THE SUN GOD SWORD
Entertaining Guests
Sungsang Geni spent the night at Ki Demang's house. The house is not too big, there are many holes in each side of the wall of the old man's house. As Sungsang Geni gazed at the sky, stars peeked out from the leaking roof.
In a narrow room, Commander Ireng slept long, propping his head above the two front legs. Next to the wolf, Sungsang Geni sat down cross-legged. Apparently besides Ki Demang, there are still other residents of the house, his wife and a little girl.
The girl is not his son, nor is he a close family, she is the son of neighbor Ki Demang, who died a few months ago. From that day on, Ki Demang took care of the little girl just like his own biological daughter.
Round-faced, with dimples adorning the corners of her lips, looks very sweet. When Sungsang Geni turned his head towards her, the little girl thrust out a piece of boiled cassava.
“Beautiful girl, uncle don't need your boiled cassava.” Sungsang Geni. “You eat voraciously.”.
Ki Demang's face looks worried, yes of course. Sungsang Geni is only served with a glass of water with a bland taste. No other food is worth giving to the foreign youth who just saved the young girls in his village.
The little girl's Boiled Cassava was the only food left in this house, and she instead happily intended to give the food to Sungsang Geni.
There were many things that Ki Demang told the young man of the sun. Starting from the brief history of the kingdom of Tumenang until the end of the kingdom's glory. Not least he offended the attitude of Prince Miksan Jaya who died on the battlefield.
“Miksan Jaya is not dead yet, Ki Demang..” said Sungsang Geni, sipping bland white water from a bamboo cup. “He is still alive, and is currently fighting together with Surasena to reclaim the land of Java.”
The faces of Ki Demang and his wife did not seem to be very confident in the words of Sungsang Geni, but they did not dare to offend the young man. For a moment, two husband and wife met each other face to face with question marks.
“Ma'forgive us, master swordsman. Maybe Prince Miksan Jaya you mean is not Miksan Jaya from this country,” also chimed Ki Demang's wife.
Sungsang Geni smiled slightly, “Of course he is the same person as Miksan Jaya you mean, just the other day we met, he was with his loyal bodyguard, Nyai Bidara, No?”
Not many people know about Nyai Bidara outside the kingdom of Tumenang, unless the person knows enough about the haunted-faced woman.
Ki Demang's confidence is a little big, because of the loss of Miksan Jaya along with Nyai Bidara.
Sungsang Geni explained in outline about the young man, and in the end Ki Demang became a little surprised.
“I am very grateful if apparently Prince Miksan Jaya is still alive, let for now he is out there, his life will be hunted in this Negri.” Those old faces became a little more cheerful than before. “This is glad news after so long we tormented in this place.”
“I will go to the Duchy of Ujung Lempung tomorrow morning, I will give this news to the Duke of Lingga.” Ki Demang then asked his wife to prepare a pedestal so that Sungsang Geni could lie on the floor of the plank, it seemed that it was already night. Their conversation had been going on for quite some time since this afternoon. “Rest sir swordsman, but again we beg ma'af we do not have a soft mattress to pour swordsman.”
“Ki Demang is too much, we are used to living on top of trees or under large trees. This place is more than enough for both of us.”
“Gerr...gerr Commander Ireng had answered on the sidelines of his snoring.
The sound of night crickets rustling, deafening Commander Ireng. Yes, there is at least an animal sound in this place, indicating that the soil has not been polluted by the poison.
Outside Ki Demang's house, 9 prisoners curled up shivering under a large tree. Residents have stripped them of all their clothes, so the night air will surely seep into their skin to their bone marrow.
Supposedly in this way, they became a little deterred or at least became aware that the Tumeneng Kingdom was currently in a great mess.
***
The next day, when the sun began to rise there was a boisterous sound in the kitchen of Ki Demang's house. Sungsang Geni opened his eyes, hearing that Ki Demang had just left the house to borrow some rice or anything that could be cooked for this morning.
Afraid of being caught by Sungsang Geni, the old man left at dawn. Sungsang Geni only smiled bitterly, he peered from the gap of the hollow wall watching the old man come to one house to another.
It took quite some time, Ki Demang had returned with a beaming face. He asked for donations from all residents in that place just to entertain his guests. Sungsang Geni knew exactly Ki Demang's good intentions.
It appears there are two old corn shoots, one container may contain rice and there are two cassava. As he approached the house, Ki Demang paused his way, opening the door slowly.
“Pak, finally we get food to entertain young swordsmen,” said Ki Demang's wife.
“Hustt...don't be hard, he'll wake up later. Lucky for all residents to give one big handheld for us.”
“Thank God, dry corn for us only, later the rice for master swordsman.” Ki Demang's wife accompanied by his adopted son began to busy preparing some kitchen utensils, while Ki Demang had come out again from inside the house, to draw water in the well.
They thought Sungsang Geni did not know that, but the young man's ears could even listen to a wing flapping its wings.
Finally came the morning, the sunlight looks dim because black clouds cover it. But nevertheless, there has never been rain in this place except right on the fertile land around the Kingdom of Tumenang only.
“I've eaten first, when master swordsman is sleeping.” Ki Demang gave an excuse when Sungsang Geni invited him to eat. “You eat voraciously, a young man should eat more than us parents.”
Sungsang Geni only gave a small smile, but he couldn't possibly disappoint Ki Demang's good intentions. So with a heavy heart, the young man bribed the rice on the plate until it ran out. Commander Ireng only growled a little, obviously there was no meat in front of his eyes, making the wolf's appetite reduced.
“Is the rice a pleasure?” ask the sweet-faced little girl.
“True, the rice is very delicious, you must be helping in her daughter is not?” Sungsang Geni stroked the little girl's cheeks with his black right hand. “Uncle will replace it, more so you won't starve.”