Everything has a beginning...
A storm! That was the first thought that crossed Hashim's mind as he supervised the school trip organized by the institution where he worked.
Watching the behavior of the young students, many of whom were being exposed to the historical heritage of their ancestors for the first time, he reflected, "Places like this should be prioritized over the shopping malls in major cities." At least our children won't be ignorant of their history. Hashim continued to wander around Istana Menanti in Negeri Sembilan, marveling at the brilliance of its architectural design.
As he observed the lively antics of his students, Hashim's gaze was suddenly drawn to a collection of black stones arranged in a corner of the palace.
Curiosity piqued, he approached the stones. A stabbing stone!? A replica of the original stone found in West Sumatra. Hashim began reading the inscription beside it. The stone was linked to the legendary stabbing by Datuk Pepatih Nan Sebatang, symbolizing a peace agreement under the Koto Piliang customary system. "Interesting," Hashim mused. "I always thought only King Richard could stab a stone with his Excalibur sword, but it turns out a similar tale exists in the history of the Malay archipelago. Even more fascinating, the Malay figure of old used nothing more than a wooden staff to pierce through a rock."
A thought crossed Hashim's mind, "Next week, there's a meeting with the teachers' delegation from Indonesia." Could this be an opportunity for Hashim to visit Batu Hampar, Indonesia, and witness the marvels he had always heard about? Hashim counted in his head, "I have just a week, minus the four days of back-to-back meetings. That leaves only one day to get to West Sumatra!" Yet, opportunities like this don't come often, and Hashim knew he had to make the most of this chance to visit the places where these magical stories had supposedly taken place.
Hashim was raised in a modest family with a mixed heritage. His father was of Javanese descent, while his mother hailed from Minang, West Sumatra. Each ancestor had their own stories, yet Hashim couldn't help but think about the current times, "The youth these days have no interest in reading the family tambo." What they seek are magazines like *Mangga*, *Hip-Hop*, *Selebriti*—"Ahh... all just stories about TV personalities, with no relevance to their own lives!" Hashim lamented. What saddened him the most was that today's youth had lost respect for the values passed down from their ancestors. Yes, he mused, "Today's young people feel nothing—Seri Paduka Baginda and the royals are easily insulted on social media, without a hint of respect," he thought to himself.
His mind continued to grumble, "How could there be any respect when the youth of today don't even know the origins of their kings, or why the royalty is needed in this ancestral land? Our people have nothing now—no economic power, barely any political influence. All they have is the power to act smart on social media, boasting about their Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and so on. These are the things that keep the youth busy, busy with meaningless pursuits, indulging in wild gossip and untruths."
Hashim pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialed Fariza's number. Fariza was his good friend, who also shared a love for adventure. "Beb, are you free next week?" Hashim asked. "Next week might be tough, bro, I need to finish my research paper," Fariza replied, but then added, "But... if you've got something interesting planned, I might just reconsider...hahahaha," Fariza chuckled lightly. *This guy is so unreliable*, Hashim thought to himself.
He wanted to invite Fariza on a trip to somewhere fascinating, somewhere that would be relevant to his studies. Fariza was currently pursuing his studies in ancient civilization at a renowned university in the country.
Hashim went on to inform Fariza that if he agreed, Hashim wanted to take him to West Sumatra to see the historical relics up close. Fariza responded, "What am I supposed to do there, bro? That's Indonesian history... I'm studying our country's history," Fariza objected. Hashim smiled, thinking to himself, *He thinks he's so smart, but there are loopholes here and there.*
