Rubah Beternak

A cup of coffee with latte poured on top, the sound of jazz music in the air and the steam of brewed coffee accompanying the oxygen to breath through. The cafe cat yawned lazily; the fat feline has been decorating the counter ever since it was built five years ago. Monstera planted on a white pot on the corners of the room, giving freshness to the room. The sound of ceramic cup hitting the little plate under it after the drinker took a sip heard every once in a while. The wooden floor let out a small ‘tap’ every time a shoe heels touched the ground. The sound of flipped pages also accompanying the business of the cafe. It was a busy day in the cafe. The waiter served a cup of coffee on the customer’s table. Chit-chatting a little bit about the book the customer picked from the cafe shelves. Cookies were served along with a bottle of milk in case they needed an addition for their bitter espresso. On the other side of the cafe, a girl was doing a croquis of the people outside the window....

To be fair, today was pretty annoying. The tap was anything but flowing flawlessly, rain fell heavily immediately after I dried my clothes, the traffic was jamming, and people were pissing me off. I spat on the sink before I brew my coffee, deciding caffeine would be needed for my system to work correctly. In my head, it’s probably almost impossible to enjoy this day. The word [ almost ] was chosen for the slightest optimism that was left in my heart. For the slightest possibility that today wouldn’t be that bad. “Good morning” my co-worker greeted me as I entered the office, with a smile on his face and hand on the misprogrammed printer, “You can help me with this?” Aw, darn shit. I mumbled under my breath. And yet... another person that can’t be counted for their abilities... “Yeah” I shifted over, messing around with cables and screws. The printer started trembling and then printed the page that was meant to be printed. “Oh! Thank you very much!” his face lightened up, collecting ...

  Keponakanku baru saja mati. Keponakanku yang konglomerat luar biasa itu, yang perusahaannya tersebar di seluruh penjuru dunia. Yang pelit luar biasa sampai tidak ada niat untuk berbagi sepeserpun uangnya yang berlimpah untuk membayar hutang judiku yang hanya sepeser dari jumlah gajinya per hari. Keponakanku baru saja mati. Keponakanku yang ketika mati wajahnya membiru itu, megap-megap dia mencoba mengambil napas. Matanya memerah dan mengeruh. Sarafnya mengedut seperti saraf sapi yang baru dikurban sesaat setelah dia minum racun yang aku siapkan dengan tanganku sendiri. Huh! Salah sendiri dia pelit! Dasar keponakan tidak tahu diuntung! Sudah bagus dulu saat kecil tidak kucekik hingga mati padahal hobinya menangis-nangis setiap waktu. Polisi mulai menginvestigasi kematiannya yang tidak wajar itu. Tapi oh, biar saja. Seandainya aku masuk penjara pun, setidaknya aku masih kecipratan kekayaan warisannya itu. Atau tadinya kupikir begitu. “Mana ada dapat warisan. Kan dia...

 “So, tell me about your day,” The woman smiled, “My day? Well...” She told him about the new store that she saw during her walk here. The lamp was in a medieval design that shone in an orange dim light. She told him about the black cat that tries to seduce a gorgeous white cat down the road. She told him about the avocadoes that were displayed in front of the local fruit store. “They looked ripe,” she said with a smile, “I would love to buy some of them to eat with my housemate after I went back home.” “My housemate… well, he likes some fruits. Usually pretty picky about them. But he loves avocadoes. So why not bring them home?” She then told him about the gutter, in which the water flows flawlessly. She said she is fond of them and she loves how clean they were. She talked about how the birds chirped cheerfully as she walked the streets that morning. Squirrels jumping on the branches trying to run away from the local cat. “Well, in conclusion, today is a good day,” she concluded...

“Can you please not stop existing?” She said in a sorrowful voice. It was the funeral of her last relatives. And now, the only person she has in her life... is me. I stared at her—my beautiful, beautiful goddess. Her eyelashes fluttered with tears on it. She had cried all day ever since she heard of the horrible news. It pierced my heart to saw how much she suffered of loss one after another. She stopped her cries solely to appear in the funeral with no wails; something that’s considered rude in our culture. But her hands trembled on her purse strap. And the light of her eyes dimmed. She no longer shines better than the sun like the person I used to know—she looks like she could collapse anytime if I don’t pay attention. “Can you please… keep stand by my side?” Her voice edged. Almost like she is pleading. I know well that I can’t promise something like that but… “Okay” …I promised her anyway. I died. It was an unfortunate accident. One that’s too horrible to talk about. In the end, I ...