Tumbar Candidate

White Smoke

Lista stretched her stiff muscles after nearly two hours of sitting in a chair to do chores. The study light is turned off. The books were closed, put back in place. The girl headed to the bed, laying down her tired body. The blanket is pulled until it covers the chest. However, Lista did not immediately want to reach a dream. His curious hand even touched the nightstand and found his phone lying there. Lista. Once pulling the screen up, Hello Kitty wallpaper greets her. After the data is turned on, one by one the notification sounds come, but none of the social media. All of those notifications came from news apps, music videos, and update notifications from artists he loved.

A blue social media app with the F logo is her finger choice. Photos of his best friend fill the veranda. Lista unhesitatingly pressed the thumb button once, then scrolled down. Subsequent posts emerged from a friendlist that Lista did not recognize, but he still gave his like. Keep going down. Almost all posts are treated equally by him. No one is interested in commenting. Occasionally, his eyes let out a clear liquid from being too tired. His mouth repeatedly evaporated. However, Lista still forced herself to stare at the screen hapenya. Until, his finger stopped scrolling the screen on a post.

[ Believe it or not, every time you wake up in the middle of the night, something is watching you ]

Reading a piece of that sentence makes the feathers of the Lista bristles. His eyes are on around. The memory of the creature knocking on his door came back, but he was too reluctant to report to his parents. Then, Lista immediately turned off her phone. The blanket is pulled up to the neck. His eyes were forced shut. She should be grateful because not long after her eyes closed, dreams came welcoming.

A few minutes later, Lista felt uncomfortable with her body. His eyes opened and checked around. There's nothing weird. From the left side position, the list turns on its back. The blanket is still sure to reach the neckline. Eyes blinked. Couple times. Until Lista realizes there is a strange shadow on it, on the ceiling of the room.

The bulging list saw hair coming out mysteriously from there. Lista wanted to jump down from the bed, but her body was hard to move. The mouth can not be opened even if only to let out a little groaning. He tried to avoid the hair getting closer to his face.

“DELAY! DAD!” The shout could only be heard by Lista herself as it could never come out of her mouth.

Just a little bit, hopes Lista, she wants to turn her head to avoid hair that is a few inches away from her face. The breathing of the cyst restrained involuntarily. He wanted to cry, but could not move a bit.

From that bunch of dry hair, came long fingers. Lista closed her eyes. He could feel his forehead moist by the cold sweat. Lista tried to avoid those deep black long fingers. Pelipis List feels like it was slashed by a blunt knife. He was reluctant to open his eyes, too afraid of what he would see. In his heart, he kept moaning.

“Dad, please Lista. Plis, Dad, go in the room. Please Lista ..”

Lista cried inwardly, feeling hopeless as the finger went down her neck down. Then, Lista felt that both of her knees could move. His body can be regained. Lista planned to escape from this gripping situation soon. However, when his eyes opened his skinny face appeared right in front of his face. With a long dangling tongue whose ends are branched. The black tongue was meandering with its respective pointed tip. Turns out—Lista held her breath realizing a fact— that went down her temple earlier was the creature's tongue. List cannot stand for ....

“AAAAAAAAAAA ..”.

Lista's view turned dark.

***

A beam of light dazzled Lista's eyes making it difficult to lift her eyelids wider. Fine pats were felt on his right cheek, restoring the memory of Lista last night.

“Daughter, wake up! Girlfriend!”

The cyst sees a black forked tongue running down its temples. The girl gasped even before her eyes opened. He was trapped in an illusion, so was too afraid to see the real thing before him.

“Bag0's girlfriend, wake up!”

The voice of the command cannot be done. A sweat started to spring up around his forehead. Wide eyes without petals, bony thin faces that were only wrapped in wrinkled skin. The creepy creature growled. Really scary. Lista moved uneasily.

“Bun—Bunda.” Lista whimpering.

Everything you see looks so real. His eyes closed tighter and tighter. The black hair seemed to be getting closer to him.

“Bun—Bunda ..” Breath Lista panting.

