PILANDOK AND THE KINGDOM UNDER THE SEA
By: Victoria Añonuevo
After building for along time, Pilandok thought that Datu Usman had forgotten all
about him. So one day, Pilandok strolled into town. But the young man had made a
mistake! From his palace the greedy Datu caught sight of him. And he ordered his
soldiers to seize Pilandok.
“ You will pay for what you did to me!” the Datu screamed at the young man in a
rage. He made his soldiers tie up Pilandok and put him in a cage. “Throw that
crook into the sea! Datu Usman commanded them.
The sea was far away and the day was hot, and so the soldiers soon grew tired.
When they reached the seashore, they left Pilandok to himself and fell asleep in the
shade of some coconut trees. A merchant happened to pass by in his big banca.
Pilandok instantly had an idea! “I wont marry the princess! I won’t, Pilandok cried
out.
When the merchant heard hi shouts, he drew near and spoke to Pilandok. “ The
Datu is forcing me to marry his daughter, but I don’t want to. I am not worthy of
the Princess. “Pilandok explained. “This man must be crazy to turn down such
good fortune,” the merchant muttered to himself. “ If you wish,” he told Pilandok,
“I will marry the Princess myself!”
Pilandok readily agreed. The merchant freed him, they exchanged clothes, and the
merchant took Pilandok’s place inside the cage. “Shout to the soldiers when they
come, tell them that you wish to marry the Princess,” were Pilandok’s parting
words.
When the soldiers arrived, the merchant, indeed, shouted as loud as he could. “I
want to marry the Princess! “I want to marry the Princess! The soldiers merely
laughed. “Pilandok has gone out of his mind,” one soldier said. At once they threw
the poor merchant into the sea.
After some days had passed, the real Pilandok retured to the palace. “Pilandok! Are
you really Pilandok?” the Datu asked. “ Yes, your Majesty,” was the young man’s
reply. “I am now a rich man, and for this I have your Majesty to thank!” The young
man explained that when he had been thrown into the sea, he had come upon a
kingdom. “The King turned out to be my cousin! He loaded me down with pearls,
gold, precious jewels, and delicious food.” The Datu was amazed.
Incredible though Pilandok’s story was, the fact that he was still alive made the
Datu believe him. “My cousin would like your Majesty to visit him in his
kingdom,” the young man said. At this the Datu was all the more astounded. “Let
us go now to the sea,” the Datu said, “so you can prove to me that what you are
saying is true,”The datu immediately had his soldiers prepare a big cage.
On reaching the seashore, Pilandok dove into the water. He reappered with a huge
pearl in his hand. “Please accept this from my cousin, “ Pilandok urged the Datu.
The Datu’s eyes grew wide in amazement. “If I were to swim down to that
kingdom, many more pearls and jewels will surely be mine. “ the Datu said to
himself.
He hastily entered the cage. “Throw the cage into the sea, the Datu instructed his
soldiers. “But when you feel a tug on its rope, pull the cage up at once. I will stay
for a week in the kingdom of Pilandok’s cousin.”
And so they tossed the Datu into the sea. After a few minutes, they saw the rope
move. The soldiers would have pulled the cage to the shore but Pilandok stopped
them. “Don’t worry. My cousin the King is merely leading him out of the cage,”
Pilandok said.
When the rope didn’t stop moving, the soldiers were bewildered. Finally, with a
mighty heave they pulled out the cage. Thoroughly wet and hardly able to breathe,
Datu Usman stepped out. He coughed up mouthfuls of water, all the water that was
in his stomach.
“Wait till I get my hands on that Pilandok!” the Datu bellowed when he had
recovered. But although his soldiers looked everywhere, Pilandok was nowhere to
be found! The wily Pilandok had once again escaped.
