Trail the Legend Land Above the Clouds

Chapter 1. When Promises Call Funds Block Not long ago, Simon was left by Widya—his girlfriend who had returned to her husband—leaving him in a state of deep confusion. At the same time, Simon received word from his family: in two months, his grandmother in Toraja would be buried. Already heartbroken, Simon now found himself overwhelmed with sorrow and financial stress, his savings and mental state depleted. Truthfully, it wasn’t his grandmother’s passing that saddened him most. What weighed on Simon’s heart was the promise he had made: to buy three large striped buffaloes for the ceremony—something he now couldn’t afford. Everything might have gone smoothly if Simon hadn’t boasted about that promise. Though the preparations in the village had been underway for months and the funeral could proceed without his buffaloes—as the extended family had already secured several, including striped ones—Simon’s pride and words now trapped him. Simon is a young man who is actually no longer young. He is currently 32 years old, and what is even sadder is that at his current age, Simon is not yet married. Simon comes from the Toraja tribe in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Toraja tribe has a unique tradition in death ceremonies. Actually, this is not a party because it is a mourning ceremony, but the Toraja people call it a "burial party", a term that is almost the same as a wedding party or birthday party. In short, a party. Today, as usual after work, Simon came to the place his gang often visited. Tatang (original Sundanese), Wawan (original Betawi), and Jems (original Chinese mixed with Batak) were already there. "Mon, are you serious? Need that much money?" asked Tatang while frowning, not believing what he heard. "Tang, did you come here first? I didn't see you go home first at the office earlier?" asked Simon to Tatang. "I saw you were really busy, Mon. I didn't say goodbye to you. So I went home first," answered Tatang while continuing to play the game. "So, what do you think, Mon? Do you really need that much money?" asked Jems seriously. "That's not a small amount, you know. Two billion," continued Jems, who had been there all along. "Yeah, I know too, you guys definitely don't have that much money," complained Simon desperately. "Me too, if I sold my kidneys and heart, they wouldn't sell for that much, Mon," Jems tried to cheer him up, although his tone sounded sarcastic. "But I don't think anyone would want to buy your used heart and kidneys, Jems," answered Simon jokingly, but there was a serious tone behind his words. "Huh, why, Mon?" asked Jems curiously. "I'm not sure your organs are still sterile, Jems. Last night you stayed up late, and before that you came home drunk, and before that... there were so many," explained Simon seriously with a smile. His three friends laughed, even though there was a little sadness in their hearts. They knew Simon was struggling with a big problem, and even though they were joking, they wanted to help their friend. "So, Mon, when exactly do you need the two billion?" asked Tatang curiously. "Oh, Tatang, when people tell stories, don't play around," Simon replied a little annoyed. "Who's playing around?" answered Tatang pretending not to understand. "That's your hand pressing the gadget, what are you playing if not a game?" Simon pointed at Tatang's hand. "Yeah, I play slots, who knows I might get two billion, not bad, it can help you," continued Tatang casually. "Wow, Tatang, you want to play online gambling until my grandmother comes back to life, you won't get two billion!" Simon replied jokingly. "Would you like it, Mon, do you have two billion?" asked Tatang still jokingly. "Of course, I want it," Simon replied seriously. "Then, be quiet for a moment, so I can focus," Tatang replied while focusing on his game. "Come on, say hello to your sea god," Simon said teasingly. "Ready," Tatang replied briefly without paying too much attention.The next day, after work, Wawan felt the need to meet Simon immediately. On his way home, Wawan sent Simon a w******p message. "Mon, when you get home from work, let me know. It's important," Wawan wrote. This message made Simon curious. Why did Wawan suddenly need an urgent meeting? Simon, who was curious, immediately replied, "What's up, Wan?" Wawan answered briefly, "Anyway, it's important." This reply made Simon even more curious. He planned to wait for Wawan at Mang Udin's coffee shop. Mang Udin's coffee shop was not too far from Simon's workplace, so he could arrive earlier. While waiting, Simon hoped that Wawan would bring good news, at least about the two billion rupiah. Simon ordered two glasses of iced sweet tea. After the two glasses of iced sweet tea were finished, the sound of Wawan's motorbike was heard from the parking lot. Wawan arrived, and Simon recognized his posture. With a big smile, Simon greeted his friend. "Come on, sit down, friend! Order anything, eat and drink, you'll pay for everything later," Simon sai d, jokingly while waving. "Yes, I'll treat you, Mon," replied Wawan, sitting in front of Simon. Not long after sitting down, a friendly atmosphere was created. However, Wawan could not hold back his feelings. He had to reveal the reason for inviting Simon in a hurry. "So, what is your main problem, Mon?" asked Wawan, probing. "Well, you know, Wan, I need a lot of money for my grandmother's funeral," answered Simon seriously. "Well, this is what I want to ask, Mon," Wawan adjusted his sitting position, interested. "Ask what, Wan?" Simon's face was full of hope. "Is your grandmother actually about to die or what, Mon? Why is she buried in two months? When did your grandmother actually die?" asked