Chapter 3

[Tan, how is Mom doing? I’ve tried calling her number, but it’s been unreachable.]

[She regained consciousness for a while this morning. Yesterday, when she was still fully conscious, she called several times. But none of your numbers could be reached.]

Sagara froze.

Just yesterday, he and Niskala had taken turns trying to call their mother. But all they had heard was the operator’s automated message. There had never been a ringing tone.

Strange.

“Oh, maybe our phones were out of battery. The signal’s pretty bad around here too, Tante.”

To be honest, Sagara felt awkward having to pretend. Even Niskala was now looking at him questioningly.

But Sagara chose to hide what had really happened. He didn’t want their mother’s family to become alarmed.

Ever since the tragic deaths of their father and grandfather, their mother had changed drastically.

It was not uncommon to find her staring blankly into space for long stretches of time. Sometimes, without realizing it, she would mutter with a trembling voice.

*“Don’t take my child... Don’t take my child...”*

Afterward, she would break down sobbing, never able to explain what had frightened her so badly.

In such states, their mother had even hurt herself several times.

Once, Sagara and Niskala caught her repeatedly banging her head against the wall.

Another time, they found her drinking a bottle of mosquito-killing liquid.

Fortunately, whenever something like that happened, someone always noticed in time—either one of her two sons or another member of the family.

Yet there was one thing they had never truly been able to understand.

What was their mother so afraid of?

And why was it that whenever her consciousness began to fade, the same words always slipped from her lips?

*“Don’t take my child...”*

[Let us know if anything happens, all right?]

[Yes, Tante. We’ll let you know. I’m sorry we have to leave Mom in your care for now. I’m sure this must be a burden on your family.]

[Don’t feel bad about it. After all, your mother is my only biological sister. She’s family, not a stranger.]

[Thank you, Tante.]

The conversation ended after Sagara said his goodbyes. The call disconnected.

“I hope Mom will be calmer with Tante looking after her, Bang.”

“Hmmm...”

Sagara stared blankly ahead.

His mind began retracing everything they had been through.

Could they have missed something?

Or perhaps there was a secret someone had deliberately kept from them all these years?

It was all becoming too complicated.

“Bang, I’m out of data. What a bummer. The drama I’m watching is getting really good. CEO Zhang is this close to finding out the identity of his biological child.”

Sagara said nothing.

His gaze remained fixed straight ahead.

Niskala got to his feet and waved a hand in front of his brother’s face.

“Bang! Bang!”

Sagara blinked.

“Huh? What?”

Niskala slowly shook his head.

“Bang... forget it. It’s enough that Mom has become someone else. What am I supposed to do if something happens to both of you?”

The young man’s face suddenly fell, as though he had already imagined a terrible fate that might never even come to pass.

“What are you talking about, Dek?”

Now it was Sagara’s turn to be confused.

Not far from where they sat, taking in the peaceful countryside that afternoon, came the familiar sound of a young man singing a Sundanese song.

A voice they had heard since that morning.

The same voice belonging to the strange young man who had kept pestering them with ramblings they could barely make sense of.

“Hey, Pemuda. We meet again. I hope you’re not getting bored.”

Ujang Belegug’s face appeared from behind the fence.

The man chuckled. This time, there was no cigarette between his lips. Instead, he had a blade of wild grass clenched between his teeth.

“Where’s the cigarette? Come on, give me one!”

Sagara and Niskala exchanged glances.

The eccentric man was becoming more and more impossible to understand.

“We don’t smoke, Bang,” Sagara replied flatly.

He remained wary, especially after remembering how Pak Kosim had chased Ujang Belegug away earlier that afternoon.

Maybe there really was something wrong with the man.

Wasn’t there?

“Huh? Strange.”

Ujang scratched his head, even though it did not seem to itch.

“Are there still young men who don’t smoke these days?”

He turned around and started to leave.

But after taking only one step, Ujang stopped.

Slowly, he turned back.

“Ciluk... Baaa!”

He suddenly lunged toward them.

“Got you, didn’t I?”

Sagara and Niskala actually jumped.

They were dealing with a man who made absolutely no sense.

Ujang chuckled.

“I just came to give you a warning.”

His smile slowly faded.

“Be careful while you’re in this dusun.”

He looked at them one after the other.

“What you see isn’t necessarily the truth.”

Ujang paused for a moment.

“What seems good may be bad.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“And what seems bad... may not be bad at all.”

With that, Ujang turned away and walked off, leaving the two young men standing there, frozen in place.

As he walked, the eccentric man began humming cheerfully again. Every now and then, the faint sound of his laughter drifted back to them.

Little by little, his voice grew more distant.

Until at last, it disappeared into the silence of dusk.

That was when Nyi Rukmini appeared behind her two grandsons.

“Inside. It’s getting late.”

That was all she said.

Without waiting for an answer, Nyi Rukmini turned and went back into the house.

The lights along the road and inside the villagers’ homes began to flicker on, even though darkness had not yet fully fallen. Sunlight still filtered through the thick foliage, leaving golden streaks between the trees.

Sagara and Niskala followed her inside.

But after taking only a few steps past the doorway, Niskala suddenly felt something move behind him.

He turned his head slightly.

Only from the corner of his eye.

There was nothing there.

Niskala faced forward again.

Then a gust of wind brushed against his cheek.

Only his right cheek.

So distinct.

So cold.

Niskala froze.

“Astaghfirullah...!”

His breathing quickened.

He turned around and cautiously scanned his surroundings.

“What’s wrong, Dek?”

Sagara noticed that something was wrong with his younger brother.

Niskala shook his head.

Fear and wariness still lingered across his face. He swallowed, but his throat felt as though it had closed up.

“B-B-Bang... let’s go inside.”

That was all he could manage to say.

Sag

ara asked no further questions.

He grabbed his brother’s arm and quickly pulled Niskala inside.

The door was shut firmly behind them.

Outside, the wind blew again.

Only this time...

not a single leaf moved.

—