SAWMILL
28.MR. SOLIKIN'S STORY
“Where sir Agus, he said there is something to talk about with me”
“Ah yes sir, let's just go inside sir, let's talk inside pak”
We sat in the living room, I faced the kitchen, while Mr. Solikin faced the yard.
“Begin sir Solikin I want to tell you first my experience for a few days here, uh you listen first sir what I will tell you”
I'm telling you everything from when I came here to last night, to the horrible thing I've been through all my life.
Mr. Solikin was just a beard when I told him, he seemed to understand what I was telling him. From the look on his face he did not seem surprised, it's just that maybe he wants to keep what he knows from me.
“Hmm so what Pak Agus experienced was certainly also experienced by Mr. Wandi and Mamad, it's just that maybe they will not tell Mr. Agus”
“Before there was this house, this area used to be a rather high thatch, in ancient times the land here was a beautiful sand mixed soil.
“According to the story of our villagers, back there close to the river it is a shallow area that is watery, so what kinda yes.eehm kayak kobangan that gets flow from the river”
“People are clean and clear, but shallow, so that a lot of what is stuck here if accidentally entered the granary when flooding”
“So that kind of beach kayak is probably yes sir, in this part of the house is a bit high and behind it a very shallow area of the granary, a very small, while the deep part that is in the middle of the river was”
“Many village children who like to play surrounded by such a kind of granary, because besides the water is clear the sand is not sticky on the feet and not in”
“But when in the colonial era, many bodies were killed in the upper area there, on the upper bridge more precisely”
“And the bodies are always stuck in this shallow area, because inside there may not be thirty centimeters”
“At last this area was no longer visiting, they were obviously afraid because sometimes there were just stuck in the basin it”
“Agus sir look at the tomb that is behind there, he said, or head or other body parts”
“All collected and buried under that banyan tree. While the body that is still intact is buried in the tomb village”
“But I don't believe it just like that, because some say this house used to be a resting house of rich people. Cook him to stay here while there's a grave there”
“Iya sir Solikin, obviously there can't be anyone staying here while there is his strange grave, then how about the continuation of sir?”
“The owner of this resting house is a small family with two children. Eh but one of their children drowned while swimming in the river near the bridge sana”
“In those days there may not have been a bridge, and it could have been at that time the river was wider than today”
“Well I think the grave that is behind it is likely the grave of the drowned child. So here are two versions of the story about the grave Mr. Agus”
“Hahahaha there are people here if making a story, there can be two different versions hehehe. then Mr Solikin believe which story?”
“If I believe more that in the past this house was a resting place, because the more up there is no bridge to dispose of dead bodies due to colonization”
“Obviously it is impossible and unreasonable if there are people who want to make a house when there is a strange tomb around it, Mr. Agus hehehe, so I believe the second story”
“Iya sir, most likely this is a resting house and the grave may be the grave of the child who drowned”
We were silent after Mr. Solikin gave information that was not necessarily true, it's just that I was a little relieved after knowing the history of this house from Mr. Solikin
“But ndak papa kok sir, because all of that will be in their respective world, only if they continue to disturb Mr. Agus, there is a possibility that Mr. Agus there is something also”
I just kept quiet not answering what was being talked about, I knew I might have done something I shouldn't have done, but was it all inevitable?
“Come this way, Mr. Agus, it's good that Mr. Agus just face what is here, face it strongly, because I'm sure Mr. Wandi and the late Mamad are also like that”
“This sawmill has actually been around for a long time or how about Mr Solikin?”
“Past time with the first owner who only runs about three months, a lot of events here”
“When there were many catastrophic disturbances here mas, from the sick, trance, until someone died too, because his body fell logs from the top of Truk”
“Then suddenly those workers went missing not knowing how to go or how, anyway they did not come back here again, including the owner also”
“Then bought by the sampeyan boss, but that time was not the time of Mr. Wandi, if not wrong people china”
“He also disliked the villagers across the river. Sometimes they go there to buy groceries at the store owned by mbok Yem”
“Who was that worker, sir, is also Mr Solikin and his friends too?”
“Not of us sir, but those innate bosses are sampean as well. So everyone brought in a boss by sidean pak”
“They did not last long, then replaced by Mr. Wandi and Mamad”
“About the thing that bothers me, is it inevitable sir?, is there no other way Solikin?”
“I do not know Mr. Agus, because I myself have never faced what Mr. Agus faced”
“Oh yes sir, I want to know about the so-called ‘beliau’, ‘beliau’ who sir, why the wife of the deceased pak Karyo and sampean, then pak Wandi kok talk about ‘beliau’?”
Suddenly Mr. Solikin's face changed, he was not as friendly as before, there was anger on his face.
“Eh sorry Mr. Agus, maybe next time just explain it, we have to work again sir, because it's finished sea time”
Mr. Solikin headed to the back of the house again to continue his work.
There's something else that Solikin covered up like he was hiding something from me, but what exactly is he hiding from me?
I just sit in the living room without having to know what I'm going to do, I feel that I'm stuck here, it feels like I have a terrible legacy from Mr. Wandi.
What happens when I get out of here all of a sudden, the term stops. At least Mr. Wandi who got angry boss.
But what will happen to me if I leave secretly from here, will I survive? I also don't know how anyone has gone secretly from here.
*****
The sound of the diesel engine in the backyard again rumbled, the distinctive sound of split wood sounded earthy with the sound of a hammer in the left area.
The workers are very hard at work. Actually they are not affected by the strange news here, it's just that maybe the result of the story of the people here that causes them a bit afraid.
Later in the afternoon I have plans to go to the village to eat chicken noodles, and wonder about what happened here, um what all the phone Wandi sir also huh?
Sitting in the living room alone felt strange, there was nothing I talked to at all, nothing I could exchange thoughts, everything was silent.
Nothing happened until the afternoon when the workers began to clean themselves up to go home.
Diesel engines have been turned off, there is no more sound of people hammering, no more distinctive smell of wood being split.
All that was stopped there was only the sound of people joking behind and the sound of water being poured from the well alone.
I headed to the back to see their activities before they returned to their village.
The workers had cleaned his body of wood shavings dust and they had also changed clothes to go back to his village.
“Pak Agus, if later Mr. Agus is afraid, you can stay at my house only sir. But yes potluck sir, because my house is not big hehehe” said Mr. Solikin who suddenly approached me
“Oh inggih mr. Solikin, I will be there if indeed I do not dare pak”