Chapter 2
Sydney China Town, 14th July 2018
Iwan Agustan Sembiring lifted up his partner's body. He managed to raise up his partner's body onto his head. The lion drum, cymbals, and gong began to play the delightful music, becoming faster and faster. The lion on the poles started to dance to the right and to the left.
Subur Kapoor playing the lion's head was now standing on Iwan's head, his partner in the lion dance. He looked down for a while. Subur Kapoor, an Indian teenager, who was also afraid of height, started to tremble for a while when he realized the height of the pole was more than one and a half meters.
Erick Vildy paying attention to the lion dance practice from below, could catch up Subur's trembling eyes.
"Don't look down, Subur! Look forward! Concentrate on what's in front of you! Not what's below you!" Erick Vildy spoke a little bit louder so that his voice could be heard among the sounds of the drum, cymbals and gong which were indeed loud.
Subur tried hard to concentrate to the front. Slowly, his shaking body started to fade away.
"Look in front, Bur!" said Iwan under him, "Now go down and we go to the next scenario, shall we?"
"Hah? Next scenario? What's that?" Subur began to be panicked. He forgot the next scenario. Perhaps, the shaking feeling before influenced more or less of his memory.
Iwan Agustan thought that his partner had been ready. He put down Subur Kapoor's body directly to the two poles in front of him. Next, the lion moved two steps forward. Shortly afterwards, the delightful background music were played again.
"Rise up again, Bur…" said Iwan Agustan lifting up Subur's body again.
Nevertheless, Subur had not been ready yet at the moment. He got astonished at once when his body was lifted up to the air. When Iwan Agustan put him down to the poles again, his feet had not been stable and he did not know which pole he would step on. Consequently, his body and the lion's head struck to the wooden fence at the end of the poles. Subur Kapoor's whole body fell off the wooden fence. The lions' body still tied to Iwan Agustan's body was also pulled to the end of the poles and at once his body hit the concrete fence under the wooden fence just now. Iwan Agustan's body was stuck at the concrete fence. The lion's head and body were also stuck at the concrete fence. As a consequence, Subur Kapoor's body was hanged by the edge of the high building which was their practice base.
"Help…! Help me…!" Subur's screaming was heard.
Everybody was panicked. The background music stopped immediately. Everybody ran to the site of the accident. Erick Vildy turned his brain around and around. He was the one who established the lion and dragon dance studio. All his members' parents had put their offspring's safety in his hands. Accident like this obviously became his responsibility. He had to save Subur.
"Raise up your hand, Bur!" shouted Erick Vildy stretching down his hand.
Subur Kapoor tried his best to raise his hand so that he could cling to Erick Vildy's hand. However, his hanging position was too down below so he could not cling to Erick Vildy's hand which was far above him. He tried again and again swinging his hand above so that he could cling to Erick Vildy's hand. It was unfortunate for him, the cloth of the lion's body began to be torn apart and his body went down and down.
"No! The cloth is torn apart, Brother Erick!" shouted Subur at the moment. Some of the lion dance music players, who were girls by chance, started to scream watching the tension.
At last, the cloth of the lion's body started to be ripped into two parts. The lion's body was split into two parts as well. Subur fell off the tenth floor of the high building, followed by his screaming up to the silent dark night sky.
There's no more choice! There's no other alternative! I must use that power!
Erick Vildy jumped down freely. Some of his members who were standing still, got astonished seeing their trainer's bold action.
Subur Kapoor's body seemed to reach a part of the building which looked like a half curving dome two floors below him. His body slid down in full speed on the half dome. His screaming became sharper and higher. Erick Vildy managed to reach the half curving dome. With one sweep from his hand, he managed to catch Subur Kapoor's hand before his body slid down again.
"Brother Erick Vildy!" said Subur Kapoor gently in the middle of his fear and sorrow.
"Calm down! I'm your trainer. I won't leave you alone in danger. I'll save you. A moment please…" said Erick Vildy still trying to smile in the middle of the fear and panic surrounding them.
"But, we're stuck in the middle of this building, Brother Erick Vildy. Going up is definitely impossible. Going down is certainly the end for us. How is it?" again panic began to surround the young lad's face.
"Then, we just go up…" said Erick Vildy briefly and directly.
