Imperfect Creatures in the Forest

 

I lined up like cattle being grazed. Sometimes walking leisurely, sometimes running, rolling around, even walking singing like crazy. Everything is just because of a badge and scraf as a form of official members of the paskus in my school. If not, why should I be ashamed of being displayed by dozens of villagers while giggling at the thought of a group of insane people walking in a line.

It's not at the end of the struggle, it's at the beginning, I thought to myself. Not long after an hour, the tent was built. Our place is a forest which is quite far from human settlements. If calculated, it could be up to 1 hour on our way. Bath ? yes in the river, ablution? in the river, shitting? in the river, in the river, cook? turn on the firewood.

Ria keeps my backpack and some necessities beside my backpack. I know she will sleep next to me.   Shee was sick just yesterday. The drugs pierced my nose. If she drinks it, then it appears a handful of granules of the chemical concoction for her to drink. Fila looks indifferent. Ah that child is always like that, I understand. Even though she was arrogant. Only Rina I can rely on, she seems to fit with me. Hopefully we're all right. There is 1 platoon in our generation, almost all of them are women, only 3 are men.

"I'm not afraid of senior yells and insults," Rina spoke up.

"Then what?" I asked while eating boiled instant noodles.

"This forest, this forest is very strange," she shuddered as he looked around the scene.

It was late afternoon, the sun looked a little dim, it was cloudy, but it wasn't raining, only a wet drizzle fell between us. I don't feel odd like what Rina is talking about. For me a forest is a forest, it is the same from one forest to another. We are always on standby at all times. Not alert to the threat of wild animals, but alert to cues from seniors. Sometimes we have to suddenly get together for more UN exercises. Facing senior yells when our lines are wrong, or even mispronounce our vision and mission. It could hit our cheeks, even kicks in our bodies. All for what? for the sake of validity we become members of the paskus.

Cold air enveloped the hills in this forest. A bonfire was lit, but it could not cover the grinding of the teeth of the people around him. Message from seniors, don't let us have a blank mind. Blank thoughts will carry other figures into our bodies, and it must be troublesome for them. If I got hit, I would be ashamed of my friends, it could be just a month at school.

Before long, I felt the air that was felt by Rina. This forest is barely inhabited by humans. There is at least one house on the other end that is inhabited by a family. An old man, a mother, and a daughter in her 20s. They probably own the fields next to our basecamp. The field is still empty. Maybe wait for the appropriate planting time. I don't know what he grows, maybe corn, vegetables, or fruit.

The time was 23.00 midnight. In a state that was still circling the campfire while listening to the advice from the coach of the paskus, sleepiness was whacking. I could vaguely see a group of legless and headless creatures clustered at the edge of the field. They seemed like clothespins, waving at us. As if they have a party worth stopping by. The figure was white, and it didn't seem so terrifying. At first I didn't believe it, it could be a mirage. However, if a mirage could not be that clear. Then I also asked the friend next to me.

"Ira, see the creature there or not? clustered, the color is white. "The creature is legless and headless," I said.

Ira, who had been looking seriously at listening to the words, began to look at me. She squinted at it and then spoke up.

"Erm ... no," she replied briefly.

Whether I'm afraid or not seeing, I don't know. What is clear is that the creature is quite disturbing my vision. Is that human? ah ... a human might not have legs and stand floating on the ground. Clothesline? How could it be a clothesline, as far as I know, there are no clotheslines or clothespins hanging there.

It turned out that one of the seniors also leaked his strange vision to us. That she saw a white creature floating without a head and legs, just like what I saw.

"Doesn't seem that scary, right sis?" I asked.

"Yes, it looks normal. But I don't know if you want to go there. If that's not scary, "she said.

"Honestly I didn't dare (there)," I said.

"Huh, when I was a cowardly child?" Indra replied to our conversation.

"Yes, bro, if you face a creature like that," I defended myself.

"At noon, you will be dispatched one by one to another post, lest you be afraid and possessed. Troubleshoot us later! ” Indra commanded curtly. Indra is one of our fierce seniors, but there are also some seniors who are still "normal".

The night passed, one by one we were released by the seniors from the basecamp from one post and to another. Many of our exams, ranging from general knowledge, knowledge lines, history, even about girlfriends were asked. Luckily I don't have a boyfriend, they laugh. I don't know what they are laughing at, is it because of my mediocre face?

On the way to post 2. I remembered the white figure again. How could he appear and invite me to gather with them. "Ah..! shut up you Agni. Don't think like that! ” I thought. I don't want to be in a trance, of course. Thankfully, none of these strange creatures. Is he shy about showing himself? I started to think weird again.

Over and over again, our seniors have often reminded us not to daydream. To the extent that we even had to open our cellphones (if there was no event) to calm our minds. Even though our cellphone has no signal, it is ok for playing games. I looked around my friends. Ria looked strange and a little confused, maybe because she was sick. In my opinion, why are you forced to come if you are sick. However, her wish was the same as mine. Trying to become a member of the paskus by getting a badge and a scraf, hahaha ... As long as I know the child never prayed, did not recite the Koran. Was asked about religious knowledge. The short surahs that he can only memorize are Al-Kautsar and An-Nas, even Al-Fatihah is not very fluent. As a result he became the laughing stock of seniors too. Ria looks innocent, that child is actually kind, too kind even. But his innocence was the subject of ridicule by his friends, and I didn't like the situation.

