Your mouth Harimau

Looking for Marissa

After dinner, I felt so guilty that I called Yuni to ask her how she was doing. I think all my life this time I called her.

Yuni's mother picked up my phone. It sounds tired and tense.

"Who is this?" tanyakanya.

I don't know why all of a sudden I wanted to hang up when I found out her mom was picking up.

But I said, "This is Shopie". I'm Yuni's schoolmate."

What a friend, if I were really his friend, there was no way I would make him what he is today. My inner.

"I don't think Yuni can get up" replied his mother. "Yuni is very weak."

"What the doctor said...."

"I asked Yuni first, if she wanted to talk," Ibu Yuni cut off.

I could hear the younger brother Yuni shouting something in the distance. And I can hear music from cartoons on their TV.

"Don't take it long" Mother Yuni ordered.

"Hello?" yuni said in a soft voice.

"Oh. Hi Yuni. Its me. Shopie," I said, trying not to sound nervous.

"Shopie?" I heard another soft voice, almost whispering.

"Yes, I'm Shopie" I stammered. "A...I just want to ask you how you are?"

"Shopie you're bouncing us, huh?" ask Yuni.

I'm appalled. How did he know?

"Yuni, Aa...what do you mean?" my spray.

"All the players are sick, except you," Yuni replied. "Anna's sick. Anita too. And Kristy."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean me." I said.

"So I think you're bouncing us," cut Yuni.

Is he kidding? I don't know.

But I didn't know Yuni was joking or not about me bouncing them. His voice was really slow. He sounds so tired and uninspired.

I felt angry that he had accused me, joking or not. That is the nature of Yuni. Always find a way to piss me off even when I'm good at calling her. But I also feel guilty. Whether Yuni guessed it or not, I had indeed bounced him and the others. And now I have to find a way to get rid of that spell.

The next morning, the two seats in my class were empty again. Yuni and Anna are out again.

At recess, I asked Colin if he would come with me to go find that strange woman after school.

"No way!" he shouted while shaking. "He can change me

so frogs or whatever else!"

"Colin you can't be serious, can you?" my screams. Some kids look up.

"That's right," murmured Colin, his face crimson under his beloved hat.

"Okay, I'm sorry" I said. "I'm really tense, you know!"

He still wouldn't accompany me. He made up a terrible reason and

she said she had to help her mother clean the house.

Colin pretended not to believe my story about that woman and my three requests. But I feel like maybe he's a little scared. I'm scared too. Afraid of not finding it.

After school, I jumped on a bike and pedaled towards the City Forest.

Today is grey and windy. Large, dark clouds rolled rapidly in the sky, perhaps it would rain. Similar to the day I met Marissa, I thought. For some reason, it excited me.

Some of my classmates waved and called me. But I just kept going, holding the handlebars and getting stronger pedaling. A few minutes later, I turned away from the houses lined up on either side of the road, and there were bare trees in the forest. The tall trees formed a dark wall, darker than the black sky above.

"It has to be there, it has to be there" I said repeatedly in tune with my paw.

It has to be there, it has to be there.

My heart almost jumped out when I saw the woman, bending down by the side of the road. Waiting for me.

"Hi!" call me. "Hi! It's me!"

Why didn't he answer?