He pulled Subur's hand with his full strength. When Subur had stood in an upright position, Erick Vildy stomped his feet once. Never been thought by Subur before, they flew up at once with high speed. All the members standing on the roof floor watched the miracle in amazement. All of them were amazed, not being able to say anything when Erick Vildy and Subur Kapoor's bodies landed perfectly on the ground.
"No more problem… Perhaps you're still shocked. Sit down first for a while here and calm down your mind," said Erick Vildy letting Subur sit on one of the lower poles.
While he was still gasping for breath, Subur sat down silently.
"Ana… Make him a cup of warm sweet tea," said Erick Vildy.
Ana Simanjuntak who was a crossbreed between a Bataknese and a Chinese, ran into the building as quickly as her feet could take her. Then, she came out again with a cup of warm sweet tea. Subur who was still shocked gulped the warm sweet tea to the end at once.
"What was the thing we have just seen, Brother Erick Vildy? What was that actually?" asked Iwan Agustan staring at Erick Vildy with his opening eyes and mouth.
"Which part is injured?" asked Erick Vildy taking off Iwan Agustan's T-shirt.
He saw big bruise on Iwan Agustan's left chest. With a sweep from his hand, red light came out. The red light was directed to Iwan Agustan's left chest. Second by second passed by and finally, the bruise on Iwan Agustan's left chest was invisible. Again and again, all the lion and dragon dances members watched the incident in amazement.
"Is it still hurt?" asked Erick Vildy again.
Iwan Agustan tried to touch his left chest. It was incredible! It was not hurt at all anymore!
"Who are you actually, Brother Erick Vildy?" asked Ana Simanjuntak at the moment. "One year you've been running this dragon and lion dances studio here. One year we've been practicing dragon and lion dances with you, and until this second we've just figured out that you're quite unique and special, Brother. Who are you actually?"
Ana Simanjuntak stared at Erick Vildy, frowning her forehead, as well as the other studio members.
"You guys must promise me, not to tell this to anybody, including your family members and your friends outside there who don't join this studio. Will you?" asked Erick Vildy staring at his members one by one.
All of the members nodded their heads at once. Nobody said anything more after that. All were waiting for Erick Vildy's answer with their deep curiosity.
Erick Vildy turned his face to other direction and started his story telling, "Frankly, even I myself don't have any idea what power this is, Friends. It's merely a kind of queer and mysterious supernatural power and it's already been inside me since I was born. At least, that's what my dad and mom have told me."
"So, it's a kind of mysterious power with its unknown root, isn't it?" mumbled Iwan Agustan still with his frowning forehead.
"There are a lot of inexplicable phenomenon in this world, Iwan. Besides what we've known and studied so far, I'm dead certain there are still a lot of theoretically-inexplicable phenomenon out there, and so is this queer and mysterious power of mine. My mom told me that in the morning when I was born, the overcast sky was everywhere, wholly-dark, as though it was going to rain extremely heavily. Shortly afterwards, the lightning was striking here and there. However, it wasn't raining cats and dogs – it was only drizzle rain. Yet, the lightning was still striking here and there until I was born, until my crying sound was heard. And, the strangest and the most illogical thing was…"
"What was that, Brother?" asked Paul Johnson, who was a dragon and lion drums player, who could master what was taught by Erick Vildy merely in one month.
"After my crying sound was heard, the lightning struck very strongly once and it struck to the glass window of the room where my mom was giving birth to me. Of course the glass window broke into pieces. The doctor and the nurses were astonished. But, what came after that was their real astonishment."
"What was that, Brother?" asked Sisca Jessica Angkasa, who was a genuine Chinese.
"There came the other two babies, lying right beside me, on the same bed. The doctor and the nurses were definitely confused because it was obvious that my mom gave birth solely to me. So, where did the other two babies come from? Until now, that becomes an inexplicable mystery. The doctor, the nurses, my parents themselves, and all our family-relatives only reckoned my mom had given birth to triplet-babies. And, when we were five years old, three of us realized that we possessed this mysterious power, yet we didn't know where it came from and when it was there. That's the story, Friends…"
"And so far, your three powers have never been figured out by the others, besides your parents and relatives, have they?" asked Subur Kapoor who could calm down himself bit by bit at the moment.
