"Becarefull, Miss. You’re going to fall into the river." Rogayah shouted.

"No worries, Gayah. I’m not as weak as I look." She giggled.

Rogayah picked some chrysanthemum flowers. She was very glad to find them because she could use them to make flower tea for Rausin and his mother.

Before sunset, they both arrived back home safely. Rogayah had a chance to measure the rooms before she left. She walked by the side of the walls and counted her steps. One big step equals to one meter, her father had taught her. Then she left the mansion and hurriedly went back home. Rausin would go to work after Shalat Isya. His duty was to guard the warehouse at night until dawn. She wanted to make a cup of tea for him before he went to work.

Rausin was surprised when he saw her came out of the kitchen with a glass of something yellowish. He was sitting on his divan. He had just finished eating and Mpok Ati went out to Rozak’s house to help deliver his wife’s baby. Mpok Ati was known to be a helper in babies’ delivery. So there were only both of them in the house.

"Drink the tea, Bang, while it’s still warm." She said.

"Tea? Where did you buy it?"

She chuckled, "I don’t need to buy this kind of tea, Bang. It’s chrysanthemum tea. I picked the flowers by the river today."

"Flower? I didn’t know flowers taste this good." He said after sipping his tea.

"Not all flowers, Bang. Just this kind. It’s an old Chinese recipe my mother used to teach me when we’re out of money to buy the real tea."

Rausin smiled, "Thanks, Rogayah. You didn’t have to…"

"I know, Bang. I know I don’t have to, but I want to." She gave him a very pretty smile.

Rausin’s heart paced a little faster. Her smile was like an invitation to him. "You’re spoiling me, Rogayah." He said smiling, moving closer to her.

He touched her chin with his finger, lifted her face up to level his gaze, and brought his lips to meet hers. Surprisingly, she welcomed the kiss and moved closer to him, pressing her body against his. He held her tight, caressing her back while he slipped his tongue into her mouth. He felt her body tensed as their tongues met. But as he practiced his deadly kiss, her body became more relax. He felt her hands holding him now. Rausin’s hand went further down, caressing her behind. He squeezed it a little and heard her gasped. He knew she was turned on. He broke the kiss and started kissing her neck. Rogayah was drowned in the sensation. She hardly noticed that Rausin had slowly begun to undress her. When she realized she was half-naked. Her face blushed and she was so ashamed when she felt his hand caressing her breasts. Rausin saw the change of her expression and whispered to her, "Come my darling, lie down and close your eyes. Just give in to your feelings, don’t think."

As she lied down and closed her eyes, she heard him whispered again, "I know you’ve never done this before, Gayah. Just relax…. I promise I’ll be gentle. You won’t feel any pain."

She was in the dark now, the feelings were confusing. In some ways she welcomed the sensations. She wanted him too. Yet, in some ways she feared the experience. She knew that Rausin was well aware of her confusion for he kept on whispering to her to relax. He even told her to let out a sigh or even scream if she wanted to. But she kept silent. The sensation was overwhelming to her. She felt her feminine part pulsing as if it had a heart of it’s own. Her heart raced and she gasped several times as she felt his tongue or fingers touching it and caressing it. She felt it wet and sticky, like she had never felt before. Rausin kept telling her to let go, yet she didn’t fully understand what he meant. As she was drifting in the storm of sensations she suddenly felt pain inside her. She let out a short scream and opened her eyes. Rausin was on top of her, caressing her hair, "Ssshh… I’m sorry. Did I hurt you badly?" He whispered.

Rogayah didn’t answer, she was too shocked.

"I guess, we could try again some other day." Rausin smiled to her, understanding her feelings.

Rogayah grabbed his arms strongly and whispered, "No. Do it now… finish what we have started, Bang. Please…. Forgive my ignorance, but I had never been…."

