That afternoon, in a simple house on the outskirts of town,
Aliff, a 7-year-old boy, stirred in his sleep. His eyes suddenly flew open wide, looking startled.
Hah?!...
In a panic, he jumped off the sofa where he had been sleeping, his black hair messy and his black eyes still half-asleep.
"Hm... huh?!"
He gasped. "Mom! Mom! What time is it?!" he shouted as he stumbled toward the kitchen, his small feet pattering on the ceramic floor.
His mother, who was frying chicken, turned around and smiled, amused by her beloved child's panic.
"Huh? What time? Oh, it's only 2 PM."
His mother's name is Ina.
"Ah?! Thank goodness!" Aliff's face lit up. Happily, he ran to the living room and grabbed the TV remote. His finger quickly pressed the power button, causing the TV screen to light up with a soft 'click.'
"Yes! Power Rangers just started!" he exclaimed with sparkling eyes. He sat cross-legged on the floor, his face almost touching the 21-inch TV screen.
Power Rangers was his favorite story; he had never missed an episode. Power Rangers: Mighty Morphin was his absolute favorite.
"Hey, Aliff!" his mother's gentle voice called from the kitchen. "Don't sit too close to the TV, dear. It will ruin your eyes."
"Yes, Mom!" Aliff replied, following his mother's advice by scooting back a few inches. His eyes remained glued to the TV screen, which was now displaying the opening theme of his favorite Power Rangers show.
"Wow! It's starting!" Aliff cheered excitedly, his small body swaying to the opening music. His hands even started mimicking the Rangers' moves enthusiastically.
"Aliff! Come eat lunch first!" his mother called from the kitchen.
In a flash, Aliff ran to the kitchen, grabbing a plate of rice and freshly fried chicken from his mother. Fried chicken was one of his favorite foods. "Thanks, Mom!" he said quickly before darting back to the TV.
He sat cross-legged, carefully placing the plate on his lap. Aliff devoured his rice and fried chicken with his right hand, his eyes still focused on the action of Power Rangers on the TV screen.
"Eat slowly," his mother gently reminded him while ruffling Aliff's hair. "The TV isn't going anywhere."
"Hehehe, yes, Mom," Aliff replied with his mouth full of rice, his cheeks puffing up like a hamster. His eyes sparkled as he watched TV, occasionally cheering during thrilling fight scenes.
Twenty minutes passed quickly. The TV screen displayed the closing credits of Power Rangers rolling slowly. Aliff stood up with enthusiasm, his small body still full of energy after watching his favorite show.
"Time to take a shower now!" he said cheerfully, hopping toward the bathroom. The sound of running water was heard shortly after, interspersed with his little humming of the Power Rangers theme song still echoing in his head.
"That boy really loves that show, doesn't he?" his mother smiled from the sofa.
After finishing his shower and changing into his favorite black t-shirt and long pants, Aliff rushed to the front door. His wet hair was still dripping, causing his mother to shake her head.
"Mom, I'm going out to play!" he shouted while putting on his sandals.
His mother, who was folding clean laundry, looked up. "Okay, but remember, don't come home too late, dear. You need to be home before 7 PM."
"Yes, Mom!" Aliff replied with a wide grin. "I promise to be home before 7!"
Just as Aliff opened the door, footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. A taller boy appeared on the lower floor, just coming out of his bedroom and still rubbing his eyes with messy hair.
"Hm..." He yawned widely. "Hah?! Mom, where's Aliff?" asked Razak, Aliff's 9-year-old brother, who was two years older than Aliff.
"Oh, your brother just went out to play in the park, as usual. He'll be playing with his friends," Ina replied while folding the last towel. "You can follow him there if you want. Please keep an eye on your brother, Razak."
Razak scratched his head, which wasn't itchy. "Huh?! Why do I have to?" he protested softly, but seeing his mother's gaze, he quickly added, "Um... fine, but I want to take a shower first."
