The Unsociable Drakuli Part 5
Lulu already knows that Lupus is a scaredy-cat. He talks big, boasting about being brave enough to fight ghosts, but deep down he’s a chicken. Imagine this, while everyone in the house is enjoying their time watching RCTI, Lupus suddenly screams without shame just because he saw a mouse crawling on the carpet. And mind you, it was the neighbor’s carpet that the mouse was crawling on, while Lupus was just chilling in his room.
So Lulu isn’t surprised to see how fast Lupus runs when Drakuli scares him. Lulu didn’t even know that Lupus was being followed until then, but now she knows and can’t help but laugh hysterically.
Drakuli feels like he’s being watched. His sixth sense is sharp. And he intentionally wants to prank Lupus, once Lupus gets close to the graveyard.
But as a sister, Lulu feels sorry for seeing her brother running in fear.
“We have to help him, Drak. Despite all that, he’s a really nice person.”
Drakuli just shrugs. Then, accompanied by Drakuli, Lulu runs out of the yard and shouts, trying to call Lupus. But Lupus is already far away, so Lulu’s shouts can no longer be heard.
“Maybe he’s already far, Lu?” Drakuli says, feeling sorry for Lulu who is still struggling to call out.
“Maybe!” Lulu replies after stopping her shouts because her throat starts to feel sore.
Lulu then tries to approach Drakuli, who is standing in front of her, near a pile of red soil. Lulu’s feet stumble among the dense graveyard grass. Occasionally, Lulu screams as the thorny bushes hurt her feet. Lulu can hardly see anything. Understandably, the atmosphere is so dark. The only light comes from the moon, which happens to be shining very dimly that night, because it’s shaped like a sickle.
And to make it worse, there’s a clump of clouds covering part of its light. Automatically, the graveyard where Drakuli lives feels so dark, cold, and creepy.
Luckily, Drakuli is quick to react. Realizing that Lulu is struggling, Drakuli quickly grabs the lantern hanging near the old gate. With half a run, Drakuli approaches Lulu. Drakuli runs so agilely as if he doesn’t care about the bushes blocking his way.
This is because Drakuli is used to being in such dark conditions.
“Use this lantern, Lu!” Drakuli offers.
Lulu immediately takes the lantern handed by Drakuli and with the lantern, Lulu examines Drakuli’s face for a moment.
Heyyy…! Lulu kinda shivers seeing Drakuli’s sharp gaze.
Drakuli’s appearance tonight is scarier than usual. Especially since Drakuli intentionally lets his hair messy. So Drakuli really looks like a vampire.
Lulu, who has been friends with Drakuli for a long time and knows Drakuli’s character to some extent, immediately understands that when Drakuli looks like that, it means he’s going through a tough time. And Lulu’s guess is not wrong. At that time, Drakuli was indeed facing a big problem that made him sad. And that’s the problem that Drakuli wants to tell Lulu about. That’s why he invited Lulu here.
Yeah, Lulu’s visit to Drakuh’s house is actually also to talk about Drakuli’s big problem. Lulu doesn’t like seeing Drakuli sad and gloomy these past few days. Lulu also wants Drakuli to be cheerful like the old days. Drakuli, who is full of jokes and all his silliness, always makes Lulu happy.
Drakuli said that the demolition plan for his land, which Drakuli has been worried about for months, is really going to happen. Yeah, the cemetery land owned by Drakuli’s family for generations will be demolished by certain parties who only want personal gain. That’s a piece of the story that Drakuli told Lulu at the cafeteria yesterday afternoon. And that’s the reason why Drakuli is sad. Yeah, how can he not be sad when his family’s only asset, which is the source of their livelihood, will be taken away by others?
That sadness is not only felt by Drakuli. But also by his father, who has been cultivating the ancestral land for years and turning it into something profitable, which is renting it out as a cemetery. And Mr. Gali, Drakuli’s father, often gets extra money by taking care of the graves for people who come to visit. By reciting prayers, for example. And the length or shortness of the prayers recited depends on how much payment is given.
