CONFINEMENT

CH 103 - NGELAYUNG ASMORO PART III

Meanwhile in Banjar Manguntur, precisely in the treatment hall looks back and forth the cantrik Balian Kanta is still busy with various medicinal plants that will be used to treat family members of the late Jero Mekel and Muhibbin adopted children.

Balian Kanta seems to give direction to the cantrik who helped him.

"How about the medicinal plant supplies you have gathered, is it still sufficient to treat those two children?" asked the old man to one of the cantrik who helped him.

Respectfully, Cantrik answered Balian's question.

"For now all is still available, Father Balian."

"However for the Binahong plant and the cork fish oil that is seen starting a little in stock" replied the young man to Balian Kanta.

The Balian is only a light mangosteen, though,

"If so, tomorrow morning you immediately go buy it, I think for the plant is still available in Griya Manuaba and tell Father Resi Giri Waja that we need it for the treatment of Sekar and Raya." said Balian Kanta while reaching for something behind the folds of his sarong cloth, he gave some of Ru's money to the disciple in front of him.

"Oh yeah, don't forget."

"All you meet tomorrow, We Sapat to buy cork fish from the lathe." concluded the old Balian as it passed from the presence of his cantrik who is still struggling with some medicinal plants that he formulated.

The old man stepped towards the portico of the Manguntur banjar medicine hall, The afternoon seemed cloudy covering the sky of the earth Manguntur and no matter how long the raindrops began to fall.

From a distance a man hurriedly paddled a wind carriage he was driving towards the Medicine Hall.

Balian Kanta eyes sparkled to see a man who was none other than Jero Pecalang who had just come in front of him. The Batubulan village security chief was seen parking the train he was driving next to the brick wall next to the medical hall.

"You're raining, Jero?" greet Balian Kanta to Jero Pecalang who greeted him at the portico of the treatment hall.

"It rained heavily all the way, Jero."

"Luckily I'll be here soon," said the tall man, shaking off the remains of rain on his body, Balian Kanta headed into the treatment hall and it was not long before the old man gave a dry rag and gave it to Jero Pecalang.

"This, dry your body first, Jero." said Balian Kanta to Jero Pecalang while handing over the dry cloth.

"Thank you, Jero." replied the man as he wiped his soaked body.

After a while drying his body, Jero Pecalang and Balian Kanta stepped into a bamboo hall in the porch of the treatment hall.

"How was your meeting with Mr Sirkun, Jero?" asked Balian Kanta while looking at the man in front of him who was still busy shaking his hands cleaning the remaining rainwater on his body.

"His welcome is very good, Jero Balian."

"He promised to help the people of Manguntur, especially the family of the late Jero Mekel, to convey to the Governor and thoroughly investigate all these events" replied Jero Pecalang back.

Balian Kanta was seen sighing, his gaze glaring through the rain that began to get heavier.

"I hope this is over soon."

"Whatever this incident takes a lot of our attention."

"I don't know what it's going to look like in the future if this doesn't end soon" he said in a soft voice.

"What about the development of Sekar and Raya, Jero Balian?" ask Jero Pecalang, please,

the man continued to wag the remnants of rain water on his body.

Balian Lanta was seen opening a small box in front of him,

"The development of both of them is getting better, there are only a few medicinal ingredients have begun to thin in our supplies."

"I've asked the cantrikers to buy it tomorrow at Griya Manuaba and at my neighbors in Galuh banjar." he said Balian Kanta while picking up betel leaf sheets in a small box in front of him and his old hands deftly apply lime and gambier on the betel leaf and then chew it.

"Have any of my men come here, Jero?"ask Jero Pecalang back.

Balian Kanta only shook his head and the old man was still chewing betel leaves in his mouth.

The rain is pouring down on the Manguntur banjar. Away between the heavy rain saw several wind trains approaching the direction of the treatment hall. No matter how long the people arrived and leaned their respective wind trains on the side of the building.

Drenched in sweat some of the men approached Jero Pecalang and Balian Kanta, the men were none other than members of the village security and some of the citizens of Manguntur.

Jero Pecalang got up and handed over the rags he used earlier to dry his body to his men.

"How was your search, where was Nak Mas Muhibbin?"

"Why isn't he seen with you?" ask Jero Pecalang to his men.

One of the Batubulan village security members said,

"Sorry, Jero."

"From the morning we looked for him in Surau An Nur until we headed to Griya Manuaba because there were some residents who saw him before the tragedy, the young man was in Griya Manuaba with a girl."

"But Muhibbin was not there, Father Resi did not know the whereabouts of the young man" replied one of the village security members to Jero Pecalang.

Murat was worried to see in the face of the Batubulan village security leader, as well as Balian Kanta who was still cross-legged in the bamboo hall.

"Where's the kid?" muttered Jero Pecalang withered, the man stepped onto a pole on the porch of the medicine hall. His gaze flashed far away with some questions raging in his mind.

"But we found this in Surau An Nur, Jero." said one of the security members back, the man held out a red neck slayer with a golden thread.

Jero Pecalang immediately took the object that was handed out by his men and observed it.

"Isn't this the neck slayer of the Bhayangkara identifiers?" shaken surprised.

"Where did you find this thing?" jero Pecalang is back.

"We found it in the front yard of Surau An Nur and we also saw the former fight there" replied one of the village security members.

"Fight, you say?" jero Pecalang's face turned tense, the man was seen squeezing the neck slayer that was in his grasp.

"What do you think, Jero?" now the Batubulan village security leader asked Balian Kanta who was cross-legged in front of him.

"That's obviously the attribute of Bhayangkara's army."

"What does this have to do with the disappearance of Muhibbin, was the young man captured by the Bhayangkara?"

