Path of Destiny

In the midst of crowd, people form a large space of line, giving enough space for noble Temenggung Gelor to walk through this crowd. As he walks, the servants behind him comes through, fanning him and bringing gifts for the sultan whom he will met.

He is a man who is well known for his status and power. But I can’t understand this one thing. I know mother forbid me to speak during this time, but my curiosity can’t hold on any longer.

“Mother…” ask me while I’m holding my mother’s hand. “That man is my father right? Then why aren’t we wearing fine clothes like him? Why aren’t we living like him?”

And people look at us with surprised. The sight that the people made horrified me and my mother run as fast as she can while carrying me.

At that time, I have learned that my mother is a mistress to that Temenggung Gelor.

Years later, my mother has died, the people are coming to help for preparing for her burial, and I am sitting beside her, grieving for her death.

“Is she died?” ask the man who come to visit my mother. It was Temenggung Gelor who comes. He must have come to see my mother and take me to live with him!

And he enters the house and look at my dead mother. His face doesn’t show much reaction. And then he looks at me and asks, “Are you my son?”

“Yes!” I shout at him happily. He has taken notice of me!

“I see, luckily I am in need of another slave,” said him with a glad face.

“What?” ask me, surprised with his word.

“Right now I need a slave to take care of my son who is currently 5 years old, and since you’re 5 years older than him, I’m sure you can take care of him and be friends with him.”

I am in disbelief for what he has said. There must be some mistake here. “Bu-but I’m your son, why do I have to take care of him…?”

“Of course you are my son, but you are also a son of my slave. Therefore, you are my slave. You have to take care of him because he is the son of my legal wife, who is the descendant of the Bendahari.”

The shock hurt my heart. I can’t believe the words that I have heard.

And then he patted my back. “Thank goodness I met you. If I hadn’t, you might be sold to the mercenaries or become a strayed child who lives on the street.”

I just become silent. I can’t utter any word as I am in very shock. I don’t know whether I should be mad at him for treating me like a slave or crying for being born as a slave.

“Now come, you have to meet your little brother. He is a nice child, I’m sure you can take care of him.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Yop!” shout Megat Damai. He is running toward me as fast as he can. “Wait for me!!”

“Yes, Megat Damai.” And I stand still for him. “I’m not going anywhere.”

And then he catches up to me. “(haa..) (haa…)” now he’s trying to catch up his breath, trying to talk to me.

“Today (gasp), is the day old man Penglipur Lara (storyteller) Lela will tell story right?” said him after he can take his breath.

“Yes, and I need to help him today.”

“Then I want to go too!! I want to listen to his story today!!”

“No, Megat Damai, you have to go the palace and study with the other princes.”

“Aww, come on, those princes are not friendly, I’m tired with being friendly with them!”

And I continue on persuade him to go study “But Megat Damai, study is important. With knowledge you can stand on top and make people bow on you. You can even marry the princess.”

“No! I want to go and listen to Penglipur Lela’s story! Yop! This is my order! You have to obey me!” shout Megat Damai with a whim.

“Yes, Megat Damai. This humble slave will follow your order.”

“Good.” And I take his hand to walk with him.

While he is happily walking, without noticing it, I look at him with hatred. For this child, what he just order me before is just a simple whim, but for me it is an utterly disgrace. For these 5 years I have been with him, I have seen our greatly differences that only make me more ashamed of myself. Since he was born, he is only surrounded by people who like him, while I always hide from people eyes with fear because of my birth status. He also lives in lavishly and comfortably whiles I live by trying all my best to scrape whatever I have as a slave. But the most horrible thing that happens to me is to taking care of this rich boy who has the same father as me. Each moment that I have with him is only miserable.

And he turned his back to look at me “Yop?” and I smile sincerely to him and said “Yes, what is it?”

“No, I just wonder why you silent.”

“Oh, I just thinking of something else.”

“Alright.” And we continue to walk.

            Although I have all this swell hatred, I can’t against it, and all I can do is just acting and watching it with jealousy.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

We arrived at the home of Penglipur Lela, where many children are sitting outside the wooden house that has large stage area for the audience. Megat Damai then run “I’m going then!” and sit very front to the stage.

