The False Matador

"Brothers! Gentlemen! Moms! Brothers and Sisters! Come on, watch the matador show this afternoon at Tambakrejo Field! Bullfighting matador attraction! Yes, bullfighting bullfighters! A very tense show!" the sound came from a pickup truck driving around carrying a large banner, with a picture of a bullfighter fighting a bull. Cipo along with Jalu and Ndul-ndul followed the car on their small bicycles. Of course they would whine to their parents to see the traveling bullfighter show. "Let's just invite our parents, the show must be very crowded," said Jalu.

When he got home, Cipo told his father about the traveling matador show. "Itinerant bullfighter? This is the first time I've heard of a traveling bullfighter!" said Cipo's father as he put down his air rifle. Cipo took the air rifle and took aim at a small guava that was hoisted high on the turtledove's hoist. "The traveling circus does exist, but how come the traveling bullfighter sounds foreign to the ear."

"We'd better prove it, Dad!" Cipo said. "Perhaps I can cover it for the Criminol magazine!" Jret! The guava fell by his shot.

His father frowned, Cipo laughed triumphantly. "Ah, don't be proud just yet. The guava fell because it had been hit by me several times. Just a small gust of wind will surely fall!"

"Father, how about being chivalrous?" murmured Cipo. His father was a shooter, although he had never brought home a medal. Cipo has been practicing shooting with an air rifle since the first grade of elementary school, so it has been almost five years Cipo's father's job as a journalist and photographer for the capital's newspaper. So, if Cipo becomes a little journalist, it is not a strange thing, because someone is guiding him. In the afternoon they went to the indicated field. Quite far from their home. Cipo has brought his camera and mini handycam. It is a very interesting spectacle. But don't imagine a bull fighting bullfighter, this is nothing more than a circus. Matador is only served as a closing show. A bullfighter wearing a red cloth angers a cow with horns arching forward. The cow, which was scary at first, was finally weakened by the sword of the bullfighter.

Seeing the incident, Cipo's father commented, "It doesn't make sense, a cow that big can limp with just one stab with a small sword!"

Cipo once saw people slaughter cows, it takes a lot of people to slaughter cows. But, why is the big cow so weak, Cipo mumbled. But the cheers of the audience obscured the awkwardness. The matador show is considered successful because the audience is satisfied. "The matador show is only a handful, but why is the bullfighter advertising so big?" Cipo grumbled.

"Maybe that's how the audience was sucked in, so they managed to make a lot of money!" replied his father.

The matador's appearance also attracted the attention of the audience, because so far the matador shows have only been in mainland Europe, especially Spain. Could it be because of globalization that the show has spread to all corners of the world? Now Cipo is concentrating on getting the matador's data, so he approaches one of the show's crew. "What's the matador's name, sir?"

"Juan Perez!"

"Is it Spanish?" asked Cipo.

"Well, for that I can't answer. You better ask immigration biro, ha-ha-ha!" replied the man with a laugh. "You false matador!" Cipo grumbled in his heart. Anyone can grumble, but for most viewers it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if it's a cow, a buffalo, or a bull, it doesn't matter, the important thing is that there is entertainment. It is possible that the person answered with the origin of the Spanish name. But I don't know, if the bullfighter is just a foreigner, a fake Caucasian! Only her hair is dyed! How about his blue eyes? It can also be tricked by wearing blue contact lenses! Could it be that the matadors are only local people? As soon as Cipo managed to approach the matador his suspicions disappeared. It turned out to be Caucasian and native to Spain. His name is also correct: Juan Perez.

That night, around one o'clock in the evening a large drum sounded: Dung! Dung! Dung! With a rather long sound distance. Cipo wakes up. "What's that sound, Dad?" asked Cipo with his eyes closed.

"Big drums that are pounded one by one with a long sound distance is a sign that there is a cow thief," replied his father. Cipo got out of bed when he saw his father wearing a jacket about to leave the house.

"I'm coming, Dad!"

"Shh, you stay home!" her mother said.

