The House 1937's
24. Crab....

The rain that fell throughout the day until the day went up at night made the air in this house and its surroundings become cooler than usual. Both Grandma, Papa and Aunt were in their rooms after dinner a few minutes ago. Now only Aunt who is in the kitchen alone after cleaning and washing the cutlery used for dinner last night.

He was sitting in a long bale in the kitchen with a glass of warm tea that he slowly sipped. All day, he only shopped briefly to the market and did not go out of the house again since it rained last afternoon. The location of this kitchen which is exactly close to the back of this house makes the natural sounds coming from the empty garden sound very clear like the sound of frogs and crickets that sound earthy. Or the number of animals and small insects that come out of the nest because they cannot stand the rain such as crabs or cockroaches that stick to the outside wall of the house because their nests are submerged in water.

Aunty frowned slightly at the sight of some crab or yuyu, a small freshwater crab walked sideways on the kitchen floor and aunt got up from her seat to see where these crabs were coming into the kitchen and she noticed a small crack in the kitchen under the back door near the bathroom which turned out to be the entrance access for these crabs. Honestly, Auntie did not feel disturbed by the presence of these crabs. But if the number of crabs coming into the kitchen continues to grow, Bibi is forced to 'contain' them in the plastic tub she used to wash clothes. Bibi took one of the plastic tubs that was large enough that had previously been filled with water by him. Bibi swiftly began to catch the crabs that were quite nimble. He was quite overwhelmed and the number of crabs he put in the bucket could be counted with his fingers. His activity of catching the crab was apparently noticed by Tanteku in front of the kitchen entrance and took the crab that walked sideways towards him.

"Bi, this is Yuyu so much from where?", Aunt observed the crab in her hand with her claws and twitching legs.

"It was Neng coming in from under the back door of the bathroom Deket, a lot so Auntie caught.", Aunt pointed at her plastic tub and Auntie immediately put the crab in her hand into the tub

"Why put it in here Bi?", my aunt was rather astonished by the considerable amount of crabs in the tub.

"There are so many Neng Yuyu who enter, so Aunt put it first in this tub, only tomorrow it will be released again to the back...", Aunty again caught the two crabs and hurriedly put them in the tub.

"Alin help Bi but Alin to the bathroom first yes..", My aunt half ran to the bathroom and did not forget she was careful that her steps did not reach let alone step on the crabs that are still many roaming on the kitchen floor. Maybe tomorrow morning he will tell papa to close the gap at the bottom of the back door so that no more crabs come in.

After his business in the bathroom was finished, Tanteku finally helped Bibi collect the crabs that now the number has fulfilled the capacity of the tub.

"There is no more Bi.", my aunt watches around the kitchen, afraid there are crabs that have not been caught.

"Yes Neng, the rich are all..",

"Yes Neng.., for what is also placed in the tub for a long time..?".", Aunt half laughed.

"Say Yuyu can be made to catch tuyul it's not really Bi?", asked Tanteku suddenly to Aunty, he used to hear one of his friends that if Yuyu was put in a small bucket or basin filled with water in the house would distract the incoming tuyul so that he would forget the 'duty' what he has to do.

"Hus.., Neng Alin even said that at night.., Neng returned to the room at night.", My aunt pushed my Tantu slowly and told him to go back to her room immediately.

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Aunty opened her eyes slowly and took a position to sit on her bed slowly, muffling the sound of the drizzle outside was still heard. Aunty Grabbed the glass of her shell beside the bed and it was filled only a little. Fortunately, Bibi put a clay jug that is used to hold drinking water in her room.

Aunty started pouring water from the jug into her stem and drinking it little by little to wet her dry throat. Amidst the sound of the rain still falling, Auntie's hearing seemed to hear the sound of a child laughing. Aunty quite jolted to hear the sound because in this house there are no children and also of course this is past midnight, at half an hour in the morning, he said, Aunty looked at the time the wall clock showed in her room. He slightly shriveled and sharpened his hearing.

Although he is difficult to age, his hearing is still good for people his age and he cannot be misheard. The voices were heard again, the laughs of a very strange child to be heard at an early time like this. He then slipped towards the door of the room and put his ear there and sure enough, the laughing voice was indeed there and sounded clearer. Who would dare to laugh in the middle of the night like this?, Aunt was a little hesitant if she had to go out of the room to check the conditions outside or vice versa. He sighed and finally ventured to see the conditions outside the room. He opened the door of his room, and there was a faint sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. Now Auntie was in front of the kitchen door and there was a gap in the kitchen door that looked old and Aunt took a peeking position towards the kitchen through the gap. How surprised he was when he found out that the little laughing sound came from the figure of small children who were now crouching near the plastic tub where he put the crabs that he caught yesterday. They do look like children but with a slightly awkward appearance, they only wear something like *********** in white, pale white, white, they have a strange ear shape that tapers at the top of their earlobes. They numbered three figures with apparitions of terrible faces that were also pale white with a whole jet-black eye gaze without any corneas. Aunty remembered Aunt Alin's words when they were catching the crabs.

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