KUMPULAN KARYA TULIS SISWA PADA KEGIATAN CHARACTER CAMP

He replied, ―Of course, which one? Are you looking for the legislative center, executive center, judicial center, or the central city square?‖ ―Uh…‖ Tristan stood rooted at his spot for a while and remained frozen, trying to formulate a response, until the man looked at him with concern and snapped his fingers in front of his face. ―Oh, sorry. Um… yeah, I‘m a student and I do not know where I should take my exams.‖ ―Oh, I see. Well, the exam hall is over there,‖ he said, pointing at a nearby white building with a red roof and a sign ―Exam Hall‖ above the entrance. Tristan thanked the man and left for the building. He entered the building to find it empty and explored it. He got a pamphlet about the ways exams are carried out and he stowed it in his pocket. Its walls were painted light lilac and were very smooth while its floor looked like it was made of polished white granite tiles. He could see the main hallway, restricted to only those taking the exams. He turned and left the building, enjoying the urban view transitioning into natural view as he walked back home. Once home, he drew up the plans for the next centuries. ―There are so many things I could become, so many things I could help humanity and other races develop in. I wonder if one day, I could get permission to enter the other races‘ territories…‖ he thought. It was a privilege for very few to be able to enter another race‘s territory, usually only the most skilled diplomats or people who invented something needed by them. He then changed into his taupe haze pajamas and tucked in, letting himself fall asleep. He has planned for a century ahead, and he carries out the plan for a century ahead. He has checked the average lifespan of people in the current era, it was 145 years, so his plans will not be interrupted and not be suspicious. Then, something hit him, he had no alias yet. ―Well, this is funny. I‘ve literally made a general plan of what to do for the century, but haven‘t even thought about my name…‖ He chuckled then thought, ―The first thing I think of is Paul… Professor Paul. Nice, an alliteration.‖ In the first decade, he chose to fix the problem of earthquakes. ―Hmm… Magic can help keep buildings up during an earthquake, but what causes those earthquakes?‖ he thinks as he surfs the web of the 22nd century. ―Oh, I see now,‖ he mutters to himself, ―so earthquakes have two main causes; tectonic activity and excessive magical energy under the crust. But how to solve it?‖ He suddenly remembers a game he ever played. ―In that game, mana was concentrated into a ball before manipulated… What if we apply the same concept? This is way too complicated for me right now. Time to learn more about this,‖ he thought out loud. He spent the first few years learning about seismology, geophysics, magical topography, magical geography, and others. As he learned those subjects, he made and constantly adjusts the plans of the magic collectors. After taking the exam and acing it, he now had diplomas to prove that what he planned wasn‘t something random. He got a large grant to conduct research and carry out the plan. ―This is a lot of money… Earthquakes must be a problem in this region. Maybe they are slowly running out of magic to secure the buildings?‖ he asked himself. He rapidly got to work and after four years of trial and error, it was ready to be tested in the real world. A crowd gathered in a nearby park to see the machine at work. It was basically just a large, translucent sphere with a rigid, transparent tube that was connected to the ground. Some looked incredulous, some looked intrigued, and some were writing down the event. An earthquake due to magical overflow was predicted to happen on that day. Suddenly, tremors were felt. Tristan quickly opened the valve on the tube and 100

magic, its color constantly changing, rushed into the sphere. Soon, the tremors weaken and stop. ―I have installed many of these devices around the urban city center. The overflow of magic is channeled into these spheres and can be stored for future use.‖ ―It actually works!‖ one shouted. The crowd applauded and fell into an excited, but indistinct, chattering. Tristan was then summoned to other cities to install these devices. With those devices, the alternating pattern of earthquakes caused by seismic activity and magic overflow is solved; the magic from the overflow is channeled and stored to stop the earthquake and it will be used to keep the city from getting torn apart during earthquakes from seismic activity. From this, Tristan was awarded for his great deeds. Another of Tristan‘s main achievements in this life is also very important, the resolution of energy scarcity. Energy scarcity is quite common in very large cities and very small towns; very large cities use up more energy, both in the form of electricity and magic than they can produce while very small towns have a hard time producing energy. Seeing this, he planned to build something massive, a megastructure – the Dyson Swarm. He began his study in the fields that are needed to build one. Turns out, it was a lot. He spent 5 years understanding the subjects and took the exams afterward to get proof that he did learn and understand it. He spent a frustrating five years in planning the design itself. ―Finally, after all these sleepless nights, this is it. It‘s time to prepare to disassemble a planet. Hopefully, only partially, we wouldn‘t want to lose one of the Earth‘s magic anchors.‖ Tristan said to himself, relieved that he finally finished the planning stage. He presented the idea to the scientific community. After his achievements, he became respected and some of his more ‗crazier‘ ideas were considered. This was unlike the magic- storing bubble idea, which was laughed at until it was proven. Even ones from the other races agree that this is a great idea. He worked with some of the most advanced technology and aeronautics companies for this project. He met a lot of bright minds and they revised the project plan and the timeline. Soon, the final draft was ready and the plan was executed. He visited all the rocket launch sites, including ones on the territories of other races. He was delighted that he‘s been granted permission to step on their territory. On 7 May 2119, all over the planet, the thundering sound of rocket engines can be heard by the citizens, followed by a bright streak of orange through the sky and rapidly disappearing white, tall objects that are moving towards the Sun, which has a minute dot on it. All rockets launched quickly set trajectory to Mercury, which is currently transiting across the Sun. After the first group was launched, a second group rapidly followed suit. The rockets carried megatons of equipment to disassemble substantial parts of Mercury and are unmanned. The personnel in the Mission Control were cheering the successful mass launches. After the short celebration session, they returned to their posts and continue monitoring the rockets. They landed safely and started preparing for partial planetary disassembly. They were all overjoyed; their unlikely plan is working so far. Miners, purifiers, processors, and launchers were assembled from the parts the rockets brought and use the sunlight as power to start to do their jobs. The miners dug the surface and the material is purified for a metal. The metal is then processed into large mirrors with a small nanochip attached to it for direction adjusting. The large mirrors would be launched by powerful slingshots that can throw houses into space. Everyone watched the progress. It began slowly, but it speeds up exponentially as light is reflected by the mirrors that are already orbiting the Sun to power the operation. By the end of 101

the second decade since the start of the operation, the mirrors were refocused to the receivers around orbiting around the Earth. The power supplied was more than enough for the Earth. Civilization is also finding more ways to use the energy and they are looking to do something that had, up to that point, been nothing more than Science Fiction: planet terraforming and colonization. Tristan, however, warns, ―I believe that we need to resolve the problems we have on Earth before we turn to space adventure. It is a very bad idea to bite off more than we can chew.‖ Some agree, but many didn‘t. Tristan spent the rest of his days under his Professor Paul identity as a professor who was active in society, socialized with many people, and started a non- mandatory school where a lot of students found help in studying their subjects with the help of ―the Great Professor Paul‖. Tristan found out that the pain had dulled and he was quite relieved because he had no desire to carry pain around. He also realized he missed socializing and human contact. Finally, on 27 March 2233, Professor Paul died in a case of ―death in sleep‖. The world mourned the loss of the great scientist. There was no doubt that he was the best, ushering in a new scientific revolution. A new world and a different adventure await Tristan. Chapter VI The Horrors and the Cycle of Rise and Fall Tristan wakes up in his bed to see his room. The books were still messily placed on the table from his last reading session as Professor Paul. ―I can no longer be Professor Paul, sadly.‖ he thought as he reminisced about all the good memories he had as Professor Paul. He went to the mirror to see that he had a tall stature, sharp amber eyes, and short, straight caramel hair. ―Hmm… I think I‘ll call myself Alexander,‖ he thought. He walked out of his house and saw that not much has changed since his last days as Professor Paul. ―It hasn‘t changed too much; I wonder how long the last revival was… Anyway, I think I will go take a walk through the city.‖ He trudged on the same dirt path he had a century ago and saw that the trees were currently dancing in the breeze. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was seemingly glowing azure. It felt like this life would be fine. ―After being busy for over a century, this is a nice change of pace, I am now just a normal citizen,‖ he thought and smiled to himself, glad that this life will not bring too many problems. However, he does not realize the shadows stirring on the horizon. He picked up the self-updating newspaper, which has become commonplace in the current era. He was slightly worried about the situation at the moment; the world had already united, but the tension was in the air. He realized that the country he lives in, the United Republics of Earth, now is different from the one he served as Professor Paul; corruption was more common and they had almost no care for the citizens, only caring because they keep them in power. ―How could I have not seen this? This was pretty obvious, but to be fair, I was working on so many projects I didn‘t really pay attention to the political situation,‖ he thought, ―I think 102

