The Eternal Fragments of Moonlight
Chapter 5: Layers and Fork

After school, Alan and his friends did not leave the classroom. The four of them regrouped at Alan's desk with a serious face observing the message on Mira's phone that was still distorted.

"You see how it is, this..." Dian.

"Too Weird." Alan Sahut. "And the weirdest thing is the date of delivery. Why July 28th, does that mean this message is from the future?"

They became silent for a while after hearing Alan's words.

"It can't be, haha." Mira said while trying to laugh. "It seems like it's just a prankster's job."

"Hmm, do you think a prankster could make something like this?"

"Say Alan, Mir. How can people try to make a super strange message macem gini? If it's a prankster's job, anyway..." Dian paused for a moment before continuing. "There's a sender's name here."

"Yes. Although it is not clearly legible but it is written here..."

"Yahaha!" Suddenly Ronny terbahak with a loud to make his three friends surprised and suddenly turned to look at him. He is seen sitting on his desk next to Alan's table while posing as a statue of Socrates.

"So yeah, it's finally coming." He said while chuckling.

Next after he snickered at me, he stood on the table pointing. "This message is one of the puzzles I have prepared! Now I challenge you to break it! Moshua."

"Yes, although it is not clearly legible, it is written here..."

"Oi Alan, don't peacin me dong!"

Alan looked over because his sentence was cut off.

"Yes, it says here..."

"Oiii, bangke!"

Ronny got off the table and grabbed Alan and rubbed his head with his fist. The laughter of all. Ronny has always been like that. This stupid kid is obsessed with mystery stories. But there was only one story he knew. Detective Conan's.

On the sidelines of the liquid atmosphere, there was the sound of the entrance of the classroom being knocked. Making the four of them simultaneously distract him. From the look on his face, it seemed that they were all very surprised by what they found there. Much more surprised than when he saw Ronny who went up on the table earlier.

Wh why? Because the person there is the person whose name is written in the message is distorted.

"Can you come with me for a second, Alan?"

I don't want Alan to follow him. Arriving in the hallway, after a long time Alan walked after him he asked.

“What's the Race?”

“Gak why-why. I want to stretch my way here.”

Alan sighed, then turned his eyeballs around. But he could not hide that he was actually feeling tense.

“Elo why? Relax, I won't be angry like that. I just want to ask, tomorrow elo no event right?”

“Why?”

“Gue wants to take the road. Can ya?”

Alan thought for a moment. “Where are you going?”

“Let's also you know. But the point is that there is no event tomorrow, right?”

“Ya does not exist anyway.”

“Already, tomorrow we meet at Bunderan Five hours nine in the morning.” Said Laras as he passed.

***

It was already the afternoon when Alan finished with his work in preparation for the festival parade. Her work today was quite a lot so she had to go home later than she should. When he reached the school exit, he saw that only Mira was waiting there.

“Dian where?” Ask Alan.

“Home first. Said he was in a hurry.”

“Oh.”

With the absence of Dian made Alan and Mira so impressed too carefully. They talked twice during the trip. Once discussing the weather, once again review the lesson that was delivered. The rest of them might be communicating via signals.

After walking a few hundred meters from the school they arrived at the road that was supported by a juice shop.

“Eh Alan you want juice? I'll treat deh.”

“Ah gausah, Mir.”

“Udah for nothing, ayok!” Mira said while pulling Alan's hand.

Arriving at the juice shop, Mira ordered juice for the two of them.

“Mas, juice jamnya one. What juice do you want Alan?”

“Emm, same.”

“Jus fetch two yes mas.”

While waiting for the order Alan looked nervous. How not, from earlier Mira's hand still continues to hold her hand. Mira only realized that when the juice salesmen thrust their orders. Mira hurriedly took off her grip, then paid in panic.

The two of them then sat down on the chairs in the tavern to enjoy the juice they had just bought with tense faces. No topic of conversation. They're just busy sipping each other's juice.

Right across from the juice shop there is a fairly large city park. In the middle of the garden there is a shower pool with various ornamental plants around it. In the afternoon like this, especially weekends, there will be many people who spend time there just sitting, jogging or cycling.

Near the shower is an acoustic concert being held by local street musicians. Mira who was sipping her juice became distracted there.

“Lan, we're there yuk!” Mira again pulls Alan's hand. The look on his face that had been tense now returned cheerful.

The two of them crossed the road to enter the park. Next they sat at the very back of the crowd watching the concert. Among the crowd there were some students at one school with them who at that time also waved at Mira welcoming her arrival.

“Not the song?” Said Mira. “From tenth grade I'm the same Dian sometimes like to stop by here if they're in concert.”

“Ah, yes I also never accidentally saw you again watching a concert here. When I passed after school.”

“Hmm? Ten grade time?”

“Yap.” Alan answered with a smile.

But soon the smile on Alan's face turned into a look of shock. So did Mira, her eyeballs became enlarged when she heard Alan's answer.

The reason, because actually they both were not in the same class when they were tenth grade. So they shouldn't know each other. Even during the year they were in the same class as the eleventh grade, Alan had never once spoken to Mira. Their first conversation was on Mira's birthday two months ago.

