Part 3
(Keannu Van Derald)
(Eloise, in beginning of summer season)
I throw a small stone to the center of the lake and shout aloud," MAM .. DAD .. I MISS YOU SO MUCH."
I just feel surprise when something soft touch my right foot," AUUW, what is it?"
I look a white cute rabbit near me," wow, where it is come from? Who is your owner, Bunny?"
I take the rabbit and touch its fur, it is so soft.
"Is there a magic? How can a rabbit in here? I never see before," I murmured to myself and looking around that there isn't person except me in here.
"Okay, fine. I will bring you home, and I will make a wood house for you, Bunny."
"Hi, beautiful girl," someone said to me from the back.
"Oh, Hi, I'm sorry, I don't know that this is your rabbit."
"It is okay, you can take it, I see it makes you happy."
"No,thanks. This is yours."
"No, it is okay for me, I have many rabbits at my house."
"Thank you so much. My name Eloise, what is your name?"
"My name is Derald, my complete name is Keannu Van Derald."
"Hi, Derald. I'm very happy to meet you. Where do you come from?"
"I'm a new comer in a village near the forest. My father works in the market operational office, and my mother is a housewife. How about you, Eloise?"
"That is my home, a wood home near the lake. I live with my grandmother, she sells wood and vegetable in the market from early morning until late afternoon. My parents already passed away when I was eight years old."
"Keep my condolence, forgive me."
I have long conversation with Derald until afternoon, I see he forest and I don't look Marion. Usually, he will come to my home at this time. Maybe, this afternooh he stills busy with his parents. I have conversation with Derald beside the lake, sit down on a long wood bench.
"Forgive me Derald, this is already over time, do you want to go my home?" I said to Derald.
"I'm sorry, I have to go because after this it will be evening and my mother will angry to me if I came home late. I will play here again, tomorrow."
"Thank you for hearing my story, Derald."
"Nevermind, I don't have friend here, and you are my new friend, so after I did my work in my father's office, I will come to this lake."
"I'm always waiting for you, Derald, nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you to, Eloise."
I search Bunny around my house, and take him a woody box. I am very happy having a new friend, a handsome boy.
"I'm waiting for you, Derald."
I go to the kitchen, I will make a hot milk for granny. While I'm waiting my granny come, I sweep the floor, clean my house because all the day I had long dialogue with Derald.
"Eloise, please help me," granny voice in front of the door.
"Wait, I'm on my way."
"Wow, do you get many fishes?"
"Yes, this is your lucky, my net is full with delicious fishes from the lake."
"Thank you granny, thank you God you give magic to the lake."
"I will cook burn fish for you, Eloise."
"Don't you feel exhausted, Granny?"
"No, I am feeling happy all the day."
I hug and kiss my granny, I feel the cold skin and I don't know why my granny always cold.
"Could you help me to clean the fishes, Eloise?"
"Of course, granny. I want to tell you that I have a new friend, and he gave me a cute rabbit."
"Who is that?" Granny feels curious from her eyes.
"Calm down, Granny. His name is Derald. He said that he was new comer in the village near the forest. His father job is in the office of operational market."
"Don't be kind to a strange person, just take careful of yourself, Eloise."
"Yes, Granny, I understand. I think, Derald is kind man."
"You can't look the person just at once, it will be better if you keep youself inside the house."
"I just feel bored, Granny. So, I take a walk around the lake and write a poem under the big tree, near the corner."
"One again, don't ever try to drive a boat on the lake, it is very dangerous for you, do you get my point, Eloise?"
"Yes, I get it. Do you afraid that I will be sink in the lake, Granny?"
"Of course, I don't want live alone in this world, please follow all my rules, Eloise. It is for your safe life."
"Okay, Grannie. All the fishes already clean, it will be ready for burning, I want to make a spicy sauce mix with mozzarella cheese."
"Hmm, it is up to you, but don't give your spicy sauce to granny. I just like ketchup or sweet sauce."
"Okay, Granny," I started to burn some fishes and I save in the freezer for another fishes to breakfast and lunch tomorrow.
"Eloise, listen to me," Granny asked me.
"Yes, what is that?" I am curious, so that I look granny face.
"I just bring rose juice, the colour is red, and I put these bottles in the refrigerator. Don't move or drink it, do you understand, Eloise?"
"Yes, I understand, Granny," I act like children that answer the teacher.
"You drink so many rose juice, all is red, is that delicious, granny?" I asked.
"Hmm, it is delicious for me, but it is not for you. You are still young, and that juice is just for old people like me. So, never curious to try those juices."
"Okay okay okay."
"These are the burn fishes, hmm .. so delicious and make me wanna more and more."
"Just control your food if you don't want to be fat girl, Eloise."
"Ha ha, ready granny, let's have dinner."
My granny and I enjoy the burn fishes, the taste is so yummy and spicy for me, because I add much chili sauce on its.
"After this, I will go to the forest to check my mushroom's plants. Don't ever go out from home, just make sure you already locked inside. I will continue to sell the mushrooms in the market, so I will back home tomorrow evening.
"Granny, please, you still coming and you will go again? I'm so lonely," I just afraid if I stay alone tonight.
"You already have bunny right? You can play with your bunny, and Marion will accompany you for looking sunset as usual."
