TUMBAL NURSING HOME

CHAPTER 23 THE APPEARANCE OF AN OLD WOMAN IN THE MIRROR.

"It's late, take all the parents to their rooms!" Mariyati's orders.

"Wait a minute Mar, it's ten and we still want to be outside the room." Clearly Nek Siti with her head lowered.

"You guys have just been treated, it's better to have a lot of rest in the room. Quickly take all these old men to the room!"

With a single command from Mariyati, the students were obedient and sent the elderly back to their rooms. It seemed like Mariyati had purposely stopped Nek Siti and Grandpa Ridho from talking to their great-grandchildren a lot. There was a Mariyati concern, if the elderly were to change their minds and actually save their descendants.

"There are no eleven o'clock yet, what are we doing?" Doni said while livening up a cigarette.

"Where did you get your cigarettes, Don? Here for me!" Pinta Riko, who hasn't touched a cigarette in a long time, since they were there.

"What the hell are you, there's no more! This is all I could have found! Some of the time you go to the market, why not buy cigarettes anyway. If my mouth is asem, I have to smoke cigarettes like a hard person!" Doni continued to sip his cigarette until it ran out.

Riko was not out of thought, during this time he had never once seen or found a cigarette lying. But it was Doni who could coincidentally find a cigarette without a master.

"What are you guys doing?" Widia brought a pot of water, which she had just filled with drinking water.

"That's Riko asking me for a cigarette. This is just a stick!"

"Be careful loh Don, if it is found out that Bu Mariyati can get into your scolding! No one can smoke here, because the elderly are sensitive to cigarette smoke!"

"Denger Don, what Widia said. So right in the market I can't buy cigarettes either!" Said Riko while shaking Doni's forehead.

"Yes, Doni, I can't wait to be a person. Play smoke again, lest the cigarettes are in the place of the offerings you take, huh?" Widia asked narrowed both eyes, looking at Doni suspiciously.

"Ehm... No really! Not on you! Cigarettes are just rotated. Btw where is Sintia Wid?" Doni answered, diverting the conversation.

Widia explained, if Sintia is looking for something in the back shed. He looked for mukenas and prayer rugs, which were likely stored there.

"So here we never have worship. Well said Sintia, he wanted to worship again but there was no mukena. We'll come here with nothing, just the clothes we wear with our cell phones that have been confiscated."

"Yes also Wid, although I like to worship. I usually go to Friday prayers. He said the guy who participated in Friday prayers can add handsome!" Pungkas Doni while styling his hair.

"You know Sintia who does not want to look for in the warehouse, usually not kepake goods stored there." Widia said before stepping off to her room.

Sintia who is still in the back shed, only armed with petromax lights as a light. Looking into the boxes, he found only worn white clothes and cloth. The wind gusts get louder, until the glass cover cloth is pulled away. The cloth flew in the wind, and Sintia tried to reach the curtain that was stuck in the vents above the door. When he managed to pick up the glass covering cloth, it seemed that someone was looking at him. He was standing right in front of the mirror, and he saw the appearance of an ugly woman. His whole skin was wrinkled, and his hair was gray. He was wearing the same clothes as Mariyati. Panti worker's typical clothes, with a brown sponge skirt suit in line with the shirt. Sintia was shocked, and she almost screamed in fear. But the voice of someone made him a little relieved.

"What are you doing here, Sintia? Quickly close that mirror!" Mariyati snapped with both eyes.

Sintia turned her body, she looked at Mariyati from top to bottom. To make sure if what he saw was really the leader of the Nursing Home.

"QUICK THAT GLASS COVER SINTIA!" Cetus Mariyati spoke in an even louder tone.

In a panic Sintia instantly covered the entire piece of glass with a cloth. His entire body was sweating, and his breathing was irregular.

"Sorry Mom, I want to find you. But the wind blew the cloth away. And when I close it back. Instead I saw the appearance of an old woman, who looked very creepy. His body was like bones and skin."

"That's why I don't put mirrors in all the rooms in this place. It was the soul of one of the workers who used to live here. He likes to show his form in front of the mirror so I hide all the mirrors and cover him with a cloth. I affirm this once to you, and I can remind all of your friends. No one opens the mirrors anymore. If you don't want to see things you shouldn't see. Do you understand Sintia?" Clearly Mariyati looked at Sintia full of anger.

Sintia nodded her head, and again inquired about the mukena and prayer rites for worship. But Mariyati said, there has been no worship in the Jompo Palace for a long time. So he did not store it anymore, and Sintia also asked permission to buy it at the Market. But Mariyati again reasoned if he did not have more budget to buy mukena or prayer mats.

"You know for yourself what the condition of this Nursery. I have a hard time getting donors to donate to this place. While the families of the elderly never once came, let alone provide cash assistance. So I hope you understand my decision. It is not my intention to forbid you to worship. But I beg you for the next few months, focus more on taking care of them."

Hearing Mariyati's explanation, Sintia immediately bowed sadly. He did see and know how the conditions in the Panti. So that he can understand the reason Mariyati, did not give a budget to buy worship equipment. And behind it all, Mariyati also used hypnosis so that Sintia could be destroyed when she heard his explanation. And of course Mariyati's plan worked. Because after that, Sintia immediately returned to her room without fussing about anything more. Sintia was only curious about the figure of the old woman who was seen in front of the mirror.

"Where did Sin get his face?" Widia asked on the bed.

"There's no Wid, tomorrow I'm clear." Sintia seemed to think.

"What the hell is Sin?"

Sintia did not immediately answer Widia's question, she did not want to make her roommate was frightened. Especially now that Dina doesn't sleep with them. So the room felt increasingly quiet, because only the two of them were occupying. From out there, a flash of lightning strikes, it seems like soon the rain will arrive. The window curtain increasingly swayed tautly, making a silhouette of a black shadow. The atmosphere that night was getting worse. Especially after all the lights in the Panti were extinguished. Widia shuffled into the blanket, and hid her face. While Sintia was still sitting leaning her head against the wall. His two eyes focused on staring out the window, like someone was doing something in the middle of a dark garden.