THE LIFE OF DEWI RIMBA

3. THE LIFE OF DEWI RIMBA

At Bandar Muda village in Langkat Regency, there a lived a girl, whose name was Sariah. Sariah is a daughter of Panglima Perang Besi. Panglima Perang Besi was a commander from Land of Alas Aceh. He was very strong and his body was insensitive. So he called Panglima Perang Besi. After war was over, he began new life become a farmer at Bandar Muda village. Sariah had a boyfriend; he was a clerk at Salapian office. He was about twenty years old. The son of Mat Daga, local chief of the Bandar Muda village. he was born in Binjai city. When he was twelve years old, he and his family moved into Bandar Muda, a new village was found by Datuk Setia Muda. They started the love when they learned the Koran together in mosque with Muhammad Lebai Akir. Umar thought to make a deep relationship with Sariah. So he intended to marry Sariah. Then he met Lebar the Telangkai prince to express his willing and asked him to explain his willing to his parents. Unfortunately Lebar refused his willing because Lebar thought that Sariah was not suitable with Umar. She was a lowly station but Umar was a son of noble. Umar forced Lebar. Finally Lebar agreed to meet his parents. The next day, Lebar met Umar’s parents and told Umar’s willing. But Umar’s father did not agree. He indeed expelled and taunted Lebar. With shame feeling, Lebar leaved Umar’s house. Universitas Sumatera Utara Hearing Lebar’s explanation, Umar was really sad and disappointed with his father. In addition his father had paired him with Mariah, his niece at Hamparan Perak. Umar did not know what he must do. He could not refuse his father’s willing. So 23 rd nights of fasting. He met Muhammad Akir Caddy Master to marry him with Sariah, but the caddy refused to marry them. Caddy master told to Umar that he met with Panglima Banding the youngest brother of Panglima Perang Besi at eleven o’clock. He reported that Sariah had married with her cousin. Umar really surprised to hear that, his heart was broken. The next day, about Ashar time, Panglima Perang Besi and his family came to Bandar Muda. Umar did not care about Sariah. Although Sariah wanted to move at Land of Alas. On 2 nd Idul fitri, Sariah and her family had packed their luggage. They wanted to move to Land of Alas. They went from Tanjung Lenggang and took the ship to Bahorok across Wampu River. The ship was big, it was containing ten persons. An hour later, they arrived in the meeting of Polka River and Wampu River. When arriving at Ulak water, in the other place, they heard the sound loudly. They were looking for to the sound curiously, but they did not see anything. Suddenly they were really afraid with this situation. They thought that it was Orang Bunian. Then Panglima Perang Besi read something about the spell, Panglima Banding also read well. However, before the boat reached the middle, the visible came from the upstream Polka River, something like a goddess in the middle of mist. Actually, Universitas Sumatera Utara the goddess was Dewi Pematang. Dewi Pematang shook the ship so that the ship sank. An hour later, the river’s had been flowing as usual. It took seven boat crues. Only two people that remerges, Panglima Banding and the helmsman. At Umar’s house, he did not live because Sariah left him. He wanted to kill himself. When he did it. It was so crowd in the yard. Umar listened carefully what was going on. The fact, Sariah sank. As soon as possible he jumped. Hurriedly opened the door and he went to meet Panglima Banding and asked for the truth news. That was really true, Sariah and her family swept away. All of Tanjung Lenggang people were busy looking for them over there and over here but they did not find them. Umar was busy too. He ran faster like a crazy man. On the way he met Yusuf, Pandal, and Mat Aman. Then they went to the forest. On the way, they met many people. The people were busy and did not care about them. Then, they followed the people. As soon as they arrived in the big yard. There was big stage. The stage from the thatch and adorned a variety of flowers such as Jasmine, Frangipani, Kenanga, Kantil, Orchid, Rose, and the others. Suddenly, the old man went up on the stage. He said that this preparation did it to welcome a new goddess. Everyone eyes looked to the stage. Looked very beautiful woman on that stage. She was dressed all in white and sat on a gold chair, then looked old seven men and white long hair. Seventh people were dressed all in red and green high cap into the oval. They were sitting beside her. Universitas Sumatera Utara After that four men came again. They brought a gold gong which was almost as big as winnowing. The gong was hung in front of Dewi Pematang and sparkled irradiate the lights. Umar’s friend spoke to Umar about gold gong, it named Kencana Gold Gong Gong Emas Kencana. Made of gold, saved in stone cave in the middle of this forest, only one in three years, it was brought here, and hit three times by Dewi Pematang. Reputedly, if there was a child born near this village when the gong sounded, then her face was very beautiful, like Dewi Pematang who hit the gong. But, after eighteen years old, she would be bringing here, and would become Orang Bunian. Umar silent to hear his friend explanation. He remembered when Sariah born in the time the gong sounded. Dewi Pematang stood up, and then she hit the gold gong