The Otter Allegory

Wohoo, trying to get back here after a long freakin while. *dust off this silly blog.

As part of my “New Year Resolution” , and “24th year Old Manifesto” (yeah cliche but i am gullible for falling for that kind of stuff) i will try to write again. Yeay, cheers .. i guess?

As part of my hopefully full-time comeback, what better than to write about something that so trending right now. Something that so coincidentally very close and personal to me. Something that makes me so righteous that i have to chime in with my useless opinion from my high place. Thats right , you bet it is, we are going to talk about that fight between Nassar and Dewi Persik.

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Just kidding. Nah. We are going to talk about that something that you might already guess from that one pharagraph above. But to make it more enigmatic, more cryptic, more pointless, and more me-esque, i will write it in allegory form. I will write it in a free-verse writing full with incomprehenible simile .

Disclaimer : because this is my first writing in a while, the grammar will be less then appropriate. I wont do any proofreading, since it will obstruct the flow of the story usually, and since it is freakin 1 AM and i want to sleep. Please do point out mistakes without having to feel like grammar nazi. That’s the only way to make me better.

So here it is,

The allegory of Archipelagoean Otter Family.

Long time ago, in the beautiful great island of Indonesia, in the big busy port of Batavia, in the murky and polluted water of Ciliwung River, live a family of Otter. The father is not a smart otter, but he loves his family, especially his missus, and his river. The mother is a strong independent female otter who take care of her 3 children Deeply. Qizir, the stubborn firstborn. Cigol, the sensible and calm middle son. And Harasab, the cool and hip youngest daughter.

To be able to sleep in a cool water and to prevent themselves get burned by Jakarta notorious sun, they make an impromptu dam house in the Ciliwung riverside. To fill their hungry belly, the father catch fish with his sharp talon and the mother clean the fish from their inside dilligently. Sometimes there are plenty of fish, sometimes there arent any. When there arent any they eat insect, leftover from Human, or anything that can be chewed on without their body have to vomit it back. Murky river water make it difficult for them to distinguish fish in the strong current of Ciliwung. The living standard might be low but it is their river. They live with each other ,sometimes they sleep with full belly. Sometimes they sleep trying to get rid the feeling of starving. But they always do it together. And when it comes to the rain season, they do the otter dance. The dance coreographed by Otter elderly to be thankful for the fish that might come with the flow from Buitenzorg. Thats just Batavia otter life.

Suddenly their peaceful life is a little distrubed by the arrival of another colony of otter. It is the species of Chinese otter (not being so subtle am i?). The Chinese otter ask them to together live in the river. “ Of course! The more the merrier, right kids?” said the Father. “ Yeah, i will teach you how to fish around here” said Qizir. Cigol chimed in “You can also teach us how to make better dam like you did in your place ok?”. Not to be the one who keep her silence, Hasarab also join the conversation “ How is it like to live in China?”.

And so the colony get bigger. The chinese otter, accustomed to live in more polluted water and stronger current of Yangtze river in China, contributed to the community by teach them how to build better dam. They standard of live is improving. “Impressive” said Cigol. “Impressive? It is a miracle that they can build such structure that we cant even imagine!” said the ever jolly Harasab. “The mud is too wet, it will crumble when strong river come from buitenzorg when rainy season come” skeptically Qizir said.

The chinese otter also invent how to make fish trap near their dam. So instead of the father have to hunt the fishes, they get constant stock of fishes falling in their trap. The mother happily clean up the fish and serve it to their new family. They live together with their standard of life at it best.

“We are thankful that you come here and teach us this kind of living” said Harasab who taken the chinese otters to his much liking. “We also thank you for letting us live in this resourceful river”, Koha the leader of Chinese Otter nodded. “You must join us for the Otter rain dance when the season come, maybe in 6-7 weeks. You have to do it, it is our family tradition”, Cigol with his honest and most sincere tone. “ We will consider it, we never do that in our home but we would like to know hwo you do the rain dance”, Koha responded politely. “Oh you better will, you are part of family now. “ Qizir, who arent that close with the Chinese otter responded.

And so it is. The rainy season comes and the archipelagoean Otter rejoice. “Kids! IT is the time to do our Rain dance!” the father cry to call his kids. And they heed his call. Together they do the rain dance to welcome the rainy season. “Come on Koha! Bring your tribe to do the dance together” Hasarab pulling the Chinese tribe to join. “ Oh no, we dont know the move. We cant do that” the chinese tribe politely reject. “But you have to. If we dont this wont be fruitful rainy season” Qizir remind the chinese, but his voice is stern. “ They can watch this year, maybe next year they can Join,” said Cigol wisely to diffuse the tension.

And it become the tradition. The chinese otter integrated with the Archipelagoan Otter. Together they assimilated with the wisdom and tradition of Archipelagoan Otter with knowledge and disciplene of Chinese Otter. And when the rain season come, The archipelagoan otter will indulge themselves in Otter Rain Dance ritual while the chinese otter watch happily.

“We believe that if we keep building the dam right and fish traps correctly the God of the rain wont be angry and we can still have fish to eat” said Koha when Qizir pushed them to join the Rain dance. “You dont talk to the Otter elder like that boy” Qizir angrily scoffs.

Even if they live with their belly fuller and their body warm within the improved dam housing, ension brewing within the archipelagoan family. Hasarab , fully enchanted with the chinese otter way of life, agreeing that the Chinese Otter dont need to do the Dance. Qizir, insisted that since it is their river, they all have to do it their way. They have to join the rain dance. Cigol try to make peace within the two but nobody listen to him anymore. The family grow into some distance. Hasarab dont even do the rain dance every year anymore. He thinks the rain dance is meaningless. The Archipelagoean otter sad that they lost one family member in their tradition, except Qizir. “Let the ungrateful asshole go with the chinese otter. One day the Elder Otter with strike them with fury” Qizir not the one to mince his words.

Time passed. Creature come and go. And so does it happens to otter family. The father, due to old age passed away. New head of family must be inaugurated. Qizir , the first born son insist that he have to rule the family. “ I am the first born son, i am the one who born here and the one who know this river inside out”, he proclaim. Koha, knowing full well Qizir dislike with his tribe stand up and also proclaim himself to be the leader of the family  “ I might be outsider, but i can make this Dam better. We can eat and sleep well because of me”.

“ No you ungrateful outsider. You are fortunate enough that we let you come in and enjoy our reseource” Qizir reject the notion immediately.  “ You dont even know how to do rain dance”. He added.

“He might not know the rain dance, but he does know how to make proper dam, and how to catch fish without fuss.” Harasab , fully align himself with Chinese otter defend Koha. 

“You little piece of shit, you are one of our family. How can you side with infidel like him who dont even observe rain dance?” Qizir furiously berates Hasarab.

And chaos ensue. Family separated. Cigol, nobody even know he exist anymore sighed weakly. “Why do we have to fight like this? Qizir, we are otter. We arent suppose to hate Chinese otter more than we hate Hasarab, our own archipelagoean otter family.”

And he continue mumbmling “ And hasarab, whether Qizir right or wrong, you arent supposed to oppose your older brother like that. We are suppose to love our family more than we love Chinese otter.”

But nobody listen to Cigol anymore. Soon after, Cigol die.

End of story.