Senin, 07 April 2014

BAB I ~ MENDELISME 2

PERKAWINAN DIHIBRID

Pada postingan sebelumnya telah dibahas perkawinan dengan 1 sifat beda atau dikenal dengan monohibrid, tetapi dalam prakteknya suatu individu dapat memiliki lebih dari 1 sifat beda misalnya saja beda mengenai warna dan beda mengenai bentuk.
Contohnya pada percobaan yang dilakukan oleh Mendel terhadap tanaman ercis dengan 2 sifat beda, yaitu beda bentuk biji dan beda warna. Kedua sifat beda ini ditentukan oelh gen-gen yang berbeda seperti dibawah ini :
B = gen untuk biji bulat
b = gen untuk biji keriput
K = gen untuk biji warna kuning
k = gen untuk biji warna hijau
Jika tanaman ercis biji bulat warna kuning homozigot (BBKK) disilangkan dengan tanaman ercis biji keriput warna hijau (bbkk) maka semua keturunan F1 berbiji bulat warna kuning (BbKk). Apabila semua keturunan F1 dibiarkan menyerbuk sendiri maka tanaman ini akan membentuk 4 macam gamet jantan dan betina dengan masing-masing kombinasi BK, Bk, bK, dan bk. Akibatnya dalam F2 diharapkan 4x4=16 kombinasi yang terdiri dari 4 macam fenotip, yaitu tanaman biji bulat warna kuning (9/16), biji bulat warna hijau (3/16), biji keriput warna kuning (3/16), biji keriput warna hijau (1/16) angka-angka tersebut menunjukkan perbandingan 9:3:3:1.

    P      =      BBKK (bulat-kuning) x bbkk (keriput-hijau)
    F1    =                               BbKk (bulat-kuning)
jika F1 dikawinkan dengan F1, maka
    P      =     BbKk (bulat-kuning) x BbKk (bulat-kuning)
 gamet    :       BK                                        BK
                       Bk                                         Bk
                       bK                                         bK
                       bk                                          bk
    F2    =    

Selasa, 01 April 2014

BAB I ~ MENDELISME 1

Setiap makhluk hidup memeliki sifat alamiah dalam berkembangbiak agar jenisnya tidak punah, jenis pembiakan yang selama ini kita kenal ada 2 yaitu :
  1. secara vegetatif (aseksual), dimana perkembangbiakan ini dibedakan menjadi :
    • dengan pembelahan sel, dimana satu sel membelah menjadi dua dan seterusnya seperti yang dialami oleh bakteri
    •  dengan spora seperti yang dilakukan oleh lumut, jamur dan beberapa bakteri
    • dengan stek seperti pada tanaman ubi kayu, bunga mawar dll
    • dengan cangkokan seperti pada pohon mangga, jambu dll
  2. secara generatif (seksual), perkembangbiakan dengan cara ini sangat umum dilakukan oleh makhluk hidup tingkat tinggi. Dimana dalam proses perkembangbiakan secara generarif ini dibutuhkan gamet - gamet (sel - sel kelamin) yang berbeda, untuk betina sel gamet ini disebut ovum (sel telur) sedangkan untuk jantan sel gamet ini disebut spermatozoa. Pada tumbuhan sel gamet betina disebut makrospora (karena ukurannya lebih besar) dan untuk sel gamet jantan disebut mikrospora (karena ukurannya lebih kecil).

DOMINANSI

Mendel memilih tanaman ercis untuk percobaannya karena :
  1. tanaman ini merupakan tanaman tahunan, mudah disilangkan dan mudah tumbuh
  2. memiliki bunga sempurna (dalam satu bunga terdapat benang sari dan putik) sehingga memungkinkan penyerbukan sendiri, perkawinan dengan cara ini secara terus menerus akan menghasilkan keturunan galur murni yang sama dengan induknya. Perkawinan silang dapat terjadi asal dengan bantuan manusia.
  3. tanaman ini memiliki 7 sifat yang menyolok seperti batang tinggi lawan batang kerdil, buah polong warna hijau lawan kuning, bunga berwarna ungu lawan putih, permukaan polong licin lawan berkerut.
 Waktu Mendel mengawinkan tanaman ercis berbatang tinggi dengan tanaman ercis berbatang kerdil maka keturunan yang didapat adalah semua keturunan pertama berbatang tinggi, hal ini menandakan bahwa sifat tinggi dominan terhadap sifat kerdil yang resesif. Namun ketika keturunan pertama dibiarkan melakukan penyerbukan sendiri maka keturunan kedua yang didapat adalah 3 batang tinggi dan 1 batang kerdil. Untuk lebih mudah memahami maka digunakan simbol - simbol untuk mewakili sifat - sifat tersebut tadi :
P = induk / orang tua (berasal dari bahasa latin parens = orang tua)
F = keturunan (berasal dari bahasa latin filius)
Gen biasanya diberi simbol huruf pertama dari suatu sifat, gen dominan dinyatakan dengan huruf besar sedangkan untuk gen resesif dinyatakan dengan huruf kecil.
T = simbol untuk gen batang tinggi
t = simbol untuk gen batang kerdil
karena tanaman merupakan individu yand diploid maka simbolnya ditulis dengan huruf dobel dan percobaan Mendel diatas dapat diikuti secara genetik seperti dibawah ini :
                       P =        tt (kerdil)              x               TT (tinggi)
                   gamet    :     t                              gamet    :   T
                       F1 =                       Tt (tinggi)
                       F1 x F1 =        Tt (tinggi)     x            Tt (tinggi)
                                 gamet   :       T                 gamet   :     T
                                                       t                                     t
                      F2 = TT (tinggi) : Tt (tinggi) : Tt (tinggi) : tt (kerdil)

