SUMIATI

Part 1

On the bank of a swiftly flowing river, sat a beautiful girl leaning against a large rock. She had a beautiful face with shady eyes and looked straight at the rippling water.

Her eyes were empty, her lips pale with skin so white that blue veins were clearly visible on her hands and fingers.

She sat alone, enjoying the sound of the gurgling water and the forest insects chirping to each other.

Under the glowing moonlight, the rolling water looked beautiful. The bubbles looked like snow in the distance.

He enjoyed the soothing atmosphere of solitude while waiting for his mother to come home.

Srak-srak!

The girl's eyes suddenly moved and she immediately got up. Both hands resting on the ground, she moved from the side of the large river stone and swung her legs, stepping away from the side of the river.

"Mother!" she called out to the old woman who stepped closer. The woman's steps were quick despite her hunched body.

"Sorry for the long wait, Nduk. I had some trouble getting food for you," the woman gasped in front of her daughter.

The girl flinched and looked sadly at the old woman who was still fighting for her.

"Mom, when will Sumi be able to find her own food? I'm sorry to see mom, let me help, mom," the long-haired girl murmured as she gently touched her mother's arm.

The wrinkled face immediately became gloomy. She lifted her thin hand and grasped the hand of her beloved daughter.

"We've talked about this many times, Nduk. Now we go home and you eat this, you must be very hungry," she ordered, to which her daughter immediately nodded.

They then walked side by side to a hut made of woven bamboo and thatched roof not far from the river.

The simple house, which still had a dirt floor, looked deserted when the woman opened it.

A musty smell immediately wafted through the door. Not just stuffy, the smell of carrion pierced the olfactory cavity.

For ordinary people, the smell would have made them vomit, but not for Sumiati and her mother.

The two women who lived together were so happy with the smell of the house and also the condition of the house full of dust and cobwebs. For them it was the most comfortable place to be.

"Sumi get the plates first, Mom," said the slender girl as she stepped into the kitchen.

Her mother just nodded slowly. Her eyes were agitated as she watched her daughter from a distance.

Sumi grabbed a plate made of clay handmade by her mother and herself to serve as a base for the food her parents brought.

So hastily that she almost forgot to bring water from the jug to wet her mother's throat.

She turned around and reached for the cup on the wooden table and fetched water from the jug with a ladle made from coconut shells and teak branches.

After the cup was filled, he carried the two objects shuffling, because his right leg was shorter than his left, he approached the old woman who was still standing silently.

"Alon-alon wae Nduk, ngko tibo," (just slow down, kid, it will fall)

She looked worriedly and pityingly at the beautiful girl whose steps hobbled because her right leg was smaller and not fully grown.

Every time she saw her daughter's shortcomings, her heart ached and felt like she was being stabbed by a dagger.

"Yes ma'am. Here, ma'am, let's eat, Sumi is hungry, ma'am," said the girl excitedly.

The stooped woman with wrinkles on her face nodded. She moved to a wooden chair with termite-rotted legs and sat down, along with Sumi.

"Here Sum, tonight we're eating something special, not the usual meat that mom brought. This will be more delicious," the old woman said as she unwrapped the cloth and placed something on the plate Sumi had brought.

Pluk!

A bloody, fibrous piece of meat with a very distinctive fishy odor instantly increased Sumi's appetite.

"Mom... let's eat, aren't you hungry?" asked Sumi as her hands began to cut the meat with the knife they had placed on the dining table.

The old woman shook her head slowly. She had eaten some meat before coming home to boost her energy.

"You eat first, I already ate earlier, sorry I ate first, it's because I ran out of energy when I was struggling with potential prey," she explained.

"Yes ma'am, then Sumi eat yes ma'am," the girl said politely.

The woman nodded. As usual, the obedient Sumi always ate after receiving permission from her mother.

The girl was like a bird child. Eating when her mother came home with food, and waiting for her return with an anxious heart.

After receiving permission from her mother, Sumi scooped up a piece of meat the size of two palms and tore it with her tight teeth.

She chewed voraciously. Grinning, she savored the sweet and fishy smell of the meat, an aroma she loved.

Occasionally as she pressed the meat with her teeth, the juices from the meat spurted out and filled her entire mouth. Sumi savored the bites and chews of the slowly melting and disintegrating meat.

"How is it Sumi? Do you like this meat?"

Sumi stopped chewing and her eyes blinked as if to say yes.

"What is this meat, ma'am? It's... delicious," she said as she resumed her delayed meal.

The old woman was silent for a moment, but then she preferred to hide the truth from her only child.

"Young wild boar meat. I trapped it and cut off its skin before I brought it home," she explained.

"Eumh, tomorrow Sumi will come to look for food, Mom. Can I? I'm not tired anymore. I'm tired of staying at home and shutting myself up," Sumi pleaded. She placed the piece of meat on her plate and looked at her mother expectantly.

She shook her head slowly. "You should never leave the house during the day. Just at night, and don't go far from home."

"The outside world is bad. I can't imagine if you run into bad people, I'd die if anything happened to you, kiddo," the old man's tears broke out, making Sumi's appetite disappear instantly and she felt guilty.

"Mom...," Sumi was about to approach but the mother's hand was immediately raised, a sign that the woman wanted Sumi to listen to her words.

"Promise me you won't leave mom."

Before Sumi could say anything, her ears heard the hoofbeats of a horse approaching her house.

"Mom! There's a horse around our house! Let's go see it, Mom. It could be our next meal!" Sumi excitedly ran to the door.

"Sumi! don't open the door!"

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