TIKA and her family live in Simpang Kawat Village, Asahan. They have just moved here, go along Mother who is given a roving commission to teach at local elementary school.
In the beginning, living here was joyful. Many children here are the same age as Tika, accompany her playing. But, at last Tika feels disappointed. It turns out that clean water here is still hard to get. The water here is somewhat yellow. After falling rain, the water is rather clear. But, after being left all night long, there will be some yellow thing suspends in the water. Mother says, it is called parak.
Again, Mother says that despite of its yellowness, citizens here use the water for daily needs, such as cooking, washing, and bathing.
“Mother, living here is awful. It’s better in the city,” says Tika.
Mother smiles hearing her daughter complaining.
“Who said so? Later you will get a surprise in this place.”
This Sunday Father seems busy in the backyard along with a young man. And then Father introduces Tika to him, whose name was Bang Mursali, a neighbor who lives next door.
Bang Mursali says that the water in this village is somewhat yellow, indeed. However, the citizens have a method to alter the yellow water into transparent.
“This village is near the rice field, it makes the color of water poor,” explains Bang Mursali, whom actually an agricultural instructor.
“We will make a simple filtering device to make the water clear,” says Father.
Tika is curious. She sees that there are some pieces of bricks, palm fibers, charcoal, sand, and gravels. There are a plastic drum, a water tap, a can of pipe cement, a knife, and some water in buckets, too.
Tika watches how Bang Mursali works on it. First, he makes a hole ten centimeter from the bottom of the drum. The diameter size of the hole is matched with the tap size. After the hole is done, he puts the tap in by using the pipe cement.
“Do you want to compose these into the drum?” Father points toward bricks, palm fibers, charcoal, sand, and gravel.
Tika nods quickly. She is impatient to join and help.
Father leads Tika composing the drum. They put gravels in the bottom, and then, in orderly way, palm fibers, sand, charcoal, more palm fibers, and at last, bricks.
“Done!” Bang Mursali gives Tika his thumbs up.
Father takes some buckets of yellow water. And then, he pours the water into the drum. A few minutes later, the water flows out through the tap. It’s not so transparent, though, but its yellowness has lessen.
“Hurray!” cries Tika happily.
“Gradually the water will be more transparent, Sir,” explains Bang Mursali.
Mother comes bringing fried bananas and warm teas. “Have you get the surprise, Child, haven’t you?”
Tika nods. Apparently, this is the surprise Mother has planned. If school only gives her theories, today Tika has learnt science straightaway.
“Welcome, clear water!”[]
From Kompas Klasika, January 24, 2016
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