The king suddenly stood up, in a firm voice, he said "We must raise taxes from the people and increase the hours of work for farmers to harvest crops, this war has made us in the ravages and famines. We must immediately seek. How do you think? " the king asked the meeting participants.
Immediately the hall of royal assembly became noisy. Some agree, some do not.
The chief adviser to the irate-looking king, said, "No, my lord, it can lead to rebellion from our own people!"
"Then what do you suggest?" asked the king, frowning.
"Behind the hill is a house only inhabited by a mother and a daughter, from the news that I get, every year, their harvest exceeds the harvest of the fields run by five men, we should visit there to ask their secrets," replied the advisor.
"But is not that the Witch's house !?" said a noble.
"Do not accuse people only on the issue! Tomorrow we are there, but if the news about the harvest is proven to be a lie then I think the Counselor has agreed with my decision," said the king.
"Very good, my lord," the counselor replied.
Upon arrival of the king, advisors and some soldiers in the house, the mother and daughter immediately welcomed and entertained the king's entourage with various delicacies as they both knew that the day the king would visit his home. After the meal, the king asked about the secret of his farming success. Then the king and the counselor went around by the mother. Arriving behind the house, the King was surprised to see two animals he had never seen before. The animal that was pulling the cart was big, the skin reddish-brown, the fur was white and horned. In the pond next to the grain area there are also two more who are soaking.
"O king, these buffalo are the ones who have helped me," the mother explained. "How did you get them and how did I get them?" asked the king.
The mother smiled and then replied,
"After my husband died in the war, I had a hard time living with my daughter one night, until one night I dreamed that a white-robed man who gave me the buffaloes came in. As soon as they woke up in the morning they were in my yard, the king might take them, but on one condition, treat it as much as I take care of them.They have to be bathed, fed green grass and made pools or taken to the river when they feel hot or tired because they keep working, "said the mother. The king nodded his approval.
"Remember the king, if you and your people violate this requirement, you will be cursed with the curse of time, you will work as if imprisoned from morning until evening beyond the working buffalo, even you will find food no matter time beyond the buffalo," continued the mother.
"Well, I accept that condition," replied the king.
The king returned to the palace carrying two female buffalo and one male buffalo. While one male buffalo again live with the mother.
Three years later, suddenly the mother had been in the courtyard of the palace with her male buffalo. Soon the king came out of the palace to greet the mother. On the king's mother expressed the purpose of his arrival, "Last week I went back to dreaming, the cloaked man asked me to bring my buffalo to mate with my mate first." "All right, but you stay here, get some rest, let my soldiers carrying my cart to the fields meet their mates," said the king. the mother agreed. Shortly thereafter, the male buffalo sounded crying while running in front of the palace.
The mother was surprised to see his male bulls staring blankly at him while shedding tears. Then the mother ran to the king's field. The buffalo belonging to the king who has breeding has changed his skin color to black. full of mud. there is no pool of clean water there, only a pool. some buffalo boys are forced to pull carts, some plow the ground even in the middle of the hot sun. The buffaloes were constantly whipped up with whip when stopped in exhaustion.
The mother then ran to the cage, her hands grab dry grass and throw it here and there. There is no green grass there. His heart seemed to break. He was very disappointed in the king.
Suddenly the sky became cloudy. the wind was blowing hard. People are running.
The king who could not say anything else could only see the mother walking home with her male buffalo.
"O king, the curse of time for you and your people has begun ..." until midnight the king was still afraid of the mother's threat.
Suddenly the king fell asleep. In his dream, the king saw his people no longer working with buffalo, but worked with various iron boxes and clothes that he had never seen in his life. The people continue to work, work and work. Some are from morning to evening. Some even work day and night. The worker was afraid of being late. Despite wanting to come home early to rest, they still can not.
The king is increasingly inexplicable when he sees someone who laughs for giving pain to other people's body parts with his limbs. The pain recipient is considered to be working as well.
"The buffalo just does not do it to each other, it's karma, is this the curse of time?" the king is delirious. his body has been wet with sweat.
Soon the King woke up. He feels very sorry for not fulfilling the buffalo right that has helped him work and bring it back to the top of prosperity.
Now, buffalo has black color, no longer white, time can not be repeated again. time that will continue to condemn humans to imprison by time. Works beyond buffalo. []
Sang raja tiba-tiba bangkit berdiri, dengan suara tegas, dia berkata "Kita harus menaikkan pajak dari rakyat dan menambah jam kerja bagi petani agar hasil panen bisa berlipat. Perang kali ini telah membuat kita berada dalam kehancuran dan bencana kelaparan. Kita harus segera mencari jalan keluarnya. Bagaimana pendapat kalian?" tanya sang raja pada peserta rapat.
Seketika itu aula pertemuan kerajaan menjadi riuh. Ada yang setuju, ada yang tidak.
Penasehat utama raja yang tampak gusar, berkata, "Jangan, tuanku. itu bisa menimbulkan pemberontakan dari rakyat kita sendiri!"
"Lalu apa usulmu?" tanya raja sambil mengerutkan kening.
"Di balik bukit terdapat sebuah rumah yang hanya dihuni oleh seorang ibu dan seorang anak perempuannya, dari kabar yang kudapat, setiap tahun, panen mereka melebihi panen dari ladang yang dikelola oleh lima lelaki. sebaiknya kita berkunjung kesana untuk menanyakan rahasia mereka," jawab sang penasehat.
"Tapi, bukankah itu rumah si penyihir wanita!?" sahut seorang bangsawan.
"Jangan menuduh orang hanya berdasarkan isu! Besok kita kesana. Tapi kalau kabar tentang panen itu terbukti bohong maka saya anggap Penasehat telah setuju dengan keputusanku," sahut raja.
