4 TURQUOISE PAPER

Pedal and keep pedaling. The sun was overhead, that afternoon the heat was really stinging.

Najma back down the road, across every inch of rural land. Where is she going? She didn't know.

All she had in mind was pedaling and pedaling.

When realizing, she found herself in front of a wooden bridge. Below there ia a fast flowing river side by side with the residents vegetable fields.

Najma changed to pushing her bicycle, cross the bridge and pedal again.

"Miss, where are you going?," a field farmer called out to her.

Najma stopped pedaling, then turned to the source of the sound.

Haven't had time to give an answer, the farmer hurriedly gave an explanation.

"If you keep going straight, there is a forest."

Najma looked far straight. What the farmer said was true, hundreds of meters in front of her stood tall and dark trees.

Najma's breath slid slowly. She turned again to the farmer, nodding her head at her in thanks.

Najma turned her bicycle around, over that wooden bridge again. Crossed the same road, without any known purpose.

All day long that's what Najma did. Go around aimlessly, as if just wanting to kill time.

When the body feels tired, she rested for a while, pulled over in a place carelessly. Sometimes under trees, sometimes sitting on the edge of the rice fields.

Another story with Sayyid. During the day he was suddenly very busy, successive jobs over to him.

At the start of the meeting with customers who want to hold events at the stall, followed by checking the inventory of foodstuffs in the warehouse.

* * *

What a relief it was when the work was done.

In the lonely night, when one by one the stall staff went home. Sayyid is alone in his super tiny room on the lower floor.

The prayer mat was still stretched out, sit down with the Qur'an in hand. The verses of the Qur'an are recited beautifully, evaporating the restless and tired all day.

Not just reading, he tried to understand it by reading the translation too. Sayyid read Al ankabut.

He was taken aback, why he felt that one of the verse translations in it was in accordance with that was experienced by that young woman?.

Continued to Mrs. Darmi's house. The residents use silent nights to talk to each other, share stories they have experienced all day.

Mrs. Darmi, Yani and Najma did not miss sitting side by side in the living room.

Mrs. Darmi and Yani took turns sharing stories.

What abou Najma? all this time she had only been a good listener. When both of them laugh, she smiled as if she understood what they were talking about.

Yani reads Najma's unusual attitude, she found a flat face as Najma let out a smile.

She conveyed the oddity to her mother, of course after Najma said goodbye to go to bed first.

"Did you notice earlier? When we chat, Miss Najma just smiled. Her face also looks flat. Why do i feel something is hidden by Miss Najma?," whispered Yani near her mother's ear.

"What do you mean?," said Mrs. Darmi, joined in the whisper.

"I don't think she came here on vacation. But she calmed herself from a problem."

"Of what problem, Yan? As far as mother knows she's fine, have a good job, a happy family."

"Mother, it was a year ago. The way of life of anyone who knows."

"Enough, it's not good to talk about other people. Better now we get ready to rest," close Mrs. Darmi end the chat.

* * *

Since dawn that's what happened, raindrops faithfully accompany.

The weather became very cold, much cooler than yesterday.

Maybe this makes other people lazy, still lying wrapped in a thick blanket. But that doesn't apply to Najma.

Even early in the morning, she had cycle down country roads. Wandering while looking at the thick fog covering the village area at the foot of the mountain.

Keep using the same bike, she protected her body with a thick jacket.

Then that very cold morning she spent at the Pandan Wangi stall. Maybe because it was early morning, the stall is not crowded with visitors. Only she came at the first visitor.

Sayyid appears a few minutes later from the lower floor, and immediately his eyes fell on the sad-eyed young woman.

Sayyid walked quickly to the drawer near the cashier table, take out a little turquoise paper from it.

"Putra, please, give this to the young woman sitting by the window. Say this is a quote from the stall for the day," whispered Sayyid to Putra who passed in front of him.

Of course what Sayyid meant, the young woman sitting by the window was Najma. Najma just accepted the turquoise paper. Without asking anything, she didn't read the writing on it.

Najma just put the turquoise paper on the table. When she had finished breakfast, Najma hasn't read it yet.

She just slipped the paper into her long skirt pocket. Before completing the payment at the cashier.

Sayyid had thrilling moments. That morning the clerk at the cashier was late for admission, consequently he is the temporary substitute.

Until the incident could not be avoided, he serves Najma making payments.

Sayyid tries to control himself, stop the nervousness that immediately thrives. When two eyes meet each other, Sayyid ventured to turn to look at her, talk like a stall owner with his customers.

