ALKISAH: Prayer for the World [1001 Indonesian Fantasy Stories]
STORY: His Invisible Friends

Since two days ago, Joni has always come to the park not because of the many used bottles or used items she can pick up, it is because of the existence of a mysterious old man who dwells in the park from noon to afternoon along with his strange friends.

"What, the hell, is that weird of grandpa's friends?" Ask Bagas wonder.

"If you're referring to that grandpa who always wears glasses and brown batik clothes, yeah, I never saw that he had a friend in the park. He's alone, anyway." Chirps Rima.

"Hm... " Joni looked around.

Since the mosque in the distance had already started chanting the adhan, it meant that it should now be almost twelve o'clock by noon, which means Joni will leave this shabby place and go around the city looking for used items that can be recycled.

"But I'm not lying, really. Grandpa has many friends. Justjust... " Sounds of doubt from Joni's voice. "His friends are weird. They're not people like us. They're like animals, but they're not animals."

"Yes, just keep listening to Joni's rant, let you be punished by the Boss" said a big boy who succeeded in making other children immediately rushed away from there, including Joni.

In fact, Joni was a scavenger. Since childhood he was left on the streets by his parents, but fortunately there are people who pick up Joni and take care of him until now. He is the Boss of Anca, one of the leaders of thugs in this Central Jakarta area. Although Boss Anca is a thug, but he is a good man.

All the children here are Anca Boss's children. Underneath this bridge, Joni and her friends usually rest before continuing to scavenge again during the day.

However, when all his friends went to a very crowded area, strangely Joni even stepped in the opposite direction, precisely heading to a park not far from the city center.

The small child looks unnatural that walks casually down the sidewalk. Although his body was emitting an unpleasant scent, but he continued to step up and put a big smile on his lips.

Joni knows that the people around her always keep their distance from her. I don't know what they're afraid of Joni. Maybe his body odor, or his body is dirty, or maybe they are suspicious of the contents of the sack hanging on Joni's back. But Joni doesn't care about it.

Let them be themselves, and Joni is Joni. So much better, isn't it? Boss Anca just agreed with Joni. After all, Joni did nothing wrong to the people.

"Lho's? You want to go to the park again, huh?" Asked a tall young man who suddenly appeared beside Joni.

The man was dressed neatly and cool like a rich man. He was wearing expensive and fragrant looking clothes. His face was also handsome like the artists Joni used to see on television. However, the man had something strange behind his butt, and it was a tail. The young man actually had three pure white furry tails and looked extremely soft.

Even so, Joni did not bother with the oddity that this young man had. He was willing to walk next to Joni, and that was enough to explain that he was a good person just like his friends, as well as Boss Anca.

"You're grandfather's friend, right?" Ask Joni spontaneously.

"Yes, right. And, you're a kid who likes to pay attention to grandpa, right?" The young man smiled faintly.

"Eh... Hehe—Please don't tell him, Brother." Said Joni who suddenly broke out in cold sweat while scratching the back of her head restlessly.

"You take it easy, I won't tell grandpa, I won't."

"Hahaha—Thank you, deh, then."

"Hm... By the way, I want to ask you about something." The young man hesitated. "You're this, right, a kid, huh? But, really, you've been working like this, anyway? Where are your parents?"

Hearing this question, Joni felt a little astonished as well as confused.

"Lho. My brother didn't realize, did he?" Asked Joni who had just picked up a few plastic cups.

"Roller? Whatisit? Food, huh?"

Judging from the look on the young man's face, it seemed that he was not joking. He really doesn't know anything about scavengers.

"Eh. That's my job." Joni explained. "We pick up drinks or bottles made of plastic, as well as used items that have been discarded by people, or something that is not needed but still has a little price. Then, tonight we'll hand it over to Boss Anca for sale."

"Oh, apparently your work is not much different from my work."

Silent moment.

Joni looked up into space, and saw that there were many clouds up there protecting her from the sun. However, because of that sight, Joni became aware of one thing.

"Did!?" Joni squealed in wonder. "Snake scavenger brother too!?"

"Looks like. You see, Grandpa always took us to the park to pick up the garbage that littered the park. But. I didn't know that the trash could be sold." The man's face remained unchanged. He was really serious about his words. "Keep, who is Boss Anca? Is he your parents?"

"Ah. He's the one who took care of me. I don't have parents. When I was a kid, I was dumped in the streets, and Boss Anca picked me up and raised me."

"Wait—What!? You were dumped by your parents!?" The young man was surprised. "Why can that be!? Why would they do such an evil thing!?"

"Boss Anca said, parents usually throw away their children not because they don't want us, but because they also have their own problems." Joni.

"But, isn't that not worth it? They mean bad guys, right? All humans are the same. Ungrateful sinners to the Creator."

"Lho... Brother can't talk like that, can you. They must have their reasons too. Who knows, because there is me, they suffer more or their problems get bigger. That's why they dumped me. So good, right? Than to have to see our loved ones in pain."

"But, after everything that happened, time, anyway, you still love your parents? You've never seen them, have you?"

"Yes, it's okay. Anyway, if there were no them, I would not be talking to Brother right now."

