Atu Belah (Split Stone)

This story is a sad story. People who lived in Penurun Village, Gayo believe this story ever happened. There’s a big stone in there and known as Atu Belah which means split stone. Atu Belah is famous because a tragedy that happened to a family who lived in there. This family was a simple and humble one. They had two children. The father was a farmer. But during the dry season, he went for hunting too. Sometime he went home with a dear or bunny. But if he couldn’t get any hunting , he brought grasshoppers.

One day, father went for hunting and he came late. His children were crying because they were hungry and had nothing to eat.” I’m hungry mother. My stomach's hurt" they cried. The tears flew from their innocent eyes. No mother could resist that. So she took the grasshoppers that she kept for her husband and cooked it for her children. I’m telling you, mother heart will tear every time she sees tears from their children eyes. So if you want to get something from your mother, you can use your tears. She will run for it. But I will not recommend that because you are not allowed to manipulate your mother. It’s a big sin.

Anyway, the father was home in the middle of the night. He looked upset because he came home with nothing on his hands. He went through the kitchen and sat in the chair”give me food." he ordered his wife.

"We don't have any food anymore. The children ate them all" the mother said. The father suddenly became angry. He welled to his sons” You... stupid sons. You ate all food and left nothing for me". His hand was going to hit the boys but the mother went into the middle and covered her sons. "Don’t hit him" she begged. Father got angrier because the mother was in his way so he hit her. The children were scream and cry. They were so afraid seeing their mother was beaten like that. It was awful. They begged their father not to do that. But he couldn't control his anger and kept hitting her.

When he got tired for hitting, he went to bed and slept. The mother’s body was brushes. She walked outside lumbered. Her feet were bleeding. She was in pain. Her children followed her. Three of them walked in cry. In front of the big stone, the mother stopped. She sat next to the stone and leaned on it. Her children were standing behind her and still cried silently. Then the mother said desperately “split stone, the time of our promise has come.”

Suddenly the stone was split in half. The mother was put herself in it and then the stone closed again slowly. The children were trying to follow her too but their little feet weren’t fast enough. The stone was closed when their hands reached it. It only left some of their mother’s hair. They took it and kept it as charm to remember her.

I don’t know what happened next because the story was end. But all I know for sure that they had to live alone in the hard world except if the father was sorry and changed. So he could be a good father. But no matter what he would do, nothing can bring the mother back and that will leave scar in his children heart forever. So no matter how hard your life is, don’t ever lose control when you’re angry. You don’t know what kind of scar you might leave.