Memories of a Thousand Years
Changing Habits

Chicken crowing. The sun began to show itself. There was a loud noise around the house. Some people flocked to go somewhere. Rinaya peeked out of the window. It looks like Dylan is already outside looking at the surroundings. Rinaya went to him. "Dylan. Did something happen?"

"So I asked someone"

"Then"

"I don't think you want to hear it"

"Hear what?"

"Someone is coming. To help the village"

"Why do you speak a piece of a piece? Just get pissed off."

"You who are impatient. Pondok Wijaya sent some people to help. I'm sure you know who I'm gonna call."

"Oohs. That's it." Rinaya replied calmly.

"Why just Ohh?"

"It's okay."

"The Wiriya lodge also sent some people. They come together. You might know who's coming."

"Oh." Rinaya rolled her eyes and shifted the conversation "you see Balapati? I didn't see him this morning."

Rinaya no longer wants to hear that. He knew who Dylan was going to say. Haris and Mr. Wiriya. He was not worried about Haris. They used to be close friends. Though some things make Haris misunderstand. Rinaya humbled her heart more to Haris. He felt the fateful plight experienced by the Wijaya family was his fault. After all, the Wijaya family was always kind to him. Rinaya should have done good to them.

But the presence of Mr. Wiriya-Paman Dhika slightly made Rinaya afraid. It's so nice to meet. Respecting was reluctant to feel. He treated Rinaya well, but. The look in his eyes made Rinaya tremble in fear. So too with Dhika. But he's used to it. He was closer to his uncle than any other family. Mr. Wiriya understands Dhika very well. Dhika also had a lot of respect for him.

"I think I've gone to the village hall." Answer Dylan

"Thank you" Rinaya left.

***

Rinaya went to the village hall. But his steps stopped a few meters from the gate of the village hall. Pradhika Wiriya and his Uncle-Baskara Wiriya were talking. I don't know what they're talking about. Rinaya did not want to meet him. The figure of the thin-bearded middle-aged man. Rinaya could only wait behind the cubicle of the house near the village hall gate. Peeped. He occasionally squinted his eyes wondering what they were talking about.

"What are you doing? You wanna steal?" The voice of someone blurred his gaze. At once he turned around and saw who the figure was.

"You...." Stare astonished. A teenage boy stood in front of him. Her clothes were very neat having embroidery on each end of her clothes.

"It turns out you." His words are cynical. They've met before. The dispute that brought him to meet with Haris that night.

"Decision?"

"really. That'sme. What are you doing peeping like that. What do you want to steal?"

"Huh? Steal?? No. gabe. I don't-"

"Then what?" Galih glanced her eyes at the direction Rinaya had seen earlier. It seems that Mr. Wiriya and Balapati are talking. He soon grabbed Rinaya's arm.

"Eh. What are you doing. You're so disrespectful." Rinaya said a little higher.

Galih takes him in front of Balapati and Mr. Wiriya. Surprised they asked.

"Mr Wiriya. Isn't he your student? He settles the precipitate and peeks. I brought it to you. I'm afraid he'll steal something."

"What's? Hey, kid watch you. Who's gonna steal." Rinaya Shouted.

"Of course you are. You're behaving strangely." Answer Galih calmly.

Mr. Wiriya "Young master there may be a slight misunderstanding."

Someone came from the end of the street his voice was very familiar. "What misunderstanding was made by him sir?"

Shit shit. I don't want to meet with both. Now they're right in front of my nose. He murmured in his heart. Rinaya looked down not wanting to show her face.

Subject "No misunderstanding. I saw him settle into a sink maybe he wanted to steal something. Or run away from something."

Mr. Wiriya "Is that true?"

"Master... Asked me?" Ask Rinaya in wonder. His face was too ordinary. Rinaya doesn't know if Mr. Wiriya recognizes her or not. This was the first time he had ever met her again.

Haris smiled cynically "Balapati Wiriya. Wasn't this one of your students that messed up back then? Have you disciplined him?"

"Master why are you talking like that. I didn't mess up at the time. It is precisely he who messes up" with a high tone Rinaya pointed at Galih as the perpetrator. "This time I have no intention of stealing. What can be stolen from here?"

Haris returned with a bitter smile. "Mr Wiriya. You really have to discipline him. He's very disrespectful"

Dhika "I apologize for all the mess she made. He is my responsibility."

