Mountain of Fire Read online

  “Some years ago, a group of bule came to the mountain. They were called archaeologists. These people dig around for things that existed hundreds of years ago. They look for them in the ground and study them.”

  “What kind of things? Like the knife we found?”

  “Yes,” said Fitri. “But it could be anything. Buildings, people, all kinds of things. This group of archaeologists had been looking for signs of a lost civilisation buried by the Merapi’s eruption hundreds of years ago and...”

  Agus interrupted her. “Wait, wait. What do you mean buried by the Merapi’s eruption? The whole kingdom?”

  Fitri nodded. “Yes, yes, the entire kingdom. It must have been a huge eruption. In the year 1006 exactly. When I first heard what they were doing, I couldn’t believe it either. It was called Pralaya Mataram. The death of Mataram.”

  Fitri continued, “Ayah had taken me to see these people – these archaeologists – digging. Their campsite was close to our village. There were many foreigners, along with Indonesians, at the campsite. Our village had given them some food, water, and warm blankets. One day, when I went with Ayah to see the archaeologists working, I saw this piece of paper in the mud.”

  She showed it to him.

  The piece of paper was a brochure, now worn and tattered. But the wording on it was clear: Archaeology Department – National Museum, Jakarta. It talked of the Hindu Mataram kingdom and about a temple buried in the 11th century when the Merapi erupted. She had found it all so exciting; could the Merapi explode with such force that the explosion buried an entire civilisation?

  She had kept that piece of paper and then forgotten all about it – until now. The brochure also mentioned a reward for the person who could give the museum and the government any clues as to where the kingdom lay buried.

  “The archaeologists had been digging in the wrong place.” She paused. “I think this is what you have found. The lost kingdom, Agus! The Hindu Mataram kingdom!”

  Agus was dumbstruck. He, “Funny-face Agus”, “Raksasa Agus”, had found a lost kingdom that the archaeologists and government had been looking for?

  “How do you know, Fitri? There are no pictures on the paper.”

  “Of course there are no pictures, silly! It has not been found yet and there were no cameras hundreds of years ago!” Fitri said.

  “Then how do you know that this is the lost kingdom?” Agus asked urgently.

  “What else could it be? We found the statue of the elephant head. That’s a Hindu god, Ganesha. I learned about him in school. He has the head of an elephant and the body of a man. This was a Hindu kingdom. The archaeologists had been digging just a few kilometres away. It’s got to be it,” she said. She was tempted to tell him about her dream but he was looking shocked enough. She decided not to shock him anymore.

  Agus looked as if one of the boulders from the Merapi had hit him on his head. “What should we do now, Fitri?” asked Agus.

  “Let me think. Let me think,” she said scratching her head. “I think we should see what else we find up there. Then we can tell Ibu and Ayah. Maybe we can get the reward, Agus! You will be a hero!”

  Agus liked that idea a lot. In fact, it was the best idea that Fitri had had in her life! This made him feel powerful and almost made him forget he had an ugly face. He had discovered the secret to the lost kingdom. He had found it – not those awful boys who spent hours tormenting him.

  And what amazing fun it would be to announce the discovery of the lost kingdom to everyone! And show people the treasure! He couldn’t wait to see their faces! He, Raksasa Agus, had found the lost Kingdom of Mataram buried by the Merapi!

  So they decided not to breathe a word to anyone. They did not know it yet, but that decision would get them into all kinds of trouble.

  SEVEN : THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

  The children spent the week going back to the secret cave. Their school had stayed closed because of the volcanic activity. Small boulders would often spring loose and come crashing down the mountain due to the tremors. It just wasn’t safe anymore to walk to school. Yet, Pak Eko said that there would be no evacuation.

  Pak Andersen had gone back to the city, saying he would return soon with more information.

  Life at the village had come to a standstill. All people did was watch the volcano dome and wait for the night of the Tapak Bisu and hope that nothing else would happen.

