1 Mystery of Blood Rain

In Dusun Gowot, about 17 kilometers from Cipo village, there is a strange house. Cipo and his friends have passed the hamlet several times while cycling. It is a long way, but if they are happy to ride a bicycle, they will take any distance, especially if they are on vacation. Of course, by bringing enough food and drink supplies. Cipo and his friends were amazed by an house that was isolated in the middle of the rice fields, where there were many fruit plants left wild. The house building was made of unsemented bricks. The floor is dirt, higher than the surrounding land so that when it rains, puddles do not enter the house. They also saw many cats in the yard.

The owner of the house is an old woman, fat with a stooped body, her hair is all white. She walk with a cane and always bare feet. Even Cipo caught many children peeking at the woman with a scared face. "Nek Boci! Nek Boci is a sorcerer!" shouted the children. After that they ran into hiding, waiting for the old woman's reaction. The woman just turned her head, but her face was cold. Maybe, her cold face that made the children scared.

Jalu and Ndul-ndul even called Nek Boci as Mak Lampir, a legend horor story of Java, Indonesian. Once, Cipo asked the owner of the stall in the hamlet about the strange old woman. The stall owner said that Nek Boci lived alone, there was no one else in the house. Of course, Cipo and his friends are increasingly amazed, while other people of the same age will be surrounded by their children and grandchildren. "Doesn't Nek Boci have a family?" asked Cipo.

"Nek Boci's children are in town. Meanwhile, Nek Boci was reluctant to stay in the city. She only lives with her cats, "said the stall owner. "Don't you go near her."

Cipo frowned, "What's wrong with her?"

"You can be kidnapped," replied the stall owner.

"Has anyone ever been kidnapped?" asked Jalu. The stall owner stared his eyes, not answer. One day Cipo heard that the hamlet where Nek Boci lived was raining blood. Of course that is unique and strange news. Cipo immediately rushed to the hamlet to find out the truth. Is the incident true or just fake news, because often there are fake news breathed by irresponsible people. It turned out that the rain of blood was true. When Cipo arrived at Dusun Gowot everyone talked about the incident. In fact, the hamlet becomes so crowded with people outside the village who want to know about this rare event. The rain of blood made the citizens panic. "Until my age is ninety years, I just once saw a blood raining," said a very old grandfather.

"I think it's do by a black magic," said his neighbor.

"The witch wants to kill us all," said another.

But, why do residents flock to Nek Boci's house? Cipo heard whispers, that Nek Boci was the one responsible for the blood rain. Nek Boci was accused of using her black magic to harm residents, because previously there were residents who accidentally ran over her favorite cat. "Nek Boci wants revenge," whispered someone. But none of the residents dared to enter Nek Boci's house, maybe they were afraid. Of course it is a fortune for Nek Boci. Because not long afterwards a police group arrived and immediately rescued her. Nek Boci was seen crying and trembling. The police were forced to become a living shield from the piles of stones that were directed at Nek Boci.

The excitement of raining blood and Nek Boci being carried to the police station became news that quickly spread. Some residents insisted on taking Nek Boci from the police station, to make calculations. O Allah, what power does an old woman have against those who are mostly young? Why would they want to make judge themselves, with baseless accusations and no evidence? "Get rid of the black magician!" screams of people outside the police station.

"Get rid of Nek Boci from our territory!"

"Down with the sorcerer!" The police were forced to fire several shots to expel residents who became violent. Hearing the gunshot, residents who wanted to take Nek Boci forcibly back off. But the authorities must be more vigilant, who knows they will come again with different tactics. Cipo captured the incident with his camera. "Poor Nek Boci," said Cipo to himself. News of the rain of blood and the issue of witchcraft and sorcery are increasingly widespread. The apparatus must also act quickly to reduce the anger of the masses. Village and sub-district officials gave various information about the incident so that what developed was a mystery story. Some even said it was a curse so that the villagers had to move away to another place.

"Don't be provoked by untrue talk!" cried the head of the sub-district, calming down the confused residents of Dusun Gowot. After all, no residents have fled to other places.

To get clarity about the rain of blood, Cipo visited Gowot Hamlet again. He asked the incident of the blood raining to those who experienced it firsthand. He had to be careful filtering the news because many had given him spices related to the supernatural. However, Cipo also shuddered. "Is it true that it rained blood, sir?" asked Cipo to Mr. Nono. He got the name after asking around. Mr. Nono was indeed one of the residents who was outside the house when the rain of blood occurred.

"Yes, it's true a blood rain," replied Mr. Nono.

"Why are you sure it's blood?"

"Because it's red, thick, and fishy."

"Are you sure it's blood?"

"You think I'm lying? If you don't believe in me, that's okay, don't ask me! " Mr. Nono even became inflamed.

