"Banish! Banish them from this village!"
"That's right. They must leave now!"
"We must get rid of the source of the disaster!"
The sounds of many people shouting and swearing could be heard outside Nyai Dhira's hut. The old woman's hands trembled as she stuffed her meager belongings into a bundle of cloth.
In the corner of the house, a young girl was also confused and walking back and forth. She wanted to come out and answer the villagers' threats but was prevented by her mother.
"Mom! Why are we keeping quiet? We're innocent!" she protested.
"Nalini, they are in the dark. There are dozens of them. What can two weak women like us do?" replied Nyai Dhira.
"Please get the rest of the medicinal herbs in that sack, girl!" she continued, pointing to the small sack on the table.
Nalini, the teenage girl, snatched it up quickly. She then hurriedly helped her mother pack up the things they were going to carry.
"But, Mom... where are we going?" Nalini whispered nervously. Her chest felt tight. She had no idea where they were going. The rickety hut left by her father was the only possession they had at the moment.
Nyai Dhira shook her head. Tears seemed to roll down the corners of her eyes. But she quickly shrank them away. She did not want to look weak in front of her daughter.
"Go anywhere, child. There must be a shelter for us. The important thing right now is that we save ourselves from the rampage of those who are mad," Nyai Dhira replied, trying to be stoic.
Nalini was speechless. She knew her mother was a victim of slander. A disease outbreak in their village that could not be cured, made Nyai Dira the scapegoat. Seven people had died in three months. As a healer, Nyai Dhira had tried to treat them, but was accused of causing the disaster.
"Come on, child. Hurry up and pack!" Nyai Dhira called out, startling Nalini who was lost in thought.
"I-yes, ma'am." Nalini grabbed the bundle of cloth containing her clothes and personal belongings. "Shall we go now?"
Before Nyai Dhira could answer, they heard their house being stoned from outside.
"Get out you evil witch doctor!" someone shouted angrily from the yard.
"Burn down the house! Burn it!" another shouted heatedly.
Without waiting any longer, Nyai Dhira and Nalini tried to escape. Trembling, the middle-aged woman's hand opened the kitchen door.
Luckily, their backyard was planted with banana trees. The trunks of the trees and their lush leaves blocked the view of the people who began to arrive at their house more and more.
Nalini continued to hold the edge of the kebaya cloth worn by her mother. Her heartbeat was getting faster. Her knees felt weak as she heard the voices of the people threatening them.
Wordlessly, Nyai Dhira grabbed her daughter's hand and dragged her away. Half-running, they left their house just as a man broke down the front door.
"Hey, evil witch doctor! Come out and take responsibility for your actions!" snapped the man while looking around for Nyai Dhira.
Several young men were seen entering the house and began to rummage through the contents. They searched every corner but couldn't find what they were looking for.
A young man then checked the kitchen and found the door open. He glimpsed the shadows of Nyai Dhira and Nalini in the darkness of the night.
"They've run away! Let's go after them!" he exclaimed.
As if on cue, dozens of adult men ran after Nyai Dhira.
"Let's not lose track of her!" he shouted as he drew a machete.
Meanwhile, from the front, there was the crackling of wooden buildings being consumed by fire. The smell of burning charcoal and smoke wafted through the night air.
Nyai Dhira and Nalini continued to run away from their pursuers. They didn't care that their clothes were tattered and torn by sharp branches.
"Mother! They burned down our house!" Nalini exclaimed when she looked back and saw the flames from her house.
"That's it, child. Look no further. We must quickly find a hiding place!" said Nyai Dhira with her breath catching. She knew the villagers were not just burning her house but also chasing her.
Indeed, not far behind them, they could hear the clattering steps of people running and removing shrubs with the blades of their swords or machetes.
Nalini couldn't imagine what would happen if they found her. She sped up her running, even though the soles of her feet were stinging. She felt blood oozing from the skin pierced by the sharp wood.
The moonlight shone on Nalini's pale face. Nyai Dhira saw that her daughter's lips were pale. She quickly checked Nalini's body and found blood oozing from her leg.
"You're hurt, child! Why are you silent, huh?!" she exclaimed as she quickly tore off the end of her cloth and bandaged the wound on Nalini's leg to stop the bleeding. Her heart was broken and pained to see her daughter's helpless condition.
"I-I'm fine, mom. Hurry up and hide, leave me here," Nalini said. "Mother must be safe..."
Nyai Dhira ignored Nalini's words. She picked up her daughter's large body and intended to carry her. However, before they could lift her up, they both fell down.
