Wrapped Around

What Sadewo experienced in the last twelve hours reminded him of that night. The night when Isnani laughed heartily amidst the rhythmic beats of the campursari music that shook the window panes. Then, the angel of death came in the form of goat satay.

That night, a pair of newlyweds stood wearily welcoming guests who had arrived throughout the day. A variety of dishes lined the buffet table. Leftover food and used skewers piled up on the dirty plates. People chatted in small clusters. And the angel of death—whose presence went unnoticed by anyone—hovered, cursing the clamor of the drums.

That night, after people were full from food, conversation, and the sound of drums, the voices became a low murmur. The campursari music continued to play, like a talkative figure, refusing to die. As people began to run out of topics to discuss, Isnani suddenly howled while covering her own mouth. Isnani's mouth was clearly bleeding. The palms of her hands were red. The voices remained a low murmur.

"Isnani why?" someone asked.

“He said his mouth was skewered!” another replied.

"How come!"

Turn off the soun! Turn off the soun!

“Turn off the soun! Turn off the soun!” someone shouted.

The campursari music has stopped. The glass windows no longer tremble. Four people are carrying Isnani into the house. The sounds are still a mix of noise. The host fetches mineral water, pierces it with a straw, and offers it to Isnani, but Isnani is no longer able to respond. Only her eyes are wide open.

"Is! Is! Realize, Is! Say it, Is!"

People were in a panic. Isnani's eyes were still wide open. Seconds rode on seconds. Until someone uttered a phrase of condolence. Innalillahi…. Followed by others. One after another. The voices grew quieter.

On the other hand, above the crowd, the two brides, who were starting to look weary, continued to greet several guests who arrived late. Their eyes were uncomfortable and kept stealing glances at the crowd. Nevertheless, the party was still ongoing and would continue. Those who left may as well go. Who can stop the dead?

That night, Sadewo returned home late. He still could not believe that Isnani was dead. About an hour before the angel of death took her soul, Isnani was still laughing heartily with her mouth full of goat meat. Isnani whispered to Sadewo that the satay seasoning was delicious, but the meat was as tough as coconut husk. They burst into laughter. Isnani complained that the only thing, after cholesterol, that made her reluctant to eat satay was that her teeth were always filled with residue after eating. In fact, Isnani even joked that it might be nice if God created human teeth without gaps so that people wouldn’t have to deal with residue when eating meat. Sadewo responded wisely, saying that God created the shape of human teeth in the most perfect way. If teeth were created without gaps, humans would only have two teeth, one upper and one lower. If one tooth—whether upper or lower—fell out, then both would fall out at once. If both the upper and lower teeth fell out, a person would be completely toothless, regardless of their age. Isnani and Sadewo laughed until tears streamed down their faces. "That's true," Isnani replied. "Certainly, that would be more terrifying than residue."

When Insani picked up a skewer and began to clean the food stuck in her teeth, Sadewo turned to chat with his other colleague, until suddenly Isnani let out a cry of pain, covering her own mouth.

Several of Sadewo's colleagues believe that Isnani, who had complaints about cholesterol, died due to excessive consumption of goat meat. Meanwhile, others claim that Isnani died because of a skewered satay mishap. Regardless of the cause, it is certain that Sadewo and his colleagues agree that Isnani's lifespan had indeed run out, just as his fortune had. The construction project for the overpass that was under Isnani's responsibility was automatically relinquished. And who would have thought that the project would be handed over to Sadewo as the person in charge? There was a bit of drama regarding the relocation of residents. A few residents became stubborn, refusing to move their homes, even though they were promised adequate compensation. Sadewo always referred to these stubborn residents as "selilit." Selilit that always disturbed and caused discomfort. Therefore, selilit must be uprooted. And Sadewo successfully uprooted those selilit by force until the overpass project proceeded smoothly. Because of that project, Sadewo was able to buy a sports car that was somewhat suitable to take anywhere. Meanwhile, the selilit had been forgotten by Sadewo. No one remembered the selilit.

Last night, at a five-star hotel, while attending the inaugural meeting for the construction project of the Giant Garuda Statue, which is planned to be built in the heart of the city, Sadewo finished a bowl of Manado ice, a small plate of palm sugar lupis, a large plate of steak, and a small tray of pudding for dessert. A piece of meat got stuck in Sadewo's teeth from the first bite, and as he chewed more meat, the piece lodged in his teeth increased. However, Sadewo paid no attention to it. Even when he was enjoying the pudding for dessert, he still ignored the piece stuck in his teeth.

