The One Thousand Days

Chapters 1. The Aroma of Death

I took a heavy breath trying to suppress the tears that began to threaten to spill. My chest felt tight as my eyes still settled on the young man's face. Still can't believe my Geral's gone. My finger touched the edge of the coffin. The smiling young man who now looked sad. Face pale. The eyes were tightly closed as if someone was forcing him to fall asleep when he didn't want to. I know, Geral definitely doesn't want to leave me alone. But destiny says something else.

“Enza!” Samar\-vague Geral's speech came back.

The gray afternoon breeze of Jogja just whispered that I would see him again tonight. Maybe he'll show up in the north square\alun while carrying two bowls of wedang ronde. Or I will see again her sweet smile on the doorstep of the house with a pot of red arachnis or perhaps purple dendrobium that has flowered. He once brought me Coelogyne pandurata when he came home from the east.

I took a heavy breath. Thinking about it again, it seems I still hear his voice singing\-love songs accompanied by discordant guitar quotes. Geralku is not an artist. I remember for sure he was going to say that we were soulmates who were destined to be together when I started sneering at his guitar playing.

My heart stopped beating. I can't believe this is all happening. Still refusing to accept that God asked him to come back so soon. He was smiling last night. I rubbed the back of my hand. Trying to feel the residual\-warm remnants of Geral's grip there. The boy is still here, I'm sure.

There was no need to wait for a long time until my wailing turned into a roar. The coffin was closed even though I kept begging to wait longer. I was not satisfied to see his face. They also ignored my cries and let the coffin down into the pit. The tears I was holding now flowed profusely as I held the mound of earth that was coagulated into a ball to be thrown by the immediate family of the deceased. A customary symbolization that we have buried our dear and ushered him back into the lap of God. I threw that\-ball ball into the grave. The ball\-ball fell on the top surface of the coffin.  

My pitch stopped when I heard a knock. I tilted my head, trying to hear it more clearly. The sound of that knocking was heard again. Is correct. I didn't hear wrong. The sound of that knock came from inside Geral's coffin. I breathed a sigh of relief. They could hear that knocking. They must have realized that Geral was still alive. Surely they felt stupid for throwing this ball of earth at someone who was still alive.

“Stop!” My voice screamed loudly. “Geral is alive. Please stop all this!”

However, the toss still happened. They didn't listen to me. They ignored the sound of knocking from inside the coffin. I can't resist all this silliness anymore. The ball of earth was clasped tightly in my hand I took it off. I just need to jump down and open the coffin. If there is any evidence then those\-people will stop doing stupid things like this. However, someone pulled my hand as I almost jumped into the hole.

“What are you doing?”

I looked, Alex was there. The young man knitted his eyebrows and looked at me.

“Geral is alive. We have to save him, Brother,” he said on the sidelines of the\-sleece cry. My beloved is in there, alive and breathing. “Kakak also heard a knocking sound, right?”

“That's a beat?”

“Iya, from inside the crate. Geral for help, sister!” I couldn't help but raise my voice because it was too relieved. “We have to help him!”

“Continue the process, I'll hold him!” alex said as he hugged me tightly\-tight.

“Sister Alex!” This time I tried to shake. Alex's arm hugged me very tightly. “Big brother must believe me, Geral knocked from the inside in the crate.”

“No, Enza. Geral is dead.”

“Kak, I beg you!”

My cry broke again, even so Alex did not budge at all even as I howled. The young man even remained in his position when the wet land\-soil began to cover the coffin. My breath's choked. Too late. No human would survive if buried alive\-like that.

“I love you, Enza. Now, tomorrow and forever.” Geral's voice was heard again.

He's even talking now. It was obvious that he was asking for help to be saved. I didn't want him to leave and I didn't do anything to help him. No, no, I can help him. It's not too late now. There are people who are suspended animation and even in a coma for many\-years. He's only been buried for a few minutes, he's still alive.

When Alex let me go, I immediately darted into the wet mound of earth that now began to be sprinkled with flowers. Quickly, I threw my hand into the ground. I can do it, I can save him.

“What are you doing?”

I don't care about any questions right now. Life remains a top priority compared to answering any question.

“Enza, let's go home!” alex said while pulling me back.

“Do not touch me!” peekkiku while shaking his grip.

“We're home now!”

“No!”