it‘s time to watch what the government does and I‘ll choose a course of action.‖ For the next three months, he watched as the government sacked the people who fight corruption one-by-one by pinning the blame of problems on them. Six months later, shocking news came in. The United Republic of Earth has turned into a dictatorship through a coup. His eyes widened when he saw mandatory service, he had no excuse to not join this time. He looked young enough to be part of the military and old enough to be enlisted, so he was forcibly called by and enlisted into the army. Tristan was furious that they have the guts to do this to the youth, but he knew he couldn‘t do much. He saw what they did to people who go against their orders, harsh death punishment, and he had no interest in experiencing it nor have the power to go against them, so he was resigned to his fate. He was conscripted into the army and placed into regiment X of the seventh division. The training was brutal, such as crawling in mud while being shot with dummy bullets, shooting with weapons accurately, etc. He wasn‘t used to and he struggled at first. But he persevered until he started to get used to it after half a year. Throughout the time he was getting used to the training after being forcibly conscripted by the army, he has made a lot of friendships in his regiment. Tristan and a lot of the soldiers in the division were all very discontented with their situation though; they hated the fact that they, and many more of the youth, were forcibly placed into the army. They even start thinking about defecting to the rebellion, but they agreed to see what the rebellion‘s mission is. Other than the fact that he was forced into the military, he was having an okay time, unknowing of the trouble that stirs nearby. On the other side of the country, an important meeting was being held. ―Some of the western, northern, and eastern provinces are rebelling. We need to send the divisions to quell the rebellion,‖ said an army commander. The generals shout their agreement. ―Mobilize the seventh division to crush the eastern rebellion. That is the smallest one. The northern rebellion is threatening the sea routes. Mobilize the third and twelfth land divisions and the first marine division to that front. We can‘t allow the rebellion to take these key points.‖ The commander points at different parts of the detailed topographic map and continued explaining the plan. The generals listened and watched attentively. The meeting ended soon and the generals went to the army they command and told the troops what to do. Early in the morning, the Sun had barely woken up when the seventh land division started moving eastward. Flying jets can be seen zooming through the sky, leaving streaks of white across the dawn. On those planes were military personnel and equipment, which were being moved to the front. Tristan and his friends agreed that the country had overstepped its boundaries by sending an army whose soldiers had just recently started training. They fumed at the country‘s apathy at sending a lot of soldiers to their deaths. They agreed that they should defect and knew that plenty of soldiers were like them, resenting the country for what they‘ve done. By the third day since mobilization orders, the seventh division reached the frontline. They were out there, fighting against the enemy and trying to push them back. During a battle, Tristan saw a large, round, glowing object. It got larger and larger, and landed with an explosion behind them, sending dirt into their backs. Tristan stared at the red-hot crater as he feels the heat radiating off and realized something terrible, ―That weapon of destruction thrown at us was a derivation of the magical container he had developed to stop earthquakes… Why?! I 103

developed that to help humanity… Why do humans make everything into weapons?‖ One of his friends noticed him deep in thought and ran up to shove him into the newly made crater which has cooled down by then. Tristan was surprised out of his thoughts. ―Get your head out of wherever it is and back into the game! This is war, don‘t dawdle.‖ His friend said, sounding familiar. ―Thanks for saving my life,‖ Tristan said gratefully. He replied, ―Anytime, now c‘mon, we have a war to fight in.‖ The rapid gunfire, the sight of people taking their last breaths and bodies mutilated by gunfire, and the sound of dead bodies falling scarred Tristan forevermore. After two whole months of repelling the enemy‘s advance, support has finally arrived, but not as much as they hoped. ―How are we supposed to win this war? This is not enough,‖ Tristan said out loud. ―Shut your mouth and be grateful that the state even sent the equipment,‖ the general snapped at him. ―More like they took the money for themselves and left the little remaining for us,‖ Tristan thought to himself. The dictatorship had gotten even crueler; the press was suspended, the secret police were created, and more. When Tristan saw this, it had strengthened his resolve to defect to the rebellion. At night, he and many soldiers agreed to defect and they left the camp. They took the equipment and supplies, set fire on the rest, and then walked into the enemy camp. The enemy camp was surprised and aimed their guns at them, but Tristan moved forwards and told them about their less than desirable situation and the rebel army agreed to let them in if they swore an oath and they did. The oath ensured they cannot betray the rebels and this was just fine for Tristan, ―After all, I have sworn an oath with the name ‗Alexander‘ and not my real one,‖ he thought, happy that he had a loophole in case they turned out similar with the current corrupt government. After the oath, one of the men, Liam, came up to Tristan and told him to visit him in his tent. Later in the night, Tristan entered the tent and saw Liam writing in a journal. Tristan, seeing the old, battered journal, connected the dots as was stupefied. ―Ed?‖ Tristan addressed his fellow soldier. ―I see that you‘ve finally realized,‖ Ed said, ―I did tell you that we‘d meet again.‖ ―Where have you been?‖ ―Around,‖ he answered cryptically. They spent the rest of the night catching up. As immortals, they understood each other and became much closer. As none would actually die before the other, none was afraid of the pain of a friend that will die one day. They swapped anchor points and home addresses so they could visit each other. As the war went on, the rebels spread propaganda about the government‘s shortcomings, some are true, some are exaggerated, and some are false, but it does its job. The government also tried propaganda, but it isn‘t as effective as their shortcomings were more of an open secret now. The government armies felt demoralized and 3 million men out of the 7 million of that army defected to the rebel cause. Awards of bravery and promotions from the rebellion were given to some soldiers, including Tristan. He continued fighting in the war, rising through the ranks as they saw his battlefield and planning skills. After 2 years of war, he was promoted to general. He led his army into battle and has a high win rate. His unorthodox and powerful battle tactics have forced the government armies back many times. Tristan, seeing the war raging on for such a long time with lots of lost lives, wants to end it as soon as possible. He discussed his idea with his superiors and fellow generals, but they disagreed, wanting to take this slow. However, Tristan was already scarred by what he has seen on the field and thought, ―If you‘re not going to do anything, I will. I won‘t stand aside and watch my friends die in battle!‖ He quickly deployed the troops of the 104

army he commanded and led a lightning war across the enemy territory, crushing enemy armies that try to confront him. There were a few close calls though, his army nearly got cut off from the other ones, but he managed to retreat across the bridgehead and destroy it before the enemy could. After 5 months, his army had marched into the enemy‘s capital city and captured the dictator. The press was freed and when they had broken the news about the dictator‘s capture, the citizens rose up against the government, tired of living under fear and tyranny. The corrupt empire finally collapsed. For his actions, he was promoted and hailed as a war hero. After the war, he chose to seal his memories to reduce the pain he experience from the loss of his friends in the war. Using his popularity, he got elected as chancellor. Ed also got elected to an important government position. He, Ed, and the leaders of the revolution wrote a new constitution that tries to limit the power of each government position, to defend the people, and to prevent the abuse of power. The United Federation of Terra was born from the ashes of war. After spending this life improving the country, Tristan and Ed were revived after ‗dying‘ in the eye of the public. They chose to live a regular citizen's life whenever they can, it was a nice change of pace in their lives. In a century and a half, the federation had expanded to include the moon and parts of Mars. However, history just loves to repeat itself. A power-hungry person got elected, as he wore a mask of lies tightly seemed like the best candidate of the time, and he turned the country into a dictatorship. ―Not again,‖ Tristan said to Ed. ―Wanna start another revolution?‖ Ed asked. Tristan responded with ―Sure, let‘s do it. But this time, maybe we shouldn‘t make it bloody.‖ ―Yeah, war is a dreadful, horrendous thing.‖ Chapter VII Bored and Meaningless Tristan was at Ed‘s place at the moment. They have watched the world develop over millennia and were one of the major driving forces behind a lot of the development and events, from the development of the sciences, art, and technology, to the collapse of corrupted, evil empires and the rise of newer nations. However, Tristan had gotten bored with the routine. He would act like a scientist in a life, skillfully inventing new stuff to help drive development, progress, and fix problems. After that, Tristan and Ed would work together and topple corrupted empires for breakfast and replace them with a new country. The life of an ordinary citizen has also become boring; all of the thrilling stuff is done and gone. ―Deadly fun monster rollercoaster? Been there. Skydiving from space? Done that. Playing all the games in the world? Finished that. Even new movies have become too predictable!‖ he complained. The immortal has become bored as the cycle of activities continued without anything to spice it up while the world around them was being revolutionized or rising and falling. ―We had a fun time last millennia, didn‘t we?‖ ―Yeah, we did. It‘s just boring now. We have the same routine; develop new stuff, overthrow corrupted empires, and then act like normal citizens, doing thrilling stuff. Isn‘t there anything new?‖ Tristan groaned with boredom. Ed said, ―Well, there isn‘t anything that‘s new yet. It‘ll probably appear in… 11 years.‖ Tristan groaned again. The immortals only had each other as permanent friends, other friends would pass and they‘d no longer be able to 105

contact them. Entering another immortal‘s domain, such as Death‘s domain, without permission has many unwanted side effects and they didn‘t dare do that. One day, he chose to go to a beach and stay there the entire day. He felt lost, not knowing the purpose of his life. ―Yes, I have become immortal, and yes, I have had a lot of fun and adventures in the beginning. Those mysteries were fun to solve when I was a detective. What was the name I used? Oh yeah, James… Why does everything seem so dull?‖ he thought. Then he walked over to a secluded side of a beach and sat down on the sand. He watched as the Sun peeked out over the horizon and the sky brightened up into an orange hue. He has watched the sunrise and sunset over the millennia of his immortal life; it has not changed over time, and it will not for billions of years to come. He feels slightly comforted, knowing that the sunrises and sunsets will never change for eons to come. He thought, ―I think it‘s time to break down the memory block. I‘ve held it in too much for too long.‖ He had placed that memory block in his mindscape to stop himself from the pain, at the time, the psychological wound of losing his family was already closing up, but then it was torn open again by the experience of war and death. He meditated and went into his mindscape, walking up to a large metal door. He took out an old, rusty brown key from his pocket and plugged it into the keyhole, and turns it. The door creaks open and he left the mindscape. A rush of memories enters his mind and overwhelms him for a moment. He misses his old life very much, where he still had many people that he can depend on without fearing their disappearance. His eyes started to water as he wept for all of those he‘s lost both by natural means and by war. He was shielded from the eyes of the public in the secluded place further by a cloaking spell and a silencing ward erected around him. After letting it all out on the soft sand, he looked at the sky and saw the Sun was already overhead. His eyes widened and ran to a teleportation platform, remembering that Ed said he was going to visit. He teleported to a station in a park near his house and ran all the way back. ―You look like you‘ve run home,‖ Ed said, pointing out his messy hair and disheveled clothes. ―Ed, is there any way to reverse immortality for both of us? The boredom is driving me crazy.‖ ―Well… For you, there is. Unfortunately, there isn‘t a way for me.‖ ―What do you mean?‖ Tristan asked. ―Do you really want to know?‖ ―Yes,‖ Tristan said, nodding his head. ―Walk with me,‖ Ed said. They walked in silence, trudging on the recently re-paved dirt road. They looked around, the wind blew the colorful leaves off their branches and the leaves flew in the wind. ―Listen, we don‘t have much time left here. I will tell you later, but right now stand here.‖ Ed said, pointing on a train track. Tristan looked incredulous, ―You want me to step on a train track? And a train could come any time and flatten me?!‖ Ed just sighed and said, ―Your parents are waiting for you on the other side. If you don‘t do this now, you‘ll be stuck here for another night.‖ ―I swore to myself I would never kill myself,‖ he told Ed angrily. ―Just do it, please.‖ ―No,‖ Tristan refused. ―I know this looks really bad, and I am really sorry, but I must do this,‖ he said and pushed Tristan on the train track. ―We‘ll meet again,‖ Ed said. Tristan was shell- shocked that Ed had just done this; he did not see the high-speed train behind him. He turned to Ed, who was waving goodbye at his place and was about to say something when a train hit him on his side. Tristan blacked out from the impact while Ed looked around at the collapsing dreamscape and said, ―I hope you rethink your decision on immortality, Tristan,‖ and then vanished. 106

