What came out from Ditaka's mouth was literally not an advice, or a tale, but the words of blessing for the couple, a kind of words that only a psychic or a priestess would speak in any important phase of life. The words coming out from her mouth surprised Yakota. A slave could never know, let alone speak, a blessing like that. The life of a slave revolved around their master, the land, the crop, the well and the water. Who taught her? How did she know, how did she learn?
"May your offspring be as bright as the morning sky, and as illuminous as the stars at the night sky. May the seed who grows into a fruit in the womb, be multiplied in kindness, goodness, and truthfulness, from here to the eternity."
Karuna ran to her mother. She kneeled and put her head on her knees, then she started crying. Ditaka stroke her hair. It was the first, and the last act of love she showed to her adopted daughter. The next day, death itself kissed her while she was sleeping, turning her into an unanimate object. But, at that time, no one ever thought that the worst thing would follow such a joyous celebration. Not even Ditaka herself. She wished to give another word of blessing to Karuna's offspring. But, who could arrange death? It comes and goes as it pleases, leaving Yakota with regret. If only he could treat his mother in law with more respect, and maybe compassion.
A year after, a baby was born, early in the morning, when the sun was still hanging on the eastern sky, breaking the stillness of the night and letting the dew went up to form a little white cloud. Her cried was the loudest. Inya Dawa, Yakota's mother, cut the umbilical cord and buried it in front of her son's home, with the most luxurious fabric she ever had, a woven cloth that once a bridal gift from his death husband. The old woman then prayed to her ancestor to keep her granddaugher feet tied to Kalima's ground, and for her heart to always wanted to stay in Kalima. Her dream was to see the children of her granddaughter before she passed away. Yakota asked her mother about the wish she had.
"I want her to be the head of the village."
She laughed wholeheartedly. The old woman and her husband was born as slave. Her husband died without even having his own farm land, just like the rest of the slaves in Kalima. But, her son, who tricked his own land owner by pretending that he could heal his master's daughter from a high fever if he got his own land, got his way out of slavery. Who'd know what lies in the future for the little baby? She could do a trick like his father, and got a better position. After all, she got Yakota's blood running in her vein. Hah, that liar! He created an affair with her master's daughter, leaving for a while, and when that poor girl got a fever because of her lovesick, he promised a cure to get his farm land before leaving that girl.
He hated the father, he 'killed' the daughter. What a wicked man. Inya Dawa used to secretly hate his malicious action. However, as time went by, she accepted it as how the fate directed his son's life. Everything happened as it should be. The master needed a little punishment for his own greediness.
"But, she is a girl, Mom."
**
Yakota wanted his daughter to be a weaver. She could earn more money, and not having to suffer the heat if she became a farmer like Karuna. But, Alma did not show any interest in waving. Her passion is to take care of the house core. She did all the cleaning. And, sometimes did the cooking.
Yakota used to hate it, and blamed his wife for having a daughter with such 'genetic'. But, her wife always reminded him the words of Berima, a psychic who picked name for Alma. Alma would love to stay at home more often, and even would learn one or two rhyme words to create poetry. She also would love the house core. They rarely talk about the prophecy simply because the possibility of Alma leaving the island is zero. No one ever left, and the only outsider that arrived safely was Karuna.
The cold harsh wind that chewed people alive, or threw them into the ocean was first a curse from an ancient goddess who wanted to protect the island, and it worked well. Everytime any fisherman went outside the border, they started to feel it. The further they went, the stronger the wind. Those who went the furthest never came back, and those who did not have the courage to pass it always came back home to retell the same stories. The reason why the ancient goddess put such a curse was because so many pirates tried to take the land, dated the women, and abandoned the old faith. At first, the curse was so devastating both for the women and the pirates. After a year or two, they already forgot each other and kept doing life as if the other party did not exist.
The men did not have any objection. They could not go outside, but they could created their own civilized society away from the outsider's influence. Their women were also being put into places. The ancient goddess, Ine, was worshipped again. But, it was not for too long. Three generations after the curse, people did not really pay attention to the goddess. They have a shaman who could communicate with the spirit world, and a psychic who could help them making their life easier. The goddess was forgotten.
At the river, Yakota tried to connect all the dots in his mind about her daughter, the prophecy, the goddess, deaths... And he suddenly reached the conclusion, the basis of his most important decision in life.