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25 | Shooting Stars
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2024-10-29 19:42:56BIG K, Cole, Mr. P, Matt, and I hitched a ride in a chartered pickup. The trip to Brother Thompson Stadium was always thrilling. Along the way, an aura of solidarity was exposed in the air. Chants of support to Surabaya United continued to boom, accompanied by trumpets and drum beat.
It was as if the Certajava Gutrechtians had forgotten the Bowie arrest incident. But I did not.
Amid my anger, I wanted to know more details about Bowie's arrest by the Indonesia Corruption Eradication Commission (ICEC) in the news. I took my cellphone and opened the website of the Indonesian Herald. It was the most famous online news channel. There, Bowie's arrest made the headlines.
Apparently, my allegation was true. The two incidents were really related. ICEC officers arrested Bowie in the aftermath of the arrest of Madura Regent Floyd Austin Sr.
It was just like the news broadcasted by Indonesia News Channel (INC) earlier. The Floyd Austin Sr. case was a bribe case. He w
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 26 | Maroon Stain
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 27 | A Quarrel
WHEN I got home, I saw my sister Jenny serving a customer at the shop. I opened my house fence, and it was apparently unlocked. Before I entered, my eyes were disturbed. It turns out there was a broken flower pot on the outside of my house.How did it break?Alright, it was fine. Maybe it was because of the neighborhood children who played, knocking the pot down, and then it fell and broke.My own mother, Lidia, really likes caring for plants. In the front yard of the house, lined and hung various types of ornamental plants and herbs."What happened?" I asked Jenny, pointing to the broken flower pot."I don't know," she replied.I took a broom and a wastebasket, then cleaned and threw the broken flower pot into the trash can.After that, Jenny asked where did I sleep last night? I answered at Mr. P's house in Maynard. I could not answer that I slept at Julia's house. I then added, when I got home last night, the house fence was alread
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 28 | This Old House
"LANG!" shouted a woman calling me from outside the room. "Greyson Langley!" she shouted again. “Wake up, Son! Aren't you picking up Amelia? ""Yes, Ma’am!" I replied half-consciously from my room.But, how come my mother knew I have to pick up Amelia later in the night? I did not tell her. Maybe, my father was the one who told her. Then, I saw a black wall clock. There was the white letter A and letter W logo, which are stacked against each other. Its short forefinger pointed to the number 5, while its long index finger pointed to the number 1. It was five o'clock in the afternoon.Apparently, I fell asleep after playing guitar earlier. Aspirin was indeed efficacious! No wonder driving people were prohibited from consuming it.I then stretched my stiff muscles, then looked at my cellphone. There were several message chats via WhatsApp. In a lying position, I read whoever sent me messages. The newest one was Amelia Limantoro, who remind me to
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 29 | The Emperor's Heir
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 30 | The Attraction
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 31 | Curiosity
"Really, Mel," I asked in a half growl.Amelia did not answer me right away. Instead, she scolded Kacey for leaking her secret. In my opinion, playing the violin was not a skill that she should keep hidden.To process the latest information about Amelia, I said goodbye to these two girls. I felt I need to calm down outside the building. Meanwhile, these two beautiful girls continued their pretty chat. Even though I just wanted to smoke.Outside the building, I could see the lively Ahmed Jonnah Street. The lights from the headlights of the vehicle were zipping madly. In the sky, the airspace looked bright, showing the twinkling stars. I then imagine Amelia in the middle of the stage. She was playing the violin while being highlighted by the spotlights. How serene.In the middle of gazing at the sky, I suddenly remembered the twin shooting stars that had incarnated an angel yesterday. Yes, that angel was Julia. I checked my WhatsApp on my cell phone. Julia
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 32 | Allegro
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 33 | Crossover
THE sound of the strings rubbing against Amelia Limantoro's bow was really immersive. It was as if my mixed feelings tonight were represented by her magnificent violin playing. I feel there was happiness in the major scales, and there was sadness in the minor scales.Everything was intertwined in one great harmony to the point, I did not realize that my hand was holding Julia's hand.Even though I was surprised, I did not want to immediately let go of my grip on Julia. I still insisted on feeling the roughness of Julia's palms. My mind seemed to be connected, how hard and how often this palm was used till causing wounds and blisters.As a man, I certainly did not have the heart. Julia was a strong and tough woman indeed.As I remember, when we were little, I never touched Julia on purpose, even if it was just the palm of her hand. Even though Julia was a nagging person, I really respect her as a woman.But, I did not understand. Why did Julia not l
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 283 | The End
News of my arrest spread rapidly and wildly - from surrender, twisted by the Indonesian Herald by forced arrest. The wave of mass demonstrations was getting bigger in Surabaya.Until one day, a man was demonstrating alone carrying the body of a woman in the Surabaya House of Representative building yard which was recorded by television broadcasts. A moment later, he poured gasoline over his body and the old woman's body. Then, he started a fire which quickly burned himself and the body he was carrying.Everyone knew that he was Mr. Wayan who intended to show his protest by presenting himself and his wife in front of the people's representatives. He had a desperate on the government.When that happened, I was in the detention room.All the prisoners present stood up to learn of Wayan's self-immolation on television. I thought the prisoners would kill him for being the instigator of this distressing incident. Apparently, they even cursed the authorities. Th
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 282 | The Black Mask Movement
Julia then revealed that her pregnancy was actually from my seed. Therefore, Julia asked in return whether it meant that the child she was carrying was a bastard child too. That was why Julia was forced to accept Gerald's marriage proposal to cover my disgrace.I asked Julia why she hadn't said that earlier. Julia admitted that she had tried but was afraid to ruin my happiness. At that time, I received a phone call from Quinn if I was appointed as Hendryx's replacement at The Boumerank. Besides, I was already a famous person. Julia was afraid of damaging my image and defaming Bradley.I also asked how could this happen? Julia reminded me of when I lay in the courtyard of a closed Middle Eastern restaurant. That night, I forced Julia to make love to vent my frustration.I asked why Julia didn't refuse or fight me. Julia admitted that if she fough
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 281 | The Bastard
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In the Name of the Sacred Tree 280 | Saltyroth Rhapsody
I visited Aisha at her palace at Royal Certajava. There, I asked Aisha if it was true that the Rasheed's were eyeing a new source of oil in Saltyville. Aisha said she knew, but was not involved.I asked, why didn't Aisha try to block her family's intentions? There were thousands of people living on the land of Saltyville. Aisha replied that she was only a Muslim woman. She had no power to decide. I accused Aisha of enjoying the result.Aisha started crying, telling me this was not what I accused her family of. I asked, then how exactly. Aisha replied she couldn't expose it.Then, I clashed with Aisha by accusing her of being hypocritical because she pretended not to know what was going on. We both mourned each other and move away from each other.So it was with Kacey.
