THE MANUAL

The Manual
Issue No. 1
Bolito Chapbooks 2014
All Rights Reserved
No part of this chapbook a! be copied or reproduced "ithout the
"ri#e$ co$se$t of the editors a$d the co$tributors i$volved i$ this
publica%o$.
&e't( Calibri
Cover )esig$( The Dance b! Chee$o ). *u+!
HTTP://W W W.BOM BAPRESS.COM
&AB*, -. C-N&,N&/
A$ Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rosemary Lopez
A 0e$tal Chess 1roble . . . . . . . . . . GM Bobby Torre
&"o 1oes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CD Borden
A /hort /tor! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . F. Cielo Aganorio
A$ ,ssa! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Peter Tan
,'orciss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cheeno D. L!y
A 1la! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . Teresa Cabantan
A$ Alphabet
ABC),.23I45*0-16
R/&789:;<
A Mental Chess Problem
&hese are the set=up for the iagi$ar! board(
9hite
a2> a?> c?> e?> f2> h2> h?> Nb2> Nd2> Bg1> Rh1> 5b1
Black
a4> b@> bA> c4> f?> f@> fA> h4> 5d@
&he echa$ic( 9hite to pla! a$d "i$.
&he co$strai$t( /olve the proble b! usi$g !our iagi$a%o$.
3ere is a diagra of a chessboard to help !ou(
Two Poems
ItBs eas! to thro" sto$es. 4ust pick o$e o$ the grou$d "ithout
uch e+ort a$d thro" it at soeo$e. 3e "ould catch itCif heBs
Duick e$oughCa$d thro"s it at soeo$e else. &he$ the gae
begi$s a$d e$ds a$d ever!o$e goes hoe happ! a$d co$te$ted
as if "hat the! "ere doi$g "as agical. /to$es are agical.
-$ce I thre" a sto$e at the "i$do" of a house i$ 0abolo. &he
glass did$Bt break. &he "i$do" "as ope$.
E
&o se" a hole i$ the ar=pit part of !our shirt $eeds a proper
u$dersta$di$g of ho" to live i$ this "orld. It reDuires pa%e$ce
a$d a ge$tle$ess coo$ ao$g e$ "ho live i$ the cit! of
Alca$tara( &he place "here I "as bor$. 9e do$Bt have churches
there. No ceeteries either. 9e bur! our dead i$ the back of
our la$d a$d "e ask $o 2od to help hi go through the other
side of his e'iste$ce. 9e have a fo$d$ess for touchi$g a$d
caressi$g soF thi$gs like co#o$ or silk. &hat ight e'plai$ "here
our ge$tle$ess cae fro. I$ Alca$tara> the place "here I "as
bor$> "e tread o$ "ater a$d sleep o$ a leaf.
A /hort /tor!
9ould I G$d *iga!aH is the Grst thought of the character 4ulio i$
this stor!. 3o"ever> the Grst three "ords of this stor! "as take$
fro the Grst se$te$ce of the Grst chapter of the book 3opscotch
I1JAA> Ra$do 3ouse> I$c.K b! 4ulio CortaLar. I$ the $ovel> the
protago$ist is looki$g for his issi$g lover> *a 0aga> "hile i$ the
ovie> &he Cla"s of Night I1JM@> *i$o BrockaK> 4ulio 0adiaga Ithe
$ae of the protago$ist i$ the GlK is also searchi$g for the love his
life> *iga!a. &he forer does his aateur sleuthi$g i$ 1arisN the
la#er> i$ 0a$ila. I$ this stor!> the character is $aed 4ulio Ibut he
does$Bt have a fail! $ae like CortaLar or 0adiagaK. 3e is sipl!
"lio> a$d he is looki$g for a certai$ O*iga!aP. 9hoever *iga!a isC
"e do$Bt k$o" that !et. OItP could be a "oa$ Ihis beau%ful>
salacious lover like i$ the book a$d the GlK or she could be his
sister> or a petCa cat to be precise. ;es> *iga!a is a catCa$d 4ulio
thi$ks( 9ould I G$d *iga!aH ;ou see> he is "orried. AFer all> he is
Qust a si'=!ear old bo! "ho loves the cat so uch he "ould cr!
ever! $ight i$ his bed "hile his other or father soothes his alad!
a$d tells hi> ;es> !es> "eBll G$d *iga!a i$ the or$i$g. A$d the$
too a$! or$i$gs have coe to pass> a$d s%ll> $o *iga!a. -$l! i$
his dreas does he catch a glipse of *iga!a> so 4ulio decided to
sleep all the %e. 7$fortu$atel!> he got lost i$ the lab!ri$ths of his
o"$ crea%o$> pro"li$g elaborate streets a$d forks that led
$o"here> tr!i$g to G$d the elusive *iga!a. 4ulio $ever "oke up
agai$. &he e$d.
A$ ,ssa!
&he /phi$' is a !thical o$ster "ho gives e$ riddles to solve
a$d destro!s the if the! are u$able to a$s"er the co$u$drus.
;et> as "e coe to k$o"> the /phi$' $ever a$s"ers its o"$ riddle
before> or eve$ aFer> it devours the u$fortu$ate soul "ho happe$s
i$ its "a!. 3o" could o$e be co$vi$ced that the /phi$' k$e" the
a$s"er all alo$gH It ight be looki$g for the a$s"er itself a$d> i$
its i$G$ite Duest> spare the lives of those "ho coe closest to the
a$s"erR.
