Translated from Sundanese into English by Josephine
Natania
Hastily, Kang
Sabri walked to the south. He got off down the bridge at the riverside and
looked around to find a good spot to fish.
Ah… There was little stream of water
in the west riverside.
Near the stools of sadagori plant (Shuteria rhombifolia L.), the current was not rapid. There also seemed
to be the deepest part of the river. This place was perfect. Kang Sabri quickly set up his fishing
tools.
The tangled line was straightened
and then attached it to the angling rod. The bait was fish worm.
Plop. The rod was thrown into the
water.
Kang
Sabri sat on the grass which was still rather wet by the raindrops.
It was 9 o’clock in the morning and
the sky was clear. The sun shone warmly. The wind blew softly. It felt so
comfortable to feel the warmth of the sun on our back, combined with the fresh
wind.
Today, he decided to go fishing to
forget his complicated daily problems. He nailed his eyes on the tip top, the line,
and the bobble.
Sometimes he saw the chasing water
bubbles. Sometimes he saw the rubbish floating on the water. Sometimes he saw
the leaves swaying in the wind.
He wanted to get a big fish today.
It quite took some times for him to
realize that his back started to stiffen. He held the rod with a bending back.
He put down the rod to the grass below;
stuck with a heel so that it would not have been dragged away if there had been
something bit the bait.
He opened his cloth bag and put out
the provisions he had prepared from home. Boiled cassava, warm water in thermos
flask, two pieces of lemper
and leupeut.
The last he bought in Ceu
Enyi’s food stall before going here. Eating cassava and leupeut along with drinking warm water tasted so delicious, since
he missed breakfast this morning.
Suddenly, the still water rushed and
the rod was crooked. Almost the rod was carried away. Kang Sabri gave a tug to the rod, pulled the line by rolling the
reel . Fighting with the fish was certainly the most favorite part in fishing,.
If we did not correctly pull and roll, the fish could lose or it was the line that
might have broken.
The fish movement was seen on the
water surface. It seemed a big one.
The fish started to run out of energy and it
came to the surface. The hook was pieced on its mouth. It gasped for air.
“It really was a seed. The weigh is
probably about a kilo,” he spoke in his heart.
Kang
Sabri hastened to the riverside. He no longer held the rod, but the line. He
drew it towards him. The fish floated and gasped, but when he wanted to hold
it, the fish rebelled against him. The water splashed onto his face. The fish
almost went away.
He decided to shoot this wild fish.
This time he finally caught it. He brought it to the ground. The fish’s stomach
was seen bulge as if having had eggs in it. Hope the eggs would hatch soon.
When Kang Sabri stared at the fish, the fish stared back. The mouth was
opened and closed frequently. “It seems trying to talk to me,” he pondered.
Finally the fish was exhausted. He
put it in the net and let the tip of the net remained in the water.
The fish was restless. Using sadagori plants, he succeeded to form a
knot on the net. The net became a jail for the fish now.
Kang
Sabri throw the rod into the water, tugged the line so it fitted nicely. He
fixed his eyes again on the tip top and the rod. He moved his sight for a
moment when the fish rolled in the net. He was sure now that this fish carried
eggs inside the body.
The fish could be cooked well with
ginger chili paste or saffron season. The eggs would surely add delicious taste,
thick and full of fat. Sitting cross-legged, eating it alone, biting small
chili pepper, blowing with open mouth to feel the hot taste. Amazing!
But, who would be the chef? Kang Sabri thought. No one at home. He
lived alone in a boarding room. Well, actually it was not that hard. He just
needed to ask Ceu Enyi, who had a
food stall in front of his boarding room, to cook for him. She would certainly
do it. What a kind woman she was! She often sent side dishes and when he did
not have money, she did not mind of being paid later for the dish he bought
now.
Kang
Sabri was still unmarried. He worked as an elementary teacher. Two years ago,
he successfully became a civil worker.
Ceu
Enyi had a son who was an elementary student. He was still a 5th
grader but a serious student he was. He was used to come to Kang Sabri’s room in the evening to ask either
help for his homework or many things he wanted to know. His efforts always led
him to a rank at school.
Maybe
that was the reason why Ceu Enyi was
so kind to him.
Kang
Sabri always felt comfortable to teach children owned to the fact that he was a
teacher. However he realized that it had been his duty to teach and set good
examples to his students everywhere.
Since this was an off day at the end
of the month, he did not go back to his village as usual. The money could only
afford for foods.
The fish tried to escape from the
net. Kang Sabri observed it closely.
It was truly big. He would get 20,000 rupiahs if he sold it. That amount would
be enough for 2-day eating.
When the eggs hatched, it could be
hundreds.
Kang
Sabri stared at the distance. His mind thought of the possibilities.
If he ate it with ginger chili
paste, his stomach would be full and he would be satisfied.
