It has been about a week since the incident where Marsya and I got lost in the other dimension.
Since then, it turns out that our beloved Mother, the honorable Mrs. Gautama, intentionally invited the Elder here. This Elder is about 26 years old, five years older than me.
At my current age of 21, Mother asked Marsya and me to join the Elder. She said it was some kind of expedition, traveling from place to place.
If Marsya calls him the Elder, I have always called him Cak Andika, or Cak Dika. He is my Mother's nephew, the son of my Uncle. Uncle once lived here for several years.
Cak Dika and I used to be playmates. We often played in the big field behind the graveyard. The atmosphere there was serene, very nice for relaxing.
The last time before he moved to Banyuwangi, he and I still played soccer in the field. It was almost evening then.
The myth is that the field is haunted, because there is a large Banyan Tree (Wit Weringin) located in the middle of the graveyard.
My late Father (Almarhum Abah) used to remind us both to always go home before sunset from that place. Since we were still children, we enjoyed the game until the call to prayer for Maghrib.
Cak Dika's last kick was one I couldn't stop. Our ball went into the graveyard area. I was six years old and Cak Dika was eleven at the time.
Cacak and I had a fight there, urging each other to go in and retrieve the ball.
The sky was getting darker. There was indeed no lighting there. There was only an oil lamp lit in the middle of that big tree. The lamp was not held by anyone. It floated there amidst the darkness.
Our ball landed exactly under that oil lamp. Cak Dika and I could only watch silently; we were instantly speechless.
"No need to take it, Cak!" I said to Cak Dika or the Elder.
Cak Dika shook his head in response. Because that was a ball from his late Mother, that's why he was reluctant to go home without it.
I looked up for a moment, the sky was getting darker and there were flashes of lightning striking since earlier.
"Let's go home, Cak!" I said while pulling his hand, asking him to come with me.
But Cak Dika roughly pushed my hand away. We both yelled at each other, challenging one another, unwilling to lose. It was normal, we were still children at that time.
"If you want to go home, go home by yourself!" Cak Dika said in an annoyed tone.
His eyes started to tear up while looking at me. Facing me at that moment, he didn't realize that right behind his body, from the top of the banyan tree, the form of an old woman was starting to become clearly visible.
From above the blooming leaves that night, long white hair slowly dangled down. The hair was so long, even though the distance between the upper leaves and the lower base of the stones, where the tree stood firmly, was quite far.
What kind of hair was that long, suddenly descending and extending to touch the stones? I could only widen my eyes, frozen. Staring intently at one hand with long claws that began to descend.
Another hand came down; the hair was white, it was gray hair, and until now I still clearly remember that apparition.
When her body slowly appeared, I realized it was not human.
The figure of an old woman in white clothing stared at us. Her eyes were red with long fangs. Her saliva was dripping; she looked at us with hatred.
That damned old woman crawled down until she reached the banyan stone, right in front of our ball.
Her hunched body walked towards us. Immediately, my right hand could only point back, telling Cak Dika to turn around, just to see the threat that was coming towards us.
When Cak Dika turned around, instead, he screamed and ran away, leaving me still frozen. I swear, I couldn't move.
Both my eyes couldn't even close. Both eyeballs seemed intentionally forced to stare wide open at this senile demon figure in front of me.
She wasn't walking; her feet floated, untouched by the ground.
Her laughter was very loud. My sanity here was truly tested. It seemed I wouldn't survive tonight.
Even if I survived later, this incident would always be remembered until I die. The body of this scary figure slowly began to merge into the little finger of my right hand.
The area of my right side instantly froze. Blood circulation there stopped instantly. My right side was shaking, and my eyes still refused to close. I was even surprised, why didn't I just faint then?
"Damn old woman, you senile bastard!" cursed Ratu from inside my body, taking over me.
At that time, I was very lucky to have brought that amulet. If not, I might have died right then and there.
The manifestation of a charismatic figure came into my body. The old, fanged figure immediately backed away. She looked at me, still with her red eyes.
"Keep bothering this child if you dare! Dare to touch this child, and you'll be finished by my hand!" said Nyai.
The old, fanged figure immediately shrunk. She knelt down right in front of my body. Along with that, Cacak and Father came back to pick me up.
I wouldn't have known about that incident if Nyai hadn't shown it to me. Since then, every time I remember that, and every time I see Cak Dika here, my hand itches to punch him.
Because what I resent is when he ran away, leaving me alone there. That's it! And now Cak Dika is persuading me to join him on the exploration. Oh no, I don't want to feel the same thing happen again!
Stupid, if I agree to his request here. Right now, Cacak, Marsya, and I are sitting in the living room. Mother is also there, enjoying her food while looking at the three of us.
"Just follow your Elder Brother, dear!" Mother said to me.
I felt like I was having a heart attack.
"I don't want to! Is Mother asking me to commit suicide?" I asked Mother.
She just closed her snack and looked at me this time. But there, she just smiled while looking at me.
"Father is always with you! You are protected by many people, Nyai, Father, even Great-Grandmother (Buyut) protects you! You are one of our special descendants, just like Elder Brother Andika!" Mother explained.
"He's a coward, though!" I cut in to Mother.
"No, I was able to get you out of the other realm a week ago! Come on, just join us, Rachel!" Cak Dika said, trying to defend himself.
Marsya stood up after Cak Dika said that. Mother, Cak Dika, and I clearly looked at her now.
"I'm joining, Elder Brother!" Marsya said, raising her right hand with a cheerful face.
My ally was so easily fooled by the Elder Brother. It seems I'm short on votes here. In the end, I reluctantly accepted their coercion again.
The supernatural things I try to avoid are actually getting closer and embracing me. It seems this is indeed the destiny of the Gautama family.
Cacak announced the first expedition goal. He said someone needed his help in Banyuwangi. And the place where he was staying was located right near Alas Purwo.
The most haunted forest site from the kingdom era until now. Our first exploration destination will begin its first record in Alas Purwo.