i was burnt by the sun

Chapter 1

Aida could not bear the noise any longer.

It kept gnawing at her brain, the constant metal to metal grinding noise as the train made its way through the numerous villages, with rice paddies and mountains lush with greenery. 

It was not really the noise of the train that got to her. It was her own thoughts assaulting her. 

She did not want to think about it all; her life had taken on a journey that she seemed no longer in control of...it hurt and she just wanted the pain to go away.

In front of her, on her lap, she carried her baby. Sara, no more than 10 months old, was the mirror image of her mother. Even at that age, when babies look like whoever you say they look like, you could not deny the striking resemblance to her mother. 

Her skin tone was dark, as was her mother. Her mother had always been called the dark one or teased by the other children calling her darky. 

Aida had the most striking eyes of a very soft greenish brown hue. 

They were bright eyes, kind eyes but they had already seen too much for a 23 year old girl. Now her daughter Sara possessed the same eyes...Her mother wondered what future lay in front of them? What would become of them as the train moved closer to the coastal town. Aida wondered if she was making the right choice... But what choice did she have after all?

It had been a hard life; what else could it take from her she had wondered out aloud?

Chapter 2 : My name is Aida

The third of five children. It would have been easy to forget me. But life would not let me be. 

I was dark and my brothers and sisters fair. This meant one thing; my life would be hard.

You see being fair, in my village, in my country means your are beautiful. It seems God had chosen to add an extra little darkness to my skin.

The story goes two generations or more, a ship had appeared on the horizon and made shore. 

These men, strange and dark in appearance had brought a new religion to us and trade in goods we had never seen. 

Though they these strange men stayed and made trade of goods that they had brought. They brought, so the legend goes, sweet smelling fragrances from the bark of trees, spices which our islands knew nothing about and many such things. 

At first they only stayed in the coastal areas.

Soon that changed and they went deeper into the interior of the country, seeking what they would to take on their journey on the sea. 

They came upon our village. Fear and wonder at seeing these dark mean with strange clothes. They had, by that time learned a little of the language. 

These men spoke the Arabic tongue and we spoke a dialect of bahasi. 

For several pieces of silver, they had hired a servant, to assist them it all their affairs and to act as a translator and go between.

The village elders and every man, woman and child were called to the chief of the village elder's house. 

'What is this?' The people had wondered? Afraid that there might be a war a battle looming. The women looked at their young men and mother's thought of their sons. 

But no we have been in peace for 100s of years, what could this be?

"People of Aceh, we come in peace. We bring you two things. Religion and trade" 

We mean no harm and our intentions are not evil to you. 

Yes it has been spoken that we trade people and sell them as slaves! But we are not here that with you. 

A land to the west of you, with a very dark and ignorant but physically strong people is where we get our slaves.

You are different people and we come to trade and to share our culture. 

We will stay only a few days, if you will let us, bring what you will and we can bargain."

So the legend continues that they stayed a few days, one of their group fell in love with a village girl and choice not to continue. 

He made his life here in our village. His name was Abdul Salem. 

His children we a mixture of fairness and dark skin tones. He was a wise man and shred. He knew business and brought much wealth. Many lands with rice paddies, forests with rubber trees and strong teak wood, pepper Fields, he had it all. 

So it was never a problem to marry his daughters off because they were the daughters of a rich man. 

Over time the dark colours were lost as the generations went by and as the descends married the indigenous people. Also, the wealth that Abdul Salem had amassed disappeared as his children's children didn't have his skills for trade. 

But another interesting thing was once in a while, as it is with nature, it would remind people of their ancestors. So once in a while, a dark one, born to fair parents would appear. And I was that dark one, a reminder of Abdul Salem. But Abdul Salem did not add their he continued to my daughter...

Chapter 3 : Aida grows

Now that you know how I got my darkness, I must let you know my life. The older I got the more the chores fell upon me. 

My mother had determined I was fit for another but a servant girl or maid and she thought the faster I learnt the better. 

I had an older sister and brother, they were kind to me but distant, they barely spoke to me when we were growing up. Closest to me was my beautiful young brother who was born a year after me. 

We played together and went school together. It was not until five years later that our little sister and the final child was born. 

My brother and I went to the mountains together, we both learnt to catch animals in the wild and to fish together. 

Even when he started to have his friends, our bond could not be broken. 

Among his friends, I was the only girl. Anything they did, I could do. 

If they fought, I fought. If they climbed trees, I climbed higher. If their set traps for birds, mine caught the most. 

Though my mother constantly had me doing the chores, fetch the water from the well, attend to the rice paddies, Cook, clean look after your little sister. I found ways to work faster or simple slipped out unnoticed so that I could spend time with the boys..

At 12 I noticed things starting to change in me. I was less skinny, but I noticed curves to my body which had not been there. Most noticeable was my breasts: they were not small anymore. I felt shy and could not change in front of my brothers anymore. I felt sensitive and irritable but I didn't know why. Then it happened, that which women call,' the time of the month'  I was filled with horror and cried. 

I remember my mother sat me down in her little house, and explained all it meant and what I should do each time it happened. I was surprised at how calm and caring my mother was at that time and may be the only time she showed me affection. 

Because most of the time she appeared angry with me. ..

Chapter 4: Aida is 13 and married

To be continue...