A warm cup of coffee, a plate of croissants, and a song by up-and-coming singer Hani made my day perfect. At 09.00, I took a pen and a piece of paper from my backpack and placed them on the table. I deliberately chose this cafe, which is quite far from the boarding house, because the ambience and food are considered good. Today I plan to finish the story I've been putting off, so my pen moves, ideas emerge as Hani sings softly. This morning the clouds were quite dark, making people sleepy and lazy. But for me, this kind of air is just right to pour out all the life that is in my head onto this piece of paper in front of me, I'm sure I won't be able to stop even if an earthquake or aliens attack.
"He who goes, carries a heart, a small heart..."
I hummed happily as Hani reached the chorus of her song, she then screamed, letting out her powerful voice so that the whole cafe was filled with her.
While nodding my head, I lifted the cup with the warm coffee that was now cooling slightly to inhale the aroma. "It's true what they say, the coffee here doesn't fail." I said happily. Then without waiting long, I drank the coffee slowly to savor the flavor.
"Ah...."
Cling
After I put the cup on the coaster, I picked up the pen again. "This time I want to make the main character strong. I've made the main characters all weak for so long, I'm sure my readers are tired of that format."
"Hello, sorry to interrupt."
I dropped my pen to the floor and turned my body towards the source of the voice. Upon seeing a man wearing a cafe uniform, evident from the apron he wore with the cafe logo embroidered on the upper left side, I let out a long sigh.
"You, you scared me." I said softly. This guy is so weird, his footsteps are inaudible!
The man chuckled. He rubbed his neck in embarrassment then his eyes looked at the floor, "Sorry. I just wanted to ask something for a moment."
His eyes moved from the floor to my face. Nervousness and fear emanated from that brown color, my gentle heart couldn't bear to look at it. "Haa, alright. Ask what?"
"Today's coffee, what do you think of today's coffee?"
I raised one eyebrow. Then cleared my throat, "It's good, I like it. If it could be a little sweeter it would be perfect. But nothing is perfect in this world so it's okay."
The man's face looked confused. He frowned but when I looked again, his face was normal.
Was it my imagination? , I wondered. He nodded and then threw a smile at me, "Okay, thanks for the feedback. For the coffee, to make it sweeter, you can add sugar from the sugar packets that we provide at the table."
"Excuse me," he continued. He bent down, his hand reached out and picked up three rectangular, white sugar sachets. The paper had the cafe's logo and sugar written next to it.
I really wanted to slap myself. This is what happens when you arrogantly sit in an expensive cafe without looking around.
"Oh...yes." I replied briefly. As if seeing my embarrassment and reading my thoughts which were just replays of me jumping off a cliff over and over again, the waiter placed the 3 sugar sachets to the left of the croissant plate and nodded to me.
"Enjoy your day! If you need help, don't hesitate to call me. I'm ready to help, especially if it's quiet like this,"
He turned around and walked towards his place at the cash register. But a few seconds later, he stopped. he turned to me and in a slightly teasing tone said, "Even if it's crowded, just call me."
I couldn't help but stare at him in astonishment until he returned to stand behind the counter.
Then I looked back at my paper in confusion. Inwardly, my mind was in turmoil.
"Damn it! You bastard! How dare you mock me! I gave you 1 star in the Times Review just to know the taste! Bad customer service!" I said in my head hatefully.
But I decided not to open the Times Review and give it a 1 star rating just because I was afraid of being blasphemed by the fans of this cafe. Then I remembered one crucial thing, "What was his name?"
"Welcome back to Goes, Goys, Gos Club! The coolest talk show in all of Hemmingdale! We're here with our host, Tania!"
I then focused my attention on the television on the wall of the cafe. The clock had already struck 09:45 AM, signaling the time for the talk show that the whole of Hemmingdale was waiting for to start. I also paused and swayed my feet while mumbling the theme song from Goes, Goys, Gos Club.
After the opening, their main host, a 40-year-old woman named Tania, made small talk with the audience for a moment.
"Alright this is what you've all been waiting for! Our main star today is...." The drums sounded, increasing the curiosity of the audience bit by bit.
Dudududududu
Even I too stopped moving and fully paid attention to the television.
Jajajang!
