THE MYSTERY OF THE FOREST
#05
As usual, the morning sun only briefly seemed to scatter its rays among the trunks of pine trees. The fog and dense forest dispels the sunlight that tries to warm the small bushes under the big trees.
Early in the morning Farhan had woken up from his sleep. The branches that were still wet with dew gathered in front of the hut. The routine he had always done since his arrival three days ago. He had never enjoyed a morning so quiet as long as he was in town finishing his studies. Enjoy the cabbage plant that expands, also green strawberry foliage in front of him. Not to mention the sounds of birds and the occasional part of a partridge that adds to the morning cherry.
The dry branches he gathered began to burn him. On top of a large fallen tree trunk he sat down while enjoying a cup of his homemade hot coffee.
Mr. Sumarep hasn't been seen out floating it. Since his arrival, Mr. Sumarep no longer stayed with him. He has a house in his own farm. Only on the first night of his arrival did Mr. Sumarep accompany him to sleep. The distance of the hut with the hut of Mr. Sumarep is about two hundred meters. It's just that the hut belonging to Mr. Sumarep can not be seen from his hut because it is covered with large trees.
"It's time you occupied the house next door. Your mother and your sister Wati will soon be moving here. So from tonight I had to leave you alone here" said Mr. Sumarep as he tidied up the items he had stored in Farhan's hut.
Farhan looked at his watch. It doesn't feel like nine in the morning. The sound of a tekukur bird perched on the top of an acacia tree could be heard splitting the forest silence. Farhan got up and stepped into the hut. He picked up a scythe tucked away in a bamboo fence. The black hat hanging near the door was grabbed. He then went out and then started walking down the sidelines of the cabbage plant. It was time he practiced what he got while studying at the Faculty of Agriculture. There must be more results from other farmers so that later the knowledge he applies can be accepted by the community.
It was seen that Mr. Sumarep was approaching towards him. Farhan smiled as Sumarep gave his thumbs up.
"Father impatiently waiting for the next planting period. You want to see the results of a agricultural scholar."
Farhan smiled.
"Father is the master of agriculture. See how these plants are so carefree in the hands of the father," said Farhan alternately wading his thumb at Mr. Sumarep after pointing towards the surrounding plants. Mr. Sumarep just smiled and sat down. He began to direct his sickle eyes towards the grasses and wild plants on the sidelines of the cabbage plant. Farhan immediately followed him from the side.
"O yes sir, said Wati why has not come." Farhan loosened his levis pants slightly. His knees hurt when he sat down to bend them.
"He should have come since. I was late for my cousin's arrival. Your sister should be with him, but not because your mother insists on moving in today. So it was forced to use a pickup car to carry goods," said Mr. Sumarep. He continued to brush the grass in front of him.
"Ow, so the angler who passed by the front of the house was the father's cousin" said Farhan when recalling this early in the morning there was a man passing in front of his hut using a motorcycle.
"Rubber, that's my cousin. He wants to go fishing on Segui beach," replied Mr. Sumarep.
"But God willing your brother Wati will come today. Maybe it's on its way" Sumarep said. Farhan nodded. He had never met that girl for a long time. For sure, she is now a very beautiful girl. When he was a child, he was able to catch the beauty lines on his face. Farhan smiled. Since Mr. Sumarep told Wati's arrival, he was impatient to see it immediately.
I don't think the sun is over my head. Its sometimes dim light was covered in clouds that occasionally flashed, enough to warm their bodies.
"Sir, rest first. We had coffee in the hut first" said Farhan. His legs straightened out and began to massage him slowly. After for some time his legs were bent continuously, his legs felt sore and tired.
"Yes there, Nak Farhan first. You want to pick some strawberries and cucumbers to eat us later," said Mr. Sumarep. He then got up and stepped towards the strawberry plant and cucumber not far from its place. Farhan got up and walked towards the hut. Arriving at the hut, Farhan immediately cooked water. While waiting for the water he cooked in the boiling jug, he laid his body on the green grass.
The sound of cars roaring from a distance. Farhan got up and looked towards the source of the sound. From a distance, a black antelope car drove slowly up the uphill road. Farhan thinks it might be the car that took Wati and Sumarep's mom. Farhan got up and immediately called for Sumarep sir.
