KEDAI HITAM
Kisah ini merupakan sebuah mimpi ngeri yang aku alami 2 bulan yang lalu.
Bau udara yang cukup menyegarkan, bunyi kicauan burung berterbangan di langit yang mendung. Aku bangkit, rupanya aku berada di kawasan kampung. Suasana di kampung cukup sunyi. Rumah pula aku tengok pintu dan tingkap semua ditutup walaupun dua buah pacuan empat roda masih ada termasuk motosikal lama.
Aku menyeru 'Helo' pada rumah itu, tak ada siapa pun yang jawab. Mana semua orang? Baru aku perasan, bunyi ayam berkokok pun tak kedengaran. Aku cuba serbu ke kandang ayam, seekor pun tak ada. Aku fikir mereka dah jual ayam-ayam mereka buat lauk ke apa. Pelik.
Kampung ini terlalu sunyi maka aku duduk bertapa di depan sawah padi sehingga ada orang datang, tapi tak ada seorang pun. Mana semua orang?
Aku mengalih punggung aku dari bangku dan beredar berjalan kaki ke bandar lalu langkah aku terhenti apabila datangnya suara nenek tua dari belakang. "Adik nak pergi mana tu, dik?"
"Ah, nasib baik nenek ada sini. Saya cuma nak ke bandar je nek."
"Oh, kamu nak ke bandar ya. Baguslah, lebih baik kamu segera keluar dari kampung ni. Kalau boleh kamu jangan lalu dekat depan kedai hitam kecil tu."
"Eh? Kenapa nek?"
"Kamu tak perlu tahu, dik. Kamu ikut saja cakap nenek."
Aku tak faham, kenapa nenek tu tak bagi aku lalu depan kedai kecil tu? Mungkin kedai tu ada sesuatu yang mungkin menyengatkan diri aku. Entah-entah pak bomoh punya kedai. Tapi aku kena ikut cakap nenek tu jangan lalu kedai tu. Apa boleh buat aku cuba jauhkan diri aku dari tempat tu dan terus keluar tanpa memandangnya.
Lima minit kemudian, langkah aku terhenti apabila aku ternampak sebuah bangunan kecil putih yang merupakan sebuah kedai seperti kedai runcit, nasib baik bukan hitam. Aku lalu didepan kedai tu, kedai tu pun tutup. Pintu gril berkunci. Tapi aku teruskan berjalan keluar dari kampung ni.
Jalan keluar masih jauh lagi sehingga aku terjumpa sebuah kedai di depan sawah. Apa yang aku jumpa adalah kedai yang nenek cakapkan, kedai hitam. Kedai tu dari jauh macam pondok kecil yang dah reput macam pondok tu dah terbakar, tapi kata nenek tua tu elok jangan lalu depan kedai tu. Jadi aku cuba cari jalan pintas untuk keluar dari kampung ni. Tapi tak ada satu pun jalan pintas aku nak lalu, semuanya dah berpagar. Terpaksalah aku lalu depan kedai hitam tu dan lalu di sawah.
Sebaik saja aku nak lalu di depan kedai tu. Apa yang aku nampak di situ adalah beberapa anggota badan yang tergantung pada tiang kayu, dan juga kepala manusia. Ada setengah kepala tergantung dari atas dan ada setengahnya di atas meja. Begitu juga dengan kulit-kulit mereka yang telah disiang termasuk alat sulit mereka. Jadi itulah sebabnya kenapa satu kampung ni kosong.
Ya Allah, ini ke yang nenek tua cakapkan ni? Tuan kedai tu nak jual anggota badan manusia ke?
Aku dalam ketakutan. Aku tutup muka dan berucap. Tiba-tiba, ada perempuan kecil pandang pada aku maka aku terus lari berpatah balik, tak jadi aku nak berjalan ke sawah.
Aku berhenti di depan kedai runcit tu sebab penat berlari. Tapi sesuatu yang tak kena bila belakang aku meremang macam ada seseorang yang berdiri dari belakang aku. Aku pusing belakang, budak dari kedai tu yang ikut aku dari belakang. Cepat betul budak kecil tu datang.
"Kau nak apa?"
