Our story for this Saturday’s practice group is this fantasy short story written by Jay Che’le, edited by Ray Barcinas and friends. In this story, we follow the fictional main character Chå’ as they recount a dramatic encounter with taotaomo’na in Talaifak (a historic Chamorro village on the southen end of modern-day Hågat/Agat on Guam). This story draws inspiration from different encounters with taotaomo’na that happened in Jay’s family in Talaifak over the years, some of which still give everyone goosebumps when they recall them. These encounters range from people suffering a sleepless night, to a dramatic instance when a mango tree was burned to expel the ill-intentioned taotaomo’na (who were in the tree) to the islet of Annai. This explusion of these spirits is why Jay’s mother always told him to never go to Annai.

This post includes the Chamorro text, English translation, and an audio narration in Chamorro by Jay Che’le. Happy reading!