MYFATHER
Episode 24
Mirna's car stops on the porch of the house and as the door shifts open Yudi feels heavy having to release the girl from her arms. He followed the girl into the house, which was dark because the oval lights on the ceiling were no longer lit, but that was not a problem for Mirna who walked smoothly down the second floor to where Yudi's room was.
”You will accompany,” Mirna said as soon as they arrived on the second floor.
”I thank you for taking me out.”
”This evening is fun.”
”Yeah, and I hope you sleep well with her,” Yudi pointed at the teddy bear in Mirna's arms.
Mirna picked up the doll and smiled happily, ”Sure...and I hope you can name this doll...you know, like a parent gave a child a name?”.
Yudi was aghast but he smiled, ”I don't know. I'm not an expert soan.”
”I think I've got a suitable name,” Mirna said with sparkling eyes. ”Gulali...how does it sound?”
”Cute name,” Yudi responded. ”But why that name?”
”Because it smells..” Mirna kissed the doll. ”...so sweet..that definitely took me flying to dreamland.”.
Yudi smiled and the two were silent for a moment. Their eyes met, looked at each other and sent out a gesture that only the two could understand. The warmth he had scooped up for a moment in the car was rumbling down the nerves he wanted to immerse in a meaningful peak. The hanging warmth was unpleasant – both realized it was – but each other behaved wait.Waiting the opposite sex determines the choice that finally dawns the heart.
Now or not at all, thought Yudi, the atmosphere from afternoon until tonight has intertwined so neatly ushering them in the embrace of a romantic night, what is wrong with peaking? The choice is only to stay in his room or in Mirna's room...
But when their lips were about to meet a cold wind blew behind Yudi's neck. Reminds me that this is not the right time. Immediately the surge in his heart shrank to a subtle rejection. Mirna who realized that Yudi was holding back came away. The girl asked, ”Why?”
”Don't now,” Yudi said in a hoarse voice.
Mirna's eyes showed her emotions hit hard, as if in disbelief at hearing that answer, ”It's been night.I went upstairs first yes.”.
”Good sleep.”
As soon as Mirna disappeared on the top step Yudi instantly cursed inwardly. Room door almost slammed if not immediately remember this is not the mess room. He realized he couldn't continue this. The enjoyment she felt with Mirna was only temporary, her time in this place was only two days and after that Mirna only stayed a memory because she had to return to Siska. So he can't have Mirna, there's a responsibility he has to do to Siska and Yudi realizes it's impossible to run from her...
”Dasar dumb...dasar dumb..” murmured Yudi on him many times.
He was just about to change clothes when a loud roar sounded. The roar was like the sound of a big cat starving.or perhaps in pain. The curtain to check the situation outside, the backyard is empty and dark. When the roar was heard again Yudi realized that the sound was not coming from outside the house.
this building...
The young man infiltrated out of the room and followed the direction of the sound that sounded from downstairs. Yudi's heart was beating as his foot was treading on the first floor tile, worried that the strange-sounding creature might be on this floor, hiding in a corner in the dark, prepare to ambush him in seconds. He paused for a moment and let his eyes get used to the darkness there.
The mysterious sounds were still heard though not as loud as before, turning into a kind of snoring that gave certainty that this room was safe. This mysterious sound sounded from somewhere further away from this floor, somewhere further down, and at that time Yudi was reminded of the wine cellar. His gaze was fixed on the curved frame that connected the floor to the lower room before then decided to look there.
The smell of yeast and wine greeted Yudi as soon as he entered the room. The smell that affected his sense of smell felt stronger than he had when he entered the place this afternoon. Perhaps because the cooler temperature at night makes the steam of wine that is out in the air is not expanded by the heat of the room.
He stepped carefully so as not to nudge the wine bottles on the shelves or those arranged in the corner of the floor. His hand grabbed one of the bottles of wine, quite satisfied with its weight because it was not too heavy to swing and sturdy enough to be smashed. This bottle is a pretty good weapon to protect himself if the roaring animal is big and savage.
The man tiptoed again nearing the origin of the sound before the animal stopped making its sound. It seemed to know, or perhaps to kiss, that there was another being in that place besides him. Yudi also stopped stepping, stood dumbstruck, making sure that the creature was indeed behind the wooden door of the room with a round stone because from there came the sound last time.
