The Staircase
Chocolate Envelope

It hasn't been nearly a year in first grade. These legs are rather strong supporting the body that is getting higher, thin. Most hockey in a month twice I'm chased by a goose. I'm not deterred, but I'm still worried. Every time before passing through the Tibetan man's house, I turn left and right first, making sure my surroundings are safe or not. Aggressive geese certainly do not think long pecked my ass. There are many geese kept by the Tibetan pack, but one is aggressive, larger than the other. It's been a dozen times that goose has pecked my ass. Not strong. But it was enough to make me run, scared to this night, thinking tomorrow morning should do what not to be chased by the goose again.

Fireflies entered the house approaching me who was studying in the middle room. Flickering. I took it with both hands. Three fireflies I managed to catch. Locked it in a transparent bottle, my long-empty aquarium because my pet fish is all dead.

The firefly was like a disco lamp, the blink of the lamp was as fast as the blink of my sleepy eyes. The three fireflies in the transparent bottle excited me who, from this afternoon, was looking at my notebook. Spelling in the heart.

Dad sharpened a toreh knife in the kitchen. Mom's approaching. "Ten or less five like you have ten cakes and then taken your friend five, about how much left?" Mom's trying to solve a messy problem in my notebook.

"Yes, mom. But this is not a matter of that reduced cake." I answered while bouncing a pencil on my lips.

"What lounge?" Ask mom to get closer.

"Tomorrow I'll be chased by that goose again." Polo answered. Mom chuckles softly.

I heard our conversation, "You can follow me to the rubber garden. There's a shortcut from there that goes through to school." Father said he gave a solution. Wonderful idea.

I opened the next sheet in my notebook. This is the last sheet. My writing on each sheet is fickle. It was originally like chicken claws that not many people could read. Including the mother who confused what numbers and letters I wrote until I had to spell for her. But on this last sheet, mother did not ask again because my writing began to be neat and regular. It's just that to read it needs to be a little closer to the lamp, my writing is too small as my eyes are narrowed, drowsiness.

"Fire. Flames. Flames. Quickly put it out." Mom's panicking. Waving her hands, ruffling my hair.

"Where?" Dad panicked too.

Not helping. Father and mother laughed out loud at my burning hair on her bangs.

"yeah. It's gotta be mocked by tomorrow, my friend." While pulling the burning poniku, lame. Funniest.

"Silent. Don't be sad. I have this." Lifting scissors.

The school construction is almost complete. This morning, I arrived at school early, free from the goose chase of the Tibetan pack. I followed Dad's advice last night, through a more suitable shortcut called the rat's way. My white uniform was a little damp, but the shortcut that Dad took to school was closer than the highway. Despite taking the shortcut, I had to flick the branches about a meter long so that the dew that perched on the tip of the leaf did not wet my school uniform. Free from goose chase. I murmured in my heart.

The day before, Dad had paved that shortcut for me. The constant complaining of being chased by a Tibetan goose leaves the father with a full day of slashing down the grass that covers the shortcut, as it is impossible to force the Tibetan man to lock up or kill his beloved goose - except to find another way.

"Brain is you, Ki." Aga laughed at me, forcibly removing the school hat from my head.

I grumbled in disgust in a heart mixed with shame. Sontak tried to grab the hat from Aga's hand. Well, Aga made fun of me more, took the hat to the school yard, threw it carelessly. A woman in the second grade row took my hat.

"That's mine." Approaching with a loud breath.

"This. I found it falling here." Poking my hat. His eyes looked hard as if full of questions. Her hair was tied to a braid with a rubber band. Dimpled.

"Cie. Close to Nina, Cie." Oluk Aga was next to me in the first class row. I'm not kugubris. I just found out the woman's name, Nina. I had a class with him. It is only fitting that Aga knows.

Arrive in class. Aga elbowed me, while interrogating. "Hows it? He's a smart kid. Rank one." Lifting the right index finger. Aga's eyes were serious this time.

"Many like him. Yeah, kind of admiring."

"Including you, Ga?" I'm cutting Aga's story. She blushed in shame.

"But once you know whose child he is you will surely be inferior, fearful, doubtful, and even lose hope." Imbuh Aga who did not succeed in the slightest made me interested in connecting the story.

Ms. Neli entered the first class while carrying a brown envelope that was still sealed with writing, a very secret document. Aga's eyes followed Neli's footsteps to sit in the front seat.

"Oh, yes. Ouch. I forgot." I've guessed. You must have forgotten that today we repeat the end of the semester. Today's repetition is what determines us whether to go to second grade or stay in first grade. Aga glanced at me. Before he took a glance I already knew what he was going to do.

"Good morning, kids." Sapa bu Neli was greeted tensely, hesitating. Their eyes looked frightened. Someone was busy writing at the table. He was so deep as if he were praying. Someone was poking friends next to him. Aga smiled at me, hopeful.

"Today's a mathematical replay. Please cheat and cooperate with the friend next to you. But remember! Can't open the book." Said Ms. Neli, smiling widely. Pasting the right index finger on her lips as my classmate was about to cheer happily.

Who wouldn't be happy? Though the midterms a few months ago are very closely watched Mr. Mad. Today, the end of the semester, Ms. Neli was even very good. If I knew this, I wouldn't have learned desperately last night.

"No question and answer are the same." Neli continued. All were astonished.

The paper replicates are distributed starting from the Aga, relayed to the back. Spontaneous Aga pulled out my replay paper, comparing each question on his replay paper.

"How can I cheat! Impossible." Said complaining. His happy eyes turned discouraged.

It turns out that no question is the same in every paper. I remained calm after seeing the question on my paper, I learned it last night.

"Eat him do not habitually cheat. Mad sir's a smart teacher." Said Ms. Neli while returning to her seat after handing out the paper.

