ALKISAH: Prayer for the World [1001 Indonesian Fantasy Stories]
STORY: Friend of the Merapi

Story By: Aliza Bithia & Kevin E.S.P

Satriya woke up as she smelled a sharp charred smell that pierced her nose. The entire forest burned down, and somehow Satriya herself did not realize how long she had been asleep. Only the banyan tree where the shelter is still sturdy, green and lush.

Satriya then decided to climb the tree to the top of the branch.

From a distance, Satriya can see the smoke that soars from Mount Merapi, as well as the incandescent red lava melt that still flows in the alcove of the mountain.

“What.... is actually happening?” Asked the brown-skinned boy asking himself. Her jet-black hair was blown away by the hot wind.

Satriya was trying to collect the memory pieces, as well as the reason why she could wake up in this place.

However, suddenly Dada Satriya began to feel tight, ash flying from the ground into his lungs. Satriya covered her nose with a shirt. Without footwear, he intended to tread a pile of ash that was still hot billowing.

In his mind there was only one thought: get out of here to seek help.

However, when his feet retraced, there was a wind that held him back, the leaves of the banyan tree fell out and flew to form a form. Woman of the foliage.

“Satriya, are you okay?”

“Eh... who are you? What really happened?”

“Hah... How else... “ The figure took a deep breath. Whether he has a nose or not. “I Centini. I am a spiritual parent who has taken care of you from your baby. Unfortunately I can not explain everything that happened, you have seen for yourself this natural disaster, this is all a process to clean up what is evil and replace it with new things.”

“Spiritual parents?” Satriya was struck, “means you are my mother, dong?”

“Yes, I am indeed your mother.” Satriya seemed to be able to see the smile that formed on the face of the figure.

“But where are my real parents? And why am I here? And... My head hurts a lot.”

“Less asem... “ Centini whispers that sound a little irritated. “The spell completely disappears at the wrong time, and instead makes your memory fall apart.”

“Mantra? what does Mom mean?” Satriya asked in astonishment.

“It's too late to explain everything now. The important thing is that at this time you should leave here as soon as possible.”

“Hah? But how? I just don't know where else.” is

Centini whistled loudly, summoning a white dragon that had appeared from nowhere. The dragon soared into space, soaring above the clouds. The dragon whose scales contained soft feathers then wrapped around Satriya's body and made her feel comfortable.

“Nagapathi, can you take Satriya to a safe place?” pinta Centini's.

The dragon obeyed Centini's orders, and he carried Satriya directly to the nape of her neck with a flick of her tail.

“Thank you, and see you later. mother.” Satriya waved her hand.

“Ya, see you...my son.”.

Centini smiled, then turned himself into a bunch of burnt leaves. The banyan tree that had been sturdy turned into ashes.

Nagapathi brought Satriya up into the sky, piercing through the gray clouds. Satriya could feel the wind blowing hard. He held on to the fur around Nagapathi's neck to keep it from blowing. The clouds below are rarely seen, there are several settlements destroyed, some are buried in ash.

“But it looks like wrath on a human, yes. What exactly was their fault until this happened?” Satriya mutters.

Then after the settlement of residents, there are also some tents that are not too far away. Apparently there gathered people who were still trying to take the remaining possessions. Somehow, Satriya's eyes could see them all very clearly.

Satriya pulls Nagapathi's fur.

Satriya really wants to help the humans, because maybe they can tell Satriya about finding her identity. But Nagapathi apparently refused, he just flew straight somewhere.

Then, far enough away there, there were also trees that still stood firm, even though the leaves were dry. Then there are a bunch of people riding motorcycles and cars. They seemed to be in a hurry, afraid that the mountain would erupt again. Satriya recalled that the lava was still melting from her crater.

Nagapathi started flying low, he was looking for a place to land. He chose an empty house on the edge of the bamboo forest. He shrewdly turned his attention using the gusts of clouds from his nose, then enveloped his entire body.

Satriya went down in the house, and Nagapathi just disappeared without a trace.

“Lho.. I, right, haven't thanked you... “ Said Satriya disappointed while trying to find the existence of Nagapathi in the vicinity. But, strangely the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Satriya stepped towards the house, then opened the door that had been weathered, the roof of the house had partially collapsed, some even collapsed. The leaves are scattered in the house. There are two bedrooms and one bamboo bed that is still intact, as well as a kitchen filled with kendhil scattered, and a bathroom that still uses water from the well.

