The sky no longer provides light from the sun. Soon, it would be the moon that would light up the night. The footsteps of the woman who had dropped the fruit close to Mahendra's room earlier had now arrived in front of a rickety hut with two women living in it. One was about 22 years old, and the other was 12 years old.

A girl named Sofia was stomping around in her rubber slippers. As she approached the door, the shuffling of her slippers stopped as her hand immediately opened the door of the house in a hurry. Sofia put her pair of slippers on the wooden shelf and locked the door. She peeked through the window to make sure that no one was following them.

“Thank God! I thought he was following behind,” she whispered softly.

Sofia turned around, looking at her still-dark house. “Assalamualaikum, Anita!” she called out in greeting.

Hearing her sister's voice, Anita woke up. The child rubbed her eyes with a puffy face. “Waalaikumsalam, Sofia!”

Sofia hurried to switch on the semprong lamp for their light when she heard her sister's reply. “Are you sleeping in the afternoon again?” she asked when she saw Anita emerge from the room.

“Yes, Sofia! I was so sleepy earlier,” her sister replied.

“I told you not to sleep after the Asr prayer. You'll lose a lot later. You'll lose your mind; it'll be hard to think.” Sofia hangs the semprong lamp on the wooden support of the house. The half-woven bamboo and half-stone walls became their home after their parents passed away.

“Sorry, Sofia!” Anita regretted going to bed, despite her sister's repeated reminders.

Anita walked over to Sofia and saw nothing on the table. “You were picking fruit; where's the fruit?”

Sofia immediately sighed. “I'm sorry, Anita ... The fruit fell, and you can’t pick it up again.”

“Oh, I see. So, what are we eating tonight, Sofia?” asked Anita weakly.

“I think we still have some sweet potatoes in the cupboard. Let me see.” Sofia went to the kitchen, opened the cupboard next to the bathroom door, and found some vine sweet potatoes, also known as cassava.

Anita had been craving fruit today, but instead had another sweet potato. It had been three days since they had eaten root vegetables. Yesterday it was taro, last night it was cassava, and now it's vines.

“Anita, please help me light the fire,” Sofia pleaded gently.

“Yes, Sofia.” Anita took a match and arranged the pile of wood so that it could burn the sweet potatoes properly.

“Will you join the recitation at the mosque?” Sofia asked, glancing at her sister.

“I'm going, Sofia! This afternoon, my friend told me that a guest came to the island. Do you know him?” asked Anita.

“No, I don't. I don't know him at all,” replied Sofia.

“They said he was a handsome man, but arrogant,” Anita continued.

“Hush, you can't talk like that, Anita. God could be angry with you for talking about other people. Stop following things that don't concern us. He's new here and probably doesn't know the place yet.”

Sofia forbade her sister to speak harshly. Anita nodded her understanding and then blew on the campfire to make it burn faster. However, the resulting plume of black smoke turned back through the bamboo, which was the air-channeling medium earlier. Suddenly Sofia giggled to herself. Anita pinched her sister, and they wiped each other's faces with their hands.

The story is set on a remote island full of mystery and hardship. Sofia and Anita, two sisters, live a hard life after losing their parents. They have to survive with all the limitations that exist, including the food they consume daily.

That night, Sofia came home feeling anxious after losing the fruit that was supposed to be their food. The relief she feels after making sure no one follows them turns into concern when she sees her young sister having to make do with the sweet potatoes they have. However, through all the hardships, Sofia still teaches her sister not to speak ill of others and to always be grateful for what they have.

When morning came, the soft sunlight began to creep in through the cracks in the hut's walls. The sound of a cock crowing starts a new day on a quiet island. Sofia and Anita wake up with renewed vigor, ready to face a day full of challenges. Sofia, as a responsible sister, always wakes up early to prepare everything.

Sofia gets out of bed, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She walks into the kitchen to check on the leftover baked sweet potatoes from the night before and prepares breakfast. Despite their limited ingredients, Sofia always tries to make their meals special. This time, she decided to make porridge from the leftover sweet potatoes that had been baked yesterday.

Sofia arranged the remaining sweet potato pieces and boiled them in boiling water. The fragrant aroma of the sweet potato porridge began to fill the room, and Anita, who was still half asleep, slowly got out of bed.

“Good morning, Sofia!” greeted Anita in a hoarse voice. She walked towards the dining table with lazy steps, yawning occasionally.

“Good morning, Anita. Come on, have breakfast first. This sweet potato porridge is still warm,” Sofia said with a smile, pouring porridge into a bowl.

Anita sat at the dining table with enthusiasm. Although their meal was simple, the sunny morning and the warmth of the sweet potato porridge made it feel special. Sofia sits beside her sister, looking hopefully at the new day.

After breakfast, Sofia and Anita begin their daily routine. Anita helps Sofia clean the hut and tidy things around the house. Sofia planned to go to the stall that morning to look for extra groceries and perhaps shop for necessary items.

“Sofia, I want to come to the stall,” Anita said suddenly.

“Are you sure? How's school? Are you sure you won't be late?” Sofia asked seriously.

“Take it easy! I'll put on my school uniform right away, and after accompanying you, I'll go to school.” Anita was so excited to accompany her sister.

Sofia smiled gently. “All right, Anita. I thought you were looking for an excuse to skip school,” she said and smiled.

The two of them hurried to get ready. Sofia put on a head-cloth and sandals, while Anita wore a simple dress and sandals. They left their hut and headed towards the small street that led to the market. The fresh morning air and soft sunshine made their journey pleasant.

While they are looking for vegetables and tempe, a strange-looking man who stands out with different clothes from the locals appears with a resident there. Although it was only a glimpse, Sofia could sense that the man might be the one she met in the forest yesterday.

Anita pulled Sofia's arm and whispered, “Sofia, it's him! The new guy they were talking about.”

Sofia looked at the man carefully, trying not to be too conspicuous. “Yeah, probably. But remember, Anita, We should not pay too much attention to it. Focus on what we need at the vegetable stall.”

“Sofia, he's watching you,” Anita whispered.