The Traces of Destiny
Contrition
...️Pain is an inseparable part of life....
...Sometimes, it may be the dominant part, while at other times it is not so profound....
...But undeniably, pain is an integral part of life's great puzzle series,...
...Such as harmony in music and challenges in the game.🍂...
Garin Antonio walked down Kartini Saleha, a narrow road of winding vehicles that followed the flow of Kaliuntung. This road was formerly known as Jalan Mawar Melati Sembah Indah, but was officially renamed Jalan Kartini Saleha since the issuance of Governor of Gaja Raya Decree number 123.4/Kep.567-Pemotda/2003 About the naming of roads.
It was originally named in honor of a woman who once ran one of the most famous brothels in West Gajakarta, the road runs long past the former settlement of local residents and also the Orange Limau Public Cemetery which is famous for its awesomeness. One of the most famous urban legends in the place is the story of the ghost of a black kuntilanak that supposedly haunts the area around the tomb.
During the colonial period, the government decided to move the cemetery to build highways and tunnels. Reportedly, during the process of removing the body, the workers found one of the bodies that was still intact.
Some time later from that day, one of the team members involved in the excavation of the tomb claimed to have experienced a creepy experience. He claimed to have been scolded by a female ghost dressed in black and with a hideous face.
Since then, the issue has circulated about the presence of black kuntilanak who often scolded residents who passed around the area. Told, this black kuntilanak is the figure of a beautiful woman who used to live in a small village. The woman is known as a grumpy and irritable figure named Miss Rina.
In the story that circulated, Miss Rina was once involved in a fierce quarrel with her neighbors because she felt offended. Enraged, the beautiful woman then went to walk hastily in the slippery rice field in the heavy rain while calling and cursing her neighbor.
However, ill-fated for Miss Rina, when she cried out for the lord of nature to punish her neighbor who made her angry with a lightning strike, lightning immediately struck her beautiful body and caused her to die on the spot.
That said, the body of Miss Rina who later became a black kuntilanak who roamed at night, appeared and scolded anyone who passed.
Not only that, according to the caretaker of the tomb, when night falls, there are often sounds of crying and moans of sadness that are unknown to the source. The mysterious voices sounded like they were coming from inside the burial complex, but as he approached the source, they seemed to disappear out of nowhere.
Some residents who dared to try to investigate this phenomenon, claimed to feel the strange and dark atmosphere around the tomb at night. Even so, no one has been able to reveal exactly where the sad voices came from.
The issue of the presence of these curious spirits further adds to the fears and mystical stories surrounding the tomb area and the street. Although there is no concrete evidence, these stories continue to haunt the minds of the people who live around the place.
When Garin was a child, the spooky stories about the place made him reluctant to go anywhere near the location.
Heavy, fully loaded wooden trucks rumble over the black asphalt both during the day and at night, and drivers tend to underestimate the dangerous turns along the track. As a homeowner in one of those roadside communities, Garin has learned to implement speed limits and be alert for years to deal with the challenges and risks involved.
No one, except Maudy, listened to him as he spoke of this path.
This path always made him keep thinking about it.
Garin took out another cigarette, turned it on, then lowered the car window. As the warm air blows in the car, a simple picture of the life they live together comes to mind, but as always, the images continue to lead to their last day together.
Ironically, on that day Garin went most of the day, on Sunday. He went fishing with Sutrisno. Garin left the house early in the morning, and although he and Sutrisno managed to get home with a catch of a few fish, it was not enough to appease his wife, Maudy.
When Garin got home, Maudy's face was covered in dirt, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. Maudy didn't say anything at all, she didn't need to say any words. The way he looked at Garin had revealed a lot.
The next day, Garin's older brother and sister-in-law would come from across the island to visit. Maudy worked hard around the house, trying to get everything ready to welcome the guests.
However, the situation becomes increasingly difficult as their bedridden son, Raka, is sick with the flu, which leaves Maudy with an extra responsibility to take care of him. But that was not what caused his anger, Garin himself had been the cause.
Although Maudy did not say that she objected if Garin went fishing, but in fact she had asked him to take care of the yard work on Saturday so that he would not have to worry about it.
But for Garin, household chores had disrupted his plans, he had skipped Saturday's errands a little too deliberately, Garin still chose to go out on Sunday.
Perhaps because of his tired feeling or his desire to relax for a moment, Garin continued his plan regardless of Maudy's worries.
Sutrisno kept teasing her all day - "You're rich going to sleep on the couch tonight, sir" - and Garin knew Sutrisno might be right.
But yard work is yard work and fishing is fishing. Throughout his life, Garin knew that neither Maudy's brother nor his wife would care if there was too much weed growing in the garden.
Moreover, Garin had said to himself, he will take care of everything when he returns, and he really intends to do so. Originally, he had not intended to go all day, but like most things, when he enjoyed fishing, one thing had led to the next, and he had completely forgotten about the time.
Unintentionally, time passed, and finally, she realized that she had spent longer than she had planned.