SURVIVORS

SURVIVORS
Chaptre 48. Prejudice


Dean returned to the cave with a flat piece of rock. Composed with a buffer on his left right near the fireplace. Dean moved and placed some smoldering rocks under the flat rock. Adding more chunks of coal.


"What's that for?" ask Widuri wonder.


"To burn bread. Think of it as a burning pan. No need to thank me." Dean looked at his work with satisfaction.


"Who wants to thank you? Ge er once," teased Widuri.


"I'm not grateful, it's okay. Instead of praising my brilliant idea, you're mocking me" said Dean scathingly. Making Widuri so makit sewot to him and start nagging.


"Look at them both. Really a compatible couple," Sunil gossiped with Nastiti.


"It looks like Dean likes Widuri and always teases her," Nastiti added.


"But Widuri had yet to realize her own feelings. Hence they would only fight in the end," Sunil concluded.


"Haha.. You're right," Nastiti's laughter echoed in the cave, stopping Dean and Widuri from fighting.


"Huh. You're infuriating!" said Widuri sniffled at Dean and left him out of the cave.


Dean smiled wryly at the annoyed Widuri. 'His irritated face was really cute, '" Dean thought.


Sunil nudged Dean as he passed by.


"If you don't say love quickly, it will be preceded by Alan Hloo" Sunil teased with a loud laugh.


"Hey, what are you saying?" elak Dean with a red face.


"Waaah.. Sunil, he's shy. Look at that reddened face," pointed Nastiti as she circled around watching Dean's face continue to dodge.


"Haha.." Sunil and Nastiti laughed out loud.


"I can't believe it! How old are you, Dean? Can your face still be flushed from falling in love?" Sunil was not satisfied with teasing. Nastiti laughed even harder because of it.


"What are you laughing at?" waturi shouted from the mouth of the cave.


Everyone looks towards him.


"Dean is very funny, so we laugh," Sunil still smiled broadly.


" uh. Since when is he funny?!" Widuri returned to her body and passed.


"Pfftt.. hahaa.." the sound of the laughter of the three again filled the cave.


Widuri appeared suddenly again.


"You're laughing at me, aren't you?" Widuri looked offended.


"No. no. Dean who.." Nastiti hasn't finished explaining, Widuri's already cut.


"So you laughed at me Dean? Already satisfied?" Widuri stepped into the cave with emotion.


"No. I wasn't. Those who have been laughing at me since. It has nothing to do with you." Dean explained.


Widuri looked at Dean intensely right in her eyes.


"Don't look for a storm with me Dean. You'll be sorry." said Widuri cautioned.


"No. You're mistaken" Dean said, shaking his hands to convince Widuri.


Dean looked nervous and cold sweat felt on his forehead. 'His sinister steps when he's angry' Dean's inner.


Widuri passed leaving Dean glued to his place. Seeing this Sunil felt guilty.


"Widuri, don't blame Dean. It really has nothing to do with you. Dean's innocent, "Sunil explained.


"Yes Widuri, we were just bothering Dean. Not you," added Nastiti.


"Don't get emotional, what's more threatening to an innocent person" Nastiti said.


Widuri doesn't care about the two babble.


"You go take a shower. It'll be late in the afternoon" Widuri shifted the subject.


"Well, I go take a shower first" Nastiti grabbed her bag and disappeared in the mouth of the cave.


Before long Alan and Dewi brought back quite a lot of wheat, fruit and vegetable crops. Alan also got some wild chicken eggs along with the mother with legs that are still entangled.


"Do you know? Yesterday me and Widuri plucked grass in the vegetable garden and piled it in a separate place. And this morning, when we got there, we saw some fat sheep gathering to eat them voraciously" Alan explained excitedly.


"really? It's great if we can keep the sheep for milk to take," exclaimed Dean happily.


"Aren't wild animals easy to tame?" ask Goddess.


"alright. What is your advice now?" ask Alan.


"Right now, we need to get him used to our presence. Keep the grass ready for them and let them eat without interruption." Obviously Dean whom Alan replied with a nod.


"What about your head?" ask Goddess.


"It's okay" Dean said.


"Widuri, what can I do for you?" tawar Goddess. Here, clean these vegetables to cook." replied Widuri.


"vegetable only? we still have 2 live rabbits there, if you want to cut," Alan offered help.


"No. Let the rabbit give birth first, let our food stock more and more" Widuri explained the idea.


"That chicken? Do you want to keep it too?" Sunil tried to ascertain Widuri's plan.


"Yes." Yeah." Answer's sure.


Nastiti came back from her bath. His dirty clothes were placed on large rocks to be dried.


