Fiction - Part 1 | "Apakasem And Me!"

new-spirit (63)in Indonesia • 5 years ago

This post is in the form of a fiction which I wrote in a series of short stories in several different parts. I hope you all like my post which is a fictional story. And I like to write about whatever I like. And accept, the story of "Apakasem And Me."

(Part 1)

The moonlight tonight is so beautiful. The wind that blew gave all creatures the chills. The Wind Fir tree that grew thickly on the beach looked like a handsome giant. There is a small boat with a dim light bulb. A middle-aged man named Apakasem was fishing on his ship, he was a formidable human figure. I heard many stories about Apakasem from the local people. He is a fighter who defends his country to get absolute independence from the hands of the capital. However, he gave up too quickly for some reason no one in the village knew about. He was a mysterious human being, said the Village Chief. And tonight, I have been stalking Apakasem's movements on purpose since this afternoon. I'm very curious about him, and even I really admire that Apakasem.

This afternoon I was following Apakasem's journey to the beach, apparently he was awaited by the owner of a small boat, Teungku Pong. And it turned out that Apakasem was sailing alone to fish in the sea. However, a small boat can still be seen from here, located not too far from the shoreline. Strangely, somehow I was too curious about that mysterious figure of him. I heard from people's mouths about him that Apakasem could disappear and suddenly reappear in this village without anyone knowing his trace.

Image illustrations by pixabay.com

It was very strange indeed, but I couldn't believe it, because I had never seen with my own eyes how Apakasem disappeared and how his tracks appeared again in this village all of a sudden. What's strange is, I heard from the villagers, Apakasem could disappear when he walked into the bamboo tree area, and didn't come home for weeks.

While observing his movements, tonight is the seventh night I spy on Apakasem. But nothing strange happened to him. I myself see it like other people's lives. Apakasem's life was normal. Nothing strange happened to him. Are the villagers' jokes too boasting?

As I lay alone under the Wind Fir tree, I felt it was too long for me to wait for Apakasem to finish fishing. And I feel sleepy myself, and I have finished a pack of cigarettes waiting for Apakasem's strange movements. It's been seven days since I stalked Apakasem. Why am I so stupid? Even though I'm a smart country boy myself. I myself am studying at a famous university in the city. And I often return to the village because I want to be friends with that Apakasem. To me, that Apakasem is a mysterious hero. I once saw him wipe the butt of a gun that looked like an AK 47. I thought he was a real fighter. Looks like he still kept his weapon until now even though the war had long ended.

One day, I once met Apakasem at the Syamaun coffee shop, a cute coffee trader. At the coffee shop I was drinking coffee with my friends. Then I accidentally saw Apakasem sitting alone and enjoying his coffee warmly. On the table, I saw a rencong (Aceh knife) with a sheath. The villagers often say that Apakasem always carries Rencong wherever he goes.

Once again at that time, I ventured to greet Apakasem, and he was indeed a friendly person, but he was also a quiet person.

At that time I asked him about Rencong, which is always attached to him.

"Apakasem, you bring rencong wherever you go, what is it for?"

When he doesn't answer my question, he just smiles at me.

Then I asked again, out of curiosity about the rencong on the table.

"What, can I see this Rencong?"

He also smiled, and shook his head.

"What, can I just see this Acehnese knife just once?"

And already twice I asked him to give rencong, to release my curiosity, and finally he nodded slowly while looking at my face.

"All right, take off the rencong sarong, then put the rencong in your stomach, if you want."

"What!"

"Yes, that's right! This rencong killed ninety-nine invading soldiers during the war. Maybe you were the hundredth."

"Oh, no! I don't want to ask for this rencong again."

After hearing my words of rejection, Apakasem immediately laughed.

"Hahaha ... It's okay, I'm just kidding with you young man!"

After that incident, I myself never spoke to Apakasem again. But, I'm still curious about him who people say Apakasem can disappear like a ghost. (To be continue...)

Aceh, 27 Mart 2021
By @new-spirit.