The Mirror-Short Story

I looked into the mirror above the small table. It was faint but I could see the picture clearly. It wasn't me in the picture. It was someone else.

"Pram, you come," said she as she approached me and hugged me.

"As I promised you," I responded and released her for I wanted to shake her father's hand.

I was all wet. It rained cats and dogs outside.

"You come under the rain just to see me singing. I don't know how to pay for it. May I cry?"

I laughed. "Don't overact like that. If someone special asked me to come, although there was a war, I should come."

She smiled. "You're flattering me."

That day she didn't win the singing contest, but she won my heart.

It was a freshmen party at my college when I first saw her. She was new student and I was the senate member. 

It was normal that seniors dated juniors that time. Most of my friends broke their girlfriends as the orientation started and they didn't even feel guilty about it. I hadn't dated anyone since I was broken by my girlfriend in Senior high. I didn't believe in relationship ever since.

"Kak, sorry. I haven't put my photo on my profile page," she gave me the freshmen book. I opened it. There was no photo.

"What's your nickname?" I asked.

"Vita."

I didn't even look at her. "You know the risk. You'll be punished. Get out and stand in the middle of the field."

She walked out.

There were about forty students who got punishment. The punishment would make the other students green-eyed. It was delivering food out of town.

On our way I learned about her profile. There was much common between me and her. We both liked singing and acting.

Suddenly she surprised me with her offer. "Why don't we sing together?" said she while giving the microphone "Let's sing karaoke." I closed her freshmen book quickly.

I was shocked. Seniors and juniors were singing together at the bus. "This is not good," I thought. Juniors should be kept afraid of the seniors.

"Get back to your seat and sit still," said I coldly. I could see her disappointed. She murmured as she walked away.

That day we didn't talk again. I tried to avoid her. I chose to give the food to poor people in different community. On our way back to the campus I slept.

"Pram, I had flat tire," said she one morning.

"Where?"

"About two miles from here, after the intersection."

"Let me take care of it. Give me your motor key."

"Can I come with you?"

"You'd better go to your class. I'll take care of it."

"Please? I don't like my Poetry class. It's boring."

So we went to get her motorbike together. After we had it repaired, she asked me to drive her to the park. We spent whole day there.

In the campus a year after, I saw some Korean girls at the yard. They wore fashionable dress. They looked beautiful with their colorful hair. "Dangsin-eun bich ege haeyahabnikka?" asked one of them breaking my daydream.

"What?"

"Do you have a light?" she repeated.

I shook my head. "Are you from Japan?"

"Nope. We're from South Korea. We're here to study about the leather puppet and Gamelan. Boy, I should go. I need to get a light. I can't live without smoking."

What a beautiful smoking girl she was.

The Korean students stayed for three months in my campus. Professor Susanto often asked me to accompany them to go to Balai Pemuda to watch a puppet show. I got to know them better, including the beautiful smoking girl. Because I was busy with the activity I didn't have time to date Vita, my girlfriend (or I thought so), until one day she came to see me at the senate room. My friends went away as she entered the room.

"You've changed," said she. She looked mad. She looked out of the window.

"What did I do?"

"You smoke, you drink, you... You've changed! You never come to my house ever since you have new friends."

I couldn't say anything. I didn't want to hear those peacee things coming out of her mouth. "Then, you have to change," I replied.

I felt that there was nothing between I and her.

That day I saw her left and sobbed.

I didn't know why I forgot that I had ridden under the rain to see her performance at a singing contest.

"I think it's over," said I finally.

She walked out and never came back.

As the summer's gone there's always autumn. I spent my time lonely as my Korean friends got back to their countries. I had no friend to play Bridge with late at night like usual in weekends. I had no friend to joke and laugh on or to go to a barbershop to get new hairdo. It was the real me: all alone.

Then I remembered that I had had a girlfriend, but I couldn't call her. We hadn't talked each other for a quite a long time.

I walked to the mirror on the wall. It was still faint. I saw a young man with colorful hair and mascara. I could feel the warm tears coming on my cheeks. I felt hundreds of knives stabbing into my heart. It was hurt.

