SUKMA: The Deal With the Devil

A Hard Friendship

Dawns. The dark night was scattered by the sunlight from the eastern horizon. After dawn prayers, Bu Inah cooked breakfast for his family. Even with Mr. Risman, who was busy cleaning the house, assisted by Atikah.

Meanwhile, Sukma just woke up. The six-year-old boy was indeed a bit late to wake up from the others. Before getting out of bed, she searched for Susan's doll. The little girl remembered very well, that her beloved doll had been brought to sleep since last night.

"Steak! A trickle!" yell Sukma panicked.

"What's up, Deck?" asked Atikah who approached her sister in a hurry.

"Where are they going? Throw it away again, huh? Naughty tethes!"

"Stek doesn't know, Dek. The vow! Don't know about Dedek's doll."

"Keep, where's my doll going?"

Shortly after, Mr. Risman came from the living room. His hands carried shabby baby dolls, blond hair. Sukma looked relieved to see the doll was fine.

"Your father where is this doll?" ask Sukma smiling as usual.

"So Mr. Nemu in the living room, near the door," explained Mr. Risman.

"They wanted to run away from home, so Father found him near the door" said Atikah.

"No way! I love this doll so much" Sukma snorted in annoyance, then stared and stroked the doll in his hand. "You feel at home here, don't you? Where could you run away."

"Those Susan doesn't live here. Well, let's just let him go," Atikah's cerocos was upset.

"Already, Atikah. There is no point in serving the Sukma Deck. Now help me clean up again, yuk!"

Atikah obeyed the father, then came out of the room. Sukma chided, making fun of his departed brother. The little girl came out of the room, to wash her face in the bathroom.

When he arrived at the kitchen, Sukma was looking for someone. At the end of Bu Inah who was slicing onions. He held and waved his mother's hand.

"Mom, where's Maurin?" ask Sukma.

"Where do you know," replied Ms. Inah raising her shoulders. "Mom can't see her."

"Ih, that's mom. I'm just nanya, '" Sukma's cursing lips.

The little girl did not wash her face. He rushed to the terrace, approaching his brother and father who were cleaning. Mr. Risman wiped the glass, while Atikah was sweeping the floor. Because Sukma was still arrogant to his brother, he also tried to ask the whereabouts of Maurin to Mr. Risman.

"Sir, see Maurin?"

"Dedek, he's your imaginary friend. You can't see him" replied Mr. Risman, still focusing on wiping the glass.

"Someth said he was a ghost" Atikah said.

"Nothing is the same! Nothing is the same!" sukkma glared at her brother.

Atikah only glares when Sukma leaves. The little girl was suddenly in a bad mood to hear the answer from her brother. Mr. Risman who knew the vexation of Sukma clearly, stared cynically at Atikah. However, it seemed that the elder was indifferent to the gesture given by the father.

As the sun rises, Pak Risman's family prepares to move. Finished breakfast, Mr. Risman sat on the terrace enjoying a glass of black coffee made by Bu Inah. Atikah rushed to school. Bu Inah prepares the textbooks that Sukma will bring to school.

In the middle of the activity of Bu Inah entering the books according to the lesson schedule, Sukma suddenly thrust a shabby doll. Bu Inah turned his head while frowning. He then takes the doll from Sukma's hand and puts his daughter's backpack on the floor.

"Would you take this to school, Dek?"

"Yes." Yeah."

"Well, what the hell, Dedek's carrying around all the dolls? Dedek to school to learn, not to play."

"But I don't want this doll thrown away again with Atikah Tea."

"Dedek, Atikah Tea came home later. Where could the doll be thrown away."

"If the doll runs away, what?"

Bu Inah giggled at the worry on Sukma's face.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Dedek, the doll will not run away if no one takes it."

"Oh, so. Yes, the doll was left at home. Later after school, I'll play again with the doll."

"Well, now you wear the uniform first. After that, we go to school."

Sukma obeyed the words of Bu Inah, then dressed in uniform by his mother. He occasionally stared at Susan's doll, worried that her brother's words would come true. However, his heart turned calm when he remembered the mother's words.

Once ready, Sukma led his mother out of the pavilion. Her hair that was pinched in two, made her face even more cute. The little girl rushed to school with Ms. Inah.

"You going now?" asked Mr. Risman put a glass that still contains coffee grounds.

"Yes, sir," replied Inah.

"Mom, you want to talk for a minute."

Bu Inah persuaded Sukma to stop and wait for a while. The little girl complied, then looked at Hilman's pet. After Sukma had gone far enough, Mr. Risman began talks.

"Where, Mom? Did you persuade him?"

"Mom can only persuade her not to bring the doll to school."

"Yes, then you will burn the doll while the Sukma Deck is in school."

"But what about Dedek? He said, after school, he'd play with the doll again."

