I follow her into the bedroom.‘Oh, it’s long enough. Long enough for you to sleep well and have lots ofdreams…’Am I going to sleep in Mak’s bed? Her ngers stroke my forehead andhair. Mak says I’ll wake up later. But what happens if Mak falls asleep andforgets to wake me up? en I won’t get to school. It mustn’t happen! I’dbetter pretend to go to sleep. I put my nose against Mak’s arm, which feelsso soft and smells so nice. My eyes are wide open. I don’t want to go tosleep because I know I mustn’t.But once my eyes start to droop and close, I nd myself in a garden full of owers.Notes1tethel – sticky rice shaped into squares2 krupuk – Indonesian prawn crackers
e rst morning (2)Very very soon, I’ll be setting off with Mak to go to my new school: TamanKanak-Kanak Juwita.I’ve had my shower and put on my shoes and right now I am eating abanana. Not rice with krupuk, because all the krupuk landed on the oor thismorning. So Mak said it’d be better to have a banana. It’s quick and easy.And no one needs to cook it.I am happy. I am so happy. I am SO HAPPY to the point that Mak has toremind me to chew the banana slowly.‘You’ll choke, Willa. And we still have so much time.’I know, Mak. But I want to get the eating over and done with so I can setoff for school and get there early.After eating this banana, I drink a small glass of water and one spoonful ofthe white liquid that comes out of the big bottle with a man holding a shon it. e name of this liquid, Mak says, is sh oil. I don’t like its smell.And it tastes awful too. e rst time I tried it, I nearly threw up. Eversince then, whenever I have sh oil, Mak puts vitamin C syrup into it so ittastes… sweet and sour.I ask Mak, ‘If this stuff is so good, why isn’t it sweet?’‘Willa, things that are sweet are not always good. And things that aregood are not always sweet. Sometimes they’re bitter,’ says Mak.I prefer things that are good and sweet.Banana, milk – they’re all in my tummy. Tooth-brushing: check. Maktidies my hair and my uniform and my shoes.‘You’re all neat and clean and sweet-smelling: you are ready for school,’says Mak as she puts my bag – with my books, pencils, lunch box andbiscuits – over my shoulder. She puts the water bottle over my othershoulder. I am jumping around now. I am so happy! My bag and my bottleare jumping about too. ey must be happy to come to school with me aswell.‘Are we going by bike, Mak?’
‘Let’s just walk so you remember how to get there and come back, OK?’says Mak.Mak holds my hand and Mbok follows us then closes the fence behind us.We go out and walk down the alley. We turn left, then right, then gostraight then right then left and… WE ARRIVE.In the garden, there are classmates playing and running and chasing oneanother. ere are classmates playing on the swings and the see-saw.And there is Ibu Juwita, standing in front of the classroom door. She callsme. I raise my head. I let go of Mak’s hand and run to join Ibu Juwita.She catches me in her arms, laughing. I laugh too. We hold hands andwalk back to Mak who is standing by the gate.‘I’m going home now, Willa. Please study well. Don’t be naughty. And ifyou have any questions…’‘… I’ll ask the teacher.’Mak and Ibu Juwita are both smiling big smiles.‘ at’s right! Happy learning. I’ll pick you up later!’ says Mak and then shesays goodbye to Ibu Juwita.After Mak has gone and we can’t see her any more, Ibu Juwita invites meto come with her into the garden, where all my classmates are playing. Sheclaps her hands and everyone looks at me. ‘Good morning, children! Todayyou have a new friend… Her name is…’Ibu Juwita turns to me and gestures that I should say my name.‘Na Willa!’ I say in a loud voice.I watch my new classmates’ faces: are they laughing, now they’ve heard myname?Nobody is laughing.Suddenly they are all clapping their hands and everyone is calling out myname: ‘Na Willa! Na Willa! Na Willa!’ I am jumping about in amazement.And one by one, they call out their names too: Endang, Gatot, Sumi, Eko,Joko, Asih. ese are my classmates.At school I am seriously busy. We start with colouring, cutting withscissors, sticking down pictures and also learning to sing. We listen to astory the teacher reads out from a big book with a black cover. It doesn’thave very many pages – maybe just ve or six. But when the teacher opensup the book at the rst page, all these drawings sort of pop out of it.
ere’s a picture of a man running and a horse and a black hole and pots lled with gold…‘ is is the story of Ali Baba…’I’ve never seen a book like this before – one that when you open it, allthese pictures pop out from inside. And when the book is closed, thepictures vanish. ey must go to sleep in between the book’s covers.Ah, I’m looking forward to going home to see Mak.And Pak too, if he’s already back from Jakarta.I’ll tell them all about Ibu Juwita and my classmates and how there aren’tas many of them as there were in Ibu Tini’s class and… how everybodyclapped their hands when my name was called.
