Mountain of Fire by Radhika Puri Page B

“Yes, I know.”
    The young priest wrapped his white scarf around his neck against the evening chill, and said, “They are good children. Pak Eko will soon start teaching them about the Merapi. The boy will have surgery soon to fix his lip. And now they know all about you. Perhaps if you want to see them... it may not be impossible. We could ask the council for special permission. We could try.”
    Priestess Aini lowered her head, and although the young priest could not see her face, he knew it would be sad.
    But when she spoke, her voice was strong and steady. “Perhaps one day. Perhaps one day, the time will be right.”

GLOSSARY
Ibu
Mother. Used to address a mother but is also a general terra of respect for an older woman.
Ayah
Father
Bapa k (or Pak)
Sir. Used to address an older man or a person one would respect.
Berbahaya
Danger
Bule
Caucasian foreigner
Lahar
Indonesian term for a volcanic mud flow.
Masalah
Problem
Mbah
A Javanese word for Grand father. Along with Pak. also used to address an elderly person as a mark of respect.
Nenek
Grandmother
Pralaya Mataram
The destruction, or death, of Mataram.
Raksasa
Monster
Selamatpagi
Good morning
Selamat malam
Good evening
Tidak
No
Tapak Bisu
Silent Walk

Author’s Note
    Dear Readers,
    There are many things about this story that you have read that are true.
    Did you know that Indonesia is an archipelago of over 18,000 islands? One of the largest is called Java, where the capital city Jakarta is located.
    Did you also know that, by one count, there are 129 volcanoes in Indonesia? Volcanoes are very important in Indonesia mainly because there are so many of them. Java is home to one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes, Mount Merapi, or Mountain of Fire, the main character in this story.
    Here’s the thing about a live volcano: it is always dangerous. There is always something going on deep inside it, but things get really dangerous when it becomes too active. Then it kills.
    In fact, the Merapi erupted with such tremendous force in 1006 (11th century) that some people believe it destroyed an entire kingdom, the Hindu Mataram kingdom. Since then, some parts of the kingdom have been found. In 1966, the Sambisari temple was accidentally located by a farmer working on his land. The temple had been lost thousands of years ago, buried under volcanic ash.
    Years ago when I was living in this beautiful country, a small news item caught my eye. It was about an old man, called Mbah Marijan, who was the “spiritual guardian” of the Merapi. What does that mean? I thought to myself. Mbah, which means grandfather, was refusing to leave his village near the volcano even though the government and the volcano experts were telling him that it was too dangerous to stay.
    Mbah Marijan did not listen and, unfortunately, died in 2010 when the Merapi erupted again. Some villagers also died. The character of Pak Eko is based on the real Mbah Marijan.
    On a visit to the National Museum of Indonesia in Jakarta, I came across the Hindu Mataram kingdom and the first sketch of a story began to form in my mind.
    Isn’t it fascinating that people would live around a volcano even though they know it is dangerous?
    Here’s another fact: The Petuluk tribe in this story is based on an isolated tribe in Indonesia called the Baduy. They seem to be a lovely, gentle people, happy to live with what they have. You will find many such people in other parts of the world, who prefer to remain isolated and choose to stay away from modern technology such as televisions and electricity. The Amish in the United States is another example of such a culture.
    I hope you enjoyed the story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Radhika Puri is a former business journalist. While working in India, she won the World Press Institute Media Fellowship. This gave her the chance to explore the United States alongside other international journalists, and better understand the country. In 2002, she won