Dead Stars Summary & Plot

 Alfredo Salazar – a man of love

The short story revolves around one man, Alfredo Salazar and the affairs of his
heart. He is a man who believes in true love and hopes to find bliss in its
wake. The first woman he falls in love with is Esperanza.

Their families are acquainted with each other and they thus they begin a
passionate relationship. But soon it fades away when Alfredo comes across
another woman, Julia, who becomes the object of his desire.

Esperanza and Alfredo have their engagement after three years of romance.
Alfredo, a lawyer is a man who wants warmth and compassion but Esperanza
is a strong-willed, impassionate and woman of principles.
 His Love for Julia Salas

So when he comes across Julia Salas, sister-in-law of the Judge who is a friend
of Alfredo’s father. He is strongly attracted to her. Julia is an enthusiastic and
optimistic person. A woman of hope, dreams and desires.

On his visit with his father, he starts engaging in profound chats with Julia and
starts getting attracted to her charm, wit and passion.  In his impassioned
state, he does not even disclose the truth about his engagement to
Esperanza.

In order to avoid the scrutiny of his fiancée, he starts keeping secrets from
Esperanza too. One day he learns about Julia’s return to her hometown. His
eyes are doomed with the fear of losing her and he decides to confess his
guilt and true feelings to Julia.
 His Lies are Exposed

After the Church’s function, he goes to meet her even though his fiancée is
waiting for him to come to her. However, reaching to Julia, he realizes that
she has already learned about his lies. She even wishes him best on his
marriage to Esperanza and leaves him.

He gets a double blow when he returns home to Esperanza. She is talking to

a friend about loyalty and faithfulness. Alfredo feels an urge to speak. He
defends the cause of desire and choice over immorality.

This gets under the skin of Esperanza who declares that she knew about him
and Julia. She encourages him to commit such immoral infidelity and cancel
the wedding, all in pursuit of his heart’s content and lust. However, Alfredo
surrenders to reason and sanity and the wedding goes ahead as planned.

 He Meets Julia Again

As fate would have it, he is sent on some work duty to a place near Julia’s
hometown. He cannot help resist the feeling of nostalgia and old lust for Julia.
He finds an excuse and way to her place where he met her.

She is still single and he is forced to dream about a life with her instead of
Esperanza. But soon he comes to know that something is not the same after
all. Julia has changed and rather lost something now.
Maybe it is her beauty, wit, charm or even her passion, but she is a different
woman. She is cold and aloof and does not extend the same warmth and
affection to him anymore.

He is heartbroken and pensive and questions whether he ever loved her truly.
Was it all a futile infatuation or mere affair? Was the romance they shared,
just a figment of his imagination? Whatever it was, he is no more alive. He
accepts the hard reality that anything that there may have been was there no
more.

The Key (short story)

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The Key is a science fiction mystery novelette by American writer Isaac Asimov.
It is one of the stories featuring the reclusive scientist Wendell Urth. It first
appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in October 1966, and
was reprinted in the anthologies Asimov's Mysteries (1968) and The Best
Mysteries of Isaac Asimov (1986).

"The Key"
Author Isaac Asimov
Country United States
Language English
Series Wendell Urth
Genre(s) Science fiction mystery
The Magazine of Fantasy
Published in
& Science Fiction
Publication date October 1966
Preceded by "Star Light (short story)"
Followed by "The Billiard Ball"

Plot summaryEdit
In this short story, somewhere on the Moon is hidden an extraterrestrial artifact.
Two explorers, Jennings and Strauss, discovered it, but Jennings is dead and
Strauss is insane. The artifact seems to be able to amplify and transmit
thoughts, even to the extent of allowing one person to damage the mind of
another. The only clues are a piece of paper with cryptic symbols, numbers, and
letters written on it, and the babblings of the remaining member of the
expedition, Strauss. Strauss is a member of the Ultras, a society dedicated to
eliminating "non-essential" people, reducing the human population to a few
million who think like themselves. It is feared that the device could enable the
Ultras to carry out their plan. The original paper has already disappeared,
presumably stolen by an Ultra, and the investigators have only a copy to work
with. The clues on the piece of paper seem to point to different locations on the
Moon, but one stands out: a vertical arrow pointing upwards to the astrological
symbol for Earth. One of the investigators realizes that the message means "go
to Earth", or more exactly, "go to Urth". Jennings was a former student of the
extraterrologist Wendell Urth. He died of a stab wound from Strauss, but not
before rendering Strauss insane using the power of the artifact, and then going
to some unknown place to hide it. The mysterious paper was found inside a
spacesuit gauntlet.