But his father told him to immediately put on a jacket, the air that night was so cold. When they came out of the house they saw some people rushing towards the east. "What's the matter, sir?" his father asked a passerby. In the dim night, Cipo didn't really know the person's face, but judging by his voice, it seemed that Uncle Dur was.

"Mr Cardov's cow is loss!"

"Wow, there's another cow thief!" cried Cipo's father. Indeed, some time ago there had been theft of cows in another village. Cipo and his father went to Mr. Cardov's house, and there were already a lot of people there. Some people went to track by motorbike, and some went to the police station. A few moments later several policemen came to Mr. Cardov's house. Cipo already knew the faces of the police officers because he often had to deal with them to get news. There were First Brigadier Sanusi, First Brigadier Andi, and First Brigadier Anwar.

"We've noticed since there was a traveling matador show that there have been several cow thefts in our area," said Brigadier Sanusi.

"That seems to be the case," replied one resident.

"But what does that have to do with it? Maybe just a coincidence," the other said.

"Who was the first to know that the cow in the barn was missing?" asked Brigadier Sanusi.

"I'm, sir. Then I was about to feed the cows," replied Mr. Cardov sadly. "As usual, in the middle of the night I often control the cow while feeding it hay." Then Mr. Cardov told that when he left the house, he saw that the latch of the barn was open, and that his cow, named Si Belang, had loss. Even though Mr. Cardov had two cows, why did he take only one? With the cage door open, it must not come off by itself, but someone accidentally opened it! Until a few days people were still busy talking about cow thieves, rivaling their talk of traveling bullfighters. Cipo felt sorry for Mr. Cardov because the cows were the partner of Brown, who was used to plow the fields and pull carts. Now what can Mr. Cardov do to support his family? Moreover, the cow plow has a new competitor, namely the motorized plow.

"How, sir! Have the police got a clear abaut the thief?" asked Cipo when he met Mr. Cardov.

"No word from the police yet. My brothers and I tracked it down to animal markets, but haven't found any track," replied Mr. Cardov sadly.

So far, those who have lost large livestock such as cows and buffaloes have always tried to trace their wealth in the animal market. But it's also just luck. There are also those who managed to find the cow or buffalo again in the animal market. But that was months after the cow went missing, and the cow had changed owner several times. So it was not the thief who brought the stolen cow to the animal market, but the merchant who bought the stolen cow. But the merchant was also arrested as a collector of stolen goods.

Mr. Soku, the editor-in-chief of the Kriminol magazine, contacted Cipo via SMS, asking if there was any news that could be published in his magazine. Because the Kriminol magazine is ready to be published. Cipo replied by calling Mr. Soku, that he was waiting for news of the cow theft. "Don't be too long, because your writing hasn't appeared in several months!"

"Can I be silly, without something real?" Cipo replied. Mr. Soku is impatient, often chasing news from him. Moreover, he considered Cipo's writings to be able to give more value to the magazine. In fact, his writings have been serialized.

Sunday morning, because he was thinking about the cow theft case, Cipo deliberately walked down the street. He walked a long way while carrying a camera. Arriving at the market in Tugo Village, a village that is in the same sub-district as his village, Cipo saw a Caucasian grandfather busy painting the market. He stopped and saw the Caucasian grandfather painting, then he took out his camera and took a picture of the old painter.

"Wow, you like photography, don't you!" who is the Caucasian grandfather?

Cipo laughed, "Sorry. I didn't ask permission first."

"Oh, for something like that you don't have to ask permission. If you ask permission later I'll even style, and that's not natural anymore. Hey, huh?" said the Caucasian grandfather. "I painted those market people also didn't ask permission," said the old man, pointing to the people in the market.

"Thank you." Cipo also did not expect Caucasians to be fluent in Indonesian. "I'm studying to be a journalist, Grandpa!" said Cipo later.

"Good," said the Caucasian grandfather while stopping his activities. The old man clapped his hands at the drink vendor while holding up two fingers. Then the merchant brought two soft drinks, one of which was offered to Cipo. "Let's drink, I think you are very thirsty!" The painter's grandfather introduced himself, his name was Cartenz from Spain. Cipo remembered the traveling matador show. Is it just a coincidence, if in the sub-district there are currently two Caucasians who both come from Spain. Juan Perez the matador and Grandpa Cartenz?

