First day at Lit's grandma house. Lot was disappointed because he thought Lit was lying. Lit said that they were going on vacation at his grandmother's villa. But they not live in villas, but in ordinary houses. One more lie, his grandmother's house wasn't on a hill either. Lot's shadow of climbing the hill was dispersed. Actually Lit wasn't wrong. Only Lot's dream was too grandiose. In the area where Lit's grandma lived, there were hills, but they were nothing more than mounds of earth. He said, not far from the small hill there was an artificial cave or bunker that was used to hide the Japanese soldiers. If the information is correct, it is possible that the hill was nothing more than a pile of soil when digging a cave.
Second day at Grandma Lit's house. Early in the morning, Lot saw a strange old woman passing by. The woman stared at him for a long time without any expression at all. Lot was worried that it was a mad wowann who could attack him. The old woman was carrying a stone statue. The statue's head broke off, fell, and rolled onto the road. The woman chuckled picking it up. Thankfully Lit, Lat, and Lit's Grandma showed up so Lot wasn't alone.
When the old woman left Lit asked Lit's Grandma. "Is she a mad woman, Grandma?"
Lit's Grandma replied, "It's Nek Mo. She is older than me. Is she crazy? I do not think so. It's just a little weird to be carrying a rock doll."
"Lit!" cried a boy their age. The body is not fat, tends to be thin.
"Kabul!" cried Lit. "Get over here! I'll introduce my friends." Kabul approaches and he's a friendly kid. "These are my friends, Lot and Lat."
"I never think that you were actually born triplets!" exclaimed Kabul, jokingly. "I know you weren't born with twins. It's weird, how come you guys look like this?" The four of them laughed. "Lit, when did you take out for a walk? If you go on vacation here, you like to take me everywhere. Look for fish or look for snails in the fields. How about we go fishing for eels later? In the past, when you last vacationed here, I wasn't good at fishing for eels. We keep failing because we don't know how. I'll teach you later."
"Isn't the rice plants already big? If so, it's hard to find eel holes," said Lit.
"We are looking for those on the edge of the rice fields," said Kabul. Lit was happy, and so were Lot and Lat. "How about after Lohor?"
"Hot!"
"City boy. Use an umbrella or a hat!" Kabul leaves them. "I prepared the fishing rod first!" shouted Kabul from a distance.
After Kabul's back was out of sight, Lot said, "A very confident boy."
"You're right," said Lit. "If there is him the atmosphere will be lively. Later, if necessary, we invite him to stay with us. In the past, when I was around, he used to stay here often. We give a little bait then he will tell us all kinds of things. When he tell about ghosts, he's very skilled."
In the afternoon, Kabul came with two of his friends, Toto and Lanjar. The boy brought six fishing rods, just right for the six of them. Each gets one so as not to fight. Not only that, Kabul brought three caping, the hats usually worn by farmers in Indonesia. With this wide hat, his friends from city will not complain of the heat. Meanwhile, Kabul, Toto, and Lanjar did not wear hats. They are used to the heat. Lit, Lot, and Lat then said goodbye to Grandma Lit when they went with Kabul.
"Careful. Don't come home late," Grandma Lit ordered. They walked along the village road, before finally jumping over a small stream, and into the rice fields. The first rice fields they found were no longer watery, even the soil tended to be dry. In soil like this the eels prefer to bury themselves in the wet ground to survive. Even though the dry season is approaching, many farmers are still growing rice, so the need for water is very high. There is not enough river water because the springs in the upstream have reduced water flow. To overcome this, many farmers have drilled wells to extract groundwater. The iron pipe is plugged into the ground and the water is sucked out by a diesel pump.
"If a diesel pump is installed near the hamlet, people will be scolded," said Lanjar.
Lat asked, "Why?"
"Because the people's wells are dry."
Kabul said, "Don't tell this story, will you. I once clogged a borehole pipe. At night, at two o'clock at night, when it was quiet and only naughty ghosts roamed, Mas Ponco invited me to plug a well pipe near the hamlet. It was done because the owner could not be compromised. Residents have asked him not to suck for a long time. Eh, he still does it indefinitely. Our wells are dry, we can't shower, wash or anything. After the blockage, the owner knows himself, it doesn't take long to suck ground water."
Lot laughed while glancing at Lit, it's true that Kabul is like a parrot, loves to chatter. "This is an eel hole!" exclaimed Lanjar, when he arrived at the flooded rice fields.
"This is not an eel hole but a crab pit!" Kabul protests. "You fishing day and night will not get eel." Where did he know it was a crab pit? There was no crab in the hole, he just made it up. Lanjar didn't want to argue because he already knew Kabul's character. They continued walking along the rice fields. Grasshoppers flew from the rice leaves that were parted by their steps. Many times Lot caught grasshoppers and released them again.
"If I bring Siprit, it will be happy," said Lit.
"So there's still one more friend? Aren't you three alone?" Kabul responded quickly.