Budak tu diam. Aku cuba bertanya dia beberapa soalan itu pun dia diam. Akhirnya dia berkata
"Akak. Lebih baik akak lari dari sini." Lalu dia mengeluarkan parang. Seriously?!
Aku lari sejauh yang mungkin untuk mengelak kena belah dengan budak sial tu. Kenapa? Kenapa aku lalu depan kedai tu tadi? Kan dah kena.
Terlalu penat bagi aku untuk berlari, sekurang-kurangnya aku cuba tapi malangnya dah terlambat. Budak tu sudah ada di belakang.
*ZUP*
Kaki aku dipotong hingga aku jatuh mencium darat. Aku mohon pada budak tu jangan bunuh aku tapi sudah lambat. Parang yang dipegang oleh budak tu sudah menikam leher aku sehingga menembusi tengkuk.
"Nenek dah kata dah. Jangan lalu, tapi kamu lalu juga. Inilah balasan kamu."
Short Story - MUTE
Side note : hope you enjoy reading this short story of mine. do visit me on Wattpad - @DcMint
Music notes are everywhere on the carpet of his room. Ivan spent his whole night composing a lyric that has been played to make an acoustic, sometimes he create his own music to perform on the street to earn money. Not just at street but at the park and even at the bridge along with his friend, Vivian. A singer and a street guitarist.
Not many have come and see them perform except a young lady who has seen them perform everyday from far. She’s not just see them play, but she saw Ivan playing with his guitar. The way he played made her fall for him but Ivan himself didn’t even noticed her but Vivian. With a blink of an eye, she disappeared with a bunch of people. Ivan asked himself, who is that girl?
“Ivan.” Vivian called.
Ivan moved towards Vivian’s guitar case to see the amount of Pound the received. Not much of bank notes but most of it are coins.
“Here. Take this.” Vivian gave half of the cash to Ivan.
“Thanks Viv.” Ivan replied with his tablet.
“Hey no need to thank me Ivan. Were a team. Come on let’s bail.”
The night has fallen, Ivan and Vivian both having dinner at the cafe near the clock tower of Big Ben, Ivan stared while he think about that blond young lady he saw a few hours ago. He still asked himself who is that girl smiling at him.
“Ivan?” Ivan’s sight changed towards Vivian right after she called “You okay? You’ve been daydreaming for 15 minutes.”
Ivan took out his tablet from his bag to reply her words “Viv. I wanna ask you. Who is that girl across the street just now?”
Whether Vivian saw her or not she immediately shakes her head. It is quite dissappointing for Ivan because she didn’t know the answer. He turn off his tablet and put it back inside his bag. But before he put it back, a beautiful young lady came in to the cafe. Ivan looked at her from far but the girl didn’t know he was there. Vivian looked at Ivan stared at that girl looking for an empty table to sit. She realized that was the girl that Ivan was thinking of.
*******
Dear diary,
Today, I saw that beautiful wavy blond haired girl looking at me in public when I was playing with my acoustic guitar until now in the cafe I looked at her face but she didn’t noticed me. Maybe she was too busy looking fo an empty seat for herself. Well I hope tomorrow will have the opportunity to meet her in person.
His diary has finished writing on his tablet.
Ivan sat on the carpet from his bed to collect all of his music notes that he has scattered. But something that has come to his mind.
***********
Vivian had decided with Ivan to make a street performance at the bridge because a lot of people have often walked and hang out there. By the time Vivian left her guitar case open, Ivan already started playing with his guitar with full confidence. Vivian hasn’t ready to sing but she was told by Ivan while he was playing. Vivian had no other choice but to sing while hearing the melody from his guitar.
A song title called Until I Met You originally played by Cameron Forbes was sung by Vivian has attracted by many people especially photographers. Suddenly a beautiful angelic voice has also attracted many people whom were looked at them perform just now. That voice came from that girl that Ivan saw yesterday. Vivian surprised to hear a voice that was so beautiful then she asked for a duet. All of the people cheered and clapped for them after their performance ends.
“That was some voice you got there, kid. What’s your name?”
“Ummm it’s not really that good. Name’s Capricia, but you can call me Caprice.”
“Caprice eh.. Call me Vivian. And this one right here is Ivan. The guitarist.”
