Ever since what happened behind the school yesterday, Bisma’s mind had been filled with curiosity. The old book they had found was still safely tucked inside his bag. Bisma had wanted to open it and read everything inside several times, but a sense of doubt always made him stop.
That morning, Bisma arrived at school early. He sat alone at his desk, staring at the book.
“Why did it have to show up now?” Bisma muttered.
Not long afterward, Raka arrived and immediately looked over at Bisma.
“You’ve been here this whole time?”
Bisma quickly closed the book. “Yeah. I can’t stop thinking about this book.”
Raka sat beside him. “Me neither. Especially after that person said the book was connected to someone who disappeared.”
Bisma nodded.
“I’m curious who Arman really was.”
Their friends arrived one by one. Dito and Farel joined them right away.
“Don’t tell me you’re talking about that book again,” Dito said as he set down his bag.
“Is there anything more interesting?” Farel replied with a grin.
Bisma pulled out the book.
“Let’s read it together today.”
The four of them opened the pages they hadn’t had time to read yet. The first few pages contained notes about school activities from many years ago. But the farther back they went, the more the writing began to change.
Several pages told a story about an empty room in the old school building.
“An empty room?” Raka asked.
Bisma read the writing aloud.
“That room must not be opened. No matter what happens, do not try to find out what is inside.”
Farel immediately looked at his friends.
“Okay, this is getting creepy.”
Dito only looked even more curious.
“When something says you’re forbidden to enter, that usually means there’s something inside.”
Raka shook his head. “Don’t get excited about this.”
They laughed softly, but Bisma remained serious.
“I think that room has something to do with Arman’s disappearance.”
When class ended, the four of them decided to look for more information. They went to the school library, a place they rarely visited.
There, they searched for old books about the school’s history.
After several minutes of searching, Bisma found an old photo album.
“Here it is.”
They gathered around to look at the pictures.
One page contained a photo of a group of former students. The year printed beneath the photo was from a very long time ago.
Dito pointed at one of the people in the picture.
“Wait... is that Arman?”
Bisma studied the photo.
The face looked similar to the small picture in the book.
“I think so.”
Suddenly, a library guard approached them.
“Are you looking for something?”
They immediately fell silent.
Bisma tried to answer calmly.
“We’re just looking through some old books, sir.”
The library guard looked at the album in Bisma’s hands.
“Wow... it’s been a very long time since anyone opened that album.”
“Sir, can I ask you something?” Bisma said.
“Sure.”
“Who was Arman?”
The library guard’s expression immediately changed.
He was silent for a few moments before answering.
“Don’t dig too deeply into his story.”
Raka watched the old man’s face.
“Why not, sir?”
The library guard pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Arman was a very smart student. He often helped a lot of people. But one day, he disappeared without a trace.”
“Why?” Bisma asked.
“That’s what no one ever found out.”
The room fell silent.
“But before he disappeared, Arman often said he had found something in the old school building.”
Bisma immediately remembered the writing in the book.
“The empty room?”
The library guard was startled.
“How do you know about that?”
Bisma and his friends looked at one another.
They realized they shouldn’t tell him everything.
“So that room really exists?” Bisma asked.
The library guard stood up.
“It does. But don’t ever try to go inside.”
“Why?”
The man stared at them seriously.
“Because the last person who tried to find out about that room... was Arman.”
After hearing those words, the four of them couldn’t say a thing.
When they left the library, every step felt heavier.
“So now we know the room exists,” Dito said.
“But we also know there’s a reason everyone’s afraid,” Raka added.
Farel shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Do you guys think we should stop?”
Bisma walked along, looking at the old school building in the distance.
“I don’t know.”
“But I’m sure of one thing.”
His three friends looked at Bisma.
“There’s a reason that book ended up being found by us.”
They all fell silent.
In the distance, the old school building stood as if it were hiding countless secrets.
And without realizing it, they were being watched from one of the building’s windows.