Mahendra got agitated right away and scratched his non-itching head. "It was," he trailed off, "I heard a sound from the forest the day I got here, just before sunset." I turned to see someone who appeared to be a woman dropping a basket full of fruit while wearing a black robe."

"So, she didn't take it back?" Bahari asked seriously.

"No, she didn't. She ran away without coming back. So, I picked them up and ate one for dinner," Mahendra replied.

"Strange, who is that, huh?" Bahari asked himself and saw Mahendra shrug his shoulders.

"Well, if I get any information about the owner of the fruit basket and the fruit, I'll let you know," Bahari said and left.

Mahendra thanked the man and closed the door quickly. "Uh, Sir!" he called, but Bahari did not hear.

"Ah, how is this? My door doesn't have a lock!" screeched Mahendra as he realized this.

Since the arrival of the uninvited guest this morning, Mahendra's eyes have been monitoring the surroundings. The windows were closed tightly, and so was the bathroom door. However, the front door of the room did not have a lock, even though it could be closed tightly.

Mahendra has developed a phobia of snakes since the incident this morning. The feeling of being monitored by the animal disturbed his sleep until late at night.

Mahendra's stomach was very hungry, but none of the villagers delivered food to him. The man left his room and walked to the front of the health center. He intended to ask for a plate of rice there, but bad luck followed.

The health center was closed because there were no more inpatients. Mahendra chuckled in annoyance. The neighborhood was quite far from there, which made him reluctant to go to Bahari.

"I'll just eat fruit instead of going to the village head's or Bahari's house," he said to himself and went back to his room.

Mahendra was surprised by three women who had come last night. They brought bushels of drinks. "Thank God, they saved me," he thought.

Even though they had been chased away, they still came. The three girls were invited inside. Mahendra could eat with satisfaction. Paying off his hunger while flirting with the women who were trying to steal his heart.

"Do you know Sofia?" Mahendra asked.

Suddenly, the three girls' faces changed as Mahendra discussed other women while they were there.

Mahendra read the movement of the three girls' facial expressions and immediately neutralized the situation. "Don't get cranky; I only heard from the villagers that he helped me. Don't be jealous. You are still the most beautiful," he said seductively.

Mahendra couldn't afford to hurt the three women he could use as a source of stomach-saving information.

"You can do it. There's no way we're angry. Take it easy. After all, it's true what you said—that we are prettier. Sofia is not prettier than us," Rahayu replied with a fake smile. In her heart, she was thinking about the woman who had been the subject of conversation tonight.

The arrival of the three girls in his room was a boon for Mahendra. They presented him with homemade cakes and snacks. Mahendra tasted what they had brought. After just two bites, Mahendra immediately spit it out.

"Oh my, what is this food? Why does it taste like rotten socks?" He protested, then threw everything into the barrel outside the room. The three girls were trying to cook their own food, for which they had not yet mastered the recipe, but were already confident in sharing the results with others.

His condition was still unstable, and he couldn't even walk to Bahari's house to ask for dinner. Finally, Mahendra looked at the fruits in his room, then picked one of them.

"Sofia, Sofia, you saved my life. I'm curious about what you look like." Mahendra smiled, then took a bite of the apple in his hand while imagining Sofia, whose face he had never seen.

As the day wore on, the chirping of birds woke Mahendra, who had overslept due to the effects of his painkillers. Mahendra felt the pain in his leg lessen and got out of bed.

His cell phone suddenly rang, and Mahendra quickly searched his bag for it. He looked happily at the name on the screen. Not wanting to miss the signal that was kindly caught on his cell phone, Mahendra answered the call from his mother.

"Ma!" he cried in a happy voice.

"Where are you, Mahendra?! Why is Mama having such a hard time contacting you?" Renata asked in a panicked tone.

"I was exiled by Dad, Ma! He sent me to a small island whose name is not even on the map."

"What?!" She was shocked, but gradually the rumbling of her breath lessened as she realized her mistake. "It's all our fault," she continued.

"Why did Dad do this to us? I don't feel at home here, Ma. I was bitten by a snake last night!" Mahendra complained to his mother.

"Oh my! Are you serious?!" his mother was shocked when her favorite son had an accident.

"Yes, Ma. I'm serious. I just want to go home, but there's no transportation to get back." Mahendra looked down at the bandaged area.

"Did they torture you?" his mother asked again.

"No, I'm not being tortured. It's just that the pleasures of the world that I feel are not here." Mahendra took a deep breath.

"I'll get your father to cancel his sentence. Let me pay for everything," Renata said.

"No, Ma. I don't-"

The signal was cut out. Mahendra failed to forward the call to his mother. He threw his cell phone on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. He had to rush out of the room and find something that would make him happy.

After bathing and changing clothes, Mahendra walked through the forest. He was reluctant to cross paths with the villagers who only looked at him with strange thoughts. The long log in his hand was his companion as he walked in mountain sandals along the forest path.

About half an hour later, Mahendra found a very beautiful place. The paradise in question was not the behavior of the residents who had to follow religious rules, but for him, the existence of this clear lake was a piece of heaven.

"Crazy! It's a beautiful place, God!" cried Mahendra, standing alone on the shore of the lake.