"Several times we were figured out…" said Erick Vildy with his gazing eyes. "Many journalists and psychics came to home, to school, to interview three of us. However, we still didn't say anything. We moved from one school to the next for five to six times when we were in primary and junior high schools. When we were in senior high school, we made up our mind not to tell anyone about this matter, including the senior high school girls who were approaching three of us at that moment."
Erick Vildy was a little bit blushful telling everyone about his adolescence story. Some of the members smiled wryly listening to Erick Vildy's story.
"If it hadn't been for saving Subur a moment before, I wouldn't have shown you this power. Therefore, on no occasion must you tell anyone about this power of mine, even to those who don't come to the studio tonight. Just reckon that anything didn't happen tonight and the practice was running like usual, will you?"
All the members nodded their heads slowly.
"Great then… You all have promised, and thus you must not break your promise…" said Erick Vildy starting to feel sick and dizzy.
As the seconds were passing by, Erick Vildy felt as if there had been many stars around him. His world seemed to spin round and round. He could not distinguish which was right, left, below, or above anymore. Eventually, his dizziness reached its climax and his whole world broke into the darkness with many stars around.
"Brother Erick Vildy! Brother Erick! Brother!" he could still hear some members' screaming before his whole world turned to darkness.
***
When the eyes were opened, the first shadow which could be caught was Melisa Rayadi's figure, who seemed very anxious with her remaining tears stagnating by her eyelids.
"You've finally recovered, Rick…" said Melisa Rayadi caressing her prince's head and face. She did not want to care much anymore. Although she knew that the man had never been feeling the same towards her, only in this way could she express her anxiety about what had happened to her prince.
"Where am I? In the hospital, aren't I?" asked Erick Vildy looking around.
"Yeah… You used that power again! How many times should I tell you that you mustn't use that power again, Rick? Every time you use that power, you must end up in the hospital like now. Why are you so stubborn and obstinate?"
"But, I ever used that power once and I was alright, Mel. Why am I in the hospital again this time?" Erick Vildy kept wondering why in confusion.
"At that moment, you used it together with Erwie and Erdie. Have you forgot that? At that time, three of you were chasing after a robber taking my handbag away," muttered Melisa quickly without giving any opportunity to Erick Vildy for any argument.
Erick Vildy then remembered what happened at that time. At that moment, he and his two siblings were using the power together. He had forgot that. Suddenly, he felt the distance among three of them became farther and farther. Oh, Buddha… Is the distance among us farther and farther? I don't even know those two's whereabouts at this moment. I'm too snob to call back to Medan, to ask Dad and Mom about those two's whereabouts. Will the brotherhood among us be over soon?
"Okay then… You must take a rest first… I'll settle your administrative matter downstairs…"
Melisa Rayadi squeezed her prince's hand for a moment and then she walked away from his room. She closed the door slowly. Outside, she saw Iwan Agustan Sembiring and Ana Simanjuntak, waiting anxiously.
"How is he, Sister Melisa?" asked Ana.
"He's been better, Ana…" said Melisa a little bit more gently. She gave a kind of gesture to Iwan and Ana to walk to the side of the corridor so they could talk something private. "You saw Brother Erick Vildy's queer and mysterious power just now, didn't you?"
Iwan and Ana nodded their heads.
"I beg you not to tell anybody carelessly about this matter – including the members who are absent tonight. Will you?" asked Melisa staring at her two conversation partners seriously.
"I promise not to tell anybody else," said Ana raising up her right hand to the air.
"Yes, Sister Mel… We promise not to tell anybody else," said Iwan Agustan nodding his head directly. "But, in fact Brother Erick Vildy possesses a kind of supernatural power which I merely see in films. Thinking and thinking, it's cool to possess a kind of power like that, isn't it?"
Iwan Agustan kept imagining what cool things he would have been doing if he had possessed a kind of supernatural power like Erick Vildy's. Ana Simanjuntak at once poked his waist.
"Enough! Don't daydream too much. It's already eleven now. Do you want to go home or not? Tomorrow you'll be working in the morning shift, won't you?" asked Ana Simanjuntak reminding Iwan of his working shift tomorrow Sunday.