About the authorREDA GAUDIAMO is a writer from Jakarta, Indonesia. She was born in 1962and she wrote her rst story when she was in the rst grade, reading it toher parents after dinner time. She had her work published for the rst timeduring her time as a French Literature student in the University ofIndonesia. Later on she had her work published by national newspapers andmagazines.Her rst book – Bisik-bisik / Whispers (EKI Press), a short story collectionconsisting of dialogues – was published in 2004. Since then she haspublished two more short story collections: Pengantin Baru / Newly Weds(Editum, 2010) and Tentang Kita / About Us (Stiletto, 2015).In 2012, she published her rst children’s book: Na Willa (Aikon). is wasfollowed by Meps, Beps and Me (2016) – a collaboration with Soca Sobhita,her daughter, and Na Willa and the House in the Alley (2018). ese last twobooks were published by Post Press, who also reprinted Na Willa.Reda is also well known as a singer and musician through the AriReda duo,whose poetry-inspired ballads have captivated audiences across SoutheastAsia and [email protected]
About the illustratorCECILLIA HIDAYAT is an INFJ who speaks her mind best through herdrawings.She spent four years working in advertising agencies before deciding thatshe’s too old at heart for all the big city hustle and bustle.She was born in Jakarta and now lives in Ubud with her husband. Shespends most of her days drawing, walking between rice elds while pettingthe stray dogs she meets along the way, and watching the ‘Cooking WithDog’ YouTube channel religiously.@inicecil
About the translatorsIKHDA AYUNING MAHARSI DEGOUL is an Indonesian poet currently basedin Japan. Her debut pamphlet, Ikhda by Ikhda, was published by the EmmaPress in 2014. Her poems have been published in e Emma Press Anthologyof Mildly Erotic Verse and e Emma Press Anthology of Motherhood.Her second poetry collection, e Gold sh, is forthcoming with the EmmaPress in 2019.@ikhdadegoulKATE WAKELING is a poet and musicologist. Her debut poetry collectionfor children, Moon Juice, won the CLiPPA in 2017 and was nominated forthe Carnegie Medal. A pamphlet of her poetry for adults, e RainbowFaults, is published by e Rialto.Kate studied music at Cambridge University and holds a PhD in Balinesegamelan music from SOAS. She is writer-in-residence with AuroraOrchestra.katewakeling.co.uk@WakelingKate
Write your own storiesNow it’s your turn to write some stories – and maybe you could illustratethem too! Here are some ideas from Emma Press editor Philippa Barker toget you started…♦ ♦ ♦Na Willa lives in a house with white walls, a dark green door and a cypresstree out front. Where do you live? Is it big or small? Warm or cold? Whatdoes it look like on the outside? What is it like on the inside? Write a storyabout the place you call home and what it’s like.♦Na Willa likes playing with her friend Ida who lives in the house across thestreet. Who else lives on your street or in your building? Do you knowyour next-door neighbours? Sit at the window and watch who, or what,passes by… then write a story about it.♦Who are your friends? What do you like playing together? Do you play bythe rules or do you get into trouble sometimes? Write a story about yourfriends and something fun you’ve done together.♦
Na Willa likes playing with her doll, Melly. What are your favourite toys?Why do you like playing with them? Imagine if they were to come alive…What adventures would you have together?♦Mbok tells Na Willa that Gus Salim has supernatural powers. Whatsupernatural power would you like to have? Would you use it for good orbad? Write a story about what you would do with your new abilities.Dul likes to play marbles, y kites and catch the train. What are yourfavourite games? Do you like playing outside or indoors? Who do you playwith? Write a story about an exciting game.♦Na Willa loves eating milk sh. What is your favourite food? What makesit so delicious? Do you have it often, or is it a treat for special occasions?Write a story featuring your favourite food. What would happen if you atetoo much of it? What would you do if it ran out?♦Mak teaches Na Willa to read. What skills have you learnt? Write a storyabout trying something new or learning how to do something you couldn’tdo before.♦
Mak buys Very Tiny Yellow Chick for Na Willa. Do you have a pet? If youcould choose any animal to have as a pet, what would you have? Write astory where an animal (or animals!) come to stay. What mischief would theycause?♦Willa is excited to start her new school. Do you go to school? What’s yourfavourite subject? What games do you like playing at breaktime? Write astory about your time at school.