Mystery of Room 13
Part 12: The Mystery of Gayatri's Disappearance

"There's nobody, Mbah." Beautiful took the woman gently and invited her into the house. I just follow him. Beautiful family greetings are so warm, even so I am still curious about the words of her grandmother Beautiful earlier. Actually who he saw, I hope it wasn't a ghost in my room or a ghost with a flat face.

"Han, where did you come from?" tanya Bu Yuni—his mother was Indah— while we were having dinner.

"I'm a real Gambaran, Mom."

"Oh, mom also has a housemate there but she doesn't know the name of her village." Her mother Beautiful smiled widely. A woman who is exactly like my mother. I miss my mother.

"Han, where have you been all this time?"

"I live in an index that's behind the factory, sir."

His beautiful father who was a little fat was frowning for a while. "Back your factory? Same coffee shop Mbah Surono, where?"

"Mmm, Hanna doesn't know, sir. Only Hanna lives in indekos whose color is ijo..."

"That used to say there was a murder, sir. That's why Sister Hanna I brought here so as not to be bothered with the nosy astral creatures."

"What's? Hanna's the damned cos-dweller? Is that right, Hanna?" I was surprised why her mother Beautiful was so shocked that she asked in such a high tone.

"It's right, Mom. I didn't know the place was haunted. Because for me who tried to complain about the fate here a makeshift residence is enough." The once graceful woman had now turned sour. She invited Indah as well as her husband to enter the room for a while. I don't know what they're really talking about. However, it seems like her mother Beautiful does not agree that I am in this house.

"Sir, did you forget the rumors that have been heard since the murder every occupant of the room one by one became a victim. Some are crazy, some are missing, some are even unnatural dead!" Her mother's voice was beautiful enough to be heard from outside. I feel bad if my presence seems to create a debate from this family. I'd better go back to my index.

"Mom, pity Ms. Hanna for always being terrorized by the same ghosts in her room. In the past we could not help Maak Gayatri because he was too afraid of the news of birds until finally he disappeared without a trace. Now we have to help Ms. Hanna, ma'am." There was a beautiful voice accompanied by the sound of crying.

"But, Nduk. Mother's right. Besides learning from the case of Gayatri, Melati whose good intentions help Gayatri not to get crazy, eh fit on the trip picked up a disaster. Better, Nduk, you don't involve yourself with that invisible creature. We only have you."

I can't bear to hear this family debate. I should have gone back to my senses. Let me face that nosy creature as long as it is not the serenity of people's homes. I chose to sit on the porch so as not to hear the words spoken.

The wind was so cold on my body. "Come, go home." I gasped at the sound of a whisper that sounded so close to my left ear that there was no one near me. My hair is goosebumps for a moment. Did that creature follow me here. What she saw by her grandmother was beautiful. The number of questions that revolved around my head made me so dizzy that I pinched my temple.

"Sir, why sit outside? The wind is not good for your health."

"Attep, Mbah. I'm sultry."

"Jude, you should not be near your friend. He was evil and his eyes were blood-red, it seemed like he was a bloodthirsty person."

I just smiled thinly though I could not deny this heart was so daunted because her grandmother Indah again said that there were other people she saw near me. After my grandmother died, I tried to fight my fear by listening to the holy verses and praying that in His protection. The heavy feeling in the nape that I had felt earlier began to subside.

"Sir, why are you sitting here?" I turned to the source of the voice, apparently the Beautiful that was beside me.

"Beautiful, I'll just go back. I'm..."

"Where to?"

"To kosku only. I don't feel good about your parents."

"W-What does it mean to hear everything?" I shook my head because in reality I only heard some of it but that's not the point of the matter.

"Sir, my parents let you stay here. They just feared my fate was the same as that of my cousin, Madam Melati. Tomorrow I'll tell you, Ma'am. Enter yuk. We'll rest in my room."

When I entered the house, I did not find Beautiful parents, according to her father and mother had already rested in the room. I lay myself down on a soft Beautiful mattress much different from the one in my index room especially Intan and Wulan's hard and deflated room.

"Sir, I'm sorry about what my parents said. Actually they are good but the incident experienced by Mbak Melati that makes them worried and hit by excessive fear."

"What does Melati have to do with me, your cousin?"

"Mbak Melati is a friend of Ms. Gayatri, the girl who went missing in your room, Ma'am."

"Then?"

Indah recounted that Melati and Gayatri were co-workers, just like me and Indah. Both of them live in one room. However, at that time Melati did not extend her employment contract. Long enough Melati lived and the cost of his life was borne by Gayatri. Feeling bad, he decided to look for a job but because ahead of Lebaran would be very difficult to get it. Fortunately, there is a company that accepts it just its location is different from the city. This makes Melati have to part with her best friend.

Gayatri, who had financial difficulties at the time because her mother had to go back and forth to the hospital, looked for more affordable indecos in her pocket. Without asking for any consideration from Melati, Gayatri moved to the place I now occupy. Terror after terror experienced by the girl who was only twenty years old at that time. When Melati met her best friend and heard the situation of her best friend, she intended to invite the friend to move to work in his place. Melati also had asked her father for help Indah so that while Gayatri lived in the house of Indah so as not to always be terrorized. However, maybe because the Indah family was afraid of impact, they refused outright. Gayatri who was not comfortable with the quarrel Melati and her uncle decided to return to her senses without saying goodbye. Melati also intends to invite Gayatri to her index while later she helps Gayatri get a job.

