Azahri was born in the village of Lamjamee, Banda Aceh, in October 1981. Before the tsunami in December 2004, he studied in the Literature and Language Program at Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh. His first book of short stories, Perempuan Pala, was published in 2004 and long-listed for the Khatulistiwa Literary Award. In 2005, Azhari received the Free Word Award from Poets of All Nations, The Netherlands. In 2002, Azhari established Komunitas Tikar Pandan; through its cultural programs, the organization strives to achieve peace, fairness, and equal opportunities for all Acehnese people. Azhari is also the founding editor of the cultural journal Gelombang Baru (New Wave), published in Banda Aceh. He is currently working on a novel and essays about Aceh.

“The Tale of the Bearded Turtle” first appeared in the Tempo Newspaper, Sunday, March 4, 2007 edition; copyright © Azhari. Revised version copyright © 2014 by Azhari. Published with permission from the author. Translation copyright © 2014 by Wikan Satriati.
 
 
 
 
 
 

***

Hikayat Kura-kura Berjanggut

Dahulu kala, ketika waktu masih ditentukan oleh beberapa orang, dan kapal-kapal masih bergantung pada kecerlangan bintang-bintang dan nujuman, dan para perompak masih musuh utama Sultan, hiduplah seorang Tukang Cerita yang mengandalkan kebohongan. Pada musim di mana angin gila dan angin ekor duyung menguasai lautan, ramailah bandar oleh para awak kapal yang menunggu amuk lautan reda. Saat gempita itulah si Tukang Cerita turun dari gunung. Sehabis asar dia selalu datang ke bandar itu, karena dia bergantung hidup pada kemurahan hati para pelaut yang terbius oleh kisah-kisahnya.

Pelaut-pelaut itu memberinya kain Koromandel, keramik Campa, permadani Persia, batik Jawa, kemenyan Barus, candu Magrib, dan kisah-kisah pelayaran. Segala pemberian itu, oleh Tukang Cerita, dijual kembali setelah bandar tak lagi ramai. Sementara kisah-kisah pelayaran adalah bahan-bahan cerita baru baginya, yang dikocoknya dengan begitu lihai, sehingga nyaris tidak kelihatan rupa aslinya. Dalam melumatkan cerita, mulutnya itu sempurna tiada terkira, melebihi batu giling yang paling tajam sekalipun. Para pelaut malang itu tak pernah sadar bahwa kisahan Tukang Cerita itu ialah apa yang pernah mereka ceritakan.

Setiap dia menyelesaikan cerita, yang terkesan dipanjang-panjangkan, dia bertanya pada dua-tiga orang pelaut, “Bagaimana ceritaku barusan? Kalian percaya? Pengalaman apa yang kaudapat dalam pelayaran kali ini, Ranir? Wahai, Pasha, ceritakan padaku tentang gadis-gadis negeri Atas Angin?”

Maka berceritalah para pelaut itu, sementara dia mendengar dengan saksama sambil mengangguk-anggukkan kepalanya. Saat para pelaut itu satu demi satu selesai bercerita, dia bertepuk tangan, tentu bukan untuk menghormati kepiawaian mereka, namun karena dia sudah menemukan bahan kisah baru untuk saat mendatang.

Mulut Tukang Cerita sama tajamnya dengan Zulfikar, pedang kesayangan Sultan. Dan kelak dia binasa di ujung Zulfikar. Konon kabarnya, dia binasa karena Kura-kura Berjanggut.

Kisahnya tentang Kura-kura Berjanggut telah membuat Sultan begitu terhina. Mungkin maksudnya mulia: dia ingin menghibur para anak kapal yang telah menunggu lama di bandar oleh huru-hara di lautan. Tapi mungkin saja Sultan menangkap maksud lain dari kisah itu.

Pada hari-hari menjelang putusnya leher Tukang Cerita oleh Zulfikar, kapal-kapal yang merapat di Bandar Lamuri tak terbilang jumlahnya, bahkan berderet hampir menyentuh tepi cakrawala! Kapal-kapal itu singgah bukan oleh musim angin gila atau angin ekor duyung. Laut tenang. Langit bercahaya. Tak ada waktu yang lebih bagus untuk berlayar selain pada musim ini. Tapi ini waktu perompak Lamuri mengganas. Sudah bertahun-tahun tak terdengar kabar berita tentang para perompak itu. Tak ada yang bisa menerka kapan muncul dan hilangnya rompak Lamuri. Tak juga ahli nujum kepercayaan Sultan. Bahkan, bertambah cemaslah raut wajah para saudagar kapal tatkala melihat kapal-kapal perang Sultan yang memburu perompak pulang dengan layar hangus dan tiang roboh, padahal kapal-kapal perkasa itu telah dilengkapi dengan meriam dan bubuk mesiu buatan Turki Usmani.