"But if it's true, why did Bhayangkara's forces capture him?" balian Kanta replied to Jero Pecalang, The old physician is now standing beside Jero Pecalang.

"It looks awkward, Jero Balian."

"The tragic incident that befell Jero Mekel and the Youth family was also carried out by Bhayangkara."

"Now the young man is missing and there are former fights in Surau that can be ascertained it is Muhibbin and Bhayangkara troops if you see this neck slayer." said Jero Pecalang while handing the object to Balian Kanta.

"Shall we ask directly at the Bhayangkara command center, Jero?"

"If this is allowed to drag on, this problem will be more complicated" one of the residents who was in that place told Balian Kanta and Jero Pecalang.

The two looked at each other to hear the words of one of the residents who participated in the search for Muhibbin with the security of Batubulan village.

"Well, both of us are going to the city, Jero." replied Jero Pecalang briefly.

"No, Jero."

"We all went to the city to accompany you both" said the resident back and some residents and members of the village security nodded in agreement.

"How about this, Jero Balian?" ask the Batubulan village security chief.

For a moment Balian Kanta was seen looking at everyone in the porch of the treatment hall.

"I don't think there's any harm, Jero."

"However, we must get certainty about solving this problem, especially when Muhibbin is lost without news."

"Most likely the young man was arrested Bhayangkara despite what he did wrong" concluded the old Physician.

All those in the place agreed to leave for the town of Negeri Pantai, the rain that flushed the region has subsided leaving small specks. The day was getting dim with the coming of night that enveloped Manguntur.

***

The blackness of the night continued to crawl leaving residual drops of rainwater in the leaves, the air felt piercing cold.

In an elongated building, precisely the Bhayangkara command center medical hall, there appears to be tight guard in one room.

A person with wide strides rushed down the hallway of the room, every guard who passed by the person saluted.

"How is Prawira Utama, has he awakened?" asked the man who was none other than Mr. Timoti the governor of the Coast.

One of the guards answered the Governor, saying,

"Here you go, sir."

"He is currently accompanied by the Tabib governorate" the guard told Mr Timoti.

"Thank God then."

"Then where is the young man in the underground custody now?"

"According to the guards in front, he was transferred to the treatment room at my brother's request." asked Mr. Timoti again.

"Rubber, Sir."

"The young man is currently in the ward next to the room where Master Prawira is also being treated" the guard replied respectfully.

"Take me to meet him." cried Mr. Timoti gave the order. After his meeting this afternoon at Sirkun's residence, apparently Mr. Timoti went straight to the command center of the Bhayangkara forces.

Both of them stepped down the hallway to the room where Muhibbin was. Upon arrival in front of the room, Mr. Timoti asked the Guard to leave him and the Coast Country Leader stepped into the room.

Seen Muhibbin lying with bandages around his ribs, the young man looks asleep.

Mr. Timoti approached to the edge of the bed made of bamboo where Muhibbin was, looking deeply at the face of the young man who was sleeping.

There was a sense of pity in the heart of the Governor, the young man who was the same age as his daughter or older a few years to be exact, experienced a very severe test with the loss of relatives due to the cruel deeds of Habsari with his men.

On the one hand, he was required to uphold justice for the perpetrators, on the other hand the brain of the atrocity was carried out by his nephew, Habsari.

"It is unfortunate your fate, young man." muttered Mr. Timoti in heart.

But suddenly, Muhibbin opened his eyes. The young man awoke from his sleep because of the touch of the Governor's hand on his arm.

"Master!" muhibbin said surprised to see Sariwati's father was beside him. The young man tried to get up but with a hand gesture, master Timoti held him back.

"Lay down!"

"You don't need to move much." asked Mr. Timoti to Muhibbin.

"There's something I want to tell you, young man." said Mr. Timoti back to Muhibbin who was still lying.

Muhibbin was silent without a word coming from his lips. Seeing the cold demeanor of the young man, mister Timoti again said,

"I want to tell you that your prison term is over and you're cleared of any legal charges."

"Although actually your act of injuring Prawira Utama is a serious crime for daring to fight and injure the state apparatus" said the Leader of the Coast State.

"All this I do is because I saw the kindness of the late Jero Mekel Nengah Wirata your adoptive father and my form of concern for the events that you have experienced" said Mr. Timoti back.

Muhibbin still did not budge with what Mr. Timoti said. The young man was still silent with a blank look towards the window of the medicine hall.

Mr. Timoti was masgul with the attitude that the young man who was lying in front of him showed. The middle-aged man said again,

"There's something else you need to know."

"From this second on, you stay away from my son and I don't want to see you guys in touch anymore."

"A little more, Wati will marry a man of Ningrat descent."

"You don't have to expect to be united with Wati, because it's impossible" Timoti told Muhibbin.

The young man was still unmoved and indifferent to the words of the man before him, his gaze blankly pierced through the thick of the night through the shutters beside the bamboo where he lay.

Suddenly a guard entered the room with a tense face.

"Sorry, Sir."

"I want to report something important" the guard told Mr. Timoti.

The ruler of the Coast Country frowned and asked,

"What's going to make you so excited to see me?" mister Timoti exclaimed to the Guard in front of him.

"Outside the command center yard, there was a crowd of dozens of residents demanding to meet with Mr. Prawira Utama or with you, sir" the guard told Mr. Timoti.

"Citizen's tithe, what do you mean?"

"Where are they from?" the Governor is back.

"Rubber, Sir."

"One of them said that they were citizens of Manguntur, the Guard replied to the Coast Guard.

" Guild you say?" the face of Timoti changed. The leader of the coastal State invited the Guard to leave the treatment room.

"Let's meet them immediately" said Mr. Timoti out at the Guardians behind him, leaving the room where Muhibbin was being treated.

*****