The Legend of Squash or Pumpkin, "Kalabasa" in Filipino (A translated Filipino fiction)

Kuwala is the only son of a lady named Disyang, she was a poor greengrocer, a mere retailer of fruit and vegetables. Kuwala was only a child when his father passed away and his mother was the only one to raised him.

Kuwala is kind. He was young yet he liked to stare at pictures in books and learned to read them and made it a hobby.

He just kept on reading. He spends all his time reading. He even got a nickname "Kuwala who continuously read" or "Kuwalang basa nang basa" in Filipino.

So lady Disyang tried all her effort to support her child because he was smart. In return for his mother's effort, Kuwala greatly enriched his education.

Once a rainy afternoon Kuwala went home with a high fever. He complained of difficulty swallowing. He also keeps on vomiting. Because they have no money, lady Disyang did not immediately accompany him to the doctor. His condition was already serious when the doctor diagnosed him.

Paralytic poliomyelitis overwhelmed the weak resistance of Kuwala. It  quickly entered his body which caused an immediate paralysis. A few weeks after, it took the life of the poor child.

Lady Disyang could not accept the fate of Kuwala. To ease her sadness she spent her time taking care of their vegetable plants.

After some time there were exotic plants that sprang up and bear fruits. The fruit was circular and yellowish on the inside. Those who ate it discovered that the vegetable has vitamins which help invigorates visual.

Someone asked where the plant came from. A person answered and says it was from "Kuwala who continuously read" or "Kuwalang basa nang basa" in Filipino. That have been a word of mouths until eventually became "kalabasa" short for "Kuwalang basa". 

This story was translated from our local Filipino language.

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