Chapter 1 - Chaotic Place (1)
"I just hope we can live in peace, far from this messy place, or at least just until I give birth and our child is big enough to understand how this world works. Don't you think so, husband?"
"I pray every night for our child to be born healthy and be handsome like me if it is a boy, and pretty like you if it is a girl. And lastly, I hope we live a long life so we can see and hold our grandchild."
A man and women hug each other while standing in front of an old window, they stare at the sky while lamenting why god created humans just for slaughtering each other. Is it wrong that they just want to live in peace? Is it wrong that they just want to raise their child and be a good parent? They always pray and pray to god, to anyone, that can answer their prayer, that can at least grant their simple wish.
No, not just the two of them, but all the people who die unjustly, all the children who are abused, all the good women who become slaves and become a toy for powerful people, all the good men who lack the ability to resist and are captured and forced to work until they die.
They all pray, their friends pray, their wives pray, their husbands pray, their children pray, and their family prays.
Not just us, but they all pray, hoping that God will answer their prayers and that everything will be better tomorrow if they pray before going to bed.
'Hope' that their family will be by their side when they open their eyes when the morning sun shines on their face.
"wife, can you close your eyes?"
The man turned around while hugging her from behind, rubbing her belly, kissing her cheek, and whispering in her ear. When he notices his wife closing her eyes, he does the same.
"Can you imagine that we are free, that we are free to go to our front yard, that we do not need to be afraid to go out, that we can do farming as much as we want, that we can freely raise animals, that you do not need to hide from everyone, that we do not need to be afraid that our child will be taken later, can you imagine that?" The man whispers softly while the woman has started to shed silent tears.
"you know what the biggest dream in my whole life is? It's to see you play with our child in our front yard, without worry or having to think about everything, I just want you and our child to be happy and free."
"I want to become an umbrella that shields you from rain. I want to become a house that makes you comfortable to sleep in. I want to become a fire, so you will always feel warm when the winter comes. I want to become a water that quenches your thirst when we are in summer. I want to become a tree that will give you fruit when you feel hungry."
"That was my biggest dream. A foolish dream that can never be achieved."
The woman slowly opens her eyes, looking at the sky, looking at the moon, at the star, through delicate old windows. She slowly raised her right hand while holding her husband's hand while still rubbing her belly with the other hand.
"I know, I know your dream. And that's why I will always accept your decision." Say the woman that is still looking at the sky with hazel eyes.
"Thank you, wife. I know it sounds selfish, but when I heard about how a woman from our village was raped and turned into a plaything for that asshole, I began to fear the worst, I was scared, scared that the woman was you."
"Do you know what I think when I see the corps is not you? I'm glad, glad that it's not you. But I'm also sad and filled with anger that my brother's wife got defiled like that." The man slowly opens his eyes while anger and sadness can be seen in it.
"At that moment, I realized that we have no hope, we have no future, no one will care about us, no one will answer our prayer, no one will care about our pain, no one will hear about our sadness, and no one will help us."
"But us!" The man looked at the sky with a determined gaze.
The woman turns around, touching his cheek, and looks at his husband's horrible red eyes, which look like have been crying for three days. "No need to say more, we were together not just from yesterday. I know your meaning before you even say it."
The man took a slow look at his wife, at her brown eyes, then at her unruly and unkempt long black hair, her sunken cheek, her pale white skin, and her skinny figure that looked like bones covered in skin.
Even with her horrible appearance, this man sees his wife as an angel, without stain, sacred, pristine, and holy, the most beautiful woman in the world. The woman who always believes in someone, who struggles to hold that belief, who struggles to make that belief a reality.
"We need to get out of this hell tomorrow, before sunrise come."
"Fuck off with god, fuck off with prayer, fuck off with them all. Now we need to believe in ourselves! if no one answers our plight, then we, ourselves will answer our prayer."
The husband and wife immediately packed the clothes they were going to bring.
