↷✦; w e l c o m e ❞
Two consecutive failures didn't deter Carliam Loise. For her, the sweet martabak smeared on her face yesterday was merely an "organic mask" to brighten her charm today.
"Today we don't need inanimate objects," Carliam declared at headquarters. "We need heroic action. Women love heroes."
Justin Darwin immediately outlined his latest strategy: Operation: Feline Rescue. "According to my intelligence, Anara's beloved cat, 'Mochi,' often gets trapped in the frangipani tree in front of her house every afternoon. Carliam, you will climb up, rescue him, and climb down superhero-style."
"I've got the costume ready!" Kevin Julio pulled out a shiny leather jacket that smelled like burning rubber. "This is a scratch-resistant jacket, Liam. Very masculine, although a little tight in the armpits."
Amos Adipati took a sip of his tea. "Cats are a symbol of independence. By rescuing them, you prove that you are the master of that independence itself. Become one with the tree, Carliam."
That afternoon, the plan was put into action. Mochi was indeed on a branch of the frangipani tree. Carliam began to climb with difficulty because Kevin's leather jacket was too stiff. Below the tree, Edwin Albara prepared to catch him if anything happened.
"Anara! Look here!" Carliam shouted once he was on a fairly high branch.
Anara came out of the house and stared in horror. "Carliam? What are you doing there? Come down, bro! The branch is fragile!"
"Calm down, Anara! I'm negotiating with Mochi to get him to—"
Before Carliam could finish his sentence, Edwin, wanting to help, instead shook the tree trunk with his mighty hands.
"Come down quickly, Liam! I'll help you shake it!"
CRACK!
The frangipani branch broke. But instead of falling toward Edwin, Carliam's clothes got caught on another branch, leaving him suspended in the air.
Elio Adibrata, who was sleeping under the tree, was awakened by Mochi's cat falling right on his face. "Ouch... is it raining fur?" Elio muttered, then closed his eyes again.
Anara covered her eyes with her hands. "Brother Carliam? That..."
Carliam, even though he was hanging upside down, still tried to maintain his dignity. He crossed his arms over his chest with difficulty.
"This wasn't an accident, Anara!" Carliam exclaimed in a trembling voice. "I'm demonstrating Newton's law of gravity live. And this? This is a future fashion trend called 'strategic ventilation.'"
Anara laughed until she collapsed on her porch. "Brother, you really never fail to make me laugh!"
Moments after Edwin managed to lower him, Carliam stumbled away from the crowd of panicked friends. Behind a narrow alley, he collapsed.
His breathing was labored, far more than a healthy person should experience after climbing a tree.
He felt his chest, feeling an irregular heartbeat. Carliam looked up at the evening sky, which was turning orange.
"You're kidding, right?" he whispered to the sky. "Don't call me that yet. At least until Anara stops thinking of me as 'big brother.'"
His fortune was as deep as the ocean's depths, but the secrets within him were far darker than that.