Bandar Lamuri sebenarnya tempat menunggu yang paling pas bagi kapal-kapal itu disebabkan oleh kedudukannya tepat di mulut pintu antara bandar-bandar Atas Angin dan bandar-bandar Bawah Angin. Namun sejak lima tahun terakhir bandar itu sepi, sejak orang kulit putih merebut Bandar Malaka. Begitu Malaka direbut, penguasa putih langsung menurunkan ongkos merapat kapal setengah kali lipat dari bea Bandar Lamuri. Hal ini tak lepas dari peran Si Ujud.

Memang khianat Si Ujud itu! Geram suara Sultan yang melaknat Si Ujud masih terdengar sampai hari ini. Menurut Hikayat Taman-taman Kenikmatan yang dikarang oleh pengarang istana paling cemerlang pada masa itu, Sultan menyesal kenapa ia tak memancung leher Si Ujud dengan Zulfikar, ketika orang celaka itu menghasut sekelompok orangkaya lingkaran Kleng untuk memberontak. Sultan hanya menghukum-buang Si Ujud ke Malaka.

***

Tentu saja si pengarang istana yang cerdas punya alasan kenapa Sultan tak memancung Si Ujud. Tersurat dalam hikayat itu, Sultan masih menyimpan sesal yang dalam karena pada tahun yang lewat dia dengan ringan melayangkan Zulfikar ke leher anak kandungnya, yang dituduhnya telah membagi kenikmatan dengan seorang selir kesayangan Sultan. Menurut hikayat itu pula, setelah si anak kandung binasa, Sultan berjanji untuk menyimpan Zulfikar dan hanya menggunakan pada saat-saat yang penting.

Namun tidak begitu menurut para ahli hikayat, terutama orang kulit putih, yang hidup ratusan tahun kemudian. Menurut penafsir berkulit putih itu, Sultan menyimpan Zulfikar karena pada malam hari setelah pemancungan itu Sultan beroleh mimpi yang aneh. Dalam mimpi itu Sultan didatangi seorang sahabat Nabi, yang mengatakan bahwa Zulfikar merupakan pedang kesayangannya, biasa dipakai untuk membela agama anjuran Nabi. Dan Sultan sempat bertanya: wahai Saidina, bagaimana bisa pedang ini berada di tangan Kadi Malikul Adil dan kemudian Kadi menyerahkan padaku? Sang Sahabat hanya menjawab: laut begitu luas, maka laut dapat menghanyutkan segala sesuatu kepada siapa saja, kepada orang yang saleh maupun yang tidak.

Sejak mimpi itulah Sultan menyimpan Zulfikar.

Nasib Si Ujud berubah setelah orang kulit putih merebut Malaka dan menumpas penguasa taklukan Lamuri. Sultan Lamuri tak kuasa menghentikan langkah orang kulit putih di tanah taklukannya, dan hanya mampu menatap saja dari seberang lautan. Sebab di tanahnya sendiri pada saat yang bersamaan meletus pemberontakan orangkaya Lingkaran Kleng sekutu Si Ujud, yang melarikan diri ke hutan Halimun. Ketika Sultan berhasil memadamkan pemberontakan itu, orang kulit putih sudah terlalu kuat di Malaka. Beberapa serangan kilat oleh balatentara laut Sultan dipatahkan oleh orang kulit putih. Maka Sultan berencana menyiapkan perang yang lebih besar dan matang terhadap para penakluk itu. Untuk itu, kapal-kapal perang yang dilengkapi meriam paling ampuh dan terbaru telah dipesan kepada Kekhalifahan Usmani. Maka kas kesultanan harus ditambah. Maka ongkos masuk kapal di Bandar Lamuri dinaikkan.