I met Vita every day and we didn't try to avoid each other. I still felt the sensation when she passed me, but she didn't even look at me. 

I texted her. "Forgive me". No replies.

I cried when I was alone. I could not forgive my self for leaving her. Until now when we passed each other I couldn't walk with straight head.

 

 

 

WILL and BE GOING TO

We often find difficulty using WILL and BE GOING TO in our daily lives. As a foreign language, although we use it less, we need to learn how to differ those two verbs.
Let's see the difference:
example 1 :
"Dana is ill. She's now in the clinic."
"Oh, poor her. I will see her this afternoon after school."

example 2 :
"Dana is ill. She's now in the clinic."
"Yeah, I know. I'm going to see her this afternoon after school."

conclusion: We use BE GOING TO if we have planned it.

Exercise: Decide whether they use WILL or BE GOING TO.
1. "Far, your cellphone rings..." "I_____get it..."
2. Hana _____visit her uncle in Jember. He has saved some money.
3. We don't know where to go. What_____we____do?
4. The children are swimming in the river. Their moms _____surely be mad.
5. Lovita and Ganis are not my neighbors anymore. They have moved, but if you need to see them, I _____take you there.

Answer Key:
1. will (commonly pronounced 'll)
2. is going to
3. are--going to
4. will
5. will

Bangsa Yang Manja

Hai, bangsa yang manja,
Apa kabarmu pagi ini?
Masihkah kalian merajuk dan mengeluh?
Masihkah kalian merintih dan enggan bangkit?
Masihkah kalian malas dan berpangku tangan?
Atau masihkah kalian merindukan masa lalu?

"Yok opo kabare, Bro? Lak sek kepenak jamanku, toh?"
Iya katamu, Ndul.
Kamu 'kan yang menikmati hasil korupsi empat ratus trilyun yang tak terjamah palu hukum itu?
Kamu juga yang melanggengkan kekuasaan bersama kroni-kronimu hingga berpuluh-puluh tahun.
Freeport kamu jual ke bangsa asing-dulunya gunung kini danau.
Kamu juga mencengkeram bangsa manja ini dengan kartel-kartelmu.

Kini bangsa yang manja, bangsamu, bangsaku, baru diuji dengan sedikit penderitaan saja, mengeluh.

Tidak salah kalau generasi muda kini juga mudah mengeluh.
Diberi tugas rumah, mengeluh.
Banyak ulangan, mengeluh.
Tidak dibelikan motor, mengeluh.
Dibentak sedikit, mengeluh.
Belum juga dicambuk sudah melenguh.

Kapan kita mau maju, wahai bangsaku yang manja?

WAITING FOR PATIENCE

Patience is never away,
she's always here with us.
She's wandering about the front and the back yard.
It's just that she never comes in.
Whenever I invite her in, there's always something,

I knew her when I was kid.
She came to me as I saw my parents fought.
Mom brought her when daddy went crazy.
Mom cried when she could no longer hold her.

Patience is never away,
she's here, always here with us.
I've even put her in my heart,
especially when some students start making me mad.

jerisky, 31 August 2013

What Have You Done for the Country?

We haven't even asked you to cut your necks off! We haven't even asked for your lives. We just need your patience and consent! We all would never die for this gasoline price increase!

How many of you spend more than ten thousand rupiahs on online game a day? How many of you spend more than fifty thousand rupiahs on shoes or dress? So, two thousand five hundred increase means nothing to us.

Let's just be a little bit nationalistic this time, shall we?

Jerisky, 21062013

A Cup of Coffee and Two Glasses of Tea

A cup of coffee and two glasses of tea make me a giggling Panda,
the coffee was from the cafe when I was waiting for a session with the dermatologist,
the two glasses of tea were from the lunch remain.
Caffeine would kill me this way.

Jerisky, 21062013

Tanyaku pada Tuhan (2)

Tuhan,
Mengapakah Kau tiada bercukur?
Mengapakah Kau tiada berkubur?
Mengapakah Kau tiada hancur?
Mengapakah Kau tiada gugur?
Mengapakah Kau tiada berkata jujur?
Mengapakah Kau tiada terukur?
Mengapakah Kau tidak pernah bersyukur?
Mengapakah Kau selalu mengulur?
Mengapakah Kau sering membuat makmur?
Mengapakah Kau masih mengatur-atur?
Mengapakah Kau enggak pernah ngawur?
Mengapakah aku sulit tidur?