Sifat keturunan yang dapat kita amati/lihat (warna, bentuk, ukuran) dinamakan fenotip, sedangkan sifat dasar yang tidak tampak dan tetap pada suatu individu dinamakan genotip. Suatu individu yang bergenotip sama misalnya TT disebut homozigot, sedangkan individu dengan genotip berbeda disebut heterozigot.
Hasil perkawinan antara 2 individu yang memiliki sifat beda dinamakan hibrid, berdasarkan banyaknya sifat beda yang terdapat dalam suatu individu dapat dibedakan :
  • monohibrid, ialah hibrid dengan satu sifat beda (Aa)
  • dihibrid, ialah hibrid dengan 2 sifat beda (AaBb)
  • Trihibrid, ialah hibrid dengan 3 sifat beda (AaBbCc), dst

 PERKAWINAN BALIK (BACKCROSS)

Ialah perkawinan antara individu F1 dengan salah satu induknya yang dominan, sebagai contoh perkawinan marmut.
B = untuk gen hitam
b = untuk gen putih
saat marmut hitam dengan dengan genotip BB dikawinkan dengan marmut putih bergenotip bb akan menghasilkan keturunan F1 sebagai berikut :
           P =    BB (hitam)    x   bb (putih)
       gamet :    B                  gamet :   b
          F1 =    Bb (hitam)
Backcross ==>  P =    BB (hitam)   x    Bb (hitam)
                       gamet :    B               gamet :  B
                                                                      b
                         F2 =   BB (hitam) : Bb (hitam)


UJI SILANG (TEST CROSS)

Ialah perkawinan antara individu F1 dengan individu yang resesif yang akan menghasilkan keturunan 50%:50% seperti pada contoh :
                 P =    BB (hitam)    x   bb (putih)
                  gamet :    B                  gamet :   b
                 F1 =    Bb (hitam)
Uji silang ==>      P =     Bb (hitam)   x   bb (putih)
                               gamet :  B                gamet :  b
                                             b
                             F2 = Bb (hitam) : bb (putih)


SIFAT INTERMEDIER


Adalah sifat suatu individu yang merupakan gabungan dari sifat kedua induknya. Hal ini dapat terjadi karena sifat kedua induk yang muncul sama kuat (kodominan). Misalnya bunga warna merah disilangkan dengan bunga warna putih, menghasilkan keturunan berwarna merah muda, seperti digambarkan dibawah ini : 


Jumat, 14 Juni 2013

Puisi qw



Harapan
Keheningan terasa dalam relung jiwa
Diantara lambaian rumput
Sang jiwa terasa kering
Bagaikan ruang kosong.

Tiada gemerlapan menyusuri
Sang kalbu menginginkan warna
Warna di relung jiwa,
Relung jiwa yang hening
Hampa……..
Sepi……

Jiwa ini ingin bebas,
Menemukan dirinya
Dirinya yang dapat mengubah sanubari
Hening menjadi berwarna,
Hampa jadi bermakna.

Relung hati ini,
Merindukan sanubari yang berwarna,
Berwarna dan mewarnai relung hati lain
Jiwa ini jiwa hitam
Dapatkah sanubari ini menjadi jiwa yang indah?
Dan merubah kehitaman
Menjadi warna-warni tersenyum riang.

