My short story addresses mental illness that is commonly put on the shelf in most families on island. I submit this because my grandmother and grandfather or manamko’ would always say that it is good to let the children go without medications because it is unhealthy for their bodies and could lead to bad things. I chose to make the story up in third person narrative because I felt that if someone could read this, they would think twice about the medicines from other countries and know that sometimes we have to let go of what we think is right or wrong to save a life. I implemented some CHamoru language in my story and I also implemented CHamoru myth into it.
This is a story about a boy called Pulan and his younger sister Somnak. Pulan was a young boy who was premature for his age and was like the moon he was named after and Somnak, some say was like the sun because he would watch her wearily under the nearest coconut tree as she played outside. Pulan always read to her and talked about the meaning of each myth in the evenings about her favorite stories which were “Puntan and Fu’una,” or how Guam was created and “Sirena,” which was about how a young girl turned into a fish. But the one she was most interested in was “Puntan and Fu’una.” After the story about Sirena, Somnak looked questioningly at Pulan.
“Pulan?” Somnak asked, “Why didn’t her mother care for her enough not to turn her into a fish?”
Pulan paused for a bit.
“Somnak, you know Sirena’s mother regretted it.”
“But Pulan, is she like our mother?”
“Somnak, don’t say that about mom. Mom is sick.”
“But Pulan. Our mother would never do that no matter how angry she would get.”
With that, she turned on her side and slept dreaming about the creation of mankind and whether there were curses that she knew could turn one into half a fish and half human.
***
As Somnak and Pulan got older, it was a year that they would never forget. They were both in middle school when they found out that something was wrong with Somnak who was like the sun. Somnak was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which is commonly known as ADHD. She was having trouble at her new school and could not come over to play with the other children because she was so hyper. Their mother Tasi knew this and cried because she had suffered from schizophrenia. She was highly functioning but could never understand why it had to be her only daughter, Somnak who was like the sun.
Tasi held Pulan’s head to her chest and said “Be strong for Somnak, Pulan. Be strong. Medicine will only make Somnak sicker.” Their father Juan was a hard worker. One day Tasi and Juan had a fight. Pulan looked into the kitchen to see their mother throwing dishes. Glass after glass broke. She was sobbing.
“But Tasi! We have to get medication for our daughter! She is struggling and it’s the only way!”
“The only way for what Juan?! To make our daughter sicker?!”
She took what was left in the cupboard and it all fell in a sickening crash. Juan grabbed her arms to keep her from cutting herself. Pulan ran into the living room and pulled on a pair of tennis shoes and helped his father carry his mother as she was wailing.
Some nights she would be in a hysterical fit crying and saying “Save my neni-girl…. Save my neni-girl….”
Pulan knew she was quietly going insane and sometimes woke up to the sound of constant crying.
Tasi was then given medical treatment. Tasi knew well what the medication was for and how strong it was. Somnak was at their nina and nino’s house. She too was being medicated. One day, Pulan found his mother after school lying on the floor with a pale face and blue lips. Pulan quickly found his father’s number on the refrigerator and dialed as fast as he could 9-1-1 then his father’s number. The ambulance came to find his mother had overdosed on her new medication and Juan got down to his knees and cried.
It had been years since that had happened and Pulan would never forget what his mother said. It kept replaying in his mind. “Be strong for Somnak, Pulan. Be strong. Medicine will only make Somnak sicker.”
“Dad?” Juan looked at him for a long time.
“Yes son.”
“Will Somnak become just like mommy if we tell her?”
Juan frowned, put his head in his hands and cried.
***
Somnak was a tiny-tot who loved running around. She couldn’t concentrate on having her schoolwork done and was easily distracted. There was only one probability. Skip classes and play happily outside.
Sometimes the teachers would call her “Sunny,” but she preferred her CHamoru name to her usual nickname.
Sometimes she would pretend she was walking to class, but the reality was that she was running home and leaving her school bag in her chair. Her classmates would giggle and call her pikaroti in CHamoru for trickster.
“Why are you always like this? Is your mother like this?” One boy asked while he was walking with her to her old school.
“No!” She shrilly screamed at the top of her lungs. “My mother’s name is Tasi and she’s as calm as the ocean and as mean as a tidal wave!”
“Whatever.” The boy had sighed.
He looked around.
“We’re late!” As he started to run he grabbed Somnak by the arms and dragged her to the classroom.
“Where’s your bag?! We’re gonna be late!”
“I can’t go.”
“Aww why not Sunny? Ya scared?”
And with that she ran back to her Nina’s arms.
“Somnak, come on, we’re going to talk with your father.”
And with that, her nina closed her door.
***
It was already nighttime. Pulan unpacked his things and found the old book he used to read to Somnak.
“Pulan? Is mama gonna be with Puntan and Fu’una?”
“Yes Somnak.”
“But when we die, we will be watching over her like the sun and moon right?”
Pulan looked at her and squeezed her tightly and dreamt of the old maga’ haga and maga’ lahi. As they held each other in their sleep, Pulan and Somnak would look down upon Tasi and their reflections would be cast upon her waters in their dreams.
CHamoru Glossary
Manam’ko – Elders
Pulan – Moon
Somnak – Sun
Puntan – Male God of Creation
Fu’una – Female God of Creation
Maga’ haga – Female Chief
Maga’lahi – Male Chief
Tasi – Water
Juan – The Spanish version of “John”
CHamoru – The indigenous people of Guahan/Guam
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