My village is relatively prosperous, with government assistance exceeding that of surrounding villages. Although it's not at all modern or even backward, in my village, Bulan Indah, we receive assistance at least four times every harvest, including fertilizer and other supplies. That's a bit odd, perhaps because my village head has special connections, I don't know! What's clear is that our assistance is four times more.

Take Pucuk Lebah village, Mang Krimo's village, for example. It borders Bulan Indah village. Mang Krimo himself is a resident of Pucuk Lebah. There, aid is only distributed once per harvest, or roughly every four to six months. In my village, aid is distributed four times, in the form of fertilizer, seeds, and other supplies.

Although it's not much, one truckload each time, it's distributed equally to all rice farmers. Other fertilizers can be given to those with plantations, whether oil palms or rubber trees.

Even if we only get one or two bags of fertilizer, at least it's saving money, right?

This afternoon, the village head, Norman, invited all residents who were able to attend to the village hall. At the hall, the village head would explain various regulations and recommendations, and most importantly, a communal meal. All costs for the packed lunches would be covered by the village government.

There, residents who wished to express their concerns would be listened to and recorded by the village secretary. There, there would also be music after the event for those who wanted to enjoy the entertainment. This is a frequent practice of the village government, and Mr. Norman. He holds this event every six months to strengthen ties between the community and himself, to better connect with the people, to record input from the community, and, of course, to discuss all matters related to development.

Furthermore, distilling information and ideas is a primary goal of a leader's close relationship with his people.

My father and I went; both men and women were welcome. Everyone was welcome to attend, but my mother declined, saying she had a lot of work to do at home.

I also had work this afternoon, so I couldn't go. I got home late last night, and now it's time to gather with the community. At least there's new,s so we can find out and get information quickly.

Gathering with the community is not only a way to greet each other but also relieves stress. Working all day, every day, is tiring, but it's nice to gather with colleagues and exchange ideas.

However, at the village hall, not many people are there yet. A truck parked outside the village hall was carrying goods. It seemed like aid had arrived because the planting season was about to begin, and they were still preparing the land to make it loose and suitable for rice growth.

There was a simple stage, just steps in front of the village hall, with a carpet laid out. There was a musical instrument there: an organ. Our village head is quite generous with his finances, and the community was even happy to receive so many things, especially food and music.

That wasn't my main topic right now. But why is it that every time we meet, we always talk about the occult? Ghosts and demons, black magic, ghosts, and pigs. Some people even encounter ghosts when they go out at night, ghosts, ghosts. Everywhere you meet, the talk is always about demons.

However, when it comes to extravagance, my village probably wins awards. Even Mang Krimo, every time I chat with him over coffee, always envies him and wants to be a resident of Bulan Indah because he often receives help, entertainment, and food, eating with the community.

More people have started arriving, and they've already begun sitting in several visible spots. There are quite a few chairs provided, around 500 or so. Father sat down first, along with Kyai Kusrin. I excused myself to go somewhere else where there are many young people. Why would I want to sit with the old people? I stepped aside.

There were seats among them, many of whom were young. Roni, Wahyu, and Jono were also there. Jono must be the same as me; his shift this afternoon starts at 2:00 PM and ends at 8:00 PM. I greeted them, and of course,e Jono still remembered the incident last night where he and all of us were in a convoy just because we were afraid to pass the old house that was the former home of Mbah Pati, who had passed away.

Jono was still innocently chatting with us about the song "Lingsir Wengi," which he said was shared with people who can see ghosts or indigos. He said, of course, that when Lingsir Wengi is sung at night, it's like a free sale, with lots of discounts and freebies. But that's specifically for demons. They'll immediately scramble to get to those who dare sing "Lingsir Wengi."

So, last night, when I started singing, they all stared at me. "What the hell? How could demons come and get free stuff? The night market really happened because of a song, "Lingsir Wengi."

Jono told the story with such enthusiasm that he truly believed it. Several young men around him, including Roni and Wahyu, shuddered at the story.

"Don't worry about it, Ron, I trust Jono."

I tried to get Roni and Wahyu to forget about the ghosts and demons. They were at a village festival, and they were thinking about ghosts instead of eating delicious food. "But... did you really sing that song again last night, Nan?" Wahyu, still curious, asked me.

"Yeah, right... the song Lingsir Wengi is beautiful to sing. Especially at night, it's nice to listen to while you sleep. Especially when our mother sings while stroking our hair. It's sure to make us fall asleep right away because it's so calming, right?"

Hiyyy!

