SUKMA: The Deal With the Devil

Closing the Inner Eye

Atikah patted his sister's shoulder. Sukma nodded, then turned to his brother.

"Against what, Dek? Dedek in meatballs too?" ask Atikah.

"No, Tea." Sukma looked at the meatball seller, then pointed to the bench behind him. "Not seen that?"

Atikah squinted. "What's? His buyer? It's just gaffers online again maenan hape."

"No, Tea. That's the one next to it," explained Sukma still pointing to the buyer's bench.

Once again, Atikah looked at the angkringan meatball vendor's yard. There was only a buyer who was engrossed in playing his phone, no other customer there. However, Atikah immediately remembered that his sister could see something invisible. For example Wanara, who was standing behind Atikah.

"What's next to the buyer?" tanya Atikah began to wonder.

"There's pocong, Tea."

Atikah widened her eyes. "They?!"

"Yes, Tea."

"Loh, who? It's not the pocong in the grave, is it?" tanya Atikah frowned.

"No, Tea. Pocong is on the buyer's bench as well. Wanara said, he can make food so good," replied Sukma by looking seriously at Atikah's eyes.

"Well, can that be?"

Sukma no longer paid attention to her brother. The little girl looked back at Angkringan. It looks like the pocong is sitting in a chair next to the customer, both waiting for the order to come. When a bowl of meatballs is served on the table, the pocong bends toward the bowl filled with meatballs. His saliva dripped into the bowl, while the buyer savored the meatballs voraciously.

Witnessing the incident in front of him, Sukma shuddered in disgust. The little girl turned around and demonstrated movements like a person who wanted to vomit. Atikah was astonished to see his sister's strange attitude, then rubbed her back.

"Dedek why? Wind in?" atikah asked while rubbing his sister's back.

"No, Tea. Just disgusted," replied Sukma briefly.

"Disease? Disgust why? Dedek knows, right, that meatballs taste good."

"Enak, anyway, delicious. But if the seller nyimpen pocong to drool the meat of the buyer, yes still disgusted, Tea."

Atikah grimaced at the thought of a pocong spitting its saliva into a bowl filled with meatballs. It flashed in his mind, how disgusting the sight was in Sukma's eyes. He also tried to distract his sister from the unpleasant scenery.

"Sir, we'd better get back to the wagon, sir! Poor Mother with Father, later they will find us," said Atikah.

Sukma nodded, then turned around following his brother to Pak Risman's catfish pecel cart. Wanara who followed them from behind, kept pulling Sukma clothes. The attention of the little girl was distracted by the ape that followed her.

"Hows it? You already know, right, how the pocong makes good food?" asked Wanara while occasionally raising both eyebrows.

"What, huh? It was not good food, but disgust" Sukma said grumbling.

"But that's how he makes his food good. You know what makes the food so good?"

"What's mother?"

"His saliva."

Sukma increasingly grimaced.

"But, there's a way to let the food not be drooled pocong."

"the way? Can it be, the food decetin pocong is not dilerin?"

"of course. We dedemites don't like people who take refuge in their god for everything, like your father and mother."

The sukma is still paying close attention, without blinking an inch.

"If you want to be able to eat without being dilerrin pocong, you must pray before eating."

"Oh, that. I guess what. If so, I rarely read prayer, because I can't. Read ta'awuz I'll have to while my mouth is snarling."

"One more. If you don't want the food to be dilerrin pocong, buy it brought home. But, later the food will not be as good as it is eaten in a place that sells."

"Why could that be?" Sukam scrunched his forehead.

"I told you, the salted food is so good because of the iller pocongnya."

Sukma again grimaced while raising his shoulders. Just this time he found a food seller who uses a seller in the form of a pocong that drools in the buyer's food. Previously, Sukma only saw supernatural beings who went back and forth in the stalls, but had never seen anything disgusting on the lapak meatball sellers.

While Sukma and Atikah returned to his father's sales pitch, Pak Risman and Bu Inah were still waiting for the arrival of the first customer. While looking at the car that passed a few meters from the front of the wagon, Bu Inah hoped that there was a vehicle parked beside the wagon, then the owner went down to buy food made by her husband. However, after a long wait, no one had come.

