Aqil bin Faiz, age thirteen, wasn't thrilled about moving to the middle of nowhere.
City boy, gamer, lover of air-conditioned malls and fast Wi-Fi... and now? Trapped in a small village where chickens roamed freer than humans and the only "Wi-Fi" was when the wind said hi.
"Tok Wan's gonna love you," his dad had said with a smile. "You'll help him run the shop and get used to kampung life. It's good for your soul."
Yeah, sure. If by "soul" he meant "sweating buckets and chasing chickens."
Still, there he was. Standing outside an old wooden house with a rusty zinc roof and a hand-painted sign that read:
"WARUNG MAKAN TOK WAN – BREAKFAST, LUNCH & LEGENDARY KUIH."
Aqil dropped his bag and stared.
"So this is it," he muttered. "Ground zero."
The door creaked open and out came a lean old man with thick silver hair and sharp eyes behind round glasses.
"Aqil?" the man asked, stepping forward.
"Yeah… Tok Wan?"
The old man nodded. "Welcome, cucu. You city people still know how to respect orang tua, right? Call me Tok Wan, not sir."
"Yes, sir—I mean, yes, Tok Wan!"
"Good. Now come inside before nyamuk eat you alive."
(Nyamuk = mosquitoes. And yes, they were the size of small helicopters.)
Inside, the warung was small but cozy. A few wooden tables, mismatched chairs, and an aroma that hit Aqil right in the memory.
"Wait… is that—nasi lemak?"
Tok Wan grinned. "Of course. With sambal that bites back. And don't forget the kuih."
Aqil peeked into the display tray. "What's this green one?"
"Kuih seri muka," Tok Wan said proudly. "Sticky glutinous rice on the bottom, pandan custard on top. You don't eat that in malls, do you?"
"Nope. This looks like… alien food. Sweet alien food."
Tok Wan chuckled. "City boy got jokes."
Later that evening, Tok Wan handed Aqil a broom.
"You're not here for holiday. Help me clean the warung."
Aqil groaned. "Manual labor… yay."
"Don't worry. Tomorrow I introduce you to my top customer. He eats more than three goats in one sitting."
"…Is that a joke or a warning?"
The next morning…
Aqil stood beside Tok Wan, wearing an apron two sizes too big. The breakfast rush was starting.
"Eggs, toast, nasi lemak!" shouted Tok Wan like a battlefield commander.
Aqil scrambled to keep up. He was halfway spilling teh tarik (pulled tea) when the warung door swung open and in stomped a round boy with wild curly hair and a loud voice.
"TOOOOK WAAAAN! I'M STARVING!"
"Speak of the devil," Tok Wan whispered. "Aqil, meet Tajo bin Ramlee. His stomach has its own postcode."
"Oi! I heard that!" Tajo grinned and offered a fist bump. "You the new kid?"
"Aqil. I just moved here."
"Cool. I'll show you around kampung later. After five plates of nasi lemak."
"Five?!"
"Breakfast of champions."
While Tajo devoured food like a mini typhoon, two girls walked in.
One wore a dark hoodie and carried a book. The other had sharp eyes and spiky hair tied in two buns.
"Elra. Rynn," Tok Wan greeted. "Meet Aqil."
"Aqil, huh?" Rynn smirked. "Looks soft."
"I'm not soft!"
"Prove it later. Tajo, bring him to the hilltop later. We're having a duel."
"A duel?!"
"Kite-fighting contest," Elra corrected. "She's just dramatic."
As the sun climbed high and the last customers left, Aqil sat beside Tok Wan under a mango tree, sipping cold water.
"I thought kampung life was gonna be boring," Aqil admitted.
Tok Wan smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet."
In the distance, thunder rumbled… even though the skies were clear.
End of Chapter 1