MYSTERY OF TWO STAGES
Part Two
TOK TOK TOK
“Assalammu’alaikum .. excuse me...” I knocked on the door and said hello.
TOK TOK TOK
I knocked on the door and repeated my greeting.
“Wa’alaikum salam” Sahut from inside answer my call. Her voice is raucous.
KREEK ... The door is open.
An old woman with white face came out from behind the door.
Quite surprised I initially saw the old woman who I assumed was probably over fifty years old. But soon I got control of myself.
“What's Nak?” Ask the old woman while looking at me.
“Sorry Mom, I just traveled across the forest, and it looks like last night or maybe lost I also don't know this” answered me while showing from the direction I came.
“Where's the child?” Ask the old lady again.
“I from ..” I answered while mentioning the name of the city where I live.
“Hmmm .. It looks like the child is tired huh? Let's enter first” He offered me to enter the house.
“Yes, thank you Bu”
I took off my shoes and followed the old woman's footsteps inside.
“Please sit Nak”
“Thank you Bu”
I sat on a mat in the room that served as a living room measuring four by five meters. This was a stilt house all made of wood. The old Malay stilt house that I often see when there are cultural events.
The floor of the house is made of boards. The whole room was lit only by two small lanterns on the left right of the house wall.
I looked around like the occupants of the house were the ones keeping clean. There were not many things I saw here, just a small wooden cabinet and a rocking chair made of woven rattan and a small table beside the closed window.
“Mother make Kids drink for a while ya”
“Don't bother Ma'am, I'm okay”
“Tea water only, just a minute”
“Iya Ma'am, once again thank you”
The old woman then walked to the back and brought back a pot of water and a cup made of cans on a tray and placed it on the mat.
The old woman then sat in front of me, still using her face.
“Please drink Nak” He said while pouring water into a cup and then thrust it in front of me.
“Thank you Bu” I drank the water given.
“Mother alone lives here” I started my conversation.
“Usually there is a granddaughter of Mother who accompanies, but tonight I don't know if she's coming or not”
“Before I apologize Mom, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Aryo Bu” I reached out both hands clenched to the old woman.
“I Bu Nor”
He welcomed my helping hand by only touching a little bit of his fingertip that was also clenched with my fingertip.
“If you may know, where will the child go to get to this place?”
“I want to go to Munian Bu Village, said the people I met this afternoon on the road, they gave the direction here, I know the village?”
“Hmmm ... What do you want your child to look for in the village?”
“No Ma'am, I just want a holiday” I said make excuses.
“You know where the village is?” My neighbor again.
“Tau” As he pulls out his hand from behind a mukena then points in a direction.
“More is Bu?” Suddenly I was excited.
“Not far Nak, actually the child is now up to”
ASSALAMMU'ALAIKUM
TOK TOK TOK
A voice from outside could be heard saying a greeting while knocking on the door.
“Wa’alaikum salam” Bu Nur replied greetings.
“That's Mom's granddaughter, she's come turns”
Ms. Nor then opened the door.
After the door was opened, degg .. I was quite surprised to see the face of a very beautiful young woman about twenty years old perhaps, wearing a typical Malay brackets shirt with a scarf covering part of his head.
I've never seen such beauty before.
I was stunned, stunned.
But where did he come from? As I recall earlier than this house all I saw were trees and shrubs, no other house I saw. Maybe the village is near.
“Lame ko balek” Bu Nor asked the woman.
They speak a strong Malay language and dialect.
“So ko, ade guest kite”
The woman put her foot into the house. Standing looking at me while grabbing the end of her shawl covered half her face.
That girl is getting pretty I see.
“Siape?” He asked me.
“aisss...takde it's polite ko nak betanye to a guest kite like tu” Bu Nor may be reminding his grandson.
I spontaneously respected and wanted to stand up to greet the young woman.
“Eehhh .. don't suck bediri, dudok ko Salmah, respect guest”
“Yee laa .. but Salmah wants to go back first, this is a deposit from Mak, it's pound Grandma nak anur”
His name is Salmah. He walked backwards while stomping his feet to the floor.
Aaiy ... She's funny, the spoiled type of girl I thought.
He soon returned to where we were sitting.
“Dudok, slaves now ni tak de lah jage marwah budi base respecting guests” Bu Nor seems to be advising Salmah.
Salmah sat with a pouting face.
“Abang sape?” He asked me directly.
“Oang evil to?” I haven't been able to answer the first question.
“Ehh...ape pule ni Salmah, say a good-looking to guest”.
I listened confused.
“Sorry, My name is Aryo, I accidentally came here to rest after a long trip” I said as I clenched my hands and thrust it in front of Salmah.
Salmah then clenched her hands together, thrusting them into my fingertips and quickly pulled them back without even touching the tip of her finger.
Ms. Nor just shook her head at her granddaughter's behavior.
I don't know why I like it.
“Nak Aryo stay here, I will prepare your bed briefly”
Ms. Nor left us both in the room.
“Your name is Salmah?” I started a conversation.
“Iye” Answer is short.
I looked at his face. He tilted his head back at my eyes.
“Have long stayed here?”
“Let's not stay here, nail?”
“I mean stay in this village?”
“Since birth was already here”
Salmah seems to be trying to adjust her language dialect to be the same as me even though it still sounds her special dialect. But again, I like to hear his voice.
“That was your Grandma?” I asked back.
“Iye lah, Abangkan dah tau”
“Where do you live?”
“Home Mak ngan Abah lah”
“Emmm ... I mean where is your home?”
“kenape? Brother want to know? Not the bad guy brother? If not, play Brother to the house, later Salmah introduce to Mak ngan Abah” He asked, he replied, he explained.
“Then can”
“Bby ape?”
“Main to home”
“Dah also cakap”
Salmah answered all my questions with her. I didn't stop looking at his face. She knew she was also returning my gaze, once in a while she looked at the door her grandmother had entered.
“Can I ask something?”
“Ape?”
“What is the name of this village?”
“Munian” Village The answer is short.
Degg .. I immediately remembered the story of Hartono about a haunted village. How He told the mysteries of the village.
I scrunched my forehead. Could this be the village that Hartono meant? Or am I the one who has wrongly drawn conclusions on my search?
With Salmah in front of me, how could Salmah be part of the ghosts that Hartono told me about? This girl is too pretty to scare. Or his grandmother who wore a mukena that is commonly used for prayer, there is no way he is a spirit or ghost like the one in the story of Hartono. Cannot be.
Seriate…..