  The day of the Tapak Bisu

  Every chance they had, the children would run down the steps and into the world of the lost kingdom. They had dragged some branches and leaves and covered up the opening in the ground, hoping no one would go near that area.

  Agus found a shovel in the house and had taken it to the cave to dig with. They had found many other small items: a glass, a coin and a spoon. Slowly, they had managed to uncover almost the entire head of the elephant god.

  “Are you sure it’s a god?” asked Agus. “I’ve never seen a half-man, half-animal god before.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. This was a Hindu kingdom. They pray to Lord Ganesha. This is the god... ” Her voice trailed off.

  She had heard a rustling sound at the top of the steps. It was some sort of animal squealing and running around. Both brother and sister froze.

  “Must be a chicken. Running around,” said Agus. Fitri shushed him. She could hear a chicken squalling, but there was another faint sort of rustling, cutting across the other forest sounds. The sound of a person moving around in the forest is distinctive, unlike any other.

  She thought she heard someone. Fitri grabbed the torch and softly went up five steps. On the sixth step, the smell hit her, wafting down the entrance to the cave: a smell that reminded her of someone. Fitri looked at Agus and knew from his face he smelled it too.

  Menthol cigarettes!

  Fitri grabbed her brother and ran up the steps. There was no one around. Not even the chicken. The air was still and humid.

  “Let’s go, Agus,” Fitri said, feeling like she suddenly couldn’t breathe. “I think someone is around.”

  Before Agus could protest, she grabbed her brother’s hand and ran towards the tiny stream, splashing across the rocks.

  “Sshhh, Fitri, you are making a real racket. Has someone seen us?” asked Agus, half-running and half-walking behind Fitri.

  “I don’t know. But there was that smell,” she said.

  “Plenty of people smoke menthol cigarettes, Fitri. Nadia’s grandmother does too,” Agus replied, trying to be reassuring. “It may not have been Pak Eko. I really don’t know why he makes you so nervous anyway.”

  “Agus, I really don’t think Nadia’s 90-year-old grandmother is roaming the mountainside smoking cigarettes! Don’t be silly!” She paused. “And Pak Eko doesn’t make me nervous. He’s just strange.”

  Then she said thoughtfully, “Maybe it’s time to tell Ibu and Ayah about the secret cave.”

  The children had now crossed the stream and were walking down the mountain path, approaching the watchtower, when Agus stopped, his fingers on his lip.

  “What is it?” But then his sister heard it too. Her blood froze and she took her brother’s hand in hers. “Keep walking,” she said softy.

  Before Agus could answer, they heard a muffled cry. It sounded like someone had fallen and was now trying to pick himself up. Whoever it was was not doing it quietly.

  “Stay here, Agus,” Fitri whispered to him. “I’m going to see who this is.”

  “Be careful, Fitri! If it’s Pak Eko, be nice.”

  Fitri glared at him, pushed her brother up a tree, and slowly took a circle which would take her behind the person making the noise. It was somewhere to her left. She ducked and crawled the last few feet on the damp foliage, ignoring the ants that were biting her legs. Slowly she approached the person grunting, popped her head up in a flash and then down again.

  Aditya! His foot had gotten stuck in some vines and he was trying to pull it free.

  How long had he been following them? How much had he
seen? She had to catch him and find out. But that was easier said than done. He was bigger than her and if she just pounced on him, he would be able to beat her up. Agus wasn’t around to help either.

  A slow smile spread across her face. He may be stronger than her but she was definitely smarter. Look at him now creating a racket when he was supposed to be following us quietly, she thought.

  She crept backwards. She had to work quickly if her plan was to work, before Aditya found them and figured out what was happening. She slipped away and ran back to Agus.

  “Agus! Come on down. It’s only Aditya.”

  Aditya! Agus turned pale. Aditya had been particularly nasty to him and Agus had been petrified of the boy ever since the anthill incident, worried that the bully would somehow find a way to get his revenge.

  Fitri pulled him down from the tree and whispered her plan to him. A big smile lit up his face and he ran off. Fitri, meanwhile, continued to walk through the forest, as if she had heard and seen nothing. She chattered loudly, pretending that Agus was still with her.

