ADJOINING REALM
SETTLEMENTS

"Mat, they're safe aren't they? my feelings are not good" Mbah Min told Kakung beside him. They were still leaning in the front seat of the car, letting Harti sleep in the back seat.

"Just be sure, Min. We help pray from here, hopefully they can get gasoline and also motorcycle taxi back here. Lagian Darto is no longer a baby boy, Min. He is stronger than we are now, only he is unconscious" replied Kakung, then opened the front door wide, lit a cigarette between his fingers.

Smoke began to billow from the lips of the two old men. They were swept away in boredom, as well as worry for their grandchildren.

While on the other hand, Darto and his two friends continued to move forward regardless of what they would meet in front. Their minds were only focused on getting to the city quickly in order to quickly buy the fuel they needed.

"It's still a long way off, Gus, my legs are already pegel," said Bidin while taking a sitting position following the two friends who had sat first in front of him.

"I also don't know Din, but there is no visible light from here, certainly still quite far, Din," Said Darto then drank the water he brought in a bottle made of bamboo sticks.

"Here I ask for a drink, Gus," said Surip then snatch the bamboo that Darto brought.

The three of them are now sitting right under a large mahogany tree, only armed with yellow light from an old flashlight belonging to Darto, Darto, it had been two hours when they went hand in hand to reveal the darkness of the jungle that night. Continued to follow the path that lay before them, despite the fear and uneasiness that never went a second from the chest of the three of them.

"Gus, you hear?" surip then grabbed the flashlight in Darto's hand. With a bewildered face he pointed the flashlight in his hand in all directions.

"Sound what Sur?" timpal Bidin who now put on a confused face as well, and continue to see the part of the forest highlighted by the flashlight directed by Surip.

"Oh yes Sur, I'm horrified!" darto suddenly said.

Darto again grabbed the flashlight in Surip's hands, he pointed the spotlight towards the forest interior, unfortunately nothing was caught by Darto's eyes around him.

Out of curiosity, after quite a long time of deliberating, the three of them hurriedly followed the source of the voice they heard. They kept marching towards the depths of the forest and away from the road.

The deeper into the wilderness, the louder the sound of gamelan music was heard, and shortly after from a distance began to appear a light emanating from the fire in front of them.

They hurried to step foot, slightly ran and jumped over the roots of the trees that were sticking out on the ground, until finally it was clearly seen dozens of bamboo huts lined up in the middle of the forest.

There was not a single illumination in the hamlet, there was only a fairly large firelight visible in the middle of the settlement.

Seen dozens of residents were holding a party beside the fire, a graceful female dance accompanied by the sound of gamelan in the cheerful voices of the audience. The quiet night turned into a rowdy night for Darto and his two friends.

Although a little hesitant, Darto decided to continue to advance to the middle of the crowd. Both of his friends who had no choice would not want to immediately follow Darto's footsteps. They continued to advance through the dark-looking house after house until they reached the source of the crowd.

"It wasn't yesterday, was it, Gus?" bidin asked a little unpleasant to Darto, after seeing Darto walking with an angry look earlier.

"No, Din. This is also a beautiful dancer, but not the person we see coming home from the market" said Surip after seeing the female dancer who was struggling with her body in the audience.

Darto's face gradually put on a relieved face after his eyes saw the dancer's face, in his heart he felt a little relieved because it was not Nyai Gending that he saw in front of him.

"We just ask people who know who sells gasoline here" said Bidin who was carrying oil jerry cans in his hands.

Not until three steps they walked, Surip and Bidin were astonished, with the behavior that Darto showed. He suddenly grabbed the hands of the two of them, and invited them to leave immediately.

"We go back, Din, Sur" said Darto briefly.

Hearing these words they did not dare to ask, in their hearts they already knew if something was wrong in front of them. They followed Darto's invitation without asking, step by step they continued to move away from the crowd.

When it almost reached the very end of the house, suddenly there was the sound of crying babies from the front of the house that they had not passed. Darto did not turn his head in the direction of the source of the voice, while two of his friends were actually made curious half to death.

Because he was already curious, Bidin and Surip ventured to pay attention to the source of the sound. Samar can be seen in the darkness a young woman singing a humming song to calm her child. She sings softly in front of her house while rocking her son's body in a sling.

"Belo, lelo ledung

Wes menengo my son the Kuncung

Embokmu again lungo nag time

Numbah diaper nyangkuk

Wes menengo ono uwong" the sound of a song that continues to be sung by the woman while shaking the body of her son.

Surip and Bidin rushed to leave Darto standing alone in the middle of the road. Without asking for Darto's approval they both kept getting closer to the woman.

They did not mind Darto's invitation to keep going, and still ngeyel to find a gasoline seller in the village.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. I want to ask," said Bidin slowly.

Hearing Bidin's words the woman only glanced sharply at Bidin and Surip, she did not say a word, she did not say a word, he just stuck out his index finger in front of his lips as a gesture for Bidin and Surip to shut up immediately.

Seeing the woman's movements, Surip and Bidin immediately looked at each other for a moment, they hesitated to wait or leave the woman. Stupidly they were waiting for the woman to answer their questions.

"Sir, excuse me," this time Surip opened the sound.

The woman turned her head back with a face of wrath, as the child she was carrying was crying even louder. The woman's eyes are rounded to the eyeball as if it can be released anytime from its place, in addition to the baby's shrieks that are increasingly hardened echo to deafen the eardrum.

Surip and bidin instantly fixated. Their bodies were locked, their feet could not be lifted, sweat immediately flooded their faces when they saw something fall from the woman's arms in front of them.

They clearly saw the object that fell in front of them, it was nothing but the head of a baby, rolling on the wooden floor on the porch of the house, he said, with black tears continuing to pour from both eyeballs, and lips that continue to cry cry even though they are separated from their bodies.

Be connected,-