The river turned out to be quite deep, the current strong due to the push of the nearby waterfall. Nyai Dhira's hands were flailing. Her body was sinking because she could not swim. Her eyes stung from the water. Her lungs felt like they were going to explode because it was getting difficult to breathe oxygen.
Nalini's screaming voice gradually faded into her ears. Nyai Dhira could no longer move, her energy was exhausted, her whole body was weak. She had given up, only darkness was visible to her.
Just as the remnants of Nyai Dhira's consciousness were still merging with her body, she felt her body being lifted and dragged out of the water. After that she remembered nothing more.
Nalini ran through the tall weeds. The girl approached Eyang Guru who was trying to remove water from her mother's stomach. Nyai Dhira's face looked pale, her lips blue and helpless.
"Mom, wake up... don't go, Mom," Nalini sobbed while shaking her mother's legs.
Eyang Guru repeatedly released the water that Nyai Dhira had swallowed. But she had not regained consciousness. Physical exhaustion mixed with mental stress made it difficult for her to wake up again.
"How is my mother?" asked Nalini anxiously. She continued to massage Nyai Dhira's feet. Hoping that her mother would open her eyes soon.
"She is very tired. Lay her down for a moment and let her rest," replied Eyang Guru.
"I will channel my inner energy so that your mother can survive," added the old man then took a cross-legged position above Nyai Dhira's head.
Both of Eyang Guru's hands were raised above Nyai Dhira's head. He channeled warm energy that slowly entered and spread throughout the unconscious woman's body.
After a while, Nyai Dhira's hands were seen moving and flailing. Her eyes slowly opened. She saw Nalini massaging the tips of her feet.
"Girl..." she said weakly. Nyai Dhira tried to lift her body but all her joints felt weak as if they were about to give out.
Nalini raised her head and was happy to see that her mother was awake. "Mom, are you awake? Thank goodness," she said with relief. The girl then helped her mother sit up and leaned on her shoulder.
The sky on the eastern horizon began to look red. Apparently they had escaped all night and crossed the wilderness. I don't know which side of the forest they were on. The place was very quiet. There were no signs that it had ever been touched by human hands.
"Wait a moment. We have to get to the cave before sunrise," said Eyang Guru as he left the place.
Nalini replied by nodding her head. The longer she knew the old man, the deeper her trust grew. She was sure that Eyang Guru was a good person and not just anybody. She felt safe around him.
Nyai Dhira suddenly remembered her son's torn leg. She was worried that the wound would become more painful and make her daughter suffer.
"What about your injury?" asked Nyai Dhira trying to examine her daughter's left leg. Nalini tried to hide the wound by pulling her leg.
"It's okay, ma'am. It's not bleeding anymore," Nalini replied. She didn't want her mother to worry about her. Although the pain was still there, it seemed to be masked by the fighting power that had to be pumped up to keep them alive.
Nyai Dhira looked right and left, searching for something. "Where are our bundles of belongings?" she asked anxiously.
"There's a bag of medicine and potions that can treat your wounds there," she said. Her instincts as a healer still emerged even in the worst conditions.
"There it is, ma'am. It's under the banana tree," Nalini replied, pointing to their tattered bundle.
"But the one you brought earlier seems to have washed away," Nalini said as she looked down sadly.
"It wasn't washed away, I brought this."
Eyang Guru's voice emerged from behind a thicket of shrubs. His right and left hands seemed to be dragging a long and large object. It seemed heavy but the man carried it lightly.
Nalini noticed and recognized the object as a banana tree trunk. Apparently Eyang Guru had gone looking for big and strong banana stems.
The man then placed the banana log not far from the riverbank. He disappeared again but a moment later reappeared with two signs of old bananas. The topmost banana comb was beginning to turn yellow.
Eyang Guru took some ripe bananas and gave them to Nalini. "Eat them first, you need energy before walking again," he said.
Nalini accepted and peeled the ripest banana for her mother. "Here, mom. Eat it first."
Her gaze then turned to the man. "Thank you, Eyang Guru," she said sincerely.
Eyang Guru nodded and went back to his work. He cut the long banana gedebog into four pieces and arranged them in a line.
After that, he cut a small tree trunk and tapered the ends to hold the four trunks together. Finally, he tied them together with a rope made from the fronds of an old banana branch and removed the leaves.
Eyang Guru had made a makeshift raft. He smiled with satisfaction at his creation. "Alright, this boat is finished," he said proudly.
