DICE

[4]

Gala wraps himself in a thick blanket, shivering in fear, his breath heavy. He vividly recalls how it all unfolded. Why does he have to face such a fate? He feels like cursing, but he's just too exhausted. Gala, driven by curiosity, finally dares to approach the voice. The orange glow begins to dim slowly. It leads him to a spot where the orange light seems hidden behind one of the stacks of old cardboard boxes. Gala slowly moves the pile. The sound of chirping rats and scurrying cockroaches doesn't stop him from getting a closer look.

"Dice?" Gala asks, astonished by what he finds. A die as big as his fist, orange in color, which was shining brightly before. And... talking? He cautiously picks up the black die with colorful dots on each side. The orange glow starts to fade completely, leaving Gala staring at it in bewilderment. He picks up the die slowly, dusting it off with the edge of his old shirt sleeve, trying to see it clearly.

The die moves! It seems to split on its own, although Gala hasn't done anything. Nothing at all. He's just touching it, and carefully so. Then... the die levitates and splits, making Gala scream in fear. He quickly steps back, causing a commotion.

"Sir, don't be afraid."

All that just happened pales in comparison to the emergence of a woman amidst the white light in the background. She has long hair and icy-cold eyes. She seems like a hologram from the high-tech gadgets in the movies Gala has seen.

Gala is scared! Very scared.

"Don't come near!" Gala shouts, trembling, as the die slowly floats towards him. But it's useless; the die is getting closer. "Don't come near anyone!"

"Sir."

As unexpected as it is, Gala manages to stand up with difficulty. His legs are shaking as this is the first time, he's experienced such a bizarre and astonishing event.

"Sir, don't be afraid. I'm Dice."

Ignoring the voice and the introduction from before, despite his bike's bent handlebars, flat front tire, and his inability to maintain balance correctly, Gala still mounts his bike. He rushes off, deciding that going home is the best option. Maybe his day has been so unlucky that it's caused an incredible hallucination.

"Sir, you're the Last Horatio. You can't defy your destiny."

Gala speeds up on his bike, nearly slipping a few times on scattered plastic trash. His hurried pace also causes other riders to honk as he cuts through the lanes. Gala is still very frightened, his hands trembling even more. No wonder he's often labeled as a loser, coward, and easily belittled. His bravery is in the negative numbers. His looks might support it, but he lacks the courage. Gala disregards the people shouting his name as he enters the flat, especially Mr. Richard. He couldn't care less. Tremors in his hands and legs persist, even though he's wrapped himself in a blanket.

"What was that earlier?"

***

Gala wakes up hungry. Last night, he didn't inform Mr. Jian that he wouldn't be able to make it to his house. Last night was terrifying for Gala. He promises and swears not to pass that alley again, even if it means getting to Mr. Jian's place faster. Thinking about the man, maybe ten years his senior, he quickly grabs his phone.

"Sorry, I..." Gala repeats multiple times. "I won't be late tonight. I'll take care of the cleaning, Mr. Jian, it's my job."

The grumbling voice makes Gala sigh tiredly. But Mr. Jian isn't as fierce as Mr. Kim. At the end of the call, Mr. Jian says, "Don't skip it again. There's dry food you can stock up on at home."

"Okay, Mr. Jian. Thank you." Gala beams with a smile. He glances at the time on his phone. He's up two hours earlier than his usual alarm, the one that usually rings loudly and gives him an instant headache. He feels a bit guilty for calling Mr. Jian so early. But... Mr. Jian's voice sounds fresh, as if he hasn't slept all night?

Whatever. The main thing is, Gala has let him know.

He notices he's still wearing last night's clothes, and the dust smudge from wiping that strange thing is still there. Clear evidence that what Gala experienced was real, not just his imagination. No, Gala doesn't want to dwell on it too much. He needs to eat, shower, and then head back to repeat the mundane activities, who knows until when.

As he leaves the room and heads to the bathroom, the glowing orange thing from last night is there. Floating with a soft blue glow, illuminating the entire space. Gala screams in shock and quickly turns back to his room. Being already careless, combined with panic, causes him to stumble over a chair, falling face-first to the floor.

"Are you okay, sir?"

