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The Zimbragatzees of the Planet Zing
A Palanca Prize Winning Story
By: Rene O. Villanueva


Click here to view bigger picture!The Zimbragatzees are creatures from the Planet Zing. They are happy creatures. They play, dance and sing. On moonlit nights, they love to swing from trees to trees, from roofs to beams. The Zimbragatzees are a funny lot. They all look alike inside and out. But what makes each one of them unique are their noses.

Oh, the noses of the Zimbragatzees are a varied lot. Some are long like hotdogs. Some are pointed like beaks of birds. Some are rounded, some are very plump. Others are a mere stump. But whatever the size or shape, each one is proud to have a nose that makes each one distinct.

Of course, the fact that their noses are very functional make them twice blessed.

It was so until things began to change in the Planet Zing. Something in the air was wrong when they began sneezing all over the place. Instead of greeting everyone "Good Morning!" they said, "A-chooo!" They sneezed in restaurants and malls. In parks and churches. In school, everyone suffered a sneezing fit.

There were factories everywhere in the Planet Zing. And Machines and cars and gadgets emitting black, terrible smoke which turned the air gray and sooty. And made it smell like the armpit of a jogging frog or the breath of a hungry rat.

The Zimbragatzees were forced to wear gas masks. They hid their noses under those hideous looking masks. It was gas masks in school! Gas masks in supermarkets! Gas masks everywhere!

Their noses were, of course, hurt. Being the sensible things that they were, the Zimbragatzees' noses began to grow smaller and smaller day by day until one day...

"Our noses are gone!"



They kept looking for their noses. Tried to look for them everywhere. But nothing was left between their eyes and mounth except two tiny dots. Now they knew they were in trouble. For how would each one recognize each other without their noses of distinction.

They tried every solution imaginable. Some attached canes or sticks to their faces. Others drew a nose around the dots. Others applied fertilizer around the two little dots to make their nose grow again. An imaginative few invented a nose dance. With their pompoms and drums, they jumped and danced. They raised their arms to the sky and shouted: Hail to the nose!

But to no avail. The noses were gone for good.

Think, think, think. The Zimbragatzees tried hard to think about their problem. Think, think, think.

One day, a little Zimbragatzee girl said: "Maybe we lost our noses because the air we breath is dirty? Perhaps... if we clean the air, our noses would grow again."

Some Zimbragatzees thought that was a smart suggestion. And so they began to clean the air. First, they outlawed factories that emitted foul smoke. Next they banned smoke belches. Next, they planted and planted trees.

It took a long, long time for the air to clear again. A long, long time for the air to smell fresh again. But eventually, it did.

The sky became blue again. The clouds looked like soft white marshmallows floating in the sky. At night, they could see the moon and the million stars, gazing at the Zimbragatzees of the Planet Zing.

Then one day, a little Zimbragatzee girl woke up and felt a heaviness on her face.

"My nose has grown again!"

Soon the Zimbragatzees were feeling their growing noses. Long, round, pointed, stumped. But noses nevertheless. And now, each one looks unique again.

How lucky these Zimbragatzees! They lived happily ever after - even without a noselift!

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In This Issue:
Knowing Your Rights: The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999
EVENT

On the Boulevard
TRAVEL

THE PARPLAYS ARE BACK! MAKE WAY FOR THE PARPLAYS!
PERSONALITY

The Zimbragatzees of the Planet Zing
A Palanca Prize Winning Story

SHORT STORY

Air for One, And One Air for All
POEM

What Is Our World Coming To?
POEM

Urban Parks' Directory
DIRECTORY

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