"Believe! Believe sir! " said Cipo quickly in order to get as many stories as possible.

"About what time it rained blood, sir?"

"Evening, around eleven in the evening."

"Then were you in the house then?"

"No, I was outside the house. I was fixing the goat pen that the male goat I had just bought," replied the man.

"Did the rain hit your body?"

"Yes, I even had time to kiss it. I thought it's the syrup water, well if it rains the syrup is delicious, we just need to prepare ice cubes," said Pak Nono jokingly. "I think this hamlet is indeed the target of envious people. Indeed, it was not long before our hamlet received the trophy as a model hamlet at the district level. Maybe there are other hamlets who are jealous and send terror to us. "

"So it's not because of Nek Boci?" asked Cipo.

The person is shocked. "Oh, it is possible that it was Nek Boci's doing. Because he's a weirdo."

Cipo ended the interview. The head of Cipo hamlet asked which officers had come to investigate the rain of blood. "The health workers have come, they are looking for the blood samples. In fact, because they could not find any more blood on the ground, they went up to the roof of my house to look for blood samples."

"Did the rain of blood cause the blood to flow in the gutter, so that the blood spilled into the pit?" asked Cipo.

"Oh no, the rain of blood is only for a moment, it's not like ordinary rain that can make everything wet."

"Thank you, sir," said Cipo. He also got other data. It turned out that the rain of blood did not flush the entire village, only part of it. Cipo then went to the clinic, met the officer and asked about the horrendous rain of blood.

"We have investigated it. It is blood but not human blood," replied the officer. "Could it be that the blood fell from an airplane?"

Fall from an airplane? The incident of an object falling from an airplane has been recorded, because the button of the toilet of the airplane was released so that the toilet contents spilled out. The falling dirt, due to friction with the air, becomes dry and frozen and then falls on people's homes. Finally the airline gave compensation and apologized. Could it be that the rain of blood in Nek Boci village was like that? It could be that it was an airplane that was passing over the village at that time. However, at that time none of the residents saw an airplane that passed. This hamlet has no flight path. Especially when someone asked the nearest airport, at that time there were no airplanes crossing the area.

"Maybe there's a missile filled with blood," murmured Jalu inconsequently, supposing.

Ndul-ndul added, "Yes, missiles filled with blood."

"Uh, you're just being nonsense," argued Cipo.

To convince the residents of her hamlet, Nek Boci swore in the name of God, that she was not a witch or the one who made the blood rain. But residents don't believe it. Cipo is very concerned about the fate of Nek Boci. The police said they had not been able to contact Nek Boci's family, because the children worked as scavengers and it was not an easy job to find them. Cipo took the time to see Nek Boci's house, which was already surrounded by police lines. He saw that Nek Boci's cats had become stranded, perhaps soon becoming stray cats. When the raining of blood was asked to Pak Bonet, a biology teacher, Cipo only got an answer that was still doubtful. "Maybe the bat was shot but still managed to save itself, so the blood was splattered." But, why was it that the blood spattered coverage was so wide? The blood raining puzzle remains a mystery.

One day, when he saw the broadcast on television there was strange news, it had rained fish on one of the islands in Nusa Tenggara. Responding to the fish rain, a neighbor commented, "Wow, the rain over there is so nice!"

"How so good?"

"They got fish, not blood!"

"Hus, witchcraft has many forms. If they eat the fish their stomachs might gas and pop." Perhaps panic arose in the rain, like Nek Boci hamlet. It's been a month but the answers to the mystery of the rain of blood haven't satisfied his heart either. Meanwhile, Nek Boci was still at the police station, because she did not want to return to her house, afraid of the anger of the residents. Moreover, her house had been damaged by residents who were not satisfied with Nek Boci's security. Likewise, when one of Nek Boci's children arrived, she was not willing to come to the house because the residents still accused her being a witchcraft. Finally, Nek Boci was brought by her son to Jakarta.

Cipo and his friends were in the field, they were playing kites. They had to run here and there because there was no wind to lift their kites. Jalu sang the song of encouragement that was usually sung by the shepherds. Maybe by coincidence, there was wind, but it was only a small wind. A little whirlwind on the field where they played. "Wow there is a whirlwind!" exclaimed Ndul-ndul. Whirlwind is a whirling wind and not that big. Often occurs during the dry season, in the field, rice fields, or other field places. The whirlwind was only a few meters high in a swirling direction. Jalu put his kite in the whirlwind. Likewise Ndul-ndul, took the dry leaves and ran after the whirlwind and put the leaves. Jalu's kite and the dry leaves were carried away by the wind and flew in circles.