"How long has Grandpa been painting, since childhood?"

"Not! I only paint when I don't play with bulls anymore." The answer, of course, surprised Cipo.

"Not playing bull anymore?"

"Yes, I'm a former bullfighter," replied Grandpa Cartenz.

"Oho, that's great!" cried Cipo. "Incidentally, in the sub-district field there is a traveling matador show! Does the matador have to fight the bull?"

"Of course, you have to fight the bull! However, there are also matadors who fight turtles given horns. But that was just for fun!" Grandpa Cartenz replied with a laugh. Cipo also laughed when he heard the story about the matador fighting the turtle. He thought, it must be really funny.

"The traveling bullfighter is not fighting bulls, but cows!" said Cipo before leaving.

"Yes, I have heard of it. I was still some time in this village, until I finished my painting. I live at Mr. Parjo's house!" said Grandpa Cartenz.

"Then we can still meet again," said Cipo happily. "Does Grandpa want to see that traveling bullfighter show?" Grandpa Cartenz shook his head.

Cipo continued his journey to the police station. Meet First Brigadier Sanusi. "Has there been a bright spot regarding the cow theft case, Mr. Sanusi?"

"Yes, if you stick a torch in the distance," replied Brigadier Sanusi jokingly.

"We're still investigating it, but we're at a dead end. Maybe the cows have been slaughtered, so we lost track," replied Brigadier Sanusi. At that time they were surprised by Mr. Cardov's hasty arrival, reporting that he had seen Si Belang at the animal market. Cipo along with First Brigadier Sanusi and several other police officers went to the animal market. It turned out that there were already several neighbors who had a heated argument with one of the cattle traders. The cattle trader was angry when the cow he sold was considered a stolen cow.

"Is this really Mr Cardov's cow?" asked Brigadier Anwar to Mr. Cardov. Mr. Cardov looked doubtful, until Brigadier Anwar repeated his question.

Only then did Mr. Cardov say. "From the characteristics, it is indeed Si Belang, sir. Because I know every inch of its body very well, because I have kept the cow since it was little. Only the horns are different. Si Belang's horns don't bend forward. But the mole on this cow's eyelid is exactly the same as Si Belang! Moreover, this cow immediately licks my hand when I approach it, this is Si Belang's habit!"

"It's not your cow after all!" said the cattle dealer fiercely.

The police tried to mediate their fight. "Let's just say, we hope this cow is not sold. And we want your address," said Brigadier Andi to the cow trader. The person took out an ID card and it was recorded by Brigadier Sanusi. Mr. Cardov and his neighbors left disappointed, however they lost the evidence. The shape of the horns is different from the horns of Si Belang, although almost all other characteristics are found in the cow. One day Cipo stopped at Mr. Cardov's house and found a guest who had lost a cow, that person was still in the same district with them. Cipo eavesdropped on their conversation.

"What Mr Cardov went through was no different from mine. My cow is also missing. A month ago I tracked it down to the animal market, and I found a cow that had the same characteristics as mine, only the horns were different. Of course I dare not admit that it is my cow."

"It's the same with the cow at the animal market, I have no doubt that it's Si Belang. But why do the horns change?" said Mr. Cardov sadly. Cipo was stunned to hear the conversation.

"A cow with the same features, but with a different horn shape? Very weird," whispered Cipo to himself. Was it just a coincidence? But Mr. Cardov's suspicions about cows at the animal market the other day were certainly not exaggerated. Hasn't he been taking care of Si Belang since it was little? So that he memorized the characteristics and nature of the cow. No wonder he was very curious about the cow. It's just why the horns can change shape? But if the matter is continued then Mr. Cardov could be accused of slander and could be punished.

The next day Cipo looked for Grandpa Cartenz in Tugo Village. "Mr. Cartenz has been gone since morning, son. Just look for it in the market," said the homeowner. Cipo to the village market. Sure enough, Grandpa Cartenz was engrossed in doodling with a pencil on the canvas.

"Grandpa likes to paint with pencils?" said Cipo, surprising Grandpa Cartenz.

"Hey, you! This is called a sketch, when it's finished, I'll polish it with oil paint," said Grandpa Cartenz.

"Grandpa ex-matador, must know very well about the story of the matador."

"Since you are a journalist, then I am willing to tell you," said Grandpa Cartenz. "Come on, sit down." Cipo sat down. While continuing to paint Grandpa Cartenz told stories. "Matador performances against bulls in Spain have become a traditional sport that has been ingrained, there is even a school. According to history, bullfighting has started since the Bronze Age and became part of the religious rituals of the people of the Greek and Roman times. The Moors usually hunted bulls from horses with spears. The Moors are also believed to be the first people to introduce bullfighting in Spain in the 11th century. But bullfighting without using a horse was first started by Francisco Romero in 1726. The term matador itself comes from the word "matar" which means to kill. While the word matar itself comes from the Latin mattare which means without feeling. Matador is also called torero."

In Spain, before a bullfight is held, there is usually a lively procession according to the existing tradition. The matador must also wear a special uniform, in the form of a short coat, vest, and knee-length tights. The uniform was embellished with embroidered gold, silver and silk threads. They also wear pink socks, black shoes with high soles, and black silk hats. Besides the matadors, there were assistants called "banderillero" and "picador" who joined the parade. After the procession was over, the mayor threw the key to the bull's cage door.

The bull enters the arena, then a banderillero flicks the manuleta with only one hand to provoke the bull's reaction. So that the matador can observe whether the bull has a tendency to attack with one horn or with both. After that observation, the new bullfighter entered the arena. Usually a matador will start his action with "veronica" movements, namely movements by wagging the manuleta slowly with both hands from the direction of the bull. Without him moving from place to place. And so on until the bull was getting closer, until the manuleta was simply swung around his own waist. This beautiful movement is a basic move that must be mastered by a bullfighter. The crowd cheers when a bullfighter is able to outwit a fierce bull. With a flick of the manuleta the matador tempts the bull to get angry and rams at him. But the matador deftly dodged inches from the bull's header.

After playing with the bull for a long time, the matador is ready to kill the bull. He drew his sword and aimed straight at the bull's heart. Clap! The sword stabbed into the bull's back, near the neck. Then the bull was getting weaker due to blood loss, the crowd cheered again when the bullfighter was able to beat the bull. "Usually what the audience is waiting for is when the matador launches a fatal stab to finish off the bull. It is best to do a single stab called a "recibiendo". With careful calculation and full of courage, the matador managed to plunge the sword just as he faced the bull that was charging at him. The opportunity is only seconds, the stab must go straight to the heart. If the matador is an expert, the stab is done moments before the bull's horns touch the matador's body. But because the risk is so great, this move is rarely practiced!" continued Grandpa Cartenz.

"When the matador has won the match he walks around the arena accompanied by the banderilleros. If he looks good then he will get one of the bull's ears as a sign of security. If his appearance is very satisfactory then he is entitled to the two ears of the fort. There is another prize, if he manages to subdue the bull with recibiendo moves then he gets an additional prize for the bull's tail!"

"Has Grandpa ever been hurt?" asked Cipo.

"Ever, see this!" said Grandpa Cartenz and unbuttoned his shirt. He showed some scars from the bull's head. "This is a memento of a bull that was hard to beat. I myself was unconscious at that time. Finally the raging bull was paralyzed with a stun bullet. Since then I don't want to be involved as a bullfighter anymore. This sport is too risky."

"How to get the bull, always hunting in the forest?" asked Cipo.

"It used to be, but then the bulls were bred in a special way to keep them wild. But as wild as a domesticated bull is, it's still less wild than a wild bull."

"Oh yes, how long have you lived in Indonesia?"

"Well, I'm already an Indonesian citizen. I married a Balinese girl, that was a long time ago," Grandpa Cartenz replied with a laugh.

"Are the castle horns always shaped like that, Grandpa?"

"You mean?"

"Horns arched forward!"

