Mercadejas Family Tree

My sister-in-law finally became pregnant at fifty. But the family parrot, Pip, suddenly said, “Abort it. Abort it.” Hearing this, I immediately forced my sister-in-law to go to the hospital to get an abortion. My brother and parents desperately stopped me. They shouted, “Have you gone mad? Do you trust an animal’s words?” I nodded and answered firmly, “Yes. I believe everything Pip says.”

I was the top engineer at the National Deep-Sea Institute—and the only person in the world with real deep-sea rescue experience. When my younger brother's submarine went down and he called for help from 35,000 feet below, I hung up on him. Then, calm and unhurried, I went straight to the police station and turned myself in for leaking classified research data. A few minutes later, my father called, furious. "Your brother's life is hanging by a thread—where the hell are you?! I demand you to get to the site and save him right now, or you won't see a single penny of the family fortune!" I pulled the blanket over myself and said into the phone, perfectly composed, "Busy. Don't bother me—I'm trying to sleep."

I stopped fighting. The moment I came back, I stepped out of the family spotlight on purpose— no arguments, no expectations, no awkward “let’s bond” moments. And somehow… that’s when my parents lost their minds. They made my little sister the heir? I congratulated them and filed my transfer to the Vegas branch the same afternoon. They threw her a massive coming-of-age gala? I smiled, booked a flight, and left before the invitations were printed. They bought her a limited-edition luxury car? I claimed my “old wrist injury” made driving impossible and insisted she take it. I thought they’d be relieved. I thought they’d finally get their perfect family without me messing up the picture. But instead—my cold, distant parents started calling nonstop. Showing up at my door. Pleading with me to come home. Asking what they did wrong. Why now? Why only when I stopped trying? Because in my last life, I spent decades clawing for their love— only to die bitter, resented, and humiliated. Even my grown son told me I was embarrassing. This time, I came back different. I refused to fight for a place in their world again. I refused to compete with my sister. I refused to beg. But the moment I stepped away… the entire family empire began to crack. And now they’re terrified. Not because I left— but because they finally realized what they lost.

Tumbal Purnama Di sebuah desa terpencil, keluarga muda Lila dan Bima mencoba menjalani hidup damai bersama bayi mereka, Arga. Namun, kedamaian itu hancur ketika mereka menyadari bahwa Arga menjadi target kutukan tua yang telah menghantui keluarga Bima selama beberapa generasi. Kutukan ini berasal dari perjanjian gaib yang dibuat oleh kakek buyut Bima, meminta tumbal bayi di bawah dua tahun setiap bulan purnama sempurna. Ketika tanda-tanda gaib mulai muncul, bayi menangis tanpa sebab, bayangan bergerak sendiri, dan suara bisikan di malam hari, Lila dan Bima terpaksa menghadapi teror yang mengancam keluarga mereka. Dengan bantuan seorang pria misterius bernama Pak Gana, mereka menggali asal-usul kutukan dan menemukan bahwa pohon tua yang disebut Pohon Leluhur adalah portal antara dunia manusia dan makhluk gaib. Namun, menghancurkan kutukan tidaklah mudah. Mereka harus menjalani ritual berbahaya di bawah bulan purnama, menghadapi makhluk-makhluk gelap yang haus akan tumbal. Dilema moral pun muncul—apakah mereka rela menyerahkan Arga untuk menyelamatkan diri, atau mempertaruhkan segalanya untuk menghentikan kutukan selamanya? Di tengah ancaman gaib dan pengkhianatan tersembunyi, cinta dan keberanian mereka diuji hingga batas terakhir. Meski ritual berhasil menghancurkan Pohon Leluhur, mereka segera menyadari bahwa kutukan itu tidak sepenuhnya hilang—hanya menunggu untuk bangkit kembali. Tumbal Purnama adalah kisah mencekam tentang kutukan turun-temurun, rahasia kelam keluarga, dan perjuangan untuk melawan takdir yang mengancam generasi masa depan.