Jerisky, 21062013

Nenek Bangsat Yang Menuduhku Mencuri

Pagi buta mataku buta,

golok di tangan mencari mangsa,

Si Bongkok Tua Bermulut Neraka,

Yang menuduhku mencuri satu strip obatnya.

Darah mendidih meluap-luap.

Leher nenek bangsat putus dalam sekejap.

Sadarku, lariku, mengendap-endap,

jauh ke timur mumpung masih gelap.

Bukan salahku kalau dia geledah tasku.

Temukan obat yang kubeli hari Jumat.

Disangkanya aku ambil dari lemari.

Tersinggung aku, seolah tak mampu beli.

Si nenek bangsat meludah-ludah tiada percaya.

Ditampar sendiri moncongnya berkali-kali.

Entah setan mana yang merasukinya.

Sumpah atas nama Tuhan tak digubrisnya.

Murkaku tak hanya padanya,

tapi jua pada orang tuanya yang telah lalai mendidiknya:

agar tidak menggeledah tas orang lain;

dan agar tidak berburuk sangka.

Terkutuklah mereka bertiga,

Si Nenek Bangsat dan kedua orang tuanya.

Jerisky, 10102006

The Busker

He had the job of which children would never write down on their resume. He had the job that people would never crave on. He enjoyed it though. He did the best he could. With his old and caked-with-dirt guitar, he got on buses and sang old songs of Beatles, Air Supply, or The Queen. He got little money-so little that he could just buy a pita bread and a cup of hot coffee in the cold morning, a bun and a glass of ice tea to relieve his hot throat at noon, and a small cut of fried duck plus a glass of lemonade to end his long day. He had done it for years, perhaps more than ten years.

He had become the person whom people would never look at. He never cared too much. He kept singing and singing. He believed that some of them would listen and enjoy the songs. He never cared to those who felt disturbed. The disturbance usually paid him some more coins.

He never thought of cutting one of his hands or legs just to make them touched like those of beggars begging in many mosques. He also never thought of pretending as if he had amputated ones. He sang for he knew it was the best way to support his life.

He wore jeans and T-shirt with provocative slogans of freedom and justice for all. His jeans were of the oldest ones he bought in a black market where you can buy used ones. He put a bum bag around his waist where he kept his money and ID card in. He wore a pair of sport shoes, probably made in China, with holes on both sides.

He was older than he used to be. His grey hair looked fit with his grey beard. His face was full of wrinkles that hid the mystery of his life. A sweet smile, not a bitter one, was always given to the passengers, whether they gave him coins or not.

***

There was a bad traffic jam at Kejapanan’s intersection one afternoon. The vehicles were stuck on their position. No one moved. There were no policemen around. No one wanted to let others go. Every one held on their ego.

The busker could move freely from one bus to another. This time he got more money. He got off the fourth bus and went to a shelter to count the rupiahs.

He got merely two hundred thousand rupiahs that day.

He smiled and imagined what he might do with the money. He might buy a new Che Guevara’s T-shirt or a pair of shoes. He might go to a cinema and watch ‘New Superman: Man of Steel’. He could do anything with the money.

However, there’s a sky above us. He must have realized that. A power that controls all: the bandit.

“Hey, Old Busker! Gimme your money. I noticed you got much dime. You never gimme some. Come on, gimme all. I needa drink.”

The old busker was so surprised, but he realized he had no power to refuse. So he gave the coins to the rascal.

***

It was twenty years ago. The old busker was a student in a famous high school. He had always been the best three in the class. He studied hard to satisfy his parents. Unfortunately he forgot that he should have studied for his own future.

It happened so that he took a major chosen by his egoistic father. He joined a famous and expensive university out of town. He was not the best student but he graduated in five years. Many friends did not even graduate-mostly were dropped out.

After graduation is always the biggest challenge: to get a job, to create a job, or continue studying. He decided to get a job. He forgot his responsibility as a graduate, that is to create a job.