Si Ujud kemudian diangkat sebagai penasihat orang kulit putih khusus untuk masalah Lamuri dan tanah-tanah taklukannya. Maka ia menyampaikan beberapa siasat untuk melemahkan Lamuri. Begitu Sultan menaikkan ongkos masuk kapal, ia sarankan penguasa kulit putih di Malaka untuk menurunkan tarif masuk kapal di Malaka setengah dari harga Bandar Lamuri. Hasilnya akan kelihatan pada musim angin buruk mendatang. Benarlah, hampir setengah dari kapal-kapal yang dulu singgah di Lamuri pindah ke Malaka. Itulah mengapa Bandar Lamuri sepi selama lima tahun terakhir.

Maka Sultan menyesal tak memancung kepala Si Ujud dengan Zulfikar.

Bandar Lamuri bertambah sepi tatkala orang kulit putih mendirikan sebuah rumah bordil yang besar sekali di Malaka. Muka Berseri nama rumah kenikmatan itu, yang langsung diusahakan di bawah kesyahbandaran. Ini juga saran Si Ujud. Berkata dia, “Betapa aku sering mendengar sepinya hati para pelaut setiap kapal mereka singgah di Lamuri. Di sana tak ada rumah bordil sebab tak diizinkan Sultan yang alim. Padahal sudah kubilang berkali-kali bahwa para pelaut itu tak semuanya seagama dengan kita. Belum selesai aku bicara, kulihat Sultan sudah memegang Zulfikar-nya. Siapa tak gentar melihat pedang itu. Selama ini hati pelaut yang sepi hanya dihibur oleh bual dan cerita bohong Tukang Cerita sialan. Sungguh kasihan nasib pelaut yang singgah di sana.”

***

Sementara Si Tukang Cerita sendiri, sejak sepinya Bandar Lamuri, sudah jarang turun ke bandar. Dia telah begitu banyak kehilangan pendengar setianya. Dia hanya turun gunung apabila mendengar hal-hal besar terjadi di bandar.

Begitulah, kali ini Tukang Cerita pun turun ke bandar begitu ia mendengar banyaknya kapal yang merapat di bandar akibat mengganasnya perompak Lamuri.

“Berceritalah, Tukang Cerita. Berceritalah. Kau pasti punya simpanan cerita yang tak terkira. Aku khusus membawakanmu anggur kekekalan yang disimpan di dalam gudang rumah orang Peranggi. Anggur ini tak hanya menghangatkan tubuhmu tapi juga pikiranmu. Kau harus mencobanya,” sambut seorang anak kapal.

“Ya berceritalah, Tukang Cerita. Ceritakan tentang perompak Lamuri, kalau kau tahu tentang mereka,” berkata anak kapal yang lain.

“Hoho, jangan salah sangka, kawan-kawan semua. Hari ini aku tak akan menceritakan tentang rompak Lamuri, belum saatnya. Dan janganlah kalian dirisaukan oleh perompak itu. Biarlah para nakhoda dan saudagar, juga laksamana dan Sultan Kita Yang Mulia saja yang memikirkan itu. Mari kita bersenang-senang terlebih dahulu. Bukankah sudah lama kita tak berjumpa?” jawab Tukang Cerita.

Maka berceritalah Tukang Cerita sore itu tentang segala ihwal. Bercerita sepanjang malam sampai matahari terbit lagi keesokan harinya. Bercerita pula beberapa anak kapal tentang bandar-bandar yang mereka singgahi, dan pengalaman cinta mereka di setiap bandar. Melupakan kapan kapal-kapal mereka bisa angkat sauh dari Bandar Lamuri, dan kapan janji Sultan menumpas perompak yang mengganas itu terlunasi.

Berhari-hari Tukang Cerita bercerita menghibur para anak kapal yang menunggu Sultan menumpas perompak Lamuri. Sampai Tukang Cerita kehabisan ceritanya, sampai anak-anak kapal sadar bahwa telah begitu lama mereka menunggu di Bandar. Mereka masih menunggu datangnya kabar baik dari kesyahbandaran.

Hingga suatu hari, di tengah tuturan Tukang Cerita, datanglah beberapa puluh orang mendekat ke kerumunan itu. Melihat siapa-siapa yang datang, berdirilah ia seketika menghentikan kisahnya.

“Singkat saja, Tukang Cerita. Hari ini aku ingin mendengar perkara bajak laut Lamuri. Aku tahu kau tahu segalanya tentang mereka,” berkata seorang nakhoda tua.

“Tun, kau rupanya, nakhoda kapal Ikan Pari. Apa kabar perempuan berleher gading dari Magribi?” tanya Tukang Cerita.

Bersemu merah paras nakhoda tua itu.

