SUMIATI

Part 1

On the bank of a swiftly flowing river, sat a beautiful girl leaning against a large rock. She had a beautiful face with shady eyes and looked straight at the rippling water.

Her eyes were empty, her lips pale with skin so white that blue veins were clearly visible on her hands and fingers.

She sat alone, enjoying the sound of the gurgling water and the forest insects chirping to each other.

Under the glowing moonlight, the rolling water looked beautiful. The bubbles looked like snow in the distance.

He enjoyed the soothing atmosphere of solitude while waiting for his mother to come home.

Srak-srak!

The girl's eyes suddenly moved and she immediately got up. Both hands resting on the ground, she moved from the side of the large river stone and swung her legs, stepping away from the side of the river.

"Mother!" she called out to the old woman who stepped closer. The woman's steps were quick despite her hunched body.

"Sorry for the long wait, Nduk. I had some trouble getting food for you," the woman gasped in front of her daughter.

The girl flinched and looked sadly at the old woman who was still fighting for her.

"Mom, when will Sumi be able to find her own food? I'm sorry to see mom, let me help, mom," the long-haired girl murmured as she gently touched her mother's arm.

The wrinkled face immediately became gloomy. She lifted her thin hand and grasped the hand of her beloved daughter.

"We've talked about this many times, Nduk. Now we go home and you eat this, you must be very hungry," she ordered, to which her daughter immediately nodded.

They then walked side by side to a hut made of woven bamboo and thatched roof not far from the river.

The simple house, which still had a dirt floor, looked deserted when the woman opened it.

A musty smell immediately wafted through the door. Not just stuffy, the smell of carrion pierced the olfactory cavity.

For ordinary people, the smell would have made them vomit, but not for Sumiati and her mother.

The two women who lived together were so happy with the smell of the house and also the condition of the house full of dust and cobwebs. For them it was the most comfortable place to be.

"Sumi get the plates first, Mom," said the slender girl as she stepped into the kitchen.

Her mother just nodded slowly. Her eyes were agitated as she watched her daughter from a distance.

Sumi grabbed a plate made of clay handmade by her mother and herself to serve as a base for the food her parents brought.

So hastily that she almost forgot to bring water from the jug to wet her mother's throat.

She turned around and reached for the cup on the wooden table and fetched water from the jug with a ladle made from coconut shells and teak branches.

After the cup was filled, he carried the two objects shuffling, because his right leg was shorter than his left, he approached the old woman who was still standing silently.

"Alon-alon wae Nduk, ngko tibo," (just slow down, kid, it will fall)

She looked worriedly and pityingly at the beautiful girl whose steps hobbled because her right leg was smaller and not fully grown.

Every time she saw her daughter's shortcomings, her heart ached and felt like she was being stabbed by a dagger.

"Yes ma'am. Here, ma'am, let's eat, Sumi is hungry, ma'am," said the girl excitedly.

The stooped woman with wrinkles on her face nodded. She moved to a wooden chair with termite-rotted legs and sat down, along with Sumi.

"Here Sum, tonight we're eating something special, not the usual meat that mom brought. This will be more delicious," the old woman said as she unwrapped the cloth and placed something on the plate Sumi had brought.

Pluk!

A bloody, fibrous piece of meat with a very distinctive fishy odor instantly increased Sumi's appetite.

"Mom... let's eat, aren't you hungry?" asked Sumi as her hands began to cut the meat with the knife they had placed on the dining table.

The old woman shook her head slowly. She had eaten some meat before coming home to boost her energy.

"You eat first, I already ate earlier, sorry I ate first, it's because I ran out of energy when I was struggling with potential prey," she explained.

"Yes ma'am, then Sumi eat yes ma'am," the girl said politely.

The woman nodded. As usual, the obedient Sumi always ate after receiving permission from her mother.

The girl was like a bird child. Eating when her mother came home with food, and waiting for her return with an anxious heart.

After receiving permission from her mother, Sumi scooped up a piece of meat the size of two palms and tore it with her tight teeth.

She chewed voraciously. Grinning, she savored the sweet and fishy smell of the meat, an aroma she loved.