  Agus headed straight for a part of the forest that had a few jackfruit trees. But he wasn’t interested in the fruit; he was interested in getting his hands on the tree sap. The tree sap of the jackfruit tree was extremely sticky and the villagers used it as glue. It was collected in small cups attached to the tree trunk, and Agus ran through the trees, quickly collecting four cups.

  He had to be careful not to spill any on himself. Once he was sure he had enough, he quietly ran to the road that went down from the watchtower back to the village. There he carefully poured out the sap right across a large area. Unless someone was looking for it, the sap was impossible to see. And it was impossible to miss.

  Soon enough he heard his sister coming down the mountain path.

  “Psssst, Fitri, here. Behind the rock,” Agus gestured to her frantically. They hid behind the boulder, just off the road and waited for Aditya to come along.

  Sure enough he did. He looked around him and saw nothing. He frantically ran up the watchtower, hoping to catch the siblings there. He came back down and hurriedly started walking towards the village, mumbling to himself.

  And walked right into the sap.

  “Aaaarghh!” he yelled. Immediately, both his feet were stuck firmly in the sticky, gooey sap. The more he struggled, the more he got stuck, till he looked like a chicken dancing around on hot coals. Agus stuffed his shirt into his mouth and laughed so hard he fell and rolled out from behind the boulder.

  “You, you little insect! You did this to me! I’m going to kill you!”

  ‘You have to get free first, Aditya,” Fitri said, coming out from her hiding place with her hands on her hips.

  Aditya went red in the face. He lost his balance and fell on the road, his behind firmly stuck in the goo. Now he was stuck on the ground, both his hands and legs in the tree sap. By now Agus was rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach.

  “What were you doing following us, Aditya?” asked Fitri.

  “I’m not going to tell you anything,” yelled Aditya. “Help! Help!”

  “It’s getting sooooooo dark, Aditya,” Fitri said, rolling her eyes. “If we leave you here, who knows what might happen.”

  “Yes, Aditya, maybe the spirits from the Merapi are free and roaming around,” said Agus, feeling brave now that his arch enemy was behaving like a simpering fool.

  Aditya looked like he was going to throw up. No child from the village liked the thought of being left stranded in the dark so near the Merapi.

  “The two of you are up to something. I know it. I’ve seen you sneak off all by yourself, up the mountain,” Aditya whimpered.

  “And?” Fitri said, narrowing her eyes.

  “And I was going to find out what it was!” Aditya yelled out. “Up to no good I bet!”

  Fitri sighed in relief. He didn’t know anything – yet. They had been lucky. Yes, it was definitely time to tell their parents.

  “Come on, Agus, let’s get this poor fool out of the goo.”

  Both Agus and Fitri grabbed hold of Aditya and pulled him till he was free. As she gave one last pull, Fitri fell backwards.

  She started to pick herself up, and a flash of white to her right caught her eye. Just for that brief second, she thought she saw a face under the white. An angry face, a face with a slick moustache drooping down on both ends. Just as quickly, it was gone.

  Fitri lay rooted on the ground staring at the spot in the forest where the face had appeared. Shaken. Had she imagined it? Fitri shrugged it off; maybe the evening light was playing tricks on her eyes.

  Suddenly she just wanted to get to the safety of her home, to her parents and tell them everything.

  The kids left Aditya there to slowly stumble down the path. They raced through the village and ran home.

  “Ayah, Ibu, we have...” Agus started to say excitedly but he stopped short and his voice trailed off.

  There was chaos in their house; neighbours milling around, all talking at once.

  “What’s going on, Ibu?” Fitri asked.

  Ibu affectionately tugged at Agus’ hair. “Ayah and me need to get ready for the walk tonight,” she said. “The Tapak Bisu. Did you kids forget? Thank God it will be done with.” She sighed.

  The Silent Walk was tonight! They had been so busy with their secret kingdom that they had forgotten all about it!