"Yes, that's how a bull's horn looks like. But if there is a bull that is good, in the sense of being wild and looking difficult to beat but the shape of the horns is not good, then it can be repaired!"

"Repairing horns?" asked Cipo surprised.

Grandpa Cartenz looked at Cipo before answering the question. "Yeah, what's really going on?"

"Nothing, Grandpa!" cried Cipo. "How to fix the horn?"

"Do you really want to be a bullfighter?"

"It's not like that, just to know. Curious, how can the horns be repaired?"

Grandpa Cartenz took the paper and drew a picture. The paper was handed over to Cipo. Cipo looked at the picture on the paper. "Thank you, Grandpa!" Cipo said. The little journalist then excused himself. The riddle of the cow theft may be solved with the help of Grandpa Cartenz. Cipo went to the police station, met Brigadier Sanusi to ask for the address of the cattle trader who was arguing with Mr. Cardov.

"What for?" asked Brigadier Sanusi.

"Perhaps I can solve this cow theft riddle, sir," Cipo answered briefly. The police gave the address given by the cow trader. But Cipo had to frown, because the cow trader's village was far away. He had to go east, crossing another sub-district area to reach the village. But it didn't matter to him, because he was used to covering the news. After school Cipo took an air rifle, he disguised himself as a bird hunter. Cipo also hides a mini camcorder in his backpack. There was an intention to invite Jalu and Ndul-ndul, but he refused. With his mini mountain bike, Cipo drove east.

Arriving at Jendo Village, where the cattle trader lived, Cipo became increasingly alert. It turns out that the village is still fairly quiet, with extensive gardens. But it's not a difficult job to find a cow trader's house, because the sound of cows moaning can be heard from a distance. He just followed the direction of the cow's moans. Yes, there are several stables with quite a lot of cows. The address is correct.

Several people seemed busy feeding the hay and bathing the cows, all of them adult cows. Not far from the barn, it turned out that there was an empty house made of bamboo booths, probably for cows that were isolated due to illness. Cipo was curious and inched closer to the empty house. There was a commotion from inside the empty house, as well as the moaning of cows from inside. Cipo peeked from the gaps of the bamboo booths that were not so tight. Since it wasn't very clear, he looked for a bigger gap. He saw several people, including the cattle trader at the animal market. A cow was tied so tightly that it could not struggle, its legs were tied very tightly. It seemed to be completely tied to death, so it couldn't move. Looks like there's smoke! Cipo looked at the direction of the origin of the smoke, and it turned out that there was a drum with burning embers, with banana tree trunks roasted on hot coals. Cipo carefully looked around, and secretly took out his handycam.

The scene in the empty house was recorded. Someone inserts a hot banana tree trunk into an iron rod, after that an iron pipe containing a hot banana tree trunk is plugged into a cow's horn. The iron pipe was pressed firmly by several people. The cow screamed in pain. Oh my God, was this what Grandpa Cartenz meant as a way to fix a bull's horn? After one horn was finished, they did the same to the other horn. The cow struggled hard, but the big ropes had kept her from moving. What an incredibly cruel animal torture! This is the way to get rid of the stolen cows! Suddenly someone snapped at Cipo from behind.

"What are you doing?"

Cipo did not immediately turn around, he hastily put the handycam into his backpack. Then slowly turned around holding the air rifle. "Looking for birds, sir!" Cipo replied a bit pale. Seriously!

"Why did you peek inside?" the man snapped.

"I thought there was a cow being slaughtered," Cipo replied and left the place. There was a mango on the tree, Cipo aimed right at the stem. Then the rifle bullet shot and the mango fell.

The man gasped at the scene Cipo showed. "Mango for you, and quickly get out of here! Never come here again!"

Luckily, the man didn't suspect his backpack. If it's searched, how can it be safe? Cipo rushed away and immediately headed for the police station. As soon as he arrived at Brigadier Sanusi and his friends, he was immediately handed the recording of his handycam. As soon as they saw the footage the police looked at each other.

"Change the shape of the horns? So it is not wrong if Mr. Cardov is suspicious of the cow he found in the animal market. The stripe has its horns changed!" said Brigadier Anwar.

"Why are you so sure the horns of the stolen cows were changed?" asked Brigadier Andi.

"A retired matador has told me about the technique of repairing a bull's horn. If the horns of a bull can be changed, surely the horns of a cow or a buffalo can also be changed," Cipo explained.

"Retired bullfighter? Have you ever been to Spain?" asked Brigadier Sanusi.

"I didn't go there, sir! But it was the bullfighter who came here," Cipo answered lightly. Cipo's recording has become strong evidence. The police just need to follow up, ready to raid the cow trader's house. However, because the area where the cow trader's house is located is outside the sub-district, they cooperate with the police station where the cattle trader is located.

Finally, the house of the cattle trader was raided. Amazingly, Juan Perez was one of the people caught in the raid operation. Several cows and tools for bending horns were used as evidence. At first the cow thief group did not admit what they had done, but once the camcorder footage was shown they did not move anymore.

When questioned, Juan Perez only wanted to answer in Spanish, so the police were confused. But Cipo immediately picked up Grandpa Cartenz, asking for help to become a translator. Grandpa Cartenz's face reddened when he saw Juan Perez who had made a disgrace to his ancestral country and the sport of matador. Apparently, Juan Perez deliberately recruited certain people to carry out the cow theft. He equips his confidants with the skill of changing the shape of the horns, so that they can be used to remove traces of stolen cows. What are the advantages of the traveling bullfighter? He got a cow that qualified for a traveling matador show for a very cheap price.

Meanwhile, cows that are not selected can be sold to slaughterhouses or traded in the animal market. The sale and purchase of cattle does not use documents, except for imported cattle. When questioned by the police, Juan Perez also said that to make the cows used in the traveling bullfighters turn more fierce and vicious, they were given stimulant drugs. The police also confiscated the tools used by the traveling bullfighter to serve as evidence. Cipo had time to observe the sharp sword belonging to the bullfighter. It turned out that the sword was also a tool for injecting drugs. So Cipo remembered his father's suspicion, who was surprised at how quickly the cow sluggishly got hit by a not-so-big sword.

"Why did you immobilize the cows with drugs, why not kill them?" asked Brigadier Sanusi.

Juan Perez answered in Spanish and Grandpa Cartenz translated it. "He said so that it could be sold to a slaughterhouse. In Indonesia, if the cow is not slaughtered while it is still breathing, the price is very cheap. So the anesthetic is used so that the cow is slightly injured but is paralyzed. After that, immediately take him to the slaughterhouse!"

"You sneaky brain!" First Brigadier Andi grumbled.

"Fortunately I met Grandpa Cartenz! Otherwise, the cow theft case will continue," said Cipo to Grandpa Cartenz. Grandpa Cartenz shook his head.

"False bullfighter!"

"It turns out that beating the matador must be with a matador too!" said Cipo, laughing. Grandpa Cartenz laughed too. "This is the first time I have found a matador who abuses his knowledge!"

"He should just fight the tortoise, Grandpa."

Grandpa Cartenz smiled, "Then you will find the turtle theft case!"

"What if Grandpa opened a matador course in Indonesia?"

Grandpa Cartenz laughed. "Then where did the bull come from?"

"We'll just replace it with a goat. The matador with a sword made of banana leaf midrib!" Cipo said. Grandpa Cartenz burst out laughing.

Finally, Si Belang returned to Mr. Cradov even though his horns had changed. "It's okay to change the horns, the important thing is that I can plow the fields and pull the cart again to make a living," said Mr. Cardov happily.

Cipo immediately wrote about his experience dismantling fake bullfighter networks. When finished, he sent it by e-mail to the editor of the Crimean magazine. Mr. Soku praised his writing. "Why is there a photo of me?" Grandpa Cartenz exclaimed when he was shown Kriminol magazine which had Cipo's writing on it.

"Well, isn't Grandpa the hero, the one who unlocked the secret of the fake bullfighter?" Cipo said.

"Write me as a painter only, nothing else!" "Next time!" Cipo replied. Grandpa Cartenz laughed. Aidos! (*)