"But, this afternoon Marion wasn't come, I don't know, maybe he was busy with his parents in the market.
"Eloise, behave yourself as a good girl. You will be fine at home, open the door if the sun shines. Don't ever open the door at night, whoever knock the door just ignore. I don't want someone hurt you. Do you understand, dear?"
"Yes, I understand granny, I'm not child anymore."
"So, it is good, you will be good girl, you will be good teenager."
After we enjoy our dinner together, I clean the dishes and ready to sleep. My granny already go outside and I locked the door. Sometimes, I curious with my granny activities outside, but if I want to follow her, I just afraid if something bad happened to me. My granny often said that there was a dangerous robber in the forest, they will easy to hurt someone event man or woman, they can kill easily. I know that story likes a story to make children afraid, but with any reasons I just follow all my granny suggetions to me.
I go to my bed and try to sleep, however I am afraid. This is the first time for me being alone in the night.
"wrrr wrraw wraaw wrawww, werrwerr wrr"
I just listen a strange voice, where it come from? Am I dreaming?
I want to open the door, but I am afraid with my granny suggestions, never open the door or window along the night.
"Merww hrewwe waarww kerww"
Because the voice is louder and louder, I try to look in my window. I just open my window, I opened the window a little, trying to peek at what was going on outside my house. I can't clearly ook outside, it was dark. But, I surprised.
There are a group of people from the lake. I show them go out from the center of the lake. Are they lake's ghost? I see most of them are wearing black dresss. There are around eight person, I can't look those are man or woman. I close my mouth and nose. I don't want to disturb them, I just want to know what will they do. Will they go to my house and kill me? How about my granny?
I saw a coffin made of iron wood floating to the surface of the lake. I know the history of ironwood from my grandmother's story, the ironwood can no longer be found for now because it has become extinct. Granny said, the iron wood was used to punish the corpses of the dead who became vampires so that they could not haunt anyone. I'm waiting for a moment later, the coffin opened and stood a handsome man under the moonlight.
What? Derald ? Why the man who stand up is same as Derald's face?
"Oh, God. Am I dreaming?" I just say in my heart.
I look Derald is walking on the water and say to the people who read and bring a book to stop. The people with the black dress stop to read the books which they brought from under the lake. I can't clearly listen what Derald say to the people. I just look they sing or read under the moonlight.
"Derald, are you not a human? But, why do you exist in the morning and afternoon?" there are so many questions in my heart.
I just look them around twenty minutes for reading and singing, after that they are looking back, and suddenly I close the window surprisingly.
"God, are they look at my window however I just opened a little?"
"How about if they will catch me?"
I murmured to myself. I am really afraid, and I back to sit down on my bed.
"Granny, please go home, I need you."
"This lake is really make me afraid, and I never know it before, I want to move from here."
I just think if I go outside, I will be not safe. I am sure that the black dress people are not human, they are lake's ghost. I don't know why one of them is same as Derald. There are so many questions that can't be answer.
Suddenly, I feel so sleepy. I try to ignore all the things outside. I just cover my body with my blanket, and I start to sleep. I hope the sun rises early than yesterday.
***
(In the morning)
"What? It is nine o'clock, I surprise to see the clock on the wall."
"How can I wake up so late?"
Tok, tok, tok
Someone knock my bedroom's door. I remember the night's tragedy, so I don't want to open its.
"Who is that? Are you granny?"
Tok, tok, tok
I think the voice is rather different than human's knock. Because, it is already morning, I try to open my bedroom's door and hold my breathe a moment.
"Ooooo, my sweety bunny, do you wake me up? Thank you my sweety," I look my rabbit try to enter my bedroom.
"How can do you go here? Do you jump from your cage, Bunny?"
I look outside and see the bunny box fell down on the floor.
"Are you hungry, Bunny? I will give you some vegetables, I have carrot in my refrigerator."
When I am feeding my bunny outside my home, I look Marion is walking to my home.
"Marion, Marion," I waved my hand to greet him.
He is running to me and smiling.
"Hi, Eloise. Forgive me, I didn't go here yesterday. I helped my mother at home, because she got terrible with headache."
"I'm sorry to hear that. How about your mother's condition now?"
"She is better than yesterday. Wow, where do you get this rabbit, Eloise?"
"I have a new friend, his name is Derald. He gave me this rabbit yesterday. He said to me that he live near the market, and his father is working as operational market officer."
"Derald? I never know him. Who is his father's name?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask him. Do you want to have breakfast with me? I will cook some burn fishes for us."
"It's sound good. Can I help you?"
"Yes, you can. We will burn the fishes here by looking the beautiful lake," suddenly I remember the night tragedy when the coffin and….
"Eloise, Eloise. Are you okay? Why do you look pale?"
"No, Marion. I'm okay. I just wake up, it was so late because I can't sleep at night."
"I see, I will wait you here."
"Let me take the the fishes and the sauce in the kitchen."
Eloise still remember all the things that make her afraid, actually she wants to share the story to Marion. But, she doesn't want Marion leave her because he was accused of being insane. So, it is better that she is silent.
"Eloise, are you okay?" Marion shouts in front of the home.
"Yes, I'm okay. I just confuse where I took the spicy sauce yesterday."
TO BE CONTINUE..