For some reason, Satriya's memory piece opens here. Satriya took one of the kendhils and observed the contents that turned out to be food.

Suddenly, Satriya remembered the figure of a little girl who had once been her playmate. But he can't remember his name. Only her beautiful face and long yellow hair were still clearly imagined in her mind.

“Actually who was I before?”

Satriya sat on the bamboo mattress, hoping for a memory that opened again. However, after a while, nothing happened, until he finally decided to get out of the house.

Looking towards the sun that was slightly tilted to the west, Satriya realized that she had to find a more decent shelter. He tried to remember which direction the crowd was heading.

Tracing the bamboo forest, looking for a path, through a small river, and he finally managed to get out of the forest and headed to a residential area. There were several tents standing in the village square. A couple of nurses put up an emergency post and he came to them.

They were stunned to see Satriya's condition. He was instantly treated by them, given medicine, his wounds were also cleaned and bandaged. He was led into a tent full of people sleeping and resting.

However, the people there looked at Satriya with strange looks. They saw Satriya as if she was not human. However, Satriya ignored them and chose to sleep in a place that was not too crowded, which was only a mat.

Satriya wondered in her heart, would she be able to meet again with Centini and Nagapathi someday? It felt too painful if Satriya had to part with the person who cared for her all this time without bringing any memories. It feels so bland and empty.

At around nine in the evening, Satriya was woken by a child who kept pricking Satriya's cheeks with her fingers.

“Hey, she's up!” The boy told someone as soon as Satriya opened her eyes wide. Satriya looked around at that time, and found a tent that was almost empty and only illuminated by lights that were also not too bright.

After his female friend came, the child who woke Satriya immediately raised a question that sounded a little annoying, until it made Satriya's face turn sour.

“Whose Sister's name? And why are my eyes yellow? Brother from where? I don't think my brother is from here, deh.”

“Eh... I'm Satriya... “ Satriya replied, but somehow it felt like that was all she could say.

“Oh, Brother Satriya, yes.” Respond to the boy while pulling Satriya's hand and taking her out of the tent. “Come, Brother, they're handing out food right now. If not quickly, the food will run out!”

The boy walked quickly on his tiny legs, while the girl followed them both from behind. When viewed from their height, these two children may still be six or seven years old.

The darkness of the night, as well as the loud and dashing yelling sounds, as well as the voices of the machines that had somehow instantly greeted them upon arriving outside, were, and it looks like people are waiting in line in front of a truck that handed out packages filled with food.

Honestly, Satriyas was actually very happy because he could be in the middle of a crowd like this. Although his memory of his previous days is still blurry, Satriya believes that only Centini and Nagapathi have accompanied him since he was born. Only the two of them knew about Satriya's whereabouts.

However, Satriya felt as if she was unable to put a smile on her lips after she saw the faces of the people who were there. Nestapa, fear, disappointment, and despair adorned the faces of all refugees.

The night was getting late when Satriya and the two children managed to get food. Satriya opened the package and looked at the rice and also the stir-fried vegetables and fried tofu tempeh inside.

“By the way what is your name?” Asked Satriya who was still staring at her food with a blank look.

“Ah, I'm Jaka, Brother, and this is Kiki.” Answer the boy named Jaka. “We are twins you.”

“Well, clearly visible, kok.” Satriya replied with a wry smile, while her eyes were watching the wounds all over the bodies of the two children.

Both children ate very well. And most surprisingly, the two of them had not stopped smiling since then. After waiting in line for quite a while, Satriya did realize that almost all the children who were here still did not lose their smiles.

As Satriya directed her gaze towards Kiki, Satriya's eyes unintentionally caught another sight not far behind the little girl; it is a flower with white petals that thrives alone among the grass, in the middle of the sea of humans.

“Oh yes, come to think of it, why don't you eat together with your father and mother?” Asked Satriya who also started devouring her food.

After hearing the question, Jaka and Kiki's smiles suddenly disappeared and they were silent like statues. However, not until a matter of seconds, suddenly their smiles re-formed on the lips, and even now their smiles are wider than before.

