The Ghost Story of LESTARI
32. Defected

Lestari and Damar are still talking about their next plan to go as far away from there as possible.

A moment later, it sounded like many people were talking in the middle of the silence of the night.

Damar moved down from the bale-bale, Lestari reached Damar's hand with a frightened face. Lestari's hands trembling.

"It's okay, don't worry."

Damar said softly while releasing his hand from the grasp of Lestari's hand that Damar himself really wanted to continue to hold it.

But...

The voices of those people are getting closer.

Could it be the villagers?

They know that Damar and Lestari are in Samsul's house? Inner Damar.

Damar then walked to the wall made of bamboo. Damar peeked out from one of the gaps, and sure enough a group of people carrying torches and weapons headed towards them.

The group was led by Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa and...

Damar gasped, as soon as he saw Mang Dayat also with the group. Mang Dayat walks near Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

Damar looked at Lestari who was sitting on the edge of the bale-bale as she continued to stare at him.

"What's the Bang?"

Tanya Lestari was afraid.

Damar stretched out his hand, asking Lestari to come closer.

Lestari according to approaching Damar.

"We're going through the back, you still tired?"

Ask Damar to Lestari.

Lestari who was still innocent looked to nod.

Yes of course, they just did it, Damar actually also wants to go to sleep immediately, especially since the morning he has not rested at all.

But, of course they had no other choice, they had to leave immediately.

Damar who suspected Mang Dayat was ordered by his father to take Lestari away would not let him.

Damar took Lestari to the back of Samsul's house, planning to escape again from there.

As far as Damar, behind the house of Samsul there is a path to the rice fields that if following the main rice field, they will be able to reach the big road.

Although it will certainly be very tiring because the distance to the big road is very far if passing through the rice field.

Damar opened the back door of Samsul's house, while suddenly a black cat jumped and ran past Damar who was shocked not dumbass.

The cat then hid in the dark, where Damar could not see it.

"Cat only, it's okay."

Damar said to Lestari who followed Damar.

The girl trusted Damar completely, and so would the young girl if she had fallen in love.

The voices of the villagers were getting closer.

The panicked Damar immediately invites Lestari to run away.

Damar and Lestari try to run away from the rickety hut owned by Samsul's parents.

They ran along the path.

But, Lestari's unlucky fate tripped, his condition was still limp and also had to endure pain making him unable to run quickly.

"Are you okay?"

Damar gets Lestari.

"If we get caught, will we be killed Bang?"

Ask Lestari.

Damar could not answer.

No, it wasn't the killing that Damar feared. But Lestari was taken away, separated from him, and then owned by his father.

Although now Lestari has given his crown to Damar, but Damar of course increasingly does not want to release Lestari.

For him, his responsibility to take care of Lestari must be done until he dies.

Damar asks Lestari to go up to the sling.

"I'll carry you, come up."

"I'm heavy."

Lestari said doubtfully.

"What's up, get up."

Damar.

While the sound of the door of Samsul's parents' hut was heard on the break.

Lestari went up to Damar's sling.

Damar who was very tired forced himself to hold Lestari while accelerating his path.

"I love Bang Damar."

Lestari kept saying it, making Damar so sick to hear it.

This girl is so innocent, how could you make her a wife of a man her age.

Damar kept moving.

From the direction of Samsul's parents' hut the residents who were with Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa crumpled to the back of the hut, and saw Damar who carried Lestari away.

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

The residents ran after Damar, including Mang Dayat.

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa who was old chose to wait for them in the hut.

He walked towards the bale-bale, he would sit there, but seeing the marks left behind from Damar and Lestari made Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa undo it.

He chose to sit on a long, weathered wooden bench in front of a long table.

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa was stunned staring at the bale-bale not far from where he was sitting.

The two children have done it, it is clear they will be increasingly unwilling to be separated from each other. It would be outrageous if Mr. Ageng Parta Prawira remained in his decision to have Lestari.

And it did not take long, when finally the cry of Damar was heard approaching.

Damar rebelled, asking to be released.

Damar held by two men with thick and large bodies was brought before Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

"Take us off Ki."

Damar.

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa looked at Damar, after which he also looked towards Lestari who had just been brought in by Mang Dayat and accompanied by several other villagers.

"Why run away, son?"

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

Damar.

"We've come to pick you up."

"No. We will not go back to the house of Mr. Ageng Parta Prawira."

Firm Damar.

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa shook his head.

"We're going back to the stoves."

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa stood up, then signaled to the people who helped him so that Damar and Lestari should not be left loose.

All understood and then followed Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa who returned to his position.

After arriving at the store, Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa asked Nyi Esih and some Emban to give the residents the food they can cook.

If there is no rice they can take rice, eggs, oil, and also vegetables.

Later, there will definitely be a famine, so of course the food is much more useful for the villagers.

Residents whose groups combed through a shortcut in search of Samsul have also returned to the paddock and reported that the horse tread on the street clearly leads to the road to Kuningan.

And it is true that Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa's guess, if Mang Dayat had actually been suspected since the beginning, then Mr. Ageng Parta Prawira did not necessarily let him go alone to Padepokan.

"This means, Mang Dayat is obviously free if you return to Kuningan, you must have been considered a traitor Mang."

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

Mang Dayat nodded.

Damar himself and Lestari have been put in a separate room.

"Look, tomorrow I will meet Mr. Ageng Parta Prawira, I will talk carefully, especially about Samsul who is clearly innocent in this matter in order to be released."

"Then I, what can I do Ki?"

Ask Mang Dayat.

The villagers had obtained the food that was distributed by Nyi Esih and the neighbors, they thanked and then excused Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa who was seen still standing in front of his store with Mang Dayat.

"Is there any place you can hide for the safest of Damar and Lestari's boys?"

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

Mang Dayat momentarily fell silent, trying to think.

Then...

"There's actually a place that looks like it's safe."

Mang Dayat.

"Where?"

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

"Not far from the sugar factory."

"There is a complex that was originally inhabited by the Dutch, since the Japanese entered, they have immediately left the place."

"Near the Dutch residential area and the Sugar Factory, there was land that the Dutch gave to Mr. Ageng Parta Prawira, which then the land was given to me. When my wife was alive, I built a house and a place to live. Since we had no children, as soon as my wife died, the house ended up empty until now."

"But Mr. Ageng Parta Prawira will be able to easily find it."

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa.

Mang Dayat shook his head.

"No Ki, actually he never knew the location of the land exactly where, the Dutch gave the land in the residence of Mr. Ageng when they worked together to buy and sell spices. I take care of everything, so Mr. Ageng handed over the land to me. Mr. Ageng himself has several buildings around the sugar factory on the west bank which is quite far from my place on the east end."

Ki Gedhe Tirtayasa nodded.

"Then, tomorrow morning, we execute our plan Mang. I met Mr. Ageng to free Samsul, Mang Dayat brought Lestari and Damar."

Mang Dayat nodded in agreement.

"Good Ki. I will do as best I can."

💦💦💦💦💦