"Sir, it's hard, too, yes, first-day sales. I thought there would be violators coming here soon. You see, the location of the car is also strategic, on the side of the highway as well," said Bu Inah while propping up his chin.

"His name is still pioneering, Mom. If it's reliable, yes like Pak Haji. It also took him years to build his business until he had a lot of people and financed his school Fadil to college."

"Ah, hopefully this is the starting point of our life change yes, sir. At least if you experience sales, want to go wherever we go, we do not worry about money and work. Even if we have to go to a place far away, at least there is still money from Bu Arini to make business capital. I don't want to use the money yet, because there will be many unexpected costs in the future."

"As for Mom. Use the money as wisely as possible. We don't have anything, much less as rich as Mr. Hilman."

"Yes, Sir. I will save money from Ms. Arini and savings while living in the residence of Mr. Hilman. Hopefully enough for our living expenses in the future yes, sir. Especially if until the business of this father develops and reap many benefits, maybe in the future can be used to buy a house and send children to college. Uh, I'd love to, sir. Moreover, if you can take the Hajj pilgrimage like Pak Haji Gufron, very calm heart Mother, has carried out the fifth pillar of Islam."

"Aamiin, Mum. Aamiins. Pray that this effort of the Father goes well. If it goes well, hopefully the future will be better."

"By the way, where are the kids?"

Shortly afterwards, Atikah and Sukma came to Pak Risman's lap, then sat on the bench with Bu Inah. The look on Bu Inah's face while looking at the two is fine. The middle-aged woman stared at her two daughters for quite a long time.

"Where are you from?"

"From the meatballs, ma'am," replied Atikah.

"You bought meatballs? Where's the money from?" asked Mr. Risman with wide eyes.

"Dih, boro-boro meatballs, sir. The one with Dedek puking saw the meat," said Sukma, shuddering in disgust.

"Just be disgusted, Mom. Time bowl meatballs dililerin pocong? It's not good," explained Sukma while sticking out his tongue.

Mr. Risman giggled amusedly at the attitude of his youngest daughter. "Dedek knows where the bowl is drooled from?"

"Dedek see for yourself, sir. Wanara also look."

Hearing her youngest daughter's explanation, Bu Inah was stunned for a moment. It comes to her memory of the horrific events at Hilman's residence, when Sukma presses Mbah Suro's chest to death. He thought, that indeed the youngest has the ability that can not be explained common sense, including seeing things invisible. Gradually, Bu Inah understood that Sukma was not an ordinary child like Atikah.

"Yes, if Dedek does not want meatballs, eat catfish pecel only," suggested Bu Inah.

"The catfish, right, for sale with Mr. Ma'am. If later pecel melenya spent the same Dedek, what do you want to sell?"

Ms. Inah, Mr. Risman, and Atikah laughed at Sukma's words. Ms. Inah who felt anxious to see the behavior of the youngest, immediately pinched her chubby cheeks.

"There are many more. Did Dedek want to finish all the catfish pecel trading by Mr?" said Bu Inah giggling.

"Not really, anyway" Sukma replied while scratching his head.

"Then, I'm ready to eat for Dedek with Atikah Tea, yes."

Sukma and Atikah nodded. While waiting for the food to come, Sukma offered a similar meal to Wanara. The monkey shook his head, because he did not like the food.

Shortly thereafter, Bu Inah brought a pecel of catfish, complete with his rice. Before eating it, Sukma raised both hands and began to recite the prayer. Despite the difficulty of saying a prayer to eat, he still tried hard, considering his food did not want to be drooled by the pocong. After reading the prayer, he devoured his food with Atikah. Sukma loved his father's pecel catfish. Delicious, said.

Apparently, the first pecel catfish dish served to Sukma, brought good luck. Shortly after Sukma devoured his first feed, a buyer came to order two servings of pecel lele. There were a few other buyers who ordered five servings of pecel catfish. Mr. Risman who has just sold, feels excited to serve customers, although quite overwhelmed at first. It's very happy, the trade sells a lot tonight.

