free translation
GUILTY
By Muhammad Nurman
Kuwing was a wanted criminal, a wizard when it came to stealing motorbikes and cars. The last time the police had captured him, he had been set free because of lack of evidence. That was seven years ago.
Kuwing enjoyed is dirty job, because he made a pile of money while doing it. There were on end of the vehicles available to him on the street. He never realized nor cared that someday he would be at the end of his rope.
Recently, the police had spotted his current hideaway and planned to recapture him after years of hard pursuit. Five disguised policemen came down on him just as he parked a stolen van at his home that afternoon. However, he became aware that something happening. He spotted one of the officers he knew, opened fire on them and sped away. The police were not able to overtake him. After being trapped in a traffic jam, they lost him.
The police did not have to make an effort to get him, because to their surprise, their task was done by Kuwing himself. It was reported minutes later that Kuwing had died in a car crash. He could not avoid being hit by a car when he had failed overtake a huge truck. The stolen van was wrecked so was the car it hit.
The police found another body besides Kuwing’s who was believed to be the vehicle driver. There were lots of unnatural wounds over his body. The police came to the conclusion that the body of the middle age man had been abused.
*
Kuwing was loved by his mother, so when she heard about his death, she fainted. His pregnant wife, Yayuk, had miscarriage. She had been deceived because Kuwing had always told her that he worked as a car dealer.
All of Kuwing’s family and neighbors were sorry for him, especially Pentol, his brother-in-law, who did not stop blaming himself for Kuwing’s death.
The previous day, he and Kuwing had almost been successful in turning on the ignition of a van, belonging to a discotheque manager when the driver had caught htem. The driver had fought had stabbed his knife into the drivers’ neck. Not wanted to take any risk, Pentol and Kuwing had thrown the driver into the van and sadistically finished him there.
A frightening laughter by the window made Pentol turn around. The laughter changed into irregular jabber. It was a woman. He know who it was. He opened the window and yelled at her, “Damn you Ponisem! Don’t come here again.”
Ponisem, in insane woman who lived in the street continued laughing, and said, “I’m not guilty …, you’re guilty. Ha-ha-ha…, you’re guilty. I’m innocent … I’m innocent …”
Pentol slammed the window.
*
Pentol half-heartedly joined the burial service the next morning. As he left, he met Ponisem who stared at him cynically. Like yesterday, the crazy woman said to him, “you’re guilty, I’m innocent,” over and over, followed by laughter. Pentol hurled a stone at her. She ran to the street, still laughing.
The sky was overcast when Pentol arrived home. All day long he had wandered aimlessly and finally he had stopped at the bar. Pentol was a sponger and like Kuwing, he was not well-brought-up.
He decided to go to bed early. On his back he tried to forget all problems. It was thundering outside, raining cats and dogs. He slept like a log, very comfortably, until a noise at the window awoke him. Usually he was not bothered at all. However, that midnight it was different.
It has stopped raining. He got up and turned on the lamp. He shuddered with horror. The noise would not go away. With a knife in his hand, he moved toward the window. He opened it slowly …”
“Guilty!” it was Ponisem who surprised him. “Ha-ha-ha …”
“Oh, you rascal!”
“I’m innocent. You’re guilty. You’ve done someone a great wrong! You’re guilt for the rest of your life. Ha-ha-ha…,” continued Ponisem while dancing.
Ponisem’s statement, of course, did not set well with him. Pentol was agitated, and would have killed her if Yayuk had not appeared. Hiding his knife behind his back, Pentol told his sister that everything was okay.
He shut the window and tried to go back to sleep, but he could not.
Minutes passed. To his surprise, there was another noise at the window. He hoped he would not miss Ponisem this time. Quickly he opened the window. Ponisem was there! Pentol heard foot steps as well as an unclear voice somewhere.
“So you wanna play games with me, huh?” said Pentol, climbing out the window. “All right. Let’s play …”
He walked to the corner of the building, to the source of the voice.
“Guilty …., guilty …”
It was not her! It was the driver’s body. Blood was all over his clothes, reminding Pentol of what he and Kuwing had done to him.
“Guilty!” gasped the body. Its eyes were red and unfriendly. It disappeared, leaving Pentol on the ground, unconscious.
His sister found him outside the next morning.
“Oh, my God. I saw him. The man I killed … He’s back to life!” Pentol gasped as soon as he came to his senses in the living room.
Before Yayuk could ask him about what happened, the police dropped by and aksed him to with them to the police station.
“Mr. Pentol, we would like to hear some explanation from you about your brother-in-law’s accident.”
Pentol cried, regretting his sins. There was no need for long interogation at the police office. The shocking experience the night before forced him to confess his guilt before the investigators. He was put in jail to stand trial.
That night, alone in a narrow dirty room while rats squeakerd and squeezed everywhere, he tried to keep his chin up. It was very quite, and dark.
He noticed the empty cell next to him had a prisoner in it. When did he come? He thought. Suddenly his heart beat faster. The new prisoner—somebody he seemed to know—turned around, goggled at him and gasped, “Guilty!”
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar