Short Story (Cerpen)
Silk Road (Part 1)
Category: Romantic Love Short stories
Title: Silk Road (Part 1)
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Forest on mahameru mountain 2013,
SEMERU, the highest mountain on the island of Java with its natural beauty, colorful flowers bloom, pine forest with a distinctive smell, and, the beautiful, clear lake that is now known by the name of ranu kumbolo lake seems to be a tired release, towering cliffs like a protective wall, opposite the vast expanse of sand dunes stretches and the clean and fresh mountain air adds to the perfection of this mountain. But this story does not happen in the present era but about 700 years back when Indonesia did not exist, there are only small kingdoms that appear alternately, the war between kingdoms never ends, and the, the power struggle among the royal family adds to the ongoing polemic. At this time the kingdom of Singasari with the last king of kertanegara has been destroyed following a rebellion by the descendants of the king of kediri, namely jayakatwang, but soon Kediri suffered the same fate after being defeated by raden wijaya with the help of the mongol kingdom. Raden Wijaya then established the majapahit kingdom after expelling the mongol forces from jawadwipa.
Forest on Mount Semeru, 1298 AD.
The sun had begun to fall towards the contest in the western horizon, a gentle breeze blew swaying the leaves, but the forest to the north of the lake ranu kumbolo remained unmoved, still unmoved, like there was a mighty power that kept this forest calm, the roar of some wild animals sounded from a distance, the towering pine trees as if adding to the haunted impression of this forest, indeed, since time immemorial semeru mountain is considered as the most mystical place in jawadwipa (island of Java), the dwelling place of the gods.
Suddenly out of nowhere an arrow came into the air and broke the silence of this forest with the sound of his whirring, the arrow stopped after hitting the target and now at the end of the arrow was stuck a rabbit. from the direction of the arrow appeared a dashing young man aged about 25 years while carrying an arrow, on his back there are still 4 other arrows ready to be fired at any time, from the clothes he wore it was clear that he was not an indiscriminate person, maybe from a noble or knight family, he said, it was hard to tell the difference but everyone who looked into his eyes would definitely agree that this young man must have gone through a hard life.
The young man then walked towards his prey that was already lying on the ground while yelling among the lush bushes covering this forest. he pulled the arrow on the rabbit and after cleaning it he combined it again with 4 other arrows.
'excuse me, mate, but I also have to eat to survive' he said. His voice was heavy but implied assertiveness.
'suuuiiettt' the young man whistled, from a distance the sound of the roar of the horse's legs gradually getting closer. Now in front of the young man stood a white stallion. The young man who turned out to be named Jayanegara then jumped on the horse's back and encouraged him to leave the forest to the kumbolo ranu lake. He was alone, unseen by the bodyguard or anyone else with him and when viewed from his shrewd way of riding a horse through the forest, it looks like he has lived long enough on Mount Mahameru so he knows which path is safe enough to pass.
On the edge of the lake near a ramp, a house or more correctly referred to as a cottage. There he stopped and tethered his horse. The hut if not arguably ugly then quite simple the right word to describe it, the hut is very small, with a roof of leaves and coconut kneading, walls of makeshift wood that can be found around the lake, very far from the word decent. Next to the cottage was a corn field ready to be harvested. Jayanegara came in and hung his arrow on the wall near the sword with the engraving of dragon relics adorning his scabbard.
The twilight sun is really beautiful this afternoon.the orange light reflects on the surface of ranu kumbolo lake, emitting its own beauty that is difficult to express. now that Jayanegara had been sitting in front of the bonfire that he used to roast his hunted rabbit, the rabbit had moved from the top of the fire into his hands. the cold temperature of the area around the kumbolo ranu makes the rabbit meat does not need to wait a long time to eat, nature has cooled it naturally. This is only natural because the kumbolo rannu is located about 2400 m from sea level whose temperature at night can reach 9 degrees Celsius, not to mention the temperature at its peak.
'thank you for the food' Jayanegara said.
