Heaven Way

West Sumatera is a very religious region that has many beautiful landscapes includes Maninjau Lake. In here, Ahmad was born in a very religious family. His grandfather is a big “ulema” in that time, he was a nasyabandy. While his father name became very famous because of his role in “tajdid” movement in west sumatera. His father name’s Abdul Karim Amrullah. He was very well known at the time because when he was in the Bogor palace, the Japanese asked all people there to kneel as a respect to the God of sun. All people overthere followed the Japanese instruction includes all “ulema” except the Hajj Abdul Karim Amrullah. They assumed that they might kneel because of “rukhsah” ( Something may do in a certain condition). They thought it was not a problem as long as their heart didn’t really kneel to the sun. It made the Japanese became angry to the Hajj. They beat the Hajj that made the Hajj full of blood.

Ahmad’s father hoped that one day his son would also become an “ulema” as him. However, Ahmad was a very naughty boy in his colonial elementary school. He didn’t come to his school for many times and it made his father became angry to him very much. He couldn’t enjoy his study. He was a very stupid student and always made problems with his teacher and friends. Ahmad failed to graduate from his basic school. Then his father took him to “thawalib” to study the Qur’an and once more he felt bored with the subject. His father really became frustrated with his act and give up about the ways to make his son become a useful person one day. Ahmad had a unique talent that is writing, something that a very range people had it at the moment. He delivered his first novel “Si Sabariah” when he was 17. It became his first novel. It looked like a natural talent because he didn’t study about it from anyone before. In west Sumatera he met a very big conflict with the old especially his grandfather. Ahmad is Ahmad, he remains a very difficult boy to control. when the conflict became worst and worst because of his rejection to some opinions of the old he decided to go to java to meet his brother in law named Sutan Mansyur. Sutan Mansyur introduced him to H.O.S Tjokroaminoto,the national leader in colonial period, to whom he study “retorica’ and speech talent. In the house of H.O.S Tjokroaminoto, he met Soekarno and made a good friendship with him, Semaun ( the first leader of Communist party), Kartosuwiryo ( the founder of NII), Muso,Alimin,Tan Malaka,Ruslan Abdul Ghani etc. Although he study both subject intensively he never stop writing. When the invasion of Netherland troops that wanted to come back to this beloved country he led the West Sumatran fought the Dutch. He memorized this moment by writing it in a very interesting story titled “Di Bawah Lindungan Ka’bah”, special for this novel it has been made a movie that started by Dedy miswar. He also wrote about a big event when LInggarjati agreement took place titled ”sesudah perjanjian Linggarjati’. When a very famous Dutch ship sank he told it in a very beautiful plot titled “Tenggelamnya kapal Van Der Wijk”. Some of his book became a novel must read in some universities in Malaysia and in Singapore. He got his first Doctor degree when he speeched in Al-Azhar University in Egypt and he got the same degree from Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia and Singapore. That’s why, his name is very famous in those countries. He was also a rector of two universities in Jakarta and found Al-azhar school there. For his thesis he got the highest degree, that is, Professor.

When the first regime, Ahmad was the security chief of the new Republic, then Soekarno gave him two choices either became a civil officer or came in to Masyumy. He chose the second choice given by his beloved friend. He became the chief of this political party and became the main speecher in the election in 1955. However, he took a different way with the regime. His opponent must stop his way with a very bad way as the Dutch when they captured Diponegoro. Ahmad was invited to the regime’s palace to witness a religious event. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that the regime would capture him and imprison him. The regime also took his ten nails. He never stopped writing although he was in prison. In prison, he wrote his most monumental book, that is tafsir Al-Azhar. When the regime fell down, the regime came to him and apologized. Ahmad accompanied his beloved friend until he died under the pressure. When he became the Imam of the most powerful man in the old orde era he look back and watched his friend’s face. Ahmad said” you ever hurt me and made my family lived in suffering but I have forgiven you”. At the time of the second regime, he also got a very hard conflict because he issued the prohibitation of saying marry christmas to the Christian. The new regime kicked him out and he died three months later of diabetes melitus. Ahmad has produced 115 books and it took him as one of the noble novelist of Indonesia as same as Achdiat Kartamihardja, and Pramudia Ananta Toer. He is the best novelist of this county in history, the rector of two Universities, the leader of the biggest party, the most memorable ulema in Indonesia, the best friend and Prof. DR, who never graduated from the formal institution. Oh my God, please give us the second Buya………………………………………….