"Yes, go shower. It's already this late, and you're just getting up."
"Yeah... yeah... I'll shower first!" Razak said hurriedly, his feet thumping quickly toward the bathroom.
Their mother shook her head at his antics. "Goodness! These kids."
Meanwhile, in a lush park filled with trees and equipped with swings and slides, Aliff finally arrived, panting. There, six kids his age were already gathered, sitting in a circle under a shady tree.
"Hi, everyone!" Aliff greeted with a wide grin, waving to his friends.
"Why are you so late?!" Sakura, a small girl with round cheeks, stood up, her face flushed with annoyance. "We've been waiting for you!"
"Yeah, Aliff. Where have you been?" added Diana, the girl sitting next to Sakura.
"Sorry... sorry..." Aliff scratched his head, which wasn't itchy. "I just finished watching TV. Today's Power Rangers episode was really exciting! There was a new robot that..."
"Power Rangers again, Power Rangers again," interrupted Reno, the chubby kid munching on potato chips. "Is there no other show?"
"Eh, but I watched it too!" defended Fariz, Aliff's friend. "Today's episode was awesome!"
"Okay, okay," Maya, the most mature girl among them, interjected. "The important thing is that Aliff is here now. So, what do we want to play?"
"How about we play cooking?" suggested Sakura.
"No way, cooking is only for girls; Aliff and I are boys, that doesn't suit us," responded another boy.
"Then how about hide and seek?" proposed Dani, the boy who had been quiet until then.
"But we already played that yesterday," protested Sakura. "What about..."
Before Sakura could finish her sentence, the sound of footsteps approached. They turned to see Razak, with wet hair and panting, walking toward them.
"Kak Razak!" Diana exclaimed, blushing. It was no secret that Diana secretly admired Aliff's brother.
"Hey, kids," Razak greeted with his cool smile. "Mom asked me to keep an eye on you. But don't worry, I won't interrupt your games."
"Alright!" Sakura clapped her hands to get attention. "Since everyone is here, how about we just play tag?..."
They looked at each other and agreed with Sakura, then they started playing, with Razak sitting on a park bench watching them.
***
The evening sky had darkened as the clock struck 7 PM. The park lights began to turn on one by one.
"See you tomorrow, Aliff!" Sakura waved, her small bag swinging on her back.
"Don't forget to bring the marbles you promised tomorrow!" added Fariz while packing up his toys.
"Yes, see you all tomorrow!" Aliff replied with a wide smile, unaware of his brother's worried gaze.
"What is this?!..."
Razak, who had been anxious, checked his watch and quickly grabbed his brother's hand. "Let's hurry home! Mom will be really mad because we're late. I told you earlier to come home, but you kept playing."
"Hm..." Aliff lowered his head, just realizing his mistake. "I didn't realize it was already 7. The hide-and-seek was fun..."
After Aliff and his friends played tag, they played hide and seek.
They quickly walked down the housing complex road, now illuminated by streetlights. Razak held his younger brother's hand tightly, occasionally quickening their pace.
"Oh no, what do we do?" Razak murmured anxiously. "Mom must be really worried. We're two hours late from the promised time."
Aliff began to feel guilty, his tired legs forcing him to walk faster to keep up with his brother.
When they reached their house, the porch light shone brightly. Before they could reach the door, it swung open wide. There stood their mother with a mixed expression of worry and anger.
"Oh my goodness! Where have you two been?!" she exclaimed. "I told you not to come home at 7, didn't I? Why are you only coming back now?"
"Sorry, Mom..." Razak tried to explain. "We were just..."
"And you, Razak!" their mother interrupted. "Didn't I tell you to look after your brother? Why did you let him play out this late?"
"Sorry, Mom..." both brothers said in unison.
"Alright, now go inside and shower first. After that, it's dinner," their mother instructed. "And as a punishment, you can't go to the park tomorrow."
"Yes, Mom," Aliff replied weakly...