The Boomerangs and the Three Hunters

(This post won the 1st Runner Up award during the Pinoy Expats/OFW Blog Awards 2011, OFW Bloggers Division with the  theme is “Ako’y Magbabalik, Hatid Ko’y Pagbabago.” (I will Return, I Will Bring Change.)

Before the three hunters left the village for hunting, they have had a chance to meet together. The First Hunter proudly said, “When I come back, my family and friends will surely be happy to dine with me. They will enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

The Second Hunter bragged, “I borrowed money with 15% interest from my neighbor to buy my hunting tools, plus, I learned Kung Fu when I was young so I will let those animals in the forest taste my hunting skills of fury.” “Wheeee! Di nga?” the Third Hunter replied.

The Quest of First Hunter

When the first hunter came into the field, he strung up the net between trees, prepared his cage, put his bow and arrow on his shoulder and grasped his decoy, the boomerang, and threw it forward. Whoosh!

The boomerang swiveled through the woods and the scared birds nesting on the trees flew and were trapped on the net, but the only small birds were trapped because net was loosely strung and had given up when the wild chicken stuck it. “Putak-putak! Put-put-putak! Put-putak!,” the wild hens sounded while flying away.

(Read the next sentence fast and make it faster to the last phrase.)

The hunter quickly grabbed his bow and arrow, briskly stood upright with two feet apart, nocked an arrow onto the bowstring, pushed his bow arm, pulled the bow string to his face, aimed for the escaping wild chicken then released the bowstring. Whip! One chicken was hit and other had successfully escaped.  When the boomerang returned, the hunter  wasn't able to catch it properly causing it to hit his hand. Pok! Ouch!

The hunter set up again his net, tighly strung at this time, and waited for few hours for the birds and wild chickens to come back. Tik! Tak! Tik! Tak! Tik Tak! After few hours of patience,the birds came.

The hunter throw his boomerang for the second time to decoy the birds to his net. Gotcha! Two wild chickens, a hen and a roster, were trapped. Now when the boomerang returned, the hunter had caught the it properly and avoided the painful wing strikes based on his experience on the first throw.

He got chicken from the trap and put them into the cage. The night came so the hunter went home, cook all what he had gotten from hunting and called his family and friends for dinner.

The Quest of Second Hunter

The second hunter did not bring a cage and bow and arrows when he went to the field. Eeewww! He only brought a net and his boomerang.  He was very excited to throw his made-in-Japan fibre-reinforced plastic boomerang. (Sound of sarcastically amazed crowd) Whoahhh!

After he had strung the net between the trees, he stood-still for a moment. After awhile, he hold his boomerang firmly but gently, curled his wrist slightly back towards his body then he  threw the boomerang like a flying disc. Swoosh! The boomerang turn upward abruptly, soar up high and quickly spun down again then struck his net. The net was damaged. He picked his boomerang up and left the net.

 “Buk! Buk! Buk! Putak! Putak! Putak!,” a laying wild chicken flew from few steps away from where he stood. When he check the nest, there were five eggs so he took them.

For the second time,  he threw the boomerang aiming the birds on the twigs of a tree above him but boomerang hit on a branch and bounced it back to his head. Pak! His forehead bleed. He tore a part of his shirt and wrap it around his head to stop bleeding.

It was still early but he need to go home because of his injury. When he arrived home, his wife borrowed some medicine from their neighbor and nursed him, cook what he had gotten and they eat their dinner.

The Quest of Third Hunter

The third hunter came to field. The same with the first hunter, he did brought a cage, bow and arrows, net and boomerang.

He also experienced painful wing strikes during the first throw. His net were also loosely strung at the first time. He also use his bow and arrow to capture the escaping wild chicken. He also had gotten some small birds, a killed chicken, an alive hen and an alive rooster. In short, he also experienced what the first hunter had experienced in the field.

But when he went home,  he asked his wife to cook the killed chicken for dinner, ordered his children to preserve the small birds for next days’meals and keep the wild hen and rooster into his small poultry house for raising.

The Questions for You

What kind of change each hunter would give to their respective family after few days?

What are the significance of the boomerang? The birds and chickens? The net, cage and bow and arrows?

How do you relate the life of OFWs with the story?

Which kind of hunter are you and which kind of hunter you would prefer to be?

Would you mind to post you answers as comment?