Senin, 29 April 2013

Beda Soekarno dan aktivis mahasiswa zaman sekarang

Mahasiswa Universitas Indonesia mendampingi para pedagang kaki lima menolak penggusuran. Puncak aksinya, mereka memblokir rel di stasiun Pondok Cina, Depok. Jadwal KRL pun terganggu. Ribuan pengguna KRL Jakarta-Bogor yang tak bisa pulang pun memaki aksi para mahasiswa ini.
Para mahasiswa ini mengaku memperjuangkan rakyat kecil, para pedagang yang digusur. Tapi aksi mereka malah menyengsarakan rakyat yang lain. Ribuan pengguna KRL ekonomi pun tentunya bukan warga berada.
Mahasiswa memang selalu penuh semangat. Menjadi aktivis dan merasa memperjuangkan kebenaran selalu menarik untuk mahasiswa. Dulu Presiden Pertama RI Soekarno juga berjuang untuk kemerdekaan rakyatnya sejak masih kuliah di Technische Hogeschool Bandung (kini ITB).
Tapi perjuangan Soekarno semasa kuliah tentu berbeda dengan aktivis zaman sekarang. Soekarno tak pernah menyakiti rakyat, dia selalu berada di tengah rakyat kecil. Menanyakan kondisi rakyat sehingga tahu apa yang dibutuhkan rakyatnya.
Saat kuliah pula Soekarno pertama kali berpidato di depan ribuan orang. Pidato-pidato Soekarno membakar semangat rakyat. Polisi rahasia Belanda pun mulai mengikuti semua gerak-gerik Soekarno. Setiap ada Soekarno, maka ribuan rakyat akan mendengarkannya dengan penuh kekaguman.
Kesibukan berorganisasi dan berpolitik membuat kuliah Soekarno terbengkalai. Kepala Technische Hogeschool Profesor Klopper pun memanggilnya. Dia memberikan wejangan yang membuat Soekarno sadar agar tidak melalaikan kuliah. Klopper tahu jika tak dibiarkan Soekarno akan larut dalam aktivitas politiknya dan tak akan bisa lulus dari sekolah teknik.
"Engkau harus menekuni kuliahmu. Aku tidak keberatan jika seorang pemuda mempunyai cita-cita politik, tetapi harus diingat yang pertama dan yang paling utama engkau harus memenuhi kewajiban sebagai seorang mahasiswa. Engkau harus berjanji mulai hari ini tidak terlibat dalam gerakan politik," kata Kloper seperti dikisahkan Soekarno dalam biografi yang ditulis Cindy Adams.
Maka Soekarno pun berjanji menghentikan aktivitas politiknya sementara waktu. Dia juga berjanji untuk tidak berpidato di depan massa yang akan membuat dirinya berurusan dengan polisi.
"Ya profesor. Anda dapat memegang janjiku," kata Soekarno.
Maka Soekarno menepati janjinya. Dia diwisuda tanggal 25 Mei 1926 dengan gelar Ingenieur. Saat itu dari ratusan siswa, hanya ada dua lulusan inlander.
Ketika lulus, lagi-lagi Klopper memberi wejangan pada Soekarno yang diingatnya seumur hidupnya.
"Ir Soekarno, ijazah ini suatu saat dapat robek dan hancur menjadi abu. Dia tidak abadi. Ingatlah, bahwa satu-satunya yang abadi adalah karakter dari seseorang. Kenangan terhadap karakter itu akan tetap hidup sekalipun dia mati."
Soekarno telah lulus, tak ada yang kewajiban yang menghalanginya untuk memperjuangkan kemerdekaan bangsanya. Maka pengalaman semasa mahasiswa kelak sangat berpengaruh pada pembentukan karakter sang putra fajar yang mengantar Indonesia ke gerbang kemerdekaan.