Wawan, curious. "Emm... almost two years ago, Wan," answered Simon, hesitant. "Huh, why did she die almost two years ago, but she was buried in two months? I don't understand, Mon," Wawan became even more curious. "Okay, so you understand. Order first, what do you want to eat or drink? Mang Udin is waiting," Simon changed the subject. "Just coffee with milk, Mang, and plain fried noodles, without eggs," Wawan said to Mang Udin. "Okay, ready!" Mang Udin replied briefly. "Now, continue, Mon," Wawan's gaze returned to Simon. "Continue what? Mang Udin is standing behind you," Simon replied, glancing at Mang Udin. "Huh, is Mang Udin still here? I already ordered," Wawan turned to Mang Udin, confused. "Yes, I know. I'm just curious to hear the rest of Kang Simon's story," Mang Udin replied, still standing behind Wawan. "Then, how about my coffee and fried noodles, Mang?" Wawan said, worried. "Okay, but tell me later," Mang Udin hurried away, leaving Wawan and Simon behind. "Okay, ready," Simon replied, giving a thumbs up while smiling. "Continue, Mon, where were we?" Wawan was curious, impatient. "Yes, that, Wan, my grandmother died almost two years ago," Simon began to explain. "Huh, what's the story? Your grandmother has been dead for almost two years, but she was buried two months later?" Wawan looked interested and confused. "That's why you came to Toraja, so you can understand a little," Simon replied with a laugh. "There, there's a tradition that doesn't seem to exist in other areas. Where we don't immediately bury our parents who die. There's a process first, and it usually takes months to years," Simon explained. "So, your grandmother was waited for before being buried?" Wawan asked, increasingly interested. "Yes, of course! We Torajan people believe that the spirits of the deceased are still around us. So, before the burial, there are traditional rituals that we have to do. My grandmother did the same. We had to wait until all the preparations were complete," Simon explained. "Wow, that's so complicated, Mon. So, what did your family do during that time, Mon?" Wawan asked again. "Living as usual. So, the body was injected with preservatives, then stored at home. Then, all the family wherever they were prepared everything for the funeral ceremony later," Simon answered, remembering those moments. "It seems really exciting, Mon, when the big day comes!" Wawan was excited, but still curious. "Well, that's why, Wan, you're going to Toraja, so you can see and know for yourself," Simon said smiling. "Oh my, Mon, I've never even been to Toraja, let alone Taman Safari and Puncak," complained Wawan with a smile. "Oh, you're so pitiful," Simon replied with concern. "Go on, Mon," Wawan said as if being told a story. Before Simon could continue his story, Mang Udin came from behind carrying a glass of hot coffee and a bowl of fried noodles. "Hey, why are you making the fried noodles so fast, Mang? Suddenly it's ready," Wawan asked in surprise, turning to Mang Udin. "Yeah, someone ordered it earlier, but didn't eat it," Mang Udin said while pointing to the empty table. "Hey, why didn't he eat it, Mang? Why?" Simon asked. "He received a call earlier, saying his family was in the emergency room, then he paid, then left," Mang Udin replied flatly. "Oh, okay then, Mang, the important thing is that he's paid," Wawan said with a cheerful face. "Yes, that's it," Mang Udin answered briefly, impatiently waiting for Simon's next story. "Eh, so what was the story earlier, about the grandmother, Kang?" Mang Udin continued to Simon. "Mang Udin sit here first, don't go anywhere," Simon answered, directing Mang Udin to the chair next to Wawan. "If necessary, Mang Udin close the coffee shop first, we'll accompany Simon together," joked Wawan. "Ready, Kang," Mang Udin answered without expression. Finally Simon began to continue his story, which according to other people would definitely be horror, but according to Simon it was just ordinary. "So it's like this, my grandmother's body has been kept in the house for more than a year," he said calmly. Wawan and Mang Udin were immediately shocked. "What is stored?" asked Wawan, clearly confused. "What do you mean stor n leaving the cliffs idle, it's better to make them graves, because if they were made into houses, state land affairs office would be confused about how to issue the certificates," Simon replied jokingly. "Ah, you Mon, I've been listening seriously but you've diverted it," Wawan said disappointedly. "Honestly, I don't know about that either, maybe it existed thousands of years ago, and we haven't found any historical records yet,"Simon replied diplomatically. "Well, then when the cliffs run out, houses are made, what was that, Mon?" Wawan asked, trying to remember something. "Oh, Patane," Simon replied briefly. "Well, yes, Patane is made," Wawan continued. "If it wasn't because the cliffs that were idle had run out, Wan," Simon continued. "Then what?" Wawan was curious. "Yes, maybe, the people who used to carve the cliffs, their guts were gone, so people were diverted to Patane in their graves," Simon explained. "Oh, is that so, Mon," Mang Udin was surprised. "No, it depends on what the family wants to do," Simon answered, correcting him. "Oh, yes Mon, I've been listening to your story, how come I've never heard of people visiting graves like that," James interrupted curiously. "There are almost no grave visits there, but when they do, the bodies are immediately taken out of the grave and their clothes are changed," Simon answered with an intonation of voice that was deliberately intimidating. "Yes, yes, I've seen it on YouTube and IG, it's really scary to see, dried corpses lined up as if the people were