Luccane
Chapter 12: Meneer Kerkoof

Today the activities of the new student orientation period went smoothly even though it ended more slowly than I expected.

It is now six in the afternoon, it is almost entering the time of Maghrib prayer.

Not wanting to miss the Maghrib prayer service on the street, I decided to fulfill my duty at the campus mosque.

The campus mosque has a fairly magnificent and large building with a dominance of white and green that adorns every surface of the building, better than I thought.

Arriving at the mosque after walking a few hundred meters from the rectorate building, I immediately put my bag and took ablution water to purify myself before performing the maghrib prayer service.

Quite a lot of students who come here to perform the Maghrib prayer service congregated, making my heart feel more serene.

After entering the worship time, with the students and lecturers in the mosque I performed the worship solemnly until it was finished.

"Well, Visha? How come you haven't come home?"

Beyond my expectations, I even met with one of the seniors from the same department.

"It's also coming home, Brother Bella," I replied trying to be friendly while commenting on a smile.

After a little pleasantry with Sister Bella, I immediately resigned and came out of the mosque.

With a slow step, I walked down the path that connects the campus mosque with the economics faculty building.

I hummed a little enjoying my trip which somehow felt far away even though the faculty of economics building was in sight but did not know why it felt so far away.

"Out of my guesses we even met here, Mevrouw Vishabea who is beautiful and graceful like a white lily."

A successful heavy sound stopped my steps, making both my legs feel extremely heavy as if they were glued to the earth.

Whose voice is that? I don't know why it sounds creepy enough to successfully make my hair stand when I can ignore the appearance of other entities that have since passed in front of me.

"What are you really? How dare I call me the Dutch like that" I pressed with a sour face.

"I am Meneer Kerkoof, lord of this land."

A European-faced man with blond hair stood before me with a face so calm.

A pair of green lake beads of his also looked at me with a gaze no less calm.

"Then what do you want until you bother me like this?"

I have to be firm. Even though I do have some curiosity towards him I should still be careful of that noble ghost.

"To be honest I don't intend to bother you at all, Mevrouw."

If Meneer in Dutch means Master, then Mevrouw means Miss.

"Then what's your goal, Meneer?"

The handsome ghost shrugged both of his shoulders indifferently still with a gaze fixed on me.

"talk to you, of course."

The sound of an owl that was out of nowhere was heard, as if giving a signal to me to be careful of this Dutch master.

Hm, so he's the ruler of this land?

It seems like I can use it a little bit just in case something unpleasant happens to me one day.

"How do you know that I can see you even if I can fool other ghosts?"

Meneer Kerkoof responded to my question with a sweet smile.

"Just like your lover, I also have something different with other ghosts."

So he knows that Luccane is my girlfriend?

"Jonge Meester Luccane did come from a noble family and wealthy at once recorded in the history of Indonesia but he was too young to compete with me" said Kerkoof.

Jonge Meester means Young Master.

Alright from here I can guess how high their standing as well as social status while still alive.

"Then why? Aren't you two dead? Get out of my presence before I perform the ritual of exorcising evil spirits upon you" I said cynically.

What a strange offer, what? Dancing said?

I might be called crazy to dance alone these nights in the dark.

"I can't dance. Please step aside because I have to go home, think about it while I speak well."

"What a shame, Mevrouw. I hope you don't regret it then turn to me."

You freak ghost, I hope nothing happens after this.

...****************...

Different from the usual night, tonight Luccane did not see where the ghost of the handsome young man went.

Lazy looking for Luccane's whereabouts, I chose to read Luccane's old book some time ago.

The papers in the book have appeared age-consuming but still look good.

"List of noble men? What does it mean Luccane gave this to me?" I muttered as I opened the old book.

I carefully searched the contents of the book, reading the words contained in the book with full concentration.

Interestingly, according to the title of this book does contain the names of Dutch nobles with titles and very high social status and general information about each figure recorded there.

Starting from VOC officials, government officials, even to the commander of the military forces at that time everything was written in the book.

"So what was the purpose of Meneer Kerkoof to see me?" ask myself after seeing information about Meneer Kerkoof who turned out for his entire life to be an extraordinarily influential person.

"If he had died from being decapitated, there seemed to be two reasons why he was still wandering like that" I muttered again as I read the book.

"What are you doing?" asked Luccane who suddenly appeared behind the main door of my house.

"You can see if I'm reading this old book?" I asked him back with a sniffle.

"I don't think you're interested in such an old book" Luccane said, sitting on the right side of my body.

"I read it for a reason" I said, closing the thick old book.

"Tell me what makes you so curious."

"Luccane, didn't you tell me that Meneer Kerkoof died because he had his head chopped off?"

"Rubber. Why why?"

"So he came to me on the way home."

Luccane glared at my confession, seemingly in disbelief about hearing such a sentence this fast.

"What did he say?" Luccane asked with his serious eyes.

Her pair of blue obsidians peeked through every corner of my eye, again making me unable to just give her an answer.

I looked back at Luccane.

"he calls you Jonge Meester does that mean Young Master in the sense I think?"

Luccane sighed. "it seems like sooner or later I should explain it to you."

"Then explain everything to me, Luccane."

"So as you know I am indeed the sole heir to all of my father's wealth so people call me Jonge Meester which means Young Master in Indonesian even though I live with not happy enough because of the amount of discrimination I've been through" Luccane said.

"But why do people call Kerkoof Meneer? Though according to my observation your father's property is many times more than his," I said express an opinion.

"Because all of Kerkoof's possessions are really the result of his own labors while I haven't had them all legally."

It turns out that the caste system in the Dutch colonial era was more complicated than I had thought.

Not only based on how much wealth they have but also based on how to get it anyway.

But what seems to make Meneer Kerkoof to meet me like that?

Could this all have something to do with her death being beheaded that way?