Bebegigs
Chapter 8's

The lights on the ceiling suddenly lit up.

Orange winking. And gulped.

Orange faced his mother.

"You scared Mama, Orange! " Ragnala said in a raucous voice.

Orange immediately rose. "I'm scared too!" he said while calming his heart. "Why's Mom's voice?"

Ragnala rubbed his neck. "It looks like Mama has strep throat" he said. "It must be cold air. Mama's not used to the cold in this village." Her straight and blonde hair was allowed to unravel. He pulled it back. "What are you doing here? Why are you dismantling the warehouse of these malls?"

"That old rhyme," said Orange. "I'm looking for that book again. The book must be found. Need it. I can't remember the second stanza. I'm..."

"Tomorrow there's still plenty of time" Ragnala interrupted. "Mama's really tired. Mama's throat is very tight. We better get some sleep."

Suddenly Ragnala seemed so small and weak.

"Sorry," said Jingga as she followed him out of the warehouse. "I don't mean to wake up Mama. I can't sleep, so..."

Ragnala looked at the orange coat, which was placed on one of the chairs in the living room.

"You're out from the outside, huh?" Ragnala exclaimed as he turned to his daughter. His eyes widened in shock.

"Ehm. yes," Orange confessed. "I'm just going for a little walk..."

"You shouldn't go out in the middle of the night blind" Ragnala said with a huff. Again he rubbed his neck. Then looked at Orange while squinting.

"Sori," Orange muttered. "But why, anyway? Why can't I take a short walk?"

Ragnala was silent for a moment while biting his lips. He always does that when he thinks hard. "Because it's dangerous" he finally whispered. "It's a mountainous area. There are gaps everywhere. What if you go to the ravine? What if your leg breaks? There is no one outside, orange! Who will help you if there is anything? This is not Jakarta. It's still late in the afternoon here it's quiet."

"In that case, I go home with goosebumps!" tukas Joking. She laughed, but her mother kept quiet. And Orange got the impression there was something else that made his mother anxious.

He was not worried about me falling. He worries about something else. But he doesn't want to be straightforward.

Does it have anything to do with the howling of the beast I heard earlier?

Or is it something to do with the ghost of the scarecrow on the mountain that Empu Brajasena tells us about?

The ghost of a scarecrow that Mama thinks is just superstition?

Orange vaporizes. Finally he was sleepy. He was too sleepy to think about those questions. He grabbed his mother's shoulders and took her to his room.

"I'm sorry I woke up Mama" whispered Jingga. Then he said good night and climbed the stairs to his room under the roof.

While yawning Orange opened the jeans and sweater, then threw them both on the floor. Then the girl jumped onto her bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

Pale moonlight entered through the round window at the end of the room.

Orange closed his eyes.

There was no sound outside. No sound at all.

The orange set the position of the head on his padded pillow. His new bed still feels hard. But he was too tired to care. He was still between conscious and not when he heard a soft whispering voice…

"Cade, Bebegig, Orange. Kade, Jurig Bebegig..."

The orange sits straight.

"Huh? Who's that?" ask the orange with drowsiness. He looked towards the window. The whole thing in his room looked silvery due to the pale moonlight.

"Awas, the scarecrow.." The whisper repeated. "That, watch out, ghost scarecrow."

"Who is that?" exciting Orange. "Where do you know my name?"

The orange sits upright on the bed and grips the end of the blanket tightly with both hands. And put the ears.

Silent.

Silent.

"Who is that?"

Silent…

Orange does not know how long he sat while waiting for an answer. But he finally fell asleep again.

The next morning Jingga told her experience to her mother.

Ragnala sipped her coffee first before responding to her daughter's story. He grabbed the girl's hand and squeezed her, "Mama was also a nightmarish nightmare" she said. He was forced to whisper because his throat was still sore.

"Dreams?" sahut Orange. "So according to Mama, I'm just a dream?"

His mother nodded and went back to sipping her coffee. "For sure," Ragnala replied in a raucous voice.

After breakfast, Orange and Ragnala again unpacked the cardboard and arranged their new home.

Orange searched his poetry book on every cardboard they unloaded, but he still could not find it.

Only now did the girl realize how much stuff they had brought from Jakarta. And their new home is so small. It's hard to put all the stuff.

While working, Jingga kept thinking of Magenta. la promised to meet him in front of the village post office after dinner.

The guy promised to tell the real story about the scarecrow.

Actual story…

The orange remembered the frightened look on the face of the Deity as he watched over the Orange and Magenta from the front of their house.

And Orange also remembered how angry they were when he said he wanted to go up to the top of the mountain. It was as if this village was completely overrun with fear.

So many people are scared of silly superstitions?

After washing and drying the dishes, he put on a coat and boots, and got ready to meet Magenta.

This time he was honest with his mother. He told his mother he wanted to meet the boy he met while he was out for a walk yesterday.

"The rain is raging again" whispered Ragnala with a raucous voice. "Don't go home too lazy, orange."

Orange promised he would be home before nine o'clock. Then he put on the hood of his coat, slipped his hand into the glove, and stepped out.

Does it rain every day? Orange asked inwardly while shaking his head.

Is that why this village is called Rain Village?

Actually, the girl likes the rain.

But this is outrageous! thought.

The rain was heavy, and the wind was strong as well.

The orange bowed its head and walked down the street towards the post office below.

His face and eyes were covered in rain. The orange can barely see anything.

It's really a rainstorm!

Suddenly doubted whether Magenta would fulfill his promise.

The small post office he was about to go to was located on the edge of the highway at the bottom of the mountain. It is far from the house of Orange. And in the midst of the roaring rainstorm, that distance was felt dozens of times further.

Orange walks while ducking. Unknowingly he stepped into the overflowing sewer. His feet went down to his knees. Cold water got into his boots, wetting his socks.

"Ohhh, my goodness." Orange groans while shivering. "I'll freeze this way!" yells. No one can hear it.