Luccane
Chapter 3: The Red Lantern

"Hi, how's your Dutch crossbreed girlfriend? is he cooler than me?"

I was surprised by the presence of Luccane who likes to come and go suddenly like the wind. My eyes glared in annoyance at him, while Luccane just looked at me with a casual face as if innocent.

"Why do you always appear like such a ghost!" yell wrath.

Luccane grinned at my silly words, "i'm a ghost if you forget."

"Damn, I always forget about that because your face is too human," I sniffed back while tidying up my worship equipment back to its place.

Luccane's sturdy fingers fix the top buttons of his satin shirt that open, slightly showing his field chest. I shook my head quickly trying to control myself so as not to go crazy due to the temptation of Luccane.

"Then do you want to see my last face when I die?"

I shuddered in horror. "I don't think it's necessary, it must be so creepy."

"Don't you wonder how I died then? of the many indigo children I met all asked me about it," Luccane asked as he stroked his bright brown hair backwards using fingers.

Judging from any side, the figure of the astral man did not appear to be a ghost at all.

Luccane has very lively blue eyes like clear sea water, the charming light brown hair and thick eyebrows are very different from the appearance of ghosts that are generally creepy with crushed faces and the pungent smell of blood from their bodies.

I had not yet answered Luccane's words, again I was shocked by the sudden power outage that made me confused because I was afraid of the darkness.

I who was scared and panicked could only scream while trying to find my phone.

"Luccane! please turn on something for lighting, I'm afraid of the dark!" hysterical shouting.

Not ten seconds had passed, a dim light seemed to appear making my breath that was hunting great become a little calmer. It turned out that the light was coming from a small, red lantern that Luccane had found, an ancient lantern that I had never seen in its original form other than the history books I had studied.

"You feel better?" Luccane asked softly, putting his red lantern on the table not far from where we both sat.

"Yes, thank you."

Although in the dim light Luccane's face still looks so stunning, it looks very contrasted with the darkness that envelops it.

The beautiful face covered the soothing gentle smile that made me fixated with eyes that were only on her.

"So, are you listening to my death story or not Miss Vishabea?"

Luccane's question with a calm tone and a soft heavy voice brought me back into focus. "ah, yes you can tell me. Because you're touching her now I'm curious too."

Luccane's vision looked bright, recalling his past.

"instead of going home safely, I watched with my own eyes as the Japanese soldiers who had occupied my house shot both my parents and everyone who lived around my house blindly. not until there, me and some other Dutch children they had gathered were taken aboard a warship with ballast objects at each of our feet. there was nothing we could do but surrender at that time, we could not at all fight the Japanese soldiers armed with complete weaponry upon arrival in the middle of the high seas, one by one we began to be thrown into the sea lightly like we were throwing garbage."

I did not interrupt at all the Luccane story he told with tears in his eyes. His wounds and injuries melted into one that I believe felt really sick and tormented Luccane's mind.

I was surprised to let Luccane continue his story while wiping away the trace of his tears with the back of his hand quickly.

Luccane looked at me with a scarred look.

"and yes, I drowned because my legs were fitted with ballast that I could not let go. a very unjust death for a nineteen-year-old young man who was eager to please his native mother."

I rubbed Luccane's cold shoulder gently, powerless to say anything. The story was heartbreaking even for me who only heard it made my heart feel crushed.

"We know? this red lantern is my own handmade that I used to want to give to my mother, but I'm grateful that this thing can finally be useful" Luccane added with his ladder wiping the edges of the red lantern. a smile was engraved on his face but I was sure it was not a smile that described happiness.

I'm bowed listlessly. "forgive me, Luccane.I shouldn't have asked you to tell me about that dark time."

"It doesn't matter, it's because I wanted to tell it myself."

The sound of thunder accompanied by the roar of strong winds rang out tore into the silence tonight. It seems like rain accompanied by a storm will come soon to make me worry if the electricity does not come back immediately when the storm comes later.

"The electricity will go out for a long time" Luccane said, as if he could read my mind. "but you need not fear, the red lantern will not go out until the electricity is on."

"But I'm getting cold" my great-grandson, reluctantly looked into Luccane's eyes fixed on me.

The sound of light puffiness emanated from Luccane then. "why not say? I can get you everything you need."

"Then can you get me my pillow and blanket?"

"Aren't you going to sleep in the room?" Luccane asked in wonder.

"Yes, the pocong with its charred face and blood-red eyes kept looking at me sharply from behind the window.it was very creepy and made me feel annoyed," I expressed my frustration at the sinister-faced pocong figure who was very disturbing with his sharp and vengeful gaze.

Luccane nodded in understanding. "yes, for tonight you sleep here. about that insolent pocong I will take care of it immediately."

After Luccane died, I looked at the red lantern full of hand carvings in awe. "it turns out Luccane loved his mother more than I loved my mother. he was even willing to work on such intricate carvings to make his mother happy."

"You can keep that red lantern if you want. Besides my mother, you deserve to have that red lantern I made with all my heart."