Getting a job in recession is not easy. He walked down the town, entering offices, sending applications, and doing interviews, but no one offered him a job. He was almost frustrated.

“What’s wrong, God? I always obey my parents. Why do you do this to me?”asked he in his pray.

He remembered how he was fond of music. He remembered how he liked the listening session-for the teacher often played songs. He remembered how he liked playing in the school band.

...but his parents wanted him to be an architect. “It’s a great job. It’s a cool job,” said his dad to convince him. He did not like drawing though, and it makes his GPA not as excellence as his friends’.

...and today, he survives with his talent in singing.

***

He knew it was dignity his parents always told him to fight for. So he turned back and walked in a rush to the bandit. He grabbed his plastic bag of coins from the big musculous tattooed hands and at a sudden, he got a blade stabbing in his tummy. He had dignity to fight for.

The end

Tanyaku pada Tuhan

Tuhan,
mengapakah Kau tak berbaju?

Cerpen-Pada Sebuah Gerbang

"Bu, aku lelah dengan ini semua," keluh Rara. Gadis berambut gelombang itu memang tampak kelelahan. Hari-hari belakangan terlalu berat bagi penyuka nasi pecel itu. Aku dengar dari temannya kalau kemarin ia dilabrak Sara.

"Aku ingin berhenti. Aku ingin melanglang buana. Aku ingin bertemu dengan orang-orang baru," katanya lagi tanpa memandangku sedikit pun.

Aku menyandarkan diri ke dinding. Bangku taman yang kududuki kebetulan selesai dipakai syuting film Sosiologi, jadi masih ada di samping kelas X.K yang berdampingan dengan taman dan kolam itu. Suara gemericik air kolam serasa menenangkan jiwa. Begitu pula kicauan burung-burung kecil berkepala oranye yang banyak bersarang di atas pohon Trembesi yang teduh. Oh, betapa mereka semua seperti sedang berkonser untukku.

"Ra, aku sepertinya lebih lelah lagi daripada kamu. Aku seperti tak lagi bernyawa, sebab ada yang merampas hatiku dengan semena-mena, tanpa aku tahu penyebabnya, tanpa aku tahu salahku apa. Bahkan sampai detik ini pun aku belum mendapat penjelasan apa pun," kataku pula.

"Sabar, Bu... Murid ibu tidak cuma satu itu. Ibu masih punya seribu tujuh belas murid lagi... Apakah karena satu orang saja ibu mengorbankan profesionalitas pekerjaan?" saran Afi, gadis berambut lurus pendek dan penggemar Lee Min Ho itu. 

Aku melirik sebentar kepadanya. Hari ini dia bijaksana. Kemarin dia menangis karena remidi Kimia-nya masih juga jelek. Tak seperti aku yang tetap tersenyum walau nilai-nilai MIPA-ku jelek. Kalau tidak naik kelas, ya sudahlah. Buat apa dipikirkan.

Tapi tentang masalah satu ini kenapa aku tidak bisa se-ringan itu? Hanya karena seorang murid yang tiba-tiba berubah sikap dan menjaga jarak dariku, aku jadi sedih luar biasa. Serasa jantungku tak lagi teraliri darah segar, dan hatiku hujan deras adanya.

"Tak usah risaukan dia lagi, Bu. Barangkali benar kata guru-guru lain, bahwa dia berbaik-baik hanya untuk menjilat ibu, agar dapat nilai bagus."

Aku tak mau meyakini itu. Bagiku, dia tetap anak yang baik, apa pun kata kalian. Tanpa aku dia pasti bisa mendapatkan nilai yang bagus. Tanpa menjilatku, aku yakin dia tetap mendapat nilai cemerlang dariku.

Aku berujar lagi, "ketika kalian menyarankan aku untuk memberinya coklat, aku langsung lakukan walau aku merasa canggung untuk melakukannya, apalagi berdekatan dengan hari Valentine. Apa kata teman-temannya coba? Nanti dikira aku ada apa-apa sama dia. Terus, kalian suruh aku beri kado ulang tahun. Aku juga menuruti kalian. Yah, meski, jujur saja, aku merasa aneh sebab lama tidak berkomunikasi kok tahu-tahu kasih kado?"

