The Gift of the Kaibaan

Long ago, in a quiet village nestled between the rice fields and the dark forest of Villasis, lived a young girl named Tinay. She was the daughter of a widowed potter and spent most of her days helping her father shape clay, singing old lullabies as they worked. Tinay was kind to all things—stray dogs, birds with broken wings, and even the mossy stones that lined the path to the woods.

But there was one rule her father made her swear to follow:

“Never disturb the earth beneath the old balete tree at the edge of the forest. That is where the Kaibaan live.”

Tinay, though curious, obeyed. She left offerings of rice grains, sweet bananas, and flowers on the stones near the tree, whispering, “For the little kings and queens under the soil.”

One afternoon, as the sun dipped low and the air shimmered with heat, Tinay wandered near the forbidden tree to gather fallen firewood. As she reached for a particularly dry branch, she heard a giggle—high, sharp, and echoing.

Startled, she turned.

There, poking out from behind a mushroom-covered log, was a tiny man, no taller than her hand. He wore red clothes, a dried squash hat, and had a beard longer than his body. His head was far too large, and his single eye blinked with amusement.

“Hello, kind girl,” he said in a voice like a flute. “I’ve seen you. I’ve tasted your offerings. You are polite… unlike many.”

More figures emerged—some wearing colorful robes, others bare-footed and dirt-covered. They danced and tumbled, whispering in a strange tongue. A few hissed and retreated—black-skinned Kaibaan with horns, their eyes burning red.

But the bearded one raised his hand. “She is under my protection.”

He introduced himself as Karukay, a kaibaan or duwende of the noble class, and told her she had been chosen to receive a gift from the King of the Underhill. That night, they led her beneath the roots of the balete tree, into a glowing, cavernous world where Kaibaan cities shimmered with lights, and the walls were carved from soil that smelled of honey and stone.

There, the Kaibaan King—taller than the rest, with a robe of woven beetle wings and a crown of blue fireflies—stepped forward. He handed Tinay a pendant shaped like a sunflower, its center a glowing golden seed.

“Wear this, and when you sing, the earth will bloom. But be warned: never use this for greed, or you will draw the Black Ones.”

Tinay returned to the village, unsure if it had all been a dream. But the next day, as she hummed while planting sweet potatoes, the ground shimmered—and the plants burst into bloom, ten times their normal size.

Word spread quickly. Tinay’s songs healed withered trees, coaxed crops from dry soil, and made children’s fevers vanish. People came from distant villages, bearing gifts to hear her sing.

But as her fame grew, so did her father’s unease. A local merchant, greedy and sly, offered Tinay gold in exchange for her power. When she refused, he followed her and stole the pendant while she slept.

That night, he stood in his field, shouting songs off-key, demanding the earth make him rich.

At midnight, the Black Kaibaan came.

They rose from the soil, greasy and horned, hissing in rage. The merchant screamed as they dragged him underground. The next morning, only a crater remained, filled with dead frogs and a single, golden seed.

Tinay mourned the balance that had been broken. She returned to the balete tree, weeping. The noble duwende, Karukay, appeared once more.

“You must choose now,” he said. “Come with us, live among us, and learn the old songs to restore what was lost. Or stay, and the gift shall fade forever.”

Tinay chose the hidden world.

To this day, villagers say that flowers bloom unnaturally bright near the balete tree. On hot noons or at sunsets, tiny footprints appear in the mud. Some say they hear a young woman’s voice singing beneath the ground.

And if you offer sweet bananas or sing kindly to the earth, you might feel a breeze—gentle, amused—and know that the Kaibaan are listening.

Reference:

Stoic-Aswang (Updated February 2025). “Monsters and Supernatural Beings from Filipino Folklore and Myths.”  https://stoicaswang.wordpress.com/2015/12/23/supernatural-beings-and-creatures-of-philippine-folklore-and-mythology/