After completing the payment, Najma's steps continued towards the prayer room of the stall.

Like yesterday she will pray dhuha first, before leaving to continue the journey again.

The rain stopped when Najma was about to ride her bicycle again, gradually the thick fog thinned.

For her wanderings that day, Najma took the other route yesterday. She took the path down the hill. Even though she didn't know what to find down there.

But luck overshadowed Najma that day. Just half an hour cycling, she had found the waterfall by the side of the road.

Above a hollow and between large black rocks, the falling water was in heavy intensity.

Najma stopped, put her bike by the waterfall. She sat for a long time on the biggest rocks, let part of her body be splashed by water from the top of the cliff.

At that time Najma just wanted to enjoy the view of the water fall which was very impressive to the five of senses.

High cliffs, overgrown green trees split by crystal clear waterfall drops. Everything looks perfect. Especially when a thin, colorful curve is formed on it. Najma amazed, His power was incomparable.

It felt like the whole weight of her mind was shedding, the sadness doesn't know where.

Najma's tears dripped, but it was quickly removed. She still remembered her own promise.

That's where she remembered the turquoise paper she had gotten from the stall. Najma reached into her pocket, her wet hands crumpled the paper a little.

Najma read it. A handwritten letter on it, looks very neat as a handwriting.

_ _ _Do humans think that they will be left just saying, "We have believed," and they're not tested?. (QS. Al Ankabut: 2)_ _ _

That's the sentence written there, translation of a verse in the Qur'an.

Najma read it over and over again, trying to understand the meaning contained in it.

At the Pandan Wangi, Sayyid and the stall staff were quite overwhelmed by the crowd of visitors to the stall.

Since morning Sayyid has also been involved in serving the visitors, he took the order then brought the ready order.

The crowd gradually reduced after lunchtime. Now Sayyid is sitting relaxed on the terrace of the stall, steal time to rest.

That's when a bicycle entered the parking area of the stall. A young woman then got off and led a bicycle to park it at the corner of the parking area.

That is Najma.

She re-choose the same seat, it seemed that place was here favorite seat.

She ordered the same menu, soto ayam and hot tea. At least from yesterday, her tongue began to compromise to fill the stomach.

The order came with another turquoise paper, the stall clerk said it was a quote for that afternoon.

Najma did not want to bother with all explanations, the sentence written on turquoise paper was more important to her.

Not like yesterday, at that time Najma immediately took and read it, in fact it was done before she touched the dish she ordered.

_ _ _ In fact, with difficulties there is convenience. (QS. Al Insyiroh: 6)_ _ _

Alhamdulillah, Najma knows Surah Al Insyiroh. The worst thing is that she never pays attention to the translation of the verse. That's really embrassing.

In the same handwriting, just look tidier than before. The second time the sentence was on turquoise paper left many questions in her heart.

"Mister, can you come here for a memont?," said Najma calling Putra, the one who gave her the two turquoise paper. Even though at that time Putra was far from her reach.

The situation at the stall was gradually quite, making Najma's voice have not trouble being heard by Putra.

"May i know who the author of this quote is?," asked Najma while showing the turquoise paper.

And Putra gave him an answer.

"That's the person, Miss. His name is Mr. Sayyid. A thin man fixing a faucet in the front," he answered, pointing to the yard of the stall, the place where Sayyid was.

Najma stood up, follow the direction pointed by Putra.

* * *

The long day is coming to an end, don't know why Najma is still reluctant to return to Mrs. Darmi's house.

Could be sunny evening weather to be the reason. At the foot of the mountain like that, during the evening, the sky suddenly darkens and then it rains.

All evening, the old bicycle was lying on the edge of the rice field. Najma is not far away, she sat in a hut in the middle of the rice fields.

From under the hut, she can freely see the beauty of the evening sky, which slowly reddened immersed the main source of earth's light.

But the weather at the foot of the mountains was unpredictable, the clear sky suddenly turned a thick white.

Najma realized the sign, she moved quickly to get back on her bike.

The bike hasn't gone very far, when it rains straight down heavily. Najma turned around, apart from the hut there was no place for shelter.

It was raining really hard. In the middle of the rice fields, she took shelter alone, no one else in sight.

Najma was overcome with fear, the rain didn't stop anyway. In extreme fear, she strengthens herself by saying dhikr and all prayers to get salvation.

Isn't it one of the most effective prayer time is prayer when it rains? For at that time His grace was being spread widely over the surface of the earth.

* * *