The Fragrant Soul

Chapter 26: The Flowers that Dry

Sukma Harum gathered all the abilities of science to relieve his body to do this movement. Not a single human eye can capture the shadow of this movement. His body slid down into the abyss.

But Raka felt her body drift very sluggish. The world seems to be moving in slow motion. The fallen leaves take thousands of years to get to the ground.  The wind stopped whirring. Time seemed to stop while the warrior's body floated down into the abyss.

He believes.

Believing that everything he does is not in vain.

Believing that someone or something will catch him when he falls.

Like a friend of a living. Like a friend of the same fate. Like a friend who is always in every difficulty.

Only a person who truly possesses this kind of trait is able to expect the same trait in others.

Because if you're a traitor, then you never expect anyone else to hold a promise for you.

Because if what you're always saying is a lie, then you'll never expect anyone to give you the truth.

Therefore he greatly enjoyed this fall, for he was very confident in what he believed.

Then his body no longer slid down.

Now it has landed on something very soft.

If he had fallen, he would have flown upwards.

The horizon, the true friend has appeared.

Giant eagle which is a friend of his belief.

“How are you doing, buddy?” whisik Raka's.

“Kaoook!” voice shrivelled. Maybe because the bird knew its friend was moving in secret.

“Thank you for coming. I really need your help!”

The horizon drifted through the clouds very quickly. The darkness of the night covered his lithe movements. His wings were flapping wide like he wanted to reach the moon up there. Raka touched the eagle's neck to control the direction.

Before long they were close to where they were headed. Back Raka whispered, “Thank you. If we meet again I will treat me to a whole fat buffalo. How?”

“Kaoook!” the voice was soft but firm.

The horizon is sliding down very quickly. Like the sting of lightning that split the sky, but without sound. There was only the whirring of the wind blowing through its golden brown feathers.

Raka then jumped in a gag!

Then his body slid down to the earth leaving his mighty mount.

The slide is much faster because it gets a boost of power from the launch owned by Cakrawala. “Wuuuuuushhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

His body was like hitting the earth, then knew the slide was like stopping in the middle of the road. To slow down and drift down slowly. Anyone on earth will admit that this is the science of lightening the body that was once owned by humans.

The body glided gently like a cotton swab in the wind. Then landed on a shady tree branch but very high. Not even the rantik moved as if there was not a single object that occupied it. No leaves swaying or falling off. No animals wake up in surprise. The night was quiet as usual.

The howl of the wolf split the silence of the night when Sukma Harum was already sitting cross-legged covered with a grove of pepohan. Sitting up here, he could look around without anyone knowing. Even a sharp-eyed night animal would not be able to catch him sitting there.

He then slept soundly in a cross-legged state.

The night sky is still dark. The shadow of dawn is still not visible. Maybe it's still far away. But the shadow will surely come. Like hope.

　

　

***

For two days he was in the tree. Only eat the fruits that he picked secretly. What was he waiting for?

By noon, it turned out that what he was waiting for arrived.

Harum Sukma is on a grove of trees not far from the cemetery. A cemetery he visited a few days ago.

The Damara family cemetery.

Why did he come back here?

Because he wants to see someone.

Who is that guy?

A lady. Not too young and not too old. Still pretty. Even though his body was no longer tight. Natural beauty.

He came there with flowers to sow on the grave.

When Sukma Harum visited the tomb for the first time, he noticed that the plants there were well preserved. His headstone is clean and well-groomed. In his estimation of course at least once a month there are people coming to care for the cemetery. And according to her consideration at that time, of course the person who took care of her will come in these few days. Because, in his calculations, it was time for the care of plants, grasses, and headstones.

It is not suspected that the person who takes care of her is quite an attractive woman. He thought the grave nurse was an old granny.

The woman painstakingly cleaned and arranged the flowers.

Sukma Harum appeared from afar so that the woman was not surprised.

“Sampurasun,” saya Sukma Harum.

The woman was not surprised because from a distance she had seen the arrival of the man. He just nodded, as if the owner of the look was not human. It was as if he was dealing with a celestial angel.

“Rampes,” answers accompanied by a tone of astonishment. As if asking “Who are you?”

“My name is Raka.”

