The House 1937's
37. Under the Tree

Bi Inah almost opened her mouth wide if only she did not directly cover her mouth with her palm. He did not expect that Najim experienced such a terrible thing as a child.

"Oh Man...",

"Why Bi?",

"Najim certainly can not forget the event.", Bi Inah's gaze slightly clear while glancing at Najim.

"Obviously Bi, he every time through the chicken coop hut must have lowered his head while closing his eyes, sometimes I pushed him towards the hut until he was angry.", Giman half laughed. Even though he felt sorry to prank his sister like that, it was still the thing that always made him laugh.

"But Man, why didn't Babah just tear down the chicken coop?, Babah fixed it..", If only Bibi was in Grandpa's position, maybe he chose to make a new cage that is much better but not in the same location as the previous cage.

"Hmm.which I know Babah did not want to move the location of the chicken coop.", Giman pointed with his chin a hut-shaped chicken coop not far from them.

"Now it is obsolete Bi, but before it was repaired the situation is much more obsolete, and the cage that used to be used Babah for chicken nquatin from the hut of this cage has not even been filled again until now...",

"Sometimes every morning I like to be told to Enah to feed bran to the chicken coop.", Auntie was half shudder, half shudder, I don't know what would happen if he experienced the same thing as Najim.

"Well.do'a just Bi. That's all we can do, right?. But when Bi Inah went into the cage for bran love is nothing, right?", Bi Inah just shook her head slowly.

Not feeling that their lunch time was over, Papa stepped out of the kitchen door to resume his work, followed by Giman who immediately followed papa's step towards the middle of the yard with the others.

"I go first Bi.., be careful yes.", a short Giman Message to Bi Inah before walking along following Papa's steps to the middle of the page.

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Bi Inah just arrived on the front porch of Grandma's house which now has the porch lights lit up brightly. It may be past seven o'clock last night, considering that he was getting ready at his house when it was still showing around six o'clock past forty minutes. He was escorted by Najim who happened to be the direction of his destination in line with Bi Inah who intended to return to Grandma's house. Yesterday afternoon, she got word from Najim that her husband had returned home. Her husband also knew that Bi Inah was now working in this house and after he finished his work, Bi Inah asked Grandma for permission to go home and she would return to this house tomorrow night. Grandma who knew that Bi Inah rarely met her husband who worked in the City would allow Bi Inah to return home, but the grandmother advised that Bi Inah should return home should not exceed 9 pm. He deliberately returned early to prepare dinner and he also felt bad if it was too late. Bi Inah is still on the front porch waiting for Papa, Aunt Alin or Grandma who will open the door. He who was still standing there, his gaze accidentally looked at the white guava tree in the yard of the house, which was not far from the chicken coop hut. It was as if he had seen something under the tree, a boy. Bi Inah was a little astonished, it was already night and what was the child doing there?, was he still playing around?, but he was only alone and somehow Bi Inah felt there was something strange about the boy. Bi Inah was indeed unable to see the obvious appearance, but.., the child was only seen standing stiffly under the guava tree without moving a bit.

"Click.." ,

The sound of the front door was opened and seen Aunt Alin from behind the door wearing a pink nightgown suit.

"Bi Inah.., sorry Bi I opened the door a long time ago, because it was all in the kitchen, let's enter Bi.", Aunt Alin greeted Aunt politely.

"Eh.., yes Ci.", replied Bi Inah briefly then he looked back at the water guava tree, and it turned out that the child was no longer under the tree.

"What's Bi?", Aunt Alin approached Bi Inah and tried to follow the direction of Bi Inah's view which turned out to lead to a water guava tree covered with a fairly dark view from where they both stood.

"Oh, there is nothing Ci, let's go in.", replied Bi Inah who invited Aunt Alin to step in first. While stepping inside and locking the door, Bi Inah was still unthinkable by the figure of the little boy she had just seen under the guava tree. He tried to remember something, maybe he had seen or even known the child. But come to think of it, he had never seen the child before. I don't know, Bi Inah tried not to remember what she had seen, even though she still felt there was something strange about the boy.

******

"Be careful Bi...",

A voice from behind Bi Inah that made him startled reflexes made him look back, seen Papa who was still wearing his nightgown with slightly messy hair with a leather glass in his hand. Papa's voice that sounded hoarse because of waking up made Bi Inah a little shocked mixed with fear.

"Jeez Koh.., make Bi Inah shocked..",

Bi Inah stroked her chest that was still trembling in shock, while papa just shrugged her shoulders while drinking water in the glass of leather she was holding.

"Sorry Bi, my voice is hoarse. Understandably wake up.", Papa glanced at the kitchen table above which there are ingredients that will be cooked Bi Inah for breakfast.

"Tearage Bi vegetable cooking for breakfast?",

"I.iya Koh's. In addition to vegetable bean sprouts, there are fried tempeh, sambal terasi, and fried pufferfish.", Bi Inah explained in detail the breakfast menu that he is now preparing.

"The fish is made spicy ya Bi.", said the father who again poured water from a clay jug into his glass of leatherback.

Geck..Geck...Tokkkp....

The sound of knocking on the kitchen door that was loud enough instantly distracted papa and Bi Inah who immediately looked at each other. Today was still early, and papa signaled to Bi Inah customarily opening the kitchen door. Who would have come so early to visit, come through the kitchen door anyway. As soon as Bi Inah door was opened, there were two men with panicked and pale facial expressions.

"Sorry, what are you?", Bi Inah felt a little surprised mixed with suspicion. They should have just knocked on the front door to make it seem more polite. Moreover, they came to the house this early. Is something going on?.

"Anu Bi, sorry we disturbed this early in the morning, Si Engkoh who has a house there is Bi?...", in addition to the two men earlier, the two men were, came the other two younger looking men who stepped closer. Aunty saw them coming from behind, from the vacant land of this house.

"I'm here, what's going on in the morning to my house?" Ask Papa who is now right behind Bi Inah with a serious facial expression. Looking at this expression of two people before him, papa sensed that something was amiss.

"A.anu Koh, I'm so sorry that we interrupted this early in the morning.", the man looked pale looking at the seriously wrinkled face of papa.

"What's the matter, sir?", Papa asked the man once more.

"At the rear Empang Koh..., there are drowning...",

"What?, drowning??who?", Papa immediately half-screamed until Bi Inah covered both ears.

"Boy Koh, he lives behind the vacant lot here.", Obviously the man. Bi Inah was shocked to hear that the drowning man was a boy. Bi Inah who did not want to look panicked immediately pleaded with Papa to continue his work. As soon as Bi Inah stepped back to the kitchen table, he saw Grandma and Aunt Alin who had been standing near the water jug table and flask with a worried look. They were similarly shocked to hear that ill-fated thing.

Bi Inah still tried to continue his work even though his fingertips felt a little pain due to the knife slices. Grandma and Aunt Alin are sitting with Aunt at the kitchen table. From the conversation papa and the people who came, it is known that the child may have drowned in the back of Empang since yesterday afternoon. On the outskirts of Empang found people who are still empty with fishing rods that are ready to be used for fishing. It is likely that the boy fell slipping while on the edge of the empang and he could not swim. Hearing that conversation, Bi Inah just fell silent mixed with fear. Considering what he saw under the white water guava tree last night, is.....?????.

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