A Summary of Stevan Javellana's Without Seeing the Dawn (The Lost Ones)

                                                                               photo from: www.wikipedia.org


Set in a small farming village called Manhayang, Sta. Barbara, somewhere in Negros. Like most rural baranggays, the hardworking and closely-knit village folk there had simple needs, simple wants, and simple dreams. They were living their own simple lives when the violence of war reached their place and brought death to their village, their homes and their hearts.

Here revolves the story of  Ricardo "Carding" Suerte, son of Juan Suerte. An industrious, strong and sometimes quick-tempered young man, he aspired to marry Lucia, the daughter of the teniente del barrio. Though his father thought he was not yet prepared and had wished to send him to school, he gave his blessing to the decision of his son. He consented to asking Lucia’s hand from her parents in the traditional pamamanhikan, accompanied by the village’s best orator and the godmother of the lass. After agreeing to the conditions of the village chief, the marriage was set. Tatay Juan gathered up almost all of his hard-earned savings for the dowry and expenses for the wedding feast. In the meantime, Carding excitedly built their house despite the advice of the elderly- that building one’s house in May will bring misfortune to its inhabitants.

And so it came to pass that after the grand wedding and the feast that followed- which was even attended by their representate- the newlyweds lived happily on the land entrusted to Tatay Juan by Don Diego, but not for long. Misfortune struck early when their first child was stillborn. A more difficult trial came when Lucing disgraced herself, her family and her husband by having an affair with Luis, the son of their landlord. Caught naked, he was beaten up by the strong, angry husband whose honor and pride were hurt. The couple patched things up, but the land that Carding and Juan Suerte had been tilling for a very long time was given to another tenant.

With no land to till, the pair tried their luck in the city. There, in Iloilo, Carding met Rosing and Nestong. The latter was his fellow stevedore and union member, and the former, a prostitute besotted with him, and also the reason why his wife left him and returned to their barrio. Soon, Carding followed Lucing with news that the representante entrusted them with land to till in Badlan. Lucing too, had news for her husband: she was again pregnant.

They moved to Badlan and worked harder than ever. They were blessed not only by a promise of a bountiful harvest, but also with a healthy son they named Crisostomo. Sadly, their landlord sold the land, and they were given time to harvest what they sowed. Misfortune was like a shadow though. A great flood destroyed everything that they had- harvest and carabao as well.

Wanting to own their own piece of land, they were convinced to move to Mindanao, but Carding was drafted for military service. When he returned, he found his wife heavy with another child. At first, the truth was kept from him. What he knew was that his father and his son died of some illness.  But later it was revealed that the Japanese soldiers who attacked their village killed his father and son and raped his wife. He was enraged when he learned the truth. As his neighbors, relatives and friends in barrio Manhayang were tortured, raped and massacred by the Japanese soldiers, Carding too became an executioner to his enemies, and not even his friend nor the brother of his mother-in-law were spared. He also almost killed the child that his wife had just delivered, were it not born dead. For that, Lucing was so enraged that she sent him away.

The Japanese ordered everyone to enter a collective barrio or else be considered guerrilla supporters and be shot. But the villagers of Manhayang also refused to be considered enemies of their own sons, and so they decided to evacuate in barrios farther away. However, Lucing was hesitant to go. She was waiting to see her husband despite everything, knowing that he will be leading the suicide attack to the Japanese garrison. When they did see each other, Carding asked for her forgiveness and left her what cash he had as he bade her farewell. In the end, Lucing refused to flee for she knew that she was still his wife, duty-bound to receive the corpse of her beloved husband.