“Lista, horrifying me well. Dengerin' fine! Ignore what you see now. Don't care. He won't bother you if you're not afraid. Lo slowly breath.” The baritone's voice sounded right beside Lista's ear. And, Lista had unknowingly followed those orders. His breathing was slowly set. His tightly closed eyes, began to soften. “Now ... open your eyes slowly. Slow down, okay? Don't care what shadow you see. Focus on my voice. Open your eyes now!”

Slowly, the eyelids at the edges lined up with lentic eyelashes belonging to Lista lifted. So careful, Lista was traumatized as she opened her eyes and found a horrible face right before her. However, that was not what Lista found right now. Except the stern face of a young man. He was instantly sedated by sharp eyes that were shaded by a pair of thick eyebrows, belonging to ... Arta.

Lista suddenly rose to realize that Arta was too close to her. The heartbeat of the unwanted List sounded louder, until Lista felt embarrassed if Arta heard it.

“K-you why?” ask Lista while looking down to hide her surprise.

“Abis kiss lo earlier. Delicious, no?”

Lista glared while looking up. His expression returned to normal as a jolt landed on his forehead.

“Beg0!” arta Hardik. He straightened his back. Both of his hands were hiding behind the pockets of his high school pants. ”Gue call your parents. Don't faint again!”

Arta out. A minute later, Lista's parents came. The most hysterical Mother hugged Lista so tightly, while Lista still had not turned her eyes away from the direction of the door.

Babe worried that Mother was heard at a glance by Lista, she faithfully stared towards the entrance.

“Honey? What's that hurt? Mommy call a doctor?” ask Mommy while forcing Lista to face him.

“Ngak papa, Bun,” Reply Lista says. Once again glanced towards the door for a moment. How he wished, Arta appeared again from there. But not anymore. The young man has gone.

***

Lista leaned lazily on the wall while paying attention to her skinny fingers, precisely on the ring that is still embedded in the ring finger. If this ring is really the cause of the strangeness in Lista's life so far, it means Arta is the mastermind, but why did the young man act as if he wanted to save Lista? That question was so complicated to answer.

“Your boyfriend is very good, yes?” Mother who was busy cleaning things, suddenly berbeletyuk. Lista looked at him. “She skipped school just to meet you. Sweet, but yes, school is important. Mother spoke briefly with him, he said next week the UN, uh even truant. Mother pity is also the same she.”

Lista listened carefully. The praise of Bunda suddenly added to the doubts of Lista about the ugliness of the young man.

“What's the name?”

“Arta Ocean.” Lista answered almost simultaneously with her mother asking.

“Since when are you guys dating? How not to tell the same story Mother?” ask Mommy, the more instens.

“New few days, Mother.”

“She is good, but still, take care of yourself when you deket same her. Guys tuh, can only be said tame if married. If not .. danger!”

“Iya, Mommy,” Reply Lista. He was about to lower his hand that had been raised high.

“Delay call Dad first, yes?” pamit Mommy before you leave.

Lista did not respond. After a few seconds, the door opened again. Lista was astonished and saw her bundle coming with her head bowed.

“Why, Mother?” ask Lista.

However, the moment the woman raised her face, Lista jerked back against the wall. The woman was indeed the face of her mother, but her jaw was shapelessly broken.

“LISTA ..” The woman called out with a snarl. His head was slanted, almost falling.

Breath Lista panting. He was in a position to scream, but fear had taken his power so as to make a sound.

“B—Bunda ..” The whimpering of Lista just sounded like a soft whisper.

The woman's body fell down on the floor violently, the sound of her impact provoking Lista's delicate cry. He was getting scared in the bed.

“Lista, horrifying me well. Dengerin' fine! Ignore what you see now. Don't care. He won't bother you if you're not afraid. Lo slowly breath.”

Arta's voice was ringing in Lista's ear. He took a long breath carefully. His eyes could not turn away from the creature.

“Do not be afraid, do not be afraid. He'll get stronger if you're scared.” Lista spoke to herself while closing her eyes.

“Now ... open your eyes slowly. Slow down, okay? Don't care what shadow you see. Focus on my voice. Open your eyes now!”

With a choked breath, Lista opened her eyes slowly, at Arta's command. The woman disappeared. Completely disappeared. Lista's breath went back slowly. He subconsciously glanced towards his ring. A thin white smoke surrounded the gem.

Lista was getting confused.

***