The sun was almost at its peak, and the heat was intense. Only a few clouds dotted the sky over Kampung Cikaret1, while a gentle mountain breeze swept through. Jaka Someh had been unconscious for more than six hours. Although there were many lush trees around him, he lay in an exposed area of the path where no shade protected him from the sun, and the heat on his skin roused him from unconsciousness.
Jaka Someh tried to open his eyes. His head throbbed, and the world seemed to spin. He closed his eyes again, waiting for his senses to steady. After a few moments, he opened his eyes again, recalling the painful events he had just experienced—an encounter so sudden and brutal.
His face stung from the slaps and punches, his chest ached from Ki Marta’s kicks, and his joints were sore. With great effort, he struggled to sit up, breathing heavily as he tried to gather what little strength he had left. Sadness, anger, and frustration boiled within him, igniting a desire for revenge.
His heart was filled with pain, overshadowing the physical wounds. He swore to avenge himself against those who had wronged him and his late father. Still weak, Jaka forced himself to stand. Though he staggered at first, he eventually steadied himself and walked to a large, leafy tamarind tree2 nearby. There, under its shade, he rested his weary body and spirit.
After a long rest, he regained enough strength to make the journey back to his hut. He walked home slowly, feeling defeated after failing to make it to his field that day.
A week had passed since the incident, and Jaka still hadn’t returned to his field. Instead, he spent most of his time inside his hut, lost in thought. His physical injuries were slowly healing, though his face was still bruised. Though still young, Jaka’s strong body had begun to recover, but the pain in his heart was far from healed.
That day, he sat on the veranda of his bamboo cot, lost in thoughts of his seemingly ill-fated life. He felt as though God had been harsh with him. Already orphaned, he now suffered a brutal assault. Alone in the world, he had no one to confide in or to support him. His isolated hut only deepened his loneliness, and he longed for someone to keep him company during these difficult times.
Occasionally, villagers searching for firewood would stop by his hut, taking a brief rest on his veranda. However, it had been more than a week since he’d had any visitors.
Suddenly, a deep longing for his parents washed over him. He remembered the times he had spent with them. Sadness welled up as he recalled his father’s tragic end at the hands of Ki Marta and his thugs. He himself had almost met the same fate. Now, he was determined to seek revenge against Ki Marta for what he had done.
“If only I knew martial arts… if only I could be a warrior… I’d defeat every one of them,” Jaka murmured to himself, clenching his fists. In his heart, he longed to become a powerful warrior, someone no enemy could defeat. But how could he? He didn’t even know the basics of silat3.
Jaka muttered, “If that’s the case, I need to find a great silat teacher. But where? Ah, it doesn’t matter. I’ll find a teacher, no matter where they are.”
For the next few days, Jaka’s mind was consumed with the desire to find a teacher who could teach him silat.
One morning, Jaka sat on a large tree trunk outside his hut, his mind drifting over recent events. As he sat there, deep in thought, a villager suddenly approached. It was Mang Engkos4, a resident of Kampung Cikaret, out collecting firewood. Seeing Jaka daydreaming, Mang Engkos decided to have a bit of fun. He snuck up from behind and slapped Jaka’s shoulder hard, shouting.
“Hey... Someh, what are you thinking about?”
Jaka jumped, startled out of his thoughts. “Ah, Mang Engkos! You almost scared me to death!” he replied.
Mang Engkos laughed heartily, seeing how surprised Jaka was. “You’re the one daydreaming so early in the morning... what’s on your mind, Meh?”
Jaka was glad to see Mang Engkos during such a troubled time but pretended to frown and said, “Ah, Mang Engkos, you’re too nosy! Always curious about others…”
Mang Engkos put on a mock-serious face, which looked amusing to Jaka. “It’s not like that, Meh. You know it’s bad luck to daydream too much… Let me tell you about Pak Somad, a guy who once got into big trouble because of his daydreaming.”
Jaka felt intrigued by Mang Engkos’s story. “Really, Mang? What happened to him?”
Mang Engkos sighed, adding a dramatic pause.
“Pak Somad was an odd old man in the neighboring village, famous for his habit of ‘testing’ everything before he bought it.”