Dewi selalu percaya Ayahnya sudah meninggal dalam sebuah kecelakaan. Namun sebuah busur panah tua yang diwariskan membuka rahasia lain—pesan tersembunyi, kode-kode aneh, dan bisikan: “Ayahmu tidak hilang. Dia disembunyikan.” Sejak hari itu, hidup Dewi berubah. Dari pasar Belilas hingga jalanan Pekanbaru, bayangan selalu memburu. Dua pria asing, pesan misterius di ponselnya, hingga wajah Ayah yang muncul sekilas hanya untuk menghilang lagi—semua menggiringnya pada satu kebenaran: Rizal Rahman bukan sekadar seorang ayah, tapi agen yang membawa rahasia besar. Setiap langkah membawa Dewi ke dalam pusaran konspirasi—antara proyek pembangunan negara, oligarki yang rakus, dan jaringan intelijen bawah tanah. Ia dipaksa menjadi pion, lalu perlahan sadar: dirinya adalah kunci. Di tengah pelarian bersama ibunya, Dewi harus belajar membedakan siapa kawan dan siapa lawan. Sebab musuhnya tidak selalu datang dengan senjata; kadang mereka berdiri tepat di depannya, tersenyum seolah sahabat. Apakah Dewi akan berhasil menemukan Ayahnya—atau justru terjebak dalam permainan yang dirancang untuk menghancurkan keluarganya sejak awal?

In the tenth year after I had married in his place, my brother, Thayer Ashford, suddenly returned. The whole family fell silent as they looked at him. He yawned as he spoke with careless ease, “I traveled through thirteen countries. I’m exhausted. “Where’s Seraphina? She should be in primary school by now, right? Why hasn’t she come to see me?” Seraphina was Thayer’s daughter. Back then, Thayer had abruptly announced he had a child. Yet on the very day of his wedding, he staged his own death, leaving behind Seraphina and his fiancée, Isolde Fairchild. The Fairchilds belonged to the old-money elite of the city. My parents did not dare offend them, so they decided to package me—fresh out of graduation—and send me to the wedding in Thayer’s place. Over these ten years, I became a competent husband and a responsible father. As my parents watched Thayer’s brazen composure, their gazes shifted toward me. I gave them a faint smile. “Sera went to Novaforge with Isolde.”

Caked in mud, her eyes bloodshot, my mother grabbed me by the shoulders. "Elliot, the company's collapsed. I… I killed a competitor. It was an accident. There's no way out now. You're the only one who can come with me." I believed her. I swallowed my fear and followed her into the mountains, deeper and deeper until there was nothing left of the world I knew. To keep her alive, I searched for food, forcing down insects, drinking whatever murky water I could find. When a pack of wolves began circling our shelter, my first instinct was to step in front of her. "Mom, I'll lead them away. You go." I glanced back at her one last time…and made my choice. I would give up my life for hers. However, when I leapt from the cliff and my body shattered against the rocks below… I still saw her. She was inside a descending helicopter, calm and composed, lifting a glass of champagne. Celebrating. That was when it finally clicked. The desperate escape that had driven me to sacrifice myself… was nothing more than a carefully staged show. She had been acting the entire time. I…was the only one who had actually died.

The day I found out I was a match for my dad—stage four leukemia—I bailed. Mom tore the world apart looking for me, but yeah, she had to watch him go. After that, she drowned herself in research, built a name, even adopted this perfect little angel. We crossed paths again at some fancy leukemia conference she was hosting. I was on the demo table. She took one look and scoffed. "Charlotte Stein, not the time for your crap. Get up and go." The host blinked, stunned. "Dr. Cooper... you know this cadaver?" She actually laughed. "What, she paid you for this stunt?" The host turned ghost-white. "M-Miss Stein passed three days ago..."

My sister-in-law, Cynthia Ziegler, has my name written on her cancer diagnosis report. As such, the entire Ziegler family assumes that I'm the one with cancer. Overnight, my husband, Leonard Ziegler, sends a text message to his mistress, Irene Ludlow. "Our time will soon come! That old bat is about to die at last, so I'll finally be able to marry you!" My grandmother, Amanda Powell, cries and clings onto my hand, begging me not to seek treatment. She is not only discussing with Leonard on how best to split my insurance money after my death but also employing various methods to hasten my death. However, they are all unaware that Cynthia used my medical insurance card when she went for her physical examination. I feign sadness and nod with tears in my eyes. "I won't seek treatment, Mom. Let's not seek treatment no matter who is diagnosed with cancer."

My family has always considered me a harbinger of misfortune. It's all because I can see a countdown to my relatives' deaths. I tell them when my grandfather, father, and mother will die. It all comes true due to various accidents. My three brothers hate me to the core because they think I cursed my parents and grandfather. My mother actually dies after giving birth to my younger sister, but my brothers dote on her to no end. They say she's their lucky star because everything goes well for the family after she's born. But didn't Mom die while giving birth to her? On my 18th birthday, I see my death countdown when I look at myself in the mirror. I buy an urn I like and prepare a meal. I want to have one last meal with my brothers, but none of them show up even when the timer hits zero…