Chapter One - Richard Lewis
Chapter One - Richard Lewis Chapter One - Richard Lewis
At his house that evening, Catra played games with little Wayan and sang her songs. When Arini put her to bed, he remained out on the porch and listened. Soon enough he heard an army truck. Then came the sound of marching boots. He went into the bedroom and spoke to his wife, who at first turned away, refusing to listen. "I know you never loved me," he said, "but I have always loved you, and so for this last time you will please listen to me." Surprised by his brutal honesty worked, even looking shaken for once, she listened to him. "Those are Red Beret commandos at our gate," he said. "They are going to take me away. Two things. Tell Dharma that he needs to find me at their camp tomorrow morning. Promise me this." He'd never spoken so firmly to her. His eyes had never been so fierce and hard. She promised. "Second, I give you this charge, that you will not do anything foolish and that you will take care of our daughter. I love you and you will do this for me." The soldiers kicked down the door, waking the sleeping girl, who began to cry. Arini picked her up and hugged her tight. The captain ignored her and said to Catra, "Are you Madé Catra, the grade school teacher?" "I am," Catra said. The men seized him and dragged him with them. Mak scuttled out of her hut. She screeched and spat her betelnut juice at the soldiers. With the butt of his rifle, one knocked her down. Arini followed. She did not argue or beg with the soldiers, but cried out instead to her husband, "Oh, Catra, what have you done? Catra, Catra what have you done?" At the Red Beret's camp, Catra was shoved into a barrack stuffed with a fifty other men, all PKI and Peasants League activists seized that evening. At dawn, the commandos called out a dozen names, herded them to the yard, tied their thumbs together behind their backs, and led them to a waiting truck. They climbed the ramp like cattle. They did not resist. Soon there came from the direction of the estuary the cracks of a dozen rifle shots, one after the other. A soldier respectfully ushered another man into the barracks, a Church of Bali pastor in his black robes. The pastor opened his Bible and preached to the men, saying if they repented and accepted Christ, they would this day be in heaven with God. The doomed men jeered the pastor. "To hell with your gods! We'll die like men, not cowards!" One of the PKI leaders pointed at the rifle the commando held at the ready. "That is our god. Today we lost, but one day history will show we have won. There will be no more of you and your kind," he said to the pastor The captain's aide appeared and called out, "Madé Catra." Catra was marched away to a holding cell. In the nearby interrogation room, he could hear the moaning of a man, who pleaded no more please no more I'll tell you everything 192
Then he heard his brother Dharma, bellowing like a man run amok. "It's a mistake. My brother is no Communist. I demand to see him. See the blood on this keris? This is the blood of a hundred Communists! I have the right to see him!" A commando opened the cell door. Dharma's black trousers and shirt were rumpled and dirty, his black bandana damp with sweat, his eyes streaked with red. He looked as if he was in Rangda's killing trance. "You have fifteen minutes," the commando told Dharma. "This one," he said, pointing his rifle at Catra, "will be getting special treatment at our headquarters." Catra clasped his older brother's shoulders and kissed him on the cheeks, ignoring the stink of sweat and the iron scent of blood. "Don't worry, younger brother, you'll be leaving with me," Dharma said, his voice still hoarse Catra said, "You have made your holy vow to protect Arini and keep her safe. I want you to repeat it." "Don't be ridiculous—" "I insist, older brother. Promise me on pain of hell and torment that you will protect her." "I've promised and I promise now. Now let's get you out of here so you can take care of her yourself." "Listen to me. They are going to interrogate me. They will found out from my lips who Luhde Srikadi is." Quickly, quietly, efficiently, for he was a schoolmaster accustomed to the teaching the lesson, he explained that somebody had written the captain an anonymous note about his letter to the Harian Rakyat. Dharma cursed. "Mantera," he hissed. "I don't think so, brother." "It had to have been him!" Catra impatiently shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Now listen. You must kill me. Here. Now." "What? You are mad." "They will torture me and they will break me, and your own good name will be dragged into the affair. Believe me, this will happen, no matter how many Communists you have killed." Catra could see that strike home. There a slow closing of Dharma's reddened eyes as his mind absorbed the meaning. When opened his eyes again, they were redder yet. His breath came harsher and shallower, almost a guttural sound. "Listen to me, older brother," Catra said. "Listen to me, the spirit of our ancestor is here. Our revered ancestor who used this very keris to keep his honor rather than submit to the white invaders, he is here. Do you not sense him, older brother, do you nbot sense his presence with us?" Dharma's eyes quivered as if the force of the spirit was taking residence within him. "With the help of our honored ancestor, whose spirit you feel, this is what you must do, you must take that keris, yes, take it like that, wrap your hand around it, let me press your fingers to the handle and here, you must stab here between my ribs and into my heart and you must cry out you filthy Communist, die! Yes right there, I won't let go, you must, no don't hesitate or draw back, this is for your future and the future or your 193
- Page 141 and 142: "What happened here in 1965, Mother
- Page 143 and 144: Chapter 26 1965 A heavy rain fell f
- Page 145 and 146: This time Wendell was less guarded,
- Page 147 and 148: "The secret to selling to tourists,
- Page 149 and 150: "My ancestors came from China, but
- Page 151 and 152: dozen kue lapis. I told her take th
- Page 153 and 154: "I understand," Reed said cheerfull
- Page 155 and 156: denounced the cruel and sadistic mu
- Page 157 and 158: 157
- Page 159 and 160: edroom. When I entered the room, it
- Page 161 and 162: "I'm not having my ceremony if he c
- Page 163 and 164: "We're not going to drop this," she
- Page 165 and 166: "You speak Bahasa," he said. It was
- Page 167 and 168: "It is common for Westerners to ana
- Page 169 and 170: addition to her other duties this L
- Page 171 and 172: The editorial thundered that the my
- Page 173 and 174: warung, packaged in banana-leaf. Re
- Page 175 and 176: Chapter 31 In the hospital garden,
- Page 177 and 178: and decided to send her into exile.