When the investigators contact Wendell Urth, he recalls Jennings was a man
who liked bad puns. Urth professes to enjoy a good pun, but found Jennings'
efforts irritating. Reading the paper clue and listening to the audio log, he
concludes that the symbols are mostly red herrings. They are too ambiguous
and contradictory to be useful. Instead he tells the investigators the story of the
astronomer Christof Klau, a German Jesuit mathematician and astronomer who
modified the proposal of the modern Gregorian calendar. His audience is
puzzled until he tells them that in the recordings of Strauss's ravings there are
frequent mentions of the artifact as "the key" to the future of the world. He tells
them that, with his brain activity heightened by the artifact, Jennings achieved
his greatest pun by linking the words "clue" and "key". "Clue" sounds similar to
"Klau"; the Latinized form of Klau was Clavius, which is similar to the Latin word
"clavis", which means "key"; so the "clue" and the "key" to the mystery were the
same thing, linked by the bilingual pun. Urth directs the investigators to look in
the lunar crater Clavius, at the point where Earth would be directly overhead
(indicated by the arrow pointing to Earth). He also tells them that their fears
about the Ultras using the device are groundless. Strauss was unable to use the
artifact himself. Urth also knew Strauss as a student, and was aware of his cold,
calculating nature. He believes that the one human characteristic that the artifact
operates on is empathy, a quality the Ultras do not possess.
Indarapatra & Sulayman

The famous Mindanao epic, in English

This is the story of King Indarapatra and his brother Sulayman.

A very long time ago, the large island of Mindanao was completely covered with water, and the sea
extended over all the lowlands so that nothing could be seen but mountains. There were many people
living in the country, and all the highlands were dotted with villages and settlements. For many years the
people prospered, living in peace and contentment.

Suddenly there appeared in the land four horrible monsters which, in a short time, had devoured every
human being they could find.

Kurita, a terrible creature with many limbs, lived partly on land and partly in the sea, but its favorite
haunt was the mountain where the rattan grew; and here it brought utter destruction on every living
thing. The second monster, Tarabusaw, an ugly creature in the form of a man, lived on Mt. Matutun,
and far and wide from that place he devoured the people, laying waste the land. The third, an enormous
bird called Pah, was so large that when on the wing it covered the sun and brought darkness to the
earth. Its egg was as large as a house. Mt. Bita was its haunt, and there the only people who escaped its
voracity were those who hid in caves in the mountains. The fourth monster was a dreadful bird also,
having seven heads and the power to see in all directions at the same time. Mt. Gurayn was its home
and like the others it wrought havoc in its region.

So great was the death and destruction caused by these terrible animals that at length the news spread
even to the most distant lands, and all nations were grieved to hear of the sad fate of Mindanao.

Now far across the sea in the land of the golden sunset was a city so great that to look at its many
people would injure the eyes of man. When tidings of these great disasters reached this distant city, the
heart of the king Indarapatra was filled with compassion, and he called his brother, Sulayman, begging
him to save the land of Mindanao from the monsters.

Sulayman listened to the story, and as he heard he was moved with pity.

“I will go,” said he, zeal and enthusiasm adding to his strength, “and the land shall be avenged.”

King Indarapatra, proud of his brother’s courage, gave him a ring and a sword as he wished him success
and safety. Then he placed a young sapling by his window and said to Sulayman:

“By this tree I shall know your fate from the time you depart from here, for if you live, it will live; but if
you die, it will die also.”

So Sulayman departed for Mindanao, and he neither walked nor used a boat, but he went through the
air and landed on the mountain where the rattan grew. There he stood on the summit and gazed about
on all sides. He looked on the land and the villages, but he could see no living thing. And he was very
sorrowful and cried out:

“Alas, how pitiful and dreadful is this devastation!”