Melisa Rayadi smiled funnily. Besides Paul Johnson and some other members who were the genuine Australians, the others – like Ana Simanjuntak, Iwan Agustan Sembiring, and their peers – were the overseas young adults, working and studying simultaneously in Australia. Then later on, they met Erick Vildy, became interested to dragon and lion cultures, and eventually decided to join the dragon and lion dances foundation founded by Erick Vildy. Twice to thrice a year, they will be performing dragon and lion dances attraction to enliven the shops' grand-opening, the restaurants' grand-opening, and the other festive events related with Chinese culture in Sydney China Town.
"Okay… You can go back first. Brother Erick Vildy has been better. Indeed, he mustn't use that power alone. This is the consequence when he uses the power alone. I think, if it hadn't been as dangerous a situation as what happened in the studio, he would never have used the power," uttered Melisa again.
"Besides Brother Erick Vildy, there are still his two siblings who also possess the same kind of power. Is that right?" asked Iwan Agustan.
"Yeah, approximately…" Melisa sighed her long breath, "When the power is used together, nobody will be injured. However, when the power is used separately, whoever among the three of them will be the same like what's happening to Brother Erick Vildy at the moment."
"Two other Brother Erick Vildy's siblings aren't here in Sydney, are they, Sister Melisa?" asked Ana.
"Yeah… They're in two other different places," said Melisa.
"If that power must be used by three of them together, then why are they separated in different places, Sister Melisa?" asked Ana again.
Again and again Melisa sighed her long breath, "It's a long story, Ana. Furthermore, that's a bad memory for Brother Erick Vildy. If you guys want to know, perhaps you can find another perfect time to ask him, okay…?"
Iwan Agustan and Ana Simanjuntak kept quiet afterwards. Shortly, they left the hospital. Afterwards, Melisa Rayadi settled Erick Vildy's administrative matter downstairs.
***
Medan, 22nd September 2012
"Don't post our last night's photos to Instagram or Line, Rick… Please… Don't post them… Our intimacy is only for both of us. I don't want to show it off everywhere and share it with many people. Can I…?" Stella's coaxing voice was heard here.
Fortunately Erick Vildy had not posted his yesterday's little birthday celebration at Sun Plaza to Instagram or Line yet. It was fortunate for him to ask Stella first. Otherwise, perhaps Stella would be disappointed and upset to him. He did not know what to do anymore if the girl was upset to him.
"I exactly thought that you'd be pleased if I posted our yesterday's photos to Instagram or Line, Dear. I thought by announcing our relationship to the social media, that meant I'd declared our relationship to many people. I thought you'd be delighted with that."
"Give me more time, Rick," said Stella turning away to another direction, "I haven't told Dad and Mom about our relationship, Rick. Please… Give me two months of time again…"
"Have… Have… Have your dad and mom ever shown the indication that they don't really agree with our relationship?" asked Erick Vildy slightly anxious.
Stella shook her head, "No, Rick… It's only in the latest year of my senior high school, my dad and mom want me to study well and not think about any relationship first. Yet, I'm dead certain once I explain properly to them, they can understand me. Please give me time again, Rick…"
Erick Vildy nodded his head. However, shortly afterwards, he was astonished at once in his dream!
He really couldn't believe his eyes and ears. His shadow had now turned to Erwie Vincent's figure! He got shocked seeing that the scene he was enjoying, was also being enjoyed by Erwie Vincent, his sibling as well as his childhood best friend until now! Oh, Buddha… Why must this happen? Why must this occur to us…? Why…?
"When you've attained your parents' approval, does that mean I'm free to introduce you to my dad and mom, to Erick and Erdie, and to all my peers?" asked Erwie Vincent with his warm smile decorating his face.
"Yeah… Give me more time, Wie," said Stella repeating the same and the same sentence. "I love you, and suppose I was opposed by my parents to be together with you, I'd run away from home."
Erwie Vincent hissed while he put his index finger at his princess' lips.
"Don't say that. I'm dead certain your dad and mom will let you be with me. I'm sure the power of our love can defeat anything, Stel. I'm sure…" said Erwie Vincent caressing his princess' head gently. Erwie Vincent was indeed a gentle and responsible man. It would be twice when he was dealing with love and feelings.
"Thanks very much, Wie… Thanks for understanding my position at this moment. I'm dead certain when I'm by your side later on, that becomes unchangeable thing for me in the world," said Stella immersing her head deeper into Erwie Vincent's embrace.