The mini typhoons only lasts of minutes. After that, the dry leaves and Jalu's kites, which were not supported by the wind, fell to the ground. Seeing this incident, Cipo choked up, thinking that maybe the blood rain in the village of Nek Boci was caused by a hurricane. Since seeing the fish rain, Cipo had thought that the blood rain was not something unseen, but caused by natural events. It seems that the whirlwind wind opened his brain. Cipo immediately returned home to meet his mother. "When will Father come home, Mother?"

"Maybe next week, aren't your father currently covering Aceh?" said his mother. "What's the matter, is there anything you will ask to your fahter?"

"Only about the blood rain in the village of Nek Boci," replied Cipo. During this time he was always in discussion with his father, asking him things he had not yet understood. For him, his father was a figure he considered completely understanding. Could at least help give him a way to solve the problem. Is Cipo going to call her father? He didn't seem to be doing it.

"You are still thinking about the blood rain. Nature often acts strange. If we can't find the answer, it's often curious. "

"Moher, do you believe it was Nek Boci?"

"No. Poor Nek Boci, she became a victim of slander."

"Do you have any estimates about the rain of blood?"

"Not really," replied his mother. Cipo nodded, disappointed with his mother's answer. "Hm ..., but do you know who people knows about hurricanes?"

"You mean the person who saw the hurricane?"

"That's not what I means. But people who are experts on hurricanes," said Cipo.

His mother laughed. "If that's what you mean, I know. You have to ask agencies that deal with the weather."

"The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, who predicted the weather on television?"

"Yes," replied his mother.

"But where is the address of the office?" said Cipo. There is a sense, he searched on Google for the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. Cipo was lucky because he immediately received a complete address and telephone number. Cipo immediately contacted the officer, and a woman accepted. Cipo asked whether on the night of the rain there was a storm that crossed Java Island. Received an answer that at that time there was no storm crossing the island of Java. But some time before, there was a storm from the Pacific Ocean. "Are you sure at that time there was no storm that reached Java?" asked Cipo.

"Okay, I'll check again, wait a minute," said a voice from the telephone. Soon there was a sound. "Hello. Indeed, at that time there were several storms recorded at night," the woman replied. "You are a little kid, why you're interested in asking about the storm?"

"Isn't it okay, Madam?"

"In fact, I am glad that there are children who ask questions like this. O, can you surf the internet? If possible, then we can chat so it is clearer."

"Thank you, whose your name?"

"Mrs. Anis."

"Then I may ask for the e-mail address and website, madam."

"With pleasure," replied Mrs. Anis. The conversation by phone ends there, because it will be continued with the conversation on the internet. Cipo is very happy, it seems that the riddle of the blood rain will soon be solved. Cipo had contacted the clinic which examined the blood taken from the place where the blood was raining. He received information that the blood was actually fish blood, from a shark species. If the sharks were lifted, how strong was the storm at that time. Cipo immediately went to the nearest cafe near the sub-district office, asking Jalu. But Jalu only plays games. Cipo clicked on the address given by Mrs. Anis. It turned out that Mrs. Anis was ready. "Did you ever know that there was blood raining? According to Mrs. Anis, why did it rain blood?"

"It's just one of the consequences of natural occurrences. It seems that what you asked on the phone had to do with the rain of blood. Do you live not far from Dusun Gowot? "

"Yes, that incident happened to the hamlet."

"It's not a strange thing, the theory can be explained by the occurrence of a hurricane or typhoon."

"Can Mrs. Anis explain to me?"

"Of course. I hope you become a weather expert later." Cipo laughed. A long text appeared on the screen: Compared to the past, there are currently more typhoons, this has something to do with global warming. The combustion of fuel from vehicles and factories produces carbon dioxide that blankets the earth, resulting in an increase in temperature. Typhoons absorb most of the heat caused by global warming. More than 100 tropical storms occur each year, and only a few of them turn into major hurricanes. At most, only two to three storms become major typhoons. How do typhoons form? Sea surface temperature is at least 27 degrees Celsius with a depth of 60 m. Then the winds meet near sea level. The air rises and there is a flow of air that creates wind. The rising air vapor melts while releasing heat. The heat warms the air around it, so that it lightens and rises. Winds that form at all heights must have the same speed and direction. Then the high pressure area in the atmosphere pushes the rising air into a storm.

Cipo immediately typed: "Then how is the relationship between the rain of blood and the storm, Madam?" An answer appeared: "The logic is this. When there is a storm at sea, it also forms a vortex in the water that can be up to 60 meters deep. The whirlpool is like churning out the contents of the sea. So that if there is an object around the vortex, in this case a fish, the fish is sucked into the vortex and is lifted up. Most likely, if the blood came from the fish then the fish would have been torn apart as soon as they got caught in the eddy current. Cipo typed: "It was shark blood." An answer came: "The shark was torn apart before it got high, so that its body was torn into pieces. The blood is also carried away by storms or typhoons. It is like erupting mountain ash that can reach far places because of the wind's assistance. Likewise, the theory made sense for the rain of blood in the village. Is there a map nearby?"

