The old village tale

Amir Yahyapati ABY

It was a new moon, and the night was dark and quiet. A pair of lovers crouched uphill near a waterfall. They sat under an old shady tree, a favorite place for them to sneak an embrace.

"Nobody can separate us. Nothing! Whatever happens we must be one."

"Must it be this way, kang Samsi?" asked Surti, choked up. Her boyfriend savored her lovely lips.

"There's no other way."

They huddled closer to each other. It was getting colder and the leaves of the old tree fluttered even harder. Surti struggled to get rid of the grip of his hot lips, but failed. Samsi's kiss grew tighter. She had many more questions to ask.

Finally, Surti managed to free herself and she promptly asked: "Are you prepared for traditional punishment?"

"I'm ready!"

"Won't you be embarrassed?"

"Why should I be? I'm willing to do anything to make you mine. And only in this way can we tie the knot."

"But..."

"Are you ashamed?" asked Samsi.

"God will curse us as wanton lovers, kang."

"My father will bear all our sins, because he's been trying to keep us apart."

"I can't imagine when it's a full moon," Surti said softly. "That's the moment to enforce the customary law. Every full moon, we'll be taken round Kampung Tua before all the villagers."

"After the punishment, happiness will be ours. As soon as our baby is born, we'll be husband and wife. Let the punishment just be our big wedding party."

"Kang, I'm scared..."

Surti's voice was again muffled by amorous kisses. Their bodies were pressing against each other. The cold night air was overwhelmed by the climaxing surge of desire. And the dark of the night engulfed the earth.

***

The soil, water, plants and people of Kampung Tua, as the old village was named, had become inseparable. Endowed with natural abundance, local villagers protected their environment from damage and loss.

For centuries, customary law strictly governed Kampung Tua. It was unwritten but the law was observed and respected. It had imbued the hearts of the villagers over the generations. It guided and safeguarded them against greed, immoral conduct and evil.

The founder of Kampung Tua was pious, a devout believer and master of human relationships and divine communication. His followers' deep reverence for him was only natural. He was more concerned about the interests of others than himself and willing to sacrifice for the benefit of the local community.

A hero in his time, he had led armed resistance to the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC). As a leading figure of Kampung Tua, he was wanted by the VOC. The arrogance, craftiness and greed of the VOC made him aware of the loss and damage inflicted by the colonizers. He was enraged to see the Dutch policies harming the interests of his people.

He led his followers to take up arms, launch sporadic attacks and wage a guerrilla war on VOC military stations.

The infuriated VOC finally found out the mastermind of the uprising. From that time, he became the number one target of a manhunt in the city.

He fled with his loyal supporters and roamed as far as the interior to avoid the VOC search parties. He finally arrived at a vast valley between twin hills carpeted by trees. On a hilly slope was a clear waterfall, forming a small stream in the valley. Its superb panorama was a natural environment that inspired a thousand beautiful images. It was Kampung Tua in the hearts of its people, a peaceful and safe land offering bountiful harvests.

***

As seeds sprouted on fertile, ploughed land, something grew in Surti's womb, too. As she entered her late pregnancy, scandal brewed in the village.

"You've dishonored your father's name!" said the village head angrily. "We as models of Kampung Tua have violated the customary law."

"I'm ready to obey the law, Bapak," Samsi responded with resignation.

"Why are you so desperate? Why is your lover Salamun's daughter? He's a timber thief from the twin hills."

"If wouldn't be like this if you hadn't forbidden us. Now it can't be undone. Come on, Bapak, when it's a full moon, take us round the village."

"Salamun has brought disgrace on Kampung Tua, Samsi. It's improper for you to live with the thief's child."

"Surti's father redeemed himself after his wrongdoing. Pak Salamun was punished already. He worked in the village-owned fields from planting to harvest seasons. And every full moon after being caught stealing, he was paraded round with the sign 'The Lumber Thief' hanging from his neck."

"That's what our customary law requires. We in Kampung Tua may take wood from the hills only for building houses and dry twigs for cooking."