Chapter VIII End of the Dream, Into the Real World Tristan jolted up from the floor, frantically looking around. He could feel his clothes, soaked with cold sweat, clinging tightly on his body and a puddle of sweat under him. He shakily gets up and goes to check his reflection. On wobbly legs, he dragged himself into his bathroom and saw his disheveled, sweaty reflection staring back at him. ―I have short black hair and brown eyes…‖ he didn‘t know why that is the first sentence he spoke, but then the memory of the nightmare came rushing at him. He remembered everything that happened, save for the brutal details in those memories. ―Thank the Lord and Deities I cannot remember the sickening memories. I would not want to be scarred by a dream,‖ he said. ―Tristan! Are you okay up there? We heard something fell,‖ he recognized that voice as his mother‘s. ―Yes, mum. I‘m fine,‖ he replied. He said to himself, regretting being quite rude by brushing off, ―I changed my mind about immortality… I should‘ve thought it through and rethink about it. I should‘ve listened to Ed‘s advice and not brushed him off…‖ ―That was no ordinary dream… Something must‘ve invoked it. Wait, where‘s the flask for the potion?‖ he looked around his room, but can‘t find it. ―I need to ask Ed, he‘s the one that gave me the potion and he had promised to tell me all of the details.‖ He went downstairs to find his parents talking verbally with each other. He greeted them and they called him to the dining table. ―Are you okay, son?‖ his father asked and he responded, ―Yes, I am, dad. I just slipped.‖ There was a knock on the door and Tristan told his parents, ―That must be Ed.‖ ―Who‘s Ed?‖ ―Oh, he‘s just a friend I made recently; he wants to show me his magitech device.‖ His parents then went on interrogating him about this new friend. Finally, they were satisfied that this Ed person is not a threat to their son. ―I should‘ve realized that it was a dream. My parents worry a lot about me all the time, how did I not realize that in my dream?‖ he asked himself as he walked to the door and greeted Ed, ―Hi Ed.‖ ―Hey, Tristan. Let‘s go now.‖ As they were walking down the lane, he saw that they were walking on the same road as in his dream. He was a little worried that he‘d go through the same thing again and turned to Ed, ―Ed, where are we going?‖ ―To the ritual chambers, of course. You‘ve wished for immortality and you‘re going to get it. Unless…?‖ Ed responded, and then turned to Tristan, ―Have you rethought your decision?‖ ―I have. Your potion made me reconsider it.‖ ―Oh, it did, didn‘t it?‖ ―Why did you make me go through all of that?‖ Tristan asked, shooting him with an accusatory look. Ed sighed, ―I‘m sorry, but it‘s the only way.‖ Ed raised his hand to stop Tristan from responding, ―I know it looks bad that I gave you a potion to induce the dream and link mine with yours. However, it is the only way you will reconsider. I have promised to tell you about me now, and so I will.‖ Tristan dropped his glare. ―We can‘t do it here, let‘s move to a more private setting,‖ Ed said, teleporting them both to his house. Tristan analyzed the room, seeing that it was the same as Ed‘s room in his dream Ed started to explain his situation. He was currently 11,534 years old, a survivor of the war 11,500 years ago, and used to be very rash. ―The nefarious mages had summoned a beast so ancient and so old; we do not know how to beat it or at least trap it back into the shadow realm,‖ Ed explained, ―So I did one of the most stupid things I could have, I tried to do the same, but for our cause. That is when I messed up. The Deities showed up and warned me that there will 107

be consequences, but I ignored them. The ritual had failed, but they did not take kindly to people who defy them. They have cursed the enemy that their magic will be stripped off. They also cursed me into a magical being who grants wishes when saved from a ‗life-endangering situation even if I will revive anyway. I‘ve met quite a few greedy people who tried to use me. The joke‘s on them! Their wishes backfired.‖ Ed continued explaining his situation. When Ed was done, he saw that the time was already 4:21 P.M. Tristan looked like he just short-circuited for the tenth time that day, then his tense, slightly horrified expression relaxed and he contemplated deeply. Ed said, ―If you‘re going to refund your wish, I‘ll allow it and grant you a different one,‖ and then turned to the window to see that the Sun was already walking away with clouds surrounding it while thinking about his past. Ed jumped in surprise when Tristan suddenly said, ―What if I use the wish to release you from the curse?‖ Ed‘s eyes watered, he had not seen this kind of kindness ever since magic was sealed. ―After all, you‘re the one granting the wish to me and helping me to open my eyes. I think you deserve it.‖ ―Then I shall grant your wish. The ritual will be done in another room, see you soon.‖ Ed said gratefully. Ed walked to the ritual room and started to mutter an incantation and after 20 minutes, glowing chains around Ed materialized and then were broken with a loud cracking sound. Ed was on top of the world, feeling freed from the curse that has weighed him down for more than ten millennia. After basking in relief from his curse for about 5 minutes, he remembered Tristan in the other room. He opened the door to see Tristan deep in thought. Ed walked to him and patted him on the shoulder. Tristan turned to Ed, who said, ―I cannot thank you enough for that wish.‖ ―I just couldn‘t think of anyone that needs it more than you,‖ Tristan said. ―I‘m no longer bound by the Ancient Laws. I can finally interact with people more than just a few times… I have many more stories to tell you if you want.‖ This piqued Tristan‘s interest and he replied, ―Thank you, but I think I should go home now.‖ ―Before you go, here is a teleportation device, whenever you want to come over, press the yellow bell button so I will be informed and the green one after two minutes to teleport here. It‘s keyed only to you and will return to you if you lost it. Please visit again soon, it‘ll take a while for me to re-adjust to full-time mortal life.‖ ―How did you survive the sealing of magic though?‖ Tristan asked and Ed replied, ―As you said, it‘s a story for another time.‖ Ed teleported Tristan back home, waved goodbye, and disappeared from view. Tristan waved goodbye and entered the house. ―How was your day, son?‖ asked his father ―It was great! I got a new device with me and I had a lot of fun,‖ he excitedly replied. ―That‘s great,‖ his mother said. Three hours later, Tristan was in his bed, remembering the adventure he had gotten from Ed, and thankful for the excitement he had brought into his life and the lessons he had taught him in such an unconventional way. ―I can‘t wait to listen to more stories,‖ was his last thought before he lets himself get taken to dreamland. The End 108

Extras Definitions of words not in our universe’s dictionary:  Magitech: Magical Technology Magitech is a branch of technology that involves the use of magic as its input, to make it work or to increase efficiency. Some context: Location: Universe R-894α-52BSX-β The story takes place in a universe where magic exists. However, magic was suppressed in the past at the end of the devastating war. The ritual that sealed magic meant that almost no one with magic survived. Magic was an integral part of a person’s life so whenever magic is stripped, the person will die. Oaths bound to one’s magic will strip it when they are broken and those bound to one’s life will strip it when broken. Ed had managed to survive because he was cursed to live forever and suffer by the Deities after his action. The curse held as it had broken his soul’s connection to the Life-Death cycle, and he was still alive at the time, so his soul is stuck in the ‘life’ stage. This means that his magic was stripped from his very essence during that time, very painfully, but he just woke up at his anchor point without magic. When magic reemerged, magic came back, burning through his body, and reintegrated itself into his body. He was cursed into an immortal magical being that grants a wish to whoever saves him from a life-threatening situation; he would just revive, but the effort counts. He’s met his fair share of evil and greedy people, but also met some nice ones too. 109

Fenomena Gagal Bayar Evergrande Oleh : Roy Tjokroutomo – 11 A Evergrande adalah perusahaan properti terbesar ke-dua di Tiongkok. Perusahaan ini didirikan oleh Hui Ka Yan pada tahun 1996. Perusahaan ini mempekerjakan sekitar 200 ribu orang. Evergrande dinyatakan gagal dalam membayar utangnya pada September 2021. Hal ini disebabkan karena pemerintah China pada tahun 2020 membuat regulasi baru terhadap pengembang properti untuk mengerem ekspansi yang dilakukan oleh mereka. Tiga aturan tersebut adalah: rasio liabilitas ke asset maksimal 70%, utang bersih tidak boleh melebihi ekuitas, dan juga kas tidak boleh lebih kecil dari pinjaman jangka pendek. Regulasi baru yang ditetapkan oleh pemerintah China ini membuat Evergrande kesulitan untuk menjual beberapa lini bisnisnya. Gagal bayar yang dialami oleh Evergrande ditakutkan akan mengganggu perekonomian Tiongkok melalui efek domino yang akan ditimbulkan. Efek domino yang ditimbulkan meliputi gagal bayar pemasok Evergrande. Ada sebuah video yang beredar di kanal Youtube South China Morning Post yang menunjukkan bahwa satu perusahaan bersih-bersih yang memasok layanan kebersihan untuk Evergrande tidak menerima bayaran dari Evergrande sehingga dia terpaksa untuk menjual mobil pribadinya. Selain itu, kreditur-kreditur Evergrande akan kehilangan uang mereka. Maka, apa yang bisa kita pelajari dari kisah gagal bayar Evergrande ini? Pertama, hindari ekspansi yang berlebihan atau dengan kata lain, berutanglah secukupnya. Kedua, kita harus pandai dalam beradaptasi dengan regulasi pemerintah yang baru. 110

