“Match, what…oh no, that’s impossible. Shit, it tails again nut, what’s up? Crazy, you’re all stupid! Those are nothing. But the shadow, yeah…that shadow always followed me. Its step seemed so heavy and weak. It pulled me strongly. I was about to be thrown away because of it. Yet my body was suddenly pushed by gigantic power. Everything made my eyes seeing unclearly. I was trapped in the confusing situation. I didn’t know how the atmosphere here was. I tried to be calm. My mind felt so hard in the situation.

It was so dark, that the wind touched me softly. I tried to reach surrounding me, but nothing. The place was so large and empty that it caused very scaring resonance. I listened to that echo on the wall, I was getting nervous and panic. I looked at carefully, tried to guess where the voice source was from. Finally…shit, that was only my own voice. I felt so stupid, my mind was so messed up. I walked step by step and touched everything. I tried to recognize the room which was not strange for me. I saw the light in the corner. I walked closer to the light. My eyes started to show their function gradually. Yes, I knew it. That classical music from Vivaldy was flattering my ear.

“Oh...my God…I can’t believe in it. Yes, she is my wife. “Mum, are you Siti, my wife?” She stopped her fingers dancing on the touts of keyboard. She kept on eyes to me. I’d never seen such that sight. It was as sharp as hawk’s sign that wanted to pounce on me. But the sight was changing then, it looked softer than before, yes…that sight I’d known well. I could see her smile on her face and then she greeted me. “Daddy, what’s going on? Of course, I’m certainly your wife”. I felt the warmness from the emptiness before. I saw my children playing in the family room. As if I went on the hallucination. It was more like being in the ghost house than my home.

Bell rang seven times, It’s time to have dinner. “Good night dad, see you tonight”. My second son said with meaningful smile. “Remember at twelve PM….. ”My youngest son said innocently, and then left that room without saying other words. His faces reflected people having huge problems, angers, and hates. He did not want to look at me anymore, but I didn’t think those over. “He’s still a child”, I thought. My wife and I watched TV together in the bedroom. I enjoyed business guidance program on TV very much, but I knew my wife did not. I followed it in high concentration.

I’d just realized that my wife had slept, it was so hard to keep on opening my eyes. I touched my wife’s fingers which were so soft. “Where is her wedding ring?” I realized if she did not wear it, sacred symbol of our pledge. But I was getting sleepy. The voice become so calm, but suddenly the clock bell rang so loudly..ding…ding…ding…I woke up after sleeping for a few minutes. I tried to hold something beside me. I’d just realized that my wife had left me alone on bed.

I looked at the clock on the wall, it showed at twelve midnight. Oh, my God, it’s still at twelve PM”. I heard the voice from the kitchen, I came there but nobody was there. I turned over to my kid’s room, the door was opening. “Why don’t they lock the door?” I thought in very big question. Then, I entered their room, tried to light the lamp on, but shit, there was trouble, it didn’t work. I walked step by step slowly because I didn’t want to disturb them. I sat on one of my kid’s bed. I heard a woman singing, but when I heard this, it was gone, I tried to go away from the voice source, it was louder. Then I heard some children’s voice and that woman talking about.

Yeah, I thought I knew that woman’s voice. Then she laughed and so did the children. They were kidding, suddenly that woman’s voice sounded so heavy, then I heard that she wheezed, yeah…It was like a sound of wheezing of snake. Suddenly an old lady was appeared, she laughed, scaring laugh, I heard that the kids who lauged before, they screamed out, and their crying broke the silent night, my ears was so painful, its drum was going to explode.

I wanted to leave out from that room, but my body and my legs were so hard and heavy to go. I kept on trying as possible as I could, and eventually I could. I run as fast as possible to leave out that room to my bedroom. “Oh my God, I see my wife has slept soundly on bed”. I tried to be calm, I didn’t want someone else would think that I was crazy. I ensured myself whether that was me, Bejo, a successful businessman who was respected by other competitors, and now he was in the coward of scare. It went to my craziness.

My body felt so weak. “God morning dad, wake up! You should go to office early. Remember that there is a meeting with commissioners”. “Oh my God, that’s only my nightmare”. Her beautiful smile and warm affection welcomed me. I had just realized that I had forgotten all of my valuable treasure in my life, those were my family. I looked at my kids welcomed the morning happily. I kissed their forehead one by one. One thing that I had never done before.

#Writer: Sevita Ridwan#