"It's not that easy, sir. The memory of the Sukma Deck is strong. The proof is that he remembers well, that the doll was hugged last night."

"If it's a problem, let's deal with it together. It's not easy, ma'am, but for her own good, we have to do something."

"alright. Burn the doll. If Sukma gets cry, we persuade him to calm down."

From a distance, Sukma calls Bu Inah to go to school immediately. Ms. Inah also said goodbye to Mr. Risman, then rushed to her daughter who seemed saturated waiting. Before actually leaving the pavilion, Bu Inah looked at her husband for a moment, hinting that everything was going fine.

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

At school, Sukma's heart felt unsettled. His face looked agitated, his hands unwilling to remain still. His mind floated on the doll Susan left at home. He was worried that the doll was missing.

From the front of the class, Maurin looked to walk to the Sukma bench. The pale-faced little girl approached Sukma who was sitting alone. Anxiety that was clearly drawn on his friend's face, made Maurin determined to explain the bad intentions of Bu Inah and Mr. Risman against Susan's doll. He sat down beside Sukma and patted his friend's shoulder until he was stunned.

"Sukma, what are you thinking?" ask Maurin.

"Suhan. Susan doll I live in the house," replied Sukma worriedly.

"What's? Why are you living in the house?" ask Maurin again, this time in a high tone.

"So my mother said, dolls won't do anything if left at home."

"You are stupid, Sukma! They're gonna burn my doll!"

"They? Who the hell are they?"

"Your father and mother!"

"No way! They love me. The doll won't burn with my mom and dad."

"Can't be what you mean? Yesterday I eavesdropped on their conversation. He said my doll would be burned."

"If you know, why not hide it?"

"I wanted to bring the doll home, but the door was closed, so I went home alone."

"If the door is closed, why can you go home alone? I remember, my mom always shakes the door at night."

"That's because I'm not human like you!"

Surprised Sukma heard Maurin's words. His eyes were hard to blink knowing this reality. Meanwhile, Maurin, who was flabbergasted, quickly smothered his mouth.

"W-you ... You are not ... b-not human? So, what are you?"

Maurin sighed for a while and said, "I've lived in a different world. Someone else said I'm a ghost."

"Ghost?!" Sukma widens the eyes. "Then, other people can't see you dong? Then, why am I the only one who can see and see you?"

"Because you're special, you can see me. That's why I can look at you."

"Oh, so, yeah." Sukma nodded, then shuddered in horror at Maurin fixedly.

"Why? You scared?"

Sukma shook his eyes, looking at Maurin from top to bottom.

"Say something, Sukma!"

"If you're a ghost, why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"

"K-because .. because ...." Maurin looked down lethargic. "I don't want to lose a friend. If I had told you from the beginning, you would have been scared and would not have wanted to talk to me."

"But I don't like liars."

"Well, if you don't like it, let's hope it's won."

"I don't like liars, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be with you."

"If you still want to meet me, hurry home! I don't want Susan to do anything."

"I can't, Maurin. Mom's gonna be in class soon."

"I don't want to know anyway! If Susan gets burned, I won't play with you anymore."

Maurin got up from the bench, with an annoyed face. Immediately he left the class, without looking at Sukma in the slightest. Sukma, feeling guilty, came out of his stool to pursue Maurin. However, the bell that had rang seemed to hold him back from leaving. He had to go back to his stool, then sit with a lethargic face.

Meanwhile in the pavilion, Mr. Risman retrieved Susan's doll from the room. After collecting things that are easily burned leaves and dry grass, Mr. Risman lit a match. He threw the match until the fire engulfed all the dry leaves and grass. His lips were clamoring, chanting holy verses.

Seeing the burning embers, Susan's doll was terrified. He tried to escape, but Mr. Risman threw him first into the flames. The sound of baby screams from the burning, to make Mr. Risman surprised.

"So right, what's the doll? Astagfirullahal'azim," muttered Mr. Risman shaking his head.

In the midst of the strange incident, Bu Inah who had just returned from driving Sukma, immediately approached her husband. Apparently not only Mr. Risman who can hear the sound of the baby's screams, Ms. Inah too. Likewise with Bi Reni and the guards waiting in front of the gate, they were interrupted with a loud and shrill voice. They ran towards the direction the voice came from, looking at Mr. Risman who was burning the doll.

"Why did the baby's voice come from here?" asked a security guard, dumbfounded.

"That's weird. What the hell is that doll? Fortunately, Non-Farah is not home. If there is, he must be angry to hear a voice from here," said Bi Reni.

"Of course, you don't have to talk much. Instead, hurry back to each other's place!" tergur Bu Inah growled.

The two men nodded, then left where Mr. Risman had burned the doll. After they left, Susan's shabby doll seemed to crawl out of the flames. Mr. Risman who was still chanting Ayat Kursi, immediately kicked the doll into combustion to melt formless.