Rara menghela napas. Beberapa waktu yang lalu dia terkena pneumonia. Pasti tarikan napas itu berat baginya. Ditambah lagi beban masalah dariku. Belum lagi dia dijauhi teman-temannya.

Terdengar bel tanda masuk berbunyi. Aku ada kelas di X.J, tak jauh dari kelas X.K tempat aku duduk-duduk saat ini. Aku tidak ingin perasaanku terbawa ke dalam kelas. Aku harus profesional. "Aku harus pergi, kalian juga," ujarku pada kedua penghuni XI.IA1 itu. Mereka tak bergeming.

Kelas mereka jauh--harus berjalan melewati deretan gedung laboratorium Fisika, ruang guru, gedung laboratorium Bahasa, dan kamar mandi. Kalau mereka tidak bersegera, tentu akan terlambat masuk. Kalau mereka sampai terlambat masuk, tentu hasilnya adalah poin afektif mereka terpotong.

"Kalian harus kembali," kataku lagi.

***

Putriku tidur kala aku tiba di rumah. Akhir-akhir ini dia sering tidur sore hari. Setelah UNAS, hidup terasa membosankan, katanya. Tidak tahu apa yang harus dilakukan. Setiap hari kegiatannya hanya menonton televisi saja. 

Kulihat matanya yang tertutup rapat. Pasti membosankan juga kalau aku jadi dia. Namun aku tak sampai hati membiarkannya bekerja paruh waktu seperti teman-temannya yang lain. Aku masih mampu memberinya uang saku, alasanku saat ia minta ijin.

Aku tak sampai hati pula hendak mengabarkan sesuatu. Aku takut dengan reaksinya nanti, jadi aku menyibukkan diri sembari menyusun-nyusun kata. Kebetulan setrikaan sedang menumpuk.

"Ma..." panggilnya lirih dari sofa beberapa saat kemudian.

"Apa?"

"Sudah dari tadi?" tanyanya sambil berjalan ke arahku. Aku mengangguk. "Ma, tadi di televisi ada berita kalau Jawa Timur UNASnya terbaik."

"Oh, ya?" aku masih terus menyetrika.

"Semoga kami lulus semua, ya, Ma... Doain SMANAM lulus semua, ya... Takut e ada yang nggak lulus."

"Iya, semoga lulus semua..."

"Oh, ya, Ma. Tadi di berita juga ada pemutasian guru dan kepala sekolah, lho."

Aku berhenti menyetrika. Apakah aku harus ceritakan sekarang? Bagaimana kalau dia tidak bersedia pindah? Bagaimana kalau ternyata dia lebih memilih ikut ayahnya di Surabaya?

Tenggorokanku tercekat. Aku kembali menyetrika. Aku belum siap berterus terang.

"Ma...."

"Mama takut kamu belum siap mendengar ini semua."

"Ma, apapun yang terjadi, mama yakin, deh, Maya bakalan tetep nemenin mama, kemana pun mama pergi."

"Janji?"

Diacungkannya jari kelingking tanda janji.

"Mama dimutasi ke Jember."

Mukanya tiba-tiba berubah cerah. "Asyik, tau, Ma.... Di sana tuh, ada pantai terindah se-Jawa. Pantai Papuma, Ma... Dari dulu aku pingin ke sana. Pasti seneng aku di sana, Ma. Aku bisa kuliah di UNEJ, atau kalau tidak diterima, aku bisa kuliah di universitas swasta."

"Jadi beneran, kamu nggak sedih?"

Dipeluknya erat-erat tubuhku. Aku senang dia mau menerima kepindahanku.

***

Hari ini hari terakhirku di SMAN 2 Gedangan. Berkas-berkas di gudang telah aku bawa pulang sehari sebelumnya. Kini saatnya berpamitan pada guru-guru dan ketiga siswi manis kelas XI.IA1. Sayangnya mereka sedang mengikuti ulangan. Terpaksa aku menulis surat untuk mereka.