Their voices were almost in unison, the fear on their faces plain to see. What's wrong with them? They're getting goosebumps even during the day because of ghosts?

"What's wrong with you guys? You're scared of ghosts during the day, even though I only told you about songs."

"You country bumpkin!" Roni spoke now.

"Oh, you, Ron, you're scared of ghosts in the daytime too! You're usually brave, aren't you?"

Roni shook his head at me, "You, Adnan! We're all shivering, not because of your story about the song Lingsir Wengi and ghosts. But you, you know, you're a grown man, and you're still like that..."

"Why is that, Ron?" I denied my curiosity.

"How can you be so grown up, almost getting married again, and still like your mother patting your head? You're embarrassing!"

Oh, I see, he... he... he... I just realized. I was embarrassed,d too. I thought they were afraid of ghost stories, but they were actually shuddering because of my mother's patting. Now, I was too naive, so I averted my gaze to avoid embarrassment.

However, the event was already starting to fade, and my embarrassment was gone.

The seats were starting to fill, although some were still left behind. As usual, waiting for it to start, if you keep waiting, it won't start eventually.

The MC started with blah blah blah, which is how you understand an MC is opening an event. So I didn't bother listening to it and sharing it with you. I just assumed it would be like that. Then, we moved on to the welcoming speech. To get things started quickly, Mr. Norman, the village head, delivered his usual welcoming speech.

His thick mustache was visible, and he was dashing in his uniform, making many people jealous, as his attire conveyed a high level of prestige. It's different for me, even though I'm a college graduate; I'm a foreman and also a laborer. You're probably familiar with my work clothes and smell; I no longer wear a pen as I did in college.

I wield an iron, a shovel, and other tools to help my teammates. Occasionally, I hold a pen to record and calculate daily targets, and also when to distribute bonuses every two weeks or twice a month.

That's okay; I can still use my writing skills. But Mr. Norman, the village head who graduated from high school, now holds a pen every day? That's what the devil whispered to me. Let everything be, it's already been outlined. There's no need to be jealous of others; it's enough to be jealous when you see others worshiping more diligently than you. Hmmm, the devil has fled. He... he... he...

It was the village head's turn; he began his speech. We listened. He stated that our village, Bulan Indah Village, needed to be more vigilant in maintaining security because of the recent cattle theft. The patrols needed to be increased to maintain environmental security. As a sign of his guilt, the village head even offered compensation, though not all, to Yanto, who had lost his cow. He immediately gave him 3 million rupiah, which would at least help ease Yanto's grief. Yanto accepted the money and tearfully moved.

Mr. Norman continued his speech. He also described the road construction that would begin next month, improving the roads around the plantations and rice fields, as it would make it easier for farmers to plant and harvest their crops. Everyone shouted in agreement.

The village head continued, explaining that aid had arrived again, this was the first batch of the year at the beginning of the year. The fertilizer and seed aid had been parked and would be unloaded, and the next day, residents could collect their quotas according to their records. They could collect the aid by bringing their ID cards to be registered to ensure no one cheated.

The residents and I were once again mesmerized and applauded, shouting that our village head was the best.

As the speech drew to a close, the village head mentioned that there would be organ entertainment, so those who wanted to enjoy the day were welcome to stay and enjoy the show. As a bonus, after the MC finished, we would all have a delicious meal together. As the village head concluded, everyone cheered, "Our village head is indeed the best."

Hmmm... I personally think my village head is the best, with all the extraordinary things he has done for the residents. Although when he ran for office, he also bribed, and even bribed my family.

So what?

I mean, is it like that in other villages where people have to prepare money and give money to the community to get elected? If that's the case in all villages in Indonesia and it's considered normal, then my village wouldn't be a problem.

But if that's not allowed, then the village head would have to be bribed. Bribing the community. It's the same as the council members who are corrupt and bribe. Wow... I'm getting a headache.

Enough of the corruption, it's making me dizzy. The event ended, and the graceful and beautiful female MC closed. She was the village head's niece, the village beauty, and the target of all the young men.

The MC's name was Virna. Virna then asked the community to start eating by lining up because there was a buffet already prepared. The older people lined up first, and they were also close to the buffet.

The young people got their share later, of course, but we just had to be patient; that's the fate of the young. Even though they got their share later, they ate faster than those who came first. Obviously, those who came first were already old and only had two teeth left, ha ha ha, so it was difficult to eat, and we ate quickly because we still had all our teeth.

Maybe that's why, when there's a communal meal, the older ones are always asked to eat first. It would be a hassle if they came later; the younger ones might finish eating first before they start taking their food rations.

There's always a problem.