Unfortunately Alex's power is greater, he is even helped by others. Although I howled and thrashed, I failed to fight them all. Some whispered in my ear. The sky started to buzz and all the fading colors changed to red and yellow, after which everything turned dark and I did not remember anything.

  The streets out there are deserted. I kept staring there and didn't get out of the window several hours ago. My fingers wiped the cold surface I was now sitting on. My breath choked when I realized that there was no one beside me. This place is empty, in front of me there is no one. Geral is usually here. Sitting in front of me and we sat face to face, exchanging a glance for a moment before sharing a smile, Our feet would touch each other and then fold to each other as he pulled my body closer to link a kiss. My fingers were raised to touch the surface of my lips. The last kiss was still felt, unfortunately he was not there now. She suddenly disappeared without me noticing.

It's only been two days, but it feels like it's been years. I spent a lot of time sitting on the window ledge, staring at the streets. Sometimes I eat, sometimes not. Nothing reminds me of this bad habit because I am always alone. Alex came and stayed a few times, but nothing more. He only said that it would be very dangerous to stay alone because he said many robbers brought cars and sharp weapons to run into the victim's house. However, other than warning and occasionally coming, there was nothing he did.

“What will be robbed, I have nothing\-nothing,” my question that night when he was about to pull the blanket close to my chin.

“They entered randomly to the victim's house. Said they conducted a survey by disguising themselves as scavengers during the day to monitor the target.”

“I have nothing, this house is also just a former big house that is not maintained. In addition to its location closest to the big road, there is nothing else that can make criminals interested in visiting.”

“Anything, all this news is dangerous—”

“Didn't I have been alone for a long time?” rebuttal fast.

 “At least Geral used to come often, now he is no more.”

Is it hard to take me with you if you're worried, brother?

Unfortunately, that sentence failed to be spoken. I gulped a strong\-strong saliva then folded my lips.

“You know that I can't take you with me?”

Alex seemed to be asking questions, when in fact he was giving a statement that I did not come to the house with him. I wouldn't like my presence there. To be honest, I wanted to say all that, but I didn't want to look like a beggar to Alex or Dad. My body was still frozen in place when the man rubbed my head and then he moved out.

“You must understand yes, Za. We are family,” he said again as if\-as if he wanted to confirm that everything he said was true and reasonable.

Family, huh?

Since the accident a few years ago that took my mother's life—one\the only person in the world who accepted me unconditionally—I no longer have a family. It was my mother who made everyone smile at me. After my mother died, I lost everything. The smile on everyone's lips turned into a wrinkle of annoyance. All the fun stuff disappeared along with my mother's departure.

Not only the loss I suffered, since that night I was haunted by feelings of guilt and accusations of people\-people. A accusation for what, I don't know. There was no answer I got when I asked other than judgment. I tried to ask God many times in every prayer. But it seems that God is also reluctant to answer all the questions that are rolling in prayer. Refusing to wipe away the tears of his creatures that always spill. When I wanted to give up even God refused to uproot my life. From that moment on I was disappointed in God. I also want to make His\ disappointed by never mentioning His name\ and no longer want to pray.

God is fair he said. Yeah, indeed. Besides taking, God gave me a substitute gift. One gift this damned universe gives is the strange\-sound sound that is heard in the ears as well as the once flashing shadow. Unfortunately, along with this gift, I also got another gift. The gift kept me away from many people. I had a lot of friends at first, but they started to leave. He said he was afraid when I started mentioning the creature that lived in the corner of the classroom or the long-haired woman who was struggling spoiled at the banyan root that stuck out.

 While still sitting in elementary school the children of\-children still listen to my story, about the swing that moves itself in the yard or the hair\-long hair that is at the bottom of the bathtub. When I was in high school, girls looked at me strangely and rarely heard my stories. They no longer ignore me and are more interested in the commercial or the chatter or shopping for pirated books by the roadside. They also started mocking me as a shaman and stayed away from me thinking I would hang on when I only shared stories after I read about vodoo dolls. I didn't do anything, I just told stories like I always did. However, no one believes.

Let alone them, Alex even said that I was hallucinating when I said that I had seen Dad in my room at midnight, Dad even scratched his hand with a knife until his blood dripped into my eye. After everything that happened, I became even more convinced that God wanted to make me have nothing to take for granted. 

