SUKMA: The Deal With the Devil

The Secret Revealed

Mr. Risman invites Arini into his contract, remembering it would be inappropriate if a secret was told openly on the terrace. Arini agreed, then entered the main room of the narrow rented. He was not at all disgusted or reluctant to set foot there.

In honor of her guests, Ms. Inah prepared two glasses of water. After finishing pouring the drinking water, the middle-aged woman presented it in front of Mr. Risman and Arini. He also sat next to Mr. Risman to listen to the secret that Arini will reveal. Even with Sukma, who is not usually silent while smiling next to her brother.

As Arini begins to tell her life story, Sukma's views turn into flashbacks of the events the old woman once experienced. It happened in the '70s, when Arini was a teenager coming home from school. The beautiful face of the girl turned grim when she found her parents preparing offerings in a large container made of woven, commonly called nyiru by the Sundanese. Inside there is conical tumpeng rice decorated with banana leaves that have been formed in such a way, coupled with cemani chicken meat that all the meat is black, black, and the seven forms and incense that will be burned at night.

"Well, Mom. Want to get to when Abah same Mother made offerings like this? Rich no, crazy yes," Arini sniffed while staring cynically.

"Hus! You are guarded, yes! If we don't make a deal with the dedemit, we won't be able to eat" his mother said, glaring at Arini.

"Come on! What is more ridiculous than this? If that dedemit is feeding us, why are you making all offerings? Mending tumpeng as well as the chicken I eat," Arini's cerocos while smiling wryly.

Unexpectedly, his father slapped Arini hard. Of course, Arini and her mother were taken aback by her. The man is famous for rarely speaking, but once angry, then the hand acts. I don't know what kind of slap I've received Arini a few times now. Clearly, the seventeen-year-old girl was already immune to her father's rude attitude.

"You are, being adorned with flowers of the same seven forms of Abah from childhood. Bacain jampi every want to sleep, but it's big even run. Do you want Abah to destroy all of you, huh?" snapped his father glaring at Arini.

As usual, Arini was only bowed when the father was furious. Next, he ran to the room to shed his tears. His heart was very upset, wanting to rebel against the heresy his family had committed long ago. The girl was embarrassed, every time she went out, she was nicknamed the weaver because of her family's habit of worshipping supernatural beings. Though deep inside, Arini does not believe in all that. It would be illogical if the jinn were aligned with God, he thought.

In his grief, Farida came to persuade him. Women who are five years older than Arini, always try to calm the sister when sad. He gently caressed Arini's long hair, then smiled knotfully.

"Here you go, don't cry anymore" said Farida. "Other times, if talking in front of Abah with Mother, must be full of courtesy. After all, they're still our parents."

"I've been trying to wake them up, Teh. Wouldn't it be if the parents were wrong, the kid's job was to straighten it out?" moaning Arini as much as.

"Yes, Teteh knows. Maybe the way you rebuked Abah and Mom was too hard, so they didn't accept."

"Keep, in what other way? Good way, not heard. Rough way, even beaten. Uh, sebel!"

From the outside, she heard her mother calling Farida. The woman came out of Arini's room without saying goodbye to her mother's call. Arini again drowned in her sadness and buried her face in the pillow. Truly, he did not want to interfere in the supernatural affairs of his family.

When night came, Ki Maja who is the father of Mbah Suro, came to the Arini residence. He instructed the family of the heresy adherents to take a seven-figure flower bath before worshiping. Next, they will put all the offerings in the room next to the kitchen which is very minimal lighting.

The smell of incense poured out into the entire room of the house. Arini coughed. This is what happens at his house every Friday night Kliwon comes. Throughout the night, his father, mother, and brother will spend time staying up late to get the money which will then be used as a guide for life.

Three years the girl survives all the rituals her family performs, until Farida gets married and Arini graduates High School. Arini went to Padjadjaran University. During her studies, Arini felt her life was very calm because it was far from all the ritual routines performed by her parents. He became very rarely home, especially after getting to know Hamid, the second son of one of the Arab businessmen who studied at the Faculty of Economics and uncle from Farah.

