bat

umenangi
s(cr
yings
tone)
Al
ongt
imea
goinBorneo,onahi
lla
wayfr
omt
hev
il
la
ge,
the
rel
i
veda
wi
dowwhowaspoorwithherda
ughte
r.

T
heda ughte
rwa sverybeaut
if
ul.
Unfor
tunate
ly,s
hehadaver
ybad
a
tti
tude.Thegir
lwasv er
ylaz
y,neve
rhelpe
dhe rmot
herdi
dthec
hore
s.
I
tworkedjustpree
ningeachday.

Besi
de sla
zy,s
hewa sspoi
ledgi
rl
’s.
Allr
equest
sofhermustbeobeyed.
Everytimesheaske
df ors
ome t
hingtohermothermustbegr
anted,
regardl
essoft
hestateofthepoormother,
everydaymustt
oil
looki
ng
forabiteofri
ce.

Oneda ytheg i
rli
nv i
tedherdownt othevil
lagefors
hopping.Thelay
out
ofthevil
lagema rketsofar
,sotheyha dtowa l
kquit
eat i
ring
.T hegi
rl
waswa lk
ingbree zedbywea r
inggoodc l
othesandpreen.Peopleint
he
waywhos awhe rwouldbea dmiredherbe aut
ywhilehermot her
walkedbe hi
nd,ca r
ryi
ngaba ske
twithav erydir
tycl
othes.Becauset
hey
l
iveas ec
ludedpla ce,
noonek newt hatt
hewoma nwhor unswa sa
mot he
rwi thada ughter
.

Whent heybegantoenterthev i
ll
age,peoplel
ooki
nga tt
hem. They
weresofasci
nat
e dthebeautyoftheg i
rls
,espec
ial
lytheyoungma n
whoimpr es
sedbythefaceoft hegirl
.Butwhenpeoplesawwhom
wal
kingbehindher,st
arkl
yc ontr
astswiththesi
tua
tion.I
tma k
esone
wonder.

Amongt
hosewhosawit
,ay
oungmanapproa
cheda
ndask
edhe
r,“
Hey
,
pr
ett
ygi
rl
.I
sthatr
unni
ngbe
hindy
ou,i
sn’
tyourmot
her
?”

Howe
ver
,wha
taba
dans
weroft
heg
irl
.
“
No,
”shes
aidha
ught
il
y.“
Shei
sas
erv
ant
!”

Bot
hmothe
randchi
l
dwerethe
ncont
inuedonwal
king.Nothowmuc
h,
aga
inay
oungmanappr
oac
hedandas
k e
dthegi
rlc
hild.

“
Hi,
hone
y.I
stha
trunsbe
hindy
out
haty
ourmot
her
?”

“
No,
no,
”re
pli
edt
heg
irl
look
edup.
“Hei
sser
vant
!”

Tha
te ver
yma nshemet,s
omeonealongthewa
y,whoask
e dabouthis
mother,s
healwaysans
weredi
t.Hermotherwa
stre
atedasser
vantsor
s
laves.
Mot he
rfelts
osad.

Atfir
sthear
dhe ranswerwhenask
e dther
ebell
i
ous,themotherst
il
l
couldref
rai
n.Howe v
e r
,af
terr
epeatedl
yhear
ingthesameanswerand
veryhurt
ful
,fi
nall
ythepoormothercoul
dnotresi
st.
T hemother
prayed.

“
OhGod,
Ica
nnottak
ethi
sins
ult
.Mydaug
hterc
all
edmes erv
antthat
s
ohowbads
hei
s.God….
.,
punis
hthi
sre
bell
i
ouschi
ld!Puni
shher….”

OfthepowerofGodAlmi
ghty,
slowl
yperfi
di
ousgir
l’
sbodyturnedto
thest
one.T
hec ha
ngesta
rte
dfromthefeet.Whenthechangesi
thad
reac
hedhal
fofthebody,
thegir
lwascr
yingbegg
ingformercytoher
mother.

