Firefields
Patra's Hard Choice

WHEN Sawitri gave a lesson, no one realized that there was someone sitting behind the walls of the classroom. Name, Sapri.

For three days he did not go to school. The curly-haired teenager with protruding cheekbones was just confining herself inside the house, hiding her pain from people and it bore her.

Moreover, he had heard the events experienced by Patra impact with the football team. This time, Sapri secretly went to his school again. Outside his mother seemed to be busy drying cloves in the courtyard of the house.

The chalk-based wall paint has littered the black shirt worn by Sapri. Under the window beside the teacher's desk, Sapri leaned his back against the wall. He was amazed when he found out Sawitri was giving lessons in class.

Religious lessons should be taught by Jauhari. Sapri plans to tell Patra to meet him when she gets home from school. Leaning against the wall, Sapri waited for the opportunity. He insisted on meeting Patra today, no matter what.

Since at home, Sapri has been stringing sentences that he thinks are terrible. Football is important, man. The green grass on the field already misses your presence.

Sapri imagined Patra's reaction after hearing that sentence. A sentence that he thought could make Patra forget all the lessons he had just learned from Sawitri.

Together their eyes will wander on the expanse of green grass, darting far to tear the net.

Time is slow. The opportunity to sign Patra to ask permission to leave the class has not been obtained. Had he been okay, Sapri wouldn't have taken this to see Patra.

“Fucking Jingah tree.,” sumpul Sapri holding a lump on his face. He never knew that the sap could make his face messy.

Four days ago, he wanted to make a chair out of bamboo. Holding the stone, Sapri struck a nail to join the leg of the chair with the Jingah tree.

Nothing happened at that time. However, the next morning, when he woke up on a thin mattress, he turned to the side, his eyes pounded on a large mirror in the wardrobe, his face was like a mangrove. Swollen.

Sapri's panic grew when the ointment medicine obtained from Puskesmas did not react on his face. Silly advice from his mother is still not done until now.

He could not believe it when his mother told him that Jingah tree whose fruit was often used as sambal was often a den of Jinns.

"You must marry the tree" his mother urged.

Sapri insists on not wanting to marry a tree. He thought it was a foolish way to cure the disease even though marrying the Jingah tree was the custom of the ancients in Kandangan where he was born.

When Sapri was silent, while his mother continued to tell stories, his memory was carried back by the time he spent his childhood there until he had to move to this place.

His father was an Army soldier. When he died, less than six months, his mother remarried and it was against the established rules.

Sapri and his mother are forced to live without a pension. Although heavy hearts left Kandangan, but they had no other choice to follow the new man in their lives as a clove farmer laborer.

"Isn't that a strange way of treatment, "sapri's murmur.

"Your disease is also strange, it is natural that the treatment is strange," said his mother.

***

Like yesterday, Patra wants to go home from school together with the Princess. The plan fails as Sapri, the head of the school's football team, confronts Patra in the parking lot.

After waiting quietly, Sapri invited to the football field where the flag ceremony is usually held. From the beginning, Patra had a hard time holding back laughter every time she looked at Sapri's swollen face.

"Do you need to slap to stop laughing like that,” Sapri is impatient. “This is the first time we have the enemy coming from Banjarmasin. They must have underestimated us," Sapri persuaded while kicking the pebbles.

"I think there's still a chance to find my replacement" Patra said, not looking at Sapri's face. He also told me all the reasons why he sacrificed the fun of playing football and chose to work in a clove field.

Sapri only shook his head many times. He had expected Patra to insist on the reason. Life problems like Patra does not mean never stop in his family.

“Didn't you ever dream of wanting to be like Frans Sinatra Huwae?" Sapri's steps approached. "Football needs sacrifice, man! Don't break your dreams." Sapri turned his feet towards the goal post.

That's where Sapri often sits when he's worried about something. The goalpost for him was a pair of sturdy legs. Leaning on one of them makes Sapri feel more comfortable.

Not finished they spoke, from afar Zian's voice called out. Sapri was annoyed that his business was not finished yet. The great words he had already assembled had not yet been spoken.

However, he had to think twice about looking for trouble with the headmaster's son. Sapri. After handing over the thick folds of paper he took from the bag, with a heavy heart Sapri went and reminded him that everything was not finished.

Patra smiled and did not want to tell Zian the reason. “Fuck football business, really. Yuk, home!” Patra immediately headed for the already deserted parking lot.

There are three bikes still left and a motorcycle belonging to Jauhari.

“So I saw Sapri pushing your body,” chase Zian want to know.

Patra did not want to talk about the matter to Zian. “You've been there?” point Patra to Sangyang Hill to divert attention. For several days he no longer trained his leg strength by running in the morning.

 His decision to quit the football team was already unanimous. He no longer had time to practice. Patra still remembers when Sapri threatened to antagonize her.

“Surely many birds there?” zian replied with a waistline. He checked into his bag and immediately smiled while showing the catapult to Patra. “I always carry it everywhere. I can accompany you there now.”

With a forced smile, Patra continued to continue her steps. “Lain time I'll take you there. I have to get to the clove field now. Mat Yusi must have been waiting for me.”

“As far as you are. I can't wait to see you practicing martial arts today,” said Zian moving his hands imitating the movements of kung fu.

Patra immediately remembered the conditions requested by Mat Yusi. “He definitely won't let me train today.”

 “Just relax, I'll help you pluck cloves.”

“Do not! I can finish it myself,” reject Patra while riding his bike.

“The martial exercise is not magic. If it could be today, why delay it. Besides my help is not free,” replied Zian pedaling his bike.

“You mean?”

“Before it gets to the fields and help you pick cloves, we make a deal first.”

Patra stopped the bike on the side of the road so that Zian could more freely convey his plan. After asking Patra not to tell anyone else, Zian told her his wish while noticing the change in Patra's face.

“How about I get caught by Mat Yusi?” Patra doubtful. His neck feels dry. He wanted to cancel the help Zian offered to finish his job of picking cloves. It's better than having to steal something from Mat Yusi.

“I'm sure in the book holds the secret of the greatness of Mat Yusi,” said Zian explained his plan.

“Why don't you borrow it?”

“Already. But he won't let me read it.”

“Where did you know there was a secret in the book?”

“I've peeked at him from behind the trees. After reading the book, he immediately crossed his legs while closing his eyes. I'm sure he's casting a spell. Remember what I said yesterday, I'm not kidding that Mat Yusi has immunity.”

“You saw it yourself?” search Patra.

“Didn't you know that he was a robber?”

Patra gasps. A robber? A killer? Which is right. He himself did not expect Zian would drag him into dangerous actions. “How about I reject your request?”

“Means you lost your chance to take revenge on Yudha's men.”

While half-whispering, Zian recounted if Patra could quickly learn martial arts with Mat Yusi. Plus spells that can make it stronger and more powerful.

“You don't have to steal it. Just copy every sentence in the book as he is off guard.”

“I'm not sure I can do it. But I'll try,” Patra replied asking Zian not to get in his way.

Zian's smile expanded. He soon followed Patra's bicycle pace and thought of ways to persuade Mat Yusi to let Patra learn martial arts today.