Terjebak By : Christopher – 11 B “Hah?! Dimana aku?” teriak seseorang yang tiba-tiba terbangun. Dia melihat sekelilingnya, rupanya dia terjebak di sebuah sel penjara. Dengan pelan – pelan, dia mendekati pintu sel tersebut. Rupanya sel ini terkunci, pikirnya. Dia berteriak memanggil bantuan. “Siapapun yang ada diluar, tolong keluarkan aku!” Tetapi tidak ada yang menjawab. Dengan kebingungan, dia melihat lagi sekelilingnya. Sebuah ember dapat ditemukan di dekatnya. Aneh, ini tidak di sini sebelumnya, pikirnya. Tanpa berpikir panjang, dia melihat apa isi ember tersebut. Terdapat sebuah kunci di dalamnya. Apakah ini adalah kunci…., pikirnya sambil mencoba membuka pintu sel. Pintu sel itu terbuka. Akhirnya, aku berhasil keluar! Orang itu pun keluar dan melihat sekelilingnya. Sepertinya ini adalah ruang tamu, pikirnya. Ruang tamu sangat luas, dengan sofa, kursi, bahkan terdapat rak buku. Dia memutarkan badan untuk melihat sel lagi, tetapi sel tersebut telah hilang. Aneh, pikirnya sambil memeriksa barang – barang di ruangan tamu. Ada televisi yang menyala di tengah ruangan, tetapi hanya memainkan statis. Buku – buku yang ditaruh di rak buku juga berbahasa aneh.. Bahasa ini… aku pernah melihatnya, tapi dimana?, pikir orang itu. Sudahlah, seharusnya aku kabur dari rumah aneh ini dulu. Dia melihat ada pintu menuju garasi, jadi dia bergegas menuju sana. Garasi kosong dan tidak ada kendaraan. Oke, mungkin penculikku telah keluar rumah. Pintu garasi terlihat terkunci. Dia mencari garasi untuk alat yang penting, tetapi seluruh meja dan kabinet di garasi tersebut kosong. Sungguh aneh, pikirnya. Dapur terlihat dekat dengan garasi, maka orang itu bergegas menuju sana. Mungkin ada elpiji yang bisa kuledakkan. Tetapi dapur tidak memiliki barang yang bisa dipakai untuk membuka pinitu, bahkan kompornya pun tidak menyala. Merasa berkecil hati, dia kembali menuju ke ruang tengah. Ruang tengah telah berubah dari apa yang dia ingat. Seluruh buku yang sebelumnya tertata rapi di rak buku, bergelatakan di sofa – sofa. Televisi terlihat rusak dan berasap. Kursi – kursi juga tergeletak tidak karuan, bahkan ada kaki kursi yang patah. Apa ini? pikir orang itu, sepertinya ada badai yang telah lewat disini! Dia mengamati kekacauan yang telah terjadi, sebelum melihat sebuah pintu yang lain. Apakah ini disini sebelumnnya? Sudahlah, pintunya paling terkunci. Orang itu tetap mencoba membuka pintu tersebut, tidak disangka, pintu tersebut terbuka. Orang itu masuk melewati pintu ke ruangan lain, yang juga sama kacaunya dengan ruangan sebelumnya. Hmm, ruangan ini terdapat tempat tidur, pasti kamar tidur, pikirnya. Dia melihat ada banyak baju yang bergeletakan di lantai, kertas – kertas dengan bahasa aneh yang sama dengan buku juga tergeletak di tanah. Tetapi yang paling menarik perhatian orang itu adalah batang emas yang berada di atas tempat tidur. Batang tersebut mengingatkan dia tentang sesuatu, tentang, ledakkan. Sebentar, apa hubungan kapal dengan ledakkan? pikirnya. Dia pun 111

mengambil batang emas tersebut, untuk mengaguminya. Tiba – tiba, batang tersebut terbelah menjadi dua, dan di dalamnya… Kunci, pikirnya, ini adalah kunci. Orang itu juga melihat beberapa barang di ruangan tersebut yang sebelumnya tidak terlihat, seperti foto keluarga, cincin, dan mainan anak kecil. Apa ini? Apakah aku diculik oleh hantu? Dia lalu melihat kunci tersebut, yang memiliki sesuatu yang terukir di atasnya. D-A-N-I? Nama siapa ini? Kebenaran pelan – pelan muncul padanya. Dani, Dani adalah nama anakku. Dan rumah ini…. Adalah rumahku. Dia tahu apa yang harus dilakukan, meskipun dia sendiri tidak tahu bagaimana dia tahu inilah yang seharusnya dilakukan. Orang itu berlari secepat mungkin, menuju pintu garasi, dan menggunakan kunci tersebut untuk membukanya. Ketika dibuka, cahaya terang menghalang penglihatannya. Dia juga mendengar suara anak, yang berteriak, “Ayah bangun, ayah bangun!!!” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------- Orang itu tiba-tiba menemukan dirinya tergeletak di ranjang rumah sakit. Terdapat seorang dokter yang terlihat kaget. “Bapak Halim? Apakah Bapak baik – baik saja?” “Apa yang telah terjadi?” “Bapak barusan bangun dari koma. Apakah Bapak tidak ingat? Bapak terlibat dalam kecelakaan yang membuat rumah Anda meledak.” Dan karena aku berusaha menyelamatkan batangan emasku. Sungguh bodoh. “Bapak? Apakah Bapak tidak apa – apa?” “Tidak, saya hanya..” “Untung Bapak berhasil bangun dari koma seminggu. Saya sudah mulai berpikir bahwa Bapak tidak akan bangun lagi.” “Yah, untunglah.” “Anak dan istri Bapak sekarang diluar. Tadinya mereka menemani Bapak disini, tetapi begitu saya mendapat kabar bahwa Bapak bangun, maka saya menyuruh mereka keluar agar tidak mengagetkan Bapak.” “Tidak, tidak, saya tidak apa – apa. Suruh mereka masuk.” 112

SUGAR SCHOOL TRIP WITH TEDDY By : Evan Christian Juwono – 11 B Genre: fantasy ALEXANDRA This is a story about a happy, normal high school girl named Alexandra. Today she is going on a field trip to a village through a forest on the other side of the town. She doesn’t really like going to rural areas, but Teddy likes them, so she felt obliged to go. If you’re wondering who Teddy is, he is Alex’s best friend in the whole world, though no one can actually see him. But Teddy’s real. He tells Alex that she can see him because she’s special. Hm? How does Teddy look like? I don’t want Alexandra to lose her uniqueness so you just have to rely on your imagination for this. It’s a beautiful morning with Alex and her friends and teachers in a bus traveling through a forest. The density of the trees covered the bus from the sunlight, which was already not much to begin with. “Ugh…so nauseous. I seriously can’t wait to get there,” says Jane, a good friend of Alex. The bus moves in a jiggly way because of the uneven road, but Alex is not bothered by it. She is strong. “Yeah, me too Jane. What about you Teddy?” “You betcha!” answers Teddy “I’ve always wondered what Teddy looked like, hehe, is he cute like a teddy bear? Does he sound cute too?” Alex’s friends had never shunned her in her entire lifetime. They truly respect and accept Alex’s unique condition. They are good friends indeed. “Mmm not answering.” Alex says playfully. “Oh you!” Jane said while hitting Alex’s head. It hurt. Alex dismisses it quickly and looks at other seats. She sees Brandon on the front most seat of the bus. Brandon is Alex’s childhood friend and current neighbor. Alex has a bit of a crush on him. Brandon used to be a cheerful goofy boy, but now he always looks so gloomy and paranoid. “Why don’t you go talk to him, cheer him up a bit?” Teddy asks with his naturally huge, but still beautiful, mouth. Whoops, hahaha… I might accidentally slip some descriptive comments about Teddy here and there, so I hope you wouldn’t mind. Bearing the sense of guilt from the fact that you have just taken away Alexandra’s specialness, that is. Haha, anyways, let us go back to the story. Alexandra’s face reddens, and she silently curses at Teddy. Just as Teddy covers his face and sulks, “Oh my, where had the bridge gone?” the teacher says. Alex goes outside and looks at the rigid stone bridge, perplexed by the fact that the huge portion of the bridge, leading to the village, is no longer in its supposed place. Everyone is panicking, breathing heavily. Brandon and the teachers are walking fast and discussing about what the next plan is. Then, Teddy stomps one full circle 113

around Alex before whispering to her right ear, “I know a place to go. A fun wonderland near this village.” Alex tells everyone of this great news. As hesitant and doubtful as they are, they don’t want this trip to go to waste, and mindlessly hopped on the bus again. Oh, what a wonderful journey they’re going to have. “Everyone, put your seatbelts on! Alex, tell us where to go.” “Yep, we should go back first, we’re going to turn right at the very first crossro-\" then they all blacked out. Alex wakes up. Her eyes show a land of fantasy, just waiting to be explored. A pink sky surrounds the entire landscape. There is pink grass everywhere on the ground, and pink bushes are arranged, aligned to form pathways, as if leading Alex to the wonderful places this land has to offer. Among the bushes, trees, surprisingly looking normal, stand firm, but old. There are faces on the trees. They’re smiling, and they are happy to see Alex. They seem…familiar. She looks around her, and sees no one. Her classmates and teachers are nowhere to be found. “Where are they,” she thought. Then suddenly, Teddy jumps into Alex’s vision, trying to surprise her. But Alex smiles and squeals in excitement instead, hugging Teddy, saying nothing. It is cute that Alex can only hug him at his waist, given his tall stature. Worried for her classmates, Alex starts skipping down the path in search of her friends, holding and swinging Teddy’s humongous hand. Alex has always loved Teddy’s long, seemingly fragile but reliable fingers. She stops for a while to force Teddy’s fingers around her hand and continues skipping. A few moments later, Alex sees a figure down the path. It is Jane. Jane is laughing as she is playing doctor with several stuffed animals, performing CPR to one of the lions to be specific. “Jane!” “Alex? Oh no, I couldn’t save [REDACTED] in time…Who is-” “Alex, why don’t you ask your friend there for a dance?” Teddy interrupted. “Oh, ok.” Alex grabs her hands and looks into Jane’s eyes. They look lifeless for a split second there but it came back to life again immediately. Yes, it was just her imagination. They dance delightfully before hearing someone step on the bushes behind them. “How delightful! Your friend Brandon has arrived, Alex.” Teddy smirked. Before Alex can get mad at Teddy, Brandon starts laughing and shouts, “Come catch me, Alexandra!” He starts running. Powered by emotions, from seeing Brandon smile again, from seeing Brandon smile at her and only her, Alex happily cries and runs to him as fast as she can. Alex crashes onto Brandon, and they lie on the grassy field, gasping for air. Alex climbs onto Brandon’s body, and lies her face on his chest. She starts playfully tickling his abdomen, and Brandon laughs until he cries. “Stop! Stop! Ah…” 114