Senin, 22 April 2013

My Friends Are Dead People

# CHAPTER 1 - THE HOWLING MONSTER #

I sat up in my bed, sweating in my dinosaur pajamas and listening to the busy ticking of all the clocks on my desk. What I needed to do in a few minutes completely terrified me. I had done the most horrible thing. It was so horrible that I had gone window-shopping for a bulletproof vest yesterday. I had lost my mom's most prized-jacket and I had to get it back. But in order to get it back, I had to find wherever I had left it first. Before Oz found out it was missing.
"It's time to go," I said to Duma, hanging off the side of my bed and looking at him upside down. "This is extremely important. You're lucky I'm letting you go with me. But no funny business or I will leave you behind."
Of course Duma didn't know what I was saying, and I certainly was not about to leave without him. Oz never let me go outside alone. She was always so over protective. I hated to admit it but going outside alone on a full moon the night before Halloween was a little scary. At least I'd have a black cat with me, anyone who knew anything wouldn't mess with me with Duma around; or at least I hoped. I stuffed my backpack with a sharp piece of glass, a butter knife, a hammer, a switchblade, and a bottle of aspirin.
"Okay, Duma, if we can't find her jacket, she'll never let us back in the house. She'll board up the windows and the cat doors. She might even buy a gun. She'll put both of us to sleep."
Duma ran crazily around the room.
"No! Asleep, as in, you'll never wake up," I corrected. "Don't be stupid!"
I threw the stuffed backpack over my shoulder and tightened the straps, all the while thinking about the consequences of not finding the jacket. It was a green worn-down leather jacket. Oz loved that jacket possibly more than me, saying it was the only thing that jogged her memory after her car accident that left her with amnesia eighteen years ago. I hated myself for losing it after she had given it to me as a gift. She trusted me. And how did I repay her? I lost it.
Determined to get it back, I walked over to the window to make my escape. Going out the front door, simply wasn't an option. I didn't want to draw any more attention than necessary. It took me three tries to get the window opened. I stuck my one leg out, followed by my head and was met by Oz, peering at me from the outside entryway, looking at me like I was a lunatic. She stood pale as ghost in her checkered nightgown, holding a steaming cup of tea.
"Oz!" I said anxiously. "What - what are you doing outside?"
"Hand it over," she said sternly, walking over to me in her green fuzzy slippers, pointing to my backpack.
I handed my backpack to her and bowed my head.
"What are all of these for, Jess?" I heard her say, rummaging through my things.
I slowly lifted my head to see her pull out Katie's switchblade from my backpack.
"For protection."
"Protection? From what? Jesse, where are you going so late at night? This is the second time this week. I can't stand outside every night afraid that you'll decide to sneak out again. Sitting outside for two nights in a row is exhausting enough. And this?" She was holding up the bottle of aspirin.
I wasn't sure what to tell her, but I chose to tell the truth. "It's for the pain."
"What pain?"
"What if I run into that man and he hurts me? I don't want to be in pain."
"Jess, stop it. I'm tired. You were six when that happened. And you said all he did was take your school I.D. card, right? That's what you told me."
"I know. What if I forgot a small detail and he actually wanted to hurt me or kidnap me?"
"You don't forget anything. Neither of us do."
"I know. But they never found him, Oz. He's still out there."
"No more, Jess. I'm grounding you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out an orange envelope. It looked old, with corners faded and bent and dust embedded along the edges. "You see this? It's very special to me."
I couldn't help wanting to know what was inside. If there was one thing I hated, it was not knowing the answers to something.
"I'll let you see what is in this envelope, when you start acting more mature. No more sneaking around."
She moved away from the window without another word and walked along the front of the house. I could not believe that she was blackmailing me with some envelope.
I called after her. "Are you at least going to give me a clue about what's inside?"
She didn't answer.
I pulled myself back through my window, ran across my bedroom, and met her in the kitchen. "Oz, what's inside that envelope?"
"When you show me that you can handle what's inside, I'll tell you." She dropped the envelope into a safety box, locked it, and placed it in the cupboard that always had a padlock fastened to it.
"Just one little teensy clue? Please! Pretty please! Why do you always have to do this to me? This is not normal to go locking things away! Tell me what's inside."
"Someday."
"Someday? I can't wait that long."
"I have to punish you somehow, Jess. And I want my jacket back. You're not mature enough for that either. Hand it over."
"What? No."
"Yes."
"But . . . uhmm . . . it's at Katie's. I left it there - I let her have - borrow it for school."
"Jess! You know what that jacket means to me. I gave the jacket to you, not Katie." Oz paused for a second and then said, "Please just go to bed."
I turned without saying anything else and went into my bedroom and flopped on my bed, thinking I was done for. I had to find Oz's jacket. If Oz asked Katie about it, Katie would never lie to Oz about something so serious. I got right back up and re-packed my backpack with my new arsenal of tools and weapons and once more tightened the straps.
I peeked out of the window, craning my neck to see the front entryway, but didn't see any sign of Oz. Eying the light fog outside; I stepped over the windowsill and hurried across the wet grass. Duma was already moving down the sidewalk, glowering at his surroundings.
"Duma, wait up! Where are you-"
Duma stuck his head into a patch of mud.
"Stop messing around!" I scolded him quietly. I ran over and picked him up. "Why must you make everything so difficult? We're here to find her jacket! Not rodents! Okay? Look, if you stay with me, I'll make you lots and lots of coffee when we get back."
This seemed to motivate him, as we both hurried stiffly through the chilly fog, which was thickening before our eyes, so we could only see twenty feet in front of us. There was no way we could find the jacket in this weather.
"L-let's g-go home," I trembled. Duma was up ahead, staring into the wall of fog. "We can look for it to-tomorrow-"
My voiced croaked. Something touched my leg.
