Inside the sunlit sanctuary, the scents and hues of gumamela, waling-waling, santans, and sampaguitas waft through the air and bring life to the vicinity. In the very middle of the space kneels Dian Masalanta, peacefully and carefully tending to her new collection of rose bushes. 

 

  The silence that envelops her and her flowers shatters as she hears incoming footsteps. Dian Masalanta turns around, and smiles brightly upon seeing one of her servants leading three mortal women behind him.

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    “Minamahal na dyosa,” the man bows, “narito na po sila.” he says promptly, and immediately ducks to leave the space.

 

     With glowing cheeks and round bellies, they bow as well to the goddess. The three women have come to Dian Masalanta to discover whether the child they each are carrying is male or female.

 

     “Take a seat.” Dian Masalanta ushers the women, pointing to the flowerbeds she conjured out of thin air seconds before. The three women sit down.

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    “Alright, let us begin.” Dian Masalanta announces gently before kneeling in front of the woman on the farthest left, Diyaya. Dian Masalanta tenderly places her hand over the top of Diyaya’s belly, and the two other women, Domala and Duanila, gasp in wonder as golden light seeps out of Dian Masalanta’s palms.

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   The entire process is quick for Diyaya and Domala, but Dian Masalanta comes face to face with befuddlement for the first time in her eternal lifetime as she hovers her palms over Duanila’s belly. Dian Masalanta’s eyebrows meet in the middle.

 

     “Is there something wrong with my child?” Duanila asks, worried dripping from her tone.

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   Dian Masalanta pulls her hands back. “Duanila, my my, I am hearing two voices.” She reveals, exasperated and unbelieving of what she had heard. 

 

    Duanila stares at her in shock. “Two?” She repeats. Dian Masalanta nods slowly, and gently trails her fingers across Duanila’s belly once more. 

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    “It’s too tight in here, moving a little won’t hurt.” 

    “Do you seriously think I have the option to do that?” 

    “Yes? look at all the space above you-” 

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    Dian Masalanta looks up at Duanila's face. “I am positive.” Duanila puts her palms over her mouth, eyes watering at the information. “But worry not,” Dian Masalanta continues to prevent the dam from breaking, “You will stay in my sanctuary from now on. I will guide you through the rest of your pregnancy.”

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     By the tail end of the second trimester, Dian Masalanta hears the voices inside Duanila’s belly for the first time in weeks.

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    Dian Masalanta and Duanila are nestled near the pond, nourishing their bodies with freshly caught fish and fruit gifted by Ikapati. They eat quietly, apart from the little hums of pleasure that escape Duanila’s lips as she, quite literally, chows down a whole stem of grapes.

     

     “Hey! That was my portion!”
     

     “I got to it first!

     

     “Not fair! You already-” 

     

     “Shush!” Dian Masalanta whispers sternly to no one in particular.

 

     Dualina scrunches her nose in confusion. “Sorry?”

 

     “The voices, in your belly, they-” Dian Masalanta tries to explain. “They are quarreling over food.” 

 

     “Oh.” Duanila sighs. She glances at the untouched fish wrapped in banana leaves. “May I?” 

   

    While Duanila eats to her heart’s content, Dian Masalanta lifts her gaze up to the nearby tree tops. She begins to think about the possibilities the two voices in Duanila’s belly could bring. For the longest time she had stood upon this land showering her grace over pregnant women, not once did she encounter such a strange occurrence. How many partners did Duanila have in the past? Could this be a curse? Is there anyone actually bold enough to challenge her power and authority as the goddess of childbirth? Someone with the audacity to alter the nature she had nurtured throughout her existence?

 

   Dian Masalanta’s questions are only amplified when Diyaya and Domala visit the sanctuary. The women, including Duanila are in their last trimester and are close to giving birth. Dian Masalanta observes the sizes of their bellies, and notices that Duanila’s belly is significantly larger compared to the other two. 

 

    The day of the delivery arrives sooner than expected, and Dian Masalanta finds herself consoling a panting Duanila lying on the flower bed as she struggles to push out her child.

 

    Dian Masalanta’s servant Ninita manages to extract the first child, however her eyes widen as she sees another crown of a head poke through. “Minamahal kong dyosa,” Ninita calls, “there seems to be another child inside Duanila.”

 

  And everything falls into place. Something clicks inside Dian Masalanta’s head. Two voices...two children. I was right, the goddess thought.

 

    “The first child is female, however this one appears to be male.” Ninita whispers as she pulls out the second child. Cries reverberate in the sanctuary. 

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   The two newborns are brought to Duanila’s chest, while Dian Masalanta walks away from the scene for a moment to speak to the sky. “Bathala, if this is your doing, I shall accept. For whatever reason you may have done this, I trust you have a purpose.” One streak of lightning blazes across the stars, and Dian Masalanta nods her head in understanding.

 

   Dualina names her children Tuwana and Tuwono. These two are later on recognized to be the first human twins that Ikapati takes under her wing.

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      Tuwana and Tuwono prove to be useful in the field, as they develop the first twin bananas...and twin strawberries...and twin apples. 

 

    Years pass by and Dian Masalanta encounters more pregnant women with two voices resounding in their bellies. All of them have one thing in common.

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     They ate the twin fruits from Tuwana and Tuwono’s land.