CONFINEMENT

CH 140 - SUKMO LELONO

"Where am I?"

"Is this the realm of death?"

"But wait ..it's like a wilderness, trees grow towered."

"How am I supposed to be in this place?"

"Didn't I have been in that old house in that woman's room?"

"What happened to me?" muhibbin murmured inwardly while recalling his whereabouts last time.

The young man stepped into the thickets of the bush before him, his gaze constantly observing his surroundings.

The grass as tall as an adult man greeted him in front of his steps. The expanse of the field as far as the eye can see is wide. But Muhibbin's view was hindered by the height of the weeds.

"Where am I now?"

"Why am I in this place?" muhibbin said as he continued to step his foot. His hand is also currently also flipping the weeds through it.

The light of the sky seemed to feel different felt by the young man, the scorching glow of the sun as if it did not feel when it touched his skin and appeared at the end of the horizon hanging stars that look cheerfully smiling at each other.

Clumps of cotton-white clouds as if dancing were blown as breeze, no matter what atmosphere is currently in front of him. If it is said to be day, why do star clusters appear visible, if it is said to be night, solar flares look bright. Each creature feels like 'living' in the sense of interacting and communicating like the familiarity of nature that has never been witnessed directly in the mortal world.

"What's so weird, what's this place?" muhibbin asked in his heart. His eyes continued to observe around him as if revealing a clutch that he had never witnessed.

Muhibbin's steps stopped when at the end there was a well, the young man rushed to widen his steps. Muhibbin was cluttered with what was in front of him.

It looks like someone is playing on the edge of the lake, around it surrounded by wild animals also chatting.

Tiger cubs, deer, birds, elephants, orangutans, rabbits look cheerfully happy. Banyan tendrils also feel 'living' with occasional twisting of forest animals and throw them into the lake water. Laughter rang out from their mouths and it was as if Muhibbin understood the language used.

What attracts attention from Muhibbin's observation is a short-bodied creature with a jet black face like a giant but stature like a human child.

The figure looks cheerful with the children of forest animals who accompany him. There is a bowl made of coconut shell in his right hand and a single piece of dried midrib in his left hand.

Muhibbin continued to observe from behind the bushes, again a black figure was seen sneaking lake water with a coconut shell he held. But the coconut shell looks hollow under it and the lake water seeps out of it. But the figure did not stop, his hand continued to dip the well water as if it wanted to drain its contents and it made the herd of forest beast children laugh.

"Who is that guy?" muhibbin in the Heart.

"His face looks ugly but the animals and plants around him look very fond of him?" muhibbin.

"Where am I?"

"What is this nature, I've never seen this peaceful nature?"

Question after question flashed back in Muhibbin's mind. The young man ventured out from behind the bushes and approached a group of forest calves and a jet black figure that he thought was as tall as a five-year-old.

But strangely, the presence of Muhibbin as if not felt by them, as if there is a veil blocking between Muhibbin and the forest animals and a jet black figure in front of him.

"Kisanak, who is this andika?" muhibbin asked the jet black figure, but the voice and presence of Muhibbin seemed invisible.

"Kisak, do you hear me?" Muhibbin yelled again, but again the scream got no answer.

Muhibbin stepped closer towards the jet-black figure and his hand tried to grab his shoulder, but the young man seemed to embrace the empty space and the jet-black figure was untouched by it.

"Where am I, who are you?" now Muhibbin's voice was heard shaking, a feeling of worry began to reach his heart, but again there was no answer from his call.

The young man was sitting limp on the edge of the lake not far from the jet black figure, his face looked gloomy and continued to stare at the creatures near him who could not see and feel his presence.

"Bajang Anom, let's go home, enough we've played today, mother must be looking for us." the roar of the tiger cub on the jet black figure.

"Yes let's go home, soon the Sun God will be disappointed and the Goddess Candrawati will replace him." chimpanzees on the jet black figure he called Bajang Anom.

"All right, friends, but we say goodbye to the mother banyan." replied Bajang Anom to the horde of forest animals.

"Mom, Anom go home first, tomorrow we play again huh, mom?" said Bajang Anom while hugging the trunk of a cold tree in front of him.

As if to know what Bajang Anom said, the banyan tendrils gently caressed the jet-black face before him.

Muhibbin who saw the scene before him was aghast,

"Who are they, how can I understand their language?"

"How could they not be aware of my presence, what is this nature?" question after question is back in Muhibbin's mind. The young man's eyes looked wet and his face looked troubled thinking about what was happening before him.

