The Body of My Son
"THE VOICE IS MORE CLEAR"

WHERE IS MY SON'S BODY

Part 3

Deggs!

My heart almost stopped beating when I saw the sighting of the child lying in my living room. I almost squealed and immediately turned my face to the left.

"Mom, Mrs Sulis, how's Mom?" asked Mr. Slamet to make me look back.

Slowly and trembling, I turned towards the body and found it not moving at all. Her head remained lying on a neatly folded sarong cloth in place of a pillow.

I breathe heavily. 'Was it a hallucination or was there really a genie around this house?' my inner.

"Please bathe the body of this child well. I am still not sure that this child is my son. Because there are physical characteristics of their bodies that are not appropriate," I said.

There are no obvious murmurs in this room.

"Perhaps because it is still in shock and not ready, so Bu Sulis denied that this body is not the body of Damar," said one of the mourners.

"In that case, let it be clear who this body is, you better take a bath. And you'll know who this body is" I'm sure. "And as the first proof that this child is not Damar, I will call Damar's teacher and confirm that Damar is currently at his school for preparation for Persami later tonight. Damar has departed from earlier after the dhuhur," continue again.

I then reached into the phone in the pocket of the negligee and pressed the number of Mr. Eko, the teacher in charge of Scout training.

Me and everyone in the middle room were waiting tensely the ringtone changed with the human voice because I activated the loudspeaker.

"Assalamualaik."

Mr. Eko's voice made all the mourners look enthusiastic.

"Vaalaikumsalam. Mr. Eko, this is Mr. Sulis. Student guardian Damar Prasetyo, sixth grade A. I just want to make sure that Damar's doing well?" I asked him to look at each of the mourners who did not believe my testimony in turn.

"Ah, Miss Sulis. Coincidentally mother phone. I was just about to ask where Damar didn't come to the Persami event, Mom. Since the beginning of the team selection event and set up a tent has not come. Just found out not present during the attendance event by the class leader. I think Damar's sick."

I gawk. The phone clasped in my hand just fell to the floor.

Lucky android phone legacy from the late mas Abdi my husband did not break. I hurriedly picked up that black flat object.

"Hello, Mr. Eko! Mr Eko!"

No sound from Mr. Eko anymore. With trembling hands I checked the pulses and data packets.

'Astaghfirullah! It's over! It's worth not connecting to my phone calls anymore.'

I turned my head with a thumping heart to the stiff body in the middle of the room. 'If the body is not Damar's body, and Damar is not in his school, then where is Damar? And why is this kid wearing Damar's school uniform?' mind confused.

A glimpse of bad thoughts immediately entered my mind.

"Mom, I know it's heavy. Ikhlaskan what happened. Maybe on the way to school, Damar playing around in the river and drowned. It's better that Damar's body be bathed immediately" suggested Mr. Slamet.

I breathe heavily. It's true, this body must be bathed to be clean and everyone here knows that this child is not Damar.

"Mom, Mrs Sulis. The day is past the Maghrib. The body should be quickly buried so as not to be too late. Is it possible to wait for relatives who will come here?" ask Mr. Broto.

I'm shaking. "No. My husband and only son and our parents are dead. Bathe the child, please. Once again I refused to bathe him because I was sure this child was not my family," I said firmly although inwardly still wondering where Damar was.

The boy's body was taken to the well by them and bathed. After this they brought the corpse back to the living room.

I saw the faces of the mourners suddenly strange while carrying the child's stiff body into the living room. I'm looking at them one by one.

"The boy's face is clean of blood, isn't it?"

I walked closer towards the child lying down. People walked away and gave me a place to move forward. I braced myself to pull out his face cover. I initially doubted this child was Damar now more confused, if this child is not Damar, who is this child and why is he wearing Damar clothes? Then where is Damar now?

I opened the draw that covered the boy's face. There was no more blood on his face. Although the scratches on his face remained visible, but his face that was clean of blood very clearly showed he was not Damar.

Between relief and confusion I stared at the faces of the citizens who were now standing before me.

"So you can see for yourself, right? He's not Damar! He must be someone else's son whose name is the same as mine. I don't want to know you're the one responsible for burying this kid so he can get out of my house!" I ask the mourners.

***

I still held my phone in disappointment. It was too late to report to the authorities about Damar's disappearance.

The mourners have left. But the smell of camphor and the special perfume of the corpse seemed not to want to leave my house.

I lay down my body on the bed, next to Dinda who was already sound asleep. Suddenly I felt so lonely. Tears melt again thinking of where my firstborn is now.

Suddenly a faint song humming from outside my room. Damar's favorite song is often sung when his sister cries.

"One, I love you. Two two too dear father. Three three dear sister brother, one two three, dear all."

I breathe and hold my body. Tense and expectant when he heard that faint voice.

I stood up and stepped slowly out of the room towards Damar's room.

The voice was getting clearer. My heart started pounding when I touched Damar's door handle. Did Damar enter the house without my knowledge?

Kriet!

The door of Damar's old and worn room opened slowly causing a noise.

The song stopped sounding and I almost jumped when I saw Damar from behind sitting on the bed facing the wall. My eldest son was wearing a uniform and fell silent. I stepped closer to him.

"Broom, where have you been, son? Why don't you join PESAMI?" My toot.

I put my hand towards him. And before my hand could reach his body, Damar slowly turned his head and turned his body towards me.

"Aarrgghhhh!!!!"

I screamed as loud as I realized Damar was looking at me without eyes with a face full of blood.

"Momuu! Helpme! They're evil! Help me, Mom! I'm lonely here!"

Suddenly Damar flew from the bed towards me with both hands out!

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