Madtaks : Legend Of The Four Corners - Volume 2 Chapter 16 16
It has been more than two weeks since Chiko’s loving granny died and was buried a week later. After a few days of grief, Chiko has finally got back on his track and prepared himself as he takes on a new chapter of his life – this time, without his grandmother by his side.
Its Monday morning and the sun is about to rise. Today, he woke up early to do his farm chores. Despite the absence of his grandmother, Chiko would still do his daily chores by himself. It was as if all the house task have been embedded in his daily function.
After tending to his carabao named Birang, he went to feed the chickens and ducks followed with feeding a small pond full of palm-sized tilapia. From cleaning the small farmhouse to repairing the barn. He does them all of this by himself.
Chiko never met his parents. His grandmother said she found the baby Chiko abandoned under a big Chikoos tree, thus becoming one of the main reason he was named Chiko.
His grandmother took care of him like a real son. Disciplining and teaching him important life values like humility, honesty, and respect especially to the animals.
His purity and friendliness have become one of the reasons he was able to tame a lot of animals including wild ones such as a giant crocodile whom hi named Lolong, a wild boar he named Dumog because of his habit of charging and a green phyton he named Hinay. But his favorite was non-other than Lolong, the big crocodile whom he treats more like a brother.
Chiko happened to stumble upon these wild and ferocious animals as he grew up familiarizing the small forest. It took quite a lot of patience, understanding and a lot of risks for Chiko to be able to tame each of them.
Chiko was able to tame Lolong, the giant crocodile which is around a hundred years old when he was only seven years old by simply giving it a gentle but courageous body rubs. And for some reasons, the mighty crocodile never harmed Chiko. Not even once. As a matter of fact, Chiko can freely ride in its back easily even to the point of standing stable!
However, Chiko knew that despite his amazing friendship, he does not dare to show it to the people because he is afraid of all the troubles that would come once they found out that an eight-meter-long-crocodile is freely swimming in the island’s small rivers and sea.
Sometimes, Chiko would use Lolong as his boat when fishing and latter would gladly help him so as Chiko would help him catch fishes easily and fast! This activity did not just provide them both fishes but Chiko would also use this opportunity to increase his resistance, stamina, and lung capacity
When Chiko was around 10 years old, he happens to stumble in a wild boar’s territory while getting firewood. This giant wild boar would chase after him until it gets tired. Later on, Chiko was able to tame it by giving it free food.
A few years later, Chiko and Dumog got into a mutual understanding with their daily ‘ritual’ which is to run around the forest almost every day as an exercise! If normal people have dogs as a jogging companion, Chiko has a five-feet tall boar with him! Sometimes its female partner and five young boars would come.
Chiko met Hinay, his four-feet-long green phyton when climbing big acacia tree five years ago. This beautiful yet dangerous creature was once about to die from a wildfire when Chiko saw it cornered in a burning tree. Compassion filled his heart and decided to brave over the burning forest to save the cornered snake.
Realizing his intentions, the phyton allowed Chiko to grab its body and get carried out to safety. Since then, the phyton would never hurt Chiko and would sometimes even play with him.
All this wonderful miracle friendship was only possible due to Chiko’s pure and kind heart.
Chiko grew up full of kindness, love, and compassion to anyone, sometimes even to those who hate him, all because of his grandmother’s teaching.