The Unsociable Drakuli Part 8
Since the creepy graveyard incident yesterday, Lulu’s whole vibe towards Lupus has totally changed. She feels like she’s rediscovered the old Lupus, the one who always had her back and understood her struggles.
Lulu has come to realize that Lupus is a brother worth cherishing, someone she can trust. That’s why she’s all about taking Lupus to Drakuli’s crib this afternoon to spill the tea on the major problem Drakuli is facing. And guess who’s behind it? None other than Oom Agus, the person Lulu despises the most. But hey, maybe Lupus has some genius ideas to take down the enemy.
“Come on, Pus, roll with me,” Lulu sweet-talked.
Lupus took a moment to think. Yeah, he’s been there a few times, but his heart still races at the thought of going to the house in the middle of the graveyard.
“To the crib smack in the middle of the graveyard? Ugh, hella spooky!” Lupus shivered. “Hold up, Pus.”
“Nah, I ain’t going.”
“Why not?”
“Well, what if we run into some real ghosts this time? It’s almost sunset!”
“Pus, how can you leave Lulu hanging and go solo?”
“And what about you? Why do you always go there?”
“It’s important, Pus. Drakuli wants to fill you in on his problem. The eviction situation.”
“Eviction?”
“Yeah. Turns out, the boss we can’t stand, Oom Agus, is the one kicking Drakuli’s fam out of their land.”
“Oh, for real?”
Lulu then spilled the tea, explaining that’s why she’s always making trips to Drakuli’s crib. She’s all about helping Drakuli scheme to sabotage the unfair eviction project. “That’s why you gotta come too, to get the lowdown. And maybe we can come up with a plan to help him out. It’s really messed up, you know, Drakuli! By helping him, you’ll be a straight-up hero, Pus.”
“Maybe, who knows.”
“Exactly.”
“But there’s a transportation fee, right?”
“Alright, how about three hundred bucks?”
“That ain’t enough. Remember when I ran that errand for you? The fee was five hundred.”
“Well, how much you want?”
“A thousand!”
Lulu took a moment to think. “Alright, deal.”
They started getting ready. Then Lupus remembered something. He remembered that girl.
“Hey, is Kunti coming?”
“If she is?”
“Well, if she’s there, I’ll be motivated to take you there, Lu. If there’s nothing to peep, I’ll just feel lazy.”
“If she’s coming, of course!”
“For real?”
“For real. And not just Kunti, her friends are dope too.”
“Her friends?”
“Yeah.”
Which one, huh?” Lupus became excited.
“Yeah, it’s me. I’m his friend.”
“Hmm…”
Lupus and Lulu hopped on a bike and headed to Drakuli’s house. Once they arrived, Lupus was scared again. He regretted coming here.
“Where’s Kunti, Lu?” Lupus tried to suppress his fear.
“Let’s meet Drakuli first, then ask him.”
But when Lupus met Drakuli, he was still a bit terrified. Especially this time, Drakuli was wearing a tattered black robe and… and… he smelled so musty! Who knows, maybe he has actually turned into a vampire!
When Drakuli reached out his hand to Lupus, Lupus couldn’t accept it.
“Why?” Drakuli asked.
“M-my hand is itchy, I’m afraid it’ll spread to you.”
“It’s okay, it’s just an itch…”
But Lupus still refused. Lupus wasn’t just scared of Drakuli, who looked like a vampire that day, but also the eerie atmosphere around them. Drakuli’s house looked like a haunted house, and there were old coffins scattered in the yard. Not to mention Drakuli’s creepy grin, ugh… Lupus was really creeped out. It haunted his thoughts and disturbed his dreams.
And Lupus just realized that Lulu could be close with the terrifying Drakuli. From a distance, Drakuli’s long hair looked like a metalhead, but up close, Drakuli looked like a devilish kid! Lupus grabbed Lulu’s hand and whispered, “Hey, Lu, why are you hanging out with a devilish kid?”
“Who’s a devilish kid?”
“Shh, not so loud. That’s a devilish kid, look at his appearance, like Dracula.”
“That’s just how he is, Pus. You already know. He has a unique style, different from others. If you’re scared, you can go home first,” Lulu said annoyed because her brother’s fear didn’t go away.