Rausin sealed her words with a kiss. When he broke the kiss he said softly to her, "Forgive me for hurting you, Gayah. I lost control of myself. I totally forgot that all this is new to you. Let me try again. I promise to please you this time." He smiled and started kissing her neck again. This time Rausin used a much more different approach to her. He slipped his tongue in her feminine part. Kissing it, licking it and sometimes sucking it, sending shivers to her spine. And she tried to let go of her feelings too. She moaned calling his name. The feeling was much better than the first time. When she felt something hard slipped inside her she felt the pain again and opened her eyes to look into his eyes. They kissed and the pain subsided, replaced by thunderous new sensations. She felt waves of pleasure with every thrust he pushed in to her. She closed her eyes again, only to hear Rausin’s whisper "Let go, my dear. Let the feeling go, don’t hold it inside you."

She put her arms around him, feeling his every muscle, as she opened her eyes she saw his beautiful face so close. They were both sweating and she liked the smell of him as he bent down licking the sweat on her neck. The waves came harder and faster now that her feminine part began to feel hot. Her heart was pacing even faster that she sometimes had to gasp for air. Rausin moaned more often as his thrust became even faster. She felt the sensations building up inside her. Up and up until she couldn’t help herself any longer. She let out a scream as she received the bombarding burning feelings of ecstasy, unaware that at the same time Rausin let out a deep moan as he let go of himself.

Both of them ended up lying on the bamboo divan, catching their breath. Rogayah felt her feminine part pulsing with pain now as the pleasure had subsided. She felt it hot, as if it was cut with a razor. She sat up and felt the pain again. "Ah…"

Rausin came to her and held her, "Is it hurt? Did I hurt you? Can you walk? How do you feel now?" He asked her so many questions without waiting for her to reply. That made her feel flattered.

"I’m allright, Bang Usin. I just experienced the most wonderful feeling in my life." She smiled to him as she was getting dressed again. She knew he had seen every inches of her body, yet she felt embarrassed talking to him in nudity.

"I heard you, Rogayah. You’re in pain, are you?" He asked worriedly.

"Just a little. I will be fine tomorrow. Don’t worry about me, Bang. You should worry about yourself. I guess it’s time for you to go to work." She reminded him.

As if struck by a lightning, Rausin stood upright… yet still naked. "Ya Allah, I almost forgot." He quickly dressed, drank a glass of water and ran out of the house but he returned a few seconds later to grab his golok. Without saying anything to Rogayah he flew away like a bird.

Rogayah sat on the divan alone, combing her hair, smiling to herself. Tonight was the best night she had ever been through in her life. She had been hesitated on giving herself away to someone she hardly knew. She had grown a sense of respect towards Rausin when she found out that he was one of the masked murderers. But after tonight, she knew that she had completely fallen in love with him. She would never regretted giving herself to him. She took a piece of paper that had been prepared by Rausin, and started to draw. "But above all, I have to keep my promise to him." She murmured. Mpok Ati who had waited patiently outside the house for quite a long time entered the house. Unknown to them, she had accidentally saw them making love, yet she discreetly retreated and sat outside of the house. She was very happy knowing that her son finally found someone to love, which could only mean one thing, a grandchild she’d been longing for long.

The dawn was just breaking when she heard footsteps closing in. Before she could move a strong hand grabbed her waist. She was about to let out a scream when the man whispered, "How’s my dear wife doing this morning?"

He let her go and chuckled, "I did surprised you, didn’t I?"

She threw herself into his arms, "Bang Usin!"

He didn’t give her a chance to say anymore words by taking her lips into his. He kissed her dearly this time, not passionately as he had done last night. As the kiss ended, Rausin looked at her more seriously.

"Rogayah, I hate to bring this up …… but I need the map fast."

"Something happened last night, Bang?" She asked worriedly.

He nodded and started relating his story.

"You know that after both Rozak and I got the job, we planned on taking Bek Yanto down. We finally decided to launch the attack on the first night we were on duty. So last night, Ali and five more men dressed in black attacked the warehouse. We fought as real as we could. When Bek Yanto and his friends joined us to fight them, we attacked them. We killed all of them and dressed them in our uniform. As we reported to Meneer Janssen, he was shocked to find that all this time it was Bek Yanto behind the mask. He then promoted me as the chief of guards. The new Bek will be coming this afternoon from Kampung Gula. Gayah, I need to have the full map soon. You see, we’re not only going to destroy the mansion, but we’re gonna take back what he had taken from us. I sent Marwan to Batavia yesterday to get information on the availability of Dutch officers and weaponry. He will be back this afternoon. Once I know the situation, we will plan the next move to get to Janssen and the plantation."