"Who are you?" said a woman sitting cross-legged on a dirt lawn. She slowly picked herself up. She was short, chubby, dirty, and smelled like eggs. She was wearing three or four layers of clothes.
Oh my god, I'm going to be robbed by a homeless woman.
"Duma!" I shouted.
"No, no, don't shout," she ordered, snatching my arm. "There's nothing down that block. Hey, you want to see something scary? I know you boys like scary stuff."
I shook my head, wondering what special type of crazy the woman was.
"What you doing out here at this hour if you ain't looking for adventure?"
"I'm-" My voice caught in my throat as I tried to continue.
"Is that a black cat? And it's almost Halloween. That's bad luck for the both of us." The woman shuffled away, disappearing into the swirling fog. "Come here," I heard her say somewhere further down the street. "Come on, boy. . . . You want to see magic?"
I wanted to run, go back to my warm bed, and confess to Oz everything I had done. Maybe she'd forgive me. But when the woman muttered that one word, magic, I forgot all my fears. What did she mean by magic? Did she mean real magic? I caught up to her, but kept a five-foot gap between us. You could never be too safe with strangers.
"It's almost time," she huffed, raising her eyes to the hazy night sky. "Wind's still. Many clouds. Round moon. And the fog's creeping all over. Yes, the fog is here, and so they will be. Two minutes from now. Just over there."
I wondered what I was getting into. The woman made no sense at all, but something about the promise of magic kept me wanting to wait just a little bit longer.
The woman waddled through the damp mist to a red house at the corner. She motioned for me to follow, and I jogged to stay in pace with her. The front porch was lined with a dozen jack-o'-lanterns, none carved even remotely scary. I kept close to the woman now, crouching down next to her in front of a window off to the right of the porch.
My mind raced. What if we got caught? The police will come and I'll be arrested for spying on the neighbors. What will Oz say when she finds out I've been window peeping?
The woman pointed to the window, motioning for me to look. I peered in, my soccer shoes soaking from the wet grass. The living room was off to the right and had a few couches, a dim lamp, and a crackling fireplace. The kitchen was to the left, but it was too dark to see into. I turned back to the street, where Duma was eyeing a cawing crow perched on a telephone pole.
"What you see here, you'll never forget," said the woman in a hushed voice. "Stay quiet now. A world you've never known is about to be revealed to you. The tale is no tale at all."
"What tale?" I asked.
"Fifteen seconds," announced the woman, holding a pocket watch in her hand.
I could hardly stand the suspense. I didn't know what to expect, but for some reason I felt like I had to be there.
"Ten, nine, eight," the woman counted. I started counting with her in my head. ". . . seven, six, five, four, three, two . . ."
The wind howled, and the air swiftly changed from cold to warm, then back to cold. A few dogs barked frantically blocks away, and the crow flew off the telephone pole, but I heard nothing unusual until a wolf's howl broke the silence. The howl carried on until it reached an eerie high pitch. I pressed my face into the wet windowpane, desperately trying to get a better peek into the living room, where the howling was coming from. A hall light flickered on as a tall elderly woman, as dark as the night sky and as old as a great-great-grandma, came into view.
"Charles, what did I tell you?" she grumbled sleepily at someone hidden from view in the far corner of the room. "I told you not to do that when you come in. You'd better hope you didn't wake your grandnephews." Her tone softened a bit. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, but I'm still your mother."
There was a deep animal grunt in response.
I crept over to the left side of the window, but still could not get a clear view of the far corner of the living room. Oh how I wanted to see what had made that howl. I ducked my head down as heavy footsteps boomed across the wooden floor, getting closer. I stumbled backwards when I saw a hairy brown creature with lanky arms trudging across the creaky floorboards. I only got a quick glance at the creature, but it was just long enough to see that it was too tall for this house and had to stoop and hang its head to avoid hitting the ceiling.
"You see," whispered the woman beside me. "No one believes me. But you do now."
Ten seconds passed, and the house fell silent again. I could not think of one logical thing it could have been.
"What was that?" I whispered back breathlessly, still peering through the now fogged-up window. "Was that a costume?"
"No, no," said the woman. "Can you not see right? I've been coming to this house for years. Same time - twelve o'clock - it appears. No one's in the room at first, then - poof! - there you have him-"
"But what is-"
"A werewolf."
I turned to her in disbelief. There was no way that thing was a mythical creature. No way.
I heard the old mother's voice in the kitchen along with a second voice, sounding like a low rumbling. It had to be the creature.
I leaned in again to hear what was being said.
"I am going to be out late. I've got to find a kid," said the creature.
"Charles, you know you can't send a kid to that monster."
"We already had this discussion. Only a child can kill Himalaya. Don't you even care that a menala was murdered yesterday, along with another human?"
"What menala?" said the mother quietly, sounding sad. "Dili?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I don't know because the menala was taken away. . . ."
I could not understand anything they were saying. My mind raced trying to make sense of it all. They might as well have been speaking a foreign language.
"You know what they speak of, boy?" said my lady friend.
I shook my head, needing to know the answer.
"Himalaya is an evil creature, suspected of murdering humans on Halloween."
"What?"
"Yes. And as bad as Himalaya is, there is one that is worse. His name's Jack, and he is the real problem. My money is on Jack having killed the menalas. Why do you think they have jack-o-lanterns out?"
"I don't know."
"Jack's scared of them," she whispered, poking a rotting pumpkin.
Suddenly, the werewolf's growling voice cut through the silence. "Are there enough jack-o-lanterns on the front porch?"
"Why? Do you think Jack killed the human?"
"There's reason to believe the human had Jack's death mark."
"Oh, my sweet bundle of fur. I better put out more pumpkins, just to be safe."
"Mother, I have only a few days left to live. I need you to pass all that I know to Forlin before the Dark Hours - I have found the human kid."

