Memories That Weren't Mine

I recognized the photograph, but I'd never been to that place. A very large house, entirely made of wood. It had an old Javanese design with detailed carvings on the door edges.

To the right of the yard, a large mango tree was bearing fruit abundantly, with a swing for children to play on the lower branches.

In the photo, a man in traditional Javanese attire stood on the front porch, smiling broadly at the camera. That face...

That face looked so much like mine. Even the perfectly round birthmark on his left cheek was clearly visible. There was no way that was me.

I accidentally found this yellowing black-and-white photo on an online forum. In the post's title, the author wrote, "Old Photo - Portrait of a Javanese Man in 1970."

I was intrigued by the post's thumbnail. The image felt very familiar. My curiosity peaked and I read the post.

"Can I buy that photo?" I asked in a private message.

Long story short, the old photo was now in my hands. I wondered who the man in the photo was. Why did he look so much like me?

I'm Balinese, and I don't recall having any relatives from Java. In fact, my ancestors never set foot on Java.

Why did that figure look so much like me, and why did I feel so familiar with the house in the photo?

A memory suddenly entered my head.
"Bruto Seno," a name that seemed so close to me, suddenly came to me.

A chill suddenly crept down my spine. The photo slipped from my hands and fell to the floor.

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