While the Script is Drawn

Mosaic 9 - Overlays

It has been almost nine years, but I have never forgotten an event that was to me very mysterious and frightening. A strange incident in my childhood that still clings to the memory of my head.

It was near the month of Ramadan. I, who was still sitting in the third grade aliah madrasah, was busy sleeping alone in the old musala in my village. The Musala is not far from my home. At first I was just sleeping but ended up in real sleep.

Usually, I was often in the old musala accompanied Dad who diligently carried out tirakat. Especially when approaching Ramadan, Father will be more diligent in the musala, either for tirakatan or just clean up to welcome Ramadan. I rarely accompany him.

However, that night I visited the musala alone because at that time Dad was invited to speak at a lecture outside the city. And that night a strange event approached me. At that time I was so exhausted that the first sleep-bed actually fell asleep in the musala with a sloping position curled up to the qibla and the body wrapped in butut gloves available in musala.

At about two in the morning, I woke up because I vaguely heard a voice singing the verses of the Qur'an very melodious and eloquent.

I rubbed my eyes that felt heavy because they were still very sleepy. After that I could really open my eyes with full awareness.

Then I saw something.

An odd sight stunned me

Only two meters in front of me was seen a man like he was performing prayers. Surprisingly, the man was wearing a white turban with a headgear like the clothing commonly worn by Arabs. In my village there is no one dressed like that. And all this time there was no prayer dressed so in this musala.

I felt it was absurd and unnatural. Accidentally my eyes then glanced at the door of the musala. The door was still tightly closed. So how did that man get into the musala? Usually if anyone enters the musala, the door is left open.

Questions started popping up in my mind. My heart began to feel uncomfortable. But I try to think positively. And without me noticing, the man's prayer had already entered the last stage. Shortly afterwards the man said his greetings as a closing prayer.

"As-salamu ‘alaikum wa rrahmatullahi wa barakatuh."

I who happened to be on the right side of the man, could automatically see the face of the man in robes and white sacrifice.

My eyes glazed over with my mouth open.

"Oh God!"

He has no face!

Did I see wrong? Nah! I really saw it.

He has no face. I mean, he really doesn't have a mouth, eyebrows or a nose. His face looked flat and plain, white glowing exactly Led lights in the patrol post.

"What is this?" I screamed in my heart.

Both my hands were covering my face. I'm really freaked out. Especially in this musala there is only me and the creature who knows what this is.

So scared, my body shivered like a person who was exposed to high fever. A few moments later I felt out of control. It all went dark. I fainted. Unconscious.

As dawn approached, some people began to come to the musala. They were surprised to find that a teenager was asleep in an unnatural position. Seen the teenager curled up, but his head was impressed to look with wide eyes.  Both of his hands were trying to cover his face. His body was stiff as a robot ran out of batteries. The teenager, of course, was me.

Those people tried to wake me up who was still lying absurd, but no one managed to resuscitate me.  I remained stiff.  Not moving at all except for my heart beating that sounded a bit fast and my breathing gnawed.

Shortly thereafter entered the old man who walked with the help of a cane, who was none other than Pak Haji Jum, aka Jumaidi. Mr. Jum told others to get water with roses and jasmine. After that he recited some prayers from the Qur'an. The water was then rubbed into my face.

In just a few seconds my body began to relax, not stiff anymore. I slowly regained consciousness.

I opened my eyes. I was amazed to see so many people around me. After realizing what had happened, I then told him all the events that I had just experienced. Some of the people who were there just said that it was just a nightmare, some others said that it was a curse.

"What is pierihan?

Mr. Wardjono who happened to be there also explained,

"Kui overlap nek ono wong turu but koyok ora turu, teros hallucinatory lan pengen tangi but ora iso, koyok nailed neng grill, nikon, spirit e awakens but awake fight aboute really sayahe (overl is a state where when someone is very tired and then asleep, but not completely able to fall asleep, deep sleep, along with that he was hallucinating and wanted to wake up from his sleep but could not, it felt like being nailed to the spot, because his spirit wanted to wake up but his body was fighting because it was very tired and wanted to rest)"

I must have heard Mr. War's explanation even though I don't fully understand the meaning of the piercing.

I am now more mature and have begun to understand the explanation of Mr. War at that time. Clearly, I no longer dared to sleep alone in that old musala anymore. And I will not forget to pray every time I go to sleep. I don't want to see any more faceless creatures, or any more terrible headless creatures. Amit-amit.

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Finished