'pawana, finish your grass. We'll never know what's going to happen' he continued, looking up at his white horse. Pawana, so the name of the horse, neighs slowly and then goes back to eating his food.
The sun has now completely disappeared replaced by a full moon. The sky was very bright tonight, the stars were clearly visible, the breeze was blowing and in the distance there were some sounds of night animals. Now Jayanegara has been sitting on a small mound rather high from the surrounding land resembling a small hill and leaning on a large tree. In his hand clutched with a small flute of bamboo, he blew it and played a beautiful melody that appealed to the heart, the rhythm of which was heartbreaking to anyone who heard, like describing the feelings of the player, he said, as if describing a long journey full of obstacles but at the end of the journey met with a fertile oasis. Jayanegara played it with sincerity, although the look in his eyes remained the same, sayu. But his sharp eyebrows seem to hint that he has a strong determination to be able to survive all this time.
The breeze that was blowing slowly disappeared, the leaves stopped swaying, the lake ripples began to disappear and the sound of night animals suddenly silent as late in a sad rhythm that came out of the jayanegara flute, come to understand the sadness of the player living alone in the wild so far, Jayanegara, a lone wolf. Even the pawana is now curled up beside its master.
The morning sun shone brightly woke Jayanegara from his sleep, after bathing and dressing he took his sword hanging on the wall of the cottage and took it out. Initially jayanegara only did breathing exercises repeatedly, adjusting the rhythm of his breathing to the wind, uniting himself with nature. Then he took a swing, his legs slightly bent into horses and in one breath he pulled out his sword from the scabbard with a speed that was difficult to follow the eye and beat it in the air, his sword seemed to cut through the air, the movement he did repeatedly with incredible speed, how many times had he done, 800? 900? or 1000 times? jayanegara continued to do so until his hands were completely sore and could no longer be lifted.
After feeling enough, he stopped and headed for a tree on a small hill near his hut. Jayanegara lay with his hands stretched out, looking up at the blue sky, feeling the breeze of the wind pass him by. Then he closed his eyes, felt the earth with his skin, heard the sounds of nature, saw with his other eyes, his inner eyes. Old Jayanegara just dwells like that. Then after his hands were a little more powerful he sat down and took out his flute. Again he chanted the instrument he used to play, calm and flowing gently into the soul, making his strength return.
The sun began to slip when Jayanegara woke up from his nap, he immediately went to the cottage and took fishing equipment, then sat by the lake hoping that someone would eat his bait so that he would not starve today.
The day had been really afternoon when Jayanegara was climbing the cliff to collect spices to be used as seasonings and medicines. When he looked south, into the desert, Jayanegara saw a very large sandstorm was sweeping the region. At least this was the biggest sandstorm he had ever seen during his stay in these mountains.
After he finished collecting the plants he needed jayanegara down to the cottage. The day was night when he arrived. The night was dark and the wind was strong. Based on his experience during this time, the rainstorm will come soon. Sure enough, when he had inserted the pawana into his cage heavy rain immediately fell, followed by lightning and lightning ceaselessly. The sky seemed to collapse and took out all of it. Jayanegara could only curl up in his hut while hoping that his hut would not be destroyed by the storm.
The morning sun penetrated into the hut woke Jayanegara. After last night's storm he felt lucky that his cabin wasn't carried away by the wind like he did a few months ago. At least he didn't have to bother rebuilding it.
Jayanegara was just preparing for sword practice when he heard a voice from the opposite direction. Long life in the wild makes his ears trained to hear the slightest sound even in a considerable distance. He immediately changed the direction of his body in line with the arrival of the voice and took a swing to attack. His voice was getting closer despite moving slowly.125 meters.100 meters..75 meters..50 meters..25 meters. The bushes in front of Jayanegara moved, the hand of jayanegara hardened ready to draw his sword, and, his sword had come out partially but at the last moment he stopped it and put his sword back into the sheath (sword sheath) when he realized that what appeared was not the enemy. In front of him now stood a girl, probably around 21 years old who was walking gontai towards him. Her face was dull and full of dust, but her eyes and facial lines could not hide that she was a very beautiful woman. Her clothes implied that she was from the nobility, with fine silk cloth that seemed to be imported from China, gold bracelets and royal family-style necklaces adorned her neck. the girl walked limped towards Jayanegara but not until some time later she fainted but Jayanegara was ready to welcome her.