More terrifying than the voice itself is the image of the strange, cold, and creepy-looking woman to Gala. What's even more perplexing is her emergence from the split die earlier. She seems like a shadow, but why is she able to hold Gala's hand and help him get up?

This is nuts!

Everything's nuts!

Gala decided to shut his eyes and hoped he'd just wake up late.

"Sir? Are you... okay?"

That weird voice, the one Gala didn't need to hear, the one scaring him even more. That's what he thought.

"Sir, don't be scared. I'm Dice. I'm here because you freed me. Last night."

"Go away!" Gala dismisses her, waving his hand. "Go away, you!" He uses his other hand to cover his face. Gala is really scared.

"But I can't leave, sir. You're my master now," she says softly. Slowly, sounding very sad. "If you're scared, I won't appear until you accept my presence."

Then... the blue light disappears along with her figure. When Gala opens his eyes to check, the speckled box is lying on the floor. The room returns to its normal state. Gala repeatedly rubs his chest while roughly patting his oily face.

"This is crazy," he mutters, shaking his head softly. He tries to stand, using the chair that caused him to fall. His legs still feel shaky. His mind goes blank for a moment as the event replays in his head. "It must have been a ghost earlier. Seriously!"

Gala hurries to shower when the image of Mr. Kim's chubby face suddenly crosses his mind. He doesn't want to deal with him anymore. Hoping in his heart that his bad luck won't ruin his day today.

Almost out of habit, although he knows his fridge is empty, Gala opens it. His eyes widen as the fridge, usually stocked with only old milk bottles, leftover food wrappers he's too lazy to throw, and rotting fruit pieces, is now filled with food. Fresh fruit is in there, along with boxes of fresh milk that Gala wants to guzzle down until it's gone.

Regardless of who filled it, Gala goes with what's in his head. That's not all when his sharp nose catches the delicious smell of food, finding its trustworthy source with food laid out there. On the dining table. Quickly, Gala shuts the fridge with a milk bottle. His eyes nearly pop out when he sees roasted chicken, complete with salad and sauce.

"Oh my God!"

***

"Why's your face a little different, Gala?" Marta, busy preparing sugar syrup for the various drinks at her station, squints. She notices Gala looking a bit brighter than usual.

Every morning he arrives, Gala never fails to show a cheerful face. Always glum. Not to mention looking unkempt like a guy who's never heard of a comb, let alone his clothes. Marta really strains her eyes every time she sees Gala in the kitchen area. Luckily, Gala is never allowed to work upfront as it could ruin Mr. Kim's reputation.

"My face? Why my face?" Gala asks, puzzled. His hand, soapy, foolishly touches his left cheek. "Ah, it's all soapy," he complains softly.

This makes Marta shake her head, thinking about how strange Galaksi Haidar behaves. No wonder he's always called a loser and a coward, his attitude is just like this. Even weirder.

"Gala, don't forget to throw away all the garbage and tie it properly!" Mr. Kim shouts from the door. The young man, already busy with various dirty dishes and other cooking utensils, quickly nods.

He sees the greatly reduced pile and his mind immediately goes to the tall black bags. He has to drag them because the garbage truck will arrive soon.

Gala speeds up washing all the greasy cooking equipment. He doesn't want Mr. Kim to scold him again. This morning, the chubby man handed him a bag containing an envelope, which Gala knows is his pay. He can keep his promise to Mrs. Milly tonight.

Thank goodness.

Gala's faint smile doesn't fade just because he's received his pay. The pressures of life are still there, not to mention the work environment where he still receives a lot of criticism and ridicule. But Gala tries to keep going and enjoy it.

"Sir."

Gala startles, almost jumping because the person he met earlier that morning appears there. The bags he was dragging fall, spilling their contents a bit. This makes Gala grumble in annoyance, "Damn it!"

"I'll help."

The movement swiftly grabs everything that was in Gala's hands. The four large bags easily go into the temporary storage bin in the back alley of Mr. Kim's restaurant.

"Done," she says softly. Her figure still glows blue, so bright.

"Get in!" Gala commands. He takes out the dice box. Reluctantly, Dice, the girl's name, enters. Gala looks around. He's scared and very cautious in case someone sees them. He himself still can't digest what he heard during breakfast.

Where... Dice recounts her story.