No sooner had Sulayman uttered these words than the whole mountain began to move, and then shook.
Suddenly out of the ground came the horrible creature, Kurita. It sprang at the man and sank its claws
into his flesh. But Sulayman, knowing at once that this was the scourge of the land, drew his sword and
cut the Kurita to pieces.

Encouraged by his first success, Sulayman went on to Mt. Matutun where conditions were even worse.
As he stood on the heights viewing the great devastation there was a noise in the forest and a
movement in the trees. With a loud yell, forth leaped Tarabusaw. For a moment they looked at each
other, neither showing any fear. Then Tarabusaw threatened to devour the man, and Sulayman declared
that he would kill the monster. At that the animal broke large branches off the trees and began striking
at Sulayman who, in turn, fought back. For a long time the battle continued until at last the monster fell
exhausted to the ground and then Sulayman killed him with his sword.

The next place visited by Sulayman was Mt. Bita. Here havoc was present everywhere, and though he
passed by many homes, not a single soul was left. As he walked along, growing sadder at each moment,
a sudden darkness which startled him fell over the land. As he looked toward the sky he beheld a great
bird descending upon him. Immediately he struck at it, cutting off its wing with his sword, and the bird
fell dead at his feet; but the wing fell on Sulayman, and he was crushed.Now at this very time King
Indarapatra was sitting at his window, and looking out he saw the little tree wither and dry up.

“Alas!” he cried, “my brother is dead”; and he wept bitterly.

Then although he was very sad, he was filled with a desire for revenge, and putting on his sword and
belt he started for Mindanao in search of his brother.He, too, traveled through the air with great speed
until he came to the mountain where the rattan grew. There he looked about, awed at the great
destruction, and when he saw the bones of Kurita he knew that his brother had been there and gone. He
went on till he came to Matutun, and when he saw the bones of Tarabusaw he knew that this, too, was
the work of Sulayman.Still searching for his brother, he arrived at Mt. Bita where the dead bird lay on
the ground, and as he lifted the severed wing he beheld the bones of Sulayman with his sword by his
side. His grief now so overwhelmed Indarapatra that he wept for some time. Upon looking up he beheld
a small jar of water by his side. This he knew had been sent from heaven, and he poured the water over
the bones, and Sulayman came to life again. They greeted each other and talked long together.
Sulayman declared that he had not been dead but asleep, and their hearts were full of joy.

After some time Sulayman returned to his distant home, but Indarapatra continued his journey to Mt.
Gurayn where he killed the dreadful bird with the seven heads. After these monsters had all been
destroyed and peace and safety had been restored to the land, Indarapatra began searching everywhere
to see if some of the people might not be hidden in the earth still alive.One day during his search he
caught sight of a beautiful woman at a distance. When he hastened toward her she disappeared through
a hole in the ground where she was standing. Disappointed and tired, he sat down on a rock to rest,
when, looking about, he saw near him a pot of uncooked rice with a big fire on the ground in front of it.
This revived him and he proceeded to cook the rice. As he did so, however, he heard someone laugh
near by, and turning he beheld an old woman watching him. As he greeted her, she drew near and
talked with him while he ate the rice.Of all the people in the land, the old woman told him, only a very
few were still alive, and they hid in a cave in the ground from whence they never ventured. As for
herself and her old husband, she went on, they had hidden in a hollow tree, and this they had never
dared leave until after Sulayman killed the voracious bird, Pah.

At Indarapatra’s earnest request, the old woman led him to the cave where he found the headman with
his family and some of his people. They all gathered about the stranger, asking many questions, for this
was the first they had heard about the death of the monsters. When they found what Indarapatra had
done for them, they were filled with gratitude, and to show their appreciation the headman gave his
daughter to him in marriage, and she proved to be the beautiful girl whom Indarapatra had seen at the
mouth of the cave.

Then the people all came out of their hiding-place and returned to their homes where they lived in
peace and happiness. And the sea withdrew from the land and gave the lowlands to the people.
The God Stealer

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"The God Stealer" is a short story by Filipino National Artist F. Sionil José. It is José's most anthologized
work of fiction.[1] It is not just a tale about an Ifugao stealing a religious idol,[2] but also about the
friendship that developed between a Filipino and an American, a representation of the relationship that
developed between the "colonized" and the "colonizer".[1] The story was a first prize winner during the
1959 Palanca awards in the Philippines.[3] It is included in the book by José with a similar title, The God
Stealer and Other Stories.[1]

"The God Stealer"

Author F. Sionil José

Country Philippines

Language English

Publisher Solidarid Publishing House, Inc.

