After the Isha prayer, Mahendra's presence in the mosque was the center of attention for teenage girls as well as unmarried women.

His good looks entice the eyes to sin. They preferred to follow the direction of their hearts, looking at the newcomer rather than the ustadz who was lecturing.

They even whispered to each other until their voices reached the ustadz's pulpit, and they reprimanded the women attending the recitation tonight.

“Uhuk!” was the first rebuke from the ustadz to get all the attention on him, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

The ustadz followed the direction of the gaze of the young women in the back row. It fell on the man who had come to their island just a few hours ago.

“Uhuk ... uhuk!” He coughed again in a louder voice, and then they stopped the time-wasting, low-effort activity.

Hearing the ustadz cough, the male pilgrims immediately offered him a drink. Without having to refuse their gift, the middle-aged old man gulped it down.

“Thank you for giving me a drink!” he said to the concerned villagers. “While some are paying attention to me, others are busy paying attention to other people here,” he quipped.

Spontaneously, the women in the mosque were immediately hit by the ustadz's sarcasm. It was as if it pierced the heart and destroyed the confidence on the face of each worshipper who made a mistake.

“How easy it is to find sin rather than reward in this day and age. We choose where we want to be. While there is still time to repent, please repent. The breath we take could be in our throats in a minute. So, be careful in living life.”

The advice from the ustadz was absorbed by the congregation, with different meanings depending on the type of sin they were carrying.

The women who had been looking at Mahendra would have felt that the ustadz's words were about that. Mahendra himself was immediately reminded of the moments of worldly pleasure he had been through so far.

The reason Mahendra hated coming to the recitation was that the door to his heart would be knocked open, and he would feel guilty for everything he had done.
Mahendra bowed his head, trying not to listen, but the ustadz's advice infiltrated his memory.

Sometime after the recitation was over, Mahendra, who was walking home with Bahari, was confronted by three teenage girls. The ustadz's advice had no effect on any of them who were suspected of losing their attention during the lecture.

Bahari frowned in surprise as the three girls came over with sweet, shy smiles.
“What do you want?” Bahari asked first.
Mahendra looked at them coldly without returning the smile he had received unsolicited.

“Sorry, Mister Bahari. We'd like to get acquainted with this brother,” replied one of them, who was reputed to be the leader of a small gang that had formed in the village.

Bahari shook his head. “Do your parents know that you want to meet this brother?”

The three girls' mouths dropped open. “Hum, Sir, it’s like you've never been younger. Isn't there anything wrong with us getting to know this brother?”

Mahendra smiled inwardly. He knew that his charm was blinding to many women. Especially if they knew he was from a wealthy family. The ghosts of wealth would surely come out of their lairs to spend a night with him.

“Apparently there are still toys on this island. I thought they were all keeping to themselves, but it's the same as in the city. I can also make it into a conversation,” mused the man, who immediately wanted to straighten his hand to get acquainted with the three beautiful village girls.

However, Bahari held him back and asked the three women to return home. Mahendra glanced lazily at Bahari, whom he considered old-fashioned.

“What a flirtatious little girl!” He moaned as the girls left.

“Is it wrong for me to get to know them, Sir?” asked Mahendra as he walked back to his home near the health center.

“Yes, Bro! You're here as my responsibility. If anything happens, you will report it to Mister Razzan,” Bahari replied.

Mahendra swore irritably at the man who had restricted his behavior on the island.

Arriving at the room, Bahari excused himself.
Mahendra opened the door and went inside, but he faintly heard a small female laugh from behind a tree.

Goose bumps ran down his spine. He had a feeling that it wasn't a human laughing this time, but one of the forest's spirits. Although scared, he was also still curious.

As a result, the man turned to the source of the voice. He was shocked to see the three women he had intended to meet there. Waving goodbye to Mahendra.

A smile rose from Mahendra's lips. “I've finally got a toy that's worthy of my entertainment while I'm here. These ladies can make my day,” he said to himself, waving back and signaling with his finger to come closer.

Suddenly, the three innocent girls stepped together at the door. One of them opened the conversation.

“I'm sorry for following you all the way here,” said the girl who had spoken first on the way back from the mosque.

“Yes, no problem,” Mahendra replied.

“You must know why we're here. Would you mind making our acquaintance?” The girl asked.

“Of course not!” Mahendra smiled wryly.

“Thank goodness... what did I tell you? You is nice; it's Mister Bahari who's the sensationalist,” the girl said to her two friends.

“Yes, Mister Bahari is forbidding us to meet this brother. After all, this brother doesn't mind. Right, Bro?”

Another friend said:
Mahendra monitored the surroundings, thinking that talking to them there for too long would draw the attention of other passersby.
“Do you want to come in to talk to me?” he offered.

Hearing Mahendra's offer, the three girls were happy and nodded. They entered Mahendra's cramped room and were invited to sit on the floor while Mahendra sat on his three-legged bed.

“So, what are your names?” Mahendra asked.

“I'm Rahayu!” replied the gang leader wearing a red shawl.

“I'm Halimah,” replied the girl in the blue shawl.

Meanwhile, the woman in the white shawl introduced herself too: “I'm Eliana.”
Mahendra praised each of their names. “Wow, what a beautiful name."

“He-he, You could be,” Rahayu said.

“So, how long have you been living here?” Mahendra asked.

“From birth, Bro!” replied Halimah.

Both of her friends nodded affirmatively, declaring that they were really from the nameless island they called Paradise Island.
Mahendra was very curious about the name given to it by the people who inhabited it.

“If I may know, why is this island called the island of heaven?”

“Oh, it's because the elders on this island have to enforce the law properly. So, we have to do everything in a good way according to the religion in order to stay here,” Rahayu replied.

“Ah, I see.” Mahendra nodded in understanding. “So if they find out you're in my room, will you be punished?”

“Actually, we will be punished. Usually, if a girl is caught with a guy but not doing anything, the punishment is to clean the mosque for a month,” Eliana replied.

“HUH?” Mahendra was shocked.

“Yes, that's why we're now afraid to introduce ourselves to You.” Rahayu rolled her eyes at Mahendra.