“No way. Do you think it’s not scary to walk alone? Drakuli wants to tell us his problem.”
“That’s why, stay calm.”
“Hey, Drak, where’s K-Kunti?” Lupus finally dared to start a conversation with Drakuli.
Drakuli smiled. “She went home.”
“Home?”
“Yeah, Kunti is my cousin. She doesn’t live here. Sometimes she stays here overnight.”
“Thank goodness…” Lupus felt relieved.
“Wait, why thank goodness?” Lulu was confused.
Lupus smiled meaningfully. “I can ask for her address later, right?”
Well, Lupus thought it would be terrifying to visit the cemetery here. Thank goodness Kunti doesn’t live here.
“Sure,” Drakuli said with a teasing smile. “Her address is in Tanah Kusir Cemetery. Right in the middle. Want to go there?”
“Huh?” Lupus was shocked. Oh my, does Drakuli’s family have no sense of finding a proper residential location?
Lulu and Drakuli, who were sitting on a tombstone, burst into laughter, making Lupus even more uneasy.
But then Drakuli realized he had gone too far with Lupus. That kid is fundamentally good, Drakuli thought. Just as good as Lulu. And trustworthy. So Drakuli approached Lupus. He put his arm around his shoulder and invited him to sit on the tombstone. Lupus hesitated a bit.
“Sorry, Pus, if I’ve been scaring you all this time. I didn’t mean any harm, really. I was just being cautious, you know, in case you turned out to be like other kids who dislike me. But it turns out you’re not. You came to play here. And you helped me chase away the evictors last night,” Drakuli said sincerely.
Then Drakuli told the story of his past. Yes, Drakuli’s childhood was filled with hardship and simplicity. Drakuli’s beautiful mother passed away after giving birth to him, so he had never seen his mother’s face.
Lulu, even though she had heard Drakuli’s story many times, still shed tears every time she heard it. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to live without a mother.
“Don’t cry, Lu, because I still want to continue this story to Lupus. You can cry later, okay, Lu!” Drakuli reminded.
“No, I’m not crying, Drak, I just got something in my eye,” Lulu replied.
And Drakuli continued his story.
“Yeah, Pus, my childhood was really tough. My dad had an unstable job. Sometimes he worked as a servant for rich people, sometimes as a construction worker, and sometimes he didn’t come home for several days.”
“Wow, where did he go, Drak, did he run away?” Lupus was shocked.
Drakuli calmly answered, “He stayed at his relative’s house!”
“Alone?” Lupus was still shocked.
“No, I went with him.”
“So where’s the sad part, Drak?” Lupus smiled.
“Well, it seems like the story wasn’t tragic enough for you, Pus?” Drakuli asked.
Lupus shook his head. “Not even close, Drak. You should have told me that your dad left you in the pouring rain. And you were almost starving to death. Thunder was roaring. Meanwhile, the roof of your house was leaking. Eventually, your house got flooded. And you were swept away by the flood. And… and…”
“And I died?” Drakuli grumbled with a sour face.
“Hehehe, yeah…”
“Well, in that case, I must be a ghost now, huh?”
Lupus shivered again. Eeek!
Drakuli then continued his story. A sad story. Drakuli said that since he was a child, he had never been taken to amusement parks, PRJ, watched movies at the cineplex, stayed in Puncak, or went on a trip to Bali. And he rarely had nice clothes because Mr. Gali rarely bought Drakuli new clothes due to financial constraints.
“And this robe has its own history too,” Drakuli proudly said as he waved the end of his robe. Lupus quickly turned his face away because he smelled an unpleasant odor. It smelled like socks that hadn’t been washed for three months. But this smell was even stronger.
“History? Like the Diponegoro war or something?” Lupus asked after sneezing several times.
“Alright, so… Drakuli then told me that his black robe was actually made from a movie poster. The poster was stolen by Mr. Gali from a cinema near the market. It was being put up at the time, and Mr. Gali stole it late at night when the cinema had already closed. Luckily, the cinema guards were fast asleep. With all his skills, Mr. Gali managed to steal the poster from its place. As a result, the next morning, the cinema owner was in a panic because the poster was missing. And the movie was still going to be shown for a few more days.
