Shadow 6 Behind the Umbulan*

The spring that Danastri pointed out was quite large, if all the children in the village entered, it might still be enough. Unlike the river water used by residents, this spring is very clear and blue. Rocks of various sizes, ranging from small to almost as big as Arsa, are there, the color looks greenish and beautiful combined with the blue water.

The river was so clear that I could see the bottom of the lake dotted with the roots of the large trees on the outskirts of the spring. Several large and small fish slithered quietly without fear of foreign creatures as if almost no one had ever come here.

The gurgling sound did not stop. Water came out of the riverbed and produced small bubbles. Several grojogan* cut through the rocks and filled the space of the river.

"I never knew there was a spring like this near the village," Mahesa said. His eyes and mouth were both wide open as if he didn't want to miss any of the scenery presented in front of him.

What Mahesa said was true. Usually, the villagers preferred to fetch water from the big river not far from the village. They wash their clothes, irrigate their rice fields, bathe, fish, look for crabs, and even bathe their buffaloes and other livestock in the big river. However, this spring was too small to accommodate all the activities that the villagers used to do in the river.

"Yes, right? That's why Kartika and I were surprised to find this."

Danastri stepped down, choosing which rock to step on to avoid slipping. Finally, she arrived right at the end of the pond. With just one step, Danastri could already feel the cold water.

After squatting and maintaining her balance to avoid falling, Danastri cupped the river water with both hands and lifted it. Before the water ran out as it escaped through the cracks of Danastri's thorn-like hands, the girl drank it. I was curious as to how fresh the water was in Danastri's throat.

Following Danastri's lead, I went down and Mahesa was right behind me. I squatted down and stared at the water with a stunned look. A thirst that I had never felt before appeared. Maybe it was because I was too tired from walking to feel thirsty. Reaching out, I intended to move some of the water in my arms.

However, my breath caught and I swiftly withdrew my hand when my fingertips had just entered it. I gulped down saliva in lieu of the spring water that didn't enter my esophagus. A strange cold feeling hung around my neck uncomfortably.

I turned to Mahesa and Danastri who were casually drinking the spring water. Clenching my hands tightly and neutralizing my racing heartbeat, I tried to look back at the water below me.

There was a shadow of my face there, some fast-swimming fish, and rocks that seemed to dance at the bottom of the water, but there was no glimpse of a strange beautiful woman's face. I rubbed my hands together. For some reason, I was hesitant to drink it.

So, I chose to endure my thirst and decided to soak my feet instead. Although I was a little hesitant at first, it slowly dissipated. It was true, the cold stung the skin at first, but it gradually cooled down and relieved the fatigue.

"Wait, don't we have to find Kartika now?"

As if just realizing our original goal, Danastri and Mahesa turned their heads quickly towards me, stopping all their small conversations and movements.

"You're right, geez, how could I forget!" exclaimed Danastri and immediately got up. Mahesa followed suit after wiping his wet hands on his pants.

They both stood up, only I was still sitting with my feet dipped in water. I don't know why I didn't want to leave quickly even though I knew that evening was coming. It's like I'm under a spell.

"Chandra!" I turned to Mahesa who called out by touching my shoulder. "Let's go quickly!"

I nodded and reluctantly pulled my legs together, then put my footwear back on. Once everything was in place, I was ready to go back to looking for the missing Kartika. However, before actually going to search. My eyes were glued to the rocks that were leaking water from their crevices. It wasn't too far away, just across from us, but it still made me squint when I wanted to observe it carefully.

I just realized that a human was soaking there.

"Kartika!" I unconsciously shouted. Mahesa and Danastri quickly turned to the side of the spring I was pointing at. A short-haired woman with tanned skin was soaking there. Almost her entire body was submerged in water, except for her shoulders to her head.

As if knowing what to do, without needing to be given a signal, the three of us immediately rushed towards Kartika. Not caring if our skin was scratched by sharp twigs or almost fell over by tripping over tree roots and medium-sized rocks that got in the way, we kept running, competing to see who could get to Kartika's place the fastest.

Kartika was taking a bath with her clothes still perfectly on. Even though we ran and shouted her name, Kartika remained silent and did not move from there. Even though the water was getting colder, the afternoon came with twilight, and the wind felt even more piercing, but Kartika remained unmoved.

I can't imagine how long this girl had been soaking. The journey here had taken a long time, not to mention the time Danastri had searched for Kartika alone before deciding to ask for our help.

I repeatedly turned my head alternately to Kartika and the road in front of me - being careful not to fall over. It was not Kartika, the owner of the name, who turned to our call, but three women who were soaking together with her.

I only realized their presence when they turned to me. Instead of alerting Kartika that her friends were calling, they swam away, some choosing to go ashore and disappear among the trees with wide, inhuman strides.

They went very fast, faster than me and my friends who were running as hard as we could. Even though their clothes were wet, they didn't seem to feel heavy about it. They disappeared perfectly and in a way that gave me goosebumps.

Like they weren't human. Then, who were they, I never met their faces in the village. Could there be other villages here even though I knew the closest village could only be reached after walking from sunrise to noon?

"Kartika!" I called in a louder voice when I was near her. Some birds flew away and frogs jumped into the water when they heard it.

The girl didn't turn her head. I crouched down and tried to touch her shoulder. I didn't expect that Kartika wasn't close enough for me to reach her.

However, whether it was because I was too panicked or what, I unconsciously leaned my body more to touch Kartika and didn't care where my feet stepped.

In the next second, I choked as I felt my knees lose their balance.