Ako, ikaw . . . isang himala

(The administrator adapted the following story from a PDI column. He simply put words into the mouths of the characters.)

Two brothers, one about ten, the other barely five, walk through the smokey mountain. And there occurs a miracle.

Little Brother(his eyes glued to his brother’s pocket): Kuya! Kuya! Ano’ng nasa bulsa mo? Patingin naman, o.
Big Brother: Mamaya na. Ipapakita ko naman sa ‘yo ‘to pagdating natin do’n. ‘Wag kang mainip.
Little Brother(runs around his brother, his voice close to pleading): Sige na, Kuya. Pagkain ba ‘yan? Patikim naman, o. Isang tinapay lang ang nakain ko kanina. Gutom na ‘ko. (his eyes sincere)
Big Brother(stops, his face changes): Okey, Hintay. (Slowly, he removes from his pocket the ‘treasure’. He sees the look of eager anticipation in his brother’s mouth.)
Little Brother: Wow, gatas! Yehey! (He reaches out his hands for the bottle of milk.) Inumin na natin, Kuya!
Big Brother: Oooops! Upo ka d’yan. (He points to the rubber tire. Little Brother complies immediately and looks intently on his brother.) Masarap ‘to. Pero ako muna. (he says in a regal manner. He lifts the bottle and drinks. But he closes his lips too tightly so that no milk entered his mouth.) O, ‘kaw naman. Dahan-dahan lang, ha.
Little Brother(he pulls the bottle away from his brother and sticks it to his mouth): Mmmnn. Ansarap, Kuya! Isa pa.
Big Brother: Hep, ako uli. Mamaya, ‘kaw naman.
Little Brother: Sige, para patas tayo, di ba?
Big Brother: S’yempre. O, ‘kaw na.

For five or six times, this happened. But each time his turn came, Big Brother pretended to drink.

Big Brother(holding the bottle upside down): Inubos mo na! (His voice like angry. Little Brother is struck silent, waiting an action from his brother.) Ha! Ha! Ha!
Little Brother: ‘Di ka galit?
Big Brother: Ba’t naman ako magagalit sa ‘yo? Okey, lang ‘yon. Utol ‘ata kita. Kahit anong mangyari, ‘andito pa rin ako para sa ‘yo.
Little Brother(showing his widest smile): Ambait ng kuya ko!
Big Brother(smiles back at him and strokes his brother’s hair) O, tara na. Baka wala na tayong mapulot. (He throws the bottle away, and several younger kids go about scavenging for it.)