“Katakan sejujurnya apa yang sebenarnya terjadi di laut kita?”

“Dan kau, Abdul Kadir, jurumudi ternama kesayangan saudagar Barus, kawan lama sekapal yang bersumpah tak akan menjejak tanah sebelum orang putih meninggalkan Malaka. Apakah aku harus terharu? Kau melanggar sumpah untuk tidak mendengar ceritaku?”

Yang paling takjub mendengar percakapan itu ialah para awak kapal yang belia usianya. Baru tahu mereka ternyata Tukang Cerita punya hubungan dengan para petinggi mereka.

“Tidak. Aku tidak tahu apa-apa tentang rompak Lamuri. Karena mereka tak ada lagi. Dan bukankah Sultan sudah berjanji untuk menumpas perompak di laut secepat laju kapal kalian?” kata Tukang Cerita.

“Kau bohong, kau tahu segalanya, bukankah kau bagian dari perompak itu? Dan tidakkah kaudengar satu armada belum kembali setelah dua Jumat mengejar kapal perompak? ”

Heninglah semua jamaah mendengar pernyataan terakhir Abdul Kadir.

“Kau benar belaka, Abdul Kadir. Kita berdua pernah menjadi bagian dari rompak Lamuri. Semua orang di bandar ini tahu. Tapi itu dulu, berpuluh tahun silam, ketika kalian, wahai anak-anak kapal yang belia, belum melihat dunia. Aku nakhoda kapal perompak Lamuri yang paling ditakuti di selingkar laut Atas dan Bawah Angin, dan kau, Kadir, adalah salah seorang jurumudi kapal yang paling kukagumi. Di tanganmu kemudi kapal kita secepat Zulfikar memenggal kepala. Itu dulu, waktu Sultan masih membutuhkan kekuatan kita di lautan. Sampai suatu hari Sultan Kita Yang Mulia mengatakan dia tak membutuhkan kita lagi sebagai sekutu lautnya. Hari itu Zulfikar baru saja tiba di tanah ini. Seorang mufti dari seberang lautan mempersembahkan pedang itu kepadanya,” kata Tukang Cerita.

“Hari itu kukatakan kepada Sultan, jika saja tiang-tiang kapal kita bisa bicara, akan mereka katakan bahwa orang kulit putih dalam perjalanan menyeberang ke mari dan kitalah kekuatan pertama yang akan mencegah kedatangan mereka. Dan bukankah kalian tahu apa jawaban Sultan waktu itu? Pamanku itu hanya memelukku dan berucap, terima kasih, wahai kemenakan, atas peringatanmu. Kita semua kecewa mendengar ketetapan hatinya, tapi kita menghormati Sultan kita, mematuhi kata-katanya. Maka aku menolak saranmu untuk melakukan pemberontakan, wahai Qaran,” kata Tukang Cerita sambil mendekat ke arah seorang abesy, lalu memeluk orang itu, “Sudah besarkah anak dara Bukharamu? Kuharap kau selalu memenuhi janjimu untuk mengunjunginya setidaknya dua tahun sekali.”

“Ya. Aku dalam perjalanan untuk berjumpa Zulaikha. Tapi kabar tentang perompak itu menghentikan langkahku di bandar ini. Bandar yang sejujurnya tidak ingin kuinjak lagi. Hanya karena kudengar kabar tentang perompakan di laut Lamuri, maka kuarahkan kemudi ke bandar celaka ini. Dan kukira kau kembali dipanggil Sultan.”

“Wahai Qaran dan kawan-kawan lama lainnya. Huru-hara di lautan menyebabkan kita berjumpa lagi. Tak pernah terbayang olehku kita bakal berjumpa lagi seperti ini. Sultan punya keputusan, kalian juga punya, begitu pula denganku. Kalian meninggalkan Lamuri untuk selamanya, pergi entah ke mana, juga merasa kecewa denganku yang tak mampu membela kepentingan kalian. Sementara aku yang tak ingin ke mana-mana, karena cintaku pada tanah ini, memilih berumah di dalam hutan. Kutampik rumah pemberian Sultan. Lama di dalam hutan, hilanglah pengetahuanku tentang lautan. Sekali-sekali aku turun ke bandar dan menjadi Tukang Cerita, bertanya-tanya tentang kabar kalian dari para anak kapal yang mau mendengar ceritaku. Dengan begitu lunaslah sedikit rinduku pada kalian,” kata Tukang Cerita.

