A Collection of Hopes for Aan (A Short Story).

 

A Collection of Hopes for Aan (A Short Story).

Story of the First Aan

"Little Robber"

Haaaaa, mah ... mah ... there's a sound outside, "I cried in fear, trying to wake my mother. Tonight I regret sleeping too late, because it was fun watching a movie at midnight. I remember ... it's TVRI, one only television program that existed at the time, around the 80s.

The sound came back,

"Like crying babies cry, chimed in makes women laugh high and soft," I thought sharpened my hearing. The shouting of a neighbor's dog roared long and high, adding to the horror of the night's atmosphere. The sound of crying is very close to my bedroom window.

"Ma ... wake up ..." half screamed with panic over me, my body bouncing in a sitting position on my bed. I always turn my head toward the window and the mother in turn, Imagine if the sound moves into this room, making my hands shake your body faster to wake her up. Mama woke up, only briefly he noticed the mysterious voice then,

"Shhhhhhtt," he said as he put his index finger to his mouth, as a gesture to tell me to be quiet. I was speechless and surprised to see how calm mama was, then then she just patted my pillow as a signal to go back to sleep. I followed the gesture and in the arms of my mother enjoyed the sound coming from outside the room, which was not long away until it disappeared altogether. Tonight my choice was right, inviting mama to sleep with me.

"Thank God for mama," I thought as I tried to forget about the sound. But in my heart I wondered,

"what sound is that?"

I just found out the next day about the sound. Hearing it also makes me tremble and add pale expression on my face that is quite cute if according to the mothers in my village.

"Maybe tonight I will sleep with my mom again," I thought, imagining what happened last night which was tense and quite frightening for my age. I accidentally got the news from my neighbor, the mother of my friend while playing marbles.

"Ngel, last night I heard a strange noise," I asked, getting ready to aim at Angel's marble and miss, there was a tone of annoyance coming from my mouth.

"No, I slept at 8 pm last night ... I was very frustrated." He answered with a smile and turned his attention to the direction of my marbles that shot away.

"Hm ... fat," I yelled, almost unheard and pay attention to Angel who was preparing to aim at my curves.

Angel's mother, who had been watching us who was playing, suddenly left the house and sat on the porch of his house, close to us playing.

"I heard a voice last night," shouted Angel's mother, distracting me from the marbles that Angel was aiming for.

"Oh yes ma'am, what is that, ma'am? Mama, if asked, just stay still and just say ... don't know ... you are still a child. "I explained and there was a great curiosity in my face. Angel's mother looked at me closely and laughed, adding to my confusion and irritation,

"I'm serious about the story, he just laughed," I thought, staring at his mother Angel for a long time, causing suspicion,

"Don't tell me he has a scare," I thought, looking suspiciously. Seeing that I was silent and showing a serious and sharp expression on his face, he stopped his laughter and answered with just one answer

... kuntilanak ....

Every mother in my village, including the adult girls, was very happy to see me ... not only the women in this village, but the women who were still my brothers, were very happy to see me. Seeing the expression on the face that I suddenly displayed, according to them is very adorable. I don't know, what's interesting about me for adults is that it can make them laugh or feel exasperated. There are even some adults, even happy to hold my ear leaves every time they meet, he said chewy and adorable ...

"It's really strange for adults," I thought when they saw their behavior. Sometimes I am uncomfortable, frail, but because my parents are obliged to respect older people, I can't help but just surrender and be quiet.

Indeed, I admit, according to mama, my appearance was quite adorable, with a white body, an Asian-faced face. In fact, according to my fans, I was like Andy Lau, a Hong Kong movie star in his youth, with curly black hair and a sharp nose. My only advantage is having a slick and broad forehead like a soccer field and ears as bright as the smart professors on television. Maybe someday I'll be like them maybe ...

Most of me is a duplicate of mama who came from Palembang. My father inherited only a pair of narrow, narrow eyes ... sharp when staring and rounded when he came up with ideas. The sensor is sharp if you see a beautiful girl when I grow up. When you already know what women are and how to love them. Even though in fact, there are more women who are more active than me. But the end result often fails, because I am the person who does not want to be set up, do not want to care, not caring, never romantic, do not have money …

About mama ... I think she comes from the descendants of the Malacca Straits. Robbers who used to control the ruins of the former greatness of the Srivijaya kingdom, so that most of his attitude was rude like other native people. Well ... I admit that around my village the association was harsh and dangerous like the barbarians in western movies. It's not strange to see fellow brothers fighting and running chasing with machetes. Every day news of bloody feuds between peers, touching or staring at each other can be a big problem. Especially if you hit a chicken that was parked in the middle of the road, you could have exchanged lives. Because of upbringing in the family and relationships around the house, eventually made me like a small robber. But not robbing property or lives but robbing the hearts of every woman who saw me ... he..he..he.

But this little robber turned out to be cowardly, a vegetable chicken, as well as inappropriate to be called a robber. I only dare to fight with other men, but very afraid of the dark. Especially if night has arrived and darkness envelops the streets of my village, I will be shaken. My village actually doesn't have many inhabitants. His house was sparse and many trees were still growing and the gardens had neighbors. Besides that, in front of my house there is a volleyball court that has changed its function to become a soccer field for the children of this village whose numbers are only a handful. Because the distance between one house and another house is rare, so there is still land around the road that is not illuminated by street lights. In addition, there are rarely residents, so that when night falls no one is on the street or hanging out. Unfortunately ... there are tasks given by mama when night falls, like tonight.