three times. Very good and soundly heard by Umar. Did not know where it came from, suddenly another woman stood beside Dewi Pematang, she was very beautiful and dressed white. They both were very beautiful, like twins. Umar shocked, his face was pale. The heart palpitation because the woman who came was Sariah. Sariah stood up in that place too. He realized that she was really beautiful, younger, and more beautiful than Sariah at Bandarmuda village. Even more glamour than Dewi Pematang who had gone. Then she sat on the gold chair of Dewi Pematang. The old man said that she would continue as a replacement Dewi Pematang become a goddess, called Dewi Rimba. After hearing that, Umar just silent. He was looking at Sariah. He wanted to ask her leave this jungle. But his friends banned him. They said that he would Universitas Sumatera Utara died if he was so closed at the goddess. There was one way; he must hug Sariah because in three days, she could not breathe. She would exchanged become the clouds and fogs. When someone hugged her and breath seven times to her nose, she would become human being again. In midnight, he lifted his head, he saw his friend was lying in sleep, so with the other Orang Bunian. Without turned left and right he went to the big banyan tree Pohon Beringin. Ten feet was almost there, he looked Dewi Rimba stood under the tree and people who guard her. Without thought longer, he closed the goddess, then he hugged her tightly with the two hands while breathing into the girl’s nose. The next day, the villagers came together to Datuk setia Muda’s house. They said that they had found the body of Panglima Perang Besi and his wife’s corpse, but not with Sariah corpse and two canoe builders. And they also reported that Umar did not return home too. Everyone did not know where Umar was. Only a few people looked him went with Yusuf. Then they asked about the truth news to Yusuf. But he said that almost four days he did not meet Umar. Mat Daga and Datuk Setia Muda looked each other, crowed was stunned. Misgiving arose him within their hearts. It was very noisy all night sounding noises in the jungle like celebrated something. In case of people who seem to walk premises Umar was Orang Bunian, could not be denied he already taken or eaten. Because of worried of Umar, Pandal and the villagers went to look for him in the jungle. Far away they walked. None felt tired, they all happy to look for the Universitas Sumatera Utara missing man. Polka river a crossed, so with another small river. Days and days past, even past one o’clock and the journey far away too, but the one that they looked did not meet too. Not while after that the banyan tree in the river bank was seen. Not far away from that there was another banyan, shed big and great too. They went to the second tree. They heart ware beaten. Far about a hundred steps they walked, the banyan tree was seen clearly. Light under it, not even a grass too. Not even leave fell, the ground slippery like already swept. Suddenly Lebar stopped and pointed to the tree. There was someone in that tree, he said. When they arrived there, he found the young man hugged the tree with his hands hard. The young man was Umar. But the young man did not move, his eyes did not blink. The presumption was lost because Umar were still breathing and his arms tighten, even though his hand is lifted. He thrashed and screamed vigorously. Umar said that he did not go from the banyan tree because he was hugging Dewi Rimba, hugging Sariah, his lover. Hard they brought him home. At 5 p.m. they arrived home. But what he did was like a crazy people. Sariah’s name and Dewi rimba was always he said. Umar’s house was crowded. Everyone came to see him. The tears were not dry, then Umar like this Everyone thought that he was taunting by Orang Bunian. About his words to call Sariah and Dewi Rima that things made a prejudice that Sariah was not drown, otherwise she was run by Orang Bunian, the ghost people Universitas Sumatera Utara Then Mat Daga and his wife intended to call the shaman. But the shaman could not able to cure Umar. Mat Daga felt sorry and his wife too because they did not let Umar to marry Sariah. Umar was not well too. It was almost six months on the bed. Almost everyday he cried with sad face and asked to bring back to Dewi Rimba that he had been hug. His mother was afraid of Umar disease. She cured Umar to shaman. After one shaman to another one. He did not cure too. His body dried, the bone of his chest was seen. His face paled, his hair was fallen. The handsome man changed, his handsome must gone. People prejudiced, Umar liked man in the middle of rice field Orang- Orangan Sawah did not leave anymore. But his age still long, so many had to do and his suffering that had lived on this earth. He seemed to have recovered, could walk but his mind was not perfect anymore. People said that he was crazy, even he himself did not confess that. He did not care to his cloth anymore. If he must dress, he chose the worst dress, tattered and dirty. He walked away from the crowd of people. Slow face, straight, no matter left or right. Did not care about people. He was taciturn, dreamer, and if he was to speak, only must of this word he said : “Dewi Rimba, Sari………. My lover”, and after that he smiled or cried sadly. Universitas Sumatera Utara

4. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS