Komo & Kimi, My Two Water Buffalos

(This is a story based on my own experience when I was at 5th grade, elementary school, in Urung Panei, North Sumatra). 

No school today. Holidays. In a month, I will be in my new class, 5th grade.

"Go take care our buffalo, Nang", said my dad.

"Yes Dad", I say, as I start walking out side to the corner of our house to find my boots.

This morning, as usual, is cold. The temperature is around 16 degrees Celcius.

The sun is just rising at the east side of our village, above the tip of the mountain, Simajarunjung. It spreads its magnificent golden rays to the whole area as far as I can see. Its expanse light is still soft at this early hour, not yet enough to warm me up.

I need my jacket too. I already put on my long pants. All my stuffs that I need to put on to go tethering our buffalos are in this corner.

During school holidays, my dad relies on me to tethering our two buffalos, Komo and Kimi. Komo is a male and Kimi is a female.

Taking with me two rolls of buffalo ropes, I walk toward where Komo and Kimi are, at the back of our house. They notice that I am coming. Both of them are already standing up. During the night, buffalos spend most of their time sitting on the ground while chewing their food they collect during the day.

Komo and Kimi are looking at me. They know it is time to go to Pea Pea. They often spend their days there. It is a swampy area eastward, about 0.5 km away from our home.

"Alright guys", I say to both of them, "Get ready, we are leaving now." They both move their head slightly, calmly staring at me as if to say, "Alright, let's go."

"Komo," I say, "This is your rope, let me fixt it. Stay still!" I pull him a meter away and ask him to stay.

"Kimi, come here", Kimi knows that she too, needs her rope the way Komo does.

Pulling Kimi next to Komo, the three of us start walking out side, we are leaving our yard, on to the street. I walk slightly in the middle, in front of Komo and Kimi, each of my hand holding their ropes.

"Where is your dad, Paul?" asked a neighbor who is going to the warung down there, "Usually, it is your dad who takes the buffalos."

"My dad is on his way to Rom, Opung," I said, "He needs to buy some farming-materials at a shop there."

"Alright Nang, alright. Go tether your buffalos, go...!" said that Opung while continuing her walk toward the warung.

We keep on walking up hill toward Pea Pea. The sun is getting higher above the mountain. It is a little warmer now, too. Both Komo and Kimi, every time they inhale, soon they exhale smoky breath into the air. I do too, but since my mouth and nose are way smaller than theirs, the amount of my smoky exhaling breath is way less than theirs.

It does happen if you live in a cold temperature the way I do. Living beings such as human or water buffalo, exhales smoky breath into the air after inhaling oxygen (O2). Living beings releasing carbon dioxide when exhaling their breath. This C02 (carbon dioxide) mixed with air, it causes a smoky formation due the condensation process.

"Soon, we will get there, guys," I said to Komo and Kimi who obediently following me behind. They both are patient big four legs pet. They need grasses as their staple, every day.

"Where do you want to stay for today Komo?", I ask Komo who just tease Kimi with his horns.

"Komo, stop doing that! Stop Komo!" I don't want Komo to mess the rope. It happened before. He teased Kimi and her rope ended up entangled on Komo's horns.

"You better behave, Komo!" I continue. "You can't just do what you want to do. Don't mess your rope up, or Kimi's. Understand?"

Komo and Kimi communicate with me mostly with and through their eyes and body gestures. I talk to them and they response me using their eyes.

We are now in Pea Pea.

"Stay still Kimi!", I say to Kimi while tethering Komo.

At one end of the rope, while the other tied to a ring on the nose of the buffalo, the rope is tied to a pago-pago, (usually made of strong wood with sharp end at the bottom). I need to plug this pago-pago into the ground so to keep the buffalo stays at only particular place depend on the length of its rope.

Both Komo and Kimi have about 10 meters rope. They can move around in circle, 10 meters away from their pago-pagos.

"Alright, Komo. You are done. Enjoy your day, okay?" I say while Kimi and I leave him there.

I have to take Kimi at least 11 meters away from Komo. To be safe, I usually make it about 15 to 20 meters away.

You don't want both of them to get in trouble and even in danger by tethering their pago-pagos closed to each other. No. No. No. That is such a big No.

During the day, they both walk around in centrifugal pattern with the pago-pago as its axis. If they both tethered next to each other, their ropes most likely will be tangled and tangled. All unnecessary things can happen after that. So, avoid tethering buffaloes next to each other which makes their ropes tangling.

Done taking caring Kimi.

"Alright Kimi, you behave, okay? Pay attention to Komo, don't do something stupid." I say to Kimi and ready to leave them there. Once, in the evening, I found Kimi already untethered. She, somehow, pulled her pago-pago. That's was not a good thing at all. Luckily, she didn't wander, she was still there, eating grass.

They are happy now, already enjoying their fresh meal. The sun is getting higher. It is warmer too.

I walk home. Soon, I will be having my breakfast too.***

You are welcome visiting my YouTube Channel at: https://www.youtube.com/@paulinasihaloho2899, where I also share my thoughts and perspectives on various subjects.