Confetti appeared on the screen as the pink curtain behind Tania opened, revealing a tall man in, what could only be described, old-fashioned clothes.
He was wearing a black robe that covered his black tuxedo. He was dressed like a boss about to attend an important meeting, if not for the strange suit he was wearing now. Plus the tall hat commonly seen sitting on the heads of magicians was now perched on top of his head, effectively covering his hair and making people wonder, was he bald and therefore chose to wear this strange hat?
The guest star then walked towards the center of the stage with confidence. I was a little amazed by the way he walked, full of certainty and confidence. Despite wearing that awful outfit, he managed to make it look charming.
"Model?" I didn't know who he was, usually this show had famous and sensational guest stars. However, I didn't hear a peep about this eccentric man.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
A trumpet sounded. Followed by lively music similar like those played at festivals. The man danced to the beat of the music, snapping his fingers at certain moments.
I was as still as a stone, okay I admit this song has a good beat. Moreover, the smooth and controlled movements he does look easy to do, although to be honest, it's hard to practice.
"Dadadadadada...da!"
Prok prok prok prok
I clapped along. I can't lie, the performance was captivating. At that very moment I wanted to be one of Goes Goys Gos Club's live audience.
Roses were falling on the stage, as if the audience had thrown them as a sign of their appreciation.
The man grinned and bowed his body. After saluting and thanking the audience, he took his place on the sofa, right next to Tania's chair.
"Hello, Tania." He said.
Tania smiled widely and her cheeks flushed red when confronted with the man's charisma.
The black-gloved hand slowly reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out a whole red rose. "For the lovely lady this morning."
The rose was then given to Tania whose smile, to be honest, did not fade. In fact, it widened even more, I didn't know humans could smile like that.
"Alright, viewers," Tania who remembered the place and time returned to being professional. She placed the rose on her side table.
"Our guest star today is the magician who has recently stolen the hearts of Hemmingdale's internet citizens, Yudha Hardjongko!"
A round of applause filled the studio and made Tania smile. "Thank you for your enthusiasm!"
"Wait, Yudha...Hardjongko." I then tapped my chin with my finger and thought hard. This was a name from my hometown. I hadn't heard this local name in Hemmingdale for a long time, but who knew I wasn't alone.
Even Tania was having trouble pronouncing Yudha Hardjongko. Just like my friend who was trying for the first time to call me by my full name.
Now my eyes won't leave this screen until the show is over. Yudha chuckled, he accepted the mic from Tania, then he tapped the mic while whispering "check check".
"Okay, it looks good," he continued.
"Morning, morning, morning everyone! I, Yudha Hardjongko, am here live at Goes Goys Gos Club in front of your eyes!"
"Woooooo!!!!" The studio audience cheered. My heart was beating fast, this guy is from the same hometown!
"Today I will perform magic in front of you, no tricks no fakes of course."
"Magician, why did I just hear about him?" I muttered. If Yudha has as many fans as in the studio, I should know. Moreover, he will be invited to this event, his face should be everywhere!
Yudha grinned again. He held out both hands, showing the audience that there was nothing wrong. However, what happened next left everyone watching, both in the studio and at home, shocked.
He clenched his hands into fists, opened them and dozens of pieces of money fell out of his palms.
"Huh?!" I exclaimed.
Not long after, the flood of money stopped. Yudha took one and showed it to the camera, "This is real money." Yudha said casually.
Tania who sat beside Yudha was speechless. She then forced herself to say something, "Someone, anyone, can anyone verify this?"
"Calm down, Tania. I have invited someone from the bank to check the money. I knew you would ask this question, so I'm ready."
Tania came out of shock. "Then, how do we know that the bank personnel you brought is not your friend?"
Yudha was silent, but his face still wore a big smile. "I like the way you think, well, don't bring my friend. I would like, Tania, to take one or two bills and face them to the sunlight. I'm sure everyone is familiar with this method?"
Tania looked hesitant, but she picked up two bills and walked out of the studio with a cameraman ready to record her reaction.
Once outside the office, Tania exposed the bills to the sunlight and sure enough, the tell-tale signs of the money being legit appeared on the paper.
Then it appeared on the second one.