Again, Erwie Vincent got startled in his dream as well. His shadow had now turned to Erdie Vio's figure! He really got shocked in his dream that night. He stepped back dizzily a few steps. His background world broke into bits and pieces. He couldn't accept this betrayal! He couldn't accept why he lost in the competition against his own siblings as well as his childhood friends until now, in obtaining Stella Kuangdinata's love! Oh, Buddha… Why must this happen? Why can we be trapped in the same chain of love…? Why…?
Erdie Vio landed an intimate kiss to his princess' lips. Stella tightened her embrace and their both pairs of lips linked and fitted each other in an endless and deep intimacy.
"I promise… When your parents have approved our relationship, I'll certainly marry you, Stel," said Erdie Vio with his high enthusiasm.
Stella smiled funnily. Erdie Vio was indeed a man with full enthusiasm, optimism, and the highest spirit of life among the three Makmur siblings. Yet, don't ever disappoint him. Once he was disappointed and losing his belief about one thing, in the future he would never show the same spirit and enthusiasm anymore.
"Why does it have to be that fast? You can't precede Erick and Erwie, Die…" said Stella still in her funny smile.
"Suppose I'm the first who meet my sweetheart, I'm dead certain they'll approve my relationship, Stel. They aren't only my siblings and my childhood friends until now, Stel. They've almost become my soul mates. I'm dead certain they'll support anything which becomes my happiness," said Erdie Vio still with full enthusiasm glowing in his eyes.
Stella nodded her head steadily, "Yeah… Give me more time, Die… I'll slowly explain it to my dad and mom. I'm also sure they'll always support and approve anything which becomes my happiness."
"The future is still far way away, Stel," said Erdie Vio tightening his embrace. "But, if we face it together, I'm sure the best will be waiting for us at the end of the road."
"Yeah… You're always optimistic, Die," said Stella.
"Of course…" uttered Erdie Vio with his grinning face. "Thinking with optimism, everything surrounding us will be good. Thinking with pessimism, everything around us will be negative as well. Am I right?"
"Yeah… I'm listening to your optimistic words, Die," said Stella again immersing her head into Erdie Vio's embrace.
Nevertheless, in the next seconds, Erdie Vio was also struck by thousands of shock, sadness, anger, dismay, and disappointment, one thousand folds stronger than the nine-Richter-scale earthquake. Suddenly his shadow changed back to Erick Vildy. He also stepped back dizzily a few steps. His feet were shaking severely and lost their power to sustain his body. His background world also shattered into pieces.
Oh, Buddha… Why must this happen? I don't accept why she betrayed me with two of my siblings and my childhood friends until now! I can't accept it…! I really can't accept this lost! Everything would be different suppose she was with another guys. I would step back and give up. But, why must it be my two siblings and my childhood friends until now? Why…? Why must this occur to three of us?
***
Suddenly, Erdie Vio's heart screaming faded Erick Vildy's dream away. Spontaneously, he awoke from his dream with his gasping breath. He looked around him. He was still in hospital. He looked at the clock a while. It was only two early in the morning. He saw the infusion syringe was still stuck on his left wrist. He could not get down from the bed. Because of not being able to do anything more, he only gulped a glass of water lying on a small shelf beside his bed. Afterwards, he decided to lie back on his bed.
Five years have passed by… Five years…Yet, until this moment, I'm still thinking about the same matter. I'm questioning something… Haven't I been able to take Stella out of my mind? It is obvious she was just fooling and deceiving me, for a particular purpose. Until now, I don't even really figure out what her purpose actually was. I obviously know all was just a drama, all wasn't real, and those times I was solely living in fake happiness. Isn't that enough for me to take her out of my mind and start my new life here…?
Or is it…? It's not Stella who's still living under my memories, is it? It isn't Stella, is it? Suppose it isn't Stella, then what's still sticking to my mind until now…? Is that Erwie and Erdie…? Oh, Buddha… Why does the matter about human's mind and soul have to be very complicated like this?
A bit of guilty conscience began to pop up in Erick Vildy's mind.
Wie… Die… Where are you at the moment…? Actually I can phone back easily to Medan, and ask Dad and Mom where you're staying at the moment. However, my prestige and dignity prevent me doing that. Oh, Buddha… I begin to regret why I can possess such high prestige and dignity…
Erick Vildy passed the night with deep restlessness.