“Our mother died when we were kids, sister. And father fell into the ground when Merapi erupted this morning.” Jaka Evident.

“Fall into the ground?”

“Iya, Brother! Back then, the ground below us suddenly split open like a mouth that was about to eat, Brother!” Kiki said.

“And the three of us almost fell earlier, but luckily father pushed us and he also had a chance to shout telling us to go all the way from there.” Jaka ends the story and returns to eating.

“When we got here and told those cops, they even told us to get into the tent and get some rest.” Added Kiki. “Oh! Brother remembered, right? With a policewoman hugging us when we want to get into the tent?”

“Ah, I remember, kok.” Said Jaka. “Mbak the cop was crying, don't know why.”

The policewomen they discussed must have cried because they heard the story of Jaka and Kiki, Satriya thought. What a sad reality. Satriya's eyes widened because she was so surprised. But, the fact that these two children can still laugh cheerfully as if nothing happened, even makes Satriya more confused.

“Please... “

A voice suddenly sounded in Satriya's mind. The image of the blonde-haired girl in his memory also appeared along with the arrival of the soft whisper. The weak voice of a little girl echoed within Satriya.

“STOP!” Shouted Satriya blaring to make the world around him become silent for a moment. All eyes of confusion were now on him.

Satriya stood up slowly, then she started to step past Kiki and Jaka. He continued to walk, in the midst of the silence, until he finally stopped in front of a soldier, whose feet were still in a raised position.

“Why does Uncle want to step on this flower?” Satriya asked in a threatening tone.

The man in a striped and ferocious-looking uniform was of course surprised by Satriya's actions. “What you say—”

“Then once again.” Satriya's voice sounded even sharper. “Why does Uncle want to step on this flower? I thought my voice was very clear.”

The man looked very angry now. He then lowered his feet to the ground, but the distance of his shoes and the flower was very close.

“Did you never be taught manners, rancid boy!” The man immediately raised his fist right towards Satriya's face, however, suddenly the land started shaking violently before the man's hand touched Satriya's skin. Screams of fear instantly rang out from all directions, and everyone instantly fell on their bottoms at that very instant.

“Cih... Because people like uncle, the Mountain became angry!”

The earthquake stopped a second later. And the only human still standing there is only Satriya. He still stood firm and stared furiously at the soldier.

“Ugh!” Satriya fell to her knees. His head suddenly felt very painful not a headache. It felt like Satriya's head had just been thrown by a stone so many times. He clutched his head hard. “Sick! What is this! Argh!”

“Kak Satriya! Brother why!?” Jaka and Kiki immediately approached Satriya who was still curled up on the ground.

“Hah!? That's not possible!” Jaka tries to protect Satriya.

“Iya... “ Whisper a citizen.

“The earthquake was not an earthquake as usual... “

“The child must have used black magic... “

All the refugees and security forces who were there apparently swallowed the man's lies. They put their faith in something that is clearly unreasonable and too far from human reason.

The police and soldiers immediately took a thousand steps to besiege Satriya, Jaka and Kiki. They pointed their weapons towards the three children without hesitation.

“Hey! You can't hurt Satriya!” Shouted Kiki fearfully. Her tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Keep out of there! Or you will also shoot!” Raung is a cop.

“Quick report everything to Commander!”

“I was expecting it! I was suspicious of that kid from the beginning! He even has yellow eyes that look radiant!”

“That's right!?”

“Reply report!”

The pain Satriya felt suddenly disappeared. His yellow eyes now shimmered and glued to the white flower that was just below him. But, at that moment, there was a piece of memory that appeared in Satriya's view.

In the memories, Satriya saw Centini walking towards her with a little girl with blond hair, long and very thick, so that Satriya could feel her tenderness just by looking at her.

“Satriya, come. There is someone who wants to meet you, nih.” Call Centini. “Satriya, introduce, this child is Merapi. He is the soul of this mountain.”

“Hay, Satriya! Hello, yeah! As Ms. Centini said, my name is Merapi. But you can call me Mera, kok.” Said the jolly boy. “Oh yes! You want to be my friend?” The girl smiled widely as she extended her hand towards Satriya.

“Ya, of course.” Satriya's hand slowly welcomed the girl's hand.

