Flooded
The area where Lupus lives is quite weird. It floods. Whether it’s heavy rain or just drizzling, it still floods. And when that happens, the surrounding area becomes unbearably muddy. Like a duck pen. But Lupus never acts arrogant even though he lives in such an elite area. He’s just normal. And the floods are unpredictable too. Sometimes, even if it rains heavily for a whole day, the next morning it won’t flood. On the contrary, like that day, the rain only lasted for a short while, but it turned the area into an artificial lake. So, the floods come and go as they please. Can’t force them. People say it’s floodwater from Bogor. But Lupus doesn’t believe it. I mean, do people in Bogor have nothing better to do than send floods to Lupus’ house? Plus, it’s quite difficult to package that much water, you know! Not to mention the shipping costs. So, it’s clearly a lie.
So, where do the floods come from?
Who knows. All Lupus knows is that he was fast asleep when the whole house was in chaos due to the flood. Because earlier that afternoon, Lupus had participated in a school athletics training at Senayan, in commemoration of ABRI Day on October 5th. (Wait, what’s the connection?) That afternoon, Lupus ran around the main stadium, long jumped, shot put, until he was completely exhausted. When he got home, he immediately fell asleep. Without washing his feet, taking off his shoes, let alone brushing his teeth first. But they say Lupus likes to participate in athletics activities like that to maintain his slim figure (duh!).
That’s why he didn’t know that water had entered his house. It was already quite late, around 9:30 PM. Outside his room, his mother and the house assistants (aka the maids) and Lulu were busy lifting the furniture. Hearing all the commotion, Lupus woke up instantly. He even thought, who’s opening a bazaar at this time of night? But he was surprised when he casually stretched his sandals and went on a picnic. Meanwhile, his collection of empty bottles was having a great time chasing each other around. Lupus jumped down, and in that instant, he realized that his house was flooded. Uninvited guests, flooding without any shame. Is there something so important that it couldn’t wait until tomorrow morning?
“Yo, Lupus, wake up. There’s a freaking flood!” his mom shouted while banging on the door.
“Yeah, hold on a sec. Tell them to sit down first, and offer them a drink. Maybe they’re thirsty after walking all the way from Bogor to Jakarta,” Lupus replied as he hurriedly opened his still unopened shoes. Then he immediately left the room.
Lupus’ room was a complete mess. Rolled-up mattresses, Lulu’s brand new shoes, TV, cassette tapes, videos, all piled up on the dining table. Not to mention the fluffy carpet that smelled like a wet dog because it didn’t have time to be lifted when the water rushed in. Basically, Lupus’ house turned into a toddler’s swimming pool. The water was ankle-deep everywhere. And let’s not forget about the cockroaches, worms, and other creepy crawlies that decided to migrate there, making Lulu go hysterical. But Lupus, who always had the urge to swim whenever there’s water (like a duck!), actually enjoyed the situation. He had been happily splashing around all this time. It was so noisy. And to make matters worse, the electricity was cut off, because it’s dangerous in a flood situation like that.
As a result, none of them could sleep all night. They stayed up. Lulu was the one who felt sorry. She had a chemistry test the next morning. How could she memorize anything in such a chaotic situation? Not to mention her unfinished math homework. Oh, it made her want to cry.
So, with the company of a candle, she sat in the corner. Memorizing chemistry. But her concentration couldn’t stay focused because Lupus, who had lost his sleepiness, kept teasing her. He always talks nonstop when he’s in a good mood. Can’t keep quiet.
“Why are you so quiet, Lu?” he teased when Lulu was trying to concentrate. “Reading a love letter, huh?”
Lulu ignored him.
“Let’s play a guessing game instead. What kind of cat doesn’t die when it jumps from Monas?” Lupus blurted out.
“An ancient one!”
“Okay, next one. Why do people’s butts tend to wrinkle?”
Lulu frowned in annoyance. “Why are you so dirty-minded? Shut up, stop talking all the time. Don’t you know I’m trying to memorize?”
“Just say you can’t answer!”
“Who said that? But what’s the point of answering an unscientific riddle anyway?”
“Well, this one is scientific. And who knows, it might come out in your chemistry test tomorrow. Yeah, who knows. Wanna know the answer? It’s because butts are often washed but never ironed. That’s why they wrinkle…”
Lulu hid her smile behind her chemistry book.
“Okay, next one. What kind of chicken always thinks we’re gonna feed it when we enter its coop?”
