Swordsman Behind the Scenes

CHAPTER VII - NOT AS EXPECTED

Today is the second day that Waseso has stopped in Watukelir province, a provincial city that is actually not so big, but because the regional head is quite clever in managing the security strategy in the city, he said, make the wild hordes do not dare to act arbitrarily in the city. This resulted in many small people from various villages who went to evacuate their villages, making the city that news is quite safe, they make it a destination to take shelter to connect with life. Unfortunately, the head of the area, including all his subordinates more fun with the resounding wealth they get from the security tax levies of the amount of value they apply evenly so as to produce a different response for the community, which is different, it is cheap for the rich, quite expensive for the middle class, very expensive for the poor, and suffocating for the immigrants who live only in shanty huts. Thus, it automatically and unwittingly raises four social status in the daily life of the community. The bottom fought desperately for them and their families to survive. The third from the bottom, in addition to trying to survive also try as much as possible to be in a position to rise as high as the group above it. The second expends all of its ability not to sag to the level below it. And the first group tried to bring out all the moves it had to be able to keep associating with the elites above the four class limits. Compassion for others is becoming a rarity in people's lives and successfully reflects the expression of who the strong can be, who the weak helpless. Waseso is one who feels the direct impact of such conditions. Because it was already this second day, his stomach was still not filled. Indeed, on the first day of his arrival he was still amazed and lulled with the streets of the city wide and clean. The houses he had just seen this time were piled up grandly and luxuriously on all the side streets of the city. The boys who were identical to him looked so bright with his beautiful clothes and free to play, both in the front yard of their house and were walking around on their horseback while enjoying the atmosphere of the city park. Even at night he was stunned by the crowds of residents who went back and forth in some streets even many of them seemed to gather while enjoying a show or a fun attraction. Everything he saw was so astounding to the boy that he did not care about everyone's cynical view of him when he passed by on the road. He also did not feel offended in the slightest when he was standing and amazed by the beauty of the gold-inked writing on one of the SAKTI & HOME MEDICINE HEBIB signboards FOR ALL KINDS OF DISEASES . Just now he finished muttering to read the plain writing, suddenly came out a man from inside the house carrying a club in his right hand while rebuking;

"want you poor boy...want to seek treatment for your slanted shoulder ? Hushhh,. Go there !"

All these amazing experiences suddenly vanished without a trace when he was on a road and inhaled a pleasant aroma that made his stomach wriggle. When he arrived near the source of the scent, he saw on both the right and left sides of the road, lined up like a luxurious and magnificent dining place to the end of the road far away and none of the places looked empty because it was lunch time. So many parked horses lined up in front of the places to eat. Almost all the horses were seen chewing food as if they were mocking the starving boy. Reflexively he approached and stood in front of one of the eating places. When he was thinking about what work he could do and offered to the homeowner to get a change of dinner plate, suddenly the person he had just sat in came to see him armed with a floor broom;

"want you little beggar, go there"

The call of the little beggar, the little boy, the handicapped beggar, the bad boy, was heard many times as he went from place to place. Finally with a grumble he stepped away from the place;

"whoever will beg, and have not heard what I will offer you has driven me away. Turns out the town guys suck"

While walking down the road while occasionally flailing to the right-left to meet the empty land overgrown with weeds he muttered;

"it is strange, why is there not a single plant of yam or cassava"

He did not realize that every inch of land was an owner that they would later sell to buyers who could provide double profits for them and the land was deliberately left empty without productive plants. With the step begins to weaken, while some people who occasionally cross or walk to overtake him always get away but are not ignored. Suddenly he heard a voice behind him;

"woiii,.dik,.dik,.dik,..wooiii"

Spontaneously he stopped and turned around and saw an ordinary thin-faced, plain-clothed young man in his twenties waving his hand at him. When Waseso looked back he saw no one behind his back.

"yes you brother, come here"

His mind moved closer;

"it seems I was meant"

Arriving in front of the house yard that looks quite roomy but scattered many leaves mixed with weeds, wild grass, he seemed stunned for a while and noticed that the simple wooden house was in stark contrast to the other buildings around him. The location of the house or shop is somewhat indented into and the shape of the building is quite common but clean with four windows and two front doors that are wide open and on the door there is a signboard KEDAI FAMILY MEAL - SIMPLE.

The young man who had called him was now standing at the door of the porch which was piled with a thick pile of straw while reaching back to him;

"don't stand there let alone this the sun is hot, come here".

When he got close to him, the young man smiled kindly but he put his mouth open when he heard the voice of the man from within;

"who's the boy ?"

"this is the wandering boy I saw and I asked him to come" replied the young man.

"then immediately be entertained" continued the owner of the voice inside.

Just about to answer, now a female voice followed saying;

"let me prepare, come here,..."

The young man did not answer immediately, but said to the boy, pointing to the corner of the porch there on a bench with a table in front of him;

"just sit there and wait a minute, yeah,..."

Proceed;

"yes ma'am, I'm coming" then he turned around and went inside.

Before sitting down he saw there was a barrel commonly used to hold water behind the corner of the house and was rightly guessed, even beside him there was a small container of foam powder that seemed more expensive than it carried, he said, because the aroma is more fragrant even though it has not been mixed with water.

