Berburu Ikan atau Ular?; Hunting Fish or snake?

Ada kebiasaanku yang selalu membuatku ibuku marah. Kesukaanku pada ikan, sebenarnya bukan ibuku membenci ikan, cuma caraku mendapatkan ikan selalu saja membuatnya tak habis pikir bagaimana cara menasehatinya. Beberapa kali karena aku mencari ikan di irigasi sawah aku kehilangan sandal, bahkan sandal baru sekalipun. Biasanya soalnya sepele, karena aku memang berniat mencari ikan, setiap kali berusaha menangkap ikan agar memudahkan bergerak di dalam air ketika menjaring maka aku melepas sandal dan meletakkan sandalku di pinggiran irigasi, dan kemudian tanpa sadar aku terus mencari dan memburu ikan dengan terus berjalan di dalam air, sementara teman atau adikku menunggu di atas untuk mengambil ikan yang setiap kali kami dapat. Tapi mereka kadang-kadang lupa membawa serta sandalku karena keasyikan, akibatnya jika ada petani atau siapapun yang menemukan sepasang sandal yang masih layak pakai, mereka pasti akan mengambilnya termasuk barangkali para pemulung. Maka lenyaplah sandal itu dan aku pulang dengan telanjang kaki, begitu seterusnya kisah hilangnya sandalku terulang.

Tapi ada hal lain yang juga membuat ibuku kesal, karena kesukaanku menangkap ikan, aku kadang-kadang tak peduli dengan waktu, bisa saja aku mencarinya hingga hari menjelang magrib, sehingga ibuku kadang langsung mencariku dan menarikku pulang jika mendapatiku masih mencari ikan di irigasi. Dan lebih mengesalkan lagi jika aku mencari ikannya sepulang sekolah, di hari sabtu sekalipun, karena akan membuat bajuku kotor luar biasa karena noda lumpur.

Dan di hari yang tak kuingat persis apakah sabtu juga, ketika itu aku masih duduk di kelas 1 di SD kebumen mungkin di daerah Wiroyudan sekitar tahun 1977, entahlah. Kami sedang berjalan pulang sekolah, menyusuri jalan sambil bercanda untuk menghilangkan penat berjalan siang hari sepulang sekolah yang melelahkan. Di dekat terminal, kami menjumpai orang yang sedang "tawu", menguras sawah atau kolam, sebagian besar air yang biasanya memenuhi sawah sudah kering dan sebagian besar ikan juga sudah diambil, tinggal sisa-sisanya saja. Beberapa ekor ikan yang masih tersisa sesekali muncul kepermukaan lumpur mengambil udara, dan akhirnya membuat aku dan beberapa temanku tak tahan, setelah meminta izin dan diperbolehkan maka masuklah kami kedalam air, setelah sebelumnya membuka sepatu dan baju, dan meninggalkan tas dan semua barang di pinggir pematang di dekat jalan. Maka mulailah kami berebutan menangkapi ikan yang tersisa, makin kami masuk kedalam semakin banyak ikan yang kami dapat, sehingga kami tak sadari hari bertambah siang bahkan mendekati sore, kulitku juga terbakar matahari dan menghitam.

Dan kejadian lucunya, setiap kali aku mencari ikan di dalam lumpur dengan cara meraba, setiap kali pula aku kira mendapatkan belut, ternyata aku memegang seekor ular, dan begitu di tangan terasa kasar sisiknya maka dengan secepat kilat aku akan melemparkannya ke udara atau ke jalanan yang ketika itu dipenuhi orang yang lalu lalang, beberapa orang terkejut dan tertawa, tapi beberapa orang marah dan memaki. Tapi tetap saja tak membuatku takut, padahal ketika ular itu aku lepas mereka masuk kembali kedalam air dan kemungkinan aku ketemu dan digigit bisa terjadi. Tapi meskipun aku penakut dengan ular tetap saja aku tak mau beranjak dari air, karena kata orang ular hitam itu hanya ular air yang juga makan ikan bukan orang?. Ketika hari semakin sore dan orang-orang yang mencari ikan bersama kami satu persatu pulang, barulah kami menyadari kami sudah terlalu lama, perut sudah kelaparan dan celana serta kaosku sudah dipenuhi lumpur, barulah kemudian aku bingung, bagaimana menjelaskannya kepada ibuku. Aku hanya berharap pada satu hal agar ibuku tak marah padaku, karena aku membawa pulang banyak ikan dan berharap itu akan membuat ibuku senang dan mengurangi rasa jengkel dan kesalnya.