“A greedy chicken!” she quickly replied, answering her own question. Not because she was afraid Lupus would beat her to it, but she thought the question was a bit tricky and impossible to answer. But in that instant, she was shocked. She just remembered that the location of her pet chicken’s coop was quite low. It must be flooded. So Lupus immediately ran to the back. His mom got annoyed when she was daydreaming on top of the pile of mattresses and got splashed by Lupus’ feet.
“Oh, my beloved chickens!” he said sadly, as he saw his chickens trapped in their flooded coop. Some of them even fainted. (Hey, can chickens faint? Maybe they can if they’re in heavy shock). Lupus immediately moved them to a higher coop, gathering them all together. The chickens that were previously enjoying their alone time in the higher coop looked at him with disapproving eyes. They protested heavily, as they were now crowded with the other chickens. But Lupus didn’t really care when the chickens acted up. They would get tangled in his hair like a bird’s nest or make a ruckus. But that’s just how chickens panic.
Not long after, Lupus started teasing Lulu again.
“Now, what kind of chicken crows exactly at midnight?”
“Lupus, can’t you just shut up? Instead of helping me when I’m confused!”
“Don’t be confused. The answer is easy; a bored chicken.”
“If you really like these riddles so much, why don’t you help me with my math homework? Come on, Pus. I’m running out of time!”
“Sorry, Lu, I’m busy,” Lupus replied while chasing a stray frog that had wandered into his house. Then he sat on the front fence of his house, enjoying the sight of people evacuating because his area was lower than Lupus’ house. Or teasing girls passing by while carrying their belongings. The atmosphere in front of Lupus’ house was really lively. Many kids were coming and going.
“Pus, did your house get flooded too?” Ika, his neighbor who happened to pass by, greeted him while looking into Lupus’ house.
“What’s it to you?” Lupus asked grumpily. “Want to come for a swim? Sure, you can. But can you keep an eye out?”
Ika got annoyed and walked away.
Lulu was also annoyed. She was furious at Lupus for not wanting to help her. But now she was trying to concentrate on her studies. Lulu also regretted why she didn’t memorize earlier, like yesterday or the day before. Then she wouldn’t be in such a mess. Most students are like that. Even though they’ve been going to school since they were little, they tend to pile up their lessons. As a result, when it’s time for a test, they’re in trouble. All the notes, textbooks, piled up on the study table. It’s already pessimistic just looking at it. But it’s her own fault, right? In moments like this, Lulu finally realizes how nice it is to be Lupus, who doesn’t have a test tomorrow, no math homework. He can stay up all night.
And because she was tired, Lulu eventually fell asleep on the long chair. She didn’t think about her unfinished math homework, which she had only completed one problem. Her eyes were just too tired. So tired.
The next morning, Lulu woke up. She was a bit startled at first, but when she glanced at the clock on the wall, she felt relieved. It was only six in the morning. The flood had receded, but the floor was really dirty. There was a lot of mud and worms. Ew. She could already imagine how much trouble it would be to clean the house later in the day. But this morning, Lulu had to go to school first because she had a chemistry test. And her heart sank a little when she remembered that the first lesson was math, and her teacher was strict. She hadn’t done her homework yet. If she did it now, would she make it in time? Oh, she would definitely get scolded big time. That teacher really doesn’t compromise.
But Lulu resigned herself to it. It was her own fault, after all.
With a sigh, she gathered her scattered books on the table. She put them all together. But when she looked at her math book, she was surprised. All her homework was already done. What kind of miracle was this? Lulu could hardly believe it. She compared the answers to the ones in the textbook. They matched perfectly. Which angel had been kind enough to help her? But in just a moment, she could already guess whose handwriting was in her book. Who else could have such messy handwriting other than Lupus?
Lulu immediately went to look for Lupus in his room. But he wasn’t there. Under the bed, behind the tablecloth, in the new wardrobe, he was nowhere to be found. Finally, through the window, she could see Lupus sitting happily on the front fence. Lulu ran over there.
“Wow, thanks, Pus. You’re actually nice!”
Lupus turned around.
“Thanks for what? The riddles? If you still want, I have another riddle. What creature is noisy during floods, loves swimming, has long legs, is cool, but not a frog!”
Lulu pretended to think.
“What is it? I have no idea!”
“It’s me!” Lupus quickly replied, laughing hysterically. He was so happy that his riddle wasn’t guessed right away. But Lulu wasn’t annoyed. She actually laughed along.