Occasionally as she pressed the meat with her teeth, the juices from the meat spurted out and filled her entire mouth. Sumi savored the bites and chews of the slowly melting and disintegrating meat.

"How is it Sumi? Do you like this meat?"

Sumi stopped chewing and her eyes blinked as if to say yes.

"What is this meat, ma'am? It's... delicious," she said as she resumed her delayed meal.

The old woman was silent for a moment, but then she preferred to hide the truth from her only child.

"Young wild boar meat. I trapped it and cut off its skin before I brought it home," she explained.

"Eumh, tomorrow Sumi will come to look for food, Mom. Can I? I'm not tired anymore. I'm tired of staying at home and shutting myself up," Sumi pleaded. She placed the piece of meat on her plate and looked at her mother expectantly.

She shook her head slowly. "You should never leave the house during the day. Just at night, and don't go far from home."

"The outside world is bad. I can't imagine if you run into bad people, I'd die if anything happened to you, kiddo," the old man's tears broke out, making Sumi's appetite disappear instantly and she felt guilty.

"Mom...," Sumi was about to approach but the mother's hand was immediately raised, a sign that the woman wanted Sumi to listen to her words.

"Promise me you won't leave mom."

Before Sumi could say anything, her ears heard the hoofbeats of a horse approaching her house.

"Mom! There's a horse around our house! Let's go see it, Mom. It could be our next meal!" Sumi excitedly ran to the door.

"Sumi! don't open the door!"

****

Part 2

"Why, Mom?" asked Sumiati while blinking her eyes. Her hand that was still touching the doorstop immediately stopped its action and looked at her mother sadly.

"No, that's a tiger horse playing around the house, if we disturb it, you could get kicked. He's not our opponent, Nduk," explained her mother with a pitying look in her eyes. She understood that her daughter just wanted to ease her burden, but she knew the power of the black horse with the long flowing hair that was around their house.

Sumiati flinched, letting out a deep breath before those thin pink lips parted and asked, "Can Sumi see it, Mother?"

The old woman knitted her eyebrows, whose fur had turned silver-white. Gazing intently into those round, shaded eyes that were so innocent and sincere.

"What do you want?" She asked back.

"Mmm, just want to see, Mom. That's all," she replied with a sweet smile.

The woman called mother finally nodded and agreed to her daughter's wish.

The girl, who was only wearing a kemben and a cloth wrapped around her knees, jumped up and lifted the doorstop with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Mother," she said before exiting the bamboo house.

Her long hair was instantly ruffled and partially blown away by the strong wind blowing towards her.

Her beautiful shiny eyes looked around. The large trees that were lined up neatly swayed, as well as the grass that was moved by the wind.

The girl caught the quiet and was only accompanied by nature with beautiful moonlight.

"Yuhuuuu, where are you?" Sumi wandered around looking for the horse's whereabouts while stepping her bare feet slowly, so cautious and wary. What if the horse suddenly attacked her?

It was quiet and still. Only the gentle breeze could be heard. Sumi exhaled heavily. Disappointed.

"How is it? Is there a creature?" asked the white-haired woman in a bun as she limped out of the doorway.

"Nothing, ma'am," said Sumi as she turned around.

"Yo wes, let's sleep. Tomorrow morning I have to find food again, and as usual, you don't go out, wait for me until I get home," she ordered, to which Sumi immediately nodded.

Sumi approached mom, and grabbed the wrist of the woman she loved so much. She took her by the hand and they entered the house together, the door closed slowly and Sumi locked it.

"Sumi rest first mom, Sumi is very sleepy," the girl excused herself because she was very tired. All day she had been waiting for her mother in the house, eating what her mother left behind without complaining.

She actually didn't like game meat that smelled like carrion, but she had to eat it because it was the only meat in the house.

Her mother had never taught her to cook, the old woman had taught Sumi to eat raw meat and blood to survive.

Unlike Sumi, the more the meat smelled and was sometimes infested with maggots, the old hunchbacked woman loved to eat it.

The girl then entered the room and laid down on a bamboo bed covered with a mat she had woven from forest pandanus, which she dried first.

Surprisingly, once he was in his room, the sleepiness simply evaporated. He rolled over to his left, where his quiet eyes gazed at the dust-covered bamboo wall.