"What? Charles, I told you that you are not taking a child to that thing!"
"It's done. He's been chosen. He's wearing pajamas and-"
"Who?"
"And soccer shoes," he finished.
"Soccer shoes? Kids don't play soccer this late. I bet you my good socks they don't."
"It doesn't matter. I can see the boy through your dirty wall as we speak. He's peering inside your living room, straining to overhear our conversation."
I jerked back away from the window, zapped by the sudden realization that it was me - I was wearing pajamas and soccer shoes. Before I could form my next thought, something yanked me forwards through the window in a flash of light and chilling cries. Next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of the yellow kitchen before the old mother and her hairy beast of a son.
I shook standing in front of them, my knees trembling. I wanted to scream, but found my throat constricted in fear. I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die.
"What in Halloween are you doing, Charles?" the mother scowled at the monster, who was even taller and more frightening up close. "Take this poor boy out of here. Look at him. He's shaking. Go, child. Run home."
I was too scared to run home, and even if I was not, I would not be able to; the werewolf had a firm grip on my backpack. He used his other paw to dig through it. He pulled out everything, staring at each item, much like Oz had done. He looked deeply confused when he took out the bottle of aspirin.
"No, he will stay with me," he said firmly, placing the bottle back into my backpack. "I do not have much time. This child will have to do. He can easily be taught to be brave."
"Charles, you'd better let this boy go."
I pleaded in my mind for the werewolf to listen to his mom and let me go, but it was no use.
The creature shot one of his hairy arms over my head. "How old are you, child?" he asked, leaning down to my level. His black eyes had the reflection of the moon in them. "Judging by your height, I'd say you are in middle school. Are you in eighth grade?" His eyes opened wide. "Are you thirteen?"
His mother stepped between us, but the werewolf brushed her aside like a feather and straightened out to his full height, slightly tilting his head under the ceiling and looking more terrifying than anything I could have dreamt of.
I started to hyperventilate. I grabbed my stomach and closed my eyes. This is not happening, I told myself. Wake up, Jesse, this is just a nightmare.
"If you want to live, you're going to have to give me what I want. You are thirteen. Otherwise, you would have said you weren't. Is this your father? Open your eyes."
The beast held out a picture of a clean-shaven man with short brown hair. It wasn't my father. It was the man who stole my school I.D. card when I was six.
"This is very important. Wasthis your father?" He showed me the picture again. "Speak, child! Or your limbs will be torn off and you will be murdered most savagely. A man more evil than Satan is coming for you."
"How dare you," snarled the mother, punching her son in the arm, which did nothing but make him snarl back at her. "How dare you terrorize this poor kid. You're scaring the Jassum out of him."
Dismembered? Murdered? Oh, my God, I was going to die.
"Charles, I'm warning you this one last time: you stop this craziness right now."
"But I am not the one who is going to snap his bones in half! Can't you see? I am trying to prevent that from happening."
"That's not his father. I can tell. I don't want another word from you. Listen to me. What good is this second life of yours if all you do is go around disobeying your mother and scaring kids? You're staying home today. That's final."
Two young kids pitter-pattered in from the hall, rubbing their sleepy eyes. Once their eyes adjusted, they ran up merrily to the werewolf and wrapped themselves around his hairy legs.
"Leave, child," the mother motioned to me.
I was desperate to flee, but my legs would not move. Seeing this, she pushed me rather gruffly. Thankfully, that got me going. I ran out of the kitchen, staggered through the dark living room, and slipped my way out of the house, but tumbled over the pumpkins on the front porch, crashing head first into a large moldy jack-o'-lantern. I paused on the porch, picking out pieces of pumpkin from my orange hair and trying to orient myself as to where I was.
"Please, Charles," I heard his mother say inside.