"Yes. I'll introduce you to Siprit later," said Lot. Lat and Lit laughed. Kabul stops, the others stop too. There is a hole at the edge of the embankment. The hole was watering and the water seemed to move. Kabul said it was an eel hole and he put a baited fishing line in the hole and pushed it inside. Fishing line is made of racket string. For eel fishing, a very strong rope is needed. The eel in the mud, even though the eel might be small, had such a strong force that an ordinary string would break. Soon the rope was pulled inside. The eel has eaten the bait. Kabul pulls on the fishing line, and it's heavy!
"I got eels!" exclaimed Kabul as a large eel dangled from the fishing line.
Seeing the success of Kabul the others are eager to find another eel hole. Lit got the second turn to get the eel. Lot, third, Lat, next turn. They are very happy. "This is just a real vacation, I have a new experience," said Lot, forgetting about his hill climbing event. They got a lot of eels. Asr call to prayer is heard. They stopped at a hut in the middle of a rice field. In the hut there is a sarong belonging to a farmer who is used to praying while in the fields. They took ablution water in a small spring. They took turns praying in the hut. After that they returned to the village with the eel stabbed with a stick.
In one place, a vacant lot not far from the hamlet, they stopped. Kabul proposal to grill the eel on the spot, the others agreed. Lanjar and Lot looked for firewood. Not far from that place there is an unkempt field, there is a small hut, and there are some cloths to dry.
"Does anyone live in that place?" asked Lot.
"Yes, Grandma Mo," Lanjar replied. Lot remembered the strange old woman this morning. After returning from looking for firewood, Lot told Lit and Lat that Nek Mo lived in a hut in the field.
Lit said to Kabul, "When I was on vacation I never saw her. Has she been here recently?"
Kabul answered, "You last vacationed here when you were in third grade. She came not long after you returned to Jakarta. It's a legacy from his parents. Weird old lady. She used to go away for months, then come back here, and it happened again and again. But she hadn't been gone in quite a while. Maybe she's not strong enough to walk far anymore."
"Is she crazy?" asked Lit. Kabul's answer was not much different from his grandmother's answer.
"Crazy, maybe not, just a little crazy," said Kabul. They watched the field carefully. "The huts were made by residents. Unfortunately, before there was a hut, she took shelter and slept under a tree. We worked together to build a hut even if it was just a simple one."
"How about eating?" asked Lit.
"She likes to help people in the fields, especially when someone is harvesting. If she help harvest then she get money or food. In fact, now residents take turns feeding her. For example today, for breakfast, it's my family's turn, later this afternoon, for lunch, it's the Lanjar family's turn, the Toto family's night. So on and everyone has a turn."
"One clever way," said Lat.
"You three know for yourself, our lives are very simple, if not to say poor. Lit is very lucky because his grandmother is a retired teacher, who gets a pension every month, unlike other residents who have to scavenge for fortune like chickens." From the direction of the field they can see a puff of smoke. Maybe Nek Mo was cooking or burning trash.
"Lanjar said, Nek Mo's statue can walk like life," continued Toto.
"Ah Toto, don't make it up. Wasn't the statue made of stone? I saw the head of the statue broke and fell," said Lot.
Toto said, "I've never seen the statue alive either."
Kabul replied, "If it's still 'said' or 'supposedly', don't believe it."
"Yourself that told me about it," said Toto. Kabul grimaced. Oh, you Bull.
Kabul laughed and said "You don't believe it, do you? I also only a quarter believe it!"
The fire was already burning in a pile of dry wood. It turned out that Toto brought the spices that had been mashed. He said it was ordered by Kabul. They grilled the eel until it was slightly charred.
"Very delicious!" There were enough eels that they couldn't eat all. "How, will it be brought home?" asked Kabul about the leftover of the grilled eel. Lanjar and Toto didn't want to. So are the others.
"Ok, it's just for me," said Lot, then wrapped the eel with taro leaves that grew on the river bank. Clean leaves. Lot stepped into Nek Mo's field.
"Where are you going?" asked Lit.
"I will give this eel to Nek Mo," said Lot, walking away. His friends watched him questioningly. Lot arrived at Nek Mo's field. The strange woman was boiling the water with firewood. The kettle is very worn, even dented here and there. Maybe a used kettle she found or someone gave her. Nek Mo noticed Lot who came. Her hair was loose and unkempt even though he saw a toothless comb tucked in her hair.
"Grandma, I brought grilled eel. Could be a side dish." Nek Mo was silent. Staring at Lot closely. Lot became hesitant, confused, and a little afraid.
Lot was thinking of putting down the grilled eel immediately and quickly leaving the place when Nek Mo finally said, "Aren't you one of those three fat kids?" Lot nodded and tried to smile. A reasonable question, which shows that the woman is not crazy. If she are crazy, not remember the existence of Lot who was with Lit and Lat.
"Does Grandma want this eel?"