Suddenly, from behind a tree, a young man saw them and shouted to his friends.
"They're here! I found them!" he shouted.
Nyai Dhira's pursuers immediately surrounded their quarry with fierce faces. Both of their lives were now on the line.
A man in black armor with a thick mustache came forward and stuck his machete right into Nyai Dhira's neck.
"Lift your face, you damn witch doctor!" he shouted.
Nyai Dhira was forced to raise her face under the threat of the machete. The moonlight reflected off the sharp blade. In one slash, life would surely be lost.
The woman could no longer think clearly, only her fingers grasped Nalini's hand tighter.
"Mom-mom..." Nalini whispered weakly. Her face was covered in tears. She cried silently.
The pursuers pressed forward. Their eyes shone with deep hatred. As if only Nyai Dhira's death could satisfy them.
"Your life is on the line. Now tell us, how do you treat the sick villager?" the black-clad man asked.
Nyai Dhira did not answer. She was silent because she didn't know what made the people sick and she hadn't found an antidote.
"If you don't want to answer. In one stroke, your head will roll to the ground!" snapped the man with the mustache.
"Pardon me... I really don't know what kind of plague it is and how to treat it," Nyai Dhira stammered.
"How could you not know? You've been a healer for a long time, you also gave potions to those sick people yesterday!" snapped a skinny young man from the right.
"I only helped as much as I could, I gave them potions and herbs to strengthen their immune system, but in fact..." Nyai Dhira did not continue.
A man came forward while spitting in front of Nyai Dhira. Wow!
"You couldn't cure my wife, you killed her!" he shouted angrily. "I swear I will avenge my wife's death!"
Nyai Dhira recognized the man. He was Sapto. Yesterday afternoon his wife had died after drinking Nyai Dhira's herbal concoction. Sapto accused Nyai Dhira of poisoning his wife and inciting people to eliminate her.
"Please forgive me, Kang Sapto. I didn't kill your wife... I only gave you a strengthening potion, no poison," Nyai Dhira explained. Her eyes glazed over. She knew her explanation would not be listened to by someone who was both angry and sad.
"There are many witnesses. You made the strange potion. As well as the people you gave the potion to. All of them died! What excuse do you want?" said Sapto while pulling Nyai Dhira's head.
"Just finish him," said the man with the sarong. "There's no need to talk too much. If left alive, he will bring more disaster to our village."
"You shouldn't die yet. It's a pity your beauty has yet to be enjoyed. Be my young wife, I'll set you free. How about it?" The mustachioed man stepped forward and came within an arm's length of Nalini's face.
How could Nalini trade her mother's life for her freedom. "I won't!" replied Nalini fiercely as she turned her face away. She could feel the man's breath on her forehead.
"Hahaha... hahaha!" the bullies laughed at Nalini's refusal to be a young wife.
"Already, separate them. Take the girl and kill her mother!" said the man with the machete.
Sapto rushed forward and pulled Nalini's body away from Nyai Dhira.
"Mom! Mom...!" cried Nalini desperately. Tears poured from the corners of her eyes.
Sapto led Nalini away from the scene.
The man carrying the machete had already raised his weapon and was ready to execute Nyai Dhira.
The machete suddenly slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. A pebble thrown from a distance was the cause.
The mustachioed man was stunned and backed away.
A white-clothed, mustachioed man suddenly stood not far away. Both hands were crossed. His position was very relaxed even though he knew he was in a critical moment.
"Who are you? How dare you come interfering!" exclaimed Sapto.
The man threw another pebble at Sapto. Even though it was only a pebble, it was strong enough to make the man's body fall backwards.
Nalini quickly ran away from Sapto and rushed to her mother.
"Finish him! Without further ado, raise all your weapons!" ordered the gloved man as he drew his long machete and charged at Nyai Dhira's helper.
His friends also came forward and began to gang up on the man with the mask.
However, the man was not just anybody. The dozens of attackers were no match for him. He simply dodged attacks and made several moves to immobilize his attackers.
In just a few blows, all of his attackers had fallen down. They groaned, feeling their bodies stiff and immobilized.
The shapely figure then approached Nyai Dhira and Nalini. "Follow me. I will show you a safe place," he said.
Nyai Dhira and Nalini looked at each other, although no words were spoken by them but their gazes seemed to be connected.
Who was the stranger offering help? What if he turned out to have evil intentions? Or maybe he wanted to kill them too!