The Disappearance of Raka
Evan's hands trembled as he reached for his phone. Heart pounding, he opened his contact list and searched for one name—Ayla.
There. Her contact was still there.
But when he saw her profile photo, his breath caught in his throat.
It wasn't a picture of Ayla and Raka like before.
Now, it was Ayla… with Damar.
The world spun around him. His fingers instinctively tapped the call icon. He pressed the phone to his ear, waiting.
It rang. Once. Twice.
No answer.
He tried again.
Still no answer.
Panic rising, Evan called once more. This time, the ring lasted barely half a second before the call ended.
Ayla had rejected his call.
"Damn it," Evan muttered, eyes wide with dread.
His grip on the phone tightened, as if the device might offer answers to the madness unfolding.
This wasn't just about Raka disappearing. It was more than that.
The script of his life had been rewritten.
Memories erased.
And the only person who might have answers refused to speak to him.
—
His father gently patted Evan's shoulder, his voice patient but firm.
"Van, come on, blow out the candles. It's almost midnight."
Evan didn't respond. His vacant stare fixed on the flickering "25" candle atop his birthday cake.
Earlier… it was a "26".
Earlier… Raka was here.
His small hand still warm in Evan's grasp…
Now, nothing.
Gone.
Just like all his achievements from the past two birthdays—erased.
Anger. Confusion. Grief.
He didn't know who to blame. Fate? This cursed cycle? Himself?
Slowly, Evan sank to the floor, hands covering his face. His shoulders rose and fell with each heavy breath.
His mother and father exchanged concerned glances, baffled by his sudden change.
"Evan?" his mother called, voice laced with worry.
Evan didn't respond. He only shook his head weakly, still clutching his phone.
The birthday candle remained lit, waiting to be blown out.
But to him, the celebration meant nothing.
—
Evan stared at his phone, reading Ayla's message again and again.
"Mr. Evan, if this is about work, can we talk after the holidays? It's New Year's Eve!"
Then, a photo followed.
Ayla, smiling brightly beside Damar and several others. The party looked lively, firelight dancing on their happy faces.
Evan's chest tightened.
Last year, on this very night, Ayla wasn't with Damar. She was putting Raka to bed. Last year, Evan had been with Raka.
But now…
Ayla wasn't Raka's mother. Damar wasn't just a coworker.
Raka was gone.
Evan clenched his phone, biting his lip to hold back the surge of emotion.
Damn it!
How much more was he going to lose? How many more loops would he have to endure?
He called Ayla again. Still no answer.
Then he looked back at the photo.
There was no place for him in that world.
In this reality, he was a stranger.
—
Evan's hand trembled slightly as he opened his photo gallery.
Nothing.
Every photo of Raka he'd taken over the past month… gone.
Videos of them playing together… gone.
Not a single trace of Raka on his phone.
His breathing grew ragged. Quickly, he opened Google Drive—where he backed up all their photos and videos.
The folder where the memories should have been… was empty.
No. This can't be real.
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened his mobile banking app. He checked the transaction history for the day he transferred funds for Raka's mutual fund.
The result?
No transaction. No deduction. No record that he ever did it.
As if everything that had happened in the last month… never existed.
As if Raka never existed.
Evan pressed his forehead in both hands, heart pounding. This wasn't just loss.
It was like reality had been erased and rewritten—without Raka in it.
—
Breathless, Evan hurried up the stairs to his old bedroom. His hand shook as he opened the door and flicked on the lights. Everything looked just as it was—like he'd never left.
Without wasting a second, he yanked open the desk drawer, pulled out his old laptop, and powered it on. The screen took a few seconds to load fully. His fingers flew over the trackpad, opening the folder that should've contained his old photos with Ayla.
But… it was empty.
He blinked, opened another folder. Then another.
Nothing.
No videos from their happier times.
No photos of them traveling together.
It was as if Ayla had never been a part of his life.
Evan's chest ached. His hand gripped the edge of the table tightly, trying to think clearly.
What was happening? Was this part of the curse? Would his life reset every New Year—each time worse than before?
This time, he realized…
He had lost more than ever.
—
Evan let out a long breath, eyes fixed on the "25" candle, which now felt like a mockery. He raised his hand and blew it out with a single short puff. No cheers, no applause.
His parents exchanged glances, unsure what to make of Evan's drained demeanor.
"Van, what's wrong?" his mother asked softly.
Evan didn't respond. He simply stared at the cake, his thoughts elsewhere.
His birth year had likely changed again. All documents would have followed—like they did every year.
1990 became 1991. Then 1992. Now 1993.
But this time, it was different.
This time, he'd lost something more valuable than just a number on paper.
He had lost Raka.
And maybe… Ayla too.
—
January 1, 2018
Evan lay on his old bed, staring at the ceiling with blank eyes. His body felt heavy—not from exhaustion, but from a hollow grief he couldn't explain.
Any hope or energy he had for the new year had evaporated the night before.
No Raka.
No Ayla.
No trace of the life he'd poured himself into over the past month.
His phone lay beside him, untouched. There was no point.
No messages from Ayla.
No photos or videos to be found.
Downstairs, his parents were probably having their New Year breakfast, wondering why he hadn't come out.
But Evan didn't care.
For the first time in his life, he felt utterly defeated.
—
January 2, 2018
Evan left his parents' house to go to work. After so long away, it felt strange to commute from there again—as if he had reset to zero.
At the office, he walked to his old desk.
Nothing had changed.
The same pencil holder, in the exact same spot beside the monitor.
Everything exactly like last year, as if the past month had been a dream.
He dropped into his chair. His emotions swirled.
He'd never noticed the small details before, but now they all stood out—painfully real.
That evening, his office group would attend Reza and Nadira's wedding reception.
Evan sighed.
Should he go? Or just leave early?
—
Evan remembered the major project he won at the end of 2017—Mindamas.
It had been a highlight of his career, a moment of recognition.
But if time had truly reset, someone else must've gotten credit for it now.
Who?
He quickly opened the Mindamas folder on his work computer. His hand shook as he clicked the final report document.
The first page loaded.
And there it was:
Project Lead: Reza Pratama
Evan stared at the screen, jaw clenched.
So Reza got the credit for the project?
Something inside him cracked—not just anger, but a deep, raw disappointment.
All his hard work, all his effort… gone.
Just like Raka. Just like Ayla.
Just like everything.
His fists clenched. His breath grew heavier.
This New Year hadn't just taken Raka from him.
It had erased every trace he had ever left.
—
Evan glanced at his car keys on the desk.
Johan and Raymond had already left with the others for Reza and Nadira's reception.
His parents were driving themselves.
The car was free.
But Evan didn't want company.
He wanted to be alone.
Without much thought, he grabbed the keys and headed out.
Tonight was a celebration—for Reza, for Nadira, for everyone.
But for Evan, it was just a reminder that he had lost everything again.
He started the engine and drove toward the reception hall, though he had no clear destination in mind.
His head was full of questions he couldn't answer.
Would this cycle keep repeating?
Would he forever live a life he could never truly hold onto?
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly.
The cool night air should have been refreshing.
Instead, it felt suffocating.
—