THE TRIDENT OF DEATH
DISCUSSIONS WITH VILLAGERS

In the corners of the village there are kokokan-kokokokan chicken rumbling. The cold peak of the night has passed and the freshness of the morning marked by the bright sky in the eastern horizon states that the night has reached its end to be replaced now by the presence of morning. 

Ki Lurah Kundrawana lit his pipe tobacco. His face was already sunken and his eyes looked haggard while his face was pale. But behind the dimness of his face was hidden something like a light. That is anger and unspeakable anger. 

In the pipe. Her mouth feels bad. He spat on the ground through a ledge. Since long ago especially since the last few days his tongue does not taste good, bitter. The food can be said to be counted as bribes. 

The brighter the day the more agitated he was, the more worried this Lurah Bojongnipah was. What he feared was that the inhabitants would come before him than the Black Three of Kali Comel. 

His eyes stared out of the yard. But everything in the morning was still filled with silence. And this silence is also not pleasing to Ki Lurah Kundrawana. 

He put the end of the pipe to his lips. It sucked deeply and then exhaled the smoke of the pipe. Once again he spat on the ground and rubbed his lips. He was shocked and turned his head hearing the footsteps behind him. The one who came turned out to be his own wife. This woman's body has been much shrunk, thinner than before. Like her husband, her face was pale. Warih Sinten is a woman with an ayu face, but the fantasy is now invisible because it is covered in cloudy anxiety. Restless to think about the fate of her son, agitated to think about the fate of her husband if soon the population really comes. It was the third tax day. Surely Lurah Bojongnipah's maid who used to go around the whole village collecting taxes has come. But this time there were no eyes on his nose. How will he dare to bring himself up if he knows that today the population will revolt. 

“Hopefully the residents did not come.” 

Ki Lurah Kundrawana bit his lip. He knew talking to his wife was just talking. What his wife expected was also his hope. But he knew very well that hope was an impossible thing. People will come. The inhabitants will come. He knows, he must. 

Warih Sinten looked out of the courtyard again. Then said again: “Though they come, I don't think we can hide the depravity of the three damned men anymore, Kakang. We must say frankly to the population before the population kills us in crowds.” 

“Iwaku has no price, Warih,” said Ki Lurah Kundrawana. 

“For everything I'm willing to die. But it is useless the meaning of death jtu, if the safety of the soul of our own only child will be wasted anyway.” 

Loneliness has been going on for a while. 

Suddenly. “Rack..”. 

Warih Sinten held her neck with both hands. “They... they come..” 

Ki Lurah Kundrawana raised his head and looked out of the courtyard. What his wife said was right. A group of male villagers appear to appear on the bend of the road behind bamboo trees. This group that appeared was the head of a population of not less than a hundred people. 

From far away they don't seem to be carrying guns. But Ki Lurah Kundrawana knows that among them for sure, there are those who carry and hide weapons. A moment later the large courtyard was filled with villagers. The atmosphere is becoming noisy now. Ki Lurah Kundrawana and his wife stood on a ledge. Only their eyes turned to look at the Bojongnipah people. 

One of the residents then pushed to the face and climbed onto the ledge, standing a few steps before Kundrawana. Kundrawana knew this man well. He was a farmer who lived in an eastern village. Name's Kratomlinggo. As this man acted up onto the ledge, the atmosphere in the place was serene in the cemetery. 

“Ki Lurah.., Kratomlinggo open his mouth ripping that silence. “You certainly already know what we mean by arrival instead of ?” 

Kundrawana did not answer. On Kratomlinggo's face he saw a mocking smile. 

“Know that I stand before you at this time is, as the representative of the many inhabitants of Bojongnipah,” Kratomlinggo deliberates back and then continues: “people of Bojongnipah who for the past month have been victims of extortion, victims of oppression, victims of suction, strangled by elevenfold taxes. Residents Bojongnipah..” 

“Brother Kratomlinggo,” Cut Ki Lurah Kundrawana. “Summarize just talk about you. Say what you want”. 