"Boat? That's the teacher's raft, usually made by children in the river when it floods," Nalini chirped.
She repeatedly glanced at Eyang Guru's figure, which was now becoming clearer as the sky began to lighten. The old man wore white clothes like a pandita, his headband was also white, covered by his wide caping. His body still looked strong and manly, although he was no longer young.
"Call it what you will, girl. This thing will take you across the river and into the cave. Are you ready to go now?" he asked as he organized his equipment.
"Yes, Master. The sooner we leave this place the better," said Nalini. She stood up and carried her mother, who was getting stronger. They followed Eyang Guru who was pushing a raft of banana stems to the riverbank.
The 'makeshift boat' floated on the river nicely, waiting for its passengers.
"Get on board you two, I'll swim and push it through the waterfall," the man ordered. He then plunged into the river and held onto the back of the raft.
Nalini and Nyai Dhira slowly climbed up and sat on the banana trunks. Their clothes were still wet from the incoming water, but at least it was better than having to swim alone. Two bunches of bananas and a bundle of cloth were also loaded onto the raft.
Eyang Guru slowly pushed them against the current. It was not an easy job, several times the raft seemed to sway and almost capsized. But the man convinced his passengers to stay calm and stay on the raft. Of course, he again used his magic to keep the makeshift boat running stably and successfully carrying the cargo.
"Hold on tight, we're going over that waterfall!" shouted Eyang Guru loudly to be heard amidst the splashing and loud noise of the waterfall. They were just a few feet away from passing through.
"Yes, Master." Nalini replied as she strengthened her grip on the raft. Her hair and clothes were getting wet from the splashing water.
"Hold on, Mom!" Nalini also reminded her mother.
In one powerful jerk, the raft made it through the waterfall. Nalini and Nyai Dhira staggered as the water splashed their bodies without pause. They were soaked to the skin. Spontaneously, they closed their eyes to avoid getting water in them.
When the water was no longer pouring over their bodies, they slowly opened their eyes. Nalini had imagined the cave to be dark and scary, but she was wrong.
"Mom, is this really a cave?" asked Nalini with her mouth open. She was amazed and couldn't believe there was such a beautiful place behind a waterfall, in the middle of a dense forest.
"I-yes. I just found out there's a place like this," Nyai Dhira said as she admired the new place they had come to.
The walls of the cave looked bright, I don't know what kind of rock they were made of. The surface was smooth, more like a passage than a natural cave filled with stalagmites or stalactites.
There are pillars lined up neatly along the edges. On top of the pillars is a white stone the size of a coconut. It's not blinding but it's quite bright. It seemed to be made of the same material as the one Eyang Guru used last night for lighting.
Nalini was even more astonished when she saw a variety of flowers growing between the pillars. Some flowers she recognized, such as roses and jasmine but the rest she had never seen before. The girl was amazed at the beauty presented in front of her.
"Eyang Guru, is this heaven?" asked Nalini suddenly. Her inquisitive nature could not stop the questions piling up in her head.
Eyang Guru chuckled at Nalini's question. "Heaven on earth, that's right."
The man answered as he leaned the raft on the riverbank. The water below looked very clear and clean.
"Come down, we've arrived. There is a room that you can use to rest here," said Eyang Guru. He walked ahead and headed towards the other side of the cave that looked more like a room.
There were several rooms in the cave. All of them were well-maintained and made like rooms that could be used for sleeping. In fact, there was a small cot, a folding mat and a pile of warm blankets.
At the end of the hallway was a larger open room. Shelves of weapons were lined up neatly in one corner. An assortment of krises, spears, swords and arrows were there. Everything looked special.
Nalini also saw a tall cabinet filled with small wooden boxes. Each wooden box had an inscription indicating its contents. Too bad the girl couldn't read. She had never learned the alphabet.
Seeing everything in the cave, Nalini was even more astonished. She pinched her own hand. It hurt. This was not a dream or an illusion.
"This is real, Mom," she said softly as she turned to her mother.
Nyai Dhira, who was still stunned, could only raise her eyes. She asked through her eyes, 'Where exactly are we? Who is that mysterious man?'
As if she understood her mother's question, Nalini shook her head. "I don't know either. Let's just say he's our helper god," she whispered softly, afraid of being overheard by Eyang Guru who was standing not far from them.
Even though she was whispering, Eyang Guru heard her. But he kept quiet and just gave a small smile. 'If you knew who I was, you would probably faint.'