LOVE SONGS OF LOLOBATA

BIDADARAS

A week in the woods alone made my homes and family miss even more. While I didn't find my way home. Even so I still try to calm down and mention His name in every step and hope I offer. Thank God I can still breathe, eat and drink.

There are several kinds of birds I saw and I heard his voice throughout this journey. There are white parrots, green parrots, black starlings and magpies that are good at singing. The love song sung so penghantal lara in this journey without purpose. But the halmahera angel I replaced was completely invisible. Even his voice was not heard.

Akh.... Do not expect so much of the gift of luck. The rare bird did not appear. I still remember the words of the national park officer my friend Baba when we told him about our meeting with the bird from heaven, "You are lucky today, Mr. Sharif. Birdwatchers usually take days or even months to wait for the appearance of the wake that is being attraction. They often come home empty-handed."

Awake, Afifa. The emergence of halmahera angel is a gift and I have 2 times got the gift. Be thankful for that gift. I shouldn't be greedy to expect grace so many times.

I soared in delight when on my way today I found some towering and large old amber trees. I don't know how old he is. Maybe it has been tens or even hundreds of years, because the bottom trunk is much wider than my embrace. My new hope came. Maybe I can meet people who used to look for agarwood or resin in the forest. I'll ask them the route home.

I stopped walking to get the resin. Not bad, later can be converted into food or anything needed when at home later. It's a shame to go home without bringing a little forest. It was not my heart's intention to exploit the forest, just take it for survival. In addition, by spending time taking resin, I hope to meet villagers who usually look for resin in the forest.

I patiently injured some holes that had been in the stem of the resin tree with my knife, waiting for the sap to appear and dry, then cut it out and put it in the bag of the shelter. Naturally, after sweating all day I get resin in the form of clear crystals full of sacs.

It's almost afternoon. No one came to this place to get amber. There are many trees here. There have been many holes in the deep incision on the stem of the resin tree. It is impossible that the amber seekers do not know and mark this location as a field where they seek income. My hope of meeting someone who can help me today is gone. I sat on the ground after the tayamum and the ashar prayers.

My heart is now filled with the desire to meet my way home.

"O Allah, guide the way out of this forest. I'm going home. I have missed my home and my family so much" I said repeatedly.

There is no hope other than God's help. I cried without tears.

"I'm sorry Fifa, Ma. Fifa kangen mom. Pray that Fifa can find her way home."

Belly wrapped. The worms in my stomach started to protest because no food had entered since this morning. I put the resin bags in my backpack and walked again in the hope of meeting something that could become a stomach bump. Almost all day spent alone collecting resin made me forget to eat. I have no food supply at all. My throat is dry too.

I need to get food and drink before dark. I immediately moved and walked west where the sun was almost sinking. Why go west? I don't know. My journey only follows the path and follow the instinct. My steps are now limping with my body getting weaker. I did not immediately have the luck to get a plant or anything that can fill the stomach that is wrapped around due to the amount of gas that collects in it. All I met along the way were tall trees and shrubs. There is nothing to eat or to quench thirst.

I don't know what happened next. Slowly everything turned dark and I fell down and forgot everything.

I don't know how long I've been unconscious. When I opened my eyes, I was lying in a hut with no walls. I thought I was going to die being eaten by a wild animal in the forest. Have I saved anyone from the Lili tribe?

Samar telingaku mendengar suara orang yang sedang mengobrol. Aku menoleh ke kiri sesuai arah suara yang tertangkap telinga. Kulihat dekat pohon besar itu ada seorang pria muda berkulit kuning dan rambut yang lurus sedang memberi makan kuda sambil berbincang dengan pria muda lain yang berkulit coklat dan berambut ikal. Sepertinya mereka bukan orang suku Lili. Dari penampilannya mereka tak seperti orang yang biasa tinggal di hutan. Pakaiannya rapi dan perbekalan yang ditaruh di atas pelana kudanya cukup banyak. Kudanya gagah, terawat dan bersih. Mereka berbicara dalam bahasa Indonesia, bukan bahasa yang biasa digunakan suku Lili.

"How should we, Ka? Continue the journey or ..."

Not continuing his sentence, the man turned to me and smiled when he saw me open his eyes.

"Hi, you've realized it's Miss."

Our eyes are fixed. The brown netra is shining beautifully. Her smile was beautiful. I saw it like the sighting of a bird of wake or an angel of halmahera who was flapping its wings of charm. Is he a man who comes down from heaven?

I immediately turned my eyes. Embarrassed. Being aware of fainting seems to make me a different person. Stupidly admiring strangers and labeling them with a bidadara. Too you Afifa. So naive. Look at! His feet are on the ground. He's just a regular guy.

Maybe my brain is short. I took a deep breath trying to regain consciousness as Afifa.

The throat feels very dry. The man asked his curly-haired friend to take his drinking supplies, led me to get up and sit down and open the lid of the water bottle.

"Miss must be thirsty. Drink it first."

I shook my head as she tried to help pour the water in the bottle into my mouth.

He smiled handing over the bottle of drink that looked clean and well-shaped. I grabbed him and returned his smile.

I finished almost the entire bottle with a few sips. Tastes fresh. My dry throat is now starting to feel moist. My thirst disappeared in an instant.

"Sorry!" Thirst makes me greedy. I stared at the empty bottle with great regret. I am so greedy that I do not leave a drop of water for the owner of the bottle.

"What's wrong. We can find more water later on the road." he said gently with a charming smile again.

As if I knew my heart, the sound of the sentence was soothing. Even so, I still regret spending the water in that bottle. Uh, how greedy and selfless. I feel like hitting my own head to punish my greed.

I avoided the raw face with the brown netra that had a strange light that made my heart suddenly beat fast with a hammer. I can't afford it. Especially seeing her beautiful smile.

"What's your name?"

"Afifa Sharif."

"Hey, are you the son of Syarif the Bugis immigrant who teaches religion in the inner village?" It was even his curly-haired friend who knew my chapter.

I'm nodding. It's good that he knows my baba's name. I don't have to introduce myself too much.

"Why go to the forest alone?"

"Get lost when looking for resin" I answered accordingly. I thought there was resin in my backpack as proof that answer didn't exist.

"Not usually women into the forest looking for resin."

"He has no brothers. Her father died a few years ago." obviously the curly hair gave me a defense. I should thank him with a nod of my head and a faint smile.

The man nodded. "How many days have you lost?" ask again. His voice sounds wise. This one of my helper angels is really very charming.

Akh. I'm so embarrassed. So shy. He looked at me with his sharp eyes. No disgust? Somehow my face looked at that time. I saw again my shabby clothes. My body must have looked muddy and smelly. Why am I being met with such a handsome man in this state? I turned my face again. He wanted to run away, but it was rude to remember that it was the good guys who helped me. I'll just endure the shame.

"Sunday."

"fast." He turned his face away while squeezing his pointed nose and smiling rancidly.

"Say I'm dirty and stinky."

He came back to life and shook his palms in front of his nose but chuckled triumphantly. I can't bear to not steal a look through my tail. Between embarrassment and resentment, I felt I was at my lowest point until I had no more self-esteem. This is how I am. Dirty and smelly. He deserves to laugh. If disgust is natural.

"Hungry?"

I'm nodding.

The curly man next to him picked up something from the bag draped over the horse whose rope was tied up in the trunk of a large tree. The horse was busy eating the leaves provided by the two men earlier.

He handed me a piece of bread, and another piece for the straight-haired man whose smile was so charming. The curly hair left a piece of bread for him as well. We ate our bread together.

"Thank you, Brother."