And I walk behind the house to meet Penglipur Lela.

“Sir Penglipur Lela?” ask me while entering the house. I heard very loud coughing inside the house. “Sir Penglipur Lela!!” I rushed to see him. He is lying on his bed, wheezing and coughing.

“You look very bad.” And I touch his forehead “You’re having a bad fever.” And I walked out to cancel the show, but he catches me with his right hand, although his right hand is gone, replaced with large metal hook.

“Nonsense, I still can talk,” said him egoistically. “I just need you to help me stand up. Now help me.”

“But sir…”

“Do not disturb my job, child. Now help me.”

Then I remove the blanket and take a staff and give it to him to hold on to it. “And one two three, ummph,” Grunt him while I help him stand up because he don’t have his left leg.

“There, I’m fine, see?” said him while look at me.

“Yes,” answer me, while holding him.

            “Now let’s go. The children are waiting.”

And we enter the stage in front of the house. The children who were waiting for Penglipur Lela are now cheering for his arrival.

“Penglipur Lela! Tell us about how you sail outside!”

“No! Tell us about the water that can be solid!”

And the children are buzzling more, wanting to hear which story that Penglipur Lela will tell.

I then put him on stage. He sitting slowly, trying to sit in the best position.

The children are getting louder.

“Silence, you children!” shout Penglipur Lela. His shout is so loud that it really silences all the children that come.

And he continues “How dare all of you not hold all your excitement with patient! Don’t you have any manners?!” I still in wonder how he can shout like he never sick.

The children are now scared at him. And then he said, “Say the storyteller who is late today.”

And they laugh.

“Now, I will tell you the story of the destiny. Do any of you know what is destiny?”

“The road of life that is already determined,” answer the child.

“Excellent, but do you know the path of destiny?”

“No, sir.”

“Therefore, I will tell you this story. Once upon a time, there was two brothers, the older is Lam and the younger is Lim. Lam has strong build and can push a bull while Lim is smart and he can do many things with his brain. These brothers are good to each other. One day, they both fall in love with the same woman, and both wants to marry her. So they let the woman decide whom she wants to marry, as this is the best choice for them. The woman chooses to marry with Lam, and Lim follows the woman decision and let go of her. But as time passes, inside Lim’s heart, a hatred and jealousy began to form as he seeing his brother and his wife happily together. Unable to hide his feeling that has been swelling, he has a choice whether to reclaim his love back and fight with his brother, Lam or find new love. And then….” And Penglipur Lela then becomes silent.

“What happen next?” ask the children when he being silent for a while.

“Cough!! Cough cough cough!!!”

“Penglipur Lela!!” shout the children as they seeing him suddenly coughing so hard.

And I run to stage and tell these children “The show is over! Go back home!” and I carry Penglipur Lela to bring him back inside.

“Yop!” shout Megat Damai “Let me help too!!”

“No Megat Damai, I can handle this, just go back home or your father will be-“

“Let me help!! This is an order!!!”

“…” I hold my though to help Penglipur Lela “Yes, Megat Damai.”

And we carried Penglipur Lela to his bed.

“You take care of Penglipur Lela, I will call the healer.”

“Alright.”

I run with all my might to the healer house. “Healer!! Penglipur Lela is sick!! Please help!!!”

…………………………………………………………………………………………… ….

“His condition is stable now,” said the healer, while checking Penglipur Lela’s pulse.

Penglipur Lela now sleeps on his bed. His face looks better than before, and he’s not coughing anymore.

Finally I can take a breath “Thank you sir healer.”

“Just don’t forget to let him drink this herb after he wakes up and for another three days.”

“Yes.”

“Well then, I have to go now.” And he cleans up his things, ready to go out.

I open the door for the healer.

“My it’s already late,” said the healer “You better bring your young master back home quickly, or you will be punished.”

“I know.”  And he walks away.

I go to see Penglipur Lela sleep on his bed and seeing Megat Damai broth the herb for Penglipur Lela.

