7. Siti
By Arion Wong
Far, far away in the hot and humid South East Asia, there was a country dubbed by old Portuguese explorers as the "Golden Peninsular", as the land was blessed with many natural resources, not to mention that it stood right between the ocean spice route between India and China.
In the past centuries, conquerors came and went. The Portuguese, the Dutch and now the British ruled various parts of this country. Using a system of administration whereby the natives were only rulers in name, the British remained the true masters of this old land.
But the British were far kinder and abler than the previous colonists. They built roads, railways, public works and schools to bring this relatively backward nation forward.
In one such school, a young Malay girl named Siti Nora binti Ibrahim (Siti Nora daughter of Ibrahim) sat on a wooden chair with a bored expression on her face. Being relatively quick of mind she was able to grasp the foreign languages easily.
St. Francis's Institution of Melaka was an old school, built by the missionary brothers of St. Francis in the 1800s. The British converted it into a school for gifted youngsters.
And Siti was one of those students. Among her friends were other races of the Malayan Peninsular: Chinese, Indians, and Eurasians of Portuguese decent. Friendly nations of the British Empire sent their own students to this school, so that Thais, Indonesians, Vietnamese and other races of South East Asia mixed together and spoke under the common language of English. Everything was thought in English: Maths, Geography, Science...
Her father, a Silat instructor, knew the importance of knowledge for the future. That was why he had her enrolled here despite the rising fervour of independence from the British overlords. Sometimes Siti could feel the keris her father had given her quivered as it lay hidden in her school bag.
Not that Siti cared for it right now.
She tugged despondently her nametag 'Siti' on the very British-style uniform in annoyance. In the tropical heat of Malaya, it was positively sweating to wear it. Her brown skin was itching to be free from the stifling uniform. She couldn't wait for school to be over and back home in her casual kampung (village) style clothes, playing marbles and congkak with her friends.
The bell chimed for the final time that day. The class stood together as the teacher wrapped up his lessons for the day, bowed and expressed thanks in unison.
"Finally, the end of school," Siti grumbled.
Beside her, a young Chinese girl in the same uniform giggled. "We still have classes tomorrow."
Siti rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me, please."
"Hey, can you lend me your Literature homework later? I'm having trouble with question four."
"Sure."
That was the last thing Siti said to her.
A bestial roar filled the afternoon sky. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing. In the nearby rubber plantations, the tappers froze in fear. A bicyclist heading home on a narrow path nearly fell over from the sound.
Then the school began to tremble. An explosion ripped through the chemistry lab, several floors below Siti's class. A chunk of the school collapsed, exposing her classroom as the window side area fell away.
What Siti saw shocked her. Her parents have often talked about monsters such as pontianak (vampires), tahyul (gremlins) and hantu (ghosts), but there was nothing like -this-.
It was huge. Was it alive or was it a machine? She didn't know. It looked like both. It was shaped like a human, but it had a steam contraption on its back. There wasn't a face. From her position she guessed that it came up from the under the school grounds.
Her mind froze when she saw the monster reaching up with a huge hand towards her.
"PERGI!! GET AWAY!!" She screamed in Malay.
Everything turned -white-.
---
"Child, are you alright?"
Siti woke up to an unfamiliar place. The worried face of one of the school's brothers, Brother Peterson, hovered over her.
"...What happened?" Siti groaned.
The white-clad brother helped her to sit up on the comfortable bed.
"This is the infirmary of the British Consulate in Kuala Lumpur. Are you feeling better?" he said gently.
That woke Siti up in a hurry. "Kuala Lumpur!?"
The elderly man nodded.
"W-why? What happened? Where is everyone!?" she asked in rising panic.
Peterson hushed her with a finger on her lips. "Quiet, child. Take a deep breath."
With her lips quivering, she did as told. She felt better immediately, but a million questions still swirled around her mind.
"Do you remember what happened?
She shook her head uncertainly. "There was an explosion... something..." Then her eyes widened. "A monster! I saw a monster attacking the school! I-it's hands... it tried to get m-me!" she stuttered in horror.
"You're safe now, child. Don't worry, everyone from school is fine," Peterson said soothingly.
"E-everyone?"
"Yes, everyone. Even Mr. Kumar," the brother added wryly. Siti started to smile; Mr. Kumar was the stern Indian teacher who taught near-impossible Maths that no student liked.
Then she frowned. "Why... why am I here? Can I go back?"
Peterson slowly clasped his hands together. "My child, I do not know how to tell you this. Please, prepare yourself for the worst news possible."
"W-what?" Siti stammered.
"The creature you saw was an inhuman monster known as a Wakiji. It's a Japanese name, because it unfortunately appeared in Japan a few years ago. It has neither thoughts nor a conscience, it exists only to destroy. Do you understand so far?"
"Y-yes... b-but..."
"Hush," said Peterson. He took a deep breath himself. Siti braced herself.
"The world is becoming a dangerous place, child. Monsters like that are appearing in many places in the world. No one knows why this is happening. But all the attacks have a thing in common: they appeared in places where special people live."
Siti did not notice her hands were shaking like a leaf. But Peterson did and he held her hands in his, trying to calm her.
"Child, the monster was trying to kill you. You are the special one here."
"No... no no no no..." Siti shook her head slowly, chanting the word repeatedly. Peterson increased his grip on her hands painfully.
"Listen! Listen to me, child!"
Siti stared at him with tears streaming down her face.