1959 (short story)

Publication date
1968 (collection)

Character descriptionEdit

The main characters in "The God Stealer" are Philip Latak and Sam Cristie. Philip, also known as Ip-pig, is
an Ifugao who became a Christian and lived in Manila. By becoming a city dweller, Philip became less
sentimental with his cultural identity, beliefs, and customs. His name was derived from the word
Philippines. On the other hand, Sam Christie was an American who wanted to view the rice terraces of
the Mountain Province (also known as the Cordilleras). He was also interested in purchasing an original
figurine of an Ifugao god. His name was derived from Uncle Sam, a representation of the United States.
Philip and Sam were co-workers.[4].[4]

SummaryEdit

Philip and Sam went to Baguio City. During a feast honoring Philip for his return, Philip and Sam were
because of the unwillingness of the Ifugao people to sell any Ifugao statue. Philip plans to steal his
grandfather's god in return for the salary raise given to him by Americans

InterpretationEdit

Philip's act of thievery represented the Filipinos' giving up of their past tribal origins and traditions, only
to be replaced by an "unnatural" culture brought by colonialism. At one time in history, colonialism
brought to the Filipinos a state of confusion, troubled emotions, helplessness, torment, embarrassment
and the inability to embrace the past. [4]

In this article, we will discuss the summary of The Fence by Jose Garcia Villa.
 The Fence by Jose Garcia Villa | Summary
 Contents
 The Setting
 The Hate
 The Children
 Tragic End
o Key Thoughts:

The Setting

The story is set is a desolate place where two nipa huts are the only visible
houses. The occupants of both the houses are distant and cold towards each
other. Their attitudes reflect the remoteness and emptiness of their location.

They have an unyielding fence between them to stay at arm’s length from
each other. But the bamboo fence was not always there. The parched soil
between the two houses was once rich and fertile as the neighbors used to
share a bond of warmth and care. But it all changed one night.

 The Hate

They rancor and hatred stems from their history and what happened that one
night. Aling Biang caught her husband with their neighbor, Aling Sebia. Aling
Sebia was a childless widow who showed a lack of guilt and remorse at her
actions.
The husband of Aling Biang left after his misdemeanor was caught and his
wife did not bother to pursue after him. The betrayal, the hurt, and the memory
had hardened her heart.

Both the women were left with a festering dislike for each other, so much so
that they refused to even water the vegetable rows between the two houses,
lest the water replenished their neighbor’s plants.

 The Children

As the story unfolds, we read about Aling Sebia’s pregnancy and the only
person who could help her was Aling Biang. And she did but even that did not
end the bitterness which goes on unabated. The children of the two women,
Sebia’s daughter, and Biang’s son Iking grow up oblivious to each other’s
existence. They are innocent victims of their family feud. They, too, are
sentenced to desolation on either side of the merciless bamboo fence. They
both are not gifted physically but in their loneliness, long for company and
even friendship.

One day Iking sneaks a peek at the girl through the withering fence and his
heart is captivated by her. Even though she seems uglier than him, the need
for companionship makes him fall for the only girl he has ever seen.
Then he hears her play the guitar. She does not complete her notes and Iking
is desperate to hear her complete. Aling Biang tries to instill hatred in Iking’s in
Iking’s heart but he shows signs of quiet resistance.

Gradually but surely he gets drawn to the music coming from the house next
to his. He even starts sleeping by the door where he is able to hear the guitar
being played by the girl. He feels the urge to destroy the fence but his mother
bolsters the decaying fence and eventually even the guitar stops playing.

 Tragic End

Then the story moves three years and we arrive on Christmas day. Iking is
emaciated and weak having being deprived of the girl’s sight and music. His
mother Aling Biang asks him to rest while she prays to God.
But Iking only yearns to hear the guitar and goes to the fence. Through the
slits in the fence, he whispers to the girl. He wants her to play the guitar and
she looks at him, seemingly in agreement.