"Aan, help me please, buy fried noodles, sugar and coffee at Aunt Unah's shop." told my mother, when after sunset prayers. Not waiting for a long time, I was back with a red face and struggling because I was tired of running. The distance between the house and the food stall is pretty far around 100 m, which means that I have traveled 200 meters ... I don't have to do it! That's the reason my mother told me to shop at night, because he was sure I would definitely come back quickly and would not stray anywhere. My mother knew about the weakness of her eldest child, but was never rebuked or given advice. According to him, it was still too small and not worthy of seeing the world outside, "you will also find out later."

"Hm ... there is a point too, because now I am big and can see the outside world ... so I forget to go home and wander until morning arrives,"

This little robber is also afraid of what is called a beautiful creature. A creature that I have never understood until now. "Geez ... I don't know, what are my feelings when meeting a beautiful woman, can't be expressed in words and writing ... hm ... like that ... excited ... excited ... smiling smile ... out of water drooling ... swallowing one's own tongue to choke, eyes sparkling, thoughts lifted up like being in heaven accompanied by beautiful music plucked by cupid that surrounds my head. or speak a word ... silent ... silent and can only admire ...

pity ... cowardly child.

There was a time after the holiday. I saw my female classmates in elementary school, entering my yard. I was pale, did not know what to do ... without thinking I went out the back door of the house and climbed the back wall of the house and then played with my friends. My mother just stood still and only saw her son's strange behavior. Only when the front door was knocked and opened, did mom find out that I was running away because of the arrival of my female friends from school. Honestly, actually I have never been close to women in school. Just talking to each other and usually my girl friend who greets me first replies ...

As a result, I was lectured at length by my father and mother.

"Aan, just embarrassing dad, how much debt do you have in the shop? Ech ... wrong ... what do you have wrong with your friends why did you run away? "Asked my father, when he heard from the trusted report of the agent at home, namely mama. Not until I answer ...

"You are still a child, why are you playing cat and mouse ... are you really a beautiful female friend?" My father asked my mother to decorate. I just bowed and patted my forehead. "Well, those three female friends who came ... but it is really beautiful, our child is just a strange child," answered mama, looking down at aan who was drooping chimed in chant, while mama was flirting with my father.

"Well, ma, not afraid, but you don't have the courage. My courage was again borrowed first with Angel, later he returned when he was in sixth grade before the exam, after the exam he said, "I said, trying to joke and brag, while slamming my body into a long couch and covering my face with a sofa pillow pretending to sleep. Father and mother did not continue the lecture which according to them would be long. Actually father and mother never educate their children with a coercion, they always pay attention and only straighten out if wrong. "Just let it flow like water, we are only guides for the water," my father's advice when I grew up on the birthday of my first child.

It also happened, while in the Public High School;

"An, are we dating?" Exclaimed Rita, during the Math class. Rita happened to sit on the bench right behind me.

"Come on ... said Angel who heard Rita's words, while I was still trying to concentrate on understanding Mathematics from Mr. Umar. Honestly, since Mr. Umar became a temporary substitute teacher in Mathematics, we in one class have never felt that he got and understood what he was taught. He taught as if he didn't care whether his students understood or not, even though we were frustrated by his frustration with what he taught, he calmly continued to explain without pausing, repeating or emphasizing the material. So many of her children end up chatting, scribbling paper, reading novels, and some even shooting to ask for a date ... like Rita.

"Aan ..." half screamed and hit my body with a Math book.

"What's wrong, dear Rita," cried Angel, who happened to be sitting next to me. I was destined to always be in the same seat as Angel, actually quite bored with this one child, "at home I have become a neighbor, at school from elementary school to high school, I always have one seat." - each set according to the level of delinquency.

"Yes, Rita ... what's up?" I looked back. Rita is a beautiful woman who wears a hijab and respects me from the beginning of this school. Besides, she is indeed the only woman I first met when I entered this high school.

"Dating," he called innocently with a meaningful smile. I just looked at Rita as if she could not believe what she was talking about. Mamiek's seatmate Rita, also looked at me as if she wanted to witness an answer that would mark an event that would later become a milestone in love. Angel who had been waiting for that moment also looked at me and blinked his eyes once in a while while giving a smile. Finally I followed the angel's style, blinking my own eyes and smiling meaninglessly.

"Seriously," Rita said emphatically and seemed to not want this to just end up being a game or even just this story would be considered just one eye by me. I was speechless and just looked mamiek his seatmate.

Seriously, Rita is serious ..." he tried to convince me. It turned out that there had been a political conspiracy between the three of them as was rampant in the reform era. I looked at Angel who seemed to have the same answer.

"Wait a minute," I also permission to go out to the restroom and never return to class to attend math class. Since then, Rita has never wanted to meet and talk until now ...

But indeed, I must admit ... what else to do ... there has not been the courage to have close contact with strange creatures called women, from childhood to adulthood when they were 17 years old. Very different from my friends, they have known women from childhood. I saw them not feeling shy, ashamed, as usual,

"Consider them friends, don't ever take heart when you are in contact with women." Said my friend one day, but still could not. Even though my younger sister, never really got along, I never understood what she wanted ?, Super tedious, many wants, whiny and spoiled.

Because of consideration more fear than dare, the title of small robber failed to get me. Failed to fulfill the request of my ancestors who were quite famous in the past ... well enough ... well known as the handsome hero of the darsono alley children (the name of the alley of my house) with Indra's men, dicky, david, johny, eddy and Angel.