Cipo typed an answer: "No, ma'am." Mrs. Anis replied: "Yes, it's okay. If the rain of blood occurs at eleven o'clock in the evening, then we just have to estimate the speed of the storm. Because the speed of a hurricane or typhoon varies. Maybe the storm was still strong but the more it went inland the less powerful it became. Meanwhile, the objects carried by the typhoon, which are already at a high altitude, will fall elsewhere. " In September 2005, a major typhoon hit the United States, namely hurricanes Katrina and Rita. All of this happened because the climate had changed. Typhoons are formed due to turmoil over the sea. And all because of global warming that is creating hurricanes that are even more intense than the ones before. So that the inhabitants of the earth must control the growth and development of exhaust gases that cause global warming. After Hurricane Katrina and Rita, hurricane Stan will emerge in the Atlantic Ocean. Experts have agreed to name hurricanes before they appear, based on the international system governed by the World Meteorological Organization. The names of typhoons were known before even knowing when they occurred. For the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico the names of typhoons during 2005 have been listed in alphabetical order. Starting from Arlene to Wilma, hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophleia, Philippe, Rita, Stan, and Tammy are in the middle. At the height of the typhoon, no ship can sail safely. Even life in the sea such as plants and fish suffocates from being unable to breathe and is thrown here and there. What is even more feared is when the typhoon turns into a tornado. Tornadoes have the power to uproot the strongest building foundations and twist them to shreds any object caught in the whirlwind.

Cipo typed: "Have you ever seen the whirlwind wind in the field? Is that something like a simple description of a hurricane or hurricane?" An answer came: "Exactly. Indeed, hurricanes or typhoons do not always occur at sea. It could be on land. You've heard the name "Cleret Tahun", which is the name of a typhoon that often appears on land. Hurricanes and typhoons when they stop in residential areas will cause huge losses." Cipo wants to end the chat: "Thank you very much, madam." An inscription appeared: "Okay, you must study hard."

When leaving the cafe, Cipo's face was very bright. The riddle of the rain of blood in the village of Nek Boci has been answered. According to him, the hurricane theory is the reason that makes the most sense when compared to others. Cipo immediately went to the official residence of the sub-district head who oversees Gowot Hamlet, to reveal his conversation with Mrs. Anis. "Maybe the sub-district head can convince the residents that the rain of blood was not Nek Boci's doing. We have to explain to the people the origin of the rain of blood so that they don't think about anything too."

Pak Dirman, the sub-district head, agreed with Cipo's proposal. He immediately contacted the meteorological office to send people to explain the riddle of the rain of blood in Gowot Hamlet. The request was welcomed, because if it was ignored then the issue of witch would never subside. Finally, several weather experts came and conducted counseling at the village hall and schools about the origin of the rain of blood. They explained that the rain of blood was not something beyond human reason, but because of a storm.

"There was even a human who flew in a storm, even if he only flew a few meters. But he had injuries in several parts of his body!" said one of the weather experts who came. They explained using pictures, and were shown a film about the occurrence of a storm. After the counseling was completed, the people of Gowot Hamlet gathered.

"Then we have been arbitrary to Nek Boci," said Mr. Nono.

"Yes, we have sinned by accusing innocent people!" exclaimed the others. The others were pensive, admitting that they were guilty. "So what?" Finally, the villagers agreed to send several people to Jakarta to apologize and ask Nek Boci to return to the hamlet. One day Cipo was contacted by the sub-district head when Nek Boci returned, and the villagers were ready to welcome her. On the day of Nek Boci's arrival, Cipo came to the hamlet. When Nek Boci arrived the residents greeted her. "We're sorry, Grandma," said the people, shaking Nek Boci's hand, and many even kissed her hand.

"We have repaired the damaged house of Nek Boci. Also Nek Boci's cats are still intact, we take care of them, "said the head of the hamlet. Nek

Boci was touched, shed tears. Cipo saw the children who used to call Nek Boci as a magician join in scrambling to greet Nek Boci. The rain of blood had made Nek Boci troublesome, but it was also the rain of blood that made Nek Boci no longer suspect the residents.

Cipo wrote about the rain of blood for Kriminol magazine. But Mrs. Soku, the editor-in-chief immediately commented, "This is not criminal news."

"Isn't it criminal news, what? Didn't the residents already threaten an old woman with accusations of witchcraft," Cipo replied. But after the magazine was published, there was no writing on it, Cipo was a little disappointed. After all, it didn't matter to him. For him, seeing Nek Boci's happiness was enough, it made him happy. (*)