Lord Wiriya stared at his nephew. He's never been like that before. Then he looked at Rinaya. Sontak Rinaya immediately bowed her head.

Mr. Wiriya smiled as if realizing something. "Sir Wijaya please do not take heart. We'll discipline him after this."

Haris left ended with a very painful look. So too with Galih. While Mr. Wiriya brought a smile to Rinaya.

Rinaya's arm pulled Dhika firmly. Take him away from that place. "Rapathy. You don't have to apologize to him. What I said is true."

Dhika "I know. This is not a good time to argue. We better think of how to heal the whole village."

"Ah. Then let's meet Bayu." Rinaya.

"of course. I'm on my way there." Dhika walked away from the village hall.

"Isn't he there?" Ask Rinaya kebingunagan. "Why is this way?"

"He wasn't there. Just follow me."

***

They arrived at a cottage far from the village. Slightly located on the plateau. The small house has one of the swings that hangs on one of the tree trunks. Breezy cool breeze stroking leaves. Occasionally, the birds sing to each other.

It looks like he is standing as if looking at the view. His eyes are still wrapped in bandages. Rinaya saw. What's he looking at? His whisper in his heart. Sometimes Rinaya remembers someone who is not foreign. Meet several times. But he has a characteristic that Rinaya cannot forget. Someone in white with an eye patch. But of course probably won't see him again. Fifteen years have passed no one knows how he is today.

"Falapati! Why is Jaka here?" Ask Rinaya.

Dhika replied "You can ask her directly." Someone was standing in the doorway. Smiling like before.

"You are finally coming" said Bayu.

Jaka, Bayu, Dhika and Rinaya sat inside the house. A few cups of tea were prepared. Still very hot. The steam is still clearly visible.

Mayu "there must be a lot of questions in your head."

Rinaya "hm. There are billions of questions for you. Some I have found the answer. I have to ask you a few."

Dhika "regards this plague... What say?"

Bayu "i've been in the village for a month. They are just ordinary pain. Not bad. But their body endurance was very weak. Undernourished. Starving. More like a symptom of food poisoning. After stopping taking water in the well they are better. But still some diseases are transmitted to others. So this is an unusual case."

Dhika "if only food poisoning can't possibly be contagious, right?"

Bayu "right. But it's contagious. Where do you think the source is?? Also... Other than poisoning. Their symptoms are like skin diseases.."

"Such an environment must be many diseases. No wonder." He said while eating some snacks.

Bayu smile. "Haha. You haven't changed at all."

"I'm changing..... So very weak" he was upset.

Bayu "you were right about this neighborhood. Ever since I came. It's not clean. Far from healthy. But there's also no way everyone can get infected."

"Because that's why we're supposed to clean up the whole village. Want not. If you want to be healthy, the environment must be clean." Rinaya said lightly still with a pile of food in her mouth.

Dhika frowned. "Why is that?"

Bayu "we can handle it today. What about next month. Or next year. If they have no desire of their own. Then they will just make themselves in pain. None of them were aware of it."

"Want it" said Rinaya.

"So you were just quiet. Come eat this." Reciprocity.

"I don't need it princess." The answer.

"Oh bayu. I want to ask how did he become like this? Youknow. They deliberately played with me. He even made the undead. He said he was imitating someone. I immediately thought that it was you."

"Is this one of the questions I have to answer" Bayu said.

"of course. You have to answer my billions of questions." Answer Rinaya lightly.

"Why is there so much?" Tanya Bayu was disappointed.

Rinaya "After I came back and recovered. I told all this to my friend. He wrote it into a novel. After this I will also tell him it will probably be a drama. Haha" Rinaya swallowed her food and continued her story. "So you have to answer all my curiosity. All mysteries must be solved. My reader must be curious now."

"You didn't ask me?" Dhika.

Rinaya "many things you don't want to talk about. You probably won't answer all my curiosity. I understand you very well."

"What daughter am I in your writing?" Ask Jaka.

Rinaya "of course. You're a great character. Everyone's gonna love you."

Bayu "so this meeting will only discuss your writing?"

Rinaya "hehehe's. No-no. Please continue."

Bayu "We have to do something for this village. I'm afraid it'll infect other villages."

Rinaya "like clean clean?"

Bayu "before that should give a briefing to the citizens. Not to repeat the same mistake."

Dhika "i'll help"

Bayu "i heard that Wijaya cottage and Wiriya cottage came. I will not come to the village. And so is Jaka. They'll definitely recognize us."