"Anom, come after me!" the roar of a tiger cub disperse the reverie of Muhibbin.

The forest beast children ran while laughing cheerfully followed by Bajang Anom behind him. His short stature with a distended stomach was no less agile than the run of the forest beasts. Occasionally the trunk of the bidi in his left hand swung into the body of the herd of animals and was greeted with laughter from the face of Bajang Anom, who was, his teeth were lined up like pandanus thorns poking out between his thick lips.

Seeing a group of creatures in front of him running, Muhibbin also ran after him, as if he did not want to be left behind from the herd of forest animals and Bajang Anom.

"Mother .. mother, I'm home." shouted the tiger cub who was on the shoulder of Bajang Anom and shortly after a tigress came out of the mouth of the cave, seeing that Muhibbin's steps receded back full of worries but not so with the collection of forest animals and Bajang Anom in front of him.

"Mother, today I've played with your son, now I give it back to you." Bajang Anom told the mother tiger.

As if to understand what Bajang Anom said, the tiger mother approached and licked the lewd face of Bajang Anom and was greeted by the cheerful laughter of the jet black figure.

Muhibbin again amazed to see the scenery in front of him,

"What is this nature, is this the realm of death?"

"How did this happen?" mumbling back.

After the mouth of the cave, another group of forest animals ran again accompanied by Bajang Anom beside him, a rabbit that was not so agile to keep up with other animals in the arms of Bajang Anom, who was in the arms of Bajang Anom, his left hand, which used to hold a firefly now holds the rabbit, a cheerful laugh was heard again among the convoy of the forest animals while continuing through the wilderness.

Muhibbin who was behind him continued to observe the behavior of the creatures in front of him. There was a feeling of peace perched his chest watching the togetherness of Bajang Anom in front of him and the love of animals and plants in the ugly.

One by one the children of the forest animals were brought back to the mother and now Bajang Anom gontai steps to the top of the hill and between the rocks appears a cavity the size of a farmer's saung facing the cliff , that was his resting place all this time and living alone.

Muhibbin walked slowly closer to Bajang Anom who was sitting dumbstruck on the edge of the cliff, a jet-black figure was rising his face to look at the horizon that was starting to dim.

The sound of a loving bird chirping bitterly among the bamboo trees not far from the place, his voice filled with longing and sadness to welcome the coming of night.

Muhibbin continued to stare at Bajang Anom who was still drifting looking at his concentration in the evening, his presence as if an intangible creature that could not be felt by the surroundings.

"Bajang Anom, why are you always moody at night?"

"Did my presence all this time accompanying you not make you happy?" greet the birds of love sediit raucous on Bajang Anom.

The jet black creature glimpsed at the bird of mercy perched not far from him, his gaze again looked at the pitch-black sky.

"How can I be happy, as the thick of a gripping night always accompanies me, as well as you who always miss the moonlight?" bajang Anom replied to the bird of love.

"I miss something but don't know what it is and what will happen after my missed cash" he said back.

"Yes, I know your loneliness, just like you I miss the moonlight" said the bird.

"But I envy you, my love."

"Even if you are friends with the thick of the night, but there are times when you miss making out with the moonlight."

"And you know what you miss."

"While I am, who am I?"

"I've been alone for so long and that solitude is all I know."

"Only in solitude do I exist and live."

"But why now do I no longer like being alone and not being able to live in solitude?"

"And what would I get if not in solitude?" lament Bajang Anom full of sadness.

Muhibbin was stunned to hear the conversation between Bajang Anom and the bird of love, the conversation of the two creatures in front of him seemed to represent what he had felt so far.

His heart was tormented like what experienced Bajang Anom who befriended the night, tormented like a loving bird who missed the moonlight.

Tormented with not a shred of consolation, joy and satisfaction he had. Happiness during the day as a crumb of charcoal that will be destroyed in the darkness of the night when back in alone.

His soul struggled to fly as high as possible but that desire could not be done because with his body he was bound to the earth and he felt poor before his own soul.

"What is all this?"

"Why am I here and watching Bajang Anom's being and his suffering?"

"Give love to the animals and plants."

"What is this nature?" back the repetition of the question perched in the mind of Muhibbin.

"Why did I lose my own soul?"

"Even I dare not step in the darkness, I dare not be swayed and cradled by it."

"I felt the darkness was endless yet dared not imagine what was on the edge of the darkness itself."

"It turns out the darkness separated me from what was at the end."

***