Aku buru-buru pulang sambil berharap tak langsung berpapasan dengan ibuku dan segera aku berlari ke kamar mandi, mencuci badan dengan membawa serta ikanku. Aku tak ingat apakah ketika itu ibuku melihatku atau sedang sibuk diluar. Tapi jika melihatku ibu tak akan percaya dengan apa yang kulakukan dan pastinya marah besar.

Hunting Fish or snake?
by hans@acehdigest

There is a habit that always made my mother mad. My favorite on the fish, the fish is actually not my mother hates, it's just my way of getting the fish are always just make her ununderstand how to advise me. Several times because I was looking for fish in irrigated rice fields I lost my slipper, slippers and even new ones. Usually because trivial, because I was intending to fish, each time trying to catch fish in order to facilitate moving around in the water when the net so I took off my sandals and put my sandals on the outskirts of irrigation, and then unconsciously I kept looking and hunt fish by continuing to walk in water, while a friend or my little brother waiting on top to take fish whenever we find. But they sometimes forget to bring sandals for fun, as a result if any farmers or anyone who finds a pair of sandals that are unsuitable for use, they will surely take it, including perhaps the scavengers. So gone are the sandals and I came home with bare feet, sandals and so on repeated story of the loss.

But there are other things that also made my mother upset, because my favorite fish, I sometimes do not care about time, I could look up to the day before sunset, so my mom sometimes directly to find me and pull me back if you find me still looking for fish in irrigation. And more frustrating if I find the fish again after school, on Saturday though, because it will make my clothes dirty remarkable because the mud stains.

And in the days that do not remember exactly whether Saturday also, when I was sitting in first class in primary schools in the area Wiroyudan Kebumen possible around the year 1977, I do not remember. We were walking home from school, down the street, walking joke to relieve fatigue during the day after school is exhausting. Near the terminal, we meet people who are "tawu", drain fields or ponds, most of the water which usually meets rice is dry and most of the fish also have been taken, lived alone remains. A few fish remaining occasional mud surface to take air, and finally made me and some of my friends could not bear, after asking permission and are allowed then we go into the water, having previously opened the shoes and clothes, and left the bag and all the stuff on the edge of the dike near the road. So we began scrambling arresting the remaining fish, the more we get into more and more fish we can, so we did not realize it got even closer during the afternoon, my skin was too sunburned and blackened.

And the incident funny, every time I go fishing in the mud in a way felt, each time I think getting an eel, I found myself holding a snake, and once in the hands of rough scales with lightning speed then I would throw it into the air or into the street when it's filled with people passing by, some people are surprised and laugh, but some people angry and swore. But still it did not frighten me, but when the snake was I off they went back into the water and the possibility that I met and bitten can occur. But even though I was scared by a snake still I do not want to move from the water, because they say it's just a black snake, water snake who also eat fish instead of people?. When it was getting late and the people who go fishing with us one by one back, then we realized we were already too long, the stomach is starving and pants and my shirt was full of mud, then later I'm confused, how to explain it to my mother. I just hope the one thing that my mother was mad at me, because I bring home lots of fish and hope it will make my mom happy and relieve irritated and annoyed.

I rushed home, hoping not directly cross paths with my mother and I immediately ran to the bathroom, wash my body with my fish as well. I do not remember if my mom sees me or when it is busy outside. But if she saw, my mom will not believe what I was doing and certainly furious.