The man was silent and seemed to be struggling in his mind, but somehow his tail was swaying rapidly like a hot worm. Then, shortly afterwards, the young man cleared his throat slowly and spoke up again, "Hmm... Looks like I have to retract all my bad words about humans."

"Hmm?"

Joni was quite surprised to hear that. "Ah. instead of not objecting, Brother. Only, I was happy with my friends. Although we do not have much money, but if we save, we can definitely survive, really."

Not far ahead there looks an area overgrown with many green and lush trees. Just a few steps away, Joni will arrive at the park. In fact, Joni himself was impatient to meet many interesting people like that young man there.

"What exactly do you want?" Ask the young man suddenly.

Joni was instantly speechless upon hearing that unexpected question. It was as if the question brought a strange feeling into Joni. It felt extremely cold, and piercing, and made his smile disappear for a moment.

"I just want to live." Joni said in a whispering voice. "I want to live on, and help unlucky people like me. I. I want to lead them and make sure they all stay alive until tomorrow... "

Arriving at the park, Joni saw that there were quite a lot of people hanging out there. But, Joni's eyes were immediately fixed on an old geezer sitting alone on a long bench under a tree. The mysterious grandfather simply stayed there, with both hands clinging to the stick in front of him, while his eyes were fixed on looking down.

However, in addition to that ordinary sight, Joni's eyes could also catch the strange things that were in the park.

There are a lot of strange creatures out there. If counted, there could be fifteen of them including the young man. They were on each side of the park and watching the people, or rather, they picked up the trash left behind by the irresponsible people, then they put it in one of the two sacks near the shower.

Some of them looked almost the same as ordinary people, but they had at least one strange part attached to their bodies, just like the young man who had a tail. While some of them are figures whose forms do not resemble humans at all. They look like animals, ghosts, monsters and whatever else.

"Well... There's nothing more to collect here... " Said Joni resigned.

"You may, I'll take our own." Said the young man while pointing towards the sack. "The sack on the right, it's special for recyclable garbage, really."

"Well! That's right, brother!?" Joni didn't believe it.

"Yes, of course."

Without further ado, Joni darted straight into the shower to see the contents of the sack, and it turned out that there were so many glasses and plastic bottles inside. The strange creatures that were there also docked to Joni's place, and they all looked happy, including the young man.

However, Joni was not aware at all that the mysterious Grandfather had risen from his stool and was watching him since. But, suddenly Grandpa smiled a little, and before long, he walked away from the park, until finally he was lost among the crowd of pedestrians who had just entered the park. Meanwhile, the young man who was aware of the grandfather's departure, was only able to stand there and see his departure, as well as all his strange friends.

"Goodbye, sir." Whisper of the young man.

"Hey, Grandpa, how come it doesn't exist?" Joni asks who just realized that grandfather was no longer there.

"Hm... Joni, I'd like to ask you again." Said the young man.

"What else, brother?" Asked Joni who was focused on moving half of the sack contents to her sack.

"Can I be your best friend?"

That question managed to provoke Joni's interest. "Well! Of course, Brother! And. and... Take it easy, deh! I'm not gonna ask you for money, brother!" Said Joni looking proud.

"Alright, that's weird." Said a wolf who stood like a human.

"Sure, he's still a kid." Said a dwarf creature with a funny face, green skin and has long and taper ears.

"Look, Joni." Said the young man kneeling one foot in front of Joni, while one hand held onto Joni's shoulder. "If I can be your best friend, I will help you get everything you want, including taking care of you and your friends. And if I become your best friend, then these friends of mine will also be your friends, and we will also help you collect all the garbage in the world. How's it?"

Joni immediately looked at all the strange creatures in wonder, and then, smiling broadly, she said, "Yes, of course I want to, sister!"

"All right then." The young man stood up while taking something out of his pants pocket, it was a beautiful looking necklace, with fourteen colorful stones arranged on its circular decoration, and a rather large black stone located in the middle.

"This necklace is for me?"

"Yes, this is for you." Obviously the young man. "With this necklace, you can borrow my strength, as well as the strength of one of them. But, you can only use it in important moments, okay?"

"Hm... Really, Brother?" Joni asked in surprise while looking at the necklace. "This canyon looks very expensive, you know... "

The young man, along with his strange friends suddenly laughed softly after hearing what Joni said.

"Lho's? Why?"

"Ah... No, it's not." The young man answered while rubbing Joni's head. "Yes, have you, let's go home, yuk?"

"Ah. okay. Come on, Brother."

However, when Joni intends to leave the park, suddenly there is a tall girl who has four arms, who takes both of Joni's sacks, then put it in the mouth of a creature with blue hair and a large body. The two sacks that are almost full actually go into the stomach of the creature that looks funny and hairy.

"Kok—"

"Joni take it easy, we are, right, your friends now, so we'll help you get those things to where the Boss of Anca is." Clearly the young man took Joni's hand and led her out of the garden. "Let's go home."

Joni walks in front with the young man, while her other friends follow from behind.

"Oh, yes, Joni, my name is Ulficer, but you can call me Ulli."

"Okay, Brother Ulli. And my name is Joni, brother."

"Yes, I know, I know, Joni." Uldi. "That's why we chose you to protect people... "