Chapter 1
"Seeing foreign tourists, he said he was very handsome and very different from people who had come before." Shouted one of them for a moment stopped to tell what he heard.
"Aren't you used to seeing foreign tourists?" he shouted confused remembering that their place was usually frequented by foreigners from foreign countries.
"This time is different, he said he was very handsome. He is also tall and has a sweet smile. " He shouted again and then again ran fast.
Their place which is the location of the largest castle in the world made many foreigners come to visit the place. The fort was called the Fort of the Palace of Buton, because its location on the top of a high hill with a fairly steep slope allows this place as the best place of defense in his day.
This is what makes many foreigners come to simply learn about history and are interested because of the beautiful view of the fort at night. Hearing what his friend said, he became a little interested to come with them. With his legs still short, he ran running around his friends.
"Zhafira... Where are you going? Don't play far away!" his mother shouted to the girl who seemed to be getting a little distant.
"Yeah ma... I'm just near the fort anyway!" he shouted before returning to run after his friends.
"Look, there he is!" one of his friends shouted to a man holding a camera with a slightly flashy appearance. The day was quite bright and blazing, while he was wearing all-black clothing with a long black robe that covered part of his body. His black hat also made him slightly covered by the scorching sun at that time.
"You guys are very excited, want to come sit with me? I need friends to enjoy this sight. " He called on the edge of the fort in a soft, distinctive voice. The Indonesian language sounds a little strange to the children
"Would want!!" they said one by one with enthusiasm. Without Without further ado, a.s.sisted by the man one by one they sat sweetly beside him. Only one child seemed hesitant to approach him. Zhafira felt that something was different from that person, but he could not be sure about what he felt.
"Ummm... You don't like me?" he asked with a slight bow looking closely at the child.
Zhafira shook her head slowly because she did not want to be rude to him. All the children around the fort were taught to be polite to all of them, but they were also warned not to just follow and accept their gifts.
"Then why don't you join together with your friends?" he asked again with one glance at his friends who were already sitting comfortably.
"Zhafira... Come here!" one of his friends quickly called Zhafira.
"Oh.. So your name is Zhafira? Beautiful name!" he said with a smile so charming. When viewed closely, the man had 3 star-shaped moles on his right cheek which made him even more charming.
"Sorry... But I'm a little afraid of you. Little sister is a little weird! " he said innocently immediately what he thought.
"Strange? I'm not a bad person. Look, there are a lot of people around here. I can't possibly do something bad to you guys. " He said to convince the child.
For some reason the boy made him a little interested because he could simply say something like that to the first person he met. However, children at this age can usually be straightforward with what they think.
"Is it true?" he said, starting to falter a little with what he said.
"Of course it's true!" the man answered confidently. "So, do you also want to take pictures with me?" he asked again in a very warm voice.
Zhafira nodded slowly and smiled sweetly, making him look very happy to see her. Zhafira finally ran to his friends cheerfully, who were also warmly welcomed by them.
"Oh yeah, what's your name? You look a little different from other tourists. " asked one of the boys who were curious about the man's name.
"Oh... Yes, I almost forgot to tell you my name. My name is Song, I'm Korean. You must meet tourists more often from the west, so you see me a little different from them. " The answer then stopped at an ancient anchor place believed to be from a Portuguese s.h.i.+p not far from the grand mosque of the buton palace.
The man eagerly invited the children to take a photo again at the bottom of the anchor. They then walked again and found a pineapple-shaped stone not far from the grave of the sultans of the buton palace.
"Do you know anything about this? I always see pineapple-shaped stone statues in almost every street or place in this city, what is the meaning of this pineapple symbol? " Song asked them all hopefully.
"Uma said, Pineapples are fruit plants that can live in all places such as in fertile or barren land. The aroma is very fragrant and has a pretty sweet taste, also has th.o.r.n.y leaves - thorns. " One of them answered with such enthusiasm.
"In addition, because pineapples grow around the fort, in addition to being used as pineapple pet plants it is also used as a fortress." Add another to show some of the plants that are around there.
"Uma?" Song seemed to narrow his eyes not understanding who was meant by the boy.
"Uma is a nickname for grandfather in Buton language. We used to call grandfather by that name. " Answer the others again with a sweet smile.
The man nodded understanding and laughed a little slowly listening to their explanation which sounded very adorable and funny.
"Don't you have the guidebook? There it is explained in more detail about the meaning of each part of the pineapple. " Zhafira asked Song who was holding the manual.
"Yes, it is true, but I think it would be more interesting to hear it from you guys directly. Especially if the ones giving the explanation are smart and beautiful kids like you all. " Praise Song to those who immediately make them smile shyly about it.
They took a picture together and accompanied the tourists around from the initial entrance to the castle to the twelve castle gates that were there tirelessly. Those who do not know the place will be very tired if they have to go around the place, but the children know a shortcut that can make them around it easily.