"Okay. Let me have a good meal once in a while, not just with salt and Chinese petai. You guys fished with Kabul, that very cheerful kid. Maybe his tongue is longer than the other kids," said Nek Mo with a smile. Wow, can be kidding! Lot became more peaceful.
"That's right, Grandma, we fished with Kabul, Toto, and Lanjar," said Lot. Lot handed the grilled eel to Nek Mo and excused himself.
"Don't be afraid to come here. Grandma's okay. Grandma isn't a mad woman." The old woman stood up and kept the grilled eel. Maybe, this morning she knew that Lot, Lit, and Lat were watching her with fear. Lot joined his friends again. They go home.
Although the water needs of Grandma Lit's house were met by an electric pump, the pipes were planted in a sturdy old well. In the well there were still a bucket, a winch, and a rubber rope for draw from a well. Lit's grandma said that occasionally the well had to be scooped up so that the air changes in the well. With the rise and fall of the bucket, air circulation occurs.
"That way the quality of the well water remains good," said Grandma Lit.
"Is the catfish in the well still there, Grandma?" asked Lit.
"Still. But you can't fish it," said the grandmother, wagging her index finger in front of Lit's face, very funny. "That's a sacred catfish!"
Lit laughed. Lat and Lot were stunned. This is the first time they heard there was a sacred catfish. Lit led his two friends behind the house, toward the well. They looked inside. Clear water. Lit caught a dragonfly, cut off its wings and threw it down. The dragonfly fell into the well water and flapped. That's when the figure of a black fish came from under the well water and immediately ate the dragonfly. Clap, there was a splashing sound when the dragonfly was grabbed by the catfish.
"That was the sacred catfish?" asked Lot.
"He-he, Grandma was just scaring me. In the past, Kabul and I had secretly fished for the catfish. But the catfish is strange, only the head is big, the body is thin." Why is there a catfish in the well? Intentionally placed. By inserting a catfish in the well, the growth of moss in the walls of the well submerged in water will be inhibited. The catfish, which is actually an omnivorous animal, will eat moss because there is no other food. Or, the catfish will eat mosquito larvae. That's cruel then.
"That's why Grandma said it was a sacred catfish. It's taboo to fish. Surprisingly, said Grandma, the catfish has been a resident of this well for decades. Even Grandma herself did not know when the catfish was in the well. Since Grandma was little, the catfish has been there."
"Then maybe it's a sacred catfish."
"If not. Maybe secretly too, without Grandma's knowledge, the late Grandfather put catfish. Grandma told me that so I wouldn't provoke her again," Lit said, laughing.
The next day, very early in the morning, Lot took Siprit for a walk. He released the sparrow from the cage. After a moment of looking at the situation and feeling safe, the sparrow flew towards a tree and acted very cheerfully. Lot was happy with his happy friend. This is the first time this sparrow is in the village. There are some birds, such as prenjak and other small birds, Siprit approach but are ignored, even left behind. Several sparrows seemed to fly and perch on the rice stalks. Siprit also flew to the rice plants. The other sparrows ate the grain. Lot laughed at that.
His cell phone rang, Lit called him: "Hello, I'm take a walking with Siprit! After that, the two of you are still sleeping well. I've been showered and tidy."
"But you haven't had breakfast yet?"
"Not yet!"
"Go home for breakfast. Later you will be thin and Grandmom will blame you because you are not well cared for."
Lot laughed. "Grandmom wants me to be slim! If that's the case then she's very grateful!" Lit hung up the phone. Lot kept walking while occasionally watching Siprit. The bird flew and landed on his shoulder, very cheerful, maybe it had something to say. Not long after, the it flew with a group of sparrows. For a moment Lot was stunned. Maybe it was a farewell. As promised long ago. He let Siprit go and get it's identity as a sparrow. However, Lot's hand was a bit heavy as he waved his hand.
"Bye-bye, Prit!" Lot kept going. Occasionally meet with children and get their attention. Lot just smiled. Friendly villagers. At one point, Lot saw Nek Mo having trouble lifting a banana leaf. Lot rushed to meet her and helped.
"Thank you, you are a good boy," said Nek Mo. Lot smiled.
"This banana leaf was ordered by Mrs. Ronggo. He said to wrap cake. His grandson will be circumcised. Have you been circumcised?" Lot laughed and nodded. Yes, he was circumcised when he was in the first grade of middle school. Lot took the banana leaves to Bu Ronggo's house.
"Come to my place, I'll show you something," said Nek Mo after leaving Bu Ronggo's house. It was as if Lot had his nose cut. Followed Nek Mo to his farm. What will Lot show? Serundeng conch. Conch meat roasted with grated coconut. Nek Mo told Lot to taste it. Lot hesitated but continued to be persuaded while Nek Mo ate it. "It's not poisonous. Do not worry. I looked for the conch in the rice field where you guys were fishing for eels." Lot ate it. Very delicious. Grandma is good at cooking.