They turned their eyes to each other, then looked in various directions while returning to sip guava juice. Not long after the sound of applause the audience made them feel like they were aware and finally joined the crowd.

One song finished playing, the female vocalist of the band said a few words of welcome and thanks. Then he was seen discussing with his bandmates and then after that he smiled at the audience. Or rather towards Mira. She said.

“Temen-temen, anyone want to play with us?”

But no one answered.

“Hmm then, who would agree that Mira is following us?”

A moment later the vocalist was in front of Mira and stuck out his hand. Mira initially refused by swinging her hands while smiling incisively. But he was no longer able to dodge when the vocalist asked the audience to name him. Mira also stood up and advanced to the front accompanied by boisterous applause from the audience.

A band member gave his violin to Mira and sat down to join the crowd. The vocalist asked what song he wanted to sing. Then Mira answered. “Autumn Leaves” said.

With the cue to set the tempo, they began to play the song. The breeze of the afternoon seemed to convey every tone created, making who heard it become lulled. One by one people began to arrive, joining the crowd, and in an instant the place had become very crowded.

As Mira showed her solo play, all the audience clapped, stunned by what they saw. Without feeling, the song was finally finished. The spectators who were still unconscious from the cradle were stunned and finally applauded loudly.

After asking Pononton to clap again for Mira, the vocalist invited Mira to sit down again. Mira asked herself to bow her head, then she returned to her seat, next to Alan.

“Wow you were great Mira!” Said Alan. “I didn't expect you to be so good at violin.”

“Hihi, not really, just normal. I from small have indeed tutored various kinds of musical instruments, so yes I can play a little bit.”

“But apparently you have often joined them concerts here huh? Looks like you guys have known you a long time.”

Mira also told how she could initially play music there. That actually it was Dian who forced her to move forward when the vocalist asked for volunteers like that. Since then Mira became known by the band members and some of their loyal audience there.

“Yes even though it looks like that, but actually I can only bring a few songs that I memorized.” Mira. “Biola in my house also rarely touch. There were also many misses when I played, hihi.”

“Stay Mir, your appearance was amazing. You show me again sometime yes your violin skills to me!”

“Bo, can.”

Mira blushed a little, then she quickly picked up the juice beside her. Then sip it slowly.

“Mi, Mira.. that one... mine.”.

Just turn Mira wide. Looking at Alan with a straw still attached to his puffed-up lips.

“Eh sorry! I thought this was mine.”

Mira hurriedly pulled out a straw from her tiny lips. But just as he was about to exchange the juice he was holding with the other one, his movement was restrained, stopped, then his face turned red. Because at that time the straw found in the other cup was full of bite marks. Until making the straw has turned flat.

Likewise with the straw in the cup he was holding. There's a bite mark. Although not as large as the one in the other straw.

At that time Mira knew, if she was in trouble. He realized that it was a sad reality, that it had become his habit to chew every straw he used.

“A, anu!” Mira seemed to be crying.

“Ka, if you really want a tukeran.. Nothing really!”.

Alan immediately took the cup whose sucker was already flattened due to the savage bite, then sipped it hard.

Mira who had raised her hand to stop Alan could do nothing more. Saying something else here will only make her even more embarrassed. Finally he just buried his face in the bag while continuing to sip the guava juice in hand. A jazz song is being played.

***

Alan and Mira now arrive at the crossroads at the end of the Teduh Ramp. A place where they must separate. Now there was no more guava juice on their hands. They finished it and threw it away before leaving the park.

They already waved each other's hands while saying goodbye. But it was clear on Alan's face how much he still wanted to spend more time with Mira. Seen from his smile that curved up, not down.

Mira seems so. He seemed reluctant to cross the road that would take him to the path home. It was like there was a peg holding his foot to step forward.

“Alan.” Mira turned her body, turned back to face Alan. “Tomorrow if you want, I can show you my violin game again.”

Greeting, Alan immediately replied. “Bby Mir! Then tomorrow we meet again!”

“Yes, we meet at Lima Roundabout tomorrow. Emm... nine o'clock?”

What they mean by “Bunderan Lima” is the city park they just visited earlier. The park is often used as a place to hang out and meet for students of Tunas Bangsa High School. In addition to its location near the school, from Bunderan Lima one can go anywhere using city transportation or buses because of its location which is at the meeting of five main lines of highway.

“Ja, not in Lima.” Bundle

“Why?”

Of course it can't, because tomorrow Alan has an appointment with Laras there. Uniquely, the time and place proposed by the two girls are equally percis. It was as if they had conspired to put Alan in a difficult position.

Alan rubbed his ears with his index finger. Then glance to the left as if he will find a reason that sounds good from there.

“What if we meet here? This is closer than our home.” Said Alan. “Again I need first tomorrow morning. Maybe we can meet... at two?”.

“Yap, if so tomorrow we meet here yes, two o'clock?”

Alan nodded. Then Mira continued on her way home and once again waved to Alan when she reached the other side of the road.

Before turning around, Alan was sedated to look at Mira who was walking away, doused in the red light of the twilight sun saga that pierced through the cracks of her hair that was hit by the wind. But without Alan knowing another person was also doing the same to him. Watching it from a distance, on the other side of the Shade Ramp that could not be seen by it.