SET DUSK

The Part 15

"Towards?" Finally Ida was able to make her voice.

"It turns out you ran here" said the man called Ida Makdang.

The man was his big brother. He didn't expect to see his mom* at that place.

"Gus, let's hurry up!" yell my unglu Jorong at Agus—makdang Ida.

"We save ourselves first, then we will talk while walking," Agus said in a low voice.

Ida shudders. All this time, other than amai, he had at least dared to refute the orders of his master. I don't know what to do to punish him later.

Ida walked downstairs following the group who had first entered the forest. The atmosphere of the forest was already very dark. They walked among the trees relying on instinct. There was no light to illuminate the path they were going through. The sound of forest animals at night is heart-wrenching. Make Ida's feather stand up.

Ida again sobbed, remembering the body of Maryam they left in surau.

"No need to cry you Da, your crying voice will even invite urang bunian,**" admonished the makdang.

Ida gasped at the sound of her mother. As much as she could endure her crying until she felt a tightness in her chest. Ida began to feel exhausted, when they finally reached the forest area bordering the river. The rumbling sound of the river water broke the silence of the forest and the silence among those who fled to the forest.

Ida could not confirm how many people were walking with her into the forest that night. The clouds that had been covering the moonlight, were slightly exposed, making the area of the originally dark river a little clearly visible. The silvery light of the moonlight that night seemed to add to the faces of the human beings who were surviving to save his life.

"We rest here first tonight," said ungku Jorong trying to beat the rushing sound of river water.

They simply replied with a nod, then looked for their respective places to rest. Mak dang takes his place on Ida's side. His gaze made Ida feel intimidated. Ida's guts shrunk even more when she heard the voice of the dang mak,

"So when were you here?" tanya mak dang looked at Ida.

From his voice Ida felt like he was going to swallow it round and round, but the dang still keep the tone of his voice so as not to attract the attention of others.

"If in Surau it had been three months Mak," replied Ida with a lowered face. He did not dare look into his mother's eyes.

"Then, ever since you ran away from home, where have you been?" mak dang interrogated Ida.

"I'm a PMI volunteer, mak" he replied briefly.

"You know not Da? Amai fell ill from thinking too much about you! Our son never made him sick because he was worried about us. Your ungodly grandson Da!" Although the voice of the dang mak is still low, but apparently his mama is on a blackboard.

Ida did not dare to answer. He was silent, waiting for his mother to speak again.

" After this we go home, you should apologize equally!"

"But Mak, give me a chance to take care of my best friend's body. His body is now left in the surau." Ida started to sob again.

"You're more concerned with the dead who have nothing to do with your blood than with the many of you who are still alive?"

Ida was unable to answer.

"Aren't you going to regret that a lot of you died because you were sick thinking about you?" continued mak dang with a voice that began to rise.

Some of the people who were near them started glancing towards them. Ungku Jorong came to them because he was surprised to see Ida and Agus's mother Ida seemed to be involved in serious talks.

" What's the matter Gus?" ask Jorong ungku when he got to the place where the ponakan and mamak was resting.

"Astaghfirullah Da, so all this time your family no one knew you were here?"

Ida was still down, unable to speak anymore. His chest was tight, his little heart confirmed his mother's words, how could he worry about others he had no blood relation to than his own grandmother. But his mind says that others understand him better than his own family. He is more valued by others than by those who have a blood relationship with him.

That night Ida was like a sickle, tied by mak dang so as not to run away again. Between anger and shame mixed in his heart, how could his own family till the heart treated him like that. But fatigue, hunger and drowsiness and pain in his ankle, making him unable to hold his eyes to stay awake.

"Da, wake!" Ida was jolted by her voice.

When Ida opened her eyes, the light of dawn began to illuminate the sky that morning. Ida shivered, the forest air and the cold splashes of river water in the morning as if slashing the part of her skin that was not covered.

He circulated his gaze, there were still some people who were asleep leaning against the rock on the riverbank. Not far from where he was resting, he saw Niar and Ani sitting close together and looking pityfully at Ida.

"We go home now, you eat first," said the dang mak while handing over some fruits that Ida did not know what the fruit was. Ida forced herself to fill her stomach with fruit given by her mamm.

"So, Angku still want to go back to Bukittinggi Gus?" Ungku Jorong came from behind Ida.

"Yes Ngku, I have to bring my nephew to meet amak. I've been sick since this kid didn't come home."

"Well, Shamsir and Rizal should come with you. They're quite poultice this forest." Ungku Jorong was like unable to hold them back from staying.

"Okay Ngku, may you always be in the protection of Allah. I'm sorry if I have to leave you here."

"What's wrong, while you still have family to go home, you go home. Pray that we're here to avenge the Dutch attack." Ungku Jorong patted mak dang's shoulder.

"Well, you go now," continued the middle-aged man with a bitter smile.

"Mother, can Ida say goodbye first to Ani and Niar?" Ida ventured to ask permission from her mother.

"Ah if with other people you understand the manners yes, why the same family yourself you do not know the manners," said the dang mak with a heavy voice that felt booming

Ida tried to ignore her fear of mak dang. He stood up and walked towards Niar and Ani with a limp.

"Union,." greet the two girls with tears.

"No, take good care of yourself. .... Uni tipped Maryam if you can go back to Surau,..." Ida's voice was choked. He tried to breathe normally, holding back his tears from falling.

"Thank you for your time together, ..... Hiks," Ida began to sob, already unable to stem the tightness that felt very tight chest.

Not yet Niar and Ani replied, Ida has been pulled by mak dang.

"You know when you cry like that" said mak dang.

Ida wiped her tears with the back of her hand. The rope that binds both wrists feels sorely rubbing his skin.

After bidding farewell to the others, Ida and her small entourage moved north leaving the people she had always considered to be her new family.

*Mamak \= brother mother.

** Urang bunian \= is a kind of fine forest guardian creature that is believed by the people in West Sumatra.