“That’s enough Megat Damai, let’s go now.”

“But…”

“Penglipur Lela is sleeping. If you keep on staying here you will wake him up.”

“Alright.”

And we go back to Temenggung Gelor’s house to send Megat Damai back home.

“There you are, Megat Damai!” shout Megat Damai’s mother, worrying her only son. “Why did you ditch your class?! And worse, you’re late!!”

“Mother, I went to help Penglipur Lela.”

“You help a poor old man? My, you’re such a kind child.” And she hugs him happily.

“Yop,” said Temenggung Gelor “You were with him all along?”

Without making any face, I reply, “Yes, Temenggung Gelor.”

“I see.” And Temenggung Gelor look at his wife and son “Both of you, it’s already late, go inside.”

And they go inside, but Megat Damai looks at me worriedly. I didn’t look at him back.

“Yop,” says Temenggung Gelor while holding a large stick. And I kneel at him while showing my back.

            “Why didn’t you tell Megat Damai not to ditch his study?”

“Because he orders me not to.”

WHACK! A hit from Temenggung Gelor’s stick hit my back. I can feel a swell on my back.

“And why is Megat Damai coming home late?”

“Because Penglipur Lela is sick, and he-“

Whack!! He gives me another strike.

“Since he is sick, why does Megat Damai has to stay there? The one who should taking care of Penglipur Lela is you!”

And he gives two more hit. This time I can feel blood coming out of my back.

“I have given you the task to take care of that old Penglipur Lara, so why are you trying to drag Megat Damai in taking care of him?! He has to study to inherit my position as a Temenggung, you foolish slave!!!”

And he gives me more hit from his stick until I fall down.

Finally, he stops. “Now go back to that Temenggung’s house and take care of him and don’t come to this house anymore.” And he enters his house back without even look at me.

I stand up while grunts as I stand up with all my might. My back is in pain. Then, I walk back to Penglipur Lela’s house by myself.

Why? Why am I being treated like this? I already told him not to come, why I’m the one whose being hit? I hate that spoiled rich kid the most. He always acts like he’s the good person and never punished for anything. Whatever bad happens, it will be me who is being hit. That Temenggung Gelor is just using me as the replacement to punish Megat Damai, and I really hate it when I know Megat Damai is look at me at another place while being punished. He must be thinking that I must be deserved this.

And I keep on thinking how bad these nobles are until I reach Penglipur Lela’s home.

“I’m back, Penglipur Lela.” But Penglipur Lela is still asleep on his bed. I walk a bit, and I hit something at my feet.

It is soap, bandage and new clothes. I look back at Penglipur Lela, but he still on his bed.

“Thank you…” whisper me to Penglipur Lela and I take these to clean and bandage myself.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

It hurts! Though me as I clean myself on river. My back is sting so much, but I have to clean it with soap or it will infect. After I cleaned myself, I wrapped my back with bandage and wear the new clothes.

I don’t feel pain much, but it itches. Still, this is already good enough for a slave like me to be able to use bandage. Normally slaves just wash this injury by river, and just let it be as they don’t have anything to treat themselves.

I walk back to Penglipur Lela’s house but the itch on my back has gone, because it has been replaced with pain that stronger than Temenggung Gelor’s hit. The blood rushed to my head, seeing the sight that I hate the most right now appeared in my eyes.

“Yop,” said Megat Damai while waiting in front of Penglipur Lela’s house. He looks like he’s carrying something, but I can’t hear his other words as all I can feel is the hatred that I have.

“Do you hear me, Yop?” ask Megat Damai as he realise I didn’t listen to him.

“Oh, I hear you.”

“Then, Yop-“

Then I remember that Penglipur Lela is still sleeping inside, and I take this chance “Megat Damai, please come in. I need to do something.”

“Then, I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Alright.” And I walk outside. Megat Damai now has entered the house. I walk around the house to take something.

After I take it, just a few steps away from the main door, Penglipur Lela is now standing in front the house.

“Oh, Penglipur Lela, you have-“

“We need to talk,” said Penglipur Lela, not allowing me to finish my sentence.