"Sunil, you smell guano. Go take a shower." Nastiti's screams left Sunil speechless other than taking a quick shower.


Alan and Dean talked about a few things about sheep in the vegetable garden. While Nastiti, Dewi and Widuri prepare dinner.


The two women watched as Widuri burned bread on the stone Dean had heated.


"This is our first bread since the shipwreck. I was so moved, "Dewi sobbed slowly. Dewi helps to flatten the bread for Widuri toast.


Nastiti agreed to that opinion. This is their first bread since the shipwreck. It just feels like home. Nastiti rubbed the corner of her eyes while continuing to stir the vegetables. He felt more homesick.


That night they enjoyed the dinner. Not much to say. Everyone gets swept away with their own feelings. The bread that Widuri made brought back their memories of home and family.


"Hiks. hyks.." Sunil sobbed as a tear of the vegetable-coated bread he put into his mouth.


"We all miss our family." Alan patted Sunil on the back to calm him down.


"Yes, and Widuri helped me ease my longing by preparing this meal. Thank you," Sunil's heartfelt words choked with tears.


"Yes, yeah, now spend it. Delicious delicious please spend. I'm tired of making it."


Widuri smiled towards Sunil with her mouth full. His eyes narrowed slightly and his cheeks were puffed up. Seeing Widuri look adorable like that Dean's face suddenly reddened. A look at Alan..


"Emmm.. Alan so you found the location of the clay. Tomorrow we can start making fire stoves to melt iron seeds. So tomorrow we go out together. The men collected clay and made a combustion furnace, which the women collected foodstuffs." Dean split the assignment.


"No need to pick up rocks in the bat cave anymore?" ask Sunil.


"While enough is enough. We use the power to make the furnace first so that other work is easier" Dean explained.


"Dean, I want to ask you. Why are we staying here long enough? While in the snow forest, we make a plan down the mountain looking for a house and continue to move. Do you want to stay here?!" tanya Widuri without shady aling-aling.


Dean was stunned to get a question that looked more like a accusation. He saw Widuri who was looking at him with a piercing sharp look. Dean took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He saw that other friends were also looking at him for an explanation.


"Maybe my explanation will not satisfy you. So you are free to conclude. We have our own principles and goals. We are together because of the plan the heavens made. Each team member has the right to join or not, the right to stay or continue the journey. As long as it doesn't bother and harm each other, then it's good." Dean paused for a moment to notice the reaction of his slightly surprised friends.


When I found the fruit garden, vegetable garden and the collapsed former occupancy, I was suddenly tired of running and wanted to rest for a moment. Because if forced to keep going, we don't have enough supporting equipment. I want us to take time to prepare. Prepare adequate weapons before finding a way home." Dean was stupefied to see the piece of bread left, suddenly it no longer seemed to stir his taste.


"To put it bluntly, I don't know which region this is. And this forest is not without inhabitants at all. In fact Alan found some sheep eating near the garden. Naturally, if there were no carnivorous animals, then the gathered sheep would fill the open area, but Alan only found a few tails, right? Then what kind of creature is the predator? And we don't have enough weapons to fight it, do we?" Dean's words opened their minds.


"I mean temporarily settling down is to make a weapon. If you can practice some fighting techniques. Because what happened to Alex really made me sad. We have to make arrows for example, in order to be able to fight enemies from a distance. For that we need knives and axes to make it easier for us to cut trees or other work. But of course there are those who hate and do not suspect me, so please create your own group. I just follow what I believe, the others are up to each."


Dean got up from sitting towards the pond and washed his hands and walked to the mouth of the cave carrying the light crystal.


All the team members looked on in surprise at Dean's long explanation. Then they simultaneously stared at Widuri with eyes full of accusations. Feeling a strange atmosphere of silence, making Widuri feel intimidated. His back reflexively pulled back with cold sweat condensing on his forehead.


"What did your question mean?"


"You're accusing Dean without thinking?"


"You want to make your own group?"


"Can you survive without Dean's help?"


All those questions made Widuri not wince. Things almost heat up when Nastiti slaps them on the shoulder and tells them to step aside. They left him one by one.


"Think of your bad attitude towards her all this time. Do you really hate him, Widuri? He is very kind and ready to help us all. Widuri, the mouth of the judges was very different from the negative prejudices that were rooted in the heart" Nastiti rose and ended the dinner.


Widuri's chest rumbled, there was a sense of anger being accused like that. Widuri suddenly wanted to cry because everyone was avoiding her because of Dean.


"Arghh is so crafty! My question is not wrong. If he wanted to stay here, nothing would be forbidden. Why am I the accused?" Widuri felt increasingly dislike for Dean, but he could do nothing. All the team members supported Dean.


***