"Baik, tuanku," jawab penasehat.
Setiba raja, penasehat dan beberapa prajurit di rumah itu, si ibu dan anak perempuannya langsung menyambut dan menjamu rombongan raja dengan berbagai makanan lezat seolah mereka berdua telah tahu bahwa hari itu raja akan berkunjung ke rumahnya.
Selesai makan, raja bertanya tentang rahasia kesuksesan bertani pada si ibu itu.
Kemudian dibawalah raja dan penasehat berkeliling oleh si ibu. Setiba di belakang rumah, Raja merasa terkejut melihat dua binatang yang belum pernah dilihatnya. Binatang yang sedang menarik gerobak itu bertubuh besar, kulitnya coklat kemerah-merahan, bulunya putih dan bertanduk. Di kolam samping lahan gandum pun terdapat dua ekor lagi yang sedang berendam.
"Wahai raja, kerbau-kerbau inilah yang selama ini membantuku," si ibu menjelaskan.
"Bagaimana engkau mendapatkan mereka dan bagaimana pula caranya agar aku bisa mendapatkannya?" tanya raja.
Si ibu tersenyum dan kemudian menjawab,
"Setelah suamiku mati dalam perang. Bertahun aku hidup susah bersama putriku. Hingga pada suatu malam aku bermimpi didatangi seorang lelaki berjubah putih yang menitipkan kerbau-kerbau itu padaku. Begitu bangun pagi, mereka telah ada di halaman rumahku. Boleh saja raja mengambil mereka, tapi dengan satu syarat, rawatlah seperti aku merawat mereka. Mereka harus dimandikan, diberi makan rumput hijau serta dibuatkan kolam atau dibawa ke sungai ketika mereka merasa kepanasan atau penat karena terus bekerja," ujar si ibu. Raja pun mengangguk tanda setuju.
"Ingatlah wahai raja, apabila engkau dan rakyatmu melanggar syarat ini, kalian akan dikutuk dengan kutukan waktu. Kalian akan bekerja seolah terpenjara dari pagi hingga petang melebihi kerbau bekerja. Bahkan kalian akan mencari makan tak peduli waktu melebihi kerbau," lanjut si ibu.
"Baiklah, saya terima syarat itu," jawab sang raja.
Raja pun akhirnya kembali ke istana dengan membawa dua kerbau betina dan satu kerbau jantan. Sedangkan satu kerbau jantan lagi tinggal bersama si ibu.
Tiga tahun kemudian, tiba-tiba si ibu telah berada di halaman istana bersama kerbau jantan miliknya.
Tak lama kemudian raja keluar istana menyambut si ibu. Pada raja si ibu mengutarakan maksud kedatangannya, "Minggu lalu aku kembali bermimpi, lelaki berjubah itu memintaku agar membawa kerbau jantan milikku ini untuk kukawinkan dengan pasanganya dulu."
"Baiklah. Tapi kau di sini saja. istirahatlah dulu. biar prajuritku yang membawa kerbaumu ke ladang menemui pasangannya," pinta raja. si ibu pun setuju.
Tak lama kemudian, terdengar suara kerbau jantan seolah menangis sambil berlarian di hadapan istana.
Si ibu terkejut melihat Kerbau jantan miliknya menatap kosong ke arahnya sambil menitikkan airmata. Kemudian si ibu berlari ke ladang milik raja. Kerbau milik raja yang telah beranak pinak itu telah berubah warna kulitnya menjadi hitam. penuh lumpur. tak ada kolam air bersih di sana, yang ada hanya kubangan. beberapa anak kerbau dipaksa menarik gerobak, ada yang membajak tanah meski di tengah terik mentari. Kerbau-kerbau itu terus saja dipecut dengan reranting ketika berhenti karena kelelahan.
Si ibu kemudian berlari ke kandang, tangannya mengambil rerumputan kering dan melemparnya kesana-kemari. Tidak ada rumput hijau di sana. Hatinya seolah pecah. Dia teramat kecewa pada raja.
Tiba-tiba langit menjadi mendung. angin bertiup kencang. Orang-orang pun berlarian.
Raja yang tak bisa berkata apa-apa lagi hanya bisa melihat si ibu berjalan pulang bersama kerbau jantannya.
"Wahai raja, kutukan waktu untukmu dan rakyatmu telah di mulai..." hingga tengah malam raja masih saja merasa takut pada ancaman si ibu itu.
Tiba-tiba raja tertidur. Dalam mimpinya, raja melihat rakyatnya tidak lagi bekerja dengan kerbau, namun bekerja dengan berbagai kotak besi dan pakaian yang belum pernah ia lihat seumur hidupnya. Rakyatnya itu terus saja bekerja, bekerja dan bekerja. Ada yang dari pagi hingga sore. Ada yang malah bekerja siang dan malam. Pekerja itu takut terlambat. Meski ingin pulang lebih cepat untuk istirahat, mereka tetap tidak bisa.
Raja semakin tak habis pikir ketika melihat seseorang yang tertawa karena telah memberi rasa sakit pada bagian tubuh orang lain dengan anggota tubuhnya. Penerima rasa sakit itu dianggap bekerja pula.
"Kerbau saja tidak melakukan itu kepada sesamanya. Ini karma. inikah kutukan waktu?" raja mengigau. tubuhnya telah basah dengan keringat.
Tak lama kemudian, Raja terbangun. Ia merasa sangat menyesal karena tidak memenuhi hak kerbau yang telah membantunya bekerja dan membawanya kembali ke puncak kemakmuran.
Kini, kerbau telah berwarna hitam, tak lagi putih, waktu pun tak bisa diulang kembali. waktu yang akan terus mengutuk manusia agar terpenjara oleh waktu. Bekerja melebihi kerbau.[]