&o further clarif! this co$Qecture( I$ 2reek 0!tholog!> the /phi$'
asked -edipus> 9hat goes o$ four feet i$ the or$i$g> t"o i$ the
$oo$> a$d three i$ the eve$i$gH A$d the epo$!ous hero of the
stor! a$s"ered> 0a$S. It "ould be the closest a$s"er because as
0ichael 0aier poi$ted out i$ his book> Atalanta Fgiens(
OBut the! "ho i$terpret co$cer$i$g the Ages of 0a$ are
deceived. .or a 6uadra$gle of .our ,lee$ts are of all thi$gs Grst
to be co$sidered> fro the$ce "e coe to the 3eisphere havi$g
t"o li$es> a Right a$d a Curve> that is> to the 9hite *u$aN fro
the$ce to the &ria$gle "hich co$sists of Bod!> /oul a$d /pirit> or
/ol> *u$a a$d 0ercur!.P
&he /phi$' accepted the a$s"er as it is because it "ould$Bt k$o"
ho" to a$s"er the riddle i$ the Grst place. Accordi$gl!> if it "as
0aier "ho cae face to face "ith the creature> his a$s"er>
ho"ever illogical it a! see> "ould also be accepted as a$
a$s"er. &he Dues%o$ is the thing in itsel# a$d the a$s"er is the
thing in itsel# e$plained. ,rgo> a$! e'pla$a%o$ could provide a$
a$s"er supposi$g it is close to the h!pothe%cal o$e.
&he !thical creature talks i$ riddles because the o$l! purpose of
its e'iste$ce is to ask Dues%o$s. /oe of it ight be a$s"ered a$d
soe of it ight co$%$ue to besiege the creature throughout its
life%eT. It "ould $ot be iprobable to propose that the sphi$' is
hua$it! a$thropoorphiLedCsi$ce e$ a$d "oe$ have bee$
aski$g Dues%o$sU throughout the ages> arrivi$g "ith vague or $o
deG$ite co$clusio$s. A fe" "ould eve$ destro! theselves i$ the
process Ii.e. coiV$g suicide> drive$ to ad$ess> etc.K because
the a$s"er that the! had soeho" discovered leads to a$other
Dues%o$. A $oose %ed arou$d the $eck. . . .
3ere I shall surise that the /phi$' is li$ear Icopared to the
1hoe$i' "hich is circularWK> a straight li$e that goes fro poi$t A
Iits iagi$ar! star%$g poi$tK to poi$t B Iits iagi$ar! e$dK. It
"ould$Bt be too far=fetched to postulate that a li$e is Qust a
disco$$ected circle( a bracelet "ithout a latch. 0ortalit!> i$ a
se$se> is also a straight li$e that goes fro poi$t A IlifeK to poi$t B
IdeathK> but si$ce hua$ life is Qust a speck i$ the u$iversal
co$cept of thi$gs the$ it "ould be fair e$ough to sa! that poi$t A
a$d poi$t B do $ot e'ist at all. &hus> a$other riddle is bor$ out of
a$other riddle.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
RIt ca$$ot give a$ a$s"er to its o"$ riddle "ithout bri$gi$g about its o"$
deise.
S0a$ "alks o$ four as a$ i$fa$t> o$ t"o as a gro"$=up> a$d three as a$
old a$ Ibecause of the ca$eK.
T&he life c!cle of the /phi$'( egg sto$e stage Y hua$ cub stage Y adult
stage Y geriatric stage.
UIB talki$g about etaph!sical a$d philosophical Dues%o$s Ii.e. "hat is
2odHK.
W&he 1hoe$i' destro!s itself i$ Zaes a$d fro its ashes it rises agai$> ad
i$G$itu> like a circle.
,'orciss
%& started 'ri(ng and the reslt 'as something nreadable.)
Mirtha Dermisache
A Play
Characters
A a$> a "oa$> a child
The man* 'oman* and child are si+ng on a coch. They are
'atching the adience #rom the stage.
A,er a #e' mintes the man spo-e.
0a$ Ipensi.eK( 3. &here are too a$! characters i$ this pla! . . .
9oa$ IharshK( ;es[ A$d the! are Qust siV$g arou$d like us. *ook at
those t"o over thereCI ca$Bt eve$ hear a "ord the!Bre sa!i$g[
0a$ Iso,lyK( 3. &his ust be a ieCa pla! "ithout "ords.
9oa$ IannoyedK( &here are 'ords> but I ca$Bt ake the out.
0a$ I/rmK( &he$ be Duiet. *etBs liste$ to the.
9oa$ IcomplacentK( -ka! . . .
They listen and con(ne to 'atch the adience as i# perple$ed 'hile
the child /dgets on the coch.
The child spo-e a,er a #e' mintes.
Child Idro'syK( Ca$ "e close the curtai$ $o"H \0a'ns.] IB sleep!.
The man and 'oman loo- at the child. Then the man slo'ly gets p*
'al-s* almost stmbles* and closes the crtain.
Curtain
NOTE:
-$ce the pla! is perfored the characters a! iprovise
their dialog based o$ the audie$ceBs reac%o$s> gestures> et
cetera> et cetera.
April 2014
The Manual
Issue No. 1
1ditor( C) Borde$ Assistant 1ditor( Chee$o de *u+! Contribtors( ..
Cielo Aga$orio> Rosear! *opeL> 20 Bobb! &orre> &eresa
Caba$ta$> a$d 0r. 1eter &a$. Co.er &llstra(on( Chee$o de *u+!.
All co$te$ts 2014 The Manal a$d its co$tributors.
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