The Legend of Pinya

    By nicole anne libaste

    The Legend of Pinya cover image

    04 Jun, 2024

    a painting of an older woman and child in a room with a wooden floor and walls, with a window and a wooden floor, naive art, a storybook illustration, Byeon Sang-byeok, highly detailed digital painting

    Aling Rosa lived alone with her only daughter Pina. She loved Pina dearly, doing all household chores, not letting Pina lift a finger.

    a woman is cooking in a kitchen with many bowls of food on the table and pots of food on the counter, magical realism, a storybook illustration, Byeon Sang-byeok, high detail illustration

    Pina grew up accustomed to the luxuries provided by her mother. She never learned to do household chores, which worried Aling Rosa.

    a painting of two women sitting in chairs in a room with pictures on the wall and a basket of food on the floor, serial art, a comic book panel, Byeon Sang-byeok, official art

    One day, Aling Rosa fell sick. She was too weak to do the chores. She pleaded Pina to cook their meals.

    a woman in a kitchen preparing food on a counter top with a stove top oven and a window in the background, magical realism, concept art, Elinor Proby Adams, official art

    Pina reluctantly agreed, but her lack of experience caused chaos in the kitchen. She grew frustrated with the chores and often argued with her mother.

    a girl is cooking in a kitchen with a pot of food on the stove top and a pan of food on the counter, american realism, a comic book panel, Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy, official art

    One day, Pina couldn't find the ladle. She complained to her mother, who asked her to search outside, thinking it might have fallen there.

    a woman cooking in a kitchen with pots and pans on the stove top and a pot of food on the counter, photorealism, a comic book panel, Ayako Rokkaku, high detail illustration

    Their argument escalated, and in frustration, Aling Rosa exclaimed, 'I wish you had more eyes to find what you're looking for!' Pina stormed out to look for the ladle.

    a painting of a woman sitting in a chair with a clock in the background and a clock on the wall, american scene painting, a character portrait, Basuki Abdullah, character portrait

    Hours passed, but Pina didn't return. Aling Rosa, despite her sickness, went out to search for her. But Pina was nowhere to be found.

    an old woman sitting in a chair in a room with a window and a book shelf on the wall, ukiyo-e, a character portrait, Aya Goda, highly detailed digital painting

    Days turned into weeks, but there was no sign of Pina. Aling Rosa's heart ached with worry and regret.

    an old woman standing in front of a house with potted plants in front of her and a house behind her, serial art, a character portrait, Christabel Dennison, character portrait

    One day, she noticed a peculiar plant in their yard. It bore a fruit that resembled a head with many eyes. It reminded her of the words she had uttered in anger.

    a painting of an old woman in a garden with flowers and a house in the background with a blue sky, serial art, a character portrait, Chizuko Yoshida, highly detailed digital painting

    Tears streamed down her face as she realized that the plant might be her transformed daughter, Pina. Overwhelmed with grief, Aling Rosa decided to care for the plant as she would her daughter.

    a painting of an old woman in a garden of flowers and plants with a green background and a red and yellow flower, photorealism, a detailed painting, Chris LaBrooy, in gouache detailed paintings

    She nurtured the plant with love, talking to it as if it was Pina. The plant grew healthy, bearing more fruits.

    a painting of a woman standing in a garden with potted plants and flowers in front of her and a house, serial art, a character portrait, Chizuko Yoshida, high detail illustration

    From that day forward, the plant was known as Pinya, named after her beloved daughter. Every time she saw the plant, Aling Rosa was reminded of Pina, her love, and her regret.