SEBERANG VILLAGE

Chapter 2 - Granny and the Rules

Sitting in the living room with two cups of coffee for each man is readily available. A plate of fried food that was also purchased had been served there. On a rattan bench that is still suitable for use, Dekka sits opposite Bertan. Long wait, but Bertan did not even start the conversation, the man instead focused on his phone from then on for some reason.

"Do you really want to say what I am?" ask Dekka. Bertan turned his head, telling him to wait with his hand signal. Focusing back on his phone that made Dekka growled, he better rest if it's like this. And five minutes later, Bertan began to put down his phone, staring seriously at Dekka who of course was curious about their conversation.

"It's about grandma, you know that when Grandma died none of you or your family came?" ask Bertan. Dekka nodded, of course he was already 19 years old so he still remembered clearly. And the mother said that it was indeed a warning from the grandmother not to come there.

"You want to know what happened to Grandma then? Why did my grandmother, who was healthy, suddenly die at night?" ask Bertan. Dekka nodded enthusiastically, his face looked serious hearing Bertan who was also no less serious. Bertan also began to tell everything, the incident he knew before until his grandmother died.

Five days before his grandmother died, the grandmother had gone out of the village with other neighbors for the activities of the elderly. On that day there was nothing strange, until at night the face of the grandmother suddenly pale. At that time Bertan thought that grandmother was sick, but it was not because at that time grandmother did not have a fever. Bertan asked, but the grandmother refused to give a clear answer. He only said that he was exhausted after a long trip out of the village, even though it was a routine activity that he often did.

The next day, my grandmother became even more strange. He often muttered to himself, suddenly mentioning the name of Dekka who was his eldest grandson and muttering the word 'live' afterwards. Bertan had no idea what she was really doing, because every time she asked Grandma would tell him to shut up. Then one day, my grandmother asked me to talk. Re-calling the name Dekka in the conversation, makes Bertan increasingly wonder.

"You remember uncle's family? Remember Dekka your brother?" ask Grandma at the time. Bertan of course nodded, why did he forget about them, he thought at that moment. Grandma nodded, silent for a moment before continuing the sentence.

"If grandma dies later, don't ever let them especially Dekka to come here. Tell them that this is a command of myself. I'll also write them a message before I die."

That's what grandma said back then, and the next day grandma actually wrote a letter. Immediately told Bertan to send the letter immediately. Dekka did not know about it before, so when grandma died until buried he just found out. And the day after that, grandma suddenly twitched, her body cold and then grandma died. All of a sudden, Bertan couldn't even digest it all. And that night the house was crowded, many residents who looked scared to see the corpse of the grandmother whose eyes were still open with the body of her feet.

Back in the present, the living room with a rattan chair has been a witness to grandmother writing letters. Dekka held her breath, and Bertan sighed. Until now it is still clear how the grandmother twitched at that time.

"Then why am I not allowed to come to Grandma's funeral?" ask Dekka.

"I don't know either, grandma doesn't explain further about why. Back then he just said even your family especially you can't come to his funeral. What is the reason I don't know either, only God and grandma know" replied Bertan.

"Forget the first thing about grandma, I want to say some rules in Seberang Village that you must obey. At least for your own safety, obey all the rules." Dekka.

"First, never make a noise at night. Do not disturb neighbors and others, and never go to the river when the current is heavy. Never go out when it's night, don't sleep too late that's the last." Bert explained.

Dekka once again nodded, according to him there was nothing strange about all the prohibitions. It was even all he wanted to get, there was no commotion and there would only be calm for him. But why would a village implement such a rule? Isn't that a strange thing?

"Ah one more, there are some places you should not visit. One of them is an empty building next to a river, and an old cemetery in the west. It really is a forbidden place, so you can't go there at all. You understand all that, right?"

"Yes I understand, but there is no prohibition for me to touch the stuff in this house right? For example, I can't use a knife, or I can't go into Grandma's room?" ask Dekka.

This time it was Bertan who frowned, why did Dekka suddenly ask that? Then he shook his head in response, there was no message that grandma left about the ban. Dekka nodded slowly, muttering something faintly heard by Bertan.

"I think there's something weird."

"Bertan, I'll go back to the room. I can go already, right? I want to rest, my body is tired." Dekka said, and Bertan nodded.

In his room Dekka was still thinking about what Bertan said earlier. Actually Dekka does not blame it, the rules make sense according to him. But what was the reason for her grandmother? Why his family even more he can't come to the funeral. And there was one more thing that bothered Dekka, the figure who saw them earlier outside the window. Dekka actually saw her from earlier, but she just silently assumed that it was just a neighbor who was curious about her. But he had not finished speaking, even just a single blink of the figure disappeared.

"Can't be?" muttered. It was still remembered in his mind how he saw 'them' first. But he could no longer see 'them', but why did the figure still disturb his mind. It all makes his head feel dizzy more thought out.

Forgetting about it, Dekka finally continued his activities. Open the laptop and continue his work. His body was tired, but he had to finish it before tomorrow. Luckily he had already completed half of it, so he only had to finish the other half.