After drinking a glass of water and wiping his mouth with a tissue, Sadewo took a toothpick and began to clean his teeth slowly with one hand, while his other hand covered his mouth for the sake of propriety. The food particles started to come loose one by one. However, in some areas—especially between the molars—there were still remnants stuck. It was difficult to clean. To resolve this, Sadewo went to the restroom and rinsed his mouth in front of the sink and large mirror. Some food particles came out. However, there was still one stuck at the base of a molar, which was quite noticeable. Sadewo opened his mouth wide in front of the mirror, and of course, that particle was not visible. It was just very uncomfortable, causing his teeth to start to ache.

Throughout the journey home, Sadewo's tongue did not stop moving, trying to clean the remnants that were still stuck, but to no avail. Upon arriving home, he brushed his teeth until they bled, yet the small object lodged in one of his molars felt increasingly thick. Sadewo had already showered and changed into pajamas, but he did not immediately settle into bed. Instead, he returned to the bathroom and stood in front of the sink. He resumed prying at his molar with a toothpick, then rinsed his mouth, and continued to move his tongue until it ached. However, the discomfort between his molars did not subside. This made him extremely irritated. He had never been this annoyed with his own mouth.

This is it! The twisting has not gone away since earlier.

When he returned to the room, Sadewo did not lie down on the bed; instead, he sat in front of his wife's dressing table, staring at his reflection in the mirror.

“What’s wrong with your mouth, sir?” Sadewo’s wife asked lazily, when she saw Sadewo gasping for breath in front of the mirror.

“This is it! The twisting has not gone away since earlier.”

“Brush your teeth, rinse your mouth,” his wife suggested as she pulled back the blanket.

For some reason, his wife's voice suddenly sounded very annoying. Sadewo clenched his teeth tightly until a cracking sound emerged, then opened his mouth again and inserted his fingers into the base of the molars that were bothering him. His fingers kept moving. Frustrated. Like a crowbar ready to dislodge those troublesome teeth. If only his fingers had eyes.

The fingers may indeed have been created not for the purpose of cleaning teeth. The only object designed for that purpose is a toothpick. Perhaps he needs another toothpick. While thinking about toothpicks, Sadewo's eyes fell on a pin on his wife's dressing table. Who knows, perhaps pins were also created for cleaning teeth. Without further thought, still feeling irritated, Sadewo picked up the pin and began to clean his teeth. I can control my own fingers, he thought to himself. He continued to gaze at his reflection in the mirror, his mouth agape, his finger wielding the makeshift tool, and the row of bad teeth lined up before him.

Sadewo began to give up. His memories of Isnani and the satay skewer gave him a strange feeling. Sadewo truly surrendered, as the saltiness in his mouth did not dissipate. With a weary body, Sadewo lay down on the bed, swallowing the saltiness in his mouth.

"Enough, this is just a toothache," murmured Sadewo, who was beginning to feel tired and drowsy. Sadewo was convinced that the ache still lingered between his molars. He believed that he would soon fall into the most restless sleep.

In the morning, upon waking up, Sadewo found himself sore all over his body. It felt as if his body had been battered throughout the night. The most terrifying sensation was the extraordinary ache between his gums and molars. He felt something filling his mouth. That strange feeling began to gnaw at him again.

“Can being wrapped around someone die?” Sadewo asked with a sore mouth. His eyes blinked, as if to make sure of something.

Maybe that should be checked, sir! Come here and take a look! Oh, sir, how could that be!

His wife, who was sitting in front of the dressing table, looked up in surprise, staring at Sadewo, “What’s wrong with your mouth, sir? It looks swollen.”

Sadewo was reluctant to answer because his mouth was too sore to move.

"Perhaps that needs to be examined, Sir! Come here and take a look! Oh dear, Sir, how could this happen!" Sadewo's wife looked on in horror. Sadewo rose unsteadily, approaching the dressing table mirror.

Sadewo shuddered as he gazed at the reflection of his face; the swelling in his mouth made his visage appear strange. His mouth no longer resembled that of a human, but rather the snout of an animal.

Malang, April 21, 2025

Mashdar Zainal, born in Madiun, June 5, 1984, a prose lover. His latest book is Musim di Rambut Ibu, Publisher Buku Kompas, 2024. Now living in Malang.

Laksmi Shitaresmi, an artist born in Yogyakarta in 1974. Since 1988 until now, she has been involved in hundreds of art exhibitions, both domestically and abroad. Including several solo exhibitions. She once participated in a residency program at Aronskelkwek, The Hague, Netherlands (2013).