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Candour

Arlan did not move from his seat. His face was tense, at once angry. He did not want to believe that his mother had the genie. While Arlan did not open his mouth, Lili asked the Imam to watch the front door, so that no one would come in.

"Arlan..." Lili started. "What do you know, son?" voice softens.

"Not much, if Mama doesn't want to tell me anything," Arlan replied curiously.

Lili's two hands clung to each other in front of her chest. This was the first time Arlan had seen Lili ciut like that. The figure of Lili who is known to be graceful and authoritative, just vanished. "Where do you know the genie?" ask Lili.

"People on the street," replied Arlan's origin. He still did not want Lili to know that Mandalah was the one who revealed the existence of the genie. Arlan felt, he no longer knew the middle-aged woman who was now standing before him. He does not want it until his honesty even endangers Manda.

"But... How could the genie have disappeared? Mama is sure, the genie is a powerful genie."

"Mama!" Arlan was angry, standing up from his seat. "I really don't think! Mama should explain why Mama has such a perverted creature! Not even worried about why the genie disappeared!"

Lili who saw her son was angry, immediately shut up. He couldn't possibly avoid Arlan's question at the moment. "Mama..." Lili looked unsure. He weighs what to say.

"Mama still doesn't want a story!?" peekkik Arlan's. The anger reached the end of his head. A little more, he could have destroyed what was nearby, because he was so upset with his mother who did not open her mouth.

Lily sighed, trying to organize her thoughts. "It... It'sall... It's all your papa's fault" whispered Lili. Tears began to bathe his eyes.

"Wrong Papa? What does this have to do with Papa?"

Lili moved to sit on the sofa that was nearby. "Mama was forced to bind a contract with the genie, to protect you from Larasati."

"Who's Larasati?"

"She's the girl in-"

"Lilly!"

A sudden baritone voice filled the central room, making Lili stop talking. Arlan turned to look towards the living room and saw his father waltzing into the house.

"Lilly!" call Fahmi again.

Lili hurriedly got up, then wiped her tears. "Yes, Pa?" he answered, then ran over to the source of the sound.

"What are you doing at home!?" Fahmi Benth. "Why did you leave the meeting with the shareholders!? Are you crazy!? It was a very important meeting!"

"Ah, sorry... I have to go home to meet Arlan, ", Lili replied.

Fahmi looks at Arlan. He investigated his son's expression for a few seconds. "What's wrong? You're making trouble?"

"No, Pa," Lili immediately replied. "There's only urgent business in school matters" Lili lied. "I'll go back to the office. Come on, let's go together!"

Fahmi didn't move from his place. He still looked at Arlan who was silent a thousand languages. "If there's a problem, hurry up!"

"I'll take care of everything" Lili replied. Lili immediately rubbed her husband's arm, so they would go to the office instead of discussing Arlan's problems that never really existed.

Arlan threw himself onto the sofa, as soon as the roar of his father's car started moving away. He rested his head on the back of the sofa while closing his eyes. His head was still throbbing painfully. He can't think much at the moment.

Arlan pulled out the phone from his pants pocket and saw some notifications coming in. How shocked he was, when he saw the invitation of the Creator to meet. Without a second thought, Arlan immediately agreed to the invitation. He doesn't care about his headache.

"Do you need to take Manda?" muttered. "Ah, no need! Manda and Nanda just came home to rest. It's not good to keep bothering them." Arlan decided to go alone. Arlan did not waste any more time and immediately rushed towards the place that had been agreed with the Creator.

***

Arlan spread his gaze around, arriving at the suspension bridge near his house. Across the bridge, a large man was standing while sitting on a roadblock. His right hand was busy playing with his phone. Although from afar, Arlan immediately knew that the person was the Creator.

"Created!" sapa Arlan was already three meters away from Dipta.

He looked up when his name was called. "Sister Arlan?" reply back.

Arlan extended his hand. "Greetings!"

"So, let's get to the point, shall we?"

Dipta nodded in agreement. "I actually came here without my parents' knowledge and the mileage here was also almost an hour. So, I'm not going to talk much."

Arlan looked at the unbelieving Creata. If only he had not agreed to the request of the Creator to meet, the Creator would have had to return empty-handed. "What do you want to tell me?"

"Son Arlan knew we were going to die when we were seventeen?" ask Dipta.

"Gue yunya from lo."

He rubbed the back of his hand. "Why parents Kak Arlan did not tell Kak Arlan important problems like gini, huh?"

Arlan could not answer. He was even afraid to guess why his parents were silent. The fact that Lily is allied with the genie alone, has made Arlan frightened. "Can you tell me the important part?"

Dipta nodded once. "We are cursed with a demon named Larasati. Larasati has a grudge against our family, especially Grandpa Pareng."

"Grandfather Pareng?" repeated Arlan. "Grandfather Pareng's involved?"

"Grandfather is the reason we have to experience this event" Dipta stressed.

"okay... Please tell me whatever you know."

"Sister Arlan knows, right, that Grandpa was very rich in his day?" ask Dipta, who answered with a confident nod from Arlan. Because after all, he enjoyed that prosperity as well. "In Grandpa's prime, he was a proud and arrogant man. Grandpa does whatever he wants. In fact, she was blatantly playing a woman in front of Grandma."

'Gue doesn't know that, ' Inner Arlan. All this time, he had not heard of any problems between his grandfather and grandmother. Her grandmother even looked very happy and did not have any burden on her thin shoulders.

"Once upon a time, our parents had a nanny. A girl whose age is not much different from our parents. Incidentally, the nanny was the son of one of the maids in Grandpa's house. One day, Grandpa called the nanny because he was considered to have teased Oom Fahmi. Instead of firing the nanny, Grandpa even-" Dipta stalled. He swallowed his saliva with great difficulty.

"What, Dip?"

"Even rape the nanny," Dipta answered slowly.

Arlan felt his throat choked. He could not imagine that the person who had been around him all along, was carrying out such an unworthy action. "The babysitter... Laracati?"

The creator nodded again. "Not just once. Grandpa raped Larasati until she became pregnant. In fact, Grandfather expelled Larasati by accusing Larasati of having sold himself out there. Larasati's embittered parents were slandered, ending their lives immediately. While Larasati himself, lost like swallowed by the earth."

"When did this curse happen?"

"Since Aunt Merry had children."

Arlan tries to recall the figure of the two children Merry who was declared dead first. Arlan has never heard the full story, but Arlan is convinced that they died unnaturally.

"Sister Yudi, Sister Clara, Sister Purna, Sister Winda, Sister Candra, even my own brother, also died."

"Because of Larasati's revenge?" Arlan's convinced.

The view of Dipta is far away. "Yes. All of them died of Larasati."

"This year, it's my turn?"

"Yes, Brother... Next year, it's my turn."

Arlan swallowed with great difficulty. Honestly, who wouldn't be afraid, when they knew they were going to die soon? "Is there no way to stop this curse?" ask Arlan.

The creator shrugged his shoulders. "Gue doesn't know. But, all ways have been tried. Starting from asking for help from religious leaders to shamans. Many have been sacrificed to save the lives of our family. But, the result is nil."

Arlan became limp. Legs vibrate. Now, he felt that his life had been partially lost. "Gue will discuss this with my parents" replied Arlan. "Make it up to me, Dip."

***