Luccane
Chapter 16: Red Thread of Destiny Binding

The gust of wind tonight felt so piercing the skin to my bones, it made me only able to sigh deeply.

I pulled the brakes of my motorcycle after arriving at the yard of Mang Ujang's house, my only relative in Bandung.

Beyond my expectations, the house that Mang Ujang lived in and the family turned out to be an old house in the style of Art Deco typical of the Netherlands just like the house I lived in just bigger.

The old house building is two-story with pink paint as a sweetener, complete with a spacious and beautiful home yard with various plants decorating and a worn iron swing on the left side of the yard.

There was also a large acid tree that seemed to be very old next to the iron swing standing. After parking my motorbike inside the fence, I realized there was a figure who had been watching my movements from behind the size of the old acid tree.

"Assalamualaikum, Mang!" call me while knocking on the main door of the house.

The two large door leaves were probably about two meters high with a wooden material that strangely felt as sturdy as a wall made of stone.

"Waalaikumsalam, let's go, Neng! I was waiting for Andri and Bibi inside," asked Mang Ujang to let me into the house.

This is my first visit to the Mang Ujang family home after such a long time. This house feels much older than my house, especially I also feel the different atmosphere of this house.

The floor of this house is coated with terrazzo material that makes the room feel cooler, adjusting to the tropical climate of Indonesia.

"Well, by the way, what was the event until Mamang invited me to come here?" ask after we arrive in the living room.

"Today Andri's birthday, he said he wanted to eat with the family so it feels less if Neng Visha does not come too," explained Mang Ujang.

"Well, Visha is here? Come straight to the dining room, I've prepared dinner inside," Andri invited who immediately grabbed my hand.

I said, following Andri's steps into the dining room. Sure enough, Bibi was busy arranging large plates containing side dishes and rice on the dining table.

Various kinds of typical cuisine Nusantara served with pleasure on the table, making my appetite immediately increased.

"Let's sit down, baby! Aunty has prepared a lot of good food that you certainly miss in Palembang," Bibi said spiked with a warm smile typical of a mother.

"Thank you, Mama and Bibi. Happy year to you, Andri. May your longevity and all your wishes be achieved soon" I said, taking a seat opposite Andri.

Unlike my face that looks like Chinese, Andri has a face that tends to look similar to Europeans with a high nose.

After talking lightly and reading the prayer, we then ate together to enjoy the pleasure of Bibi's cuisine that has been served.

My eyes automatically circulated his gaze to all corners of the room, and boom! How surprised I was when I saw the figure of a female ghost who was holding her own head was standing in the corner of the room.

Seeing that shocking thing, I kept choking making everyone shocked at once worried. The aunt who sat on the right side of my body swiftly thrust a glass of water at me while patting me gently on my back.

The woman's ghost wore a typical Dutch colonial-era pink dress with floral motifs, but she was not Dutch.

"Mevrouw's.... Do you know where my son Luccane is?"

I haven't had time to answer the woman's question with my head cut off, my vision suddenly darkened.

...****************...

Cold sweat soaked my body, making me feel more uncertain with my heart pounding. I hurriedly circulated my gaze to look for that figure again but I did not manage to find the existence of that figure.

"Visha, are you conscious?" andri asked worriedly from the doorway of the open room.

"What happened to me, Andrew?"

Andri came up to me, then sat in the corner of the bed with worried eyes.

"You were choking while we were eating together but after that you suddenly fainted. What do you see?"

I looked at Andri straight. He seems to know that I can see things that are invisible so ask such things.

I nodded lethargicly. "I saw the figure of a native woman, headless... Do you know who that figure is?"

Andri seemed to think hard, looking at me later.

"I've guessed that you saw 'him'. Actually in this house there is a husband and wife who died because of the cruelty of Japanese soldiers. Her husband is Dutch, I heard they were forcibly separated from their sons" Andri said, further strengthening my memory of Luccane.

Are the couple the parents Luccane had been looking for? If the woman died because her head was broken, what about her husband's fate? I need to know everything clearly.

"Can you see what I see?"

Andri shook her head. "it's a pity that I can't, but I can feel the presence of 'them' even though it's not like you."

For the first time, I felt that someone could understand my strengths well without the look of scorn like everyone else.

"Tell me if you see anything. Tonight you do not have to go home, overnight here we are very worried about you," said Andri while closing the big window curtain on the left side of the bed.

The moon shone brightly, its rays could even still pierce through the white curtain that covered all parts of the window. The wind was blowing hard, the sign of the rain storm coming down soon made me better understand what Mang Ujang and Bibi meant to tell me to stay tonight.

"seen? It would be dangerous if you forced yourself to ride your own motorcycle in such weather," Andri added after realizing the direction of my view.

If this is the case I can't avoid it anymore. Inevitably I had to spend the night in this house while finding out who exactly the husband and wife couple told by Andri just now.

"Alright, alright. Then you also have to rest, Andri," I said relented.

Andri smiled and nodded.

"of course, then have a good rest, Visha."

Andri came out of the room, not forgetting to close the door. After I was sure he had returned to his room, I again stumbled into the corner of my room where a Dutch man with bright brown hair stood.

The figure was cold-faced with a blank stare that emanated from his two blue neutras, his pale white skin almost like cotton making me become more convinced of something.

"For what reason did you come to see me this way, Meneer?"