Tano’ in the land of Guahan and beyond.

            This oga’an (morning), Atdao was up early to pray and to meditate. His usual day began with serene telepathic exchanges with the heavenly being. He was restless throughout the night and his dreams were confusing. They did not make any sense.

            “Ai………ya,” chanted Atdao in a loud thunderous voice.

            “Ai ya! Ai ya! Ai ya! Ai……….ya!” he called out to the heavens. His face suddenly became transparent and colorless. He then entered into a deep, solemn trance.

            There was total silence; a long, timeless silence.

            “Hello mighty Atdao!” PUTI’ON called out to him from space.

            “Greetings, my friend and protector!” Atdao responded.

            “You look tired and forlorned.” PUTI’ON said. “Are you troubled, my son?” the spirit asked.

            “Yes my lord. I am deeply troubled.” replied the Maga’lahi. “I had a very puzzling dream last night. I can not put meaning to this nightmare. You can help me.  Let me tell you my dream and then maybe, you can translate it with your wisdom.” Atadao said.

            “Go ahead, my son. Tell me your dream and let us ponder the meaning together.” echoed the spiritual being.

            “My dream starts off with three little tottots (Marianas Fruit Doves) who came to my lemmai (breadfruit) tree. They each had bright identifying feathers: the first tottot was blue; the second tottot was yellow and the last tottot was red. Each gave me a poem; a warning of some impending evil,” Atdao said.

            “Three tottots, huh. And each had a message for you?” asked the being.

            “Yes, my spirit friend; each had a poetic message but they all seem to refer to the same evil,” cried Atdao.

            “How did you arrive at that conclusion?” asked PUTI’ON.

            “I don’t know, but here are their messages…. The first tottot with blue feathers said to me….

                                    ‘a song out of tune

                                                brings a message to you

                                    Tano’ Guahan will soon

                                                Meet a new god wearing blue’

“The second tottot with yellow feathers then came and said….

                                    ‘a god who is blind

                                                sees light up ahead

                                    the new god will shine

                                                and the old one will fret’

            “Finally, the red feathered tottot gave me the most puzzling message of all…

                                    ‘a new day will bring

                                                much joy to Guahan

                                    the heavens will sing

                                                praises to a palao’an’

            “That is all, my supreme lord. What do you deduce from these poems?” asked Atdao.

            “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” laughed the great spirit.

            “What is so funny, my lord?” questioned Atdao.

            “Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!” the spirit laughed with much greater intensity.

            “What is so very funny?” asked Atdao, already fuming and becoming uneasy.

            “I’m sorry, my son. Tell me first what you thought your dreams meant and then I will tell you what I believe the mean. Then we can rationalize our thoughts.” echoed PUTI’ON.

            “The messages were quite clear. They all said that I will not be Maga’lahi very long. They all proclaimed that a new god will take my place in Guahan.” Cried Atdao. “Am I right?” he questioned.

            “It is as I see it, my son. A new god will soon appear to replace you in the Tano’ Guahan and beyond,” the being remarked.

            “I will fight him. I will kill him with my spear. I will not give up my kingdom without a fight. I would rather die than give up my people,” Atdao replied. “It is expected of every Maga’lahi. It is the right thing to do,” he said.

            “Ha! Ha! Ha! Take it easy, my son,” the being responded.

            “Take it easy? I will summon my warriors and attack this new Maga’lahi. What troubles me, my lord, is this: I have searched and searched the entire universe mentally and he is no where to be found. Yet, they already proclaimed that he is coming.” the Maga’lahi cried.

            “Where is this fool? Where is this coward who will not show his face?” he asked.

            “That is why I was laughing,” the spirit countered. “What I deduced from your dreams is that you will find a Palao’an, the most beautiful Palao’an in the universe and she will bear you a son. He is the god fortold to replace you,” said the being with a chuckle.

            “Oh great lord, so this new god is not my enemy?” asked the Maga’lahi.

            “The new god is your flesh and blood. He is your seed,” added the being.

            “Who is this Palao’an and where shall I find her?” the Maga’lahi questioned, already getting excited.

            “I know who she is and I know where she is but I am forbidden from telling you. You must seek her out with your mind and you must woo her and win her favor,” the spirit replied. “One more thing, my son. I must warn you that this Palao’an is wiser than you; spiritually stronger than you; and mentally more powerful than any god in the universe, including yourself,” the being added.

            “What? She is a Palao’an and she is also a god!” Atdao retorted. “Now I am really confused,” he quibbled.

            “Go now my son and remember my warnings,” the spirit said as he disappeared into a mist of nothingness.

            Atdao awoke from his trance with a mighty yawn. He appeared more troubled than before. He thought out loud, “I must take time out to ponder on this revelation. I must prepare myself for this Palao’an. I must find out all my strengths and all my weaknesses before I come face-toface with her. If she is wiser and mentally more powerful than I, the great Maga’lahi, I must find out what my limitations are.”