As Satriya's fingers intertwined with Mera's, something strange suddenly happened, and the shadows of the past faded. Satriya is drawn back to the present reality. However, it was strange that Satriya could hear one voice coming from the tiny flower.

“Call my name if you need me, Satriya... “

That voice, that word, instantly obliterated all the feelings of hatred that were inside Satriya. His hatred for humans had simply disappeared. Satriya does not know if her feelings of hatred for humans are only lost for a while or forever, but surely, her body, mind, and heart are now feeling better than ever.

Satria rounded her resolve, then she whispered softly. “Good... Answer my call, Merapi.”

“SHOT!”

“NO!”

Suddenly, there was a gust, or maybe a very strong wind explosion, until it threw many people behind, including the troops. The strong wind was coming from Satriya's direction, as if he was the one making it happen.

Satriya stood up.

The ground under Satriya suddenly shook, and before long the ground began to rise to the top bringing with it Satriya, Jaka, and Kiki. The ground continued to rise very high into the sky, until it looked like a pillar or tree trunk that was very long.

The people who were there were shocked to see the sight. Events that are too impossible to occur and cannot be digested by the common sense. Rather than being called a catastrophe, the scene looked more like a miracle.

After a while, the pillar of land finally stopped rising. It was probably about two hundred meters above ground level.

“A-what happened, Brother!?” Jaka's screams looked extremely panicked, while Kiki's face was flooded with tears. The two children tightly hugged Satriya's waist, because the ground on which they stood could not be said to be wide.

“Kak! I-I'm scared!” Tweet Kiki.

“You guys take it easy, I'll protect you guys, kok.” Satriya.

“Halo, Satriya.”

A golden blonde haired girl suddenly appeared in front of Satriya. He floated in the air. A smile formed on her lips adorned her beautiful face.

Satriya glanced at Jaka and Kiki. Their eyes were tightly shut for fear, to the point that they were unaware of the girl's arrival.

“Mera... “ Satriya's face calms down. He really felt very happy to be able to meet his best friend again after such a long time. And, Satriya also just realized that her memory turned out to be back to normal. “How are you, Mera—”

Though Satriya intended to talk briefly with Mera, but the girl immediately cut off Satriya's words.

“I'm glad you need me, Satriya. And I'm glad you called me. It's been a long time, Dad? But...for now, it would be better if we resolve this issue first, okay?”

“Yes... I get it..“ Satriya's face turned gloomy. “I also lost my memory this morning, only now that my memory has returned again. But... it feels... very long... as if my memory has indeed been lost for many years... and—”.

“After this is done, I promise, I will not leave you again like I used to.” Mera said full of determination. “Your life just started today, Satriya. You remember, right? the promise we made that day?”

Satriya nodded her head at Mera's question. “We will find a new place to live together like ordinary people. Me, you, Centini, and Nagapathi. The four of us.. and also those who need life.”.

“Well, since your time has already been repeated again today, so, let's carry out that plan as soon as possible!”

Satriya smiled with relief. “Alright then. Let's finish quickly.”

Mera came down from the air and stood on the ground where Satriya was.

Satriya stomped her feet slowly, and at that moment the pillar of the land immediately moved down to deliver them back to their original place. The people were more and more shocked because they found the existence of Mera who was standing beside Satriya.

“GUN! SHOOT IT! SHOOT!” The barbarian cry sounded again, and a barrage of bullets in an instant charged in from all directions.

However, Mera raised her hand forward, and the ground around them lifted up and fended off the bullets.

“What a clueless human being is lucky.” Mera shook her hand, and along with that, from within the ground appeared the vine plants that looked alive. The tendrils attacked the soldiers and police who shot earlier. One by one they were knocked down with a single blow, until they fainted.

“For more than hundreds of years I have endured the torment of you humans. You burned me, cut me down, and destroyed me. Yes, I am just a mountain. But sometimes you are too stupid to realize that even the most patient people have anger in them. And as the saying goes, doom is another name for the wrath of the patient. Oh, sorry, I mean patient mountain.” Mera smiled a little.

The people around them were silent like statues after seeing what the girl standing next to Satriya could do. Their eyes were increasingly wide open, and some even fell to their knees.