“Kalian akan pergi dari hadapanku. Dan memang itu yang harus kalian lakukan sebab aku tak lebih tahu dari kalian siapa sesungguhnya para perompak Lamuri itu. Kini kuharap kalian masih mau mendengarkan ceritaku tentang Kura-kura Berjanggut. Kisah ini dulu sering kuceritakan kepada kalian, di tengah lautan, di atas geladak kapal saat angin mati, saat kita berhari-hari dalam jemu yang panjang menunggu datangnya angin. Seperti kalian ketahui, begitu aku selesai menceritakan Hikayat Kura-kura Berjanggut, esok harinya layar kapal menarik angin dari segala penjuru,” kata Tukang Cerita.

“Di antara kalian masih ada yang percaya, mungkin sampai hari ini, hikayat itu adalah mantra penarik angin. Tapi ini adalah leluconku dengan mualim kita yang cerdas itu. Dia melihat bintang-bintang di langit, dan mengatakan padaku bahwa tujuh hari lagi angin akan berembus. Maka aku mengumpulkan kalian semua di atas geladak. Dan menceritakan hikayat itu. Betapa gembira kalian tatkala aku menceritakan hikayat itu, sebab kalian bakal terbebaskan dari hari-hari menunggu angin yang membosankan. Semoga dengan hikayat ini kapal kalian bisa berlayar esok hari,” kata Tukang Cerita. “Simaklah.”

***

Wikan Satriati is a graduate from the Faculty of Letters of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Wikan is an experienced editor specializing in manuscripts of literary and cultural content, and works as a freelance translator. She translated Harry Aveling’s essays from English into Indonesian for inclusion in an anthology of Indonesian poetry, Secrets Need Words: Indonesian Poetry 1966–1998 (Center for International Studies, Ohio University, 2001). IndonesiaTera published the Indonesian translation in 2004 by under the title Rahasia Membutuhkan Kata: Puisi Indonesia 1966–1998. Yayasan Adikarya IKAPI (Indonesian Book Publishers Association) Book Program chose the publication as a quality book.

Wikan is the author of two children books: Gadis Kecil Penjaga Bintang (The Star’s Caretaker), published by KataKita in 2008, and Melangkah dengan Bismillah (Walking with the Name of God) by KataKita, 2006. Currently she works as a publication assistant at the Lontar Foundation, a non-profit institution whose primarily goal is the introduction of Indonesian literature to a world readership through translations of Indonesian literary works into English.

Wikan can be reached at wikan_satriati@yahoo.com.

***

The Tale of the Bearded Turtle

A long time ago, when time was still determined by many people and ships relied on shining stars and ancient astronomy, and pirates were the Sultan’s main enemy, there lived a storyteller who relied on lies. When crosswinds controlled the sea, the harbor was crowded with sailors who waited for the sea to calm. At such boisterous time, the storyteller came down from the mountain. He always came to the harbor after asr, the afternoon pray time, for he relied on the generosity of the sailors he mesmerized with his stories.

The sailors gave him Coromandel cloths, ceramics from Campa, Persian carpets, Javanese batik, Barus incense, opium from Magrib, and their voyage stories. After they left, the storyteller sold the gifts and the sailor’s tales became fodder for his new stories. He mixed them with such skill that the original stories were barely recognizeable. His mouth reshaped the stories the same as a sharp knife whittled a piece of wood. The poor sailors never realized that his stories were the same as the ones they had told him.

He embellished the stories in every retelling. After he finished, he asked two or three sailors, “What do you think? Do you believe the story? What happened on that journey, Ranir? Oh, Pasha, tell me about the girls in the Upper Country.”

When the sailors told their stories, he listened carefully. He clapped when they finished, not so much to applaud their skill, but because he had found material for the future.

The storyteller’s tongue was as sharp as Zulfikar, the Sultan’s favorite sword. And he died at the tip of Zulfikar because of “The Bearded Turtle.”

His story about the turtle humiliated the Sultan deeply. He had noble intentions: to entertain the sailors who waited a long time at the harbor because of the unrest at sea. The Sultan interpreted the story differently.

In the days leading to the storyteller being beheaded by Zulfikar, countless ships were docked at the Lamuri harbor. The line almost touched the edge of the horizon. Neither cross winds nor stormy weather prevented the ships from sailing. The sea was calm, and the sky luminous. It was the best time to set sail. But also for pirates to attack.