Sidoarjo, 23 Mei 2013

Buat : Afi, Rara, dan Nana

Dear Afi, Rara, dan Nana,

Aku adalah aku, bukan orang lain, jadi jangan samakan aku dengan orang lain. Aku begini, orang lain begitu. Ya sudah. 

Aku sering ceplas-ceplos, sering menyakitkan. Ya, maaf.

Aku sesekali membuat kalian menangis. Ya, maaf, toh hatiku juga deras kala kalian menangis dan emosional karena aku. 

Maaf kalau kalian sampai dijauhi sahabat-sahabat kalian karena aku, karena membela aku yang bukan siapa-siapa ini. Maaf. Maaf juga kalau kalian sampai tidak berani pergi ke kantin karena takut dengan mereka.

Kalian tidak perlu melakukan ini semua demi aku. Kalian tidak perlu ikut-ikut dimusuhi gara-gara aku. Kalian nikmati saja masa belajar kalian di SMA yang cuma 3 tahun itu. Jangan mengorbankan diri demi aku. Aku tidak layak kalian bela. 

Aku terima apa yang Tuhan tetapkan untukku. Kalau mereka yang memusuhiku belum juga insyaf suatu saat nanti, aku ikhlas. Aku ikhlas sejak sekarang. Kalian tak perlu berkeberatan dengan segala sikap mereka.

Aku sudah selesai. Kita sudah selesai.

love,
Memem


Kulipat surat itu dan kumasukkan amplop putih. Kepada teman sekelas mereka yang sedang pergi ke kamar mandi kuminta tolong serahkan seusai ulangan. Dengan langkah pasti kuberjalan menuju gerbang, gerbang baru babakan hidupku.

Sekian

Drama Class 2012

This is another activity in Drama class that I did with Elf/Bon Courage.

Drama

Task 1  : Read or listen to the following play being read. It is a different version of the fairy tale Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger. In this version, things are rather different to the original.

Scene 1:

(Narrator, FX, Fairytale Voice, Jaka Seger, Rara Anteng, Guard)

Narrator	Have you ever wondered why they named Tengger to the people living around Bromo mountain? Have you ever heard the story about Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger? Well, there have been many stories about it but this one can be different and you should watch until the end…
FX	SOFT COURTLY MUSIC
Fairytale Voice	Once upon a time there was a handsome monk who lived in a temple near a forest. One day, when he was doing meditation, a beautiful princess came with her troops. She wanted to ask for a drink.
Narrator	Well, now, let’s get the facts straight. Jaka Seger was not handsome. Oh, he was a monk all right. He lived in a temple with the other ten or eleven monks and they went to the village once a week to get charity.
Jaka Seger	(doing meditation under an big tree)
Narrator	When he was doing that, his mind went everywhere.
Jaka Seger	That’s not true! I’m always focusing on God. Ladies and gentlemen, don’t trust her.
FX	NOISE OF RUNNING HORSES
Narrator	Then a group of hunters came. The leader was a beautiful princess. She wore a crown made of bottles’ cap.
Rara Anteng	(staying on her horse) Guard, ask for some water to the monk.
Guard	(coming and bending) Alright, Your Highness… (going away) (coming to Jaka Seger and bending) Hello, excuse me….
Jaka Seger	(no response)
Guard	(waving hand) Hello…. (sighing) Hello…. (desperately going back to Rara Anteng and then bending) I’m sorry, Your Highness, he didn’t answer me.
Rara Anteng	(thinking) Alright, I’ll go by myself. Wait here. (Getting off of the horse and walking to Jaka Seger. (Standing in front of the monk and folding hands together) Oh, what a beautiful bird that is! (looking at the big tree as if there was a bird)
Jaka Seger	(listening to the lady’s voice, slowly opened his eyes)
Rara Anteng	(bending down and then sat down on her knees facing the monk) Here you are, now give us some water or I’ll…
Jaka Seger	Or I’ll what? (calmly voice)
Rara Anteng	Aren’t you afraid of me? Don’t you know who I am?
Jaka Seger	Does it matter to you? I don’t care who you are!
Rara Anteng	Well, let me tell you, I’m the daughter of King Brawijaya! Now what are you going to do? Huh?
Jaka Seger	(Standing) look, I don’t care! You can have some water from the well over there (pointing to a well) and never disturb my meditation again, you spoilt princess!
Narrator	So the troop took some water from the well and continued their journey. After their first meeting, Rara Anteng could not forget the monk. She kept thinking about him. Then she planned to see Jaka Seger by herself. It took half a day to get to the temple. Unfortunately, she could not see Jaka Seger because he went to other village for three days. So she went home and stayed in her room for days. Thinking of the monk made her ill. The king had called some doctors but they couldn’t cure her.