"Do not blame yourself for what happened. You have a gift, given by God Almighty. Do not curse yourself for what happened!"
"B-but... people could have been wounded... could have been -killed- because of me!" Siti cried.
"But no one was. Because -you- protected them, child," the elderly man said firmly.
"I... I did?"
"When the attack stopped, we found you lying on the ground unconscious. Nobody saw what happened, but from a distance I saw the monster reaching inside the school. There was a burst of white light, so bright that it hurt my eyes... When it was gone, the monster had disappeared as well," Brother Peterson explained slowly.
"B-but..."
"Believe me, child. I know what I saw. What you told me about the monster reaching for you only confirms it."
Siti bowed her head, looking at the clean white sheets that covered her from waist down.
"C-can I go home?" she asked quietly.
Peterson released his hands when she stopped shaking. "Do you want to go home?"
"I-I..." she stammered. She was torn, what if she would be responsible for more attacks on her beloved village? Could she protect all of them by herself? She didn't even know -how- she did it.
"No... I don't want to go back... not yet..." she whispered finally. It would break her heart to leave her family so prematurely, but it was for their sakes that she made the decision.
"Well, you're indeed a good child. Just like your father predicted."
"W-what?" Siti exclaimed, looking up.
"Of course I told him what happened. Do you honestly think I would send you away from your family without telling him first?" Peterson smiled.
"What do you mean?" Siti asked, confused.
"Hear me well, child. Your father knows what had happened. I suggested a plan for you and he said that you would make the correct decision."
"What... plan?"
Peterson took another deep breath. "The monster you fought are appearing in Germany. Many, many of them. The Germans would appreciate your help, child."
"Germany?" Siti repeated, bewildered. It was so far away. Of course, she had heard of it from lessons about the European war in her history classes. But it was so far away...
"You should go, child. Your father thinks so too. Maybe you will find the source of the monsters, maybe you won't. But one thing is for sure, you will learn how to fight them."
"...my father said that?"
Peterson nodded, and handed her a neatly folded letter.
With trembling hands, she opened the letter. It was in the elegant writing of her father in Malay. She began to read silently:
'My dearest Siti... Times are difficult. You remember how Grandpa keeps saying there is something bad in the earth? It seems that it has arrived. My daughter, Brother Peterson has told me what happened, and I agree to his suggestion. Despite being a Silat instructor, I wonder if I could protect the school like you did against the monster. You must be stronger, Siti... strong enough to protect the ones you love. Go, to this place called Germany. When you learnt everything there is to know, when you are satisfied that you can protect everyone you love in the village... return and you will find your family waiting for you. Your proud father, Ibrahim. '
Tears flowed again, a few droplets staining the crisp paper. She hastily wiped her tears away as she held the letter close to her heart. Then her eyes snapped open.
"My bag! Where is it?" she asked anxiously.
Peterson retrieved the simple, battered cloth bag from underneath her bed. She quickly took it and opened it. Reaching inside, she pulled out a traditional Malay dagger. Peterson's eyes widened when he saw the hand-length, wavy and curved dagger.
"A keris! You brought it with you to school, young lady?" he demanded. Siti smiled cheekily at him, her black eyes glinting mischievously.
He was relieved that she was back to the cheerful, carefree girl that everyone knew in school.
Slowly, she unsheathed the dagger. It was beautiful, almost like a piece of art instead of a real weapon. Intricate designs were painstakingly carved onto the short blade. It was a small dagger, but still a dangerous weapon. Siti wondered why her father had given it to her when she was younger. Now she knew.
"Keris Satria, bersamalah saya dalam perjalanan ini Heroic Keris, stay with me in this journey," Siti whispered as she traced the many curves of the blade. She then slowly sheathed it back.
"Will I get to learn the German language on the way?" she asked with an innocent smile.
---End 7.Siti---
Endnotes:
[1] binti in Malay names signifies daughter/female, bin signifies son/male.
[2] Malayan states were conquered by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and finally the Japanese before reverting back to the British in that order. As this fic is set in the 1920s, the British still ruled the Malayan states. The Japanese took control in a 40-day invasion during World War II.
[3] St. Francis's Institution (SFI, affectionately known as 'School For Intellectuals', rival students call it 'School For Idiots') is a real school in the state of Melaka, famed due to its history as well as the stained glass in its chapel. Because Sakura Wars has an alternative timeline than the real world, I've taken the liberty to modify its background and function in this fic.
[4] Melaka (also spelled as Malacca in English) is known as the Historical State and the birthplace of the original Malay sultanates. It was a powerful and rich empire until it degenerated and fell to the Portuguese.
[5] Silat is a traditional form of Malay martial arts. Pronounced Ci-latt
[6] Congkak is a traditional game. Pronounced Chong-kahk
[7] Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. In English it's literally 'Muddy Rivermouth' due to its origins as a riverside city. Today, Kuala Lumpur is the home of the tallest buildings in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers.
[8] Keris - traditional Malay wavy dagger. Usually no more than a hand's length, the blade is curvy and wavy with a wooden handle like that of a pistol. Pronounced Keh-ris
[9] Siti Nora binti Ibrahim, Brother Peterson, Mr. Kumar created by Arion Wong.
---Anti-Demon Division Profile---
Name: Siti Nora binti Ibrahim
Age: 16
Nationality: Malayan (citizen of the British Empire)
Rank: Koubu Pilot
Previous Occupation: Student
Height: 151cm
Weight: 42kg
Preferred Weapon: Keris
Koubu Color: Emerald Green