The Old Balete Tree story: A Paranormal Romance

Staring at this ancient sentinel, I am still in great awe upon learning that its sturdy, gnarled limbs are harboring a story of forbidden romance.

It was an ordinary Saturday after work when my colleagues and I decided to go on an adventure. One of my co-workers brought us to a secluded village where a giant tree was erected – an old Balete tree, also called in English ‘Weeping fig, Strangler fig, or banyan tree’.

We went there by car as a group, armed with filmmaking gear, since all of us were broadcasters working in a radio station. When we arrived in the area, the locals living there were very welcoming and they even told us that the tree is friendly and has been protecting them through the years. In turn, they are also protecting it against any form of destruction.

The locals were enjoying the shade of the giant tree. Some of them even put up cradles on its big branches while the kids were enjoying the top area where they could play house and slid down the slick big branches. But behind its friendly nature, the tree was also associated with some stories only the locals could tell.

Fortunately, we got the chance to talk with the 71-year-old, Estrella Araojo Pante, the heiress of the land where the tree is located. She entertained us well and cooperatively shared her experiences growing up with the century-old Belete tree. She told us that the tree has been living there for more than 200 years, according to her ancestors’ accounts. More than this, she has her own encounter and experience with the giant tree.

The Paranormal Romance

They said that love is boundless; it can even transcend depths, heights, and widths. But, how would it be if you fell in love with an out-of-this-world being? This was what happened to ‘Nanay Estrella’. She was wooed and won over by a mystical creature we locally call ‘Engkanto’, an elf. According to her, the elf was sojourning in the giant Balete tree when they met. It happened when she and her playmate were playing in the backyard at dusk. Since that day, she felt strange, as if the elf was always following her wherever she went. It didn’t stop bothering her until she grew up and got married and built her own family. The elf became even more persistent, and every time it visited her, her family thought she was being possessed. It had become a struggle for her family to deal with her every time she was possessed. Neighbors and big men were guarding her almost every day at home because they claimed that she was very strong, thrashing and wanting to break free.

Every time she was possessed, she was in a different world – a place she could only imagine in her fantasy. In that place, she was a princess and the elf was her prince. Maids and servants were serving her and she was living a lavish life. Nanay Estrella said that the elf was very handsome and loved her so much that he was doing everything for her. She said that he told her to stay with him and abandon her family in the real world. She contemplated it for quite some time and before she could even make her decision, she heard her husband and children crying, encouraging her to fight and get well soon. She realized that she was back in the real world. She was brought to several folk healers and shamans until she was totally healed.

The Final Encounter

Before everything ended, Nanay Estrella said that she had another encounter with the elf, but that was the last meeting, and that he finally unchained her and let her choose her way back to the real world. Until this very moment, Nanay Estrella is still mystified about her encounter with the giant century-old Balete tree, which was considered to be an enchanted dwelling of supernatural wonders.

This is my entry for WEEK 7 of The Weekly Hive Garden Question 🌳🌿A Story of a Tree. I hope you enjoy reading. I first shared this story on my youtube channel and I am enthralled sharing this here at Hive Garden. Here is my youtube vlog link:

(I hereby attest that this article is made by me without any aid of AI or grammar editing apps and the photos attached are mine; that I fully understood and adhere to Hive policies and guidelines in posting; and that I won’t be violating any of these rules for my future posts.)