Year 2020
Tomi's eyes were locked on the snake's head, just inches from his face, its tongue flicking out as if mocking him. Instinctively, he shoved the thick python, which was as large as his arm, off his chest and bolted out of the room, cursing under his breath.
He slammed the door shut before the python could slither after him. What kind of nightmare was this? Tomi had been up all night, struggling to come up with a new song for a recording label. He had only managed to catch a few hours of sleep. His eyes still felt heavy, his eyelids drooping.
He patted his pockets frantically, searching for his phone, but it was nowhere to be found. He groaned in frustration, remembering he had left it on the bed next to his pillow. "Damn it, it’s still in the room."
Then, he remembered the landline phone—the only lifeline he had right now. Maybe he could call someone for help. There was no phone book in sight, and he didn’t have anyone's number memorized. He rushed towards the living room, praying the old landline still worked. With shaky hands, he dialed a number—any number—hoping someone would pick up and help him get rid of the snake.
Tomi Setiawan had a deep-seated fear of snakes, stemming from a traumatic experience during a hike with Ardo right after high school. He had been gathering firewood when a python coiled around his leg as he rested under a tree, leaving him with a fear he couldn’t shake.
"What's the password, Brother?" came Aldo’s voice on the other end of the line.
Tomi frowned, scratching his head in frustration. "That damned Chinese Gecko," he muttered irritably, vaguely recalling a drunken conversation on this very landline ages ago.
"Brother Aldo, so handsome! So dashing!" Aldo teased.
The guy must have lost his mind after being dumped by Giska. Tomi wasn’t in the mood to comfort him. "Do you want me to punch your face?" Tomi threatened.
Aldo burst out laughing. "You're such an ass," he retorted, clearly enjoying himself.
Tomi could hear the sound of a car engine, honking, and the loud music Aldo loved to blast while driving. He figured Aldo was probably on his way out of town for work. Aldo’s boss had a knack for dumping responsibilities on him, even when the tasks weren’t his.
"Come on, answer the password, bro. The Musang White Coffee—so smooth on the stomach!" Aldo teased.
Tomi chuckled. "You're the musang!"
"What's up, dude? I'm on the road, Tom," Aldo said, still laughing at his friend’s expense.
Tomi could easily picture Aldo driving down the highway, heading out of town. They had been friends since high school, and there weren’t many secrets between them. They had been through thick and thin together.
"Useless calling you. Hurry up and give me Ardo's number! I really need his help."
"I'll call him for you. These days, you can call the whole neighborhood at once, bro. Use your brain, will you?"
Tomi rubbed his eyebrows, suddenly feeling an itch from a pimple hiding under his brow. Why hadn’t he thought of that earlier? Whatever! He just wanted that snake out of his room. Aldo quickly called Ardo, explaining that Tomi needed his help urgently. Ardo was the only one who could handle the situation.
"What's wrong, Tom?" Ardo asked.
"There's a snake’s nest in my ceiling. One of those snakes was on top of me a few minutes ago. And to make matters worse, my phone is still in the room. I can’t go back in there; the snake is huge, like the size of an adult man’s arm," Tomi explained.
Ardo laughed. "Hold on, I'll find someone who can deal with it," he replied, more seriously this time.
"Who? You?" Aldo teased.
"Yeah, Dop, I’m an expert," Ardo joked. "Alright, let me find someone." The call ended.
"You're insane, Do!" Tomi shouted.
"Okay, I'm done here. Brother Journalist is busy," Aldo replied cheekily.
The call ended, leaving Tomi still rattled by the unwelcome guest in his room. No wonder he occasionally heard the sound of rats scurrying across the ceiling; it turned out they weren’t the only ones living up there. Tomi instinctively scratched his neck, shuddering at the thought of the snake’s eyes. He looked down at his clothes and suddenly felt disgusted, remembering that the snake had been on top of him. He quickly stripped off his clothes and tossed them into the trash before rushing to the bathroom to scrub away any trace of the snake, even though he rarely showered in the morning.
***
Virardo Nugraha arrived at Tomi’s house within the hour, bringing along a friend who looked like a snake handler. Tomi had no idea where Ardo had met this guy—maybe on a mountain or somewhere else—but the guy’s appearance was definitely odd.
But then again, it wouldn’t be Ardo if he didn’t make the most of a situation, directing cameras from every angle. He narrated the scene dramatically for his online video channel, making it sound like a horror movie. Tomi sighed in exasperation. How could Ardo be vlogging at a time like this? A giant snake had just fallen on him from the ceiling, for crying out loud!
Tomi had no choice but to let Ardo and his team do their thing. The snake was eventually captured, along with the eggs it had laid. There were two pythons living in Tomi’s ceiling. He shuddered as he watched the sacks squirming as they were carried out of the room. The cost of fixing the ceiling was minor, but the trauma would stay with him for a long time. Tomi had already made up his mind to move out of that room as soon as possible.
"You guys go home first, start editing the video. I’ve got other things to do," Ardo said to his team members.
After they left, Tomi grabbed Ardo in a headlock and dragged him into the house. His friend had the audacity to bring a camera without asking. What if Tomi’s song files were exposed to competitors? How dare this vlogger!
"Who told you to bring a camera, you monkey?" Tomi snapped.
Ardo winced, pretending to be in pain, but his grin was wide. "Come on, man, nothing’s free, right?"
"You're unbelievable!" Tomi yelled in frustration.
Their argument didn’t last long. Tomi and Ardo left the house to grab something to eat. They also planned to visit Indra to discuss something. That’s just how it was in their world—they couldn’t stay mad at each other for long, and crazy things like this often happened between them.