So, that movie poster was then cut and sewn by Mr. Gali into a black robe. He couldn’t sew it into a blazer because he didn’t know how. And if he wanted to have it sewn by a tailor, it would have been expensive. So, to keep it practical, he made it into a robe. Luckily, Drakuli was really happy to receive that robe. And that robe became Drakuli’s favorite clothing.
Besides that robe, Drakuli hardly had any other clothes. He also had a school uniform, but he couldn’t wear it all the time. It could easily get damaged, and then it would be a hassle to buy a new one.
That’s why Drakuli often wore the robe when he ran out of clothes. Even though Drakuli is handsome and has a good heart, with that robe, he looked strange and many people thought he was crazy. People nowadays tend to judge others based on their appearance, not their character. That’s why Drakuli finds it difficult to socialize. He becomes isolated because kids don’t want to hang out with him. They’re scared. Scared of catching his strangeness and craziness.
“I ended up being an outcast, Pus,” Drakuli said sadly to Lupus.
And Drakuli also mentioned that he actually wanted to live a normal life like other kids. But the circumstances forced him otherwise. People no longer believe in Drakuli. Every move he makes is suspected.
“Luckily, there’s the two of you. Lupus and Lulu, who understand me and are willing to be friends with me sincerely,” Drakuli ended his story while wiping away tears.
Lupus was deeply moved.
“And now they’re going to evict this inherited land of yours?” Lupus asked with even more sympathy.
“Yeah, that’s the reality, Pus,” Drakuli then told me a lot about the intentions of people trying to take over his land. And also about Drakuli’s efforts to uproot the stakes that were planted.
And Uncle Agus happened to be the project manager who supposedly worked for the government’s interests. The reason being, for the sake of development. Because all the people are asked to sacrifice for the sake of national development. Small communities are always used as an excuse, right? So it’s understandable that the people around there, whose land will be demolished, are protesting strongly. Including Mr. Gali, who has the largest land. But Uncle Agus, with all his cunningness, keeps inciting with the excuse of development. He says that people who oppose the government’s policies are equivalent to hindering national development. And people who want to hinder development can be classified as subversive.
“Besides, this land belongs to the government, which you have been occupying illegally. And now its location no longer fits with the continuously developing city plan. So you don’t have the right to defend it. You have to hand over this land to the government with the predetermined compensation. Don’t force the government to resort to violence, okay!” that’s how Drakuli imitated Dom Agus’s words perfectly. Because Drakuli told it with a heavy tone and mimicked Uncle Agus’s style.”
But at that time, Drakuli continued, Mr. Gali didn’t care. He still defended his land. Even though many people around had given up and were willing to have their land evicted. And the thing is, Mr. Gali doesn’t have a certificate as proof of ownership of the land, because the land he currently occupies is an inherited one. But Mr. Gali didn’t care. Mr. Gali was well aware that Uncle Agus was just trying to deceive them. And the excuse for evicting the land was actually for the government’s interest, specifically for a shopping center project. Well, even though it’s just a cemetery area, Mr. Gali’s land is included in the golden triangle area. So there are many investors drooling over the opportunity to utilize the land. Especially since Mr. Gali’s land is really vast.
There are many reasons why Mr. Gali defended his land. First, because it’s an inherited land and the only source of wealth that supports his family. But what makes Mr. Gali angry is that the evictors are offering compensation below the standard, so it doesn’t match the size of his land. Meanwhile, according to the information Mr. Gali knows, the investors who are eyeing the land have offered a pretty big compensation. But it’s being cut crazily by the evictors, who in this case is Uncle Agus. That’s called seeking personal gain at the expense of others’ suffering. So it’s understandable that Mr. Gali and Drakuli are frustrated and trying their best to drive away Uncle Agus and his cronies. Even if they eventually get evicted, at least give them fair compensation. Mr. Gali also wants to live, you know.
“That’s the story, Pus. And now we’re still in the process of driving away Uncle Agus and his lackeys,” Drakuli ended his story.
Lupus fell into deep thought after hearing Drakuli’s story. After a moment of contemplation, he finally said softly, “If that’s the case, we have to drive away those bad people together!”
Drakuli was lost in thought. Then he hugged Lupus tightly. Of course, Lupus was a bit overwhelmed by the musty smell of Drakuli’s robe. Cough, cough, cough!