Melati's offer was rejected by her best friend. Gayatri was in desperate need of money, she had to keep working. The two agreed that if Gayatri's job application was accepted, then she would move to the index occupied by Melati. However, the plan is just a discourse that never came true. On Melati's journey to her residence, the girl has an accident that takes her life. Two weeks later, news broke that Gayatri was missing.

"So your parents are afraid you're going through the same thing as Melati?" Beautiful just nods. I can understand the fears of Beautiful parents plus beautiful is their only child.

"Then, why do you keep helping me when there is evidence that people who try to help my room will be affected by disaster can even take lives?"

"Sir, our life and death are predestined. The incident that befell Madam Melati as well as the ghost terror in my room I think only mediocre."

"Already, Ma'am. Don't think. We better take a break now."

I was silent as Beautiful enveloped her. When the silence of the night began to smother nature, my mind was wandering somewhere. There's a lot I'm thinking about, all the terror I've been through these days. About Melati and her best friend, Gayatri who suddenly disappeared without a trace like lost to the earth. I also care about the safety of my friends. What if it was true that the astral figure of the occupants of my room would also harm my friends, Beautiful, Intan, and Wulan. I wouldn't forgive myself if it really happened.

I remember the message of my late mother. He once advised me not to think too much about things that are not necessarily happening. Yeah, it's better that way. I'm very young if I have to be burdened with things that haven't happened. I closed my eyes to rest but still the shadows of the head ghost, the flat-face ghost, and the ghosts I had met continued to look as if they were playing in the eye fertiliser. Maybe because my condition is tired of working, a little help me to sleep even if only for a moment.

It feels like I just slept, Azan Subuh has been reverberating. Slowly I woke up Beautiful who still seemed very slumbering.

"Beautiful, wake up. It's dawn" I whispered as I shook his shoulder slowly. Slowly the girl opened her eyes.

"Sir, first take the ablution that's me. Later we pray for congregation, yes, Ma'am," he said while rubbing his eyes.

"Yes, but where's the bathroom?"

"After the house"

I followed the directions of the owner of the house. Behind the house there is an old well that has been closed partially plank the hole, a well that in ancient times only owned by certain people, considering the cost of making a well is very expensive. Sometimes in one village there is only a well used together. Now almost every house has made its own well and not a windlass but using a water pump machine.

When I returned, I went into the room. Fortunately last night I still had time to bring the face before escaping from Indekos. For a long time I prayed and prayed many prayers.

"Sir, let's take a walk around here, yuk. Stop by the market. Because I was told to shop for this." said Indah who had finished praying and praying when I folded the face.

"Yes, I've never been around here either."

On foot, I and Indah headed for this not-so-big market. Some vegetables here are much cheaper than my hometown, but some are more expensive. After buying all the kitchen needs, we returned.

"Sir, Han, we're sorry about our attitude last night." Her mother's words Beautiful as I helped in the kitchen made me a little confused.

"It should be Hanna who apologizes to mother, because my presence disrupts the tranquility of this house. God willing, Hanna will be back by noon, Mom."

"Don't go anywhere, Nduk." The slightly vibrating sound surprised us until we turned to the direction of the source of the sound. Apparently the grandmother went into the kitchen which was still based on the land with a limp. His eyes remained sharp even though his face was full of wrinkles.

"Be careful, Mom. Sit here first." His mother Indah pulled the chair and asked grandma to sit on the chair from the rattan.

"Sir, that ugly-faced friend of yours doesn't seem good. Just wanted to enter the house without permission. Good thing there's a broomstick, I keep hitting him away. His face is ugly, his heart is ugly, there is no choice."

Lovely and I looked at each other, from last night grandma always offended ugly women who were with us.

"Yes already, Mom. What matters is that he's gone." Grandma just nodded then got up.

"Where are you going?" ask her mother Beautiful.

"You need a porch." Grandma walked out of the kitchen, while I was busy with questions that kept turning in my head.

"Beautiful, from last night your grandmother always mentioned that there was another woman with us. Can your grandmother see those who are invisible?" I half whispered to Indah who was slicing onions.

"That's it, but as far as I've been since Mbah Uti always tells things that are beyond reason."

"Don't what your grandmother saw was a ghost in my room. Then, does that mean the ghost is following me?" I rubbed my neck which started to creep.

"It could be, Ma'am."

"What are you two talking about?" the question from Bu Yuni who was frying the tempe surprised me.

"Mmm, i-it's a-anu, ma'am, we again..."

"For the story seen with Mbah Uti, Mom. We think it's a ghost who likes to terrorize Ms. Hanna." Bu Yuni let out a long sigh then lifted the mature tempe and turned off the stove. The woman who was about forty years old was sitting on a rattan chair.

"Mbah Uti is indeed given the advantage of being able to see those who are different in the world with us. All of this was the result of his actions when he was young. Last night Mbah Uti also convinced me to accept Hanna in this house. Han, Ndah, you have to be careful said Mbah Uti, the creature was after Hanna. Actually the goal is good to uncover a murder case twenty years ago. Because according to Mbah Uti only Hanna can express it."

Me? Why should I unravel the mystery of death that even when it happened I was a few months old. Where am I going to start while the police give up on this case. Everything was as gray without any clues that could be used as clues.

I snorted violently and ruffled my hair slowly.

"Mbak, already. Don't think about it too much. There will be a way to uncover everything."

"Come, I doubt it. Too many questions that don't have answers."

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