The Market Chase and the Secret Revealed
POV 1 – Pak Udin (Fritter Vendor)
That morning, I opened my stall earlier than usual. The market was bustling.
Suddenly… a loud "screeeech!" sliced through the street.
He was back—the purple roller-skating goat, this time wearing tiny sunglasses! He zoomed into the market, circling like he was in a competition.
People screamed. Mothers jumped onto tables. A chicken vendor chased him with a cleaver. Kids were cheering like it was a circus show.
Me? I laughed until I cried. This was no ordinary day. This was… history.
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POV 2 – Rara (9 y.o. Kid)
My KPKR friends and I brought our phones, running toward the chaos. Our mission: to touch the goat.
It was like… he knew our every move. Dodging when we got close, sometimes even turning back and mocking us!
Suddenly… he dashed into a narrow alley between the banana stall and the plastic shop. We followed. But he was gone.
But something was left behind: an old, half-torn poster.
At the top it read: "Topel, the Intelligent Goat – Nusantara International Circus, 1981."
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POV 3 – Bu Darmi (Neighborhood Chief)
I arrived at the market after hearing the commotion.
When I saw that poster, it all came rushing back. As a child, I once watched a traveling circus. There was a goat that could count, ride a bike, even wear roller skates.
His name… was Topel.
But that circus mysteriously burned down, and all the animals were presumed lost.
Could this be… the same Topel? Or his descendant? Or something else—something that lives through generations?
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POV 4 – Agung (Engineering Student)
I examined the poster. The date, the design, the paper—it all matched the 80s era.
But how could a goat survive 40 years and still be skating like a pro?
Unless…
This isn't a normal goat. Maybe he's a result of a secret New Order experiment. The circus was just a cover for animal supertraining programs.
My theory: Topel was the first generation—a goat trained for entertainment, but with heightened intelligence. Now he's back… because the project was never completed.
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POV 5 – Mbah Kromo (Village Elder)
I walked toward that narrow alley. At the far end, I saw Topel's silhouette.
He paused, looked at me. His eyes… old. Tired. But peaceful.
I whispered, "It's enough, son. You've made us laugh, think, and believe in wonder again."
Topel nodded (I swear he nodded!)… then skated one last time, slowly, until he vanished into the morning light.
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Epilogue (Narrator)
After that day, Topel was never seen again. But the village changed.
Kids were more cheerful, adults more relaxed. Even the vegetable vendor started wearing funny helmets, and Pak Udin put up a new sign: "Fritters Loved by the Skating Goat."
Topel became a legend, but also a symbol. A symbol that sometimes, life needs absurdity to remind us that reality… doesn't always have to make sense.
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Interesting Fact:
In the 70s–80s, traveling circuses in Indonesia sometimes featured unusually intelligent animals. Some of them vanished mysteriously, living on only in folklore and whispers.
Philosophy:
"What makes no sense doesn't mean it's meaningless." In a world governed by logic, absurdity might be the key to true freedom.
Local Rumor:
They say if you see two roller tracks forming the number eight on the ground, it means Topel passed by. And if you follow it… you'll find something you never searched for, but always needed.