For a moment the atmosphere became silent afterwards, but the silence was quickly broken down by sounds coming from space. Deep in the sky, there were many helicopters heading to their place.

“Hmm... It looks like you're a bit outrageous, Mera.” Said Satriya who smiled bitterly.

“Well I also had to.” Mera replied as she turned to look at the residents around. “But it seems like the news of strange things happening here has reached the ears of Mr. President, so the situation might be a bit hotter now.”

“Hmm... Well okay.” Satriya is still observing the presence of helicopters that are getting closer. “But, please don't kill them, Mera.”

“You just calm down. Too many human lives have been lost today, and all because of me. Anyway, I also don't want to deal with the Board.” Mera Obviously. “After being asleep for ten centuries, I finally woke up to feel your coming. However, after we met, I fell asleep again because of the bond. Really boring.”

Satriya asked in her mind, what was it like to sleep that long?

Mera took a deep breath and then she explained things to people. Starting from the explanation of himself who is the soul of Mount Merapi, and also about the disaster today that occurred because of his anger in humans.

Many put on bewildered faces upon hearing Mera's explanation, but it seems that they are trying to accept that fact after all that happened in the last few minutes. The strange forces shown by Satriya and Mera were more than enough to serve as evidence.

Then, Mera ordered everyone to go as far away from the area of Mount Merapi as possible. He even blatantly declared to them that there would soon be a war here.

However, without the slightest hesitation, people immediately prepared to leave this mountain. Sane policemen and soldiers also helped launch the evacuation process and made sure no one was left behind, including those who were knocked unconscious by Mera.

“For now, it is better if you guys follow them.” Pinta Satriya on Jaka and Kiki.

“But, Brother, we have no one left... “ Bisik Jaka sad.

“We have no family in town.” Added Kiki.

Satriya is grateful to have met these two children. Although it was only a few hours, but Satriya felt that she could consider these two children more than just acquaintances.

“Listen to me you two.” Satriya tried to convince them. “Besok morning I plan to go with my Mom and also Mera to start a new life, and I also intend to take the two of you with me.”

Jaka and Kiki's eyes were wide open to hear it.

“So? You guys are coming with me, right?”

Jaka and Kiki exchanged glances, then said steadily, “We want, Brother!”

The trucks slowly drove away leaving Satriya and Mera alone in the middle of the field. However, Satriya could still clearly see the figure of Jaka and Kiki standing while waving their hands.

“So, you intend to bond with the two children?” Tanya Mera who smiled knotty.

“Yah... tomorrow they both officially become my family,” Satriya turned to look at Mera. “And also your family of course.”

“Good then. More people means more, right? So our adventure will also not be boring.” Mera and Satriya together turned their eyes towards the group of helicopters that had now been above them. “Adventure to find a better life.”

“Well, better life.” Satriya Whisper. His yellow eyes lit up brightly.

“Good. I answered your call, Satriya.” Suddenly, Mera's entire body emitted a very bright light that managed to drive out the darkness of the night.

The figure had a body so large that it towered high into space. The giant figure that rose and was born from the ground even attacked the vehicles that floated in the air blindly. Well, basically, the giant just started going berserk after being bombed by helicopters belonging to the military forces.

All the passengers in the truck were speechless when they saw the miraculous and terrible sight. Everyone's eyes were wide open. However, fortunately they are now quite from the area of Mount Merapi, so there should be nothing to worry about anymore for now.

But strangely, among all the passengers, only Jaka and Kiki did not look worried or tense. They both smiled, and looked a light of hope in their eyes.

The memory of the times when Satriya invites them to live together still revolves in the minds of the two of them. After a long time, their dream of freedom finally materialized.

In fact, Jaka and Kiki really hate their father a lot, because after their mother died, their father became a bit crazy and always tortured them and blamed them both for the tragedy that befell their mother.

“But, sister, how does it feel like I don't hate Dad anymore, huh?” Kiki suddenly spoke up.

The sister's words instead made Jaka think back to the times when his father pushed them both open ground and nearly swallowed them. Jaka remembers his father's angry face when he told them to run away. But, even so, Jaka also could not deny, if not for his father they would both have not lived again until this second.

“Well, I don't really understand, anyway. But... I also do not hate Dad anymore, kok.” Jaka smiled widely. “That's why I feel so happy now. We live..”