Everyone in the studio cheered happily. Yudha was showered with confetti and flower petals from who knows where. He stood up and bowed once again to the audience.
"Thank you! Thank you! This is just a fraction of what I'm capable of!"
He then sat back down with a satisfied expression adorning his handsome face. His lips lifted and he smiled, "My show is at Rose Hall on August 15th, 11:00 PM tomorrow! Make sure you come!"
"Woooooo!!!"
Tania returned to this scene. The audience screamed, raising their hands. Tania chuckled and walked up to the stage, she picked up the mic on the chair and tapped the head of the mic a few times.
"Okay! As you can see, the money is real!"
I unconsciously exhaled with relief. However, there was no denying that this was all a set-up, from the host and the audience. Honestly, I couldn't believe it, of course what he did was amazing. But in the back of my mind, I still couldn't believe it.
"This person is a fraud," I then returned to the paper I had left behind. I bent down to pick up the fallen pen and turned my gaze back to the unfinished story. "How could he do that?" I continued.
Every magic trick has something behind it. No human can make money appear out of nowhere, or birds appear out of their "empty" hats. Whether it's an optical illusion, an edit, or a hidden compartment, magic tricks are not entirely magical.
"What makes you think that?" The café employee's voice rang out. I turned to him, not as surprised as before, and found that he was staring at me from the cash register not too far from my table.
It seemed that my voice had been heard there. "Yes? Why? Isn't it public knowledge that every magic trick is unreal? Only by practicing hand speed and outsmarting the audience can you become a magician." I replied.
He chuckled. A smile graced his face and he tapped his ring finger on the table.
Tuk tuk tuk
"Is that so? Never thought that magic was real, not just a trick?" He asked again. I furrowed my brow and gave him a strange look. "You mean, that when someone pulls a rabbit out of their "empty" hat or creates a flood of money like that they're doing real magic?"
"You could say that."
I dropped my gaze from the person to the ceiling the cafe, as if thinking. "Don't you have too much faith in these people? Everyone knows that magicians are not wizards and even so we still enjoy their shows," I said in a definite tone.
The man didn't answer, instead he continued tapping the table with his fingers. "A fan of Yudha's?" I asked cautiously. His tapping stopped and his eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing right now.
"Fan...? Yes, you could say fan."
Oh I see, he's just protecting his idol, I thought as I nodded, wearing an expression that said 'I understand' implicitly.
He looked unhappy when he saw my expression though. "So, you think magician Yudha is a fake?" he asked hurriedly. I almost laughed at the question. I then looked at the TV that was still on with Tania's voice and the audience's laughter filling the silence.
"Hm, no one knows."
"Huh?"
I shook my head, indicating that I didn't want to answer, and got up from the chair. I packed my things and headed for the door of the cafe, "Thanks for the coffee, it was good."
With that I left the cafe. Honestly, I was already a little annoyed with the staff. Not friendly at all! But the coffee was good and yes, who am I to deny the blessings of the world?
However, after leaving the cafe, I felt something odd. Like all my movements were being watched by many people. This is weird!, I shouted to myself. When I turned my head right and left, people were passing by me without even glancing in my direction. Then, where did this tension come from? My hair stood on end and I quickened my pace, like I was being chased by the devil, I accelerated every step.
Damn it, I thought. Aside from the feeling of being watched by something invisible, I also felt a sense of urgency as I started running. My heart said, "Run fast! Run!" But my brain said, "Stop, there's nothing."
I was confused and in my dilemma my foot tripped over a stone and I fell to the pavement.
Thump!
"Ow!" I closed my eyes, my chest and knees were in excruciating pain, like falling off a motorcycle. I felt my injured leg and felt a warm liquid in the palm of my hand.
I opened my eyes and raised my hand to look at the warm liquid.
"Blood?" I muttered in disbelief. The warm liquid coming out of my knee was blood. Yes, blood. Red and fresh, then I looked at the blood spot on my pants with disgust.
"This much blood?"
I was sure I just fell down, but the blood was like I fell off a real motorcycle.
I try to sit up and slide to the sidewalk not far from my current position.
When my vision cleared and I could see without everything blurring, I realized that this street was so quiet. Yes, there were no pedestrians or vehicles passing by.
Also, what was even stranger was that the sunlight had turned red.