Brandon fights back and pins Alex to the ground now, and pinches her cheeks, yet there is no pain. She can’t breathe from happiness. Teddy joins in the game, and launches himself to Brandon. And that was the last thing she remembered, before she collapsed from exhaustion. END? KEEP TRACK OF THE PAGES Brandon’s spirit has invaded you BRANDON I woke up on the filthy floor, in a corridor of an unknown abandoned school. Dirty, dim, disgusting. I didn’t even know how I got here. I shouldn’t have gotten on the bus and followed Alex. Confused, panicked, hopeless, and desperate, I got up weakly and walked through the school corridor. It looked as if a mass murder happened in this school. There were blood splatters everywhere. On the walls, on the floor, even up the ceiling. I touched one that was on a wall. The blood had dried out and was colored like rust. My knees started trembling, and I couldn’t feel my hands. I looked for any signs of exit. All the doors, leading to classes and the library, were locked. The windows only showed dense rain and a hopeless grey-blue sky. I couldn’t open them. I tried the lockers. I couldn’t open them. I couldn’t open them all… I desperately collected myself and continued walking down the path. At the end of the corridor, there was a turn to the next corridor. A bit of hope came to me for a mere second, before it escaped, as a horrible sight burned into my mind. Ms. Johnson, Taylor, Eddy, everyone. They all looked so gray. Oh God. I puked out of disgust. My classmates and teachers had their necks pierced by huge nails, which also pierced through the walls, holding them in place, about 6 inches above the ground and hanging on the walls. Their blue veins were not bulging, but they were so visible through their skin. Peter’s stomach had been slashed open, and I could see his intestine, excessively covered in mucus and rotting, but there were no flies. There was a big hole in Chris’s chest, as if a monster pierced him through. Everyone on the wall had similar conditions. Mason had his eyes gouged out, or rather stabbed. I could see the white wall through his eye sockets. Hannah had her limbs ripped off her body. Her arms and legs placed right below her. Someone had their face smashed beyond recognition. Another had their body crushed, just like crumpled paper. Even though their eyes were half-open and lifeless, I could feel their cold stares. I ran. As fast as I could. I knew, that even if I escaped, my life had already ended in that sickly corridor. Another turn appeared, I ran and escaped the dead hallway. But there was another row of dead friends, teachers, all hung the same way on the walls. I ran to the next turn without thinking, the next corridor showed the same thing. However, I saw Alex, not hung, uninjured. But…she was dancing. My friend Clark was lying on the ground, bled out, but she was dancing with a corpse. The corpse was Jane. It was at this moment that I had made a grave mistake. I stepped on a pair of glasses, making a loud noise. Alex turned her head around and notices me. Her creepy smile sent chills through my back. I didn’t know what to do except that I ran the opposite way. I went through all those dead bodies again. I 115

choked back my sobs. Then suddenly, a huge force slammed me from behind and made my fall on my back. As I was lying on the floor, Alex was lying on me. She’s still smiling. Then she laughed and started to rip out portions of my shirt with her bare hands. Once my abdomen was exposed, she grabbed my belly button with two fingers, and she ripped the flesh out. It hurt. It hurt. I kept on screaming, kept on telling her to stop, but she continued laughing and carved my flesh out with her nails. I searched for help, anyone, anything, but the place was bare, desolate of people. Under the now deafening roar of rain outside, I suffered the excruciating pain with the bodies of my dead friends hanging beside me. My body started to lose its sense of touch, my face limped to face one side, and that’s when I saw it, in the corner of the corridor. A horrendous creature not meant to be seen by the eyes of a human. A hairless wrinkly body curled up like an elderly taking shelter A hairless wrinkly body curled up like an elderly taking shelter. Its mouth was humongous, and its lower jaw was long enough to hang in front of its chest, teeth bare. It seemed extremely tall, yet extremely thin and severely malnourished. Its pale translucent skin showed the outline of his muscles underneath his skin. Its eyes, completely white, lifeless but fervent with an endless desire to see blood. Every second gives you the increasing anxiety of being pounced on. Its eye sockets sagged, and its eyes were incredibly sunken, as if someone had pushed it in. Its huge hands with long fingers and nails partially covered its face, as if to protect itself. No. Its behavior was not of fear, but of restraint. It was drooling, trembling with excitement. It wanted to kill me. A sudden surge of energy entered me, and I pushed Alex back and pinned her to the ground. I put one hand on her neck, then another. I started to choke her, with all my might. It was all her fault that everyone died. It was all her fault everyone had to suffer. And even so, she was still smiling. Then suddenly, the monster let out a heart-wrenching shriek and…oh God. OH GOD. MY HEAD, ARGH. HELP. SAVE M- I couldn’t talk anymore, as my head was already detached.   116

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Guru Pembunuh Oleh : James Matthew Liono – 11 B Aku adalah seorang murid SMP di sekolah Pelangi Kuning. Aku menjalani hari yang sama tiap hari. Bangun, belajar, tidur. Tidak ada yang menyenangkan dalam hidupku. Paling cuma sekali dalam setahun diajak keluarga keluar kota, tetapi aku juga tidak teralu menyukai pergi ke Iuar kota. Seperti kabanyakan murid-muird lain, aku membenci sekolah . Perasaan bangun tidur sebelum sekolah pun merasa tak enak. Hal terbaik yang terjadi di sekolah adalah aku dapat bertemu dengan temanku, Tomi dan Doni. Nah, suatu hari hidupku yang biasanya membosankan berubah total. Pada hari itu guru yang biasanya mengajarkan IPA di kelasku tiba-tiba membunuh diri. Pelajaran IPAku lalu diajari oleh sebuah guru bernama Bu Shinta. Ketika pertama kali melihat wajahnya, dia kelihatan seperti guru yang normal. Aku mengharap guru ini lebih asyik daripada guru yang lain. Semua hal tentang dia kelihatan normal, tetapi aku merasa bahwa ada sesuatu yang gelap yang disembunyikanya. Aku berpikir:\" Ah, ngapain sih aku berpikir hal-hal negatif? Mana mungkin ada guru yang menyembunyikan hal gelap.\" Hari keesoknya aku bertemu dengan guru itu lagi. Dia mengajarkan kita dengan baik, tetapi aku merasa bahwa dia memperlakukan sebuah murid bernama Ali, seorang murid yang rajin dan pintar, lebih baik daripada yang lain. Aku berkata kepada Tomi:\" Eh, Bu Shinta kok memperlakukan si Ali lebih baik daripada kita sih?\" Tomi menjawab:\" Ah, biasa aja. Guru pasti lebih menyukai anak yang pintar.\" Doni berkata:\" Kita kan, Bodoh-bodoh lulus ujian pun pas-pasan, ya jelas kita gak disukai para guru.\" Kita kemudian menghabiskan seluruh pelajaran itu bergurau-gurau. Sebelum pelajarn berakhir, aku melihat Bu Shinta membisikan sesuatu kepada dirinya. Aku tidak bisa mendengar dari dengan membaca bibirnya aku membayangkan dia mengatakan\" Para makhluk yang menghalagi tujuanku akan dimusnahkan.\" Pada saat itu, aku hanya berpikir tentang pulang sekolah jadi aku mengangap bahwa aku membaca bibirnya dengan salah. Pada hari berikutnya, aku kaget ketika Ali tidak muncul di sekolah. Dia biasanya selalu yang pertama tiba di sekolah. Dia bahkan tidak mengirim surat Dokter atau surat minta maaf ke sekolah. Aku bertanya kepada Doni:\" Ali kok gak masuk sekolah sih? Dia orang paling rajin yang kukenal.\" Doni menjawab:\" Aku juga bingung, biasanya saat kita bangun tidur Ali sudah berada di sekolah. Yang lebih aneh lagi adalah bahwa dia tidak minta ijin pada sekolah untuk absen.\" Tomi berkata:\" Halah pas orang pintar bolos kok jadi heboh heboh sih? Kita loh bolos seminggu aja gak kaget.\" 118