Scene 2

(narrator, FX, Rara Anteng, Jaka Seger, Fairytale voice, head of monks)

Fairytale voice	Rara Anteng’s condition was getting worse. Now she could only lie down on her bed. King Brawijaya worried about it. He called for the monks to pray for her.
King Brawijaya	I love my daughter very much, ladies and gentlemen. I don’t want her to be dying like this. Please pray for her just in case that Lord might take her soul sooner.
Head of Monks	Your Majesty, we will pray so that Princess Rara Anteng can get better… (bending)
Jaka Seger	Excuse me, Your Majesty, could I see her for a while? Perhaps, I can do something to cure her…(bending)
King Brawijaya	(silent for a moment) Please do, sir. At this moment, any medication won’t change anything.
FX	SOFT AND MELANCHOLY MUSIC
Jaka Seger	(bending and going inside) Your Highness, can you hear me? (touching Rara Anteng’s hand) I’m Jaka Seger, the handsome monk. We met a month ago.
Rara Anteng	(talking quietly with eyes closed) Don’t pretend to be the man I love, the man who had yelled at me, but I really miss him, the man who stole my heart.
Jaka Seger	(smiling widely, knowing that the princess actually pretended to be ill) Oh, what a long sentence you made, you desperate lady…
Rara Anteng	(looking at Jaka Seger) Stop playing tricks on me! I won’t wake up and satisfy those people. Go away… I don’t want to see you again (looking other side)
Jaka Seger	How can you say that? I travelled many miles to see you here and now you’re sending me away? Oh, princess, don’t you want to know how difficult it is to be a monk. I may not touch any girl, although I like her very much, although I really love her, although I spent many nights on thinking of her,
Rara Anteng	Stop… I can’t stand it anymore. You know I looked for you but you were never there.
Jaka Seger	(sighing) I am desperate and lonely. I need love but I can’t have one. I’m a monk. I shouldn’t marry any lady.
Rara Anteng	I can ask! (stepped down from the bed and walked out)
Jaka Seger	(smiling) Now she’ll be fine.
Narrator	Not yet, brother. Rara Anteng went to see her father, king Brawijaya to ask for his permission. She told him that she really wanted to marry Jaka seger.
King Brawijaya	You should not marry him, he’s a monk! A noble lady shall never marry a monk. Their marriage will be cursed.
Rara Anteng	…but, father, I can never live without him. He’s always in my mind all of the time.
King Brawijaya	No, my dear daughter. You have to listen to my words. Get in and I’ll get you a prince to marry.
FX	SAD MUSIC
Narrator	Rara Anteng was so sad. She got in and packed some clothes. She told her loyal nanny to prepare a horse for her.

Task 2 : Answer the following questions

1.      What does the word ‘spoilt’ mean? Why is this a good label for Rara Anteng?

2.      What was Jaka Seger doing when Rara Anteng and the troops came?

3.      What are the personalities of Rara Anteng?

4.      Was Rara Anteng really sick? Give your reason.

5.      Why did Rara Anteng pack her clothes in?

Task 3  : complete the sentences below. Use the words in the box to help you.

 

1.      I think the princess is……………………..because ………………………………………….

2.      I think Jaka Seger is………………………….because…………………………………….....

3.      I think King Brawijaya is……………………..because………………………………………

4.      I think …………………………………………………………………………………………

5.      I think………………………………………………………………………………………….

Task 4  : write down what you think happen next. Use these questions to help you to plan.

Where will the princess go?               Who will she meet?

How will she survive?                         Will the king send some guards to pick her up?

Investigations

You can find out more about a character in a text by looking at :

·         How he or she speaks

·         What he or she does