Ew, creepy! Part 1
Full moon.
The night has fallen. The wind cuts through the remnants of the drizzle that scattered on the muddy ground. The scent of wet asphalt fills the air, chilling the lungs of the nocturnal creatures. It was so quiet at that moment. Completely silent. Even the noisy sounds seemed to disappear. The biting cold made a group of night guards tighten their worn-out sarongs.
I bet no one dares to go out on the streets, even if they are a model security guard. Because that night felt different from the previous nights. Especially last night, there was a rumor that a floating hand was hovering and knocking on the doors of the residents’ houses in the alley behind Lupus’ house.
Here’s the story. Not to scare you, just to give you the creeps. That night, at midnight, someone knocked on Mr. Fahmi’s door. Mr. Fahmi was sleeping alone. His family was staying at Grandma’s house. And when the door was opened, there was no one there. Instead, there was a floating hand. Mr. Fahmi immediately fainted. And while he was unconscious, the hand tickled his stomach. Hiiiii…! Yeah, so Mr. Fahmi fainted while laughing uncontrollably.
Hihihi.
And will the floating hand appear again on this silent night? Who knows. What’s certain is that the cinema near the market is currently showing a movie called “Santet”. Yeah, what’s the connection? There is! Lupus watched that movie this afternoon. And now he can’t calm down in his bed, imagining the movie he just watched. Especially since Lupus also heard stories about the floating hand. He’s worried that tonight, the hand will come knocking on his bedroom door.
Oh, what time is it? Lupus glanced at the alarm clock on his study desk. “Oh, damn! It’s half past one!” And his eyes still couldn’t close!
Knock. Knock. Knock!
“Hah! Huaaaaa!!! T-tomato, uh, b-bean sprouts, uh, t-trash can, uh, t-toy soldier, oh no! H-helpppp…!” Lupus immediately buried his head under the pillow.
“Pus, Pus! What’s wrong? Open the door, Pus!”
Hearing his mom’s voice, Lupus quickly flew to open the door. His face was pale.
“What’s going on? You scared me,” his mom exclaimed, immediately busy searching for something in Lupus’ room. “Mom, can I borrow your blanket? It’s unusually cold tonight. You have a thick double blanket.”
Lupus was still standing stiffly. He couldn’t say a word. He was so tense.
“Alright, then? Sleep well. Why haven’t you gone to sleep yet? Studying?” his mom said, throwing the thick blanket over her shoulder and walking out.
“M-mom, L-Lupus wants to sleep with M-mom, okay?”
Mom stopped in her tracks. She looked at Lupus in surprise. Then a small smile appeared at the corner of her lips. “What’s the matter with you? You’re already grown up. Lulu can sleep alone. Are you scared? Usually, you sleep alone too. That’s why you should say a prayer before sleeping.”
Mom walked away and closed Lupus’ bedroom door. Lupus was left standing, staring at the closed door, and quickly diving into his thick blanket. He curled up with a worried feeling. He closed his eyes tightly. Then he prayed, “Bismillah…”
Knock. Knock. Knock!
“Hiyaaaaaa!!!”
“Hey, Lupus! Why are you screaming?” Mom’s voice was heard again.
Lupus let out a relieved sigh and flew to open the door again. Oh, Mom scared him!
“Mom just wanted to exchange blankets. This one is too small.”
Lupus remained silent. His lips trembled. His knees still felt weak.
“Why are you like this, Pus? Startled? Startled or scared?”
What? Are you scared even though you’re grown up? How embarrassing. The demons will laugh at you.”
“Huaaaaaaaa…”
Meanwhile, the atmosphere outside became even more eerie. The light drizzle started again. The wind whispered loudly. No more sounds of nocturnal animals. Only the wind continued to cut through.
And about two hundred and fifty meters from Lupus’ room, wild grass swayed in the vast red soil. Surrounding it was a moss-covered black wall. Slow footsteps could be heard, as if reluctant to disturb the tranquility of the night. Slow footsteps of Mr. Gali, a graveyard keeper. He casually walked with a wide-brimmed hat, a large plastic jacket, and a dim lantern in his hand.
Mr. Gali is indeed a bit strange. He turned his vast land into a rental graveyard business. He used to own a large inherited land in that area. A playboy warrior. A true Betawi. His father used to be a wealthy landlord. But because Mr. Gali couldn’t appreciate his wealth, he ended up in debt. He often gambled and lived a lavish lifestyle. A cliché activity often done by foolish people. What remains of Mr. Gali now, after growing old and somewhat aware, are only debts and a simple house, with vast land. Because he didn’t know what to do with it, he turned it into a kind of cemetery park. Renting out his land for graves. A strange business that probably didn’t occur to anyone else. Originally, the land was only intended for family graves. But because it was quite spacious, the idea suddenly arose to rent it out to interested people in the surrounding area.
Mr. Gali’s life depends entirely on this graveyard land rental business. At first, if someone died and wanted to be buried in Mr. Gali’s land, they would give him a small amount of money for maintenance. Now, after Mr. Gali learned a bit about business from his son, he started using special rates. In fact, if someone is seriously ill and is likely to “expire”, Mr. Gali offers payment with a down payment system. “Otherwise, someone else might snatch it. It would be troublesome if there’s no grave left,” Mr. Gali’s reason. “If you want something cheaper, I have that too,” Mr. Gali offers again, “but the rent still has to be paid in cash, no credit.”
Besides, according to Mr. Gali, if the payment is on credit, the body parts that are buried will also be on credit. First the hands, then the feet, and so on and so forth. Hiliihi.
