A TRIP TO PUNCAK

That evening,

Andre passed a mysterious letter to his father over dinner.

“Dad, I found this at the office today. Do you remember Uncle Victor?”

Andre’s father took the letter, his brow furrowing.

“Yes... I do. Back then, your grandfather had a villa. I wasn’t married to your mother yet. Victor inherited it after Grandfather passed.”

“But Dad... how come I never knew about it?”

“Victor tried to sell it years ago, but nobody wanted it. No one rented it either. It’s just been sitting vacant all this time—even though it’s beautiful inside.”

Andre nodded slowly, understanding why the villa had remained a forgotten memory.

Meanwhile, at a cozy cafe, Frans and Rachel sat together, finishing dinner.

“Chel, how about a getaway next week? Just us, and the gang. I’ll drive.”

“Hmm… a trip? Sure. Where to?”

“Puncak. We’ll stay at Andre’s villa.”

“A villa?” Rachel smiled. “Okay, count me in.”

“Vero and Ersa are joining too. It’ll be fun.”

They exchanged smiles. Frans took Rachel’s hand gently.

‘Rachel, I care about you deeply. I want to propose soon.”

“Frans… I’d love that.”

He brought out a necklace and placed it around her neck. Rachel's eyes glimmered.

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“Anything for your smile,” Frans replied warmly.

A week passed.

That morning, at Frans’s house, the group gathered—Reza with Vero, Andre with Ersa, and Rachel carrying supplies.

“All packed?” Reza asked.

“Yes, Mr. Driver…” Frans quipped.

“Hah, never boring with you,” Reza laughed.

They loaded the minibus and set off for Puncak. After three hours, they arrived at Villa Roses: a quiet compound with two buildings, cared for by Mang Ujang and Bu Siti.

“You must be Andre?” asked Mang Ujang.

“Yes. I’m Uncle Victor’s nephew.”

“I’m Ujang. My wife, Siti, handles the cleaning—I care for the garden.”

Inside the villa, Mang Ujang pointed out a door hidden behind a massive wardrobe—padlocked and nailed shut.

“What's behind that door?” Andre asked.

“I don’t know. It’s been sealed since I got here.”

“But why?”

“Your uncle forbade anyone from opening it. Please… just let it be.”

Andre hesitated, curiosity tugging at him. But he finally nodded and rejoined the others.

“There are two villas—Frans, Reza, and I’ll take this one. Chel, Vero, and Ersa, you’re next door,” Andre said, handing over the key.

“Got it, honey,” Ersa replied.

In the villa, while Andre quietly contemplated the locked room, Frans tapped his shoulder.

“Earth to Andre. What’s up?”

“Uhm… nothing,” Andre said, snapping out of his thoughts.

Frans played his guitar. Rachel requested a song. Ersa clapped, impressed. But Vero wasn’t smiling.

“Why does it always have to be Rachel…” Vero murmured inwardly, hiding her jealousy.

As Frans sang, Vero heard something—a faint voice whispering her name.

“Sa… did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“A woman’s voice. Calling me.”

Ersa looked puzzled. Rachel joined in, concerned.

“We’re the only women here,” Rachel said.

“Exactly… but the voice felt unfamiliar,” Vero replied.

“Let’s just enjoy the vacation,” Rachel suggested gently.

Later, the group explored the lush grounds.

Frans and Rachel took selfies. Andre and Ersa strolled hand-in-hand. Meanwhile, Reza and Vero lagged behind, speaking quietly.

“Reza… something’s not right.”

“Why, what happened?”

“I saw a woman in my room—our age, just staring coldly at me. But she wasn’t a staff member.”

“Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”

“No. It felt real…”

Reza gently hugged Vero, trying to comfort her.

“You’re not alone. We’ve got each other.”

They rejoined the group.

“Reza, Vero—why so late?” Andre asked.

“Vero forgot her phone,” Reza fibbed smoothly.

They continued their walk. Afterward, lunch was waiting on the dining table—though something seemed… off.

“Wait, how is lunch already served?” Andre whispered.

“Maybe Ujang and Siti came back,” Ersa reasoned.

“Don’t get spooked,” Frans chuckled.

Vero opened her mouth to speak—but was quickly cut off.

“Honey, not now,” Reza said softly.

“Let’s not ruin the moment,” Rachel added.

And so, they ate together. Smiles filled the room—but Vero couldn’t shake the sense that something beyond the walls was quietly watching.

Rachel was puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Reza, who had just finished eating, approached Vero and Rachel. He was starting to get curious about Vero's behavior.

"Honey, what's really wrong?" asked Reza.

"Reza, I want to go home. This villa isn't right... I'm scared," Vero said in a soft voice.

"Oh, come on... we just got here this morning, and you already want to go home? Stop it... don't sulk anymore. It makes me look bad in front of our friends. Besides, you have your friends here, Ersa and Rachel. Come on, we're only here for two days..." Reza replied, slightly annoyed.

Rachel put her arm around Vero, calming her down. "Yes, Vero. Just relax here... Ersa and I are here," Rachel chimed in.