Namun, hal yang paling aneh pada hari itu adalah bahwa Bu Shinta tidak masuk hari itu, dan dia terakhir terlihat bersama Ali. Aku merasa duganku teta hal buruk yag disembunyikan Bu Shinta tambah menyakinkan. Aku merinding membayangkan apa yang mungkin terjadi kepada Ali. Beberapa minggu kemudian, ada kabar tentang mayatnya Ali yang ditemukan di depan sekolah. Badannya hilang separuh dan tanah disekitarnya berlumuran darah. Laporan polisi mengatakan bahwa dia tidak dibunuh, tetapi membunuh dirinya sendiri dengan melemparkan diri dari atap sekolah. Pada hari itu juga, Bu Shinta terlihat sangat senang dan bersemangat. Dia bahkan tidak sedih tentang kematian Ali, murid favoritnya. Dia bertingkah seperti tidak ada yang terjadi sama sekali. \"Bu Shinta kok bertingkah seperti itu sih?\" aku bertanya kepada Doni. \"Aku gak tahu, tetapi aku mempunyai perasaan buruk tentang apa yang akan terjadi setelah ini.\" Beberapa bulan berlalu, dan korban menumpuk. Sudah 8 orang yang ditemukan mati di depan sekolah. Semuanya juga dianggap membunuh diri. Sekolah sudah dijaga ketat dan semua siswa- siswi diwajibkan ikut tes psikologi tiap minggu. Tidak ada yang tahu apa y nag membuat murid- murid membunuh diri, tetapi aku, Tomi dan Doni mempunyai dugaan. Dari informasi yang kita kumpul, kita mengetahui bahwa semua murid yang membunuh diri disukai oleh Bu Shinta. Semua murid itu juga absen pada saat Bu Shinta juga absen. Dugaan kita adalah Bu Shinta adalah orang yang dibelakang kasus-kasus bunuh diri ini. Kita memutuskan untuk mencari kebenarannya dengan mengamati apa yang dilakukan Bu Shinta setelah pulang sekolah. Keesok hari kita memutuskan untuk melaksanakan rencana kita. Semua hal yang dilakukan Bu Shinta normal hingga kita mencapai rumahnya. Rumahnya tidak seperti rumah yang biasanya kita lihat. Rumahnya bahkan terlihat ditinggalkan. Atapnya hancur dan tamanya mirip seperi hutan Rimba. Di dalam rumahnya terlihat lebih aneh lagi. Dindingnya penuh dengan coretan dan gambar. Tetapi, yang menyakinkan dugaan kita tentang Bu Shinta adalah bahwa ketika kita mengamati corentan di dinding itu dengan jelas, coretan itu ternyata nama semua orang yang meninggal. Dugaan kita dikuatkan ketika kita melihat bagain tubuh para murid yang meninggal dipajang di temboknya. \"Kita benar benar harus pergi dari sini sekarang!\" ujar Tom. \"Apakah kita harus bilang kepada polisi?\" tanya Doni. \"Mereka gak mungkin percaya tiga anak nakal, kita harus mengatasi ini sendiri.\" Aku jawab. Kita menyusun rencana untuk menaruh kembang api di mobilnya yang bisa diaktifkan dari jarak yang jauh. Kita berharap untuk melaksanakan rencana itu secepat mungkin. Kita semua setuju bahwa Bu Shinta adalah seorang pembunuh gila yang sangat bahaya. Meskipun dia membunuh dia itu salah, kita harus membalas kematian murid-murid sekolah. Kita melaksanakan rencana kita pada hari jumat, ketika semua murid telah pulang. Kita berdiam- diam pergi ke mobilnya Bu Shinta dan menaruh sebanyak kembang api yang kita bisa. 119

\"Apakah kamu yakin ini akan berhasil?\" aku bertanya? \"Pasti akan bisa, ini adalah kembang api terbesar yang bisa aku temukan\" jawab Doni. Ketika kita hampir selesai menyembunyikan kembang apinya, aku merasa hal yang aneh memutari kita. Tiba-tiba, wajahnya Bu Shinta muncul di depan mobil. Kepalanya melayang dan rambutnya terbakar. \"Ayo datang ke saya anak-anak\" dia berteriak. Dia mencekik aku dengan tangan yang muncul entah dari mana. Aku merasa ketakutan setengah mati hingga hampir pingsan. Bu Shinta ternyata setan. Dia membuka mulutnya untuk memakan kakiku. Namun, sebelum dia bisa melakukan itu, Doni memukulkan dia dengan kayu. Setan itu berteriak denagn suara yang merusak telinga. \"Kita harus menjebak dia masuk mobil!\" aku berteriak. Kita mencoba melawan dia tapi sia-sia, dia jauh lebih kuat daripada kita. Aku hampir putus asa ketika muncul sebuah ide. Aku menendang mobilnya sehingga klaksonya berbunyi. Setan itu bingung mendengar suara yang berisik itu. Ketika dai lari ke dalam mobil untuk menghentikanya, aku berteriak kepada Doni:\" Beledakin sekarang\" Booom! Terdengar suara yang dashyat. Aku bangun untuk melihat bahwa mobilnya telah hancur dan setanya terbakar. Aku lega mengetahui bahwa bahayanya telah hilang. Setanya telah hilang. 120

Cerita Pendek (Tanpa Judul) By : Kenneth Matthew Gunawan – 11 B Sesaat setelah pisau itu tertancap tepat di jantung korbannya. Kent menyadari bahwa ia telah melakukan kesalahan yang sangat amat besar. …….. 1 hari sebelumnya Kent menerima undangan pernikahan sahabatnya Karl. Ia memilih jas berwarna abu dengan dasi berwarna hitam untuk ke pesta tersebut. Langsung ia ambil kunci mobil dan pergi ke tempat pernikahannya Karl. Sesampainya ia di sana, rupanya banyak wajah baru yang tidak dikenal Kent. Walau sudah 20 tahun berteman dengan Karl, tidak banyak teman Karl yang dikenal olehnya. Tetapi ada satu wajah yang tidak asing. Wajah seorang laki laki dengan bekas luka garis di matanya. Wajah itu mengingatkannya pada wajah orang yang membunuh adiknya dulu. Amarahnya seketika memuncak tetapi tidak mungkin ia melakukannya di sini. Kent berusaha mendekat untuk memastikan bahwa ia adalah pembunuh adiknya. “luka itu mengingatkanku pada seseorang,” kata Kent kepada Tom. “Hahahahahaha. Luka ini memang dibuat untuk diingat semua orang,” Tom tertawa bangga dengan keangkuhannya. Sebelum acara itu selesai, Kent meminta untuk keluar dari acara pernikahan Karl. Kent langsung mencari tau siapa Tom melalui media social Karl. Ia menemukan profil Tom, @tomtom. Melalui profilnya, ia juga mengetahui bahwa ia adalah anak dari salah satu geng yang ditakuti kota tersebut. Ketua gengnya adalah ayahnya sendiri. Saat ini ayahnya sedang dipenjara terkait kasus pembunuhan pengusaha yang sukses. Kent menghubungi kepolisian. Ia menjelaskan bahwa ia telah menemukan pembunuh adiknya 15 tahun yang lalu. Namun tidak ada bukti yang kuat untuk menangkap Tom. Kent membongkar file file lama adiknya yang berisi surat surat, email, foto, atau apapun yang bisa ia temukan untuk menjadikannya bukti untuk menangkap Tom. Sampai akhirnya ia menemukan surat tagihan yang dikirim oleh Tom sehari sebelum adiknya dibunuh. Ia semakin yakin bahwa Tom adalah pembunuh adiknya. Malam itu Kent langsung ke rumah milik Tom menggunakan mobilnya. Ia diam diam masuk ke rumahnya sambil memegang pisau yang sangat Panjang. Ia pun diam diam masuk ke kamar Tom dan ternyata Tom sedang tidur. Ia pun menusuk pisaunya tepat pada jantung Tom. Sesaat setelah pisau itu tertancap tepat di jantung korbannya. Kent menyadari bahwa ia telah melakukan kesalahan yang sangat amat besar. Ia merasa bersalah dan segera keluar dari rumah Tom, memasuki mobilnya dan cepat cepat pulang ke rumahnya. Ia pun tidur dan berharap tidak ada yang mengetahui bahwa ialah yang membunuh Tom. Pagi telah tiba dan ia bangun karena suara siren polisi diluar rumahnya. Ia pun dipenjarakan selama 15 tahun karena pembunuhan. Tahun pertamanya di penjara ia dibunuh oleh ayahnya Tom. 121

重男轻女 By : Richelle Wijoyo – 11 B 看着眼前的房门，杨子箬不由心生紧张，做了好久心理建设才鼓起勇气敲了 敲门。敲了好一会儿，门没开，肩膀却被人拍了一下。她吓得浑身鸡皮疙瘩都竖起 来了，回头看了一眼，发现是一个头发蓬乱、面色蜡黄、眼角还有鱼尾纹的老女人 ，顿时松了一口气，“妈，你来得正好，我。。。”不想还没说完就已经被她母亲 打断了。 那老女人瞥了杨子箬一眼，一脸阴沉，“你站这儿干嘛呢？衣服洗了吗？地 拖了吗？饭做了吗？” 杨子箬看了眼她那难看的脸色，把刚才的话吞了回肚子里， 摇摇头说，“没事，我这就去把地给拖了。” 杨子箬心不在焉地把剩下的活儿都做完了 ，时间刚刚好，到了饭点了，刚想 坐下吃饭，门却笃笃地响了。“应该墨墨回来了，杨子箬，你快给你哥开下门！” 老女人兴奋的声音从房间里传出 。听她那语气，就知道她现在有多高兴，有多想见 到她那宝贝儿子，杨子箬扯了扯嘴角，勉强扯出一抹笑容，认命地放下了手里的碗 ，去开门 ，还没来得及开口说什么就已经被眼前的人狠狠的扇一巴掌。她蒙了，一 时之间也没反应过来。她抬起手刚想打回去，却被一道力量推到一边，“杨子箬， 你想干什么？竟敢打你哥，反了你啊!” 看着她母亲那护犊子的样子，杨子箬心口一痛，忍不住大吼一声，“妈！是 他先动的手！我不过。。。”话还没说完就被她名义上的母亲扇了一巴掌，“你还 敢狡辩？你没看到他喝醉了吗？他不过打你一下，你用得着这么斤斤计较吗？他可 是你哥！” 杨子箬侧头看向那个躲在她母亲身后的男人，他朝她挑衅一笑，脸上哪里还 有一丝醉意，这明显就是来找茬的。杨子箬闭上双眼，握紧双拳，手背上的青筋清 晰可见。过了一会儿，她才侧头看向她母亲，她母亲显然没想到她会在这个时候看 向她，眼底的心虚顿时被看得清清楚楚。 看她母亲那表情，杨子箬还有什么不明白的，好不容易忍下的怒火忍不住蹭 蹭的往上冒，积攒这么多年的委屈与愤怒也在这一刻爆发了，她嘴角勾起一抹嘲讽 的笑，“呵！我真不知道一个人的心竟然能偏成这样，他是你亲生儿子，难道我就 不是你亲生女儿吗？从小到大，你关心过我、护过我一次吗？ 不管他做了多过分的 事，你都可以原谅他，可你是怎么对我的？小时候，我不过不小心打碎了一个破碗 ，你就罚我一天不许吃饭，他在他那些狐朋狗友的怂恿下差一点儿把房给烧了，你 却一句也没说他，反而怪我带坏他。呵！真可笑！我一个年级第一会带坏一个年级 122