Rogayah nodded several times, as she understood the grave situation they were in now. "From your story, it sounds to me like you’re the leader of the masked murderers." Rogayah said finally.

"Does it?" That was all he said before leaving her. A minute later she heard the sound of water splashing from the back of the house. He was either taking water to wash himself before Shalat, or he was taking a bath. He looked exhausted. Rogayah thought it must have been a great fight last night. She never cared that much to a man before except for her father, but now she was dead worried about him. He could walked outside the house and found dead somewhere.

The sky was blue and beautiful. Rogayah and Katrina walked by the river again today. They picked some flowers too. Katrina’s face looked rather pink, making her looked fresher than yesterday. Rogayah too, she enjoyed talking with her. They had a lot in common. They both liked singing, sewing and cooking. They taught songs to each other and exchanged recipes.

Although they spent most of the morning time outside, they always got back home before eleven o’clock. The sun was too hot for Katrina after that time. By four o’clock in the afternoon they usually go outside once more, to play until sunset and it was time for Rogayah to get home. Katrina usually had her afternoon nap from two o’clock to four o’clock.

For two hours, Rogayah could do her detective work. Two hours were more than enough for her to remember 5 to 6 rooms with all the details. She would sit in one room and close her eyes trying to picture the rooms again. Then she would go and look again until she can remember all the rooms precisely.

It was almost dusk when Katrina finally let her go. She asked her to stay overnight, but Rogayah needed to confirm to Rausin first. She thought that the opportunity to finish the map was better if she had more time spent in the house alone. She could sneaked out at night to check on the rooms. So, Rogayah promised Katrina to be back after she asked permission to her husband.

Rausin was seen several meters away from the house when Rogayah got home. He was on the direction to Rozak’s house.

"Bang Usin, wait up." She shouted, running after him.

Rausin stopped and waited for her. "What’s wrong, Gayah?" He asked her when she got close.

Rogayah caught her breath , "Can I… can I stay overnight at the mansion? Katrina Janssen begged me to stay for the night."

Rausin remembered what he had seen in Janssen’s eyes when he had interviewed her for the job. He shook his head, "No. You have to be home with Mak." He said.

"But Bang, if I stay tonight, I can finish the map the day after tomorrow. Didn’t you say you need it soon?" She argued.

Rausin liked her for her intelligence, but he hated when a woman argued with him. "Rogayah, I said No. It’s not safe for you to stay there." He said with a deep, angry voice.

"Don’t talk to me about safety, ‘cause you don’t know what it means! If my father were looking for safety, Bang Usin, I would have married Lo Shen Hui that old chinese loan shark and I would never end up living in this pathetic village!" She cried and ran away, leaving Rausin alone watching her with his jaw dropped. Never before a woman spoke to him that way. He had been angry, but knowing her reasons to do what she wanted to do made him regret his words. But there was no time now, he had to go to work. He reminded himself to apologize to her later. "Young women!" he shook his head and continued walking.

He had so many things in his head now that the thought of Rogayah quickly faded away. Marwan had informed him about the situation at Batavia. The big city had been still, he said. The markets had been closed. The Chinese who survived the slaughter ran to Bekasi, a town near to their kampung. The Governor General of VOC had been commanded to report the incident to the Netherlands Government. He shook his head again as the images of his attack plan formed in his mind. He had to be patient and wait until Rogayah finished up the map. It was a good thing if she could finish it in the next two days, he thought.

Rogayah ran back to the house and told Mpok Ati that she would stay overnight at the mansion by request of Katrina Janssen. Mpok Ati didn’t have a chance to ask her anything else because she fled from the house in a hurry. She saw tracks of tears on her face. She suspected that she might have a dispute with Rausin. She sighed and prayed that Allah would protect her and her son.