***
raindrops quietly rained down and covered the whole village and its surrounding, the air started to feel hot and moist, indicating that a heavy downpour will follow. But strangely there is no dark cloud covering the sky.
The sound of rooster crowing was heard everywhere in the village, with the sky slowly lightening, signaling that morning will soon to come.
In the middle of the village stood a pair of humans, husband and wife. The husband has a skinny body, but if you look carefully he has a broad shoulder that can shoulder anything. The wife looks like a skeleton, if it wasn't because of her big belly, they would think of her as a walking skeleton. She has a calming aura, which makes a person feel at peace when they are near her.
"Are you ready?" the man asked, holding his wife's hand. He slowly turned his head and looked towards Mount Kunan.
When his wife looks in the direction her husband Is looking, her pale face grows even paler.
"Are you sure we will go there? Do you have any plans?" the wife asked while covering her shaking body because of fear.
The man took a deep breath while closing his eyes. It took a minute to calm his rapidly beating heart.
"don't worry. When I was a child, my father always told me a story, if we walk through Kunan mountain, and go to the east, following the direction of the rising sun, we will meet a very peaceful small village, there is no fighting, no killing, no crime…"
"Everything is peaceful. They always help each other, get each other back, and so much more. And my father's hometown is there."
After hearing the man's words, the women started to feel relieved. But there was something that made her feel uneasy. "Do you think we'll be able to get through? What if the owner of that place senses us entering her territory?"
The man looks at Kunan mountain with a complicated look while remembering what his father says.
'If you ever find yourself in a difficult situation, then ask the owner of the mountains for help. She still has a debt that she has not paid yet.'
...
At the foot of Mount Kunan, stood 2 people who were looking at how tall Mount Kunan is. They stare in awe at how grand and magnificent the place is. Every minute, a bolt of lightning illuminates the top of the mountain, the sound of vibrations covers the whole mountain, in every vibration dry leaves fall from the tree, and dust is lifted from the ground.
The two people slowly walked with steady steps towards the mountain.
And when they enter the mountain area, suddenly everything starts to feel different. There is no sound, no light, no smell, nothing. It feels like entering a silent forest. Even their own heartbeat can't be heard.
The husband and wife began to hold hands more tightly, with a nervous step, they walked toward the center of the mountain.
Just after a few steps they walked, suddenly they saw a very fast light approaching in their direction. And a few seconds later, the light is already in front of them.
A 3-meter tall white tiger with a black strip, blue eyes and is surrounded by lighting.
When the white tiger appeared in front of them, the husband and wife could only remain silent in terror. The white tiger approached slowly and sniffed at the man.
"You have that man smell. Did you come to collect the debt?"
The man's eyes tremble when he hears a talking tiger. While gulping for air, with a shaky hand, he bent down while clenching his fist in front of him, giving a greeting.
"My father tells me to come here if I ever find myself in a difficult situation." The man said while stealing a glance at the white tiger.
"Before you say what you want, I have to tell you something first. My debt to your father does not include anything that can bring harm to myself. So be aware of what you ask for. So, what do you want?" the white tiger said while narrowing its eyes.
After hearing what the white tiger said, the man looked relieved. Then with a confident look, he says to the white tiger;
"I just want to get out of this mountain, can you take me to the east side?"
The white tiger was still looking at the man with narrow eyes, waiting for his next words.
But even after a full five minutes, the man still bowed and was silent. This makes the white tiger confused. Aren't humans greedy bastards? They ask for more and more until everything is ruined. They can even sell their own flesh and blood. So why is this man kept silent? Does it make sense that he just asks to pass through this mountain? Something as simple as that?
"That's all? Quick! choke out everything that you want to ask for. Don't make me angry, cause you don't want to see it." The white tiger growled while talking, with narrowing eyes, her lightning became thicker and heavier.
When the man sees this, he thinks that he makes the white tiger angry. With fast, he quickly pulled his wife to the ground and knelt before the white tiger.
"Please, please forgive me. if I make a mistake please forgive me." The man keeps kowtowing while slamming his forehead to the ground.