Indra's the Skeleton (Jerangkong / Reaper)
April 2022, in a small town located on the border between Central Java and East Java. It was already ten o'clock at night.
"Hachoo... sniff,"
A young man, walking home after finishing his night shift at the minimarket, sneezed because the air felt cold. The atmosphere was still a bit lively, with many public transportation vehicles and motorcycles still passing by. The young man saw a warung (food stall) by the roadside. He stopped for a moment to drink a cup of coffee and eat some fried snacks. After entering the warung,
"Ma'am, one black coffee, please," the young man said.
"Oh, Indra, just getting home?" asked the warung owner.
"Yes, Ma'am, just finished," Indra replied.
"Sometimes I'm confused looking at you, Dra. You're handsome, mixed-race too, why don't you go to Jakarta, go to school there and become a film star? Instead, you're a cashier at Al**, what a waste, Dra," the woman said.
"Nah, no way, Ma'am, I'm not into that kind of thing, hahaha," Indra replied.
"But it's good too, so there's a nice view here. Here's your coffee," the woman said.
"Thanks, Ma'am," Indra replied.
Indra began to sip his coffee. Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder. Indra turned; it was Ningsih, his coworker. Ningsih immediately sat next to Indra.
"Ma'am, I'm hungry," Ningsih said.
"Eh... with what, Ning?" the woman asked.
"Tempeh stir-fry, jackfruit vegetable, and fish, Ma'am. Don't forget lots of chili sauce, and a double portion, hehe," Ningsih replied.
After the woman took the food and gave her the plate, Ningsih stood up, took her plate, and grabbed some crackers next to her, plus two fried tempeh.
"Wow, so small but eats like a coolie, that's wild..." Indra teased.
"Let me be, you're annoying. I won't get fat eating just that much," Ningsih retorted.
"Why are you going home alone tonight, Mba? Where's your husband?" Indra asked.
"Still working at his office, probably overtime again," Ningsih replied.
"Poor thing, alone at night," Indra teased.
"Ah, it's normal. Besides, he'll pick me up here later anyway. Hey, you go home through the rice fields, right?" Ningsih asked.
"Yes, why, Mba?" Indra asked.
"Be careful. Someone who went shopping earlier said they saw a 'jerangkong' (skeleton ghost) there... Hiii... I'm getting goosebumps," Ningsih said.
"Seriously, Mba? Don't scare me. I'm going that way," Indra said.
"Seriously. A high school kid said it while shopping earlier," Ningsih replied.
"Indeed, Ma'am also heard recently that there's one, but Indra doesn't need to worry, your uncle is powerful, right?" the warung owner said.
"Yeah, but still, Ma'am, if I get touched, I'm dead, right?" Indra said.
"Pray then, you're pathetic..." Ningsih replied with a mouthful.
"Alright, stop talking about it," Indra cut in.
Finally, the topic changed. Accompanied by the warung owner, they chatted until Ningsih's husband picked her up at the warung. After saying goodbye, Indra left the warung. He walked towards the rice fields, which were a bit dark because the streetlights there were quite far apart, to take a shortcut home. Indra was used to coming home between 10 PM and 11 PM through that road. However, as he was walking, his smartphone suddenly rang. Indra took it out of his pocket and saw who was calling. He immediately answered.
"Hello?" Indra asked.
"Dra, where are you?" a man asked.
"I'm already on my way back. What's wrong now, bro?" Indra asked.
"Hey, can you cover my shift? I have to go tonight, please, bro," said Hadi, Indra's schoolmate and coworker.
"Oh come on, why didn't you say so earlier? I'm halfway there already..." Indra replied.
"Please, bro. There's no way I can ask Mba Ningsih or Rita. Mba Ningsih's husband would beat me up. Please, bro, I have a real urgent matter," Hadi replied.
"Did you already tell Pak Joko?" Indra asked.
"Tell him for me, bro. I haven't had time to call him. Please, bro," Hadi replied.
"Good grief, what kind of business do you have? Alright, fine. I'm not doing anything at home anyway, just playing MOBA," Indra replied.
"Thanks a lot, bro, I love you," Hadi said.
"You jerk, only when it's like this do you say 'I love you'," Indra said.
"Alright, bye... thanks again, bro."
"Beep... beep..."
"Hmph... that kid, probably some girl trouble again... so annoying," Indra grumbled.
He put his smartphone back in his pocket and turned around to go back to the minimarket where he worked. But as he turned and took a step, "Click-clack... click-clack," he heard the sound of bones rubbing together, as if someone was walking. Indra immediately sped up his pace, trying his best not to look back. His face began to turn pale. "Click-clack... click-clack... click-clack," the sound of rubbing bones seemed to get closer to him. Indra's head began to feel heavy, his whole body shivered, and the fine hairs all over his body stood on end.
Suddenly, the sound of rubbing bones, which had seemed close behind him, began to sound far away. Indra slowed his pace and looked back. His heart began to calm down because there was nothing behind him. He managed to take a breath. He turned back to face forward.
"Clack... clack... clack..." a human skeleton stood in front of him.
Its mouth moved as if it were speaking, sounding like upper and lower teeth clashing. Its hand appeared to be holding an egg.
"Waaaaa.... a ghost!" Indra screamed.
Indra fell down in shock and sat on the road, his head was very heavy, he couldn't move he was so scared, his hands went up trying to block the skeleton moving towards him. The skeleton's hand reached out, intending to grab Indra, but Indra pushed it away and the back of his hand touched the skeleton's hand. Immediately, the back of Indra's hand felt hot. He saw a painful, scorched mark on the back of his hand in the shape of a skull.
Because his fear had reached its maximum and the pain felt like his spirit was being pulled out from the scorched mark on the back of his hand, Indra finally lost consciousness and no longer knew what his fate would be.
"Ugh... my head..."
"Are you awake, Dra?" asked a middle-aged man.
Indra opened his eyes. He saw himself in the living room of his house. He turned and saw a short, white-haired, stout yet muscular middle-aged man.
"Uncle? How am I at home?" Indra asked.
"Well yeah, I found you unconscious near the rice fields," his uncle replied.
"Huh? I fainted?" Indra asked.
"Yes, you fainted. And who did you meet?" his uncle asked.
Indra immediately recounted his entire experience: how he met a living skeleton carrying an egg, and how his hand accidentally touched it.
"Oh, well, thank goodness you're still alive," his uncle said, smiling.
"Hey, Uncle, why 'thank goodness'? I was scared half to death," Indra said.
"Are you still scared now?" his uncle asked.
"Of course I am, I'm still getting goosebumps," Indra replied.
"Go look in the mirror," his uncle retorted.
Curious about what his uncle meant, Indra stood up and walked to the wardrobe that had an oval-shaped mirror. When he stood in front of it, Indra was immediately so shocked that he fell down, almost fainting again. He immediately backed away from the mirror, sitting down.
"Waaaaaa... what is this, Uncle..." Indra said, looking at both his hands.
"Well, that's why I asked if you're still scared or not. You've already turned into a 'jerangkong' (skeleton ghost), you know," his uncle said calmly.
"Why did this happen... why did I turn into a skeleton like this..." Indra said, examining his hands.
"Come here, sit with your uncle first," his uncle said calmly.
Indra, who was standing, walked and then sat across from his uncle at a beautiful and antique round table. His uncle then explained that the 'jerangkong' only meant to scare him because it had just come out of a chicken coop and had just taken an egg. The legend said that if one met a 'jerangkong', they would be unlucky for life, and if they touched it, they would die with a scorched mark on the touched part. But a case like Indra's was rare because Indra had also turned into a 'jerangkong'.
"So what happened to me then? Am I dead, Uncle?" Indra asked.
"Well, if you were dead, you wouldn't be able to talk, right? You're something else," his uncle replied calmly.
"Then why..." Indra replied.
"Ah, I don't know. Let's do this: I forbid you from going out for a week. I'll meditate to find guidance. Now, just calm down first, or do you want to join me in meditation?" his uncle asked.
"Oh no, Uncle, I don't think so," Indra said.
"What's there to be calm about? I'm a skeleton like this and he tells me to be calm?... It's easy for him, he's powerful," Indra grumbled.
His uncle immediately left the house to go to the hill where he usually meditated, while Indra could only sit silently at the table, lamenting his fate. He had long been abandoned by his mother, who died when he was 12, and his father was in England, where he originated from. Although his schooling was funded, when he turned 18, which was now, he heard that his father was seriously ill there, and the funding stopped. He only lived with his uncle at his house and funded all his own needs because his uncle did not work and was a hermit. Now, he was confused about his future fate because his body had turned into a skeleton. Indra could only hold his head with both hands supported on the table.