My four year old nephew, Ron and I were one day sitting on a bench in the backyard where we can see a small piece of farm land. While sitting there, I have noticed this small lump of land just right at the foot of a tree so I told him “Ron if you are bad, I will give you to the Nuno” I am sorry, I know I am not supposed to frighten kids but at that moment it was like the most interesting thing to say. I wanted to stir his curiosity and his interest. I wanted him to ask me what a Nuno ( a dwarflike creature believe to inhabit small lumps of land) is but he gave me the most unexpected reply. He said “ Sige, ipapasungay din kita sa kalabaw! (Do that and I will let the Carabao horn you/attack you with his horn)!” while pointing at the carabao who is having his quite afternoon eating grass.

I wanted to laugh but I didn’t. I wanted to show him that it was not nice what he said and he was being very impolite.

Anyway in the end, it wasn’t his interest that was stirred. It was mine. How can a four year old say that? I think he watches too much TV or that he doesn’t have a kid neighbor to play with and interact with. Most of the time, he is just surrounded with foul-mouthed adults. Not my mom or my sister but our workers. That is the reason why he speak like a foul-mouthed adult as well. He is smart, yes. He taught me a lesson… never ever frightened kids with Nuno and Tikbalangs… they already know all those and that all of those are not real.