"I have visited Antarctica and know what needs to be done. I need you to relay everything to Forlin while I take the boy to Himalaya."

"Don't you want to spend your last days with me?"

"I am sorry, but this is more important."

"And if the boy is killed?"

"If the boy is killed, there will be no more afterlife."

That was it.

I darted off the porch and raced off into the fog. "Duma!" I called, unable to see a thing. "Charles is - a monster is coming! A real monster!"

The screen door from the red house screeched open the exact moment I felt warm breathing down the back of my neck. It was the most frightening thing I had ever felt in my entire life.

"Help me!" I shrieked in the direction of a white house, just barely visible through the fog. I ran further down the street and screamed toward some other houses. "Help me! Someone help - Duma!"

Duma scurried across the street, totally spooked.

"Duma, wait!"

I ran after him and past the chubby woman standing on the sidewalk. "Tell your friends!" she yelled after me. "Lock your doors! Because they are-"

The woman's ranting suddenly changed to a deadly scream. Duma and I froze for an instant, frightened by the way she was screaming. A moment later, everything fell silent. 

==========================
By : Tony J. Ortiz
========================== 

Minggu, 21 April 2013

MANTRA


Pagi ini aku sudah disibukan oleh waktu..
Ya, waktu … itu benar bukan ? sebagian orang berpendapat waktu itu adalah uang dan sebagian lagi berpendapat waktu itu adalah kekuatan, tapi menurutku itu tidak eedar dan itu tidak berlaku padaku.
 Aku terus memacu sepeda untuk tiba tepat waktu di stasiun kereta.
apa yang dipikirkan kalian  ? apa kalian pikir aku orang sibuk ?
oh sebaiknya kalian berpikir ulang tentang itu. Ingat aku seorang remaja, lebih tepatnya mahasiswa yang terdaftar di university of cambridge, London. Jadi aku bukanlah seseorang yang selalu membawa koper dan memakai jas lalu menunggu kereta untuk pergi kekantor setiap paginya.
 Sesampainya distasiun, tanpa harus berfikir keras aku meletakan sepedaku dan meninggalkannya begitu saja. Aku berlari, berbelok, menuruni tangga dan menabrak lalu terjatuh, oh tidak aku menabrak, kau tahu karena kejadian ini aku bisa saja terlambat untuk mengikuti test.
“I’m sorry sir, aku tidak sengaja… tadi itu aku terburu-buru karena, ya aku seorang mahasiswa dan aku akan melakukan test”ucapku meminta maaf, namun rasanya perkataanku tadi tidak begitu diperdulikan olehnya, dengan lantang orang itu mengatakan ini padaku “perkataanmu lebih buruk dari pada pengemis ”ucapnya. Oh my god, apa yang salah padaku, aku hanya ingin meminta maaf, dan dengan tatapan aneh orang itu pergi meninggalkanku begitu saja.
Aku langsung melihat jam yang melilit dipergelangan tanganku jam itu menunjukan pukul 7.15 sedangkan testnya akan dimulai tepat pukul 7.35, dan itu  artinya waktuku hanya tersisa 20 menit lagi dari sekarang.
 Ku pikir itu tidak ada gunanya lagi, karena waktu yang diperlukan untuk menuju kampusku 45 menit. dengan lesu aku terduduk di tangga sambil menutupi wajahku dengan kedua telapak tangan.
Pikiranku kacau saat itu, yang ada didalam kepalaku hanya satu, yaitu gagal menjadi sarjana lulusan university of cambridge  tahun ini.
Jika kalian bertanya seberapa pentingkah test itu ?, maka jawabannya adalah sangat penting, kenapa ?, karena test ini adalah test terakhir  dari rangkaian test-test yang dilakukan kampus itu untuk kelulusan para mahasiswanya.
“excuse me, kau mengahalang jalan”ucap wanita berambut pirang sambil memegang tangan bocah laki-laki yang aku pikir itu anaknya, mendengar perkataan itu aku langsung bangkit dan berjalan menuju tempat duduk yang tersedia di sekitar stasiun kereta.

Dert, dert, dert !!
 Handphoneku yang kuletakan disaku celana bergetar, aku pun langsung mengambilnya dan melihat nama seseorang yang menelephoneku, tertulis ‘LOEN’ di display layar handphoneku.
“Eed, kemana saja kau, test akan segera dimulai ?”ucap loen ketika aku menekan tombol hijau dan meletakan ponselku di telinga
“aku rasa, aku tidak akan mengikuti test itu”ucapku lesu, semangat untuk mengikuti test itu laksana sirna seiring dengan berjalannya sesuatu yang tidak bisa dihentikan dan terus berjalan yang dinamakan ‘WAKTU
“apa maksudmu eed ? kita akan lulus sama-sama bukan ?, kau yang menyuruhku untuk satu kampus denganmu, tapi jika kau tidak melakukan test ini, itu artinya kau gagal”kata loen yang berbicara dari sebrang telephone
“ya, ya , ya aku tahu itu, tapi aku tidak memiliki waktu lagi, aku terlambat dan lebih baik kau melakukan itu sendiri, selamat berjuang bro semoga sukses”ucapku dan langsung menekan tombol merah lalu mencabut battery ponselku.
Ya tuhan apa aku harus menyerah dan kalah hanya karena WAKTU ?, tapi apa yang harus kulakukan sekarang, jika aku pulang mungkin akan terjadi perang dunia ke-3.
Dalam kebingungan aku hanya melihat orang yang berlalu-lalang kesana-kemari dan sesekali melihat jam tangan yang masih tetap melekat ditanganku, "kau mau merokok ?“ucap seseorang dengan pakaian aneh, yang menawarkan sebuah rokok, karena aku bukan perokok, aku pun menolak tawaran itu.
“maaf tapi aku tidak merokok”ucapku, orang itu pun langsung memasukan rokok itu kedalam jas yang terlihat lusuh dan begitu kusam
“boleh aku duduk disini ?”tanya orang itu, dan dengan senang hati aku menjawab “tentu saja” lalu memberikan sedikit sisa bangku yang aku duduki.
 
