On that same day, Lumabet’s son, who was hunting, did not know that his father had gone to the sky.  When he was tired of the chase, he wanted to go to his father, so he leaned an arrow against a baliti tree and sat down on it.  Slowly it began to go down and carried him to his father’s place, but when he arrived he could find no people.  He looked here and there and could find nothing but a gun made of gold. [126] This made him very sorrowful and he did not know what to do until some white bees which were in the house said to him: 

“You must not weep, for we can take you to the sky where your father is.”

So he did as they bade, and rode on the gun, and the bees flew away with him, until in three days they reached the sky.

Now, although most of the men who followed Lumabet were content to live in the sky, there was one who was very unhappy, and all the time he kept looking down on the land below.  The spirits made fun of him and wanted to take out his intestines so that he would be like them and never die, but he was afraid and always begged to be allowed to go back home.

Finally Manama told the spirits to allow him to go, so they made a chain of the leaves of the karan grass and tied it to his legs.  Then they let him down slowly head first, and when he reached the ground he was no longer a man but an owl. [127]

The Story of the Creation [128]

Bilaan (Mindanao)

In the very beginning there lived a being so large that he can not be compared with any known thing.  His name was Melu, [129] and when he sat on the clouds, which were his home, he occupied all the space above.  His teeth were pure gold, and because he was very cleanly and continually rubbed himself with his hands, his skin became pure white.  The dead skin which he rubbed off his body [130] was placed on one side in a pile, and by and by this pile became so large that he was annoyed and set himself to consider what he could do with it.

Finally Melu decided to make the earth; so he worked very hard in putting the dead skin into shape, and when it was finished he was so pleased with it that he determined to make two beings like himself, though smaller, to live on it.

Taking the remnants of the material left after making the earth he fashioned two men but just as they were all finished except their noses, Tau Tana from below the earth appeared and wanted to help him.

Melu did not wish any assistance, and a great argument ensued.  Tau Tana finally won his point and made the noses which he placed on the people upside down.  When all was finished, Melu and Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved.  Then Melu went to his home above the clouds, and Tau Tana returned to his place below the earth.

All went well until one day a great rain came, and the people on the earth nearly drowned from the water which ran off their heads into their noses.  Melu, from his place on the clouds, saw their danger, and he came quickly to earth and saved their lives by turning their noses the other side up.