            The hot morning sun brought perspiration on Atdao’s face. He stood up and walked over to the waterline. Squatting briskly, he swept a handful of cold sea water and splashed it on his face. He did this several times and each time, he gave out a mighty roar of approval. He stood up and started his long journey back to the (Songsong) village.

            For the next several days, the great Maga’lahi was a bumbling human. He could not think straight; he could not hold a telepathic session long enough; he could not even walk a few yards without brushing or tripping on something. He was a complete wreck. He was totally consumed with the revelation and the Palao’an, who was much greater than he. He tried several times to speak to her mentally and each time his calls went unanswered.

            The Maga’lahi was quickly becoming unbearable. The Taotao Songsong were concerned because they were seeing a different god. He was no longer the compassionate god that he used to be. He was no longer the sensitive and caring Maga’lahi that the Taotao Songsong had come to know and love.

            Atdao, on the other hand had already noticed the concerned faces on his subjects, his family and his friends. Instead of the cordial gestures and respectful greetings, he was getting strong vibes of frustrations and hatred from his own people.

            One day, he summoned the Suruhanus, the Suruhanas and the Makahnas from Guahan and beyond to assemble before him: they came from Saipan; they came from Luta; they came from Belau; they came from Ponape; they came from every island for thousands of miles. They heard the call of the god and they came to help.

            When the Makahnas, the Suruhanas and the Suruhanus were assembled at the meeting grounds, Atdao told them of his dream and of the revelation by PUTI’ON. He apologized to all the people of Guahan and beyond for his changed behavior. Then he asked them for advise and counsel. He asked them to deliberate on his problem and to call him when the have definite answers to the puzzle.

            Just then, Atdao became alarmed. He noticed a beautiful Palao’an in the group. She could not have been 22 sakkans in age. “How can a young and beautiful maiden be among the old and wise people of the land?” he wondered. “There must be some mistake. She can not be a Suruhana or Makahna at her age. Something is wrong,” he mused in silence.

            After three days of deliberations, the group sent word to the Maga’lahi for an audience. They assembled at the meeting grounds and awaited the god’s appearance.  Atdao appeared much disturbed when the same lovely Palao’an was chosen by the group as their spokesperson. The maiden stood before the god and said, “My god Atdao, the greatest Maga’lahi of all time. The council of healers have deliberated your dream and here are our thoughts.”

            “Who are you? What are you doing here? How could you be among the old and wise people of the land?” Atdao asked, breaking her off in her presentation.

            “I am Palao’an Tottot from the paradise Tano’ Alamaguan and beyond.” she replied.

            Atdao was stunned when she said her name was Palao’an Tottot.

            “May I continue with our report?” she asked.

            He was speechless and somewhat afraid.

            “May I continue, my lord?” she again asked.

            Atdao quickly regained his composure and said, “What is a young woman such as yourself be doing among the Makahnas, the Suruhanas and the Suruhanus!”

            “I am a Makahna, too!” she added. “I have special powers which were given to me by our protector being, PUTI’ON.” She added.

            The Maga’lahi then realized the unthinkable. He quickly dismissed the group and ordered them to leave at once so he could be alone with Palao’an Tottot. The wise people were a bit confused but did as their god commanded. When Atdao was alone with her, he stared deeply into her glowing green eyes in his godly manner. She responded by staring right back at him but with much intensity and vigor. The staring game continued for hours and hours.

            The wise people were just a distance away, watching and waiting. A large crowd of Taotao Songsong began to gather in bewilderment. They were calmed and collected as they watched the two saintly figures from a distance.

            Just then, they saw the great Maga’lahi drop to his knees and crying. Hysteria and confusion overcame the Taotao Songsong. “What is the meaning of this? How can a god humble himself before a Palao’an? This is a bad omen! This is real bad!” they whispered among themselves.

            At that point, the Maga’lahi got up off his knees and he took the Palao’an’s hand and led her towards the crowd. As the approached, the people of the Songsong all dropped to their knees and bowed in terror.

            Atdao commanded them to listen to his proclamation. He said, “My dear people of Guahan and beyond. I have some very important news to proclaim. This is a day of wonder and great beginnings. This is a day of joy and happiness for all of us here in Tano’ Guahan and beyond. This is Palao’an Tottot, the most beautiful woman in the universe. She has accepted my request and she will become my wife. She will be the new Maga’haga’ of Tano’ Guahan and beyond. She will be mother to my children and mother to my people. Rejoice and praise our protector, PUTI’ON.

Biba! Biba! Biba PUTI’ON”

            “Biba! Biba! Biba PUTI’ON!” they cried out.

                                                The End.