The pictures below were photographed yesterday at a river in Alangilan, Bacolod.

I was hiking with my friends when I noticed a small child peeping through the foliage. I snapped a photo and tried to trudge the river to approach the child but the kid evaporated like smoke.

1/n

There's a Western Visayas legend about "mga bata sa talon". In principle, aswangs cannot eat children that are already dead so they would often steal the body of the child and put a glamour on a banana trunk to make it seem like the child. 2/n

The banana trunk would slowly wilt and parents would think their "child" died. So they would hold a funeral for the banana trunk and the aswangs can now proceed to eating that real child.

However, if the parents have a feeling that their child has been "replaced"--- 3/n

--- they can refuse to go through the death rites. The aswang would not be allowed to eat the child unless the parents have accepted their death. In the meantime, the aswangs would hide the child in the spirit realm usually found near rivers. 4/n

However, there are times when the parents never accepts the child's death but they can't also find the child, so the child wanders the talon /riverside forever until they forget their names and past lives on the living realm 5/n

If you see clean clusters of snail shells or tiny crab shells by the river, it is likely a batang talon resides there.

Sometimes, bereaved parents would leave food and gifts by the river for their lost child.

So henlo river friend, I hope u doing okay

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