Ever since hearing from Nisa that Dimas was back, Sendi's mind had been even more restless.
Usually, he was the loudest kid in class. Whenever there was free time, he always had some kind of stunt ready. Sometimes he annoyed Joko, sometimes he made Raka shake his head, and he often made Mr. Arman let out a long sigh.
But that day was different.
Sendi was much quieter than usual.
Joko, who sat beside him, started to find it weird.
“Are you sick?”
Sendi turned to him.
“Nope.”
“Then why are you so quiet?”
“I’m thinking.”
Joko immediately put a hand to his own forehead.
“Oh no. This is dangerous.”
“What?”
“Sendi’s thinking.”
Sendi picked up an eraser and tossed it lightly at him.
“Leave me alone.”
Joko laughed.
“Why so serious?”
Raka, sitting behind them, heard it too.
“Still thinking about Dimas?”
Sendi nodded.
“Yeah.”
“What do you think he’s going to say?”
“That’s what I don’t know yet.”
“Maybe he just wants to warn us.”
“Or?”
“Or maybe he’s going to cause trouble.”
Sendi looked at Raka.
“Why does everyone always assume the worst?”
Raka shrugged.
“Because usually, when something’s been hidden for a long time, there’s a reason.”
That made Sendi fall silent again.
Not long afterward, Mr. Arman entered the classroom.
“Good morning.”
“Morning, sir.”
“Open your books to page fifty.”
All the students began taking out their books.
Sendi tried to follow the lesson too, but his thoughts kept wandering.
He pictured Dimas.
The kid who had once entered the empty house.
The kid who had changed after that incident.
The kid who had now returned.
Why had he come back?
What had he really seen?
And why did he want to meet the person who was curious about that house?
Those questions kept spinning through Sendi’s head.
Until finally...
“Sendi.”
He jumped.
“Yes, sir?”
“Can you answer the question I just asked?”
Sendi looked at the blackboard.
Silence.
The whole class started snickering.
Mr. Arman shook his head.
“Daydreaming again?”
“Sorry, sir.”
“If something’s bothering you, deal with it. Don’t let it interfere with your studying.”
Sendi nodded.
“Yes, sir.”
During recess, the three of them gathered behind the classroom.
Joko brought three fried snacks.
“One for me, one for Raka, and one for—”
“For me?”
“For me too.”
Sendi immediately glared at him.
“Wait, then what about me?”
Joko laughed.
“I’m kidding.”
He handed one of the snacks to Sendi.
Sendi took it.
“Okay, now talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“About Dimas.”
Sendi took a bite of his snack.
“I want to meet him.”
Joko stopped eating.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“Sendi.”
“What?”
“Sometimes I wonder if your brain even has an off switch.”
Sendi laughed.
“Nope.”
“Figures.”
Raka leaned against the wall.
“If we want to meet him, we have to find out where he is.”
“I’ll ask Nisa.”
The three of them immediately went looking for Nisa.
Nisa was reading a book near the library.
“Nis.”
Nisa closed her book.
“What?”
“Do you know where Dimas is?”
Nisa’s expression immediately changed.
“Why do you want to meet him?”
“Because he knows something.”
“Sendi.”
“What?”
“Don’t pressure someone who isn’t ready to talk.”
Sendi fell silent.
“Are you afraid something happened to him?”
Nisa didn’t answer.
That answer was enough.
“I just want to know the truth.”
Nisa studied Sendi for a few seconds.
“You really are a lot like him.”
“Who?”
“Dimas.”
Sendi was startled.
“Like him?”
“Yeah. He used to be just like you. He couldn’t stay quiet whenever something made him curious.”
“Then what happened?”
Nisa lowered her head.
“He found something he never should have found.”
Sendi grew even more curious.
“What?”
Nisa stood up.
“I can’t tell you yet.”
She left them behind.
Joko sighed.
“Why does everyone love talking in riddles?”
“To make us curious,” Raka said.
“It worked.”
Sendi stared in the direction Nisa had gone.
“I have to find Dimas.”
After school, Sendi didn’t go straight home.
He and his friends searched for information about Dimas.
They asked several kids.
It turned out Dimas was now living with his uncle near the old market.
“The old market?” Sendi asked.
“Yeah,” answered one of the sixth graders.
“Why did he move again?”
“Don’t know.”
Sendi nodded.
They finally headed there.
The old market wasn’t very crowded. Many of the shops were already closed. Only a few vendors were still selling things.
After searching for a few minutes, they found a small house with a green fence.
Sendi stood in front of the door.
Joko took a deep breath.
“Don’t tell me we actually made it here.”
“We’re here.”
“That’s exactly what I was afraid of.”
Sendi knocked on the door.
Knock.
There was no answer.
Knock.
Again.
A few moments later, the door opened.
A boy stood there.
His hair was a little long.
His face looked calm.
“Who are you looking for?”
Sendi studied the boy’s face.
“Are you Dimas?”
The boy was silent.
Then he nodded.
“Yeah.”
Joko and Raka exchanged glances.
Sendi stepped forward a little.
“I’m Sendi.”
“I know.”
Sendi was surprised.
“You do?”
Dimas nodded.
“I’ve heard about you.”
“About me?”
“Yeah.”
“From who?”
Dimas didn’t answer right away.
“From people who said you’re a little kid who likes looking for trouble.”
Joko immediately laughed.
“That’s actually true.”
Sendi glared at him.
“Shut up.”
Dimas smiled faintly.
It was the first time they had seen him smile.
“I know why you came.”
Sendi became serious.
“Why?”
“Because of that house.”
The mood immediately changed.
Sendi stared at Dimas.
“What’s really in there?”
Dimas looked behind his house,
as if remembering something heavy.
“I’ll tell you.”
Sendi waited.
“But not here.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s something you need to know first.”
“What?”
Dimas looked at all three of them.
“That house isn’t empty.”
The afternoon wind felt colder.
Sendi said nothing.
Because that sentence was the answer he had been searching for all this time.
But strangely enough...
After getting his answer, he felt like a new problem had just begun.