"Zani, hurry up and come down! The sun is about to set, and we have to go home. Your Mother and little Sister are waiting at home. They must be worried if we don't return soon."
"I don't want to. Father promised to take me to the capital a week ago. But Father lied and went alone. Even though I had packed and waited until late at night. Father ran away as soon as I fell asleep. Father is mean!" answered a little boy named Faizan, hugging a tree branch with a sulky face.
The father could only chuckle seeing his son, who was throwing a tantrum on the tree. With an expression mixed with anger and fear of falling, he continued to insist on staying on the tree. His hands seemed to be trembling, but the look in his eyes was full of determination, staring intensely into his father's eyes. As if to signal that he would not come down without a fight.
With a cunning smile on his lips, the Father said, "Alright, in that case, Father is indeed the one at fault. I won't deny it. But if you don't come down immediately, Father will tell who finished the pudding in the refrigerator a month ago. Of course, complete with the recording evidence of the perpetrator secretly disposing of the evidence of his crime at night."
Immediately, Faizan was utterly shocked. He instantly climbed down from the tree and hugged his father with his small arms. With a flushed face full of pleading, he said,
"Father, please don't report that to Mother or Raylin. I won't get any snack allowance for a week later. Anyway, Father also knows how sullen Mother gets when her favorite food just disappears. Please, Father, don't do that, I beg you."
"Alright, but you also cannot blame Father about the promise to the Capital. Besides, your Mother was too worried about how far the journey was, so Father couldn't take you at that time. Wait until you are old enough later. Father promises to take you traveling around the Empire."
"Father won't lie again this time, right?"
"Of course, and you can persuade your Mother to come along then. So the four of us can go together. Zani, Mother, Liny, and Father," answered the Father while stroking Faizan's hair and head.
Hearing his Father's promise, Faizan smiled cheerfully. He climbed onto his Father's back and hugged his neck. Seeing his son's joyful face, the Father could only laugh and carried him while walking towards home.
Halfway there, Faizan asked his Father, "Father, why is Mother so worried about the outside world? What is it actually that makes Mother so afraid? And why do you always keep silent and not refute her when Mother tries to persuade you to stay when you go to work?"
Hearing his 5-year-old son speak like that surprised the Father. He looked up at the sky, which had almost completely lost the sunlight, and pondered for a moment. With a sigh, he lifted Faizan from his back and looked into his eyes.
"You are indeed Father's clever son. Your Mother has her own thoughts that you cannot understand right now. Father only hopes that when you grow up, you can follow the trajectory of the world she provides for you with an open mind. Goodness and badness are not based on thought or feeling alone.
Everyone has their own story and deals with things based on their respective experiences. You don't need to agree with opinions that differ from yours, but try to know and understand them. That way, you will be able to see more of the world than what it offers you."
"Father just keeps talking at length and giving lots of advice. But none of it is an answer to my question. What a Wandering Scholar. I guess Mother's words are true. If Mother is gone, Faiz will soon get many new Mothers."
"Hey, what kind of things does your Mother say when Father is not home? Forget it, when you are an adult, you will definitely find the answer to the question you asked by understanding Father's words today. But remember, if Father is far from home or Father is no longer with you all.
Then you, as the eldest child and also a boy, must fulfill the responsibility of looking after Mother and your little Sister. Father doesn't care how hard and difficult your journey of life will be later. Father has entrusted the security and safety of our family to you. You must always remember your promise to Father."
Hearing his Father speak with constantly changing topics certainly confused Faizan. However, seeing the serious look on his Father's face, he finally nodded his head in agreement. The Father smiled seeing his son obey his command, even with a confused look on his face.
After walking for some time while chatting about who knows what, their house in the middle of the village finally came into view. From the front of the mahogany wooden fence, a small child was seen running toward them.
"Father is finally home! Why did you take so long?"
"Father just found your older brother. You know that he is very good at playing hide-and-seek. It took quite a while to find him," answered the Father.
Finally, the little child looked at the boy on his father's back. Immediately, his expression turned gloomy. His cheeks puffed out, and he glared at his brother.
"Why is Brother always a naughty child? Isn't going to the forest dangerous? Why do you always go there? And in the end, you didn't help at all with the preparations for the village harvest festival. Even though we all promised to make lanterns and fireworks at the Village Chief's house. Along with the others."
Faizan could only respond to his sister with a wry smile while scratching his head. But on second thought, he had difficulty finding the right answer for his sister. Besides, he had already promised not to bring up his Father's promise so that his Father wouldn't say anything about his secret either.
Seeing his son cornered, the Father could only suppress his laughter. He took him down from his back, then held both of his children's hands.
"That's enough, hurry up and go inside the house. Don't make your Mother worry more. Father brought you the jewelry and comic books you asked for. You don't want Mother to get angry and 'store' your things, do you?"
"Wow, really?" Hearing his Father's words, the older brother immediately ran toward the house. Meanwhile, his little sister looked sullen after seeing her brother's behavior.
Upon entering the house, Faizan saw his mother preparing dinner. He immediately took off his footwear and approached his Mother.
"Mother, where are the souvenirs Father brought from the City?"
"You naughty child, don't you think a person has to finish all their tasks first to receive a reward?" muttered a sapphire-eyed, black-haired woman who was arranging various dishes on the table.
"However, I'm worried that if Mother keeps it for too long, it will be hard to find. I remember Father said that Mother likes to sell some things and buy the same things at a cheaper price. Then the remaining money Mother will use for— Ouch, that hurts!"
"Do you think Mother will believe a little liar like you? Just you wait, if someone doesn't finish bathing before this soup gets cold, they'd better donate some of their things to the needy!" snapped the Mother while pulling his ear due to annoyance.