Hhhh!

Sumi let out a rough breath. Somehow she felt that there was something strange about herself and her life.

Why did mom always disappear during the day? And why was she only allowed out at night? What was wrong with the sun?

These questions had been lingering in Sumi's mind for a long time, but she was afraid to ask her mother.

However, over the past few days, those questions have been nagging at her mind again.

She felt lonely. Was there only her and her mother in this world? Why did she never see anyone like her and her mother?

She was bored for a long time. His life was confined to the house, waiting for his mother to come home and eat.

She was never allowed to hunt and accompany her mother. Her mother always told Sumi not to leave the house when the sun was shining.

However, once in a while Sumi would leave the house, her submissive self sometimes becoming a little defiant. And she had to admit, the daytime life was addictive.

The longer Sumi stared at the wall, the heavier her eyes became. She fell into a deep sleep with questions that she carried into her subconscious.

***

The sound of water gurgling outside sounded like soothing music. Sumi woke up with her eyes still heavy with sleepiness.

The girl lifted her body slowly, and rubbed her eyes. She breathed in the fresh air coming from between the woven holes.

"Mommy must have left," she cried. Sumi then got up and hobbled to the kitchen on imperfect legs.

After washing her face in the simple bathroom with only a jug of water and no toiletries, Sumi turned around and went back to searching for food in her shabby kitchen, which was full of cobwebs and a fireless sawang.

The light brown-eyed girl lifted the lid of a clay container sitting on a wooden table that was mossy and moldy on some sides.

The smell of carrion was instantly overwhelming. Sumi looked lazily at the food she used to eat with her mother.

The blackish-green hunk of meat with the strong scent of carrion didn't make Sumi sick at all.

She was just bored and reluctant to eat it. For some reason, she felt that what she was eating was not to her liking.

She preferred to eat forest fruits that she picked up secretly while her mother was away.

However, when he ate meat, his body felt full of energy. Fresh meat of course, because if it wasn't fresh meat, Sumi didn't like the taste. Besides the smell, the sweetness and fishy aroma were gone. It turned into a bitter and unpleasant taste.

Sumi moved her head to another place, where an uncovered container was swarming with flies.

Just as the white hand was about to reach for it, there was a faint voice in the distance.

"Please... please...,"

Sumi froze. This was the first time she had heard a cry for help. She pulled her hand back and sharpened her sense of hearing.

Wasting no time, the girl immediately opened the back door of her house and ignored her mother's words forbidding her to go out while it was still light.

The girl ran shufflingly in search of the origin of the sound. She suddenly stopped her steps when...

Part 3

The girl ran shufflingly in search of the origin of the sound. She suddenly stopped her steps when...

The voice sounded closer and closer. Sumi's eyes darted around. Her feet lifted one by one and treaded slowly, staring intently with her heart beating fast. She felt that she was getting closer to the source of the sound.

"To...long...help me...,"

Sumi sharpened her hearing. She stopped walking when she saw the end of her journey, knowing it was a deep ravine.

Sumi had been in that place before. Luckily, she hadn't fallen into it.

That was one of the reasons she knew why her mother forbade her to go far away from home and go out during the day, perhaps her mother was afraid of her falling in and losing her life.

"Hmh, this must be the creature you told me about. The ethereal creatures that often kidnap virgins and use them as prey," Sumi talked to herself.

"Ihhh, I'd better go home soon, before you find out and I'll be the one who falls prey," the terrified Sumi then turned her body and intended to run away from the place as fast as possible.

Krakkk!

"Ah, crap!" Sumi shouted spontaneously as her foot accidentally stepped on a fragile branch that was scattered around.

"Is there someone there? Please! Help me up! I can't stand it! I don't want to die!"

"If you're a man, I'll make you my brother and give you a lot of money as a thank you."

"If you're a girl, I'll make you my lover. I will always take care of you and guarantee a decent life for you,"

Degh!

Sumi was stunned for a moment. Although she didn't fully understand what was being said, her mind told her that the creature talking to her wasn't evil and just needed her help.

Sumi then turned her body and stepped timidly towards the lip of the cliff.

The girl then looked down and searched for the origin of the sound. Her eyes suddenly caught movement and that's when she felt her body freeze instantly.