The Tidy Drawer

One Saturday morning Farel’s Mum came upstairs to see Farel in her bedroom. There was so much mess on the floor she could only poke her head around the door. Farel sat in the middle of it all reading a book. "What a tip," Mum said. "You need to have a clear up in here." "Why?" Farel asked. "Why?" Mum repeated. "Because things get broken or lost when they're all willy-nilly like this. Come on, have a tidy up now." "But I'm very busy," Farel argued, "and it's boring on my own. Can't you help me?" "No I can't, I'm busy too. But I'll give you extra pocket money if you do a good job." When Mum came back later all the toys and clothes and books had disappeared. "I'm impressed," said Mum. "But I'll inspect it later." "It was easy," said Farel "Can I have my extra pocket money now?" "All right. Get it out of my change purse. It's in the kitchen tidy drawer." In the kitchen Farel went over to the dresser and pulled open the tidy drawer. She hunted for the purse. "Any luck?" Mum asked. Farel shook her head. "It must be lurking at the bottom," Mum said. "Let's have a proper look." She pulled the drawer out and carried it over to the table. Abby kneeled up on a chair to look inside. There were lots of boring things like staplers and string but there were lots of interesting things as well. "What's this?" Farel asked, holding up a plastic bottle full of red liquid. Mum laughed. "Fake blood, from a Hallowe'en party years ago. Your Dad and I took you to that, dressed up as a baby vampire. You were really scary." "I don't remember that." Farel carried on looking through the drawer. She found some vampire teeth, white face paint, plastic witchy nails and hair gel. Mum pulled out a glittery hair band. It had springs with wobbly balls on the top that flashed disco colours. She put it on her head while she carried on looking through the drawer. Farel found some sparkly hair elastics to match the hair band. She made her Mum put lots of little bunches all over her head so she looked really silly. "I remember this," Farel said as she pulled out a plastic bag. "This is from my pirate party." Inside there was a black, false moustache and some big gold earrings.
She peeled the sticky backing off the false moustache and stuck it on Mum's top lip then found a paint brush in the drawer and painted a fierce red scar down her cheek using the fake blood. Mum clipped on the pirate earrings. "Come here," Mum said and smeared white face paint all over Farel's face. She dribbled the fake blood so it looked as if it was coming out of Abby's eyes and mouth. She put gel all over Farel's hair and made it stand up into weird, pointy shapes. Farel put in the vampire teeth and slipped on the witchy fingers. She made scary noises at Wow-Wow the cat. He ignored her and carried on washing himself on the seat next to her. "Wotch thish?" Farel asked, holding up a flat rubbery thing. It was hard to speak through the vampire teeth. "It's a whoopee cushion," Mum said. "You blow it up and sit on it. It makes rude noises." She blew it up and gave it to Farel. Suddenly there was a knock at the back door. A voice called out. "Hello, it's only me. I've let myself in." It was their nosy neighbour, Mrs Yanti. She was always interfering and complaining. Mrs Yanti entered the kitchen. Her mouth dropped open. "We're jush wooking for the change pursh," Farel explained. "Yes, well, er," Mrs Elly said, "I just wanted a word about your fence. Some of it's blown down on my side." At that moment Farel sat on the whoopee cushion and let out an enormous, rude noise. Wow-Wow jumped off his seat and ran away. "Well!" said Mrs. Elly and hurried from the room and out of the house. When the door banged shut Farel and Mum burst out laughing until Mum's moustache hung on by a whisker and Farel's vampire teeth dropped out. Farel came to sit on her Mum's knee. "It's fun doing this together," she said. "Maybe. But we still haven't found the change purse." They both looked at the enormous heap of things spread over the kitchen table. "Well, you know things will get lost, or broken, when they're all willy nilly," Farel said. "You cheeky monkey!" Mum laughed. "But what shall I do with it all?" "I know, it's easy," Farel said and began to scoop everything off the table into her arms. She dumped it all back in the kitchen drawer.
Mum looked at her suspiciously. "Let's go and inspect your bedroom shall we."
Farel followed her upstairs and into her bedroom. Wow-Wow was sitting in front of her fish tank looking hungrily at the goldfish. He dashed under the bed when he saw Mum and Farel. Mum kneeled down and lifted the bed cover to get him out. Underneath were heaps of Farel's toys, books, tapes, clothes and shoes, empty plastic cups and wrappers and a half-eaten sandwich on a plate.
"Farel! What's all this?"
"It's my tidy drawer," Farel said. She wrapped her arms around her Mum and gave her a kiss. "Let's sort this one out together now."