No one could predict when the pirates appeared or sailed away, not even the Sultan and his trusted clairvoyants. The crew of the merchant ships worried when they saw the Sultan’s warships return with scorched sails and broken masts, although the mighty ships had been armed with cannons and gunpowder made in Turkey.

Due to its strategic position between the harbors of the Upper Country and Lower Country, the Lamuri harbor was the best place for the ships to dock. However, white men had seized the Malacca harbor five years previously and since that time, Lamuri was deserted. The new rulers of the Malacca harbor had reduced their docking fees to half of those at Lamuri.

Ujud had a hand in this. He was a traitor, indeed. The Sultan’s furious cursing of Ujud could still be heard. According to The Saga of the Pleasure Gardens, written by the most brilliant palace author, the Sultan regretted not cutting off Ujud’s head with Zulfikar when the wretched man incited a group of rich Kleng men to revolt. Instead, the Sultan exiled him to Malacca.

***

The briliant palace author had a reason why the Sultan did not behead Ujud. As written in the saga, the Sultan was remorseful for having swung Zulfikar at the neck of his own son, who was suspected of sharing pleasures with the Sultan’s favorite concubine. Also, according to the saga, after his son died, the Sultan promised to put Zulfikar away and only use the sword at important moments.

But it wasn’t like that, said the saga experts, especially the white men who lived hundreds of years later. According to one white interpreter, the Sultan stored Zulfikar because of the strange dream he had the night after beheaded his son.

In the dream, the Sultan was visited by a companion of the Prophet who said Zulfikar was his favorite sword and used to defend the Prophet’s religion.

The Sultan asked: “Oh, Sayyidina, how come this sword was in the hands of Kadi Malikul Adil and why did he give it to me?

The companion replied, “The sea is so vast, it can bring everything to anyone, pious or not.

Since that dream, the Sultan kept Zulfikar locked away.

The fate of Ujud changed after the white men seized Malacca and crushed the rulers who had once been conquered by Lamuri. The Sultan of Lamuri was unable to stop the white men from entering his land. All he could do was stare across the ocean because of a rebellion happening at the same time. Rich Kleng men were allies of Ujud, who had fled to the Halimun Forest.

While the Sultan succeeded in quelling the rebellion, the white man became too strong in Malacca. Quick attacks by the Sultan’s sea armies were defeated by the white man. The Sultan planned to use larger armies and more mature strategies against the conquerors. He equipped his warships with the latest and most powerful cannons ordered from Turkey. Consequently, the imperial treasury needed more money and the Sultan raised the docking fees for the Lamuri harbor.

Ujud was appointed a special adviser to the white man to help resolve Lamuri and its conquered land problems. He suggested a plot to weaken Lamuri. As soon as the Sultan raised the fees at the Lamuri harbor, Ujud told the white man in Malacca to lower the fees in Malacca harbor to half the price. The result appeared in the upcoming bad wind season. Almost half of the ships that used to stop at Lamuri then docked in Malacca. That’s why the Lamuri harbor was deserted during the last five years.

The Sultan regretted he did not behead Ujud with Zulfikar.

Lamuri lost again when the white man set up a huge brothel in Malacca. The management of the Shining Face was placed directly under the harbor rulers. This was also Ujud’s suggestion. He said, “I often heard the sailors pour out their lonely hearts when their ships stopped at Lamuri. There were no brothels because the pious Sultan did not permit it, even after I told him that not all sailors had the same religion as us. Before I could finish, the Sultan gripped his Zulfikar. Who would not be afraid when looking at that sword? The lonely sailors were only entertained by the rambling fantasies of a poor storyteller. I pity the sailors whose ships docked there.”

***

Since the Lamuri harbor was empty, the storyteller rarely came to the city. He had lost many of his faithful audience. He only left the mountain if he heard something important was happening in Lamuri.

He went to the harbor because he had heard that many ships had thrown anchor due to the recent pirate activity.

“Tell us, oh storyteller. Please,” a mate welcomed him. “You must have countless stories. I brought a special aged wine from the Peranggi cellars. This wine will warm your body and your mind. You should try it.”

“Yes, tell us about the Lamuri pirates if you know about them,” said another sailor.

“Ho, ho. Do not get me wrong, my friends. Today I’m not going to tell you about the Lamuri pirates, not this time. Leave worry about the pirates to our captains and merchants. Let the admirals and His Majesty the Sultan think about it. Let’s have fun. We haven’t seen each other for such a long time,” the storyteller replied.