Yudi clasped the bottle tightly in his right hand as his left hand pushed the door. There was a row of stairs leading down, the stairs were impressed in that only four steps were visible while the rest were swallowed by darkness. He climbed down the stairs to the bottom before finding a strange door without a key and a doorknob that turned out to be motionless when pushed. How do I get in there? Is there some kind of secret lever that must be played or a magic phrase that must be spoken?
”What are you doing there?” someone suddenly rebuked him.
Yudi looked up and saw Mother Rose standing with a ruffled waist at the top of the stairs. Her negligee is hidden behind a matted fur sleeping coat, her matching-colored sandals with her coat wrapped around her tiny legs, while her long hair is left untouched. Yudi almost thought of her as Mirna if she had not spoken.
”I used to drink a glass of wine before bed and came back here to put the bottle on the shelf. If you... What are you doing here?” Mother Rose looked at the bottle in Yudi's hand. ”Jngan said that you came here to spend a bottle of wine alone.”
Yudi smiled and threw the bottle to the side. The object clinked and as Yudi expected it did not break easily when it hit the stone floor. ”No! Indeed no!”
”Then?” the forehead of the Rose Mother is wrinkled,.Just then Yudi felt a violent aura emanating from the woman. The aura was terrifying, and perhaps that was why Mirna often felt uncomfortable being next to the woman.
”I heard a strange roar while in the room and I checked here.”
”Raungan?” the woman frowned. ”I didn't hear anything from earlier.”
Yudi shrugged, ”The voice looks like a tiger or a big cat like a jaguar or puma. Surprisingly the sound disappeared as soon as I got in here.”
”Oh, so? How do you think such an animal got in here?” Mother Rose could not help her gel smile.
”If I could open this door then I might be able to explain,” Yudi pointed at the strange door beside him. ”I heard his voice from there.”
”Really?” Mother Rose. ”You sure? Because the door was so patched since decades ago.”
”So no one can open it?” ask Yudi in doubt.
”That's what you tried earlier, right?”
Yudi's face was red. Fortunately the situation was quite dark so Mother Rose did not see the change. He climbed the stairs and stood before the woman. Stunned to find the woman's body is still very fragrant even though it has entered sleep. Spreads of jasmine's scent spread nonstop from behind her sleeping coat, the same scent she smelled when she met the woman in the living room earlier this afternoon. The young man said softly, ”Maybe I misheard.”
Mommy Rose stroked Yudi's shoulder in a way that made the man suddenly rattled, ”Maybe neither. In this old house there are indeed many animals enter.such as wild cats or squirrels that come from the forest. For years, this house has been safe. Believe!”
Casually the woman took Yudi with her after closing the door of the wine cellar, ”You may never have experienced this in a big city but there was once a panther coming into this house, precisely into that cellar before it was made into a wine cellar."
"The beetle is a shy animal and does not like to approach human settlements." continued Mother Rose. "...but due to his nest in the southern part of the forest burned down due to human activities he lost his way into this house, and you may not believe that the animal entered through the tunnel, which is the dead door you encountered earlier. The atmosphere in the basement is indeed the atmosphere in a cave, right?”
Yudi frowned, the woman's explanation was different from Mirna's. If it is not wrong Mirna said that the hall was once an underground road so that her family could save themselves from the pursuit of Dutch soldiers during the war, ”Then there is indeed a room behind the door?”
”Yes! It's just that after the incident my great-grandmother patented it to make sure that it didn't happen again. He also closed his exit.”
”Then what about the panther and his son? Did your great-grandmother also throw him out?”
”No! My grandmother killed her..” Mother Rose's voice sounded suffocated as she replied. ”...The creature was so hungry that he ate my mother's brother who was a child at the time..and.”.
”Do not!” prevent the creepy Yudi from hearing it. ”Do not continue. I-i understand. That was terrible!”
”So now you understand why the room is permanently closed?”
”And I almost ruined it. Forgive me!”
”It's okay. You don't know.”
”Then I go back to the room first, Mommy!” yudi said realizing this unpleasant atmosphere.
”Come on, Mommy also wants to go back upstairs. Too cold linger here.”
***