“ak.. aku Eed..”ucapku terpotong olehnya, ketika aku baru ingin memperkenalkan diriku

Dengan lantangnya pria itu, pria yang mengaku dirinya sebagai penyirih, berbicara kepadaku kembali, “kau tidak perlu memperkenalkan dirimu,karena aku sudah tahu itu. kau Eed, Eedward Shielterd, usiamu 22 tahun, kau kuliah di university of catelbridge,”serunya dengan begitu santai, sedangkan aku, aku hanya melongo dengan kedua rahang terbuka dan mata yang membulat, ini sangat mustahil dan sangat  Sulit untuk  dipercaya oleh akal sehat.
     Pria itu Albert II , mengetahui namaku. Sungguh itu adalah hal yang sangat gila bukan ?, tapi bagaimana bisa ?, sebenarnya siapa yang gila sekarang, dia atau aku ?.
“bagaimana… bagaimana kau mengetahui namaku ? sebenarnya siapa kau ?”tanyaku gugup dengan muka yang kurasa masih tetap pucat.
Pria itu menjauh dariku, sementara aku masih dalam posisi yang sama, menempelkan tubuhku pada tembok dekat pintu toilet sambil tetap memperhatikan setiap gerakan dari orang itu.
“dan apa maksudmu dengan university of catelbridge ?, nama kampusku university of Cambridge, bukan yang seperti kau sebutkan tadi”seruku, pria itu mengeluarkan rokoknya kembali dan lalu menyalahkannya
“kaum kami, kaum witches lebih suka memanggil tempat itu dengan sebutan  ‘university of catelbridge  ‘. Itu adalah bahasa latin dan kami para kaum witches lebih suka menggunakan bahasa latin untuk  digunakan sebagai mantra atau tempat yang dipercaya sangat suci”serunya sambil meniupkan asap rokoknya yang keluar dari mulutnya kehadapanku, “apa maksudmu dengan tempat suci ?”tanyaku penasaran sementara pikiranku tetap focus untuk melarikan diri dari orang ini.
university of catelbridge , adalah tempat ilmu pengetahuan dan kaum kami sangat menghargai ilmu pengetahuan, dan oleh sebab itu seorang guru adalah  pekerjaan yang paling hebat dalam kaum kami, bangsa Witches”perjelasnya
 “kau tau apa yang paling mulia dari pada ilmu pengetahuan ?, jawabannya adalah melarikan diri darimu”aku pun langsung berlari menjauh dari dia, tapi seketika “Congelaticorpus” dan terlihat kilatan cahaya berwarna biru memancar kearahku.
 Disaat itu juga dan tepat pada waktu itu, tubuhku menjadi kaku tidak bisa bergerak, sama sekali. pria itu, pria yang membuat aku seperti ini pun langsung berjalan kearahku yang masih dalam posisi seperti berlari namun mematung “kau sedikit keras kepala, sudah kubilang aku ini bukan orang jahat seperti yang kau pikirkan dan sekarang apa kau mau menjadi muridku ?, jika kau mau, akan aku ajari kau mantra seperti ini dan tentunya aku akan mengembalikan dirimu seperti semula, jadi bagaimana ? apa jawabanmu ?”tanyanya kepadaku, sekarang sendi-sendi ditubuhku terasa sakit dan kurasakan nafasku menjadi sangat berat seperti berendam di dalam kolam saat winter.

“apa yang kau lakukan padaku ?, ahhh.. kau gila, kau ingin membunuhku ?”ucapku didampingi erangan yang diakibatkan oleh sendi-sendiku yang semakin terasa nyeri dan yang menjadikanku sangat bingung kenapa tiba-tiba tempat ini menjadi sepi, somebody please help me.
 “aku akan mengembalikan seperti semula, jika kau mau menjawab ‘iya’ untuk menjadi muridku.”katanya yang melihat diriku begitu saja sambil tetap menghisap sisa rokoknya, “terserah, semua ada ditanganmu, jadi bagaimana ?”ucapnya lagi yang masih tetap memaksa diriku untuk menjadi muridnya. Sebenarnya apa yang dipikirkan oleh orang ini dan kenapa dia terlalu memaksakan, dan aku rasa aku tahu jawaban atas pertanyaanku tadi diatas, bahwa yang sebenarnya gila adalah dia, bukan aku.
 Posisiku  sekarang sangatlah terpojok, antara menjawab ‘iya’ atau tetap seperti ini, membeku seperti patung. Setelah berfikir sesaat dan nafasku sudah mulai sesak sekarang akhirnya aku memutuskan menjawab “baiklah aku mau menjadi muridmu, jadi sekarang kembalikan aku seperti semula”ucapku dengan nafas begitu berat.
Begitu mendengar jawabanku tadi, terlihat rasa kepuasan diwajahnya “seharusnya kau seperti itu sedari tadi, jadi kau tidak perlu seperti ini”katanya dan langsung membuang sisa rokoknya kelantai