The Musafir

The Little River and the Buluh Forest

“Please do not call myself by the designation ‘tuan’ again,” says Mantingan, “just call me by my name.”

Rara who chimed, “Look at her, Arka, again proved how cynical her treatment was.”

Mantingan invites them back to walk, they have been resting for too long. All three walked without any illumination, but the moonlight was enough to guide their steps. After all, it would be much safer to walk like this.

The silence of the night was broken by Arkawidya when he said to Mantingan, “Mantingan, I have not thanked you. But speech alone is not enough to repay your services, so you can ask anything from me and I will try hard to make it happen.”

“What do you mean, Arka?” Rara again crammed. “Do you want to give it. ..”

Mantingan cut off Rara's speech as Arkawidya was offended later. “I ask for nothing, it is my duty as a human to help you who are also human.”

Arkawidya smiled warmly. “Thank you very much, Mantingan.”

Back the night crickets filled the silence, while the Mantingan steps continued to roar northward without hesitation and without fear.

What else would he have to fear now other than the Almighty? Had he not killed a man, which meant that the Mantingan had already obtained proof of his courage. But actually not only the courage that Mantingan get, but also a great sense of sin.

Now Mantingan thought, if if if the Wasupati he killed had his family and his family were looking for Wasupati while crying in the streets without them knowing that the Wasupati had been killed at the hands of Mantingan?

What if this Wasupati is actually a good person and wants to repent too? Or maybe the Wasupati is a slave who is bought and used as a tool to kill?

All these allegations cannot be removed from his head, and there are other conjectures. And the current Mantingan, though it looks more valiant and courageous until someone who has known him first will certainly be surprised, but the steps are much heavier due to the sin that has sagged his feet.

Let it be, Mantingan can not regret. If only he had not killed the Wasupati, it was highly likely that Rara would have been killed. But does Rara deserve to be saved? Of course Mantingan could not rule out the possibility if Rara turned out to be a big sinner until Wasupati intended to kill him.

It may also not be a matter of right or wrong, but of the closest and farthest relationship. Mantingan's relationship with Rara is of course much closer than the new Wasupati Mantingan knows when they fight. It may be ....

Rara's life story is still vague in Mantingan's eyes, so there's a good chance Mantingan will have Rara tell her about her past.

They continued to walk in the darkness of the night, with the Mantang leading, and Arkawidya pointing the way. Many pairs of eyes were staring at them, but no one dared to approach enough after seeing a star-shaped light and surrounded by five flowers floated following the three. That was the sign Birawa gave secretly just before Mantingan closed the door of the Earth Inn, and the sign was not realized by the three.

Had there not been a luminous sign that resembled a star surrounded by five flowers, it could be ascertained that the Mantan had died at the hands of the pirates at this time, and Rara and Arkawidya had been taken to the headquarters of the pirates.

***

Until morning they walked. Because none of them are exhausted. After all, both Arkawidya and Mantingan wanted to quickly get to Birawa's house for safety reasons. Rara also showed no sign of disapproval. So with all that, the trip is much faster than a night of camping.

“Not far ahead there is a small river whose water is quite clear, I want to clean up there and maybe you guys want to too?” arkawidya said, he was more familiar after walking with Mantingan and Rara overnight, by replacing the word “saya” with the word “aku”.

“Of course, I also did not have time to clean myself at all.” Rara smiled gleefully, looking at Mantingan for approval.

Mantingan cleared his throat. “Of course, the water supply is also thinning.”

“You don't shower, Mantingan?” Ask Arkawidya astonishment.

It was a bit awkward, but Mantingan still shook his head. Why did he take a bath while the cloak giving Kenanga has been able to maintain the freshness of his body?

“Mantingan is like that, Arka. Let it be, let the flies nest in his body.” Rara as usual always chimed, is that his old habits or even his new habits? Whatever the habit, that must always make Mantan smile awkwardly or a stiff smile.

Not long after they walked, Arkawidya asked them to turn to the left side of the road. There is a path that divides the bush and leads to the bamboo forest. They walked on the path, through the thickets and into the forest full of reed trees that sounded like a flute when the leaves were in the wind. Their trunks screech as strong winds blow, making the reed forest almost never silent.

One or two squirrels with their shrewdness splashed across the reed rods and made a noise to pull the pair from its tiny mouth. The multicolored birds flew under the shady shadow of the row of reeds. Weasels ran when they saw the distant presence of Mantingan walking in front of the two women behind him.

Not only that, Mantingan also saw a monitor lizard that almost resembles a crocodile, running away in fear also when seeing the presence of humans. Therefore, it indicates that there are waters or swamps near here.

Mantingan saw a small river in front of him. The river is not a rocky river, but a river based on peat soil, soil that is the sediment of tree carcasses. The water flows soft and very clear, so that it can be seen on the river basins there are reed leaves that have sunk. His body meandered far through other bushes and into other places as well.

As the advancing Mantingan approached again, he saw something even more amazing. There are goldfish that calmly swim under the lotus leaves. There are also other fish that try to hide behind the reed leaves. It's breathtaking.

Arkawidya and Rara reached the riverbank, both smiling very happily.

“You certainly won't stay here, Mantingan?”

Being asked like that by Arkawidya resuscitated the Mantingan to immediately leave this place, but he was more interested, or rather ignorant, to ask Arkawidya again.

“Of course, do you guys not mind?”

Rara and Arkawidya stared at Mantingan with a look of disbelief.

***

Mantingan was preparing a warm breakfast for himself as well as for Rara and Arkawidya. While collecting reedwoods, he smiled remembering the moment before he left the small river where Rara and Arkawidya would bathe. An event that he never seems to forget.