Rinaya "I think they'll recognize me soon too. Dhika. Have you talked to your uncle about me? It seems he recognized me earlier."

Dhika "Everyone is suspicious of that but I'm not talking to anyone."

Jaka "i think he already knows."

Bayu "no need to worry. What they can do if they know. All you have to worry about is Boris and maybe the other party outside of that."

Rinaya "the other party?"

Bayu "Mn." He nodded while chewing his snacks. "If you don't, you probably won't be with that curly-haired boy."

"The curly-haired boy? Meaning Dylan?" Ask Rinaya.

Bayu "He's a government man, right? I think you're bringing serious trouble."

Either Bayu guessed it or he already knew it. No one had told him about this before. Though identity and others only Dhika knows. But Bayu seemed to have known that before.

"Aaaahh. I don't get it. Why am I always the source of trouble in this world" Rinaya leaned over. Drown his head between the folds of his hands on the table.

Dhika "They probably don't know what."

"We don't know what either." Rinya replied lightly.

Bayu "Oh's. I've asked the officers at the village hall to take care of all the patients. In the meantime I won't be there. You better not hang around there either."

Rinaya "You're afraid of meeting them?"

Bayu "What do you think? A person believed to be dead is suddenly seen coming back to life."

Rinaya "yes. The world will surely be in an uproar. But it looks like someone did deliberately lure us out. Plus if they see the current state of jaka."

Bayu "I hope the world is now on our side."

***

The day changed again. All the healthy villagers were busy cleaning every corner of the village. Freeing him from the word dirty and dirty. They must be able to escape from various diseases. The presence of large figures from Wiriya cottage and Wijaya cottage makes residents do everything directed. Especially with the Balapati which is already very famous. The carcasses of animals were collected and buried. The well begins to check whether there is something or not. All the rubbish is burned. It was true that he had to make a big change for the entire village.

While in a hut on the edge of the village Rinaya just rolled the bolts of boredom. There's nothing he can do. Dhika helps in the village. And Bayu went to the forest looking for herbs. Sayup I heard the sound of someone playing archery. Rinaya moved and saw that. Jaka with his blindfold shot an arrow at a target mounted on a tree trunk very far from where it was. As fast as lightning the arrow shot right at the target.

"Gee. You're still so good with blinders." Rinaya impressed. It was not the first time Jaka had shot an arrow. He even taught Rinaya about it.

"Aren't you better than me?"

Answer Jaka.

"Yes that was before."

"It." Jaka thrust his bow. "You try."

Rinaya took the bow. Pulling the spring and aiming at the target board. "Is this not too far away?" Rinaya asked while squinting her eyes.

"You used to be ten times further than this. You're the best of all."

"I'm not sure now." Rinaya let go of the spring. Slip that arrow.

"It's okay just a little miss. Practicing for a while will make you come back great." The arrow hit the target. But only in the outer circle. If in a race. He'll be laughed at.

"Joe, don't praise me too much. It's a setback that embarrassed me. A very distant difference."

"Some one's coming" Someone walked over from the end of the road. I still don't see who it is, but the steps are heard.

"Who?" For a moment Rinaya turned her face to look for that person. Jaka just disappeared somewhere. "Why the end of this Jaka always arrives and disappears."

"Good day Miss" someone greeted her from the end of the road.

"Oh. Danus. Why here?" Ask Rinaya in wonder. They stayed there because they avoided everyone in the village but Danu instead met him.

"I was asked by Balapati to accompany you."

"Accompanying me? I don't think that's necessary. There's ja..-" the sentence was cut off. He remembered Jaka was someone else at the moment. "Why did he ask you that."

"Falapati said whatever Miss needs I have to fulfill it. Because Miss is not allowed to leave this place."

Rinaya sighed. "Again like that. Yasudah. Whatever.

Come with me to practice archery." Rinaya pulled back the spring and squinted her eyes.

"I'm not used to archery. I use the sword more often. And a little bare-handed learning."

"Hmm like Balapati. Did he teach you?" Ask Rinaya. Glue the arrows.

"True Miss."

"Don't call me that. You know I'm in a men's uniform right now. It would be weird to call me Miss. Just call Rina."

"But Miss is more senior"

"It's up to you, but don't call me Miss in front of the crowd. They will suspect later. We wear the same uniform anyway."