Upon reaching the starting point, they entered and began their ascent. To their surprise, the area was teeming with climbers....at least around ninety people were already there.
"Wow, it's so crowded…" Dewi murmured, genuinely speechless that so many had gathered while it was still practically dawn.
"Don't these people ever sleep?" Fitri asked, a note of bewilderment in her voice.
"Perhaps they slept during the daytime," Dewi offered.
At the checkpoint, they registered themselves. They could choose to go solo or join a group. Group expeditions were typically arranged by private organizers and required a fee, whereas going independently was free, only requiring a nominal payment of around 10,000 rupiah for forest and mountain maintenance. Personal data was also crucial, as many had gone missing on the mountain; the rescue team needed to know whether a registered climber had returned home or was still inside. It was a mandatory measure for every hiker's safety.
"Would you like to join a group or go independently?" Dewi asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.
Fitri shot her a withering glare. "Did we come here to make acquaintances with strangers, or to spend time together?" Her voice rose slightly in irritation.
"Haha, I'm just joking jeez…" Dewi quickly headed to the registration post and signed both herself and Fitri up for an independent climb.
The guard on duty cautioned them, "Please be careful on the trail. Many have gotten lost, so stick to the path on this map. Don't go foolishly straying beyond the boundaries." He handed them a mountain map.
"Okaaay, sir."
The two of them set off, but before departing, they pressed their fists together and offered a prayer to the Bodhisattva for safety on the mountain.
".....…Sadhu."
—
On the trail, Fitri gazed up at the sky, overflowing with stars, and to the south, a crescent moon cast just enough light to illuminate the mountain path they trod. Dewi simply smiled, watching Fitri's beautiful face, which seemed to glow in the night. It was the first time Dewi had seen such a genuinely cheerful expression on her; at school, Fitri always wore the sullen, bad-girl mask.
"Beautiful…" Dewi breathed, utterly captivated by that radiant face. So captivated, in fact, that she lost focus on the path ahead. Her foot accidentally caught a slippery patch of ground, and down she fell. "Aucch..." a voice cried out from behind.
Fitri spun around in shock and immediately rushed to help her. "Darling… are you okay? Is anything scraped?" she asked, her voice tight with sudden panic and worry.
Dewi only smiled, then reached up and pinched Fitri's nose. "I'm fine… You don't need to fret," she answered, getting back on her feet.
Fitri, who had been somewhat tense, felt a wave of relief. But as Dewi stood, she began to laugh… Hahahaha.
Fitri didn't understand what was so funny and felt a little offended. "Why are you laughing? I was worried about you. I'm your girlfriend, am I not allowed to be worried?"
She's so incredibly cute when she's angry.
Dewi kept laughing… A few moments later, her mirth gradually subsided. Once she'd regained control of herself, she reached out and picked a smudge of mud from Fitri's nose. After flicking the dirt away, she retrieved a tissue from her pocket and gently wiped Fitri's nose clean. "Your nose was dirty… Sorry…" Dewi said, barely containing a fresh wave of giggles.
Fitri just huffed, "Hmphh," in a tone of mild annoyance.
Then they continued their journey. On Fitri's wristwatch, it showed 5 a.m. The edge of the sun was beginning to appear in the east, its light growing quite bright, while the western sky remained pitch black, the moon already shifted to the other side of the earth. In the area where Dewi and Fitri walked, the sunlight had not yet reached.
Two hours into the trek, they decided to take a rest, especially after Dewi noticed Fitri's steps becoming slightly unbalanced, a sign of growing fatigue.
"Let's rest here for now, then we'll continue. Looking at the map, this isn't a path frequented by others, so no one should pass this way," Dewi said.
Indeed, they had veered southward about a kilometer from the main trail. It was unlikely, even impossible, for anyone else to come here. The area was wide open, with no trees growing, just hard, barren earth so it's looking perfect for a rest.
Since it was morning, they didn't even need to set up a tent. The sky was fully visible above them.
"Is this a clearing? Why are there no trees at all? It's so different from everywhere else, which is all forest. Look up, we can even see the sky as if we're at the beach, without a single tree in sight," Fitri mused, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
"Who knows. But it's none of our concern. Let's just rest. I've laid out the mat, so you can lie down here," Dewi said.
Fitri immediately let her body drop onto the mat, sprawling out to sleep, while Dewi simply watched her and began brewing some tea. "Don't just flop down like that.... your body will ache. This isn't a mattress," Dewi chided gently.
They rested for at least three hours, in no hurry whatsoever, soaking in the atmosphere of the forest and mountain one hundred percent.
After a good while, Fitri stirred from her slumber. "Aaawww, what time is it now…." She yawned, then checked her watch.
"Babe , didn't you sleep…? I see you sitting up… it's same as before i sleep" she asked and kinda confused.
Dewi didn't answer... instead, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Fitri's cheek.
Fitri's cheeks flushed instantly. she was slightly startled but undeniably pleased. After a long, quiet pause, Dewi finally spoke, "Shall we continue the journey? I suspect it will take us quite a while to reach the summit…" She estimated they would need around three days to make it to the top.
Fitri answered, "I don't mind. As long as I'm with you, I don't care. In fact, I'm happy to spend time like this, just the two of us… Because at university, you're always hanging out with Sebastian and umm....someone else, I forget who that was.....so I never get to spend time with you like this." That explanation made Dewi's heart blossom with a thousand flowers; she had long yearned to hear such beautiful words.
Dewi then embraced her, and Fitri returned the hug. They held each other for a long, long time....at least fifteen minutes. After that extended embrace, they packed up their things and returned to the main trail, continuing their journey. It was already 10 a.m., and they still hadn't reached the second marker.