Vero fell silent. She took a deep breath and finally nodded reluctantly. In the end, Vero rejoined her friends in the living room of the main villa. Apparently, everyone had finished lunch. When Mrs. Siti arrived to cook lunch, she was surprised to see the pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen.

"Oh my, why are there so many dirty dishes? I haven't even cooked lunch yet?" she wondered to herself.

Mrs. Siti paused for a moment. She just shook her head. However, she quickly dismissed the unsettling thought.

"Ah, maybe they bought food from outside. Well, I'll just take care of these dirty dishes," she thought.

Finally, Mrs. Siti started washing the dirty dishes in the kitchen, and afterward, she began cleaning the villa's yard. In the living room, the six of them were chatting and joking around. Frans was telling the story of how he first met Rachel.

Rachel laughed, remembering the funny incident of her first meeting with Frans. Reza didn't want to be left out. He told the story of when he first met Vero. Vero remained silent, but in her heart, she felt jealous of Rachel.

"I was hoping for Frans's love, but he chose Rachel instead," she said to herself.

Vero forced a smile to hide her jealousy. While they were in the living room, Mrs. Siti brought drinks for Andre and his friends.

"Mrs. Siti, thank you so much. The food earlier was delicious, and it was ready right when we arrived," Andre said to Mrs. Siti.

For a moment, Mrs. Siti was speechless.

"Oh dear... that food earlier... That means... who cooked that food?" she asked herself.

But Mrs. Siti tried to keep Andre and his friends calm. She quickly composed herself.

"Oh, yes, son. Earlier... uhm... I happened to come by, and you all weren't here. So, while waiting for you, I cooked lunch," Mrs. Siti said, feeling a little nervous.

Andre nodded. Mrs. Siti just smiled. "Son, please have some tea," she said in a friendly tone.

"Yes, Mrs. Siti. Thank you..." Andre replied with a sweet smile.

Mrs. Siti quickly left. While Andre and his friends were in the living room, Mrs. Siti kept thinking about what had just happened.

"How could there be food? I haven't even cooked yet..." she thought.

After Mrs. Siti left, Andre and his friends were still engrossed in conversation in the living room.

As dusk began to fall, they decided to have dinner in the villa's yard. In the middle of the villa, there was a kind of gazebo. They had dinner there with an open-air feel. Occasionally, they looked affectionate with their respective partners.

"Wow, the atmosphere in this villa is so comfortable," said Frans.

"Yes, it feels like a romantic dinner," said Reza, lovingly putting his arm around Vero.

However, Vero was so jealous seeing Frans affectionately feeding Rachel. In her heart, Vero said, "Damn it! Why did Frans have to choose Rachel?"

Ersa playfully took pictures of Frans's and Reza's affectionate moments.

"Hey, what if tomorrow we have a competition to see who's the most romantic? Frans versus Reza," Ersa joked.

They burst out laughing. After finishing dinner, they remained gathered in the gazebo. They talked and joked late into the night.

After it was almost midnight, the six of them went inside the villa. The women were in the adjacent villa, while the men were in the main villa. Frans, Andre, and Reza went to their own rooms. They soon fell asleep, while Andre was still not sleepy. He posted an affectionate photo of himself on Instagram.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Yes, just a moment..." Andre said without any suspicion.

Andre opened his bedroom door. He was surprised to see a beautiful woman bringing him snacks. "Excuse me... who are you?"

"I'm Dewi, the daughter of the servant in this villa..." said Dewi.

"Oh, I'm Andre. The owner of this villa. Thank you, but... what about my friends?" Andre asked.

"I've already brought some to your friends. Now, I'm bringing this especially for you, the owner of the villa," Dewi said with a sweet smile.

Andre smiled sweetly. "Wow, thank you. Nice to meet you, Dewi."

"You're welcome. Oh, yes, uhm... I'll be leaving now, Sir. Good night," Dewi said with a sweet smile.

Andre smiled sweetly. He placed the dish on the table in his room. However, he then noticed a small, mysterious antique mirror on his table.

"Uhm... this must be Dewi's," Andre thought.

Andre was about to return the mirror, but Dewi was nowhere to be seen. He closed his bedroom door and lay back down. He smiled, admiring Dewi's beauty.

"Dewi, she's so beautiful. But... no! I already have Ersa, and I promised to stay faithful to Ersa," Andre thought.

Andre looked at the mirror. He wondered how such a small, antique mirror ended up in his room. Andre still thought it belonged to Dewi, the relative of Mang Ujang and Mrs. Siti.

"Uhm... I'll just ask Mrs. Siti about it tomorrow, maybe she can return it to Dewi," he thought.

Andre placed the old mirror on the table, then ate the snacks. After eating a little, Andre started to feel sleepy and finally dozed off.

In the middle of the night, in the villa where Ersa was staying, Vero tried to fall asleep. Ersa and Rachel were already fast asleep. Vero kept trying to close her eyes, even though she continued to hear strange noises and terrifying whispers.

"Vero... come here, child. Come here..."

The hoarse and flat voice kept ringing in her ears.