He waits for the girl to honor his muted request. But there is no music. He is
afraid that the girl might have a fence in her against him even though he does
not. Unfortunately, at 2 in the morning, the boy dies before the girl could
answer his wishes.

At 2:03 am, the guitar music comes. But it is too late and Iking’s last wish
goes unanswered. Even though the musical notes are now complete, they
have lost their patron. Aling Biang scoffs at the guitar music as she considers
it disrespectful to his son’s death.

In the end, even his death fails to soften her heart and bring the modicum of
sensitivity and forgiveness. The fence remains as formidable as before. The
story leaves the reader with many questions.
Where is the man who was as guilty as Aling Sebia? Why can not the two
victims, the two neighbors, show compassion to each other? Why does the
flame of hate be more powerful than the winds of empathy and forgiveness?

Key Thoughts:
The prime teaching of the story is the importance of forgiveness. Forgiveness
offers a chance to reconcile our differences. The lesson highlighted is that our
actions have consequences and it is unhealthy to carry grudges when those
consequences are adverse.

Human beings are liable to make mistakes and errors but it is higher human
quality to forgive mistakes and make room for repentance. If we learn to
forgive each other then we can help foster mutual trust and confidence.
BIDASARI

Bidasari is the final installment of a trilogy of Filipino-language stage plays produced and written for
Magwayen, the premier theater group of the University of the City of Manila. It is based on the original
epic of the same name.

The story of this installment of the play revolves around the life of Bidasari, the most beautiful lady in
the kingdom of Indrapura and her love with the prince named Jamil.

The epic of Indrapura starts with the doomed love affair of Lilagretha and Elindro. When Sulayman
decided to adopt his late brother’s daughter Lilasari, he did not reveal her true identity—that she is the
rightful heir to the throne. Lilagretha, the real daughter of Sulayman, stumbled upon this secret on her
20th birthday, leaving her feeling threatened about her place as Sultana in the kingdom of Indrapura.
Her jealousy was sealed once the man she loves, Elindro, becomes attracted to Lilasari. The two sisters
become sworn enemies.

Aided by the evil sorceress, Tarsila, Lilagreta attempts to kill her sister. When the plot fails, Lilagreta is
sentenced to death. Despite her sister’s attempt on her life, Lilasari finds it in her heart to forgive
Lilagretha and help her secure her freedom.

When a simple merchant, his young son and mute servant are out in the woods, they chance upon a
drifting boat, in which there is a baby girl and a bowl containing a live goldfish. The merchant realises
that the baby is unusual because her life is bonded to the fish: if the fish leaves the water, she stops
breathing. The merchant adopts the baby as his own and names her Bidasari. Years later Bidasari grows
up into a beautiful young woman while the merchant has prospered into a wealthy businessman.

At the royal palace of this kingdom, the King has just remarried a beautiful woman, the Permaisuri
(Queen). The Permaisuri is a proud woman who secretly practises witchcraft. Hidden in her chambers is
a magic mirror that can show her anything she asks. She uses it to ask who the most beautiful in all the
land is. One day when she asks the mirror this question, the image of Bidasari appears in it. She is
enraged by this and carries out a search to find who Bidasari is.

Her search leads her to the merchant’s house. Under the guise of kindness, the Permaisuri asks the
merchant for permission to bring Bidasari to the palace to be her companion. Although the merchant is
reluctant to part with his beloved daughter, he lets her go. But once Bidasari arrives at the palace, she is
sent to the kitchens as a servant, where she is starved and given the dirtiest jobs.

After the Permaisuri is satisfied that Bidasari has been ruined, she once again asks her magic mirror who
is the most beautiful in the land. When the mirror shows Bidasari yet again, the Permaisuri flies into a
rage and runs to the kitchen where she grabs burning pieces of firewood which she tries to burn
Bidasari’s face with. She is shocked when the fire goes out and Bidasari’s face is left untouched. Bidasari,
who has by now realised that the Permaisuri’s malice is targeted only at her and will never stop, begs for
mercy and explains her life is bonded to that of a fish that is kept in a bowl in her father’s garden.