“Oh with Raka? Who came here a few days ago?”

“Now to come back? What are there needs?”

“I want to meet neng.”

“I'm almighty, don't be called neng..,”

“Eh? Sorry then. I did not expect....,” Sukma Harum pretended not to continue his words.

Women everywhere on earth love to be thought of as young.

“What do you want to meet me?” ask the woman to blush.

“Just want to ask a little about Damara family. Can it?”

The woman sighed. “There is a question what?”

“What is the relationship with the Damara family?”

“My brother is the wife of Mr. Damara.”

Sukma Harum was silent as if waiting for the woman to continue her story. If a smart man listens, then he will be liked by women.

“My brother married Mr. Damara when he was 18 years old. I was 9 years old at the time. I was invited by my brother to stay in the house to help with all his needs.”

“What were his duties at that time?”

“Cooking. Help clean-up. All the needs of my sister. Also accompany Mr. Damara's eldest son.”

“That means bye Tria?”

“Oh no. When Mr. Damara married my brother, he was a widower. He had a son who was about 2 years old at the time. His wife died while giving birth to the child.”

In Sukma Harum's heart was stunned.

“Where is the boy now?”

“Lost as a child..., about 13 years old.”.

“Eh?”

“The boy was very kind and friendly. Clever anyway. He likes cats very much. One day the cat disappeared. We're all looking for that cat everywhere. Den is also looking for it. But cats do not meet, den nice also lost.”

“Abducted people?”

“No. We found his sandals on the edge of the ravine. It seems he fell into the ravine and drifted away by the swift river below. For weeks people searched for it but did not meet...,”.

“Who's that nice den name?”

“Name Raden Bagus Nataprawira.”

Sukma Harum sighed and looked sad too. “Pity once his fate.”

Even the fate of the entire family was very sad.

“Iya. The boy was very good. Slavish. His father did not want to consider him dead. It was only considered gone. One day we are expected to return home. Therefore, his room was always tidied up and given away. Afraid that he'll come home.”

“Nyai stay in that house until when?”

“Until my brother died roughly 5 years after the disappearance of Den Nata. Before he died, I still lived there. Be the caretaker of his children, Den Tria and Den Mutual. Until the age of Den Tria about 14 or 15 years new I came out of that house.”

“How was their nature at the time?” asked Sukma Harum while smiling as if remembering the mischief of children.

“Den Tria litwes. Be friendly with anyone. But jagan got her mad. He could be so fierce,” the woman's laughter.

“If Den Reksa has been sickly since birth. More in bed. Maybe because of the pain he was always moody. But he's a very smart boy. He can know so many things when he rarely gets out of bed.”

Hmmmmmmm. Attractively.

“Sorry. Whether he can walk or...,”.

“Yes. Could slightly. But his body is paralyzed next door. He said that walking all over his body hurt. He lay down more often. But make no mistake, he is very interested in silat. Sometimes his father invited a silat teacher or martial arts swordsman just to express it in front of him or just chat with him about silat and the martial world.”

“Oh so.”

It was not felt Raka looked at the newly cleaned flowers and replaced with new ones. The dried flowers are brittle, which are just stooped in the corner.

“Eh, aden why daydream?” ask the woman.

Want Sukma Harum tells about the death of Den Ayu Tria. Also about the state of Den Bagus Reksa to nyai it. But his heart was not.

“Where did Den Reksa go for treatment at that time?”

“Ke various places. To various padepokan and college of the magic people. Also famous physicians. Although he was moody and sickly, his spirit to heal was very strong. Den Ayu often also accompany him everywhere, because the lady does like to walk and meet people.”

Furthermore, “At first it was still controlled by people. But the more mature and silat science Den Tria is qualified, sometimes even just escorted by one coachman only.”

A little bit of Harum Sukma already had a picture of this whole incident. All the important information has been obtained.

He took out a few gold pieces and gave them to the nyai saying, “All the information is very helpful to this investigation. Thank you so much for taking the time for me. Please accept this as a form of gratitude. Sorry if the amount is not how.”

He accepted it with gratitude.

Sukma Harum immediately rushed from there, he disappeared in the grove of trees.

“That guy is so handsome. She's an angel or a ghost haunting?”