"Sir, it's probably mom's car and Wati's." Hearing Farhan's call, Mr. Sumarep who was still cool picking some strawberries turned his head and began to closely observe the car that passed in front of him. Mr. Sumarep crossed his hands, signalling that he was not his wife and child.
Farhan was still standing staring at the car that was getting closer towards him. Arriving near his hut, the car stopped. There were three gloved men wearing black pecis coming out of the car. One more hairy man wearing black glasses looks out the back.
Farhan frowned. His eyes were pinching trying to look closely at the people walking towards him. The three black-gloved and scabbed men were completely unfamiliar to him, but the black-eyed gondrong man with a purposely contrived step reminded him of someone.
Farhan smiled. The black-eyed gondrong man ran over three black-fisted men in front of him.
"Farhan. Why don't you know me, too. You forgot this step huh," said the gondrong man, opening his glasses. He rehearsed his walking and slightly widened his chest signaling Farhan to come to hug him. Farhanpun approached and hugged the man.
"God's Mass Harjan. If you don't open your glasses, maybe all day I've been standing here staring at you. O Allah, you are fat" said Farhan, patting Harjan's stomach. Harjan laughed and let Farhan back pat him on the stomach. After being content to chat, Farhan then let Harjan and his three friends go inside.
"Alhamdulillah finally met again. Sayak thought after graduating from college we would be difficult to meet again" said Farhan. He picked up a few glasses made of coconut shells, then began brewing coffee for his guests.
"Han, please have three cups of coffee with a little sugar. The three Ustadzs coped differently" Harjan said as he watched Farhan start putting sugar in a glass. He glanced at his three friends who looked smiling.
"Look it, sugar so that the concerned who menakar. Fear will not suit the taste," said Farhan thrust the place of sugar to three people whom Harjan called ustadz.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce my friends." Harjan turned his body around and was about to introduce his three friends. Harjan undoes his intentions when Mr. Sumarep comes and experiences them one by one.
"Sir, this is my former college friend in Mataram, his name is Harjan" Farhan said, pointing to Harjan. Harjan nodded his head.
"So I continued the introduction" Harjan said after Mr. Sumarep sat next to Farhan.
"This is our ustadz-ustadz from the Qudwatusshalihin Pemondah Foundation. I used to go there when I was Tsanawiyah. This is Ustadz Hamdi, this is Ustadz Ramlan and the last one is Ustadz Kamal. These are the sons of the late founder of the Qudwatusshalihin foundation." Harjan begins to introduce the three to Farhan and Sumarep sir. Farhan and Sumarep nodded.
"They are the administrators of the Foundation, and their arrival here is to take care of the land which he says is claimed by _what is his name ustadz." Harjan turned his head towards ustadz Ramlan.
"Haji Maemun" whispered ustadz Ramlan.
"Well, Haji Maemun."
"The greedy man. Do not call Hajj. He never went to Mecca. He just nginep at his friend's house in Jakarta," the laughter of Harjan broke out, "Yes right, a lot of witnesses really," continued Mr. Sumarep
Ustadz Kamal was seen taking out several pieces of paper from his waist bag. A few sheets of paper then he titled in front of him.
"When our late father was still alive, there was an agreement that had been agreed with Haji Maemun." Seemed to be busy flipping through the sheets. Ustadz Ramlan looks to be starting to help.
"Now Ustadz, don't take Hajj. Mr. Maemun only. I think it's not good that the title is held by people like him," said Mr. Sumarep cut off the talk of ustadz Kamal. Ustadz Kamal smiled, as did the others.
"Fill the deal, Haji Maemun, uh sorry," ustadz Kamal said. "Sir Maemun must deposit fifteen percent of the harvest to the foundation. But unfortunately Mr. Maemun only ever deposited three times. It's only two million, too" said Ustadz Kamal, continuing his talk.
Mr. Sumarep smiled faintly. He seemed to shake in disbelief. The foundation's five-hectare land was donated only two million and was repaid three times.
"Yesterday we tried to contact Mr. Maemun but still could not be reached. We would like to request a report by Mr. Maemun regarding his deposits to the foundation. But later we got information that Mr. Maemun did not admit that the land was a foundation land,"
"I just found out that all this time the land owned by the foundation was managed by Mr. Maemun. So what is the next action of Nak ustadz foundation," continued Mr. Sumarep.
"We have to coordinate with the forestry side first. If with the evidence of this letter Mr. Maemun still insists, then we are forced to take the legal route" said Ustadz Ramlan.