“Alright.” And we walk a few miles away from the house. And then we sit on the rock where nobody can hear us.

“Now give it to me,” said Penglipur Lela as he gives his left hand to me.

“Give you what?” ask me while I look at him.

“You think I didn’t know? You took the knife from my house right after you know I’m sleeping. Now give it back.”

“….”

“I know how much you hate Megat Damai, but killing him won’t solve anything.”

“You don’t understand…”

“I do understand, child.”

“No you’re not!” I stand up in front of him to show how serious I am. “You never be the child of mistress and have live as a slave and have to take care of the person you hate the most!”

“Yes, I never understand about that!”

“Then-“

“But I know what happened after I made that choice! Can’t you see the consequence of it?!!”

I look at his whole body. I know he don’t have his right hand and his left leg, so I said to him “So what?”

“Of course you don’t care once you follow your anger, but you have to know that everyone is born to have destiny in their life. Some of us might born with nothing and some are born with everything, but when we live, the choice that we made create our path for the destiny.”

“Choice? What choice do I, a slave, have in the future?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hah! See? Even you don’t know.”

“But do not underestimate what god has given, because he knows more than us. You have to remember, this place is not the whole world.”

“…” Somehow those words hold me, although I don’t really understand what he meant. I can feel the rational in my head, but my ego and anger still continues “(Tsk), I shouldn’t have taken the knife from your house…” And I give it back to him. I should have taken something else before.

“Even if you take something else, I will stop you.” Answer Penglipur Lela, it’s like he knows what I am thinking.

“…” I didn’t look at him, because I bear my grudge at him.

“Now let’s go back and sleep.”

I don’t want to answer him. He is such an annoyance. I hate him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“You’re late!!” shout Megat Damai inside the house.

“Yeah,” I just answer him without look at him. Penglipur Lela then walks by himself to his bed.

“Now Yop, take off your clothes!” shout Megat Damai while opening something.

“What? Why?”

“I’m going to put this ointment at your back! This is the medicine from the eastern ship, I heard that it’s very effective!”

“….” I can’t believe him. He comes this way here just to treat my back with such expensive medicine?

“Now take off your clothes!!” I wish to refuse him, but knowing his stubbornness, I take off my clothes and show my back at him. He then put the ointment at my back.

“Does it sting?” ask Megat Damai, worrying I didn’t react like I’m in pain when he puts it.

“No…” Actually, it is sting. But rather than that, the pain in my heart that hurts whenever I see him is gone. I wish he didn’t treat me like this, and then I can stab him without any other feeling.

“Done! Now it’s time for bandage!” And he bring out the new bandages.

“There’s no need Megat-“

“I said let me do it!!” So I let him bandages my body. At first, he wraps it around my back, and it loosen up, and then he tries again and again. I wish to say something, but he must insist that he wants to do it, so I just let him be.

“Finish!!” said him after his 10th tries. “Well, how do you feel?”

“Better, Megat Damai.” It’s the truth. This time he finally did it better.

“(Giggles), you’re welcome.” I can’t help but smile at him. He is a kind child.

“And also, Yop.” He comes closer to me. His cheering face turned to sad. “I’m sorry. It’s because of me that you got hit badly by father.”

“Yes it is,” said me.

“Therefore, I won’t come to meet you again. But can I ask you something?” this is surprising, this is the first time he ask me. Usually he always orders me around.

Listening him ask me like this, I finally give in “Sure, what is it?”

“Can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Wha? But this house is not comfortable like your house.“

“I know, but it doesn’t matter. I want to spend my time with you, even for tonight.”

“But if Temenggung Gelor realise you’re not at home-“

“Then I will wake him up long before the dawn coming,” said Penglipur Lela. It seems he heard our conversation from the beginning.

“I will rearrange the bed so that all of us can sleep together.”

“Penglipur Lela…”

“Now, now, let’s do this and sleep at once!”

And we pushed the bed away and lay a large blanket on the floor. I sleep in the middle while Megat Damai is at my left and Penglipur at my right.

