Short Stories Before Bed (Horror)
The Cat Pompom
In a remote village in the interior of Indonesia, there is an old well that is said to be cursed. It is said that everyone who approached the well in the late afternoon will hear strange noises and see frightening shadows. However, there is a different spooky story about the well, a story involving a cute cat who is always near the old well at mid-afternoon.
The cat was known to the villagers as Pompom, because its fur was white like a beautiful pompom. Although the cat looked cute and cheerful, the villagers could not get rid of the misgivings in their hearts when they saw Pompom peering at the cursed old well.
One of the villagers, a young woman named Sinta, was very impressed with the Pompom cat. Every afternoon, he would sit by the old well, waiting for the cat to arrive. Sinta is actually afraid of the horror stories that circulate about the well, but the attraction to the Pompom cat carries in her heart a stir.
As time went on, Sinta began to feel the oddity in the Pompom cat. By late afternoon, Pompom would start acting strangely, as if he were communicating with something invisible to the human eye. Pompom often stands on the edge of an old well and meows like he is talking to someone.
Intrigued by what really happened, Sinta decided to follow Pompom as she went to peek at the old well. On an afternoon that the wind was cold, Sinta peeked in the old well and gasped in surprise. He saw another group of cats swarming in the well. They speak a cat language that can only be understood by other cats.
Sinta is unable to speak. He was really surprised that all of this really happened. Not only that, Sinta noticed that something was moving behind the group of cats. Something big, black and scary. A ghost! Of course, it was a ghost that was trapped inside that well, trapped in an eternal curse.
Villagers gathered near the old well, carrying flowers and incense to perform the ritual. Sinta and Pompom also attended, Pompom looks like the leader of the group of cats. They prayed and begged for mercy for the spirits trapped in the well, sending their prayers so that the ghost could be freed and get a better life in another realm.
Suddenly, a tinge of white light emerged from within the well and the ghost disappeared along with the sound of the wind blowing. The villagers are united in joy, they believe that the trapped spirits are free and get the peace they deserve.
After the incident, Sinta never saw a ghost or heard a strange sound again from the old well. Pompom was still near the old well, but now with a more calm and peaceful manner. Villagers even began to regard Pompom as their protector because it had helped free trapped spirits.
Since then, the village has become famous for its cute cats that are always near the old well in the late afternoon. They were convinced that the cats were the loving guardians of the spirits they had set free.
The spooky story of a cute cat who is always near an old well in the late afternoon, but ultimately brings hope and deliverance to the trapped spirits, proves that sometimes, sometimes, life and death are bound together in unexpected ways.