"The bottom line is that we are ready to help the foundation to solve this problem. And one more thing, the event of our friendship today may make us help each other in various problems in this place," said Harjan who was immediately greeted with a nod to agree with his friends.
"Oya Jan, where do you live now". Farhan grabbed the dry tobacco spot in front of Harjan after Harjan finished rolling his cigarette.
"Yes, I forgot. Now we're neighbors lo Han. I'm now assigned as the manager at the pearl company that's in the Segui Sea." Harjan lit his cigarette and sucked it deep.
"Great, but how can it? where do you know that there is a pearl shell cultivation here," asked Farhan half-curious. Harjan smiled.
"Alhamdulillah, now all shares of the company are owned by my uncle." Harjan is back smoking. Farhan smiled giving his thumb.
...*****...
The sound of Azan wild-governs flowing through the cracks of the tree trunks carried by the wind that blows. Feeling that their business was in order, Harjan and his three friends went home.
"Oya Farhan, don't forget to mess around. Bring also uncle Sumarep," said Harjan when he was about to board the car. Farhan smiled and hugged Harjan's body. Not long after, the car he was riding drove down a rocky road.
Just a few minutes they rest in the hut, sound of car horn from a direction not so far away. Mr. Sumarep who was currently tying the pile of dry wood he collected immediately turned his head. Farhan who had just laid down his body also woke up. He immediately straightened his hair and rubbed his face.
"Son Farhan, I lived first, like your mother and sister have come. I want to help them drop things. Later I invite him to play around here." Mr. Sumarep put half his body into the hut.
"I'm coming with you sir." Farhan tidied up his clothes and walked out.
"Son Farhan rest first. Your sister's stuff is not too much anyway" said Mr. Sumarep. Farhan did not answer, he just followed in the footsteps of Mr. Sumarep following the open tub car from behind.
A girl sitting at the front of the car kept noticing a handsome, tall man accompanying Mr. Sumarep from the rearview mirror of the car. He could not answer the question of his mother sitting next to him regarding the figure of the man. They are both curious.
And when the car stopped in front of Mr. Sumarep's hut, the man swiftly began to lower the items in the car.
Farhan was silent with a smile as Wati and Sumarep noticed. He deliberately let his long hair cover part of his face. He wanted Wati and his mother to keep on being curious about him. He continued to help Mr. Sumarep move things into the hut.
After finishing, Farhan approached Sumarep's mother and kissed her hand. Bu Sumarep was still glancing curiously. Wati who was standing next to his mother was approached by Farhan and invited him to shaman.
"Your mother and sister have not told me about your arrival, so they both do not know you" said Mr. Sumarep as he sat on the long bench in front of the hut.
"Come on Nak Farhan, sit here." Sumarep invited Farhan to sit next to him.
For the sake of hearing Farhan's name called, Sumarep and Wati looked at each other. The two soon approached Farhan.
"Oh my God, sister, how come you didn't talk about it?", come on, the shaman is repeated again," said Wati as she grabbed Farhan's hand and kissed him.
"Your father likes to see us curious. Sorry Nak Farhan that we didn't pay attention to Nak Farhan, "sahut bu Sumarep.
"Wati, get in there, make us coffee, "sumarep told Wati. Wati walked in with a smile pinched on her lips.
"Son Farhan, my father lived first. I want to take my mom to the next door neighbor. He wants to see an old friend. You were here with your sister." Farhan nodded. After informing Wati who was still in the kitchen, Mr. Sumarep and his wife began to walk down the path.
Wati still saw Farhan's face from the small holes of the kitchen fence. A lot has changed from his old friend. Although there are some verses in the past that make him slowly find the face of Farhan who used to be. As a teenage girl, her blood seemed to rustle to see Farhan's beautiful face. White, handsome and ideal high posture. He thought, maybe all this time he had not received someone in his life because he was waiting to be reunited with Farhan.
Since Mr. Sumarep was not there, Wati only served a cup of coffee for Farhan. A jar of pastries he had brought from the village was brought out and served on a piece of teak wood in front of Farhan. Farhan smiled as Wati invited him to drink. I don't know, all of a sudden both of them feel clumsy. Wati had not yet raised his head. Both of his legs were rubbed against each other. No different from Farhan, he looked busy ringing his fingers. Sometimes he sighed softly like he was about to say something long held back.