With that effort, Drakuli, who no longer has a mother, can live peacefully with Mr. Gali. It’s also something that allows Mr. Gali, the former village champion with a thick mustache, to survive and be able to educate Drakuli until now. It’s a promise he made to his beloved wife, who was so beautiful, who took her last breath after giving birth to Drakuli.
Who wouldn’t be upset if their inherited land, full of touching history because Mr. Gali’s wife was buried right behind their house, will be taken by people who only want to profit?
And as a close friend, Lulu also feels sad about the problem that Drakuli is facing.
The night wind howled fiercely, slapping the leaves of the big banyan tree that grew over Drakuli’s house. Its sound added to the creepy atmosphere of the cemetery. Lulu pulled her jacket closer to ward off the cold. Her body shivered.
Drakuli’s wild eyes pierced through the darkness. Several bats perched on the banyan tree, hanging upside down from the branches.
Lulu carefully placed the lantern on the hardened mound of soil, then sat beside it, soon followed by Drakuli.
The night wind blew again, chilling them to the bone. Drakuli’s messy hair swayed. His sharp eyes looked sadly across the cemetery. Yeah, his father used to be a rich man’s son who inherited a vast piece of land. But because his father was rebellious and didn’t know how to manage the land, the inherited land was turned into a large cemetery.
Drakuli was sad because his only asset was about to be demolished.
“Ah, if the demolition happens, where should we take refuge? To the sea? No way, there are so many sharks there, and my dad is allergic to saltwater,” Drakuli asked sadly, as if talking to himself.
His tone was so confused.
Lulu looked at Drakuli sympathetically. She wanted to suggest that Drakuli and his dad could stay at the security post, but she was afraid it wouldn’t be ethical. So Lulu stayed silent.
Meanwhile, not far from there, among the dense bushes, Lulu didn’t realize that a pair of eyes was watching her every move. The gaze was fierce, like the eyes of a hungry stray cat. The color was glowing red, filled with suspicion.
“Don’t be sad, Drak. Sadness won’t solve the problem. Let’s just fill in crossword puzzles when we’re sad, it makes it harder for us,” Lulu’s advice suddenly slipped in between the sounds of the night animals, after she and Drakuli sank into silence.
Drakuli stared at Lulu sharply. So sharp that it could cut through a chicken.
“What do you mean, Lu? Are you saying I can’t be sad about losing the asset that supports my whole family?” Drakuli retorted.
Lulu smiled softly, as soft as an ice cream cone, towards Drakuli.
“It’s better if you think about how to prevent this land from being demolished. Try to do something to make the demolishers change their minds!” Lulu suggested.
Drakuli was taken aback. But he finally smiled after understanding Lulu’s point.
“I understand what you mean, Lu. But how can we do that when the demolishers have already put up boundary markers? It seems like their plan is already well-prepared.”
Lulu flicked her finger. Tick! Then she smiled wide.
“Well, there’s the solution, Drak. Why don’t you just remove those boundary markers, so that the demolishers, the demolition team, get confused. At least that way, you’re putting up a fight. Better than losing without a fight, right?” Lulu said loudly.
Drakuli immediately jumped up from his seat. He jumped really high, hitting his head on a branch of the sapodilla tree. But Drakuli didn’t feel any pain, even though his head was a bit swollen from the hit. Drakuli actually smiled happily.
“Lulu, you’re amazing. I know what you mean. Turns out you’re not only cool, Lu, but also smart. I’ll start implementing your idea tomorrow night, Lu!” Drakuli shouted hysterically while shaking Lulu’s shoulders. Lulu coughed. But her heart was happy to receive praise from Drakuli.
A pair of eyes that had been observing all this time sparkled in the moonlight, as if pleased with the idea suggested by Lulu.