During knowing Hamid, Arini was taught the real science of religion. Starting from how to pray to the right prayer. Arini felt, this was the path she had been waiting for a long time. The path that shows the figure of the creator and giver of sustenance is actually.

When graduation day arrives, Arini is reluctant to invite her parents to campus. Shame on him if he reaches Hamid and people find out that his parents are both weavers. Arini eventually invited Farida and her husband to attend the graduation ceremony, in lieu of her parents. Farida did not bother him, because he thought that Arini understood the condition of his father and mother who were often sickly.

After graduating from college, Arini was lucky to be accepted to work in the company of his father Hamid. Of course, this strengthened the relationship between him and the young Arab. Indeed, initially the Hamid family did not approve of their relationship because Arini was not of Arab descent. However, Hamid who insisted on fighting for his relationship, finally managed to persuade the big family to bless them both.

Arini's wedding day arrives. As before, he only wanted his brother who was present in a big event. None of her father and mother's family were present at her wedding. Only her brother and husband were allowed to participate in Arini and Hamid's lavish wedding.

Of course, it made Farida astonished. Of the many large families from the Arini side, only she and her husband were present in the marriage of her sister. Feeling something stuck in her chest, Farida began to approach Arini when the show was over.

"Rin, Teteh wonder, why are you just ngundang Teteh just for your wedding? Our extended family is also a lot of loh," Farida said.

"I've confessed to everyone, that my family is only Teteh and Mang Teja. I also claimed to be an orphan" explained Arini.

"Jeez, Arini! What the hell are you doing? If our families find out you don't want to admit them in front of your husband's family, Abah and Mom will be hurt."

"I don't care, Tea. I'm tired of being yelled at constantly with Abah. I also don't want to deal with the strange beliefs you hold. Now that my life is comfortable, I'm with a rich family."

"Oh, so if you're married to a rich man, you don't want to admit your family, do you?"

"Actually, I've been ashamed of our family, Teh. I'm ashamed to be called a weasel just like a classmate. I'm ashamed to be called a shaman's son by a neighbor. Had Abah been the same Mother never called you weird, for immunity or glory, my life would have been quiet, Tea."

"God has arranged everyone's sustenance, Tea. If we try hard to work, God will give us sustenance and provide for our lives."

"That's enough! Don't mention God's name anymore! You know, right, Dedemit's gonna be pissed when we say his name."

"Oh, then, yes. I've been on my way and Teteh just go ahead with Teteh's trust."

With all the disappointment, Farida leaves Arini with Hamid's family. Indirectly, Farida understands, that it is Arini's way to disconnect from his own family. He could do nothing but not say much to his parents about what really happened to the youngest.

However, Farida's attempt to close the truth from her father and mother was unsuccessful. Both her parents were wondering about Arini and her husband coming home after the wedding. Glazed, Farida explains that her sister will never come home again. Arini has been throwing away her family since she married Hamid.

How heartbroken the two Arini parents at that time. His father was in shock, sitting stiffly in the living room chair. However, the father and mother do not want to believe just like that. They keep hoping, the youngest comes to bring the husband and raise the family degree.

Farida felt pity to see her parents so hurt by Arini's attitude. He tried to meet his sister and persuade her to go home. Unfortunately, every time Farida visited his sister's house in Bogor, the newlyweds were not found. The reason, Hamid is undergoing a project outside the city, so Arini also joined her husband.

For years Arini did not go home to his parents, until his father suffered a stroke. Long enough the old man was admitted to a nearby hospital, even his land and rice fields were sold for his recovery. However, the more days change, the niler the signs of recovery will return. The father who should have left when the disease relapsed, actually still survive by making a jangjawokan just to fulfill his desire to meet the youngest.