Jaka chuckled, “Testing, Mang?”
Mang Engkos leaned in close and whispered like it was a secret. “Yes, Pak Somad wouldn’t buy anything without ‘testing’ it first. If it was fruit, he’d bite it. If it was cloth, he’d tug on it. Anything he bought, he had to test first!”
Jaka laughed, but Mang Engkos continued with a serious expression.
“One day, Pak Somad went to the market to buy a chicken. He wanted a plump, healthy chicken, but he was so busy daydreaming on the way, imagining a nice bowl of chicken soup, that when he got to the market, he said to the seller, ‘Ma’am, I want a plump and chewy chicken, okay?’”
Mang Engkos paused, his face full of expression.
“So, the seller gave him a good chicken, but Pak Somad was still not convinced. So, as usual, he had to ‘test’ it. And suddenly… he pinched the live chicken and said, ‘Hold on, Ma’am, I’m just checking if it’s firm!’ The chicken flapped and struggled to escape, almost flying away, while the seller yelled, ‘Sir! That’s a live chicken, not vegetables! Don’t pinch it!’”
Jaka laughed out loud, imagining Pak Somad pinching a live chicken in the market.
Mang Engkos continued with a grin, “But that’s not all, Meh! When the seller got mad, Pak Somad didn’t apologize. He just replied, ‘Ma’am, I’m just making sure I don’t buy the wrong one. If the chicken runs when I pinch it, it means it’s healthy!’”
Jaka burst out laughing, but Mang Engkos wasn’t done yet.
“Then something even crazier happened. Pak Somad, still daydreaming, kept pinching and prodding the poor chicken. Suddenly… FWAP! The chicken slipped out of his hands, flapping its wings wildly, and started running through the middle of the market!” Mang Engkos said, mimicking a runaway chicken.
Jaka couldn’t stop laughing, imagining the frightened chicken running off.
“Pak Somad just stood there, stunned, while the chicken escaped. But the chicken seller was furious, yelling, ‘Pak Somad! That’s my chicken! Pay up!’”
Mang Engkos imitated the angry seller. Jaka laughed harder, as Mang Engkos kept going.
“Now that the chicken was on the loose, the whole market was in chaos! The chicken ran through the vegetable stand, scratching at the cabbage and chilies, then hopped over to the fabric stand, making a mess of the cloth! The seller kept shouting and chased after Pak Somad, who still stood there stunned!”
“Oh, no!” Jaka laughed so hard his sides ached.
Mang Engkos added with excitement, “Afraid of getting yelled at, Pak Somad joined in the chase, shouting, ‘Chicken! Come back here, chicken!’ But the chicken just kept running faster!”
Jaka laughed uncontrollably, picturing Pak Somad running around the market chased by the chicken seller.
“But wait, Meh! That chicken suddenly jumped onto a basket of eggs nearby, and… CRASH! All the eggs broke! The egg seller, seeing this, started yelling and joined the chase, shouting, ‘Pak Somad! Pay for my eggs!’”
Jaka laughed so hard tears were in his eyes.
Mang Engkos continued, “Now the whole market was full of shouting and chasing. Pak Somad ran, chased by the chicken seller, the egg seller, even the fabric seller, while the chicken kept flapping around causing trouble! The people shopping just watched and laughed at the chaos caused by that runaway chicken.”
Jaka almost fell over from laughing. Mang Engkos finished with a shake of his head.
“That’s what happens when you daydream too much, Meh! Pak Somad went to buy a chicken but ended up causing a scene in the entire market. He went home with an empty bag and a red face from getting yelled at by all the vendors!”
Jaka laughed heartily, his worries forgotten for the moment. Mang Engkos smiled, happy to see Jaka smiling again.
To be Continue Chapter 4
Footnotes
- Kampung: An Indonesian term for a village. ↩
- Tamarind tree: A large, leafy tropical tree known for its shade, commonly found in Indonesia. ↩
- Silat: An Indonesian martial art that incorporates self-defense techniques and spiritual development, often practiced in local schools across Southeast Asia. ↩
- Mang: A respectful term in Sundanese, used for an older male, similar to “Uncle.” ↩
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