“This is so fun!” said Megat Damai happily. I can’t understand why this is fun.

Penglipur Lela is already asleep. After a while, Megat Damai is also asleep. I still can’t understand why he can sleep on hard floor, but not long after that, I felt sleepy, and I fall asleep comfortably.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

After I woke up, Megat Damai is not be seen anywhere. Then that means he have gone home while ago.

Me and Penglipur Lela then rearrange the bed and clean up ourselves at the river.

Right when almost arrive at the house “Sir Penglipur Lela!” a man is waiting in front of the house.

“What is it?” ask Penglipur Lela.

“There’s an unknown foreign ship that come today. The people inside are speaking in a language that we never heard, please help us!”

“I see.” It looks like Penglipur Lela has a job. Then I have to stay in the house…

“Yop, come with me.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Look at me.” And he waves his right hook and his left empty leg. “I need help.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

At the dock, the market is buzzling as usual. The foreign people from many countries are actively making trades and selling their merchandise, except these foreigners from unknown ship who are having trouble in communicating with the locals.

“Drats…” said the local merchants, scratching his head “I can’t understand anything…”

“##@@$$%%...” The foreigners are also making the hard face trying to talk. His blood on his face can be seen clearly as these people have very pale face.

“He doesn’t speak Chinese or Indian, I don’t know what language he is speaking…”

“English,” said Penglipur Lela, arrived at the scene. “It has been a long time since I hadn’t heard this language.”

“English…” Hearing those words, I began to realise “then, these men…”

“Yes, they are the people who went to the ‘new land’ and meet the people who have red skin. And the leader of this ship must be Sir Columbus.”

One of the foreigners comes near Penglipur Lela. It seems he’s the leader as his clothes are different than the others, and his face is paler than his other men. But there are also his men that are in different colour.

And they talk to each other with the language that I never heard before. But I look at the unknown ship that I have never seen. The crafty work that I have never seen at the outer ship, making me wonders what the outside world would look like.

“Yop!” shout Penglipur Lela “Come here, I need your help!”

“Yes?”

“Please escort these men around this place.”

“Anywhere?”

“Yup.”

“But why?”

“Because these men want to see this place and record their travels about this place. They are planning to create a world map.”

“World map?” I wonder how the whole world would look like.

Realising my though, Penglipur Lela ask the man something. He then brings out a whole large piece of rolled paper. The local merchant brings out the table, and they spread the paper to see the contents.

“This is our country,” said Penglipur Lela while pointing at a very tiny speck of the drawing.

“What!! So small!!!” shout me as I seeing it.

“It is. And this world map is still incomplete yet. They are trying to travel further more to the other side of the earth.”

“No way…” said me as I astonish with this finding. I can’t believe the world that I am living is so large.

“Also, in the middle of this world, is the land that full of sand, and at this upper part is a very cold land that the water can turn into ice,” said Penglipur Lela while pointing at the map with his hook.

“Wow…” I still can’t believe what I have heard. “I wish I could go to see all of this…”

“Are you interested, young man?” ask Sir Columbus to me.

“Eh?” I was surprised when he suddenly comes at me asking the question.

“He’s asking whether you’re interested about this world map.”

“Yes I do, sir.”

“Then do you want to travel with us?”

“He asks you if you want to travel with them.”

“What!!” I can’t believe what I have heard! I want to go!! “But I’m an owned slave, I can’t go without my master’s permission.”

And Penglipur Lela talks to the man. He then says something that makes him surprised.

“Yop,” say Penglipur Lela to me.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go to Temenggung Gelor’s house. Sir Columbus wants to buy you.”

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

I sit a few miles away from Temenggung Gelor’s house, as I am not allowed to come near the house. Inside the house, Sir Columbus together with Penglipur Lela are now talking to Temenggung Gelor about buying me. Even I still can’t believe what I have heard.

But I can imagine what Megat Damai is doing right now. He must be spying those people right now.

Darn it, I wish to know what happened inside too.

Long after that, Penglipur Lela and Sir Columbus comes out from the house. I walk toward them, wishing to know what has happened.