Vero tried to cover her ears with a pillow, but the voice was still clear. After trying hard, Vero finally began to drift off. However, she woke up again when she heard a banging on her bedroom door.

"Damn it!! Who is that?!" Vero grumbled.

Weakly, she walked towards the door that was being banged on. She opened her bedroom door, and Vero's eyes widened again, because there was no one there.

"Strange, how come there's no one here?" she thought.

"Hey!! Who was banging on the door just now?! So rude!!" Vero yelled into the empty space.

Vero closed her bedroom door again and went straight to bed. She closed her eyes again. However, she felt that she was not lying alone. She opened her eyes, and to her shock, she saw a woman lying next to her. Her face was pale, and her eyes were bulging.

"AHHH.... A GHOST!!" screamed Vero, who immediately jumped up and spontaneously ran towards the door.

The ghost kept crawling towards her. Vero was so panicked that she felt weak. Vero could only scream.

"HELP!!... HELP!!... GO AWAY!!! DON'T BOTHER ME!!" Vero threw whatever objects were near her out of fear, causing the room to become chaotic.

Meanwhile,

Ersa, whose room was next to Vero's, woke up hearing Vero's screams and cries.

"Geez, Vero... why is she screaming in the middle of the night?" Ersa grumbled to herself.

Ersa walked, half-asleep, to Vero's room. Ersa was shocked to hear the commotion.

Ersa immediately opened the door.

"Vero!! What are you doing?" Ersa asked, bewildered.

Vero turned to Ersa. She immediately ran and hugged Ersa. Vero cried in Ersa's arms.

"Ersa... there's a ghost here. I'm scared..." said Vero, crying in Ersa's embrace.

"Sssh... sh... sh..., calm down, Vero. I'm here now," Ersa said comfortingly.

"Ersa, stay with me while I sleep..." Vero pleaded, still crying.

Ersa gently stroked Vero's hair.

"Yes, Vero. I'll stay with you..." said Ersa.

"Come on, let's go to my room. We'll sleep in my room..." she continued, inviting Vero.

Ersa took Vero's hand and led her to her room. Vero was terrified. Ersa gave Vero a drink before bed. After Vero calmed down, they both lay down on the bed. Vero, who was still hearing voices, covered her ears with a pillow. An hour later, she fell asleep.

The next morning,

Vero seemed quieter. Her cheerfulness was gone. Rachel and Ersa, who had just returned from their morning run, were puzzled by Vero's unusual behavior.

"Vero, you look like you didn't get enough sleep, why?" asked Ersa.

"I don't know, Er. I was disturbed last night. I heard strange noises..." said Vero.

Ersa was bewildered. "Huh? But you slept with me last night, did you still hear those noises?"

"Yes, Ersa... I still heard them. I only fell asleep for an hour..." said Vero.

"Vero... you shouldn't think about it..." said Rachel.

"I can't! I want to ignore it... but it keeps getting louder..." Vero said in a high-pitched voice.

Vero once again stared at a spot in the corner of the villa. Vero screamed. "Kyaa!!!...."

Vero shot up from her seat and ran into the room. She covered her eyes with a pillow and cried. Ersa and Rachel followed Vero.

Ersa hugged Vero to calm her down. "Vero, what's wrong? What did you see?"

"Ersa... I saw a ghost..." said Vero.

"A ghost? What kind of ghost at this time of the morning?" asked Ersa.

"There was... there was a headless ghost..." said Vero.

"There, there, Vero. Calm down. There's nothing there..." said Rachel.

Not long after, Reza came to invite Vero, Rachel, and Ersa for breakfast. "Come on, let's have breakfast. After this, we'll go for a walk..." Reza invited.

"Okay, Rez. Just a minute. Vero is crying. She couldn't sleep last night..." said Ersa.

Reza was surprised. "Why?"

Ersa finally explained. "Reza, last night I saw Vero pacing in and out of her room. She seemed terrified. She said she heard strange noises... and just now she said she saw a ghost...."

Reza was puzzled. "A ghost? This early in the morning?"

"Yes. I'm also wondering why Vero keeps seeing apparitions here," asked Rachel.

Reza approached the three of them.

"Ersa, Rachel, you go to the main villa. I'll talk to Vero," said Reza.

Ersa released her hug and walked with Rachel. Reza sat next to Vero, who was still crying. Reza hugged her and gently stroked her hair.

"Reza, let's go home... I'm scared here," said Vero, crying in Reza's arms.

"Vero, calm down. You need to calm down, okay? I'll be here to protect you..." Reza said in a gentle tone.

"But, Reza... I'm scared," Vero said, terrified.

"Sssh... calm down, honey. I'll protect you. I'll protect you from anything that bothers you," said Reza.

Vero was still crying. Reza continued to persuade her. "Come on, honey. Let's join the others. We'll go for a walk later...."

Vero fell silent. Her crying began to subside.

"Come on, let's have breakfast. Let's join the others," Reza invited.

Vero just nodded. She wiped away her remaining tears and tried to smile at Reza. The two of them immediately went to the other villa to join the others. Upon arriving at the main villa, they had breakfast together.

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