Lumpur identik dengan kata kotor, bau dan menjijikkan. Tak khayal jika banyak orang menghindarinya.
A man in mud
Namun tidak dengan masyarakat desa Alue Ie Mirah kec. Tanah Jambo Aye, Aceh Utara. Di masa krisis ekonomi dan pekerjaan karena sedang tidak musim sawah, para anak muda mengisi waktu kosongnya dengan mencari pendapatan di dalam lumpur. Aneh? Tidak bagi mereka. Justru ini dianggap sebagai sesuatu yang mengasyikkan.
Apa yang mereka cari? Emang ada berlian di lumpur?
Berlian. Itulah yang ada dalam anggapan mereka.
Beberapa tahun lalu, pernah ada usaha budidaya lele dumbo di desa ini. Sudah dipanen beberapa kali dan kemudian tidak melanjutkan program yang padahal mampu meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat. Malam itu, tidak sengaja seorang pemuda melihat lele berukuran sangat besar di kolam berlumpur depan rumahku. Lantas mereka berencana untuk kembali memanen lele esok hari, setidaknya masih ada sisa-sisa usaha dulu.
Dengan mesin air pinjaman, mereka membuang air kolam itu sehingga hanya tersisa lumpur. Beberapa ikan kecil meloncat menandakan masih ada harapan. Mereka segera memanennya walau tahu hasilnya mustahil maksimal. Kebanyakan dari ikan yang bermukim disana adalah ikan gabus, sangat sedikit lele tersisa.
Tidak sia-sia, benar saja ada ikan lele dumbo yang masih bersarang disana dan sudah sangat besar. Lele ini berukuran sekitar 1 meter dengan berat 5 Kg. Karena letaknya yang di pinggir jalan, nyaris membuat para pegendara yang lewat berhenti ingin menyaksikan. Fenomena ini jarang didapatkan, walaupun ada yang lebih besar di daerah lain.
Para pemburu lele sangat senang dan melanjutkan aksinya penuh semangat. Di tengah aksi, tiba-tiba ada ular melintas di sela-sela rumput pinggir kolam. Mereka menganggap ini biasa dan tidak panik. Ular diletakkan di tengah jalan berharap akan mati dengan sendirinya dengan dilindas kendaraan.
Pemburuan lele dumbo disudahi sekitar pukul 6 sore menjelang magrib. Walaupun hasil yang didapat memang jauh dari harapan, mereka seolah-olah sudah mendapatkan berlian. Wajah lelah bersinar diiringi tawa riang menghiasi wajah tampan itu. Ditambah lagi dengan keseruan berada di lumpur seperti mengingat kisah masa kecil dulu.
Kalau mereka hijrah ke steemit dan menceritakan kisahnya, mungkin akan hidupnya akan lebih sejahtera.
English
Mud close with the word dirty, smelly and disgusting. Unimaginable if many people avoid it.
But not with the village community in Alue Ie Mirah kec. Tanah Jambo Aye, North Aceh. In times of economic crisis and employment due to the lack of wet season, the youth spend their empty time by looking for income in the mud. Strange? Not for them. Precisely this is regarded as something exciting.
What are they looking for? Is there a diamond in the mud?
Diamond. That's what they think.
A few years ago, there was once a dumbo catfish farming business in this village. It has been harvested several times and then does not continue the program which is capable of improving the welfare of the community. That night, unintentionally a young man saw a very large catfish in a muddy pond in front of my house. Then they plan to re-harvest catfish tomorrow, at least there are still remnants of business first.
With a water-borrowed machine, they dump the pool water so that only mud remains. Some small fish jumping indicates there is hope. They immediately harvest it even though the result is impossible. Most of the fish that live there are cork fish, very few catfish left.
Not in vain, really there is a dumbo catfish that still nest there and it is very big. This catfish is about 1 meter long and weighs 5 Kg. Because of its location on the side of the road, almost made the passing pegendara stop want to watch. This phenomenon is rarely found, although there are larger ones in other areas.
The catfish hunters are very happy and continue the action full of spirit. In the middle of the action, suddenly there was a snake passing through the poolside grass. They assume this is normal and not panic. Snake placed in the middle of the road hoping to die by itself with the run over by vehicles.
Hunting dumbo catfish is stopped at around 6 pm before sunset. Although the results obtained are far from expectations, they seem to have got a diamond. The tired face shone with a gleeful laugh that graced the handsome face. Coupled with the excitement of being in the mud like remembering the story of childhood first.
If they migrate to steemit and tell their story, maybe their life will be more prosperous.