Selesao Sukma finished his food, buyers still came to his cart Mr. Risman. Ms. Inah helped her husband to prepare food for his buyers. Sukma smiled at the buyers so enthusiastically ordered catfish pecel made by Mr. Risman.

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

Morning comes. As usual, Sukma was escorted by her mother to go to school. The little girl looked cheerfully welcoming the new day. Along the way, he walked while jumping around and humming children's songs.

Upon arrival at school, Kezia and Ami's parents approach Bu Inah. They seemed upset that yesterday the children were crying and were screaming hysterically all day. He said he was afraid to see a horrible figure everywhere.

"Mom, what exactly has your child done to our child? They were okay at first. How come it's been parnoan since Mom's son got into this school?" fawning Kezia's mother.

"Loh, I don't know anything Mom," said Bu Inah astonished, then looked at Sukma. "Dek, yesterday Dedek has done what to Kezia with Ami?"

"Dedek didn't do anything, Mom. Dedek just helped them see Wanara. If Dedek does not help them, they will call Dedek a ngibul because they can not show Wanara."

"Tuh, right, really," said Ami's mother. "Mother's son has opened our child's inner eyes. Now I have to take responsibility."

"Loh, why should I? I can't do something like that" Ms. Inah said evasively.

"So mother's son has made our children suffer" said Kezia's mother. "I don't want to know, anyway Mother and son Mother must return our daughter as usual. Otherwise, your child will just move to another school."

"Tante, Kezia same Ami school?" tanya Sukma cut the conversation.

"Yes, they go to school" replied Ami's mother.

Without saying a word, Sukma ran to the classroom. When entering the teaching-learning room, Kezia and Ami seemed to tremble in fear in the corner of the room. Sukma who felt sorry for the two, immediately walked to the corner of the classroom.

"What's wrong?" ask Sukma.

"I-it .. There are grandmothers in our class again," Kezia replied in a trembling voice.

"Yes. Tuh, look! He's looking at us again" Ami said.

Sukma looked back, looking at the old lady who was peeking at the entrance while waving her hands towards them. The little girl smiled, then the grandmother returned her smile and just left.

"He was there every day, too" explained Sukma.

"But his face is nereminous. I'm scared," whined Ami.

"Oh, yeah. If you are afraid, close your eyes again" Sukma said.

Both of them closed their eyes. Sukma put his palm on their forehead while commuting to cast a spell out of nowhere he learned. Sukma closed his inner eyes long enough, finally he was finished.

"Now, open your eyes!" sukma's Order.

When the two of them opened their eyes, nothing strange was seen. They ran out of class. The old woman who had been peeping at them since earlier, had already disappeared.

After making sure there was nothing strange from view, Kezia and Ami re-entered the classroom and approached Sukma. Their faces looked as soft as they were sure there was nothing in school. Now they could only see students running around and their parents waiting outside.

"Well, Sukma, there's nothing else going on in school!" decak Kezia laughed cheerfully.

"Yes. By the way, what have you done to us until we can't see the granny again?" ask Ami.

"I just told you to close your eyes. Why why?"

Ami looked at Sukma's hand intently. "Your hand is magical. Can make things that do not exist so look the same as us, and vice versa."

Sukma looked at his own hands. "Well? Is that it?"

Kezia nodded. "Don't you have fairy hands, which can do wonders."

"But fairies wear magic canes" said Ami.

"Oh, yes," said Kezia.

Sukma spread his gaze throughout the class. Something's missing there.

"Yes, where's Sere?" ask Sukma.

Sere didn't go to school today. Since fainting yesterday, the little girl has been screaming hysterically and crying all of a sudden. Inside his spacious and luxurious home, he was so frightened. After school, Sere didn't want to leave the room. Lots of ghosts, he said.

Now, the little girl was just curled up in her bed while hiding behind a blanket. His heart was still filled with anxiety, to the extent that he was reluctant to dwell from hiding. As her mother walked into the room, Sere tightened his blanket so as not to be pulled back by the monstrous figure like last night.