Jayanegara immediately took her to the cottage and laid her down in the place she called the divan. He put his hand on the girl's forehead. Heat. It was so hot, this girl had a severe fever. Jayanegara compressed it with a wet cloth. Then he took the spices and immediately tasted them to be used as medicine.
For a few days the girl remained unconscious and during that time jayanegara always took care of her, every day he put his medicinal herbs into the mouth of the girl, he said, wipe his face and delay his hunting activities by eating only corn that has been harvested.
Finally one morning the girl came to her senses and the first word that came out of her mouth was,
'where am I?'. He then sat down, next to him there was no one. He finds himself in a shabby cabin. He tried to remember what had happened, but his head hurt a lot. Then he tried to stand up even with great difficulty and walked out. Outside he was surprised to see a young man carrying a sack of grass heading towards him. Ketka Jayanegara saw the girl standing in front of him he stopped and lowered his sack.
'thank God you are aware' said Jayanegara flat.
'who areyou? And why am I here?' Answer the girl.
'i am the one who has to ask, what makes you brave enough to reach the Mahameru mountain?'
'mamiru?' hearing this mahameru girl's head ached, then shadows flashed on the girl's head, her memory returned! He's sitting.
'How long have I been unconscious?' connect the girl.
'4 days, and all that time you keep on stirring'
'did anyone come here after me?'
'none. Can you now tell me why you're here?'
'no. I can't tell it to people I don't trust yet.' Answer the girl.
'hoho, what a cruel answer to say to the one who saved you. To be honest I don't really care about your past, I just want to know if you're a threat or not. If you already feel healthy please go.' replied Jayanegara relaxed.
'wait, let me stay here. I'll tell you why I'm here. I really need your help.' Sergey the girl.
'start telling stories' said Jayanegara as he sat next to the girl facing the lake.
'my name is goddess kumala, I come from majapahit. For making such a grave mistake I had to escape leaving the majapahit. But my attempts to escape were not that smooth. I was chased by a royal warrior. They're a lot. I was lucky because the horse I rode was so fast. I kept pushing my horse away from the majapahit until I finally reached the foot of this Mahameru mountain.I heard the news that this mountain is very sacred, no one dared to climb to the top. But I had no other choice. Then I got off the horse and hit my horse to keep running in the opposite direction of your mahameru. I hope it fools them for a few days. But not enough to get there, as if the gods were angry because I entered a sacred place, suddenly a sandstorm appeared. I struggled as hard as I could through it because to come back again was already impossible. Even though I had covered my face with a sash, the dust kept getting into my eyes, mouth, ears and nose. I'm having trouble breathing. The tiredness and tiredness from the trip made me dazed. I decided not to give up. I have to stay alive. Until I finally survived and was helped by you. So please let me stay with you. I don't have any more relatives out there.' He ends the story.
'he passed through the sandstorm alone' inward jayanegara.
Long Jayanegara fell silent, then he said,
'well. But don't expect you to live comfortably. You have to work'
'thank you.. hmmm, if you may know what your name is?'
'what is the importance of my name to you?'
'my name is jayanegara'
'it feels like I've heard it somewhere' inner goddess kumala.
'then you can start your first job by harvesting the corn. I haven't had time to harvest everything for taking care of you'
'what? Directly told to work?' dewi kumala won't accept.
'then what? You think I'll let you lie down all day?'
'issshhh... What is it that you are always cold like this? it's worth it that you live alone' said kumala sambl passed away to go to the corn field.
'you know nothing of me' said Jayanegara when the goddess Kumala had passed away. He then took a sack of grass and led it to the pawana cage.
They are both busy with their work.
It was almost noon when the goddess Kumala came to see Jayanegara.
'i want to take a bath, my body is sultry and dirty' said the goddess Kumala.
'Then what? Do you want me to accompany you?' answer jayanegara cynicism.
'not so, pervert. At least you can show me a place that is closed and safe from wild animals.'
'you can go a little to the end there. It is quite lush and the view is beautiful. If you're lucky you'll only meet a few squirrels and frogs that will peek at you' Jayanegara pointed to the place in question.
'i hope the frog is not poisonous' said the goddess Kumala as she left.
Dewi kumala got to the place that Jayanegara said. Jayanegara was right, the place is very beautiful with high cliffs that protect it, flower fields to the east, pine trees and mountain peaks that look charming from here. Dewi kumala immediately took off her clothes and went down into the water. It's been cold and refreshing for a long time and it doesn't feel like it's touching water. Dewi Kumala cleans the dirt all over her body. The clear lake allows you to see the bottom of the lake. In the trees was a blue bird that he did not know his name. The bird chirped or rather sounded like singing. Shortly thereafter the bird companion came. They told each other to form a rhythm. Plus the sound of frogs and ripples of the lake, making this lake perfect.
Suddenly he heard a rustling sound from the tree behind him, when the goddess Kumala looked back he was suffocated…'
Jayanegara who heard the voice of the goddess Kumala's cry immediately said,
'uppsss... I seem to have forgotten to tell him that there is also a favorite place for monkeys to drink' said Jayanegara without guilt.
Not long after, the goddess Kumala arrived. Now she has transformed from a slum girl into a beautiful girl. Jayanegara who saw it was stunned.
'did you deliberately not tell me about the apes?' tanya dewi kumala resuscitated jayanegara.
'i want to go hunting, if you are too hungry eat corn while waiting for me to return' Jayanegara diverted the conversation.
'I've never eaten corn in my life. corn is just food for the lower classes. I want meat. Anyway I won't stay here alone. That pursuer could come at any time, not to mention a savage beast that could prey on me at any moment. Please take me' pinta kumala.
'But I don't want to torture pawana with 2 people'
'then you can walk'
'what? I thought a long trip could change the spoiled attitude of your noble son, apparently not.' Jayanegara replied while shaking his head.
After taking the bow and filling the water jug they both set off. Jayanegara walked on foot while holding a pawana bridle. The goddess Kumala sings along the way.
Arriving in the forest jayanegara tethered his horse. They continued the hunt on foot.
'the dark forest. Is there an**** forest?' ask the goddess kumala.
'no, but there's a tiger here.'
'it's worse to know…'
'ssttt. your voice can make our quarry run' prevent jayanegara.
A few days later they saw a rabbit. while Jayanegara was preparing to shoot, 'kreek'. Kumala stepped on a broken branch and successfully made the rabbit run away.
'thank you', jayanegara said.
'uppsss. sorry'
Soon another hunt came. They saw a bird flying and then alighted in a tree. When Jayanegara was about to shoot the goddess kumala prevented him. It turned out that the bird was carrying worms in its beak to give to its young.
'i want to eat corn' said the goddess Kumala. They also returned.
They sat on a small hill. Jayanegara took out his flute and played his favorite again. Goddess kumala listened to him.
'weren't you the one who made that song?' ask Kumala as soon as the song ends.
'yes, that's it.'
'Very beautiful at the same time heart-wrenching. Nature listened to him. Oh yeah, about that tiger did you ever see it?'
'once once, when I took water in the river while hunting'
'really do? Did he attack you?'
'no, it doesn't seem like he sees me as a threat. I don't think the tiger is a careless tiger, maybe he is the one guarding this mountain.as long as we don't make troublemakers on this mountain then we will be safe.'
The two of them then remained silent and looked up at the sky. The moon looks bigger. Maybe because they are in a high place then the moon looks like that. There is hardly a single empty space in the sky without stars.
'i want to live with you on this mountain until we are old and I will feel safe because you always protect me' The goddess Kumala put her head on the shoulders of the jayanegara. That's how the conversation ended that night.