And again Kundrawana saw a mocking smile on his back in Kratomlinggo's mouth. 

“What do we want ? That's all we said the first time you collected that crazy tax.” 

“I personally don't want to do that. But this is the superior's order. King's orders, for the construction and maintenance of troops.” 

“Government boss stay orders superiors. If the boss told you to go down the well then you would do that ? Plung into the well ? Each command should be based on the brain considerations Ki Lurah.” 

Red face Kundrawana. Meanwhile Warih Sinten began to cry sobbing. 

“Brother Krato, maybe the tax collection is only temporary.” 

“Ya while. Temporary.. Just terminated when all residents of Bojongnipah died strangled by taxes?”  

“I know that big tax is heavy..” 

“If weight why implemented ?!” kratomlinggo. 

“We villagers of Bojongnipah want the crazy tax rules revoked.” said Kratomlinggo. 

“I have no authority to do so, brother Krato”. 

“You can convey to the Duke in Linggajati. The Duke passed it on to Kotaraja. And if you don't want to do that, we don't hesitate to act on what we feel is right.” 

“Is this a threat?” 

“You can say that, Ki Lurah!” 

“Brother Krato...,” sounds Warih Sinten. “You... You and all the residents of Bojongnipah do not know....” 

“We are more than aware.” geretus Kratomlinggo. “Although what we now know is something we never expected. We know that your husband Ki Lurah Kundrawana is nothing more than a blackmailer. Who licks up and grinds down. Who search the name up and snare the neck of the population down below. We are more than ta...” 

“I hope to speak properly Kratomlinggo!!” cutting Ki Lurah Kundrawana because of the heat of heart and ears heard labeled as a licker and wringer in such a way. Kratomlinggo turned towards the crowd. Then he laughed. Meanwhile, one of the residents shouted: 

“What's to say along the width with the leech's ringleader ? Just plump his mouth with a machete.” 

Kratomlinggo turned on Kundrawana back. “You heard that scream Ki Lurah?” tanyakanya. 

The mouth of Kundrawana kamit. “If you want the tax revoked, please go alone to the King in Kotaraja.” 

“Lantas, what is the need for you to be Lurah here ?!” shouted one resident. 

“What's only for barges ?!” shouted the other residents. 

“Ongkang-gong and squeeze?!” yell at the others again. 

Then the other residents shouted as well: “We do not believe this rule of the King. It's not impossible that tax is a crazy rule that you make yourself.” 

There are many more screams that make Kundrawana face become red and thick. Ears ringing. 

“Kratomlinggo, I hope you take those people away from this place,” Kundrawana said. 

“So ..?,” said Kratomlinggo with a cynical smile. “We will all leave after you declare bluntly that from now on the crazy tax rules are revoked” 

“None can revoke all decisions of the King.” replied Kundrawana. 

His voice was loud, but his words were not at all sincere. 

“Then presumably we are forced to use violence..” 

“You are against the Kingdom, Kratomlinggo?” ask Ki Lurah Kundrawana. 

This half-bluffing question was intended to be able to get out of the desperate situation at that time. But Kratomlinggo's answer was a sneering smirk. “Do not fear the inhabitants of Bojongnipah with the words Kingdom, Ki Lurah. We're all convinced that that crazy tax is you got can. The kingdom has always acted fairly and wisely.” 

Kratomlinggo stepped before Ki Lurah Kundrawana with both fists clenched. Some residents of Bojongnipah also stepped up onto the ledge. Ki Lurah Kundrawana took a few steps back. Warih Sinten screamed. 

“Kratomlinggo, you... What do you want to do..?” 

“We try to ask for justice in a reasonable way, but you want violence.” Kratomlinggo replied. His right hand moved. 

Suddenly there was the roar of the horse and a frenzied voice. Residents in the front yard scattered divorced. 

“On behalf of the Kingdom, who does not want to die, move aside.” 

There were screams of some people being carried away by horses.