Dul
001. Memory of a Child

The novel titled DUL is a spin-off from the novel KESIKA DIJAH, drama genre and rating 13+ and can be read by all ages.

Be sure to choose the right reading, comment smartly and politely to show your identity, and realize that all the stories in the novel are just subjective narratives of the author.

Welcome to the world of imagination.

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The appearance of Dul's memory is fragmentary. Some beautiful memories stored neatly and want to continue to be remembered. Unpleasant memories that want to be forgotten, are also stored neatly. Although he wanted to throw away the bad memories, they seemed to want to survive in order to keep him afraid.

Once upon a time he recalled a small conversation he had with his mother. Although he rarely answered and did not understand what was said, his mother often always spoke. Dul just silently listened. He assumed, by hearing his mother speak, it could eliminate fatigue on the beautiful face of the woman.

The first memory that appears in Dul's mind is when he heard the sound of a knife colliding with a cutting board. Dul felt his body slightly shaken. He was half-captured, and bound to his mother's body with a pull. When she opened her eyes, Dul realized that they were in the kitchen. He turned his head slightly to see what his mother was doing. After seeing the carrots and chickpeas cut into pieces, Dul realized that the woman would boil all the vegetables in a pot and put a few small pieces of chicken together.

“Chicken soup?” dul asked with a childish voice.

“Let you recover quickly,” sahut Colored.

People often call his mother the name of Dijah. Dul did not know the long name of the woman who gave birth to him at that time. At that age, the name for him was not a problem. The problem for Dul at that time was that he wanted to live and sleep near his mother.

“Body you are still hot, from earlier slipping on. So Mother's carrying. “Now, what hurts?” ask Colored again.

“Body,” sahut Short Dul. It did not explain in detail what kind of pain in his body. His mother knew, he thought.

“We go ahead first. You lay down for a minute so I can prepare the sop. Mbah Wedok shopping to market. Mbah Lanang should not be asked. He said to the stall for a while, but it's been two hours not coming home. Maybe you can make coffee and play chess. The taunya continues. Said yesterday you were fussy until Mbah Lanang couldn't sleep." The colon stretched the foam mattress using the legs, then sat down slowly moving Dul from the sling.

“I want school,” said Dul.

“Cannot yet. Next year we will enter TK. Baring here,” said Sejah, lowering Dul slowly.

“Mother sleeps here. Don't go home,” Dul said again. That night he really wanted to be accompanied by his mother. Yesterday night he had a bad dream and remembered that he had woken up with the rest of the screech in his throat. He's delirious. Mbah Lanang was angry and nagged her to go back to sleep.

As Dul placed his head against the pillow, his mother stopped to stare. Her mother looks so beautiful, Dul thought. Although the shirt her mother wore was slack-necked, her hair was tied modestly, and her face looked very tired.

“Ya, already .. this malem Mom nginep here. We can sleep in front of the television. If you can't sleep, then I'm a cartoon princess. Now lay first. I want to finish cooking,” said Dijah.

Dul immediately rolled up clutching a small roll during the baby he still uses. Flute deflated and has a distinctive aroma for him.

That night was a memory where Dul felt so guilty towards his mother. The night the wound never healed. Because he was too pushy to ask his mother to stay at his house. For the first time, he saw his mother beaten to death.

They just put their heads on the pillow. The two hugged to watch the rest of the television show that was almost finished at eleven p.m. Dul lay on his side, his back was patted slowly so he could fall asleep immediately. Then they were surprised by the pounding of the front door and the sound of a man calling his mother.

That's Mr. Dul's voice. Name's Fredy. The biological father who had been separated from his mother for a long time.

Dul glanced at his mother. Sejah put his index finger in front of his lips asking Dul to remain silent. But it turns out that a few minutes of hugging in silence didn't make Fredy believe it.

A few seconds later, the sound outside was silent. The wall clock shows almost midnight. Then at the same time the mother and child saw a flash of fire from the thin gap of the old wooden door.

“I brought a torch! Don't burn this house down if you don't come out! Let's run out!” scream Fredy again.

With his eyes closed, Dul understood what his father meant. At his age, he understood enough that the fire could devour the entire house and harm them all.

“Bigger! You don't come out,” pinta Sejah on Dul. “Pak! The father! Wake up! That's Fredy dateng to burn the house!” shouted again.

Five minutes later Mr. Sejah came out of the room. Scratching his head still by holding the sarong cloth. “What else? You must be talking about that is why he is raging.”

“By the way? I was in the afternoon at my son's house. He also could not sleep because Dul was still hot. The father came out. Tell him to leave. Shy same neighbor,” says Sejah.

It was very fast in Dul's eyes. The door opened slightly and Mbah Lanang spoke very subtly to the man in front of the door. Just a few seconds later, the horrible man rushed inside and pulled his mother out. A wooden stick with flaming flames was swaying in his hand.

“Mother …! Mother ...!” Dul staggered to his feet to meet his mother. Mbah Lanang pulled his body in, and Mbah Wedok cried while crawling on the floor because his knees were limp.

In a glimpse of his gaze outside earlier, it appeared to him that the mother he so expected accompanied sleep, wrestling with the man who tried to kiss him.

Dul felt his throat hot like swallowing a fire that was thrown not far from his mother and father. He wanted to help his mother, but the thin body could be easily held back by Mbah Lanang who stood up shouting at his father.

“Please! Mr …! Please!” mom's screams. “He wants to rape me! Mr. ..!”

Her mother's screams broke the silence that night. Two male neighbors managed to break up. It was not seen by him how his mother managed to untie the grip of the monstrous man. His mother went back into the house with a very dirty look. Her t-shirt collar sagged, her hair was frowny and sandy. Her mother's palm closed her mouth.

“Udah—udah, you do not cry anymore. Later wound Mother became sick,” said Dijah, wiping his lips slightly torn because banging his mouth when he wanted to be kissed forcibly by Fredy.

Dul's still crying. Sit on a thin mattress while clutching the bolster. Without her crying, the wound would have hurt. He believed that he was the cause of his mother's battering that night.

“Bu ... don't stay here again.” Dul wiped the tears with the neck of his shirt.

With a limited memory of a child, Dul recalls how Mbah Lanang used to regard his mother's injuries. With his own eyes, he saw how Mbah Wedok did not convey the slightest consolation to his mother. Mother's alone. Her mother was completely alone. She was crying for her mother.

Dul observes how his mother deftly takes care of his own wounds. There was not even a groan or complaint coming out of those injured lips. Because the look of his eyes that could not be separated to look at the mother, the woman finally looked up.

“If it is big, do not treat women like this, yes, Dul. You have to be a great boy,” said his mother.

Dul did not answer. His head lowered to pick up a piece of cotton to help wipe away the remaining blood on his mother's lips. In his head he had already imagined how to get rid of the man who made his mother suffer.

To Be Continued