Chereads / Dodens Porter / Chapter 7 - Mystery of Padma

Chapter 7 - Mystery of Padma

After Patra left the attic, Heidy still stay in that place for a moment. Her curiosity is even bigger than before. She glances around the room. "Padma," the girl mumbles slowly. Suddenly the wind blows in her face. The wind is quite strong, so Heidy has to close her eyes immediately. "Padma..." she says the name again, and Heidy feels strong shaking in the room. Immediately she runs out and goes downstairs. Surprisingly, Astri and Patra who are in the kitchen still look calm and don't seem to feel anything.

Heidy rolls up the red scarf she is still holding and hides it behind her back when Astri comes over to her. "Are you all right, honey?" asks the woman. Astri wipes her hands on the edges of the dress she is wearing.

Before Heidy answers, Patra first approaches them. "It's finished, Mom. If you still smell bad, just take it out first," says the guy with the curly hair. Astrid nods and smiles. They both speak the Indonesian language.

Meanwhile, Heidy is silent because she does not understand what her cousin said to Astri, who at that time immediately returns to the kitchen leaving Patra and Heidy alone. "How long will you be here?" asks Patra.

Heidy, who stands watching her aunt, suddenly realizes and turns her gaze to Patra. The young man is very fluent in English, unlike Astri. The middle-aged woman often uses words that sound a bit ambiguous. "It's up to my father. At first, he didn't want to bring me here. However, because I insisted, he finally agreed to take me," says Heidy with a small smile. She feels a little bit awkward.

"I think it's natural for you to want to visit here. After all, this is the country where you were born. Besides that, your mother too..."

"Patra! Can you open this jam cover, son?" Astri's voice was heard from inside the kitchen, which is only separated by a half wall so that from the dining room where the two young people are located, they could directly see the kitchen.

Patra complains softly. "That's my mother," he says as he leaves Heidy again when the girl is still wondering.

Mother. Heidy never know what the woman who had given birth to her looked like. Bayu only says that her biological mother was a beautiful Indonesian-German woman. For the rest, the father does not say anything else. Heidy thought maybe Patra could tell her something.

While standing, she plays with the shawl she's holding and sees the aunt who is talking to her adopted son. Heidy doesn't know what they are arguing about, because she doesn't understand the language they were using at all. The girl chooses to go back to the room and check her cell phone. She also sends an email to her older sister, Lingga.

'It's very boring here. Dad went to Kalimantan, and I am not allowed to go anywhere without Aunt Astri's company.'

That's the content of the message Heidy sends to her older sister.

Lingga has now married a Norwegian man. Not long after, comes a reply from Linga. 'Follow Dad's words. Don't be stubborn. I'm just trying to take care of you and keep you safe.'

Heidy immediately replies. 'Keep me from what?'

A few minutes later, comes another reply from Lingga 'Come on, Dy. Don't make me argue. You're always being stubborn. I feel sorry for whoever will be your lover later.'

Heidy smirks. 'You always cheer me up, today I met our cousin named Patra. He seems quite friendly and pleasant.'

'Say my regards to him.' Reply Lingga. After that, the conversation via email ends.

The day is getting late. The girl decides to leave the room and look for Patra's whereabouts. Talking with the young man, it was felt that it would be much more fun than just playing on the cell phone all day.

Patra is busy in front of his laptop when Heidy knocks on his door. Happily, the sweet black young man invites Heidy to enter. "Are you busy?" Heidy asks as she approaches the young man. She sits on the edge of the bed. For a moment, Heidy looks around Patra's room, which looks unique. Many photos are hanging on the wall of her cousin's room. The photos catch Heidy's attention. The girl rises from her seat. "Are you a traveler?" Heidy asks as she looks at the photos on the wall.

"Yup, you're right," Patra replies without turning around. He is still focused on his laptop screen.

"It's a very interesting activity. It must be nice to be able to travel to many beautiful places from all corners of the country," Heidy responds to Patra's answer. She still keeps her eyes on her cousin's pictures.

"You're wrong. I don't go to beautiful places, which I do It's not the other way around," Patra argues, making Heidy raise her eyebrows because she doesn't understand. The girl walks over to Patra's chair and stands behind him. On a whim, Heidy stares at Patra's laptop screen. The young man seems to be editing a video. The video looks quite horrific and seems scary to her. After seeing the recording, then Heidy can understand the meaning of Patra's answer.

"How do you feel when you're in a place like that?" Heidy asks.

"This is very fun. My adrenaline is getting challenged, and it makes me feel satisfied," replies the young man calmly. "If you're going to be here long, I can invite you some time. I'll introduce you to my team later. They're all friendly, and also handsome like me," Patra laughs at his own words.

While Heidy laughs too. Unexpectedly, apart from being friendly, Patra also likes to joke. However, suddenly Heidy's memory focus on the castle she visited last night. "Did you know there's an old abandoned castle around here?" Heidy asks. She hopes that Patra would know the existence of the castle he is referring to so that Heidy could convince herself and her father that she is not hallucinating.

Patra is silent for a moment hearing Heidy's question. The young man seems to think for a moment. "Abandoned castle?" he mutters as if remembering. "I don't think I've been there before," says the young man.

"Would you like to accompany me there?" Heidy asks, sounding a little hopeful.

Patra immediately turns his attention to Heidy. "How did you know that place? You've never been here before," Patra frowns in disbelief.

"I don't know whether you will believe what I say, but I saw that place in my dream. A dream that has always come since I was fifteen years old. Then, last night I saw and entered the castle," Heidy explains. "You know what? There I seemed to have a vision of a woman. Then I heard my father shouting for her. Padma ..." Heidy says.