Short stories with a violent thread

Malam Kelabu, Ilyana dan Aku (Gray Night, Ilyana and I); By Martin Aleida; Damar Warga Foundation, Jakarta, July 1998; 88 pages; Rp 11,000

JAKARTA (JP): Every nation has unforgettable events distinct to their history. To Indonesians, the G-30S incident, the abortive coup of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) on Sept. 30, 1965, and its bloody aftermath, is one.

Many people were butchered or went missing following the coup attempt. Tragically, the victims were not only PKI members, but also their relatives who were not involved in the party.

The number of victims remains a moot point today. Some put the figure at hundreds of thousands, but others believe the figure is between one million and two million.

Understandably, the years following the event spawned much fiction, particularly short stories and novels, dealing with the tragedy or using it as the background. Several Indonesian short stories on the theme have been translated into English by Harry Aveling, an editor-cum-translator, and published under the title Gestapu: Indonesian Short Stories on the Abortive Communist Coup of 30th September, 1965 (Hawaii, 1975).

Another short story is Malam Kelabu (Gray Night) by Martin Aleida, who was born in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, on Dec. 31, 1943. The book Malam Kelabu, Ilyana dan Aku consists of this short story and three others by him.

Malam Kelabu tells the story of a sailor, Kamaluddin Armada, who received a letter from his girlfriend, Partini. The girl told him she was waiting for him in her village on the banks of the Bengawan Solo, the famous river. But when he arrived at the village after a long journey, Armada could not find her.

What really happened?

"A week ago, a communist fugitive from Yogyakarta, the elder brother of Mulyoraharjo, was found to have spent the night at Partini's house. This man was hacked to death. Partini's house was burned to the ground."

Partini, her mother and her siblings also were killed. Partini's father, a PKI official, went missing when the coup attempt occurred, "killed in Bacan, dumped in the river just like the carcass of a chicken".

Dismayed, Armada took a knife and killed himself -- his body "fell freely into the flowing river".

A tragic end, indeed!

Violence, of course, can be found anywhere, not only in Indonesia, but in a developed nation like the U.S.

Ilyana Pavlovskaya undergoes collective violence in Ilyana, Tetaplah Bersama Kami (Ilyana, Stay with Us Always). Ilyana, a Russian girl setting foot in the U.S. and braving everything anew, runs a shop in a slum area notorious for its violence in Brooklyn, New York. She has been subjected to all types of harassment and torture, including nearly being raped.

Ilyana never gave up. "This Russian girl looked set to die at the corner of the city, if, indeed, it was her destiny that would come her way." Thanks to her determination and perseverance, Ilyana finally could win sympathy from people in her surroundings.

One day the visit of a number of children to her shop caught her by surprise. They said: "Our moms said today is your birthday, Ilyana. Take this small gift. What matters to us is that you are here. Never, ever go away from here. We love you."

A sweet end, indeed!

However, another short story, Jangan Kembali Lagi, Juli (Never Return, Juli) does not end sweetly. As, a character in the short story, asks Juli to go away and never ever to return. Why?

Juli is a dog, a friend to As. They became good friends because As' husband, Sanur, always came home late at night.

But Juli caused trouble in As' surroundings in Ancol. It bit a passer-by and on another occasion it chased a young man. The young man could not let go of what the dog did to him. One day, he plotted with some friends of his to kill Juli.

Juli was caught and put into a sack. However, she managed to get out of the sack and run away.

"Like a tiger, it pounced on the calf of the young man and bit it. He tried to run. As fast as lightning, Juli pounced on the other calf. The young man fell down. The dog, as if possessed by the devil, pounced on the young man's nape and held it in its mouth for a few seconds. Two sharp fangs pierced the artery in the neck of this unfortunate youngster. Blood oozed. A trembling scream of horror was heard. Then silence."

Ultimately, the young man died.

Juli ran away and disappeared. "Never come back, Juli. They will kill you right here. I won't bear seeing you lying dead before me," As said. And Juli never came back to its mistress.

A tragic end is also found in Aku Sepercik Air (I am a Sprinkle of Water), a story about a wife who was compelled to kill her husband because she could not bear him having another wife.

The four short stories by Martin Aleida in this collection make us realize that violence can take place anywhere. It may even be said to live within us.

Martin Aleida, who is an officer at the United Nations Information Center in Jakarta, is a talented short-story writer but, unfortunately, his output has been small. This, his only collection of short stories, consists of only four works, which, apart from Ilyana, Tetaplah Bersama Kami, were published in Horison literary magazine in 1969, 1970 and 1971.

-- Pamusuk Eneste

The reviewer is a literary observer.