A creature that looked like her but had a stockier build and shorter hair was staring at her with wide eyes as if begging for mercy.

The body was dangling with its hands tightly holding onto the roots of a tree to keep it from falling to the bottom of the cliff.

Oh, you're a girl? Please help me! I can't take it anymore," she pleaded.

Sumi stared for a while like a fool. Was this the creature her mother had said it was? Why did it seem so harmless?

"Hey, come on, help me! Find something so I can get out of this place,"

Sumi came to her senses. Without another word, Sumi moved from the lip of the ravine and left the creature still dangling.

"Ah, damn it! Why are you leaving? You idiot!" cursed the creature, which turned out to be a handsome young man.

His stern face stiffened. His sweat was pouring down with his heart beating faster and faster. His hands were getting weaker and his hopes of survival were dashed.

It was in the last moments of her life that she felt something hit her head.

"Awhh," she screeched. He looked up and found something long sticking out towards him.

The young man wasted no time in trying to grab the object, he easily caught it and switched to hanging on to the outstretched object.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a twisted root.

A smile broke out on his handsome face as he felt the object being pulled gently and his body began to lift upwards.

Slowly but surely, the young man was able to see the land above him, and he was quite shocked when he saw the girl alone pulling his body.

The girl was panting and breathing heavily when the boy finally reached the ground.

The young man tried to get up and come closer to the beautiful girl with the pale face, but the girl brought him back and looked like a frightened person.

He stopped his steps for a moment and looked at the girl in front of him. His eyes looked shady as if to show that he was harmless and did not want to hurt the girl who had helped him.

"You shouldn't be afraid, I won't hurt you. I just want to thank you for saving me. I promise to keep everything I said earlier," the young man slowly began to approach.

Unlike earlier, this time the girl was just stunned and didn't say a word.

The young man who was injured on various sides of his body bent his legs and sat down not far from the girl who was staring at him intently as if she saw him as a threat.

"Can I have some water to drink? I'm very thirsty," he pleaded.

The girl was still silent. Making the man ask her another question, "Are you mute?"

Again the girl did not answer his question. The young man exhaled a rough breath. Confused about how he could communicate with the pale-skinned girl.

Suddenly the girl moved quickly, taking the young man by surprise.

Soon the girl came back with a coconut shell filled with water. The girl placed the coconut shell on the ground and moved back away from the young man. She kept her distance and remained vigilant.

The young man smiled. He was sure that the girl was not a bad person. The young man then got up slowly, approached the coconut shell filled with water and gulped it down.

The girl watched him carefully. She wondered, what kind of creature was currently facing her?

She wanted to get closer, as she saw various wounds in several places on his body, but she was afraid that the creature would suddenly attack her.

"Are you mute?" the man asked again, but the girl just shook her head.

"Oh, I'm glad you understood what I said. Thank you for helping me. Believe me, I have no intention of hurting you."

"Introducing myself, I am Raden Aksa Anggabaya. I am the son of Raden Arya Bramasta, the owner of the tea plantation in Sukmajaya village."

The girl just stared at the outstretched hand of the man named Aksa and scanned her gaze towards the face that was smiling very kindly at her.

Aksa finally lowered his hand, as the girl did not shake his hand.

"Who are you? Do you have a name?"

The girl nodded. Although she looked cautious, the pale lips finally moved and answered Aksa's question.

"Su-mi...,"

"Sumi?"

The girl responded with a nod.

"Sumi... do you have some food? I'm very hungry. Last night I was chased by a beast and some of my people were victimized. Please give me some food," the young man named Aksa pleaded.

As before, the girl suddenly got up quickly and ran off to who knows where. Aksa just waited in place, hoping that the girl would bring him some good food.

Soon Sumi arrived with a coconut shell filled to the brim with food.

Aksa smiled widely when she saw Sumi coming with the coconut shell in her right hand.

Sumi then placed the coconut shell on the ground and shifted her body, keeping her distance from Aksa.

Aksa, who was already very hungry, got up from his seat and reached for the coconut shell, but when his eyes fell on the shell, he spontaneously threw the object in a random direction.

"Aaaa! maggot!"

****