Farida, who took care of her father, shed tears many times. He believes that the father's declining health is a clear picture of longing and heartache in the behavior of the youngest. Again, he came to Arini's residence. No matter how far it takes from Bandung to Bogor, Arini must be persuaded to go home.

"Come! The arini! Open the gate, Arini!" farida shouted from the front gate of her sister's house. "Change another stroke! Don't you want to see Abah just once?"

Shortly after, a maid came to him. He said that Arini was going abroad for business. Farida was disappointed. His departure to Bogor to pick up his sister, failed again.

Nevertheless, the news of the pain of the father still reaches Arini's ear. Actually every brother came to the house, he always told his servants that he was busy taking care of business. This time, Arini was really sad to learn that her father had fallen ill. However, on the other hand he felt he had to stick to his stance to not meet his family.

Meanwhile, Farida who said that Arini was not at home to her parents, it made her father feel devastated. The old man could no longer bear the pain in his heart and body. When death was near, Farida's mother called Ki Maja to revoke all knowledge passed down to her husband. Arini's father breathed his last breath, his life has been taken by the devil to be a slave in the supernatural realm.

A few minutes after her husband's departure, Farida's mother followed his death. The woman had a heart attack, and even her life could not be helped anymore. Farida is deeply saddened by the deaths of her parents. Only she and her husband took care of Farida's parents' funeral.

Farida's grief was not over. Seven days after the deaths of her parents, Farida's husband also passed away while on a trip out of town for corporate duties. His car collided with the truck, until his body was crushed to pieces by it. Truly, Farida could not bear all the suffering and loss of all her family members. As for the younger brother who is still alive, it is impossible to accept it. Farida felt like she was living in this world. According to him, asking for help on dedemit is the only way to get back up to face the harsh reality.

From then on, Farida worshipped a monstrous figure residing in an old building. As both of his parents did, he prepared a complete offering to perform worship. Various fasts outside the Islamic Shari'a, he lived to get something he wanted to achieve. All night, he didn't sleep at all.

The days of doing all the terms call for dedemit, eventually paying off for Farida. A monstrous, long-haired creature with breasts dangling to the floor appeared before him. Initially, Farida was surprised by his presence. With trembling and cold sweat, the woman tried to remain seated in her place of worship.

"Say, what do you want from me?" the word creature that is often called Wewe Gombel was on Farida.

"I-I want an alluring beauty. Just like Arini, I-I want all my life affairs to be easy because of my beauty," Farida replied stammeringly.

"alright. But the condition is, you can't marry and have children. If you break the terms, then you'll know what's going to happen."

"Good, Nyai. I'll do it."

The horrible figure of the master was billowing into black smoke that soared to death until it disappeared on the roof of the building. Finished from her adoration, Farida returned home with a happy heart. I hope his fate changes when tomorrow comes.

The day changed, Farida's hope was realized. Thanks to his beautiful face, he can attract men, even able to get a job easily. He seemed to have forgotten all his suffering a few months ago.

So happy, he could win the heart of a ninja. Quietly, Farida has an affair behind the wife of his girlfriend, until something bad happens. He violated the terms put forward by Wewe Gombel. A baby boy was born from her womb and Farida loved her very much. However, the happiness gulped over the presence of the son, did not last long. Farida's baby boy was killed one night, after the monstrous creature took his life.

Farida was again in grief. This time, he could not get up at all. As time passed, skin diseases gnawed at his body. His face became terrifying, just like the creatures he had once worshipped. Woeful death. Not a single neighbor was willing to take care of his body, although the foul smell was very pungent from Farida's house.

In the end, Mbah Suro's family took care of Farida's funeral. Arini also secretly knows all the events from Mbah Suro's wife, Malini. The woman could only regret her actions to leave the family, because she was unable to give enlightenment about religion before they died.

Sukma winks when Arini ends her talk about the secret hidden from Farah's family all along. Bu Inah and Mr. Risman were stunned to hear the sad story of the Arini family. Even with Hilman who was secretly eavesdropping from the outside, could only stroke the chest hearing Arini's words.