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 279 | Investigation
Knowing that I again urged my mother to talk. However, Lidia did not budge. Then, I said goodbye and would find out for myself and continue Bradley's struggle. Lidia strictly forbade my intention. But I was determined.Based on clues from Brad's book and Zoey's notes, I and Amelia, with Vincent's help, discover the mode of money laundering by the Rasheed and Schielhort families. Bribes to and from Jamaal, Syahnaz, Fatima, and Malloch, were deposited through the CLIF Foundation and Islamic boarding schools and houses of worship as a form of charity.Besides, some were used to establish Islamic boarding schools in Jombang and Madura. This was done by asking one of the pesantren students to be used on his behalf. That way, the Rasheed and Torstein families were not legally touched. An example was Bowie.While tracing this dirty practice, I continued to experience terror.Exploring further to Jakarta, I also discovered a flow of money to state officials. The
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 278 | Bradley's Diary
The next day, I asked my mother, Lidia, about Saltyville in more detail. The village elders refused to talk about it unless Lidia had already told me. And how did Bradley relate to all of this? But Lidia refused to talk about Bradley and Saltyville.I insisted that I read old documents at the Dr. Sue Thompson Regional Hospital. The document stated that there was the name of Lidia Tanoto, who gave birth to twins without a father. Lidia didn't budge.I was not broken. Then, I rushed to the warehouse of my house. I unpacked old chests and suitcases that were there. Every old document I read to find what I looking for. But, actually, I didn't know what I was looking for. I only knew Bradley and Saltyville.Then there was a clean pocketbook, tied with ropes from torn cloth. I opened it slowly because the book had rotted with age. In the book, apparently, Bradley wrote his daily life up to three days before mysteriously disappearing.In the book, Brad wrote abo
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 277 | Burning Revenge
After Brody investigated, it was Troy who was about to collect Zidan's debt from Jamaal. Troy told Jamaal that Zoey was somewhere in Newton and would kidnap her as bail. Shortly after, there was an IMD raid into the Guysville prostitution complex that left three people dead.We said Brody - referring to himself and Troy - concluded that the mastermind behind the brothel attacks was the Rasheed's. Brody also revealed that the most responsible behind Calliope's past to bring down Jamaal was Vincent. I was surprised.Brody added that Vincent found out from Zidan. And the Zidan was pretending to be angry and running away from the house so as not to stand out, that he was the one who leaked it.I also asked, how did Zidan know if Calliope was Zoey aka Melody? Well, therein laid the mystery. Who told Zidan? Said Brody.I further asked why Brody was willing to let Zoey go to me. Brody answered because I was his nephew.Then, I was reminded of Troy. Actual
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 276 | Climax
Then, suddenly the rumor spread that Vincent Limantoro was a descendant of communists. Vincent's family said the issue once defended Saltyville because they wanted immorality to continue in Saltyroth. George Limantoro was touted as a dissident against the regime.Shortly, Mayor Jamaal announced three villages, not two, whose citizens were asked to leave immediately. The problem was, the three villages would be evicted by the authority in a couple of days. The three villages were Saltyville, Wigan, and Certajava. For Saltyville in particular, the eviction would be the next day.Those facts made me even angrier. I ignored Brody's advice to remain silent. At a concert that refused the eviction in Saltyville, I participated in openly voicing my rejection of Jamaal.At that concert, I was no longer wearing Che's robes. I wanted the world to recognize me and the voices I represented.Then hundreds of IMD masses suddenly attacked Saltyville. There were clashes b
In the Name of the Sacred Tree 275 | Dangerous Teror
It was Santos. To me, Santos confessed that he and other service officials travel to Singapore for a comparative study on the construction of city parks also the cleanliness rules. He gambled in his spare time. At first, I understood Santos's reasons.We then talked about music and other things. We didn't have much time together because Santos had to leave, while Quinn and I went back to the hotel.The next day, I had a concert with Boumerank. As usual, the atmosphere is always lively. After that, we all returned to Indonesia.Day by day, Zoey's life began to improve. I had also kept his promise to fulfill Zoey's dream of becoming a singer.However, when everything seemed fine, I and Zoey were suddenly hunted down by strangers. They demanded me and Zoey shut our mouths or be killed. Zoey and I at first thought it was someone from Zoey's past.In the midst of her popularity, news spread that Calliope was a former drug addict and prostitute with the