“Yop,” say Sir Columbus with a smile. He then give me a hand “Nice to meet you, boy.”

“…” I don’t know what to do but Penglipur Lela said to me, “Give him a handshake, child.” And I give him a handshake. He smiles more as I do it.

And then we walk back to the dock.

As we walk, “Penglipur Lela, what happened inside the Temenggung Gelor’s house?”

“When Temenggung Gelor heard about it, he against it, saying you’re too young and incompetent to go sailing. But when he wants to buy you with 10 pieces of gold, he say nothing much.”

“Then…”

“You will go with them, child.”

My goodness, this is very unbelievable… I can’t believe I will sail to the other side of the earth. Then, I will witness by myself everything that Penglipur Lela has told me before. It’s like dream that come true.

But then, those people suddenly say something to each other. And then Sir Columbus talks to Penglipur Lela. He then surprised, but he takes a deep breath and tells me, “The monsoon is coming sooner than expected, they have to sail soon or they have to wait another year.”

“Then I ….”

“You have to sail with them this evening.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

“Is this the all the items you have?” ask Penglipur Lela while he rummaging his house.

“Yes Penglipur Lela,” answer me while wrapping my whole things with blanket.

“….” After a moment of silence, Penglipur Lela then spoke, “I can’t believe you will go so soon…”

“Me too… it’s so sudden…”

And both of us being silent.

“At first, I don’t understand the thing about destiny you’re talking about before… but now, maybe I have understood it a little.”

Penglipur Lela smiles. “The more you live, the more you understand it.”

“Penglipur Lela.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

“You don’t want to see him?” ask Penglipur Lela to me, as I have ready to go now, all that left is just entering the ship.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“That’s too bad. He will be sad, you know.”

I know what he means, but I don’t think I can look back at him, after all I have been always bear grudge on him and once try to kill him before.

“YOP!!!” shout Megat Damai with his might. “WAIT!!!!!” and he also run with his might.

“Megat Damai…” I am very surprised with his appearance. He hugs me tightly and crying so hard.

“Don’t do that, people are seeing…” My face is getting red as he still not letting me go.

“You will come back, right?” ask Megat Damai while sobbing. “I heard that it takes decades to travel outside, you will come back someday, right?”

“Megat Damai…”

“Please come back… You’re my precious brother…” Hearing that, tears almost come to my eyes. But my ego holds the tears. He might not know that we are brothers, but for all this time, he must have loved me as a brother.

“Yes, Megat Damai, you are my precious brother too. When I come back, I want to be on the same level as you, and tell a lot of story of the other world and leave a legacy to this homeland.”

“Then it’s a promise.” And he let me go.

“Yup, promise.” And I wave at him and enter the ship. He waves me back as hard as he can.

“Is that your brother?” ask Sir Columbus as he looks at Megat Damai.

“Yes he is, sire.”

And the ship set sail, to the new journey for my own destiny.

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Captain, captain,” say the young boy who has black skin.

“Mhmm?” answer the captain. He still sleeps on his hammock.

“We have repaired the compass of the ship, please come now.”

“Oh, right.” And he takes a very large piece of paper and then he measure the map with a great accuracy. And then he looks at the compass.

“We are now at 81 North and 123 East, so we will see the land in midday, keep sailing, no need to change our course.”

“That’s amazing, I still can’t believe how adeptly you are in read this new map,” say the big man who has red hair.

“Of course, because I’m the one who made it.”

“Still, to think you dare to prove the people that there are exist people who live in the North pole,” say the young white man sitting while writing.

“And more…” The dark skin man looks at the kitchen.

“Dinner is served, everyone,” say the beautiful young woman wearing her beautiful tribe clothes.

“You married a Red Indian girl. You’re a really unexpected man, captain…”

“That’s life men,” He stands up “You never know your destiny.” And he kissed his wife’s cheek. “Soon, all of you will come to my homeland, and I can show you everything that I was once told you.”

“But you were once treated badly as a slave there, right?” ask the man with curly black hair “So why do you come back here again?”

“Because I promise to my brother, that I will come back.”