October 08

I lowed. The bulb I forgot to turn off last night made it difficult for me to open my eyes.

"You're finally awake."

The feminine sound just now gathered all my consciousness.

"Good grief!" My back straightened with a glaring eye.

The owner of the voice gave an amused giggle. She used her lacy folding fan to cover her mouth. "Like you've never seen me."

I blinked a few times to confirm the figure sitting at the end of the sofa.

A Dutch lady. Reddish-brown hair. Ice blue eye. A heavy cream dress with lots of lace, a Victorian-era clothing style, and a translucent shape.

I breathed a sigh of relief before laying back down on the sofa.

Melissa von Bismark. I just remembered that my reading attic wasn't empty.

I gave a subtle smile. A small smile spreads in the heart. It's been a long time since I've seen this Dutch ghost.

"Thanks for waking me up, Melissa."

The lady was surprised. I could even hear the sound of a rat being squeezed in the choking sound.

"I'm thankful it wasn't Danial who found me lying here." I curved a genuine smile that touched the corners of my eyes.

"Oh my God ?!" Melissa used the same—and only—folding fan to drown out the blush on her cheeks. The emerald irises that she deliberately left without being hindered by anything now refract emotion.

"After so long, you ignored me..." Melissa couldn't help but continue. I even heard this beautiful ghost take a deep breath. "You're talking to me now, right?" She leaned forward while glaring in doubt who shimmered happily at one time.

"Of course." I nodded only to wince in regret a second later. "Sorry for always denying your existence."

"Good grief." Melissa wiped the corners of her eyes in turn. "I'm crying like this."

I can't comment on her exaggerated response. In my first life, Melissa always talked to me. Of course I didn't care. But she continued to babble even if only in one direction.

She has many things to say. Starting from the story of her life as a daughter of a Duke during the VOC era, how she died, to rejecting the invitation of the angel of death and deciding to live in this land. Later, she became my eyes and ears voluntarily in her first life. Until that's all I can remember.

Melissa's fuller story, of course, is in the novel. Even according to chapter twenty-second, Melissa told me Danial's real motive. This fact is also my last memory. It's just that, if asked to dig deeper into the memory, I don't understand the chronology or the details of our previous conversation when the young man confessed everything. That pocket novel was my savior.

"But if there's anyone else, I'll pretend I didn't hear you." My nosy grin broke out.

"Yes, of course!"

My chuckle is light.

I've been grateful for everything I've been through during these ten months. But, it felt different after asking Melissa to talk better. This blessing is not enough to give thanks. I now pay more attention to little things that I used to care about.

"Are you ready to go?" Melissa held my feet which had only been two steps away from the sofa. "Your face is still pale."

I cracked a smile. "Better keep yourself busy."

I continued walking towards the toilet with Melissa following behind without touching the ground.

"What Danial said is true." I could tell she was huddled in the doorway from the corner of my eye that I didn't close. "Watch your health."

I paused the argument for a few moments by preferring to scoop up water to wash away any traces of drowsiness left behind.

"Could it be," A growl made me inadvertently tighten the twist on the sink faucet? "You didn't talk about it?" I glanced briefly before grabbing a face towel from the hanging shelf on the right. "I'm tired of having to act well in front of him."

Melissa sighed. "You've been weird lately."

I returned to the main room with the Dutch lady still trailing.

"You've always been on the kid's side." Lisa preceded me to sit on the sofa again.

I gave a short chuckle as I turned toward eleven o'clock. Go to the hanger who stood one meter to the left of the entrance. "Not anymore."

"I don't know what your problem is." Melissa shook her head in concern. "As an adult, it's best to—"

"Yes, yes, Lisa." I grabbed the brown blazer as soon as I arrived at the black gallows. "Hear." I turned my body ninety degrees. "You'll understand one day why I lost respect for Danial."

After giving Melissa a short smile, I immediately put on my coat and held me with a beam of various meanings. She looked more like she was trying to digest the essence of what I just said, although there were lots of confusion and curiosity entrenched in the wrinkles of her forehead.

"I go first."

The ghost looked away before impersonating it. The greeting just evaporated without anyone responding.

I smirked.

***

"Clouds—" I had to swallow the greeting just now because the owner's right hand was raised.

I frowned in confusion. From this side position, I can see Cloud's serious face. I decided to find an answer by following where the man's irises led.

My brows furrowed slightly when I realized that Awan was watching Breaking News on television.

'Strategic Accidents on Jalan Raya Darmo, Surabaya' is the headline. A series of additional information is listed just below 'Breaking News' in a slightly smaller size. I chose not to read it, focusing on hearing the verbal report from the male reporter there, with the background of the chaotic situation and conditions.

"The series of accidents on Jalan Raya Darmo that just happened at five o'clock in the afternoon at five minutes West Southeast Continent Time were caused by the brakes of a concrete truck belonging to PT. Paku Bumi which allegedly failed."

My eyes widen when I read the date of the incident. Above the blue-red words 'Breaking News', it reads October 8th.

Today.

The accident happened around seventeen five minutes past. Then, now is the hour...?

I raise my left wrist.

Good grief…

my net slowly returns to the screen.

... ten minutes ago.

It turned out that this news had just been lifted from the stove. Its location in Darmo, near Bungkul park, is famous as a hangout place for the young people of the City of Heroes and the second most congested road after Ahmad Yani.

I put both hands into the pockets of the snelli jacket.

Interesting.

"The truck driver was pronounced dead on the spot. Meanwhile, his colleague suffered serious injuries and has been taken to Dr. Sutamo hospital."

There is no longer a reporter on the screen because the cameraman decided to open the viewer's view even wider. The dilapidated condition that was previously seen partly because the journalist's sturdy body blocked it is now shown entirely.

The cars rocked erratically. One two overturned, three-four collided with each other, and five-six were run over. It doesn't stop there, lots of unlucky motorbikes —

—Wait.

Something seems odd.

A big accident on one of the main roads in Surabaya.

In the afternoon.

Many victims.

PT. Earth Nails.

On October 8th…

I frowned. Trying to remember the contents of a pocket novel.

Between chapters twelve and thirteen, there is a discussion about the incident that dragged PT. Earth Nails. But as I recall, the disaster occurred during the rainy season, around November.

My hands are clenched in my pockets.

This incident happened sooner than it should?!

"Several injured pedestrians and vehicle drivers have also been rushed to hospital—"

I raced my legs as fast as I could to the nearest toilet.