I nodded flexibly. There is no other reason that makes the question on each replay paper different than the majority of the similarity of answers at the time of the midterms a few months ago. Our midterms are pretty much the same. My correct answer is exactly copied in their answer sheet. Surprisingly, even my wrong answer seemed to move to the answer sheet of Aga and the others. It's appropriate Mr. Mad suspects first class.

Budi and Randi in the corner of the class seemed mediocre while the others began to struggle reading the paper over and over again. The average of those sitting behind the classroom seemed more relaxed than those sitting in the middle, let alone in front like Aga. Aga's gaze once again seemed to be offending me who invited him to sit in front.

"So I said you can only cheat on your next-door friend, it doesn't mean you can see the book." Bu Neli stood in front of Budi and Randi, furious. Picking up their book that had been hidden in the drawer.

After that incident, those who had been cheating secretly ended up being shut down. But there are still desperate.

The silent classroom. Aga closed his eyes with a mouth. Amens.

I looked back again. Budi and Randi raffled small pieces of paper they scattered on the table, picked one, opened it, then scribbled their answer paper with a pencil.

"Aki. Your head may never come back, you know." Miss Neli warned me.

"Yes, Mom. Sorry." Blushed shame.

Aga stared at the paper. I saw him pointing A, B, and C until the tip of his pencil stopped on one of the letters - Aga directly copied it on the answer paper.

I've had five questions out of ten about what I've been working on. There's still plenty of time left. I worked it my mother's way last night. Dandi has five chickens, dead one means the rest of the four. It makes it easier for me to answer.

I found out about the hard ones. This is the last thing, time is turning faster. Multiplication problem. I tried it my mother's way but failed. I glanced towards Aga. He has already solved all ten of those. Aga smiled in relief at me. We stared. I refocused on the unsolved problem when Ms. Neli cleared her throat twice.

I tried the way Aga, Budi and Randi did. But not just the three of them who are so, almost all in this class voted. I vote in my heart. Sitting in front of me would easily get caught doing stupidity.

"For those who are finished, please take them forward." Ms. Neli cleaned her desk from the brown envelope seal earlier.

Aga stood up the fastest, the spirit. The others followed behind Aga. The rest of me is unfinished. I have voted three times but the results have changed. I was confused and astonished at Aga who only once voted immediately dared to make a choice, even he who first handed the answer paper forward.

I've been confident in nine of the questions I've answered. Surely all are right. In my heart I calculated how much I would get if my answer to this one was wrong.

I closed my eyes with a frown. Then choose one of the answers I consider hockey in my life. I handed my answer paper to Ms. Neli after all the questions I answered with optimism.

Aga looked proud after breaking the muri record as the fastest student to complete the end-of-semester replay. Budi looked worried, and Randi shook his head great while reading his notebook.

There are still four more days of the final semester. Repetition on the first day is very draining of brain and energy, especially for those who vote. There were even those who threw the lottery with all their might, furious. Even so they do not bother. Still keep smiling widely even though I am sure they are thinking hard in their hearts.

The second day of the final semester is supervised by Mr. Mad. Miss Neli to second grade. And two more teachers to third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade, back and forth. One teacher sometimes supervises two classes, taking turns. The school is short of teachers. The issue after the construction of the new building is completed the school plans to add new teachers here. If it was true, I would propose to my mother. My joke in my heart.

"Why smile for yourself, Ki?" Ask Aga to be astonished.

Mr. Mad handed out the paper. Aga hurriedly opened the paper and compared it to my paper.

"The same thing, Ki." Whispered. Aga smiled very widely. Indonesian Language subjects. Everyday language we use at school. But what is learned is not about the language, but about how to use and know the arrangement of words in sentences, especially how to read, and punctuation. Luckily I learned last night. Number one I can answer easily. Aga glanced at my answer sheet. Back and forth. Aga's neck is like a propeller blown by the night wind, stealthy, cheating.

"Relange. If I don't want to ask to come out. Do it yourself!" Said mad sir. Only two questions that I managed to answer, Aga has got a yellow card.

A second was not missed from the observation of Mr. Mad. His eyes were like eagle eyes that from a height could see prey clearly, pouncing on its prey when it was off guard. Mr. Mad pulled the Aga cheat sheet. He was furious, almost driving Aga away.

"Once again caught cheating I don't hesitate to get you out of this school!" Threaten mad sir. Aga just blinked softly, then lowered his head full of regret.

Aga answered the question in haste. Jera cheated again. It's not that I don't want to cheat Aga. But from earlier Mr. Mad's eyes were watching Aga as if there were no other suspicious students in this class other than Aga.

The second day is over. Aga was on his desk. Other students opened their notebooks, some shook their heads like Randi and Budi, some smiled with relief.

The last day of the replay, Aga was still not calm. Even though Neli's mother became the repeat supervisor today, Aga remained troubled.

"You sick, Ga?" I whispered a little. He widened his eyes not wanting to be interrogated.

During the repetition, I opened my answer paper wide and allowed Aga to cheat. Neli did not budge either. But strangely, Aga answered the question without glancing a single glance at my answer paper. Finished before me.

"Great you, Ga. It's done." Say slowly. Aga smiled sweetly.

The bell rang three times the end-of-semester mark was completed. We welcome the sound of the bells. Some cheered happily. Budi and Randi jumped up and down in excitement.

"Horay. We've had an old holiday." Said Budi while hugging Randi. We greet.

"May the result be satisfactory." Pray for each other.

Get out of class first. He stood in the middle of the school yard, responding to my screams calling out his name. Aga's smile was so sweet. He quickly turned his body towards the way home. That smile became the separation between me and Aga. We will meet again when the report card is distributed later.