We have an agenda for exploring during the day. There are 3 groups in our class. This means that 1 group has 1 male. Automatically our male friend became the team leader. Exploring has been my favorite since junior high. When I was in junior high school, the extracurricular activities I worked on were not paskus (special forces) but scouts. One of the hikes I hate the most is crossing the river. How upset it was when I fell and drowned in the village river, and it was not my fault, my friend's fault. Short stature humans are annoying sometimes. They were holding onto my tall body as a support for them. As a result, I was the one who became the victim for the ferocity of their behavior. My body is indeed tall, but I can't swim.

Doni is in charge of being the team leader. He must be at the front of the line. We were released in this wilderness. The directions for getting to some of the posts are signs or symbols on the ground. I was in the 2nd row from behind. Guess who's behind me? she is Ria. Thank goodness we did exploration during the day. The sun dares us to race against time. When we arrive at the last post (3rd post) we are declared victorious, in the sense that the badge and scraf are already in our grasp as the official owner.

It didn't feel like we were on the hill. Our left side is a ravine 100 meters deep. The ravine is overgrown with large dense trees with shrubs that are not too tall. On the right side there is a cliff that functions as a bridge to get to the top of the hill. We walked in a line to get to the last post. The sound of Ria's breath began to gasp. Her voice is quite strange to me.

"Wait ..." I said to the team leader and members. "Look ..," I continued, pointing at Ria.

Ria looked pale, her tan skin looked whiter than before. Her breath was panting with a strange sound. Like not my friend's voice. She held her head, stroking her shoulder length hair. She looks unconscious. And her eyes are wild to and fro. I know, this is called trance. Because I have seen people who were trance in the mosque. When there was a rukyah event at the mosque where I lived, someone was unconscious. Her behavior was strange, showing that he was plastered by a figure who of course wasn't human. Then the person who was possessed was stomping her feet, babbling incoherently, sometimes speaking harshly, vomiting, accompanied by a voice similar to gendoruwo. Ah gendoruwo? do you know the sound ?, hem.

"This is not normal, what should I do," said Doni, confused.

"Ria .. Ria ... hey hey ..," Rina patted Ria's back with great anxiety. Her sweat was melting, a sign that she was confused by this situation.

"Grrrrhhhh ....," Ria answered with an unclear speech. Her smile was a grin, with wild eyes hither and thither. Her hands were cold and frozen.

"Wow, this is not true," said Ira.

"Arrrgghhhhh .....," strange voice began to come out again from Ria's mouth. We confused. We don't understand.

"Let's read the Ayat Kursi," said Doni. "Can you do that, Ria?".

Ria was silent.

We finally read the magic verse. Verses that serve to ward off the interference of evil jinn. I know Ria didn't memorize this verse, but so be it.

Ria started to normal. Sh started to be quiet. We started leading her to walk. Doni ordered Ria to be in the middle of the line, held by Ira. However, I was the one in the final row. As if I would be the next victim. Ah ... I don't care, all for the badges!

The forest became a little dark. The wind rustled the leaves on the hilly giant trees. Not a few wild animals passed in front of us, there were pangolins, river turtles, squirrels, and even snakes. I began to think, was this forest used to be a place for people to meditate to seek black magic? or what huh ... ah this thought, floating wildly.

Arriving at the 3rd post, we were excited. Badges and scraf waiting for us. Everyone is happy with being pinned as members of the 13th batch of paskus.

"Ahhhhhhhrghh .....  ....," Ria's voice broke our joy. Ria embraced one of the female seniors in front of us. It doesn't matter which badge and scraf she is entitled to. Ria fell unconscious.

Several senior women lifted Ria's fat body, quite heavy. They had to cross the river and walk uphill towards the base camp. One of them slipped because of the heavy burden he was carrying when he lifted Ria's body. Ria's body finally touched the ground and rolled down, as did the others. Their struggle was quite tiring.

I don't know what other events Ria experienced. It feels quite annoying with this situation. One of the seniors got the info from the local people. That what I saw was the devil kemangmang. That is the nickname of the villagers in West Sumatra for this invisible creature. The creature didn't bother. They like to live in groups and be alone. But I don't know what figure landed on Ria's body.

Ria has not provided any information about what she felt this afternoon. We also don't want to ask directly. However, several seniors ended up leaking the story of the results of their interrogation against Ria. Tenyata Ria saw the figure of the old man on the edge of the cliff there. The old man were all in white, had white hair, pale skin, and called out his name. His eyes have no pupils, aka just white. Yes. His eyes are white without black. This is what made Ria unconscious, until she finally gave up wanting to go home. However, take it easy, that day is indeed our schedule to go home.

"Do you believe in spirits?" I asked Rina.

"Between believing and not believing," Rina answered while tidying the clothes into her backpack. "But yes, of course you have to believe, aren't they God's creatures ?," Rina smiled thinly.

"Never mind let's go home," she continued.

It's drizzling this afternoon. The truck to take us to school was waiting. Ria was recovering with full awareness. Goodbye forest, there are many imperfect creatures here, no legs, no head, not even pupils.

THE END