- Page 179 and 180: This was the first she knew of the
- Page 181 and 182: Chapter 32 1965 Rusty, revealing re
- Page 183 and 184: the merchant refused. "No, no, no.
- Page 185 and 186: "Have her here at seven tomorrow mo
- Page 187 and 188: "No!" Reed shouted, resuming his sp
- Page 189 and 190: Chapter 33 "They found their Luhde
- Page 191: "He would blame Mantera, wouldn't h
- Page 195 and 196: Chapter 34 Nol stood with Dharma at
- Page 197 and 198: He went on, delivering a litany of
- Page 199 and 200: Chapter 35 The front runners of the
- Page 201 and 202: In the back of a shed, a tin pot st
- Page 203 and 204: "What do you know about it?" Tina s
- Page 205 and 206: "There were rattlesnakes around whe
- Page 207 and 208: Chapter 36 Nol trotted up the grana
- Page 209 and 210: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The bloody trauma
Then he heard his brother Dharma, bellowing like a man run amok. "It's a<br />
mistake. My brother is no Communist. I demand to see him. See the blood on this keris?<br />
This is the blood of a hundred Communists! I have the right to see him!"<br />
A commando opened the cell door. Dharma's black trousers and shirt were<br />
rumpled and dirty, his black bandana damp with sweat, his eyes streaked with red. He<br />
looked as if he was in Rangda's killing trance.<br />
"You have fifteen minutes," the commando told Dharma. "This one," he said,<br />
pointing his rifle at Catra, "will be getting special treatment at our headquarters."<br />
Catra clasped his older brother's shoulders and kissed him on the cheeks,<br />
ignoring the stink of sweat and the iron scent of blood.<br />
"Don't worry, younger brother, you'll be leaving with me," Dharma said, his voice<br />
still hoarse<br />
Catra said, "You have made your holy vow to protect Arini and keep her safe. I<br />
want you to repeat it."<br />
"Don't be ridiculous—"<br />
"I insist, older brother. Promise me on pain of hell and torment that you will<br />
protect her."<br />
"I've promised and I promise now. Now let's get you out of here so you can take<br />
care of her yourself."<br />
"Listen to me. They are going to interrogate me. They will found out from my lips<br />
who Luhde Srikadi is." Quickly, quietly, efficiently, for he was a schoolmaster<br />
accustomed to the teaching the lesson, he explained that somebody had written the<br />
captain an anonymous note about his letter to the Harian Rakyat.<br />
Dharma cursed. "Mantera," he hissed.<br />
"I don't think so, brother."<br />
"It had to have been him!"<br />
Catra impatiently shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Now listen. You must kill<br />
me. Here. Now."<br />
"What? You are mad."<br />
"They will torture me and they will break me, and your own good name will be<br />
dragged into the affair. Believe me, this will happen, no matter how many Communists<br />
you have killed."<br />
Catra could see that strike home. There a slow closing of Dharma's reddened eyes<br />
as his mind absorbed the meaning. When opened his eyes again, they were redder yet.<br />
His breath came harsher and shallower, almost a guttural sound.<br />
"Listen to me, older brother," Catra said. "Listen to me, the spirit of our ancestor<br />
is here. Our revered ancestor who used this very keris to keep his honor rather than<br />
submit to the white invaders, he is here. Do you not sense him, older brother, do you nbot<br />
sense his presence with us?"<br />
Dharma's eyes quivered as if the force of the spirit was taking residence within<br />
him.<br />
"With the help of our honored ancestor, whose spirit you feel, this is what you<br />
must do, you must take that keris, yes, take it like that, wrap your hand around it, let me<br />
press your fingers to the handle and here, you must stab here between my ribs and into<br />
my heart and you must cry out you filthy Communist, die! Yes right there, I won't let go,<br />
you must, no don't hesitate or draw back, this is for your future and the future or your<br />
193
Change language