  EIGHT : THE SILENT WALK

  The Silent Walk would start at the entrance of the village, near the welcome board, and go towards the crater. The group would pass the watchtower and go up the mountain road, towards the no-entry zone. To get there, the group would pass the entrance to the cave.

  Fitri clutched at Agus’ arm. “Agus! We forgot to put the leaves and branches over the hole to hide the entrance!”

  The group would walk past their secret kingdom! Fitri was a mountain child and knew what a full moon night in the forest looked like – it was as bright as any city. And everyone would be carrying fire lamps.

  Their secret place would be discovered!

  Agus’ face crumpled as he realised that the moment of greatness he had been imagining in his head might not happen after all.

  “What should we do, Fitri? Does this mean... I won’t be able to tell anyone that this is my discovery?”

  Fitri saw his little face and felt awful. How could she have been so stupid! This would have been his chance, the moment when everyone would have looked at him as a hero, instead of someone deformed who needed pity. And she had destroyed it in her hurry to get away from the cave.

  Should she tell their parents now? She looked out of the window and saw Ayah with a group of women getting the fire lamps ready for the walk. Some distance away, she saw Pak Eko. He and the polisi were involved in some sort of animated discussion. It looked serious. Her mother would be in the kitchen with the other women. No, this was not a good time to say anything.

  She looked at the clock: 6 pm. Six more hours before the walk. Was there enough time to run back to the cave and cover it? No, she would never be able to sneak out of the house now.

  There was just one thing left to do. She told Agus her plan.

  Agus looked aghast at her. “Are you crazy! That is a crazy plan, Fitri. Children are not allowed on the Tapak Bisu.”

  But Fitri was adamant. “I know, but I need to know what happens.” Besides, she had to make it up to her brother. Her plan was to follow the villagers and, if the villagers saw the secret place, she would then just have to tell everyone that they had been the ones who had found it first.

  “Are you crazy?” Agus said once again. “You are going to tell everyone, in front of Pak Eko, that you have been following them. Just jump out from behind a tree! That’s a dumb plan.”

  “Well, you have a better one?”

  “No,” Agus sighed. “But then I’ll come with you. Don’t go alone.”

  “Nooooooooo, Agus. It will be difficult to hide both of us. And it’s not safe.”

  “No
way! I know that part of the mountain better than you and if it’s not safe for me, it’s not safe for you either!”

  This was true. With all the time Agus spent following Pak Eko around, he did know that part of the mountain better. But she hadn’t told him the real reason she was worried – the face in the forest earlier that day. Had she imagined it?

  Fitri reluctantly gave in. They decided they would pretend to be asleep and then slip out after their parents at midnight.

  When midnight came, they put some pillows on their bed and covered them with quilts. In case an inquisitive neighbour came around to check, it would seem like there were two children in bed, fast asleep. Instead of running around the mountainside in the middle of the night.

  The Silent Walk Continues

  Fitri snapped back to the present. The ceremonial plate was on the floor and someone was exclaiming loudly. The tree sap! The person who was walking first in line had walked right into the tree sap and dropped the ceremonial plate.

  Pak Irlandy! He had been first in line, insisting that he knew the way to the crater best. And now he was stuck in the goo, just like Aditya a few hours ago. A few men pulled the old man loose as he grumbled, careful not to get stuck in the sap themselves.

  “He’s complaining loud enough to wake up all the spirits in the Merapi,” a woman whispered to Fitri’s mother. Ibu smiled and hushed her.

  Once the old man was free, the group started moving again. Agus nudged his sister to bring her back to the present. “Let’s go, Fitri. They are moving again,” he whispered.

  Her heart was thudding away as they neared the watchtower. This was the tricky bit. The trees were going to get scarce and there were very few hiding spots in that part of the mountain. They would have to be extra careful.

  The group approached the small stream, just before the climb to the cave started, when suddenly Pak Eko raised a hand and asked the group to stop.

  “I will go on alone from here,” said Pak Eko.