Quicoy waited a long, long time and then knocked on the shell in the hope that some one would hear him.  All that night and the next day and the next he knocked and cried and knocked, but, though people passed under the tree and found the bolo, he was so high up they did not hear him.

Days and weeks went by and the people wondered what had become of Quicoy.  Many thought he had run away and were sorry for his poor mother, who grieved very much to think she had terrified him by calling the Ongloc.  Of course the boys who had sent him to the grove could have told something of his whereabouts, but they were frightened and said nothing, so no one ever heard of poor little Quicoy again.

If you pass a cocoanut grove at night you can hear a noise like some one knocking.  The older people say that the cocoanuts grow so closely together high up in the branches that the wind, when it shakes the tree, bumps them together.  But the children know better.  They say, “Quicoy is knocking to get out, but he must stay there a hundred years.”

The Passing of Loku

The tale of Loku is applied to a large, ugly lizard which climbs to the rafters of houses and gives the peculiar cry that suggests its name.  This lizard, although hideous, is harmless; it lives on centipedes.  Its strange cry may be heard everywhere in the Philippine Islands.

Hundreds of years ago a very wicked king named Loku ruled the Philippines.  He was cruel and unjust, and condemned to death all who refused to do his bidding.  He had vast armies and made war on all until his name was feared everywhere.

His power was very great.  He conquered every nation that opposed him and killed so many people that the god, viewing the slaughter from his throne above, sent an angel to order him to cease from warfare and to rule the land in peace.

Loku was in his palace, planning an assault on his neighbors, when a soft light filled the chamber, and a beautiful angel appeared and delivered the mandate of the master.

The cruel king paid no heed, but dismissed the holy messenger in scorn.  “Tell your master,” said he, “to deliver his message in person.  I do not deal with messengers.  I am Loku.  All fear my name.  I am the great Loku.”

Hardly had he spoken when the palace shook to its foundations and a mighty voice thundered, “Is it thus thou Slightest my word?  Thou art Loku.  All shall indeed know thy name.  From every crevice thou shalt forever cry it in a form that suits thy ill nature.”

The courtiers, alarmed by the shock, rushed to the king’s chamber, but Loku was nowhere to be found.  The royal robes lay scattered on the floor and the only living thing to be seen was an ugly lizard that blinked at them from among the plans on the table.

They searched far and wide, and when no trace of the king could be found the courtiers divided the kingdom and ruled so wisely and well that there was peace for many years.