Bebegigs
Chapter 18's

"You apparently!" exciting Ragnala.

Empu Brajasena developed a smile. "Yes" he said to Ragnala.

"S—who is he?" ask Orange.

Ragnala turned his head and grabbed his daughter's shoulder. "Orang," he said slowly. "Mama moved here because she had a feeling she was still here. And yes, it turns out Mama's real hunch. He's still here."

"Tapi—" Orange stutters. "He's the one controlling that line of scarecrows!" he said pointing to a crowd of scarecrows at the mouth of the cave. "He's a witch!" yells.

Empu Brajasena's smile grew wider. " Yes," he said, glancing at the row of scarecrows lined up rigidly at the mouth of the cave, neatly lined up not moving like a guardrail. Die. "I sent them to save you. And. yes, I'm a witch!" he confessed.

Ragnala squeezed his daughter's shoulders and looked at the girl with a smile. Eyes glazed. "That, he... Lingga Arsena—yahmu," he whispered.

Orange and Empu Brajasena both screamed in shock.

The white-bearded man placed the petromax lamp on top of a flat stone, then rushed forward and immediately grabbed the orange. His long beard pierced his orange face as he pressed his cheek against the girl's cheek. "Geez!" he exclaimed while stepping back.

An orange saw a tear running down the man's cheek. "I haven't recognized you for so long, Orange. I'm so glad your mother brought you back to this village."

Orange gulps with difficulty. "I—ini... Really Papa?" he stutters.

Empu Brajasena did not have time to answer.

Dewangga and Magenta ran over to them. "You all right?" they cried out simultaneously.

Empu Brajasena pointed at the two twins. "They are your god of help!" he said to Orange and Ragnala. "Those who tell you that you want to go to the sacred cave. As soon as I heard it, I immediately used my magical power. I sent all the scarecrows to come here to save you."

The god froze with his eyes and mouth rounded when he saw the rows of scarecrows crowding the mouth of the cave. Then they both squinted their eyes.

"Don't worry, Jurig Bebegig is gone. There will be no more living scarecrows" Empu Brajasena explained.

Dewangga and Magenta advanced a little, in order to see the row of scarecrows more clearly.

The row of scarecrows did not move, except for the wind-blown cloak and veil.

"He will never again threaten the villagers" Empu Brajasena added.

Orange turned to his father. "I don't understand" he hesitated. "Why did Papa stay here when Mom and Grandma left? And why did Papa even choose to live on the sacred cave deck?"

Dewangga and Magenta simultaneously turned to Orange, then looked at Empu Brajasena, then exchanged glances. Papa's? thought they.

Empu Brajasena or Lingga Arsena rubbed his beard and sighed. "long story. When you were a child, Papa and your grandmother studied magic. But we eventually lost control. And we accidentally created this monster." He moved his chin towards the abyss, then shook his head. "We managed to freeze it in the cave" he explained. "And mom you–-she wants to go. He was so confused and scared. He wants to get as far away from here as possible. And forget all the bad things that happened here."

"But why does Papa stay here?" ask Orange again.

"Papa stayed because he felt responsible to the villagers" his father replied. "Papa must keep the scarecrow trapped in the cave. So that he would not harm others." he sighed again. "And that's why I live on a mountain near the monster of our creation. But... parting with you, Orange, is the most severe ordeal I've ever experienced!"

Once again Arsenic Linga hugs the Orange. And once again his daughter's face was pierced by her rough beard.

"Papa always dreamed that one day Papa could leave this mountain and look for you" said Empu Brajasena in a soft voice. "And now the monster is dead. The horror it caused was over. And Ragnala has brought you back here. Perhaps.." he fell silent. He smiled and looked at Ragnala, then at their daughter.

Then Empu Brajasena took a deep breath, and spoke again. "Perhaps we can try to be one more family."

The god and Magenta exchanged glances again, then smiled at Empu Brajasena.

The white-bearded man continued to embrace his daughter while they descended the mountain.

.

.

.

On the other side of the mountain…

The bark of the tree scratched Yasa's hand. His skinny trunk was swaying beneath him. He tightened his grip on the branch and blinked his eyes at the children below.

Suddenly he felt dizzy. The grim face of his friends so it looks blurry in the dim light of a glowing torch.

Yasa heard Kantata calling him.

I don't know how many years he's been forced to take that satirical call.

A chubby!

"Gue–-nothing," said Yasa stammered. But he's nothing. He had already climbed half a tree high, and there was no way at all to descend.

"It's a ladder to get down?" anes taunts.

"Do I need to call the fire department?" serami Reksa.

Other kids laugh—as usual.

It was very desirable for Yasa to close his ears, but he could not let go of the tree branch.

Instead, with a trembling branch it hugged him tightly.

He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. I hate them, her heart. Including Kantata, even though he's my best friend.

Kantata always challenged him to do dangerous things. Always bragging in front of other children that he is brave and Yasa is timid.

But Yasa hated himself the most, because he was too weak and very timid, so often colonized and inevitably he had to hear the laughter of ridicule like now for the rest of his life.

Yasa has always been the smallest of his friends. Even at school he looked younger than all the kids.

His body was thin and small, his height was on par with that of an elementary schooler, as well as his face—lancip, white and curly-haired. At first glance, she looks like a female doll.

That is why he is nicknamed kuntet.

Why does it make them feel entitled to challenge me to fight and laugh at me? thought.

He still remembers some of Kantata's devious tricks.

When in science lessons Kantata dropped a large cotton swab onto Yasa's back and said it was a tarantula.

When Reksa sprayed water from her drinking bottle onto the front of Yasa's pants just before Yasa had to stand in front of the class and read out the book report.

When they hang out at the waterfall at night, one of their friends made a black kite and flew it silently towards Yasa until the tip stuck on Yasa's neck and Yasa thought it was a bat.

And all the silly challenges of his friends.

Challenging Yasa dives into the river when the water recedes and is only a few inches deep.

Throw Yasa's hat onto the school's roof and challenge him to climb up to it to retrieve it.

Said the girls' changing room was empty and challenged him to sneak in, but they knew the room was full of girls.

And the Yasa moron always accepts the challenge. The Yasa Fool always responds to their every challenge.

And now they also challenge Yasa to climb a tree as straight as a pencil in the middle of a storm.

The tree is not really that tall. But still too high for the size of Si Kuntet Yasa.

Given those grim faces, Yasa knew he could no longer accept this treatment.

I knew I had to act, he said.

Butwhat?

Suddenly the laughter of his friends stopped.

Yasa opened his eyes and lost his balance, once realizing his friends were gone.

And he was left alone in a rice field area away from the houses at night.