That’s not all, Mr. Gali even imitates BTN’s house sales method by creating various types. Like type 2l, with smaller land and cheaper price. That’s why Mr. Gali often suggests ordering type 45, “Besides having larger land, it can also be made into a pavilion.”
Hihihi.
“Or if you want a corner plot, that’s possible too,” he says enthusiastically, “But there will be additional costs. It’s more expensive. Being in a corner, it’s easier for people to visit.”
Mr. Gali once received an order from a wealthy person who wanted air conditioning in their grave. They said it’s to avoid feeling stuffy. But Mr. Gali couldn’t afford it because the operational costs were high. So, they just installed frosted glass on the grave. The air can still come in and out. And the occupants won’t feel overheated.
In addition to these facilities, Mr. Gali also provides graves for scaredy-cats. By installing iron grilles around them.
And as a bonus, Mr. Gali will also install an intercom in each grave, so communication can be more direct. Hahahalia…
Meanwhile, the atmosphere there remains eerie. And it is said that Mr. Gali has encountered strange creatures many times. Yesterday he found three, the day before yesterday, he found five. And tomorrow he will surely find seven more. Yes, always odd. Not even.
And when Mr. Gali made his eighth round around his graveyard land, he still saw the flickering candlelight coming from the front of his house. He opened the door slowly. Because Drakuli, his only child, was still engrossed in reading.
Drakuli is really diligent. He studies until late at night. He may seem quiet, but he’s actually pretty cool. He’s in the first year of high school, in the same class as his younger brother, Lupus.
“You’re still not sleeping, Drak?” Mr. Gali greeted.
“Not yet, Dad. I’m still in the middle of something.”
“Hm, Babe, go to sleep first, okay? Don’t forget to blow out the candle before you sleep.”
“Sure thing, Dad.”
Drakuli loves reading under the dim light of a candle. Even though the area already has electricity, Mr. Gali rarely uses it to save money. That strange family seems to prefer a gloomy atmosphere. Drakuli has gotten used to simplicity.
Their house is also arranged strangely. In the living room, there’s a large painting of a cemetery on a mountain slope. Along the buffet shelf, there’s a row of skull collections owned by Mr. Gali. And the large windows are covered with curtains made from used burial shrouds.
Drakuli himself has dozens of preserved teeth from the deceased, neatly stored in the drawer of his study desk.
Oh, and Drakuli’s beautiful mother passed away while giving birth to him and was buried right behind the house door. Mr. Gali said, “So that when we want to visit her, we don’t have to go far.”
Drakuli actually has a pretty cool face. It’s just that his thick and messy hair, when not combed, makes him look scary. Not to mention his thick eyebrows, inherited from his father. His mother, who was beautiful, apparently fell for Mr. Gali’s playboy charm. And Drakuli inherited her beauty. His mother used to be a popular girl in the Betawi village. Unfortunately, she passed away at a very young age.
And why is his son named Drakuli? When his mother was pregnant, she had a craving to watch the movie Dracula, but she never got the chance. That’s why their son is named Drakuli Dul Somad bin Gali Dul Somad.
Since he was little, Drakuli has always played around in the cemetery. His childhood was never far from that kind of atmosphere. For example, when playing hide and seek with his friends, Drakuli would often dare to enter the cemetery first, so he wouldn’t be easily caught. Sometimes, he wouldn’t be found for two whole days.
And as he grew up, when his mind was feeling overwhelmed, Drakuli would often take walks to the cemetery at night to get some fresh air. Or he would read storybooks while lying on top of a grave. Accompanied by a small candle placed on a tombstone. He would do this in the middle of the night. So don’t be surprised if his behavior often startles people passing by. They might even run away in a panic, thinking he’s a devil child.
His taste in books is also enough to make your heart skip a beat. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is his favorite. He has read it over and over again and never gets bored.
There was this one time when some punk kids challenged Drakuli to a duel. They ganged up on him and chased him all the way to the graveyard near his house. But Drakuli suddenly disappeared. Yeah, he hid in one of the graves that his dad had prepared just in case of emergencies. He quietly put on some torn burial shroud pieces and then suddenly appeared in front of those kids.
Needless to say, those punk kids freaked out and never came back!
Tonight, Drakuli is probably tired from reading. He’s sitting under the kamboja tree that his neighbor used to hang themselves on.
Drakuli is feeling down. It’s been three months since he got paid for his work. Well, lately, his dad’s clients have been scarce. The only cases he gets are just minor itches and catching a cold.
Last week, there was a neighbor at the end of the alley who was seriously ill. Wow, Mr. Gali was so excited. But when asked about the person’s condition, turns out they were already getting better.
“Well, why did they get better?” he said disappointedly, without realizing it. And it definitely made everyone look at him in surprise.
And Drakuli still doesn’t care. He keeps whining for his school fees.
“Hey, pay up, Dad. It’s been three months overdue.”
“Be patient, Drak,” his dad said, tough but really loves his son. “You know yourself, everyone here is healthy. Babe’s business is slow. Last month’s land rent was used to pay off Babe’s debt.”
“But I’m embarrassed to go to school, Dad.”
Well, if you know that, then help Babe find some clients. Ask your school friends if anyone is sick. Babe will even give a fifty percent discount for school kids!
“Ah, it’s awkward, Dad. It’ll seem like I’m eating my friends again.”
“Fine, then. Do whatever you want. Just pray that someone dies this week so you can get paid for school.”
“Ah, Dad!”