Caprice turns her head towards Ivan who seemed flattered and compliment “Hi Ivan, you probably didn’t notice me all this time but you know that I came everyday to see you play with your guitar. I really like it when you perform. Hehe.”
Caprice seems curious to see Ivan took out his tablet and started typing. Caprice thought that Ivan ignored her then he showed his response through his tablet to Caprice.
“Thanks Caprice, I appreciated your compliments.” That was he respond. Caprice just smiled. But Ivan wasn’t finish typing “So shall we hangout and grab a coffee or something?” Caprice nodded.
Vivian interrupt “Ain’t a big deal. After we finish this performance we can go grab a coffee. Deal?”
They agreed.
***********
“Want me to escort you home?”
Caprice nodded but she suddenly changed her mind “But.. I feel like it’s too early to go home, how about we head to the park instead, we can get to see the stars together, right?”
Ivan have to think about her suggestion to make sure that no tricks on her sleeves but since Ivan trusted her he replied “Alright.” on his tablet. What Ivan thought is that maybe there was someone else at the park at night.
“Ivan. Can I ask you something?”
Ivan looked at her with no further response.
“Why do you replied your response to people even me and Vivian with your tablet? Are you really mute because you’re too shy to talk? Or is it that you experienced something that made you don’t wanna talk?” asked Caprice.
Ivan was surprised to hear a question came from her mouth. A question about a bad experience that strucked himself until he himself don’t want to answer but Ivan don’t have a choice to admit to her.
“To be honest.. I have a bitter experience that happened to me.” Ivan finally pulled down his turtle neck collar. Something that shocked Caprice in front of the own eyes.
“Ivan..... You......”
“Yes. This scar as the size of a marker pen that made me lose my voice.”
“Wha-what happened? Tell me.”
“Back when I was 13, my pops take me out to go hunting near the river but there was some major difficulties to his shotgun until I got shot at the neck by accident. My whole body still can move a bit but my pops said hang in there son until I myself unconscious. For start, I thought I was gonna die, but God told me ‘You musn’t die yet’. I couldn’t believe it. It is impossible when he spoke to me like that even though I was shot by accident by my old man. But when I woke up, I was still breathing. I am glad that I am still alive but one thing that makes me wanna shed my tears is my voice is already gone. But deep down inside I don’t mind losing my ability to speak.” Ivan suddenly stopped.
Caprice frowned after reading about his past in his tablet it’s like she remember somthing that had something in common with Ivan. She fingered her hair right behind her ears. Coincidentally that she had hearing disabilites ever since she was born.
“Guess we both have in common, right? We are not perfect.” Said Caprice.
“We all have inperfections Caprice. As a human being it doesn’t have to be perfect. That is why we have to accept what we have in ourselves.”
“Like you have the ability to play guitar. You don’t have to sing it out, just play with your own instrument.”
“That’s right.”
mommyhood chaos
haven't update anything for a while since i'm so busy working on my manuscript
i recently got pissed off a bit
why?
so here's the thing..(this happens only in Malaysia)
last night i've read a post about young malay muslim mommies breastfeeding in public shamelessly. they even put a selfie and upload it on facebook to tell the whole world that they're breastfeeding their baby. crazy isn't it?
two of the pages have been bashed by them until they reported to turn down the page because they completely pissed off and think they try to ruin their pride as mother and start a protest. seriously they just take actions by bashing those two pages without even understanding. even one of the page has already point out a few times that it is wrong to upload it in public but they still don't even understand. even though they're cover their aurahs but still it is wrong to do it.
cats, dogs and pigs can feed their baby somewhere private and they know their shame as well. but moms?
ladies, please behave.
it's not wrong to breastfeed your baby, but uploading a breastfeeding selfie to facebook? that's just wrong. even breastfeeding while walking without covering your baby is also wrong. for your family's sake, please don't do this.
"Then where are we suppose to breastfeed our kids? We don't wanna spend our time feeding our baby in the toilet?"
you don't have to. they already provide a baby room for you to feed near the restroom at the mall. or you can just use the prayer room. is that good enough for you? one more thing use a wide shawl or a blanket to cover your baby when feeding to prevent from getting bashed by public. while you're at it, DON'T DO A SELFIE. just keep you mouth shut.
Protect your pride as a wife and a mother.
about Jet Sternum
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