倒数第一的？这么多年以来，不管他做了什么缺德事，你最后都会让我背锅。你说 ，他的名声不能坏，要不然会娶不到好媳妇儿，可你有没有想过我名声怎么办？” “记得有一次我因为生病少考了一门课，考了一个年级第五，你就骂我不努 力。我跟你说我生病了没法上学，你看到我问的第一句话不是关心我身体怎样，而 是“你不考第一，那奖学金还给吗？” 哦还有，我十七岁那年出了车祸进了医院。 看到你来了，我本来还挺开心的，毕竟那是你第一次关心我，可事实证明我想多了 ，你不过是来拿赔偿金，不是来关心我的。我就不明白了，我到底哪里比不上他。 他能做到的事，我也能比他做得更好，他做不到的事，我却能做到。难道就因为他 是男的，我是女的？” 杨子箬抿了抿唇，眼泪在眼眶里打转却倔强地不肯落下，她扫了那母子一眼 ，最后停在她母亲身上，“算了，我跟你说不明白，还有我明天会搬出去住，放心 ，钱我每个月还是会打给你的，毕竟你养了我二十多年。你不仁，我却不能不意。 ” 她吸了吸鼻子，顿了一下，“妈，重男轻女的封建社会已经是过去式了，现在的 社会男女平等，没人会因他是男的就高看他一眼，也没人会因我是女的而看不起我 。” 说完，杨子箬也没管她母亲和她哥哥是怎么想的 ，转身就走。 123

Siapa Namamu? Oleh : Elbert Keene Wibowo – 11 C Malam ini, kembang api menghiasi langit yang begitu polos. Ronin, seorang anak kota yang memiliki keinginan untuk tinggal di desa supaya bisa kabur dari keramaian dan menikmati keindahan alam. Sementara itu, Maki adalah seorang siswi SMA yang hanya memiliki seorang teman dan siswa-siswi yang lain menganggapnya aneh karena tradisi yang dilakukan oleh keluarganya. Dia memiliki keinginan untuk tinggal di kota di mana makanannya mewah-mewah dan dapat menenangkan hatinya yang telah melewati begitu banyak masalah di dunianya. Di saat matahari melukis langit dengan warna merah jambu, Ronin memutuskan untuk pergi mencari angin segar dengan menggunakan bus. Di sisi yang lain, Maki juga memutuskan untuk meninggalkan rumahnya ke rumah temannya menggunakan bus. Saat Ronin berpapasan dengan Maki di bus, dia merasa deja vu. Maki pun merasakan hal yang sama. Dia hanya bisa diam karena terdapat banyak sekali orang. Tetapi saat Ronin hendak turun dari bus, dia mendengar suara yang kiranya mencoba untuk memanggilnya. Ronin menoleh ke belakang dan orang tersebut adalah Maki. Dia berteriak tanpa memperdulikan sekelilingnya. \"Ambilah gelang ini!\" Dia pun melemparkan gelangnya ke Ronin. Setelah kejadian itu, tiga hari kemudian, ada hal aneh yang terjadi. Di suatu pagi yang hangat, Ronin bangkit dari mati surinya semalam. la tidak terbangun di rumahnya. Rumahnya begitu sederhana dan terlihat usang. Sebaliknya, Maki merasakan hal yang sama, ia tidak berada di rumahnya yang asing tetapi berada di tempat yang begitu mewah dan modern. Dia pun bangkit dari kasur dan berkaca. Ternyata, tubuhnya menjadi tubuh perempuan yang Ronin lihat di bus sebelumnya. Ronin dan juga Maki langsung terkejut. Syukurnya, hal ini hanya terjadi seminggu sekali. Ronin harus beradaptasi dengan kehidupan Maki. Mereka pun selalu saling berkirim pesan, dengan cara menulis di tubuh masing masing sehari sebelum mereka bertukar. Setelah berhari-hari hal itu selalu terjadi, Ronin merasa penasaran atas apa yang telah terjadi padanya dan Maki. Lalu dia menemukan artikel bahwa hal tersebut merupakan pertukaran nyawa. Di saat mereka bertukar nyawa lagi, Ronin memiliki ide untuk bertukar nomor telepon. Mulai dari saat itu, mereka saling berkomunikasi satu sama lain. Pada suatu hari di bulan Mei, Maki menjalankan suatu tradisi, di mana dia akan menari dengan lambat serta gerakan-gerakan yang keluar secara alami dari pikirannya. Setelah menari, Maki membuat minuman sake dengan memakan nasi putih dan mengunyahnya hingga tidak berbentuk lagi. Kemudian kunyahan itu akan diludahkan ke dalam botol minuman memabukkan itu tadi. Hari pun berjalan dengan sangat cepat, dan Ronin mencoba untuk menghubungi Maki. Anehnya, kali itu tidak ada jawaban. Itu adalah hari terburuk di kehidupannya. Dia mulai merasa cemas, sangat cemas, amat cemas, hingga tiada lagi yang bisa lebih ia cemaskan. Seketika itu Ronin bergegas mengumpulkan informasi untuk menemukan keberadaan Maki. Sejak saat itu tubuh mereka tidak pernah bertukar lagi. 124

Pada suatu ketika, saat Ronin mencari informasi, Ronin tiba-tiba melupakan nama orang itu. Yang ia ingat hanyalah wajahnya yang begitu mungil, dagunya yang runcing, matanya yang lebar, alis matanya yang agak tebal, hidungnya yang mancung namun tidak tampak besar, bibirnya yang tipis dan berwarna merah muda. Setelah Ronin pikir informasinya cukup, tanpa berpikir panjang segera bergegas untuk pergi. Dari satu tempat ke tempat yang lain, dari satu kota ke kota yang lain, hingga negara- negara pun ia jelajahi demi menemukan gadis itu. Dia mendeskripsikan tempat itu ke orang-orang di sekitar. Hingga suatu saat, ada orang yang berkata bahwa dia pernah tahu tentang tempat itu. Lokasinya pun dia juga tahu. Namun, dia mengatakan satu hal juga, bahwa tempat itu sudah tidak dihuni sejak lama karena hantaman meteor yang jatuh begitu dahsyat. Ronin pun tidak merespon dan langsung menghampiri tempat itu. Ketika telah sampai, ia tidak bisa mempercayai matanya sendiri. Tempat itu benar- benar hancur. Hatinya terasa sehancur tempat itu. Tapi harapannya masih tinggi. Ronin melanjutkan untuk mencari dia. Saat dia mengelilingi tempat itu, menemukan suatu gua dan terdapat sebuah botol arak disitu. Tanpa pikir panjang Ronin segera meminumnya, barangkali dia mendapatkan bisikan gaib.Ajaibnya hal itu sungguhan terjadi tetapi sedikit berbeda. Ronin merasa seperti bangun dari mimpi di gua itu dan tempat itu masih dalam bentuk yang baik. Tetapi dia memiliki firasat bahwa meteor akan segera menghantam tempat itu. Ronin pun segera pergi untuk bertemu dengan kepala desa dan meminta dia untuk mengevakuasi desanya sekarang karena akan ada meteor yang jatuh. Kepala desa menganggap dia seperti sedang bercanda dan mengusirnya dari tempat. Ronin pun tidak memedulikan kepala desanya lagi dan hanya peduli dengan Maki. Ketika Ronin berlari untuk mencari Maki, ia berpapasan dengan dia dan dengan spontan berteriak ke arahnya. \"Hoooii!\"' Maki pun menengok ke arahnya dan terkejut saat bertatap mata dengannya. Maki terlihat mengenalnya. Mereka pun segera saling mendekat. Ronin mengatakan padanya, \"Dengar, aku ingin memberitahumu tentang sesuatu. Ini memang akan terdengar sangat aneh. Tapi percayalah, hal ini akan terjadi. Akan ada meteor yang jatuh di desa ini. Sebaiknya kamu segera meninggalkan tempat ini.\" Maki terlihat sangat terkejut hingga terbelalak. Tapi tak butuh waktu lama baginya untuk berlari menuju rumahnya. Dia ingin memberitahukan kepada keluarganya mengenai berita yang baru saja dia dengar. Untungnya, keluarganya mempercayai apa yang dikatakan oleh Maki. Dalam perjalanan meninggalkan desa, Ronin meminta Maki untuk menulis namanya di tangannya. Begitu juga dengan Ronin, ia juga menulis nama di tangannya. Ketika dia sedang menuliskan namanya di tangannya, mendadak dia menghilang. Nama yang dituliskan hanya terdiri dari dua huruf, Ronin tahu bahwa dia belum selesai menuliskan namanya. Harapannya hancur seketika. Ronin pun berputus asa. Dia memutuskan untuk pulang. Baginya, usaha yang telah Ronin lakukan semuanya sia-sia. Maki kembali menghilang untuk yang kedua kalinya. 125

Suatu hari, Ronin berjalan menuju rumah saudaranya. Di tengah perjalanan, ekor matanya menangkap suatu sosok yang tak asing baginya. Dengan sigap dia arahkan mata beserta kepalanya ke sosok tadi. Ah, gadis itu! Gadis yang selama ini ia cari. Ronin pun bergegas menghampirinya. Dengan mata berbinar dia menyambutnya. Mereka saling bertukar cerita atas apa yang telah terjadi. Tak lupa, dia menyebutkan dengan jelas tentang siapa namanya. Semenjak itu, mereka memutuskan untuk tidak akan pernah melupakan peristiwa yang telah terjadi kepada mereka berdua. 126

