A Tale of Lotus

Located in a large meadow like a soccer field, it looks like seven young men and women gathered in the same place and their backs touch each other. Their backs to each other and their gazes darting in all directions. In front of the eyes, the meadow is bordered by thousands of many branched trees that can be seen from any direction.

The atmosphere here is very tense. They watched the situation with a wary and watchful eye. All that could be heard for now was the sound of footsteps accompanied by the sound of a wooden branch laying on the ground. The sound is coming from everywhere. Almost all sides of this meadow can be clearly captured by the sense of hearing.

The only thing they can do is put on alert mode. Otherwise, their lives might become a threat. They wouldn't be able to get out of here alive if they weren't careful. The sound was also getting deafening.

But that doesn't apply to a white-skinned girl whose position is her back to the sun on the western horizon. Even though she was scouting the area, her eyeballs had not shifted to a girl with long hair curvy like sea waves. There are a lot of questions to ask the girl next door.

Not wanting to carry on that curiosity any longer, the white-skinned girl asked a question seriously. "Meet you here by chance, you'd better be honest. There's no need to dodge anymore!” she said firmly. She continued, "How do you know me from?"

The wavy hair girl smiled crookedly. She let out a short breath, meaning to mock the girl next to him who asked. "Why? Are you curious about me?" she answered half sneering and seemed not to want to be involved in the conversation. Her face also looked half-hearted when this discussion came out of the mouth of her mistress.

"Because you know everything about me," replied the white girl who said with a curious face. In contrast to the wave-haired girl who actually gave her ridicule. She didn't care, as long as the questions in her head could be answered by everything.

"I don't know you," said the wavy-haired girl curtly. She didn't care anymore about the lady's response. The impression is already bad before the eyes. She wanted to quickly end the short drama that had happened unplanned, even having her dragged to this place was also unplanned. She sneered, “Do you know me? Even you didn't know me well at least we've already met each other."

"Do you speak casually this time?"

"You two know each other?" A man wearing a plaid shirt and left protruding from the folds of his trousers interrupted their conversation. This made them unanimously turn their eyes to the source of the sound. They also compactly did not reply. “If you want to die here, it's better to surrender yourself. But don't burden the other five people who want to live because of you," he added.

"Okay. I'm sorry," said the white girl who also indirectly ended the short conversation. She realized there was something to watch instead of worrying about uncertain things.

The man wearing a checkered shirt turned his gaze in the original direction. So is the girl with wavy hair. She also did not want to continue this conversation because she did not want to discuss it. All of this happened because that girl had pushed her.

*

Now, they sit in a circle on the grass while stretching their legs. Each head was inhaling and exhaling repeatedly, as if it had just run a one-kilometer race. They too were exhausted, supported by the look on their face. The sweat that had been dripping from their forehead since earlier appeared like dew before dawn.

There was no longer the sound of footsteps and the sound of stepping on wooden branches. There's nothing else to watch out for. All that is over. They can go home without worrying anymore. They can get out of a world that is already like a trap.

Before that opportunity vanished from her dream, the white-skinned girl who had not averted her attention until now glared at her. There are many questions that come to mind and must be resolved right away. She couldn't stay silent when her identity was questioned.

Slowly, she stretched his finger forward which then made all pairs of eyes look at him. This included the object that was her target—the wavy-haired girl. She said, "You... you can actually read the future, right?"

This question made those observing the conversation widen their eyes. It seems difficult to accept the fact that happened to the object. Therefore, suddenly all pairs of eyes changed.

The girl hissed and looked at her mockingly. Instead of being afraid, she wanted to challenge the other person who was curious about her identity. "I don't need to answer your question, do I? So I'm not going to answer," she replied end with a smile.

"Answer me, you b*st*rd!"

"If you're right, you'll know because you can read my mind. Isn't that wrong?"

The girl in white took a deep breath before answering the question. Her anger had reached the top of her head. She doesn't want to be provoked anymore because it will only stir up more emotion. "Correct. I can read other people's thoughts," she answered, admitting it honestly and not being engineered. The girl's accusation was also not a lie at all.

"Wow! I don't think so at all." In the middle of the conversation between the two girls, the short haired girl wearing a plain pink T-shirt exclaimed. "You mean you can read everyone's mind, including mine?"

The girl in question nodded her head in response. "I know what's in everyone's head and what they're thinking. But, she's the only one whose mind I can't read,” she added, then pointed at one person. The direction she pointed at was a girl wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Suddenly, all pairs of eyes also turned towards the lady who had been just listening to the conversation.

"That means it's true, if you can read the future." Now, it's the man's turn to wear a white short-sleeved shirt with a motif in loud capital letters. He summed up all the conversations he had overheard. Reaffirming to the wavy-haired girl the assumption just now.

"That's right, I can read the future. There were people chasing me earlier. Because of that person we are also trapped here," replied the lady who finally admitted. She was tired from being cornered so many times. Her confession shocked everyone as if it was breaking news, but not the girl in white who had figured it out earlier.

"Why should we?" asked a man who has perfectly round eyes like balls. His face looked curious about what was the beginning of the meeting today.

"Because we are the chosen people. He needs us,” answered the wavy-haired girl briefly based on her knowledge of the object out there.

The man in the white shirt smiled happily. He reached out toward the future reading girl. His face looked astonished as if he had met someone new. While the girl was confused by his movements. “Anyway, nice to see you again. Finally I know you, Jingga."

*

There are no more meadows. There are no more rows of branching trees. Now, someone's body has just returned from a dream that morning was awakened by the sound of a rooster crowing. That sound made Jingga—a wavy-haired girl—open her eyes immediately. She rubbed her eyes gently before lifting her back from the bed.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she scratched the top of her head where her hair was messy like a lion. Her hand reached for the small drawer next to the bed and opened it. A small notebook and pen is taken as a start today. She wrote down what she saw in the dream earlier in outline. She realized that it was part of a glimpse of the future, so she didn't want to miss a word.

"Jingga! Help me a second, please! Wash your face first before coming down.”

The gentle voice of a woman broke the silence this morning. Therefore, Jingga hastily put her notes on the bed. "Okay ma'am!" she replied later.

***

Located in the residence of Jingga and her family in a metropolitan city housing area, a woman who is almost half a century old is seen sitting in front of a gas stove. She was toasting a slice of whole wheat bread on the frying pan after buttering it. With fresh chicken sausages, she would grill them separately.

Not far from the woman, there was a young man who was at the dining table. His mouth was chewing toast that had been smeared with chocolate jam as an appetizer in the morning. He, who was wearing high school uniform, was about to depart soon, so he also filled up his energy first. He, who don't wear nametags on the uniforms, sit with his feet up on the seat of a chair.

The woman turned around with sausage buns and other toast that had been cooked before. The food is served on a dining table that has been covered with plates. “Chan! Jingga hasn't come out yet?" she asked, starting the morning with a surprised face.

The summoned student shook