Since then I have chosen to stay away from the crowd and be alone. They don't like me. They've changed and I'm the only one locked up in the past. When I graduated from college and worked, I chose to become an ornamental florist to reduce the frequency of meeting people like office workers. I can choose to be an artist, a freelance designer or a novelist working in silence, but I'm not talented at some of that. It was Geral who advised me to open a store, I could learn to interact with people while not having to socialize too much. I also love the flowers of\-flower. Although I'm not sure about this, I trust her that maybe I like flowers. So the one thing that never changed was that Geral was always by my side, when I had so many friends to tell stories about until I was alone for so many years after. He was always there and the old fear\-old disappeared. So if asked to name a member of my family then I will mention Geral without a doubt.

I flinched when my daydreams instantly crumbled. The sound of drops\-drops of water suddenly\suddenly emerging from the corner of the room—entah on which side. I'm trying to find the origin of the sound. Squinting for a moment before standing up. There is nothing\-nothing. My fingers squeezed the ledges of the window panes trying to calm the heart that was beginning to pound.

What's this smell?

I frowned, smelling the fishy scent floating in the air. The nauseating smell that blows sucks under the nose. A powerful breath carried with it the smell until I slammed into it in disgust. A deep red\-color also began to form filling my eyes in addition to the sound of liquid droplets still hissing through the ears.

What's the matter?

Shadow after shadow always flashed. I closed my eyes for a moment and then my fingers touched the chest that was starting to tighten. Squeezing the loose t-shirt that wrapped my body. I have rarely felt or seen anything strange or scary since I opened up to Geral. The young man not only gave me solutions, he even routinely drove me to consult every month. He also did not forget to remind me to take medicine regularly. However, this symptom has been getting stronger for the last two days since Geral died. Maybe because she's not the only person I can trust anymore. I think I'm sort of losing grip.

No, no, these symptoms should not come again.  I don't want to see anything anymore. Not now, tomorrow or forever because no more Geral will listen to me.

I hurriedly\rushed towards the nightstand. Open it carelessly and grab the medicine bottle then pour it into the palm of the hand. There are only two grains left, one for each\ of the drug. I hurriedly\swallowed and flushed my throat with water so that the medicine dissolved faster.

“I am now alone, I have to take care of myself,” my mumbling repeatedly\-repeatedly while taking a slow breath before stepping out.

His legs slowly stepped out of the housing complex in search of a taxi. Driving will be very dangerous if I take drugs\-medicine. I ducked when I walked alone and stopped in front of the siskampling post with my dad\-father who was busy playing chess. They just glanced at me and I didn't even bother to say hello. My hands waved as a taxi approached.

Along the way I was silent until the taxi dropped me right in the row of shophouses in the middle of the city, the pharmacy was only about three shophouses from where I was down now. After paying the fees listed in Argo. My fingers immediately sorted the wallet in my jacket pocket as my feet began to step. It felt lonely and empty, now no one was holding my hand. My legs are stepping quickly across the pavement.

I gasp when someone touches my shoulder. His long fingers were stuck to my arms. My head looked up, finding a familiar smile there. It's not a dream, is it?

“Gee—geral?”

“Yes, Enza!” Geral smiled as she pulled my body together.

I stammered, the young man even responded to my call. Not enough to get there. His long finger is now attached to my left shoulder. Geral is here. He smiled at me. I just need to touch and hold her hand as usual.

But I found nothing when I reached out. My palm now swatted the wind. I stopped my steps to make sure. Geral— figure which I believe is here a while ago—dadap vanished. Geral's hand was never there either because my hand turned out to be just patting my own shoulder. I took a breath, my chest felt tight again. Of course, right. All this is just an illusion. I was the one who expected too much. It is possible that the person who was buried two days ago was suddenly here.

A snort came out just like that expressing disappointment in the chest. Geral is indeed\-completely gone. My lips folded trying to hold back the tears that seemed like they could go down at any moment. No. gabe. No, I have to be strong. Being alone may not be that bad.

Yes, not that bad. With that determination, I raised my head and pulled my lips up. Furthermore, breathing a sigh of relief, at least now I can already weave a slight smile. Although maybe my facial expression looks terrible now. Even so, I want to keep trying because he says that smile is contagious. So I hope the smile on my lips will rub into my heart, making me a little better.

 I continued walking and continued to step up in front of the pharmacy. My fingers just touched the door handle when my eyes stumbled on a billboard that had been slanted and worn over a shophouse. The shophouse is located next to the pharmacy, limited only by one other shophouse selling bags and accessories. The old shophouse looked in contrast to other shophouses that looked clean and neat. Since when was that old shophouse there? Was I the only one I've never seen?

My footsteps stopped, but my eyes refused to move. The shophouse was very worn out and seemed to be abandoned. The nest of the spider\ attached to the wall of the shophouse with its leisure. Either want to add to the impression of horror or just want to show how lazy the owner of this strange shophouse. I stared at the shophouse once more and Madam Alice's name was on the board. Looking at that name, I wanted to laugh and try hard to hold it.

Alice said, that's right. What a strange name in this small town. Because of that\-for I so think that this old shophouse becomes the door to Wonderland and instead of\ with rabbits, our industry will be accompanied by spiders to the magical world. This is Jogja, why is there a strange shophouse that may not even exist in another city in the country. The shophouse was as if a piece of western culture were forcibly tucked away in a row of traditional shophouses in the middle of the city. There are gypsies in Jogja, could this madam now be competing with local shamans?

“There's a funny?”

I gasped at the sound not far from where I was standing. Not only did her greeting sound unfriendly, the female owner of the voice was also creepy. The jet-black haired young lady with a piercing on her nose was now looking at me. His eyes looked probing. The outfit she wears resembles an anime cosplay that often appears on television or social media. He is not far from where I am now.

“Nothing,” my kilah lied while throwing away face.

“Wait!”

I did not care about his call, intending to continue on to his original destination, log into the pharmacy and buy medicine

“I know you!”

“Cannot.”

“I know you. Seriously,” he said insist.

“You're wrong!” I don't want to hear his words anymore.

 “Your lover just died two days ago, didn't he?” he said with a loud voice and his hands folded on his chest.

My steps stopped, how could he know?

“Of course I know,” he said again as if\as if he could read my mind now.

I fell silent, my hands clenched tightly. To be honest, I didn't want to look around because he probably knew Geral, not me. Geral is known as one of the richest children of the conglomerate in the city. I as Geral's lover did often appear on social media even though we were not the ones who posted all of it. So I think he knows from there. But, above all, it does know what Geral and I are about.

“I know everything,” he said as if\-answers my question that I never uttered.

“Cannot be!” elakku hurry. “You don't know me.”

“Enza Kamajaya!”

I looked up when he said my name. My eyes started to scan and scout. Where does he know my full name. A shaman? Cosplayer or spy\-eye, this last choice makes me quite amused, spy\-eye in this non-metropolis city, for what? The city is too narrow to explore.

The girl smiled. “You want him alive again don't you?”

I did not reply and still looked at him without blinking. Staring at his tiny figure who is now still standing arrogantly on top of knee-length boots with matching gothic colors. Totally unsuitable clothes are worn in this hot city.

“I can help him get back to you.?”

“What do you mean?” I try to guess the meaning of his words. I just lost Geral, I don't think he knows about that.

“Your love, Geral Wicaksono.”

“What?” my lips are twitching now.

“The name is Geral Wicaksono, right?” repeat with a shitty tone.

He called Geral's full name confidently, which sucks. How did he know it had come this far?

“You're crazy!”

“What if I really\can do it?”

I smiled cynically. “Then I'll give you whatever you want.”

“Deal. Let's stop by my shop,” he said while pointing at the old shophouse with the signboard almost fell it.

A smile on my lips. “You think I believe. You liar. Geralku isn't missing, he's dead.”

“What does this have to do with me being a liar and your dead girlfriend?” tanyanya sounds confused.

“Because no dead person can return to the world.”

“I can call him.”

“Oh yes?” I raised one eyebrow.

“Yes. You want proof?” His eyes looked at me closely\-sticky. It seemed like he was really\-serious with his words.

Hand clenched. Could it be that he really\ could do all that? Isn't that all too impossible?

I took a breath and looked at him. “Unfortunately I am not interested,” I said before shaking my hand.

“Come before the seven days of his death anniversary. If you are interested, of course.” The girl half shouted.

I did not look back and chose to ignore the girl. Now I grabbed the pharmacy door and slipped my body into it. I really don't want to go back to that woman because I'm not interested. But really the offer was very tempting. Who wouldn't want Geral back? If Geral comes back then I'll be the happiest woman in the world. If I could call him back, I would do anything.