Cerita Saya dan Dunia Kpop Oleh : Levina Margaretha Yotham – 11 D Saya hanyalah seorang anak perempuan biasa yang berusia sekitar 12 tahun ketika saya pertama kali dikenalkan kepada dunia Kpop oleh teman saya. Awalnya saya merasa Kpop ini hanyalah sebuah hal berupa hiburan semata yang hanya menghabis-habiskan waktu. Namun, seiring berjalannya waktu, ternyata saya salah. Ada satu saat dimana saya tiba tiba dipertemukan dengan satu video dimana video itu berisi tentang idol-idol Kpop yang sedang berbicara mengenai ‘Self Love’. Di detik itu pula, hati saya tersentuh dan luluh. Akhirnya saya mulai memutuskan untuk menjadi salah satu fans Kpop. Semenjak saya memutuskan menjadi salah satu fans Kpop dan menjadikannya motivator serta hal yang paling berharga di dalam hati saya, saya merasakan sesuatu yang berbeda di dalam hidup dan diri saya. Saya yang awalnya tidak pernah benar benar merasakan bagaimana bahagia yang sesungguhnya sampai bisa senyum lebar kini saya bisa sering merasakan nya bahkan hampir setiap hari karena Kpop. Waktu-waktu dan hari-hari saya lebih terasa ringan dan berwarna ketika saya menjalaninya sambil ditemani oleh lagu lagu Kpop yang sangat nyaman didengar oleh telinga. Setiap saat dimana saya bahagia, sedih, down, stress dan di setiap keadaan lainnya, lagu-lagu Kpop yang bermakna inilah yang menemani saya, yang menyembuhkan dan membangkitkan saya. Saya seperti selalu diberi semangat dan motivasi setiap harinya. Banyak orang yang selalu bertanya ‘Apa untungnya, apa kegunaan anda mengidolakan artis artis korea itu?’, namun saya hanya bisa menjawabnya untuk diri saya dan dalam hati karena mereka tidak mungkin mengerti maksud saya jika mereka tidak mengalami nya sendiri. Sampai sekarang pun, hidup saya masih selalu terisi dengan Kpop. 127

Will. Courage. Perseverance By : Kenneth Johnson Soefianus – 11 D “20 Agustus 2023, Setelah 73 tahun Formula 1 diselenggarakan, Formula 1 akhirnya menginjak Indonesian soil dan akan balapan di track kebanggaan, Sentul International Circuit. Track dengan DRS zone yang panjang yang dilengkapi dengan corner-corner berkecepatan tinggi. Chicane ganda yang melengkapi turn 6, 7, 8, 9 membuat track ini sinonimus dengan track favorit penggemar F1, Autodromo Nazionale Monza di bagian utara Milan, Italy yang dikenal juga sebagai Temple of Speed. Usai kontrak dengan Qatar yang hangus tahun lalu, pihak Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile atau FIA menyetujui untuk pertama kalinya balapan di Bogor, Jawa Barat Indonesia. Pada hari ini, semua mata tertuju kepada ‘hometown hero’ yang sedang menjalani tahun pertamanya sebagai seorang profesional di salah satu ajang Motor Sport terberat.”, Ujar komentator David Croft. Kilas balik 11 tahun yang lalu, Jay, pemuda asal Surabaya yang pada masih berumur 10 itu hanyalah seorang penggemar Formula 1 yang selalu tidak sabar untuk menonton idolanya balapan lagi di akhir pekan. Pada saat itu, impian dia adalah untuk bisa bertemu dengan Fernando Alonso, pembalap asal Spanyol yang dia idolakan. Waktu terus berjalan dan pembalap yang diidolakan olehnya digeser dengan pembalap mudah yang diprioritaskan karena dana yang dibawanya lebih besar, antusias Jay terhadap Formula 1 akhirnya mulai secara perlahan-lahan menurun. Dia sudah tidak lagi secara rutin menunggu pembalap favoritnya untuk bertarung diatas track dan menyelebrasikan kemenangannya, melainkan dia mulai berinvestasi di hobby sepedanya. Dia mulai menyadari bila impian dia untuk bertemu idolanya, hanyalah sekedar impian…Sampai 2015. Seorang pembalap asal Surakarta yang bernama Rio Haryanto mencetak sejarah. Setelah karir di seri junior formula 1 (GP 2) yang sukses, dia mendapatkan tawaran untuk dipromosikan ke Formula 1 dengan satu syarat yaitu: membawakan tim dana sponsor yang istimewa. Rio Haryanto dengan support dari pemerintah, memenuhi persyaratannya dan untuk pertama kalinya di sejarah Formula 1, seorang pembalap asal Indonesia berkompetisi di Formula 1. Dengan berjalannya musim, kompetensi Rio makin bersinar. Dengan mobilnya yang relatif pelan dibandingkan kompetisinya, dia berhasil menskor beberapa poin dan menarik perhatian beberapa tim besar. Bagi pembalap asal Surakarta itu, semuanya berjalan dengan lancar, hingga suatu saat sponsor utamanya mulai meragukan investasinya dan akhirnya mereka memutuskan untuk mengundurkan diri. Disaat itu juga tim yang merekrut Rio mulai mengalami krisis finansial dan tumbang pada hutang. Secara terpaksa akhirnya tim itu mengundurkan diri dari Formula 1 dan membuang Rio Haryanto serta rekan setimnya. Setelah hari itu, Pembalap kebanggaan fans Indonesia itu terpaksa untuk menutup karir Formula 1-nya secara prematur, sebab setelah tim- tim besar kehilangan ketertarikannya semenjak mereka mengetahui tentang kondisi sponsornya. 128

Setelah berita tersebut diliput oleh media, sejuta umat warga Indonesia pun jatuh sedih, tetapi Jay malah merasakan perasaan-perasaan euforia yang tidak bisa dia dijelaskan. Setelah mengetahui kisah Rio, hal pertama yang dia lakukan adalah menghampiri ayahnya untuk membuktikan bahwa selama ini dia salah besar. Bertahun-tahun Jay selalu dinasehati untuk fokus ke karir yang realistis. Menurut ayah Jay, memikirkan balapan sebagai ide karir merupakan suatu ide yang “absurd”. Semenjak Jay lahir, dia selalu memanifestasikan Jay untuk meneruskan pekerjaannya. Dengan Jay secara tiba-tiba mengangkat isu ini, tensi pun meningkat dan kata-kata yang kurang berkenan untuk didengar pun keluar. Konfrontasi berakhir dengan kedua pihak sama-sama tidak mau mencari jalan tengah. Jay dengan kecengkalannya sudah mempunyai kemauannya sendiri. Setelah hari itu, hubungan antara Jay dan ayahnya ternoda. “Bodoh, mau kamu berusaha sekeras apapun, mustahil kamu bisa masuk Formula 1, apalagi sukses. ayah membiarkan kamu balapan itu sama seperti membuang uang ke wc, ujung-ujungnya juga nggak bakal ada hasilnya.” Kata-kata itu terus menempel di kepala Jay, hingga suatu hari dia memutuskan untuk mengambil tindakan. Sepeda pemberian ayahnya beserta apparelnya mulai dijual tanpa sepengetahuan siapapun. Duit yang diperolehnya ditabung sampai akhirnya pada umur 14 dia merakit gokart pertamanya. Dengan bantuan internet, dia mulai mencari lomba-lomba lokal. Pada saat pertama kali berkompetisi, gokart yang disusun secara mandiri itu, mengalami masalah di bagian suspensi yang terpaksa membuat dia DNF dari balapan debutnya. Ketika anak- anak yang lain mengalami masalah dengan kart mereka, mekanik/ayah mereka langsung turun tangan untuk membantu. Hal-hal seperti ini merupakan keuntungan yang tidak dimiliki seorang Jay. Dengan bantuan internet, secara mandiri, Jay terus berexperimen dengan bagian-bagian gokartnya. Terus mencari cara untuk bisa lebih cepat seperti orang-orang yang memimpin balapannya. Terkadang dengan modalnya yang minim, Jay terpaksa untuk menggunakan ban-ban bekas yang sudah dibuang dan dianggap “habis” oleh kompetitiornya. Penuh dengan penyesalan, setelah melihat ketekunan dan determinasi Jay, ayah Jay mulai menyadari kalau dia terlalu merendahkan anaknya sendiri. Terkadang, melalui ibu Jay, dia meminta tolong untuk memberikan dana tanpa mengatasnamakan dia. Secara perlahan, meskipun dari jauh, dia telah menjadi pendukung anaknya yang ingin melihatnya sukses dalam karirnya. Hanya ego yang menghentikan dia dari memperbaiki hubungannya dengan Jay, akan tetapi dia ingin Jay untuk tidak kendor dengan mentalitasnya. Dia ingin Jay untuk membuktikan bahwa dia sebenarnya salah. Selama masa gokartnya, Jay melalui banyak sekali rintangan dan kegagalan seakan-akan sudah bukanlah hal yang asing baginya. Setiap peser duit yang diterima dari balapannya diinvestasikan kembali buat kartnya. Setelah berjaya di liga lokal, dia naik lagi ke tingkat provinsi dan setelah menjuarai kejuaraan provinsi Jawa Timur dia menerima undangan untuk naik ke tingkat nasional. Dalam jangka waktu 3 tahun, dia berhasil membawa namanya ke daftar pembalap karting papan atas. Performanya yang konsisten mengambil perhatian sponsor-sponsor lokal dan berkat media sosial tim-tim luar juga bisa menyaksikan racecraft pemudah ini. 129

Di Umur 20, Jay pun menerima tawaran untuk balapan di seri junior F1. Dari situ, tim-tim besar makin yakin bila dia adalah pemuda dengan kaliber juara dunia yang gigih. Tanpa membawa dana yang besar, skillset yang dipresentasikan membuat tim-tim memperebutkan untuk mengontrak Jay secepat mungkin dan pada akhirnya di umur 23 Jay berbalap untuk tim Alpine F1 Team dan berada dibawah mentoring Idolanya, Fernando Alonso. 130