If he let go the fish so the eggs
hatched, maybe the river would be filled with other big fish like this one
someday.
He remembered that he ever taught a
lesson of environment to his students. He often asked why there were people who
fished by using electricity or plant sap. Why there were people who threw the
rubbish anywhere, not in its proper place. Why there were people who threw
waste disposal or damaged forest for their own pleasure.
He put down the rod he was holding
and stuck it between the sadagori plants.
He approached the net, still with confused mind.
Eat it or let it go?
At last, he finally decided to let
it go. He remembered her sister who was pregnant in the last few months. She
plodded while holding her protruding belly. He also remembered how busy his
family was when the time came for her sister to give birth. He heard with his
own ear how she screamed. He felt a blissful feeling when her sister was safe
through the birth process. Everybody welcomed the newborn baby with gladness. The
mother was a shelter and refuge for the baby now. Mother’s love would not
change through ages.
He opened the net and pushed the
fish so that it slid off to the river. He spoke slowly to the fish as if having
talked to a kid, “Leungli, grow your children and keep them safe. Fill this
river. Next month I’ll come here again to fish. Maybe next month your task of
raising them has finished and you must bite my bait again.” He called the fish
“Leungli” as he remembered the tale of Leungli, the fish which befriended with
a girl.
When he was saying that, a voice was
heard behind him without any notice before where it came from. “Sir, why did
you let the fish go?”
Kang
Sabri looked back and saw Mang
Kanta, a pedicab driver who usually stayed in front of his school to wait for the
passenger.
“Mmmmm… The fish has eggs. I have
pity on her.”
“Why, Sir? Don’t you have a pity on
me too? If it was given to me, it could be exchange for 3 kilos of rice.”
Kang
Sabri could not speak. He just washed his hands then squeezed the net. He did
not think that far nor had an idea of giving it to Mang Kanta.
“Alright, Mang. If I catch another one, I’ll give it to you.” That was all the
answer he could give.
“I understand, Sir. Probably I have
a different view of fishing. Sometimes I watched fishing show on TV, but the
fish which was caught will be released again.”
“Different view…. You mean?”
“To me, fishing is an effort to get
something to eat and fill stomach. I usually do that between the activity of
driving pedicab. The fish is for my children’s dish. If I get quite much, I’ll
exchange it for rice. If not, I’ll bring it home to cook. While for you, Sir,
fishing is just for pleasure. Enjoy the sensation of the fish’s bite on our
bait, the movement of the fish, pulling the line, dragging the fish. The result
doesn’t matter to you. Pleasure for me was the sight of my children enjoying
eating fish,” explained Mang Kanta.
Kang
Sabri nodded hearing this fiery explanation. He then drew the line to him
and checked the rod. Mang Kanta
squatted while waiting for the bait to be beaten. Finally Kang Sabri asked to go home first.
One month later on a day off, Kang Sabri squatted before the river.
This was the same fishing spot he chose last month. Angling rod was
straightened, the line was neatly arranged. The bait was still fish worm. He
promised himself to give the fish he caught today to Mang Kanta.
He threw the rod to the still water.
With great patience, he waited
silently. Staring at the rod, the line, and the water bubbles.
Some people said fishing was an
activity without definite purpose, just standing and waiting. The others said
fishing was like putting your hope on something, because blessings would not
slip away from those who should have received it.
Kang
Sabri bore this stiffened bending back so as to make his hope came true. He
wanted to see Mang Kanta’s children
enjoying eating fish.
In the middle of the day, there was
something hooked on the rod. He hurriedly pulled it and rolled the reel. What
was strange was he felt that this fish did not fight at all. No dragging, no
rebellious movement.
A big fish was seen on the water.
But, he could not believe what he
saw! His eyes were opened widely. Along with the big fish, hundreds or even
thousands little fish swam behind it. Their sizes were just like a child’s
little finger. They seemed to accompany the big fish which was probably their
mother.
The big fish swam to the mouth of
the river where he was standing.
Oh my God!
He descended to the water, picked it
up with his two hands, and brought it to the land. The fish stood still, just
gasped for air.
“Leungli, is that you?” he spoke
quite whispering. The fish moved slowly.
The little fish waited in the mouth
of the river. They looked like wanted to jump to where their mother had been.
In his eyes, Kang Sabri could see Mang
Kanta’s face expression when he asked about thiis fish before and the picture
of his children eating fish happily.
He caressed the fish and put it back
into the water.
“Thank you, Leungli. You’ve
fulfilled your promise, it’s my turn now. Go! Take care of your children. Let
them grow up and fill this river,” he whispered while washing his fingers in
the water.
The fish, accompanied by her little
children, dived into the still water. A strong splash wet his face; he smiled
and wiped it off.
Kang
Sabri collected his fishing tools and sowed the bait on the river. Hastily, he
walked home.