That afternoon, the storyteller told many stories. He talked through the night until the sun rose the next day. In turn, the sailors told him about the harbors they had visited, and their love experiences in every town. They forgot their ships couldn’t depart from Lamuri, and the Sultan’s promises to quell the pirates had yet to be fullfiled.

Day after day, the storyteller entertained the sailors who waited for the Sultan to defeat the pirates. The storyteller ran out of tales, and the saillors realized how long they had been on shore. They still waited for good news from the harbor authorities.

One day, in the middle of a story, a dozen men approached the gathering. The storyteller rose and halted.

“Storyteller, let me be brief. Today I want to hear about the Lamuri pirates. I know you know everything about them,” said an old captain.

“Oh, Tun, is that you? The captain of the Pari Fish? How is the Magribi woman with an ivory neck?” asked the storyteller.

The old captain’s face flushed.

“Tell us truthfully, what is actually happening on our seas?”

“And you, Abdul Kadir, the famous navigator and favorite of the merchant Barus, old friend and shipmate who vowed to never set foot on this land until the white man had left Malacca. Should I be touched? Are you breaking your oath to never again listen to my stories?”

The young sailors were surprised to hear the storyteller had a relationship with their superiors.

“No, I don’t know anything about pirates because they no longer exist. Didn’t the Sultan promise to eliminate pirates at the sea as fast as your ships can move?” said the storyteller.

“You’re lying, you know everything. Aren’t you one of the Lamuri pirates? Not a single ship has returned since they went to chase the pirates two weeks ago.”

Everyone was silent after Abdul Kadir’s statement.

“You’re absolutely right, Abdul Kadir. Both of us were Lamuri pirates. Everyone in this harbor knew. But that was decades ago, before these young mates were born. I was captain of the most feared Lamuri pirates in Upper Country and Lower Country, and you, Kadir, were the navigator I most admired. In your hand, our ship moved as fast as Zulfikar would behead us. At that time, Sultan still needed our power at sea. Then, one day, His Majesty the Sultan said he no longer needed us. It was the day a mufti brought Zulfikar to this land. The Muslim holy man from across the ocean presented the sword to him,” the storyteller said.

“That day I said to the Sultan, ‘If the masts of our ship could talk, they would say that the white man was on its way, and we are the frontline force to prevent their arrival.’ And don’t you remember what the Sultan said? The Sultan, my uncle, hugged me and said, ‘Thank you, oh my nephew, for your warning.’ We were disappointed about his stubborness, but since we respected our Sultan, we obeyed him. So I refused your advice to rebell, oh Qaran.”

The storyteller walked to an Abysinian and hugged him.”How is your daughter in Bukhara? Is she a big girl now? I hope you’re keeping your promise to visit her at least once every two years.”

“Yes. I’m on my way to visit Zulaikha. But news about the Lamuri pirates made me stop at this wretched harbor where I never wanted to set foot again. I thought the Sultan had called you back.”

“Oh, Qaran and other old friends. The unrest at sea has brought us together. I never imagined we’d meet again like this. The Sultan made his decision, so did you and I.

“You, too, left Lamuri forever, to go anywhere. You were also disappointed that I was unable to fill your needs.

“Because of my love for this land, I didn’t want to go anywhere and chose to settle down in the woods. I refused the house the Sultan gave me. Living in the woods for such a long time has made me lose my knowledge of the oceans. I come to this city occasionally as a storyteller. I always listen for news about you from the sailors who want to hear my stories. This is how I have somewhat satisfied my longing for you,” said the storyteller.

“You will have to leave me. You have to because I do not know any better than you who the real pirates are in Lamuri. Now I hope you’re still willing to listen to my story about the Bearded Turtle. I used to tell you this story in the middle of the sea, on the deck during the long boring days while waiting for the wind. You knew that the day after I finished telling the tale, our sails would be pulled by the wind from all directions.

“Even to this day, among you are those who believe that the tale was a spell to attract the winds. It was only a joke between me and our briliant navigator. He looked at the stars in the sky, and told me that in seven days the wind would blow. Then I gathered all the men on deck and told the tale. How excited you were. You knew you would soon be free from the boring day-to-day waiting for the winds. Hopefully with this tale, your ships can sail tomorrow,” said the storyteller. “Now listen carefully.”

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