It was 2 a.m. She had been going around the house bare-footed since 11 o’clock. Katrina had been asleep since 10 o’clock. The house was as quiet as a tomb that she had many chances to go from one room to the other without being noticed. She had drawn the map of about three-quarter of the house. She hid the map inside her bra. And went back to Katrina’s room to get some sleep. She was so happy that she didn’t notice the sound of footsteps from her back. She was at the backside of the house, near the maid quarters. She kept tiptoeing across the big inner hall when she heard a thunderous voice.

"What are you doing up this late of the night, chamber maid?"

Her heart shrunk as she realized whose voice it was. She turned back and faced the tall man.

"I.. I just came back from the washing room, Meneer." She answered groggily.

The Meneer didn’t answer her. Instead he looked at her with more and more interest. "Come closer, chamber maid. What’s your name again?" He was watching her intensely as if he could see what was behind her blouse. He licked his lips as he drew closer.

"Rogayah, Meneer." She was now feeling very afraid. She moved several steps back.

Suddenly he took her arm and pulled her closer. He tried to kiss her while still holding her arm with force. She winced in pain as he kept on squeezing the blood flow in her arms. She struggled to let go but he now used both hands to kept her.

"No! Let me go!." She screamed in fear. Her voice echoed through the hall. All maids were awaken and peeked from inside their quarters, but they were afraid to interfere. Rogayah’s screams continued echoing as Janssen managed to tore her clothes. She defended herself uselessly as his strong arms grabbed her breasts, tearing the bra open and squeezing them hard. She cried as she saw the map fell down to the floor behind him. She didn’t actually paid attention to what the Meneer was doing to her, she had lost hope of herself. But seeing the map flew away made her strength came back. As if getting a new strength she struggled more. The map was all she cared about. Suddenly she felt pain in her breast. She screamed in pain as she realized that the Meneer had beaten her nipples. She screamed, but this time the Meneer slapped her face hard to shut her up. She cried in pain. Her focus melted away as she felt his manhood penetrated her. She screamed and screamed in pain, and everytime she received blows on her face.

Her screams were heard until the Meneer’s bedroom, awakening his mistress. Mirah listened carefully, unsure of what she had heard. When she heard it again, she ran outside towards the noises. She was shocked as she saw the scene in front of her. Rogayah was naked on the floor, crying in pain. Blood was on her breasts and mouth. Her face was blue. She could hardly breath. While the Meneer was riding on top of her, thrusting his manhood into her in such a wild manner.

"STOP IT!!!" She screamed. Janssen was surprised to see her standing there. Janssen got mad because someone dared to ruin his fun.

"Get back to your bedroom, woman. Or do you prefer I do this to you?" He said in thunderous voice.

Mirah cringed in fear and ran back to her bedroom as fast as she could.

Katrina heard the noises but too afraid to open her bedroom door. She cried behind the door, realizing that Rogayah was no longer in her room. She regretted inviting her to spend the night in the mansion. She had a cynical attitude towards her father ever since he divorced her mother. But now, he hated him more than anything on earth.

Janssen finished his act in a devilish laugh of ecstasy. He pulled up his pants and spat on her before walking away from the hall, leaving her slumped on the floor.

As his footsteps were fading away, the doors of the maid quarters opened. One by one they came out and some took Rogayah in one of the rooms. The others gathered her torn clothes and the map inside the room. Some of them shed tears, regretting how they cowardly hid behind the doors watching a fellow servant being raped and abused.

Rausin and Rozak walked pass the cane plantation. The dawn was breaking and the sun was beginning to rise. The scenes were too beautiful to ignore, even for them. The air was fresh and they inhaled them deeply. They were having small conversations, but mainly it was Rozak who talked. He was happily talking about his newborn baby boy. Rausin patted his shoulder to congratulate him. They were still talking about the same subject as a man approached them from the village. From afar they can tell it was Ali. He waved to them and started to run.