"Was the punishment imposed on Pak Salamun too lenient? Is that the reason for not allowing me to marry his daughter?"

"It's not the point. He has tarnished the image of Kampung Tua. The damage remains. He has no more reverence for our forefathers creating the law, which regulates the maintenance of harmony between man, nature and wildlife. They should not be mutually destructive."

"But Surti is now pregnant, Bapak."

"You can't go on with her. No!"

"Bapak..."

"It's the village assembly that will decide, not me!"

**

Never had there been such a discordant meeting in Kampung Tua. From seven in the evening to midnight, the session failed to reach consensus. The forum was divided into two opposing camps.

Half of those present wanted to have the village head's son paraded, as the punishment for adultery and premarital sex was to take the lovers round the village every full moon. Everybody would be made to watch the spectacle, all the lights of the village buildings turned out and only the village head carrying a torch as he led them.

The woman was allowed to be fully dressed, but the man would be in shorts as part of the humiliation.

"Please remember gentlemen, the customary law ingrained in our conscience says that the village head should be held in high esteem. Therefore, I disagree with you over the necessity to parade the village head's son every time the full moon appears," said a spokesman for the other half.

"The law must be enforced! Whoever violates it must be punished."

The session had reached a stalemate. Finally, the village head spoke.

"Honorable gentlemen, your different views are right in their own way. Whoever is in breach of the customary law must be punished, even the village head's child. Villagers should also hold their chief in high regard. But the problem is that we are facing a dilemma."

"Why?" interrupted a member of the camp favoring the enforcement of the customary law.

"If you carry out the full-moon parades until the baby is born, you'll have to marry her off. This is the question. In fact, I don't want my son to be the husband of a thief's daughter. Samsi is my only heir apparent to replace my position. How can he live with the child of a thief who has disgraced this land?"

"Your son has also besmirched the reputation of this village," another Kampung Tua figure said.

"Yes, he has insulted and trampled on the time-honored customary law."

Everybody was silent, and the meeting had come to a complete deadlock.

On the eve of a full moon, the session was resumed. The standoff was even more difficult to break this time around. Some agreed with the punishment of having the pair paraded until delivery, without any ensuing marriage because of the village head's opposition.

The proposal was turned down: what would happen to the innocent baby? Others suggested that Samsi's right to inherit the title of village head must be revoked. He would be permitted to live with Surti after the series of parades. Still others recommended their banishment, which was promptly rejected because it showed a lack of respect for the village chief.

The session once again met a stumbling block. It was eventually adjournment and the punishment could not be imposed the following night. The two lovers were held in separate cells near the Kampung Tua hall.

* * *

The full moon was over. The night was dark and quiet. The bamboo drum at the village guard station had just been struck 12 times, indicating midnight. Kampung Tua fell into a deep slumber that cold night.

Those on patrol duty also became drowsy. Hot spots appeared on hilltops, as the dry-season wind blew hard through dry leaves, scattering them over the ground. The fire began to flare with the strong wind, consuming the leaves. Twigs and branches started to burn.

Gusts of wind spread the flames to reach Kampung Tua. The village was soon ablaze. When the bamboo walls of the guard station were aflame, one of the patrol men woke up and beat the drum continuously.

Burning leaves and twigs were falling on rooftops. Panicked villagers began to burst out of their homes in their night clothes. The wind kept blowing wildly, enveloping many houses. Their occupants rushed to save children, the elderly and their belongings.

As the fire was brought under control, the village stirred once again. Pak Suraji, the hall guard, scream hysterically: "The cell key! I hold the key, Samsi and Surti were trapped inside!"

Amid the sound of the bamboo drum, Pak Suraji had immediately left the village hall and ran home to save his family and valuables. The guard, the village head and all the residents could only stare at the ruins of the hall with streaming red eyes.

Translated by Aris Prawira

Note:

Kang: Sundanese term of address for a brother or older man Bapak/Pak: term of address for a father or older man