“
Oh, Mom…i ams osorr
y,ple
aseforgi
veme…, for
givet heiniqui
tyof
y
ourda ughterforthi
s.Mother…Mot her…f or
giv
ey ourda ug ht
er..
”
T
heg i
rlconti
nue dtowa i
landcryappeal
edtohermot her.Howe ver,
e
verythi
ngwa stoolat
e.Thewholebodyoftheg i
rlwa seve ntual
l
y
t
urnedintostone.E v
enintost
one,buteveryonecoulds eet hather
e
yesstil
lshedt ear
s,aswascryi
ng.Ther
efore,r
ocksde riv
edf romthe
g
irlwhog othe rmother
’scur
secall
ed“BatuMe nangis(CryingStone)
”
t
rans
lat
eint
oIndone
sia
n

Orang-
orangy a
ngmel ihatdiaa ka
nme ngag
umi k
ecanti
k annya
sementar
aibuny abe r
jal
andi belaka
ng ,membawak eranj
a ngde ngan
pakai
anyangs angatkotor.Karename rekati
nggal
di t
empa tter
pe nc
il
,
ti
dakaday a
ngt ahuba hwape rempua nyanglar
iit
ua dala
hs e
ora ngi
bu
denganseoranga nakperempua n.

Keti
kamerekamulai
me masuki
desa,ora ng-
orangme l
ihatmerek
a.
Merekabegi
tuter
pesonadengankecantikanparagadis,
ter
utamapara
pemudayangterk
esandenganwajahsa nggadis.
T e
tapiket
ikaor
ang
me l
i
hatsi
apayangberj
al
andibela
k a
ng ny a
,sangatkontr
asdengan
si
tuasi
nya
.It
ume mbuatora
ngbe r
tanya -t
anya.

Dianta
rame r
ekaya
ngmel
ihatny
a,se
orangpemudamende
katdan
ber
tanya,“
Hei,g
adi
sca
nti
k.Apakahi
tuberj
al
andibe
lak
angmu,
buk
a nkahi
bumu?"

Na
mun,
bet
apabur
ukny
aja
waba
nga
disi
tu.

"
Tida
k,"k
ata
nyade
nga
nang
kuh.
"Di
aada
lahs
eor
angpel
aya
n!"

Baiki
budananaki
tuk e
mudiandil
anj
utk
anber
jal
anka
ki.
Tida
k
seber
apa,l
agi
-l
agi
s e
orangpemudamengha
mpiri
danbert
anyapa
da
anakper
empuanitu.

"
Hai
say
ang
.Apay
angbe
rja
landi
bel
aka
ngmui
tui
bumu?"

"
Tida
k,t
ida
k,"j
awa
bga
disi
tume
ndong
ak.
Diaa
dal
ahha
mba
!
Bahwaset
iappri
ayangdi
atemui,s
eseor
angdis
epanjangj
al
an,ya
ng
bert
anyat
entangi
bunya,
diasel
al
umenjawabny
a. I
bunyadi
per
lak
uka
n
se
ba g
aipe
layanata
ubudak.I
bume r
asasang
atsedi
h.

Sa
atmendengarjawa
banny asaatditanyas
ipe mberontak,
sangibu
masi
hbis
ame nahandir
i.Na munse t
elahberul
angk al
imendengar
j
awabanyangsamadans angatme nyaki
tka
n, akhi
rnyaibumalang
t
erse
butti
dakbisamenaha ndir
i.S
a ngibuberdoa.

“YaTuhan,s
ayati
dakbi
samener
imapenghina
ani
ni.
Put
ri
ku
me mang
g i
l
kupelay
an,j
adi
beta
paburuknyadi
a.Y
aTuha
n…..,
huk
um
anakpemberont
akini
!Huk
umdia….”

Ata
skesakt
ianTuhanY angMahaE sa
,per
lahantubuhgadi
sdurha
ka
ber
ubahmenj a
dibatu.Perubaha
ndimulaidar
ikaki
.Ket
ikaper
ubaha
n
i
tusuda
hme nca
paisetengahdari
tubuh,
ga di
sit
ume na
ng i
smemohon
bel
askas
ihankepadaibunya.

“Oh, Bu…ma afkanaku, maafkanak

u…, ma af
kank esal
ahanputri
mu
untuki ni
.Ibu…I bu…ma af
kananakmu. .”Gadi
situterusme rat
apda n
me nang i
smemohonk epadaibunya.Namun, s
emua nyas udah
ter
lamba t.Se l
uruhtubuhg adi
situakhir
nyabe r
uba hme njadi
batu.
Me ski menjadibatu,namuns eti
aporangbisame l
ihatbahwama ta
nya
ma si
hme neteskanairma ta,s
epert
i s
edangmena ng i
s.Olehkarenait
u,
beba tuany a
ngbe rasaldariga
disyangme ndapatkutukanibunya
dis
e but“Ba t
uMe nangis”.