Hearing the threat from his Mother, Faizan immediately headed to the bathroom. Meanwhile, the Father and little Sister were watching TV in the family room. The cartoon movie made the Father and Daughter laugh heartily. While enjoying the entertainment, they also chatted about various things. From the Father's journey to the family's daily life in the Village and the preparation for the Harvest Festival. Then a random question popped out from Raylin's small mouth.
"Father, why did you and Mother get married?"
"Because Father loves your Mother."
"If so, Father can marry Lyni, right? Don't you also love Raylin?"
"Marriage is not just about love. And the love for family and a couple is a different thing," answered the Father while squeezing his cute daughter's cheeks.
Of course, Raylin would not give up so easily. With world-class acting skills, she displayed a look of deep sadness. Her eyes widened and began to well up as if tears would fall the next moment. Followed by her voice lowering, she restarted the conversation that her Father intended to stop.
"Then what is the reason Father married Mother besides loving her?"
"Because your Mother is one of the most beautiful and kind women Father has ever met."
"How about Lyni? Isn't Lyni beautiful and kind?"
"Of course, Lyni is a beautiful child. However, a girl will reach the peak of her beauty at the age of 17. And at that time, your Mother will start to age. So Father is sure Lyni will become the most beautiful girl in the future. And to be a good child, Lyni needs to be diligent in giving Father kisses and hugs, only then can that come true," said the Father while pointing his finger to his cheek.
"Father is so mean!" The little girl just screamed with a resigned face. After kissing his cheek and hugging the neck of her 'Mean Father,' her clever little mind began to find a way to get back at him.
"Father said that Mother is one of the most beautiful women you've ever met. So Father has met women as beautiful as Mother before, right? Why didn't Father marry them instead?" said the girl with a deliberately raised voice, so that Mother in the kitchen could hear it clearly.
Seeing his daughter's good deed, the Father laughed with a confident tone. "Good child, from that, you can see clearly. That your Mother could marry Father is a blessing equivalent to Ten lifetimes of human merit."
Witnessing the ridiculous behavior of her husband and daughter, the Mother, who had finished preparing dinner, pinched each of their arms. The Mother then gritted her teeth, "If it weren't for this narcissistic man being my husband and this Smart child being my Daughter, I would immediately hand you over to the nearest Hospital."
Raylin replied playfully, "If Mother sends us to the hospital, then Father will find Lyni a new Mother. And Mother can enjoy taking care of the naughty brother alone. The beautiful women Father has met would surely want to be Lyni's second Mother."
Hearing her Daughter's words, which so favored her Father, the Mother certainly did not remain silent. She gave a loving twist of her fingers to the Father's waist. Meanwhile, the Daughter was subjected to merciless tickling until her brother arrived.
After saying a prayer, they began to enjoy their meal. Faizan and Raylin seemed to be in a hurry to finish their food. When Faizan choked on his food, his Father patted his back until the food came out. Then, his Mother gave him a glass of water along with a short piece of advice about his behavior. After feeling better, Faizan continued his meal as if nothing had happened. His parents could only look at each other with a helpless smile.
"Father, we've finished dinner. Now it's time to receive our gifts."
Hearing the sentence that just came out of the two children's lips made the Father pause. With a nod from his wife, he walked toward the closet in their room. Three cube-shaped packages of similar size were placed on the table. Dark blue, purple, and orange, corresponding to the favorite colors of each family member. With a smile from the man, they each opened the box according to their favorite color.
As expected, each box contained items that matched the recipient's interests. The purple box contained songket and batik cloth with various motifs. The orange box contained various unique jewelry typical of various places. However, the blue box contained a thick brown book and a necklace with an ancient script plaque. These two objects were neither what he wanted nor what he had ever asked for before. Seeing this, of course, raised a question from the recipient. Fayzan pulled his Father's shirt and pointed at the box with his other hand. A gesture that replaced the word 'Why?'.
"Don't you want to be a great Warrior to protect Mother and Lyni when Father is traveling? That book contains basic guides for training. If there are further questions, you can ask Uncle Galang and Aunt Mawar. They will be staying in the village for quite some time later. As for the necklace, an old man said that a great warrior would get a hint of an extraordinary treasure from it."
"Alright, I can't deny it. But since when did Father believe in superstitions and cheap lines like that? Could it be that being away from home for too long can change a person's nature?"
Hearing the sarcasm from his son, the Father lifted him until their faces were opposite each other. While stroking his head, the Father said, "In life, anything can happen. Remember to always broaden your horizons and do not deny even an idea that sounds impossible. As long as there is breath in your body, anything can happen. Of course, assuming God still allows it to happen."
With the endless life advice from his Father, Fayzan could only listen until his Father was satisfied. In the midst of that boredom, for some reason, he felt a pain on his cheek.
"Wake up. Hey, wake up!"
The voice sounded in his ear. The voice of a teenage girl seemed to be telling him to wake up from his sleep. This confused him. He had been awake all this time. Plus, there was no other woman in his house right now besides his Mother and sister. Who was giving him the command to wake up? And where did the pain on his cheek come from? Could it be that his bad remark about the words of the old man who sold the necklace being a lie had summoned a real ghost? Just as he wanted to ask his family to solve the confusion, his vision began to blur. His Father's voice became increasingly inaudible. Accompanied by a feeling of confusion and drowsiness, his body was shocked by a cold and wet sensation all over. His body shivered, and his emotions became chaotic. He, who was usually skeptical of mystical things, now felt that this incident was caused by a ghost. Fear momentarily crept over him, but a burning anger instantly made him want to swear.
"Come out! Don't bother me, you ghost..."