"let's eat, of course, you're very hungry"

But the answer the boy gave made the young man gawk;

"i can't afford it unless you allow me to clean your yard in return"

The young man answered;

"that's not necessary"

But he hurriedly continued when he saw that the boy's body was about to stand up;

"all right I agree, but you have to eat first"

Finally the boy began to take a glass of water and drink a few gulps and began to eat. Actually the young man wanted to accompany sitting next to the boy but when he saw a pair of female male customers coming into his yard he immediately greeted them and let them into the tavern. The pair of guests had only glanced at the boy who seemed to be eating so voraciously before he finally went inside. Not so long later the sound of the sound of the frying pan with the stirring handle followed by the aroma of cooking coming out from the inside which of course the aroma immediately canceled the intention of Waseso who was already feeling full about to put the plate rice that has not been consumed. After feeling enough time so that all the food that had just entered and the ludes were finished was placing themselves appropriately in his stomach, Waseso immediately stood up and rushed towards the front corner of the courtyard and crouched down and began plucking the weeds with both hands. The owner of the house who turned out to be a man who was about sixty years old seemed to follow behind a pair of customers who had already left and left the store. For a moment he looked at the activities carried out by the boy, to want to see what the shape of a wandering boy was like what their son who called him a unique figure said, because he said that despite his appearance as a beggar, carrying a bundle of cloth, his shoulders tilted when standing or walking, but the strangest thing is to refuse to be fed for free. Not long after seeing the shop owner's wife followed out and stood beside her husband, the young man also immediately joined and looked like they were chatting while staring at the boy who was on the move, and then he was on the move, and then the young man seemed to nod his head several times. They immediately disbanded, in order to see one prospective customer who entered their home page. The young man came out from the side of the house with a small scythe and came to the boy;

"use this on"

After giving up the sickle, he immediately returned to the house to help his parents serve customers.

By sundown, Waseso had just risen and washed his hands, that's because both the owner of the house and his son who is now gathered sitting on the front porch chair must repeatedly scream to ask the boy to quit his job. Finished drinking the water he came closer to them and sat down and just looked down on the lower floor facing them. Back the three of them said to each other telling him to sit on a chair, but to see the determination of the boy and understand the situation of the boy who may feel inferior due to his dirty clothes and body then they stop forcing.

"whose name is your son.

"i waseso bude"

"how old are you and where are you from?

"i was nine years old and I forgot the name of my village"

"how long have you been traveling, son?",....this time the father also spoke.

They looked at the boy as if counting his fingers before answering;

"about eleven months pakde"

(pakde is a nickname for a man who feels older than the father of the caller)

Upon hearing the boy's answer, the three of them looked at each other even the mother seemed to stroke his chest. Then he asked the next question;

"where are you going, son?"

As soon as they saw the boy shake their heads, the three of them looked back at each other and understood what had happened to the boy. Because the news and news that spread widely about the situation that occurred in remote areas as a result of prolonged war they have known and felt directly. Even the couple had willingly paid money to obtain the identification wristband worn by their only son. The actual amount of money is very much for them, but the value is not comparable to if you have to part with the child. This time it was the turn of the young man who said;

"my name is Wiguna and these two are my mother's father. You can call him Pakde or bude Temoto,....now you come with me inside and I'll show you where you can take a shower and then we'll have dinner together and also where you can sleep"

Waseso seemed to not believe his hearing just now and when he was about to open his mouth to resist for a moment he just gawked and did not let out the slightest sound because he saw the bude was looking at him sharply and so clearly visible facial features that indicate not to be denied. At once Waseso stood up and bowed respectfully to Pakde and bude and followed Wiguna into the house. So Waseso ended up staying at the family home and he really pleased the three homeowners, because although quiet but the boy is very diligent in maintaining the cleanliness of both himself and the environment around the house. Children's energy that is not much, but felt very helpful to them. Without being told to always get up early, clean the yard, shop room, and, help wash dishes and kitchen utensils even if forced to buy some grocery store ingredients that are forgotten to buy at the people's market, the boy never forgot a single type of shopping list given, even the change was also given honestly.

Once an afternoon but the sun had not yet sunk, after helping close the shop window, he asked bude for permission to take a walk to the park. Actually he deliberately lied by saying the purpose to the park, but he thought it was better than he had to tell the truth that he wanted to let go of his curiosity. Several times at least once every two weeks he always saw a number of small children his age and all the boys dressed like uniforms running small on the street and passing in front of the tavern towards the park town. The incident had also just happened again just now, so he decided to find out. For quite a while he walked down the street and when he was about to arrive at the park he heard a boisterous sound like children breathing together while practicing silat, because he had also received basic training from his late father. Immediately he ran closer to a very large and luxurious house but fenced high and tight. Patiently he tried to find a small hole between the fence boards and tried to peek inside. True as he expected, he noticed there were about eight boys of his age, all wearing silat uniforms that looked so cool and all of them were also seen wearing identification bracelets on their right hands, he was practicing horse-foot formation and breathing exercises. Because he felt the hole he was wearing just a small he tried to find another bigger hole by sliding his body to the right, not yet got what he was looking for he was surprised by the sound above him like the prowess of clothes that collided against the wind. When he turned his back, right in front of him was now standing a dashing and handsome man of a younger age than his late father, dressed the same as the one worn by the children inside, who had been wearing the same clothes, then he concluded that this was their silat teacher. He intended to greet the person at once to apologize but was undone, when he saw the silat teacher seemed to be watching him with a cynical look, starting from the clothes he was wearing and a bit long glared at his body that stood on its side. Without making a sound from his mouth because he knew himself, the boy immediately left and headed back towards the tavern. It was the first and last time for the boy to go on a mission to watch the practice.

SERIATE.