The Permaisuri has a servant steal the fish for her from the merchant’s garden, and as soon as the fish
leaves the water, Bidasari collapses and stops breathing. Satisfied that Bidasari’s life is in her hands, the
Permaisuri hangs the fish around her neck as a trophy. When she asks the mirror who is the most
beautiful in the land, the mirror shows her own image.

The merchant realises that the fish is missing, and is told that Bidasari died mysteriously at the palace.
Her body is returned to him and he builds a small tomb for her in the woods where her body is laid out
in peace.
Meanwhile, the Permaisuri’s stepson the Prince has been having dreams about Bidasari, although he has
never met her. The dreams plague him even in his waking hours, despite his father’s advice that such a
beautiful woman cannot exist. The Permaisuri sees her stepson acting this way and plants a painting of
Bidasari in his room. The Prince finds the painting, which leads him to the merchant who explains the
sad tale of Bidasari’s death and the mysterious disappearance of the fish.
The Prince decides to visit Bidasari’s tomb to see her beauty with his own eyes. Coincidentally at this
time, back at the palace the Permaisuri is having a bath in the royal bathing pool. The fish manages to
break free of its locket and drops into the water where it starts swimming. This causes Bidasari to wake
up right before the Prince’s eyes. Bidasari tells him of what the Permaisuri did to her, which confirms the
Prince’s suspicions of his stepmother.

When the Permaisuri finishes her bath, she discovers that the fish has gotten free. She manages to catch
it just as the Prince is about to help Bidasari leave the tomb, causing her to fall unconscious again. The
Prince places Bidasari back in the tomb and promises to make things right.

The Prince returns to the palace in a fury, demanding that the Permaisuri give him the fish. The
Permaisuri pretends not to know anything, and when the King listens to the Prince’s explanation, the
King declares that his son has gone insane and calls the royal guards. A fight ensues, during which the
Permaisuri is injured and dies.

Just before the Prince is about to be captured, the merchant and the Prince’s loyal manservants arrive
with Bidasari on a stretcher. The merchant explains that the story about the fish being bonded to
Bidasari’s life is true. The Prince takes the fish from the locket around the Permaisuri’s neck and puts it
into a bowl of water. As soon as the fish enters the water, Bidasari comes back to life. The King
apologises to his son, and the Prince and Bidasari are married.

Czarina Ysabel Jalandoni

STEM 1 D

A SUMMARY OF

THE GOD STEALER

The story begins at the dawn of December with two officemates Philip Latak also known as “Ip-
pig”, an Ifugao from the Mountain Province who is presently working in the big city of Manila and Sam
Cristie, an American who in a few days will return to Boston for that leave which he had not had in
years, on the bus to Baguio. Despite the request of his grandfather to pass on to him his share of the
famous rice terraces, Philip still chose to live in the city, away from his immediate family.

The two are on the bus to Baguio because Sam wants to buy an Ifugao god as a souvenir; on the
other hand, Philip was to help him find an authentic one through his local connections.

Phlip is a Christian and a self- declared city boy who gradually becomes less sentimental with his
cultural identity, and customs. He no longer has respect or affection for the Ifugao culture and has
clearly forgotten the importance and the value of his beliefs. Regardless of his attitude, his grandfather,
pleased and happy to see him, still decides to throw a party in honor of his return.

On the day of the party, Sam and Philip discover that no Ifugao is willing to sell his god. Philip
offers to steal his grandfather’s god as a last resort. He considers it a way of showing his appreciation
and gratefulness to Sam for giving him a rise at work. A day after, his grandfather dies owing to the fact
that his god was stolen. Sam finds out that Philip will no longer be going back to Manila. Because of his
curiosity, he looks for Philip and finds him working in his grandfather’s house.

Philip expresses his guilt and his reason for settling to stay on the mountains. "I could forgive
myself for having stolen it. But the old man- he had always been wise, Sam. He knew that it was I who
did it from the very start. He wanted so much to believe that it wasn't I. But he couldn't pretend - and
neither can I. I killed him, Sam. I killed him because I wanted to be free from these. These cursed terraces.
Because I wanted to be grateful. I killed him who loved me most.." he says.

Sam cannot help but notice Philip”s attire. He is dressed in G-string, Ifugao’s traditional costume
while carving another idol, a new god to take the place of the old one which Sam will take to America, as
a souvenir.