The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (48)

Sukrosono laughs with the laughter of the moon of a thousand flowers. A laugh that discloses immeasurable gratitude. A laugh that makes him forget that he is an ugly little demon, because he feels he is truly accepted and loved by his brother. Laughter that says, as flowers permeate the air with their fragrance, love turns the ugly into beauty with the fragrance of its love. Laughter that promises, with the blooming of jasmine flowers in the morning: I will faithfully accompany you, my older brother, Sumantri.

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> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (47)

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Sukrosono feels that it is enough for his life if he receives love from his older brother. It makes him not want to show what he has within him. Hammered out by loneliness, solitude and suffering, Sukrosono has many advantages that his older brother does not have. Sukrosono realizes that. But he is not compelled to tell and emphasize his advantages. It is not because he does not want to be honest with his older brother. He only takes this into consideration in his mind: what is the use of highlighting his advantages when love does not take it all into account. Moreover, who will want to believe in his advantages? He is just an insignificant little demon, who will want to believe that nature has made him have divine energy? He is even willing to lose all his advantages, as long as he does not lose his older brother's love.

He only remembers Hyang Antaboga's message, maybe love is also a puzzle that must be faced in the journey of his life.

So he simply forgets all his advantages. In front of his older brother he acts like a child who has nothing. This is not to win over his older brother's heart. His actions really come out of the sincerity and honesty of his heart. Being like a child who can enjoy his older brother's love makes him very happy. Much happier than feeling that he has advantages that his older brother may not have. In the face of love, indeed any advantage has no voice. In the face of love, he is even willing to let go of his strengths, until he has nothing else. Suddenly it crosses his mind that for the sake of love he is even willing to die. And it is not impossible, love also can snatch him from his life later. But does this beautiful love really have the heart to lead him to that horrible death? Sukrosono does not want to be intimidated by this question. He only remembers Hyang Antaboga's message, maybe love is also a puzzle that must be faced in the journey of his life.

And because love is an eternity that will not be interrupted by time, Sumantri is suddenly faced with a demand: can he forever be faithful in that love?

Sumantri himself feels how much his younger brother loves him and needs his love. His younger brother's unconditional love once makes him doubt: can I be faithful all the time? Only this time he knows, love really knows no time. It is not love if it can be cut off by time. What is the one that cannot be broken by time, is it eternity? If eternity cannot be broken by time, what can bind eternity, if not love? In his younger brother, he hears love is asking, “don't you leave me forever”. That is the simple cry of love that knows no day, month, year nor time. And because love is an eternity that will not be interrupted by time, Sumantri is suddenly faced with a demand: can he forever be faithful in that love?

He sees Sukrosono smiling. And that smile is the answer, his younger brother can certainly be faithful all his life. But he himself doubts, can he be faithful like that? When he asks this, there is the sweet chirping

of the kepodang (oriole) bird. Sumantri does not want to struggle with his doubts and questions, so he turns to the tree, from where the sound of the kepodang bird is heard.

"Sukrosono, do you hear the sound of the kepodang bird?" asked Sumantri.

"Yes, my older brother, the chirping of the kepodang bird sings the voice of my heart, don't ever leave me," said Sukrosono happily.

“My younger brother, how could I possibly leave you?”

"Are you really not going to leave me?"

"I promise in the voice of the kepodang bird, my younger brother." Saying this, Sumantri embraces Sukrosono lovingly, and puts his young brother's head in his lap. Then with his melodious voice, Sumantri sings a song: "Look, there is a kepodang bird, my younger brother, it has a red beak, its feet are yellow, sleep my younger brother, sleep." He strokes his younger brother's head. And immediately Sukrosono falls asleep soundly in his lap. That is what frequently happens, if the two of them take a rest for a moment under a shady tree, after they take a walk to enjoy the beautiful nature of the Jatisrana hermitage.

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> The Bajang Child Swinging the Moon (43)

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Sukrosono easily falls asleep on his lap, every time he sings the song, “Look that is a kepodang bird”. And Sumantri loves to watch his younger brother sleep on his lap. He feels how simple the love in his younger brother is. He does not ask for anything, except that he can be close to his older brother. Sumantri comes to understand that closeness is what makes love able to fill time that seems to simply pass. Time not filled with the love will just be empty. It will pass quickly because that time is meaningless. But time will be full again if it is filled with love that brings it closer. And in Sukrosono's deep sleep, he feels how eternity is no longer far away, because it has become time filled with love.

Sumantri wonders why this ugly younger brother can reveal many major things that he never understood before. It opens his eyes, that beautiful things can also grow from the ugly as its fertile soil. Indeed, in front of Sumantri, Sukrosono is a beautiful white tunjung (lotus) flower, thriving from the mud. Surprisingly, the white tunjung flower seems to emit an immeasurable fragrance, every time Sukrosono falls asleep in his lap. Perhaps the fragrance spreads because of Sukrosono's surrender to his older brother.

Sumantri does not have the heart to wake his younger brother, every time he falls asleep resignedly on his lap. He strokes his younger brother’s head and hugs him. Happiness slowly seeps into him. Sumantri does not want to lose that happiness. He wants that happiness to be with him, forever. Struck by such a feeling, without realizing it he hums again singing, “Look that is a kepodang bird”. The kepodang birds seem to hear his voice, then come, and their chirping seems to ask: will you really be faithful to the happiness you now have?

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).