ANNOYED

“Wake up, wake up, wake up” said a young woman who asked her children to waked up. It happed almost everyday in the early morning.
By patient, she waited them to do sholat subuh. She left them after they did sholat subuh one by one because they don’t want to go to the bathroom. Because of her softness they wanted to go to the bathroom to take wudhu before doing it. She smiled seeing when her children were doing sholat subuh. Before all of them took wudhu, there was a funny incident. The youngest asked her “Mom, why we have to take wudhu before we doing sholat subuh?” She answered “We must clean part of our body if we want to meet God who has created you?”
“But I don’t know how to take wudhu? said the youngest. She explained clearly “This is the way to take wudhu. The first is you have to intend in your heart. Then, clean your face. Next, clean your hands and then wet tour hair. The last is clean tour feet.”
She gave a clear practice to the youngest how to take wudhu because he didn’t know. She taught clearly so he can understand only once. After that the youngest went to his older brother to do sholat subuh.
“I don’t want see them become a person who don’t know their God” said the old woman in her heart. She looked at her children who did sholat subuh.
After the children did sholat subuh, she continued her activities. She had to take care her children alone. The first of all she had to get up at 3.00 am. The first that she did is sholat tahajjud and continued sholat subuh. Then she went to the kitchen to do anything as a housewife and as a mother for her children. Washing, cooking and anything she could do them in the kitchen. She did it in the early morning before her children got up.
She had to do all before the children go to school because after that she had to go to market to earn money. She had to be a mother and a father in one time after she has been divorced by her husband.
She didn’t know why her husband had divorced her. She just knew that her mother in-law didn’t agree about their relation. She just knew that her husband always did that his mother asked. She just knew that herself only a woman who didn’t have a power to face her husband.
The children had gone to school so it’s time to go to the market to earn money. She had to keep and park any kind vehicles. It’s her activities after took care her children. She usually did her job easily every day. However, today is different. There was an old woman who parked her car in the parking area. She’s her mother in-law. She’s surprised when she saw who parked her car. “Are you Anna?” “What do you do here?” she said. “I just do my job” answered the daughter in-law.
The mother in-law didn’t believe that the daughter in-law answered. “You must have hoped to come back to my son because I” she said. “I’m here to earn money. My job is parking your car” answered the daughter in_law. “I just know that you are spoiled. I just know that you only know how to make up yourself” said the mother angry. The mother didn’t agree about the relation between them because the daughter in-law didn’t have ability as a housewife and as a mother.
The daughter didn’t care that the mother said. She said “if you don’t believe me, I don’t care”.
After this conversation, the daughter left that car but the mother called her again. The mother in-law asks to her daughter in-law “Are you serious? Where is my grand children?”.
“They have gone to school. I have done my job as a mother” said the daughter in-law. “I’m here to earn money. I have changed my husband to earn money. I’m not spoiled woman. I can survive although I have divorced your son. I have to work hard to continue our life. I don’t want them know their father” said the daughter.
“I’m happy you have changed but I know what the best for my son.” Said the mother. “I want my son gets a rich woman to be his wife.”
The daughter’s just silent. She knew that the woman in front of her just wanted to get money, money and money.
By happy, she asked to the mother “whose car is this? Is it yours? Or it is your daughter in-law’s car”. “I think, it is given by your new daughter in-law”.
The mother left the parking area because of this question. She felt that her ex-daughter in-law just felt jealous because she didn’t anything. She said angry ”fuck you, you’ll never get a new husband!”.
The daughter felt that she had made her mother felt angry. She felt very happy now because she had replied her revenge although it’s little bit,
She colud go home early because she knew that her mother in law had been ashamed. She must keep away her children from their grandmother because she didn’t want they knew that their grandmother did.