Spine-Chilling Short Story: Unpacking the Nightmares of a Dream

December 14, 2023 13:18 |

Updated: December 14, 2023 13:44

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Short story. Illustration source: Unsplash

I woke up on the damp ground covered in sweat. My body felt crushed, complete with wounds that had not yet dried. The dress I was wearing was unable to ward off the cold night which felt like it was piercing to my bones. This place feels strange. The light from the campfire not far from me helped me observe my surroundings a little. Am I in the middle of the forest? How could that be? Why is my body covered in wounds? As far as I remember I was in the room. My hearing faintly caught the sound of footsteps and a song in a language I didn’t understand. With the little strength I had left, I raised my body to hide behind a big tree.

A crowd of people then came walking towards the bonfire with increasingly loud chants. Each of them carries a staff with a skull on it. They were bare-chested and wearing blood-red sarong cloth. Their ankles are equipped with jingle bracelets. With a flat face they stared at the bonfire.

From behind, a big and tall man came. He wears a mask with the face of a monkey and his upper body is white like it is covered in paint. The sarong has a black and white pattern like a chessboard. She also wore a gold necklace that dangled down to her stomach, earrings that seemed to be ten inches in diameter, and a bracelet that covered the area from her wrist to her elbow. I guessed he was the leader of those people judging from his different clothes. He was followed by two young men behind him. I estimate they are probably around fifteen years old. One of them was carrying a chicken whose entire body was black, while the other was carrying flowers of many kinds on a tray. They then joined the people surrounding the campfire.

The big man replaced the previous loud chant with sentences that were similar to ancient mantras. I shuddered hearing that. It felt like watching a ritual. The other men knelt between the fires with their heads bowed. I wondered what they would do with the black cock when it was brought before the big man. The fishy smell of blood suddenly entered my nostrils.

“I told you I want a baby. I no longer want that cemani chicken. I want something that makes my energy stronger.” An old grandmother came with small steps using a wooden stick. While chewing betel, he gave the big man a disgusted look as a sign that he didn’t like tonight’s baggage.

“I couldn’t possibly give you a baby. I don’t even know anyone who has a baby,” said the big man.

“Then why were you willing to agree to whatever I asked from the start? You broke your promise.” The roar that came suddenly seemed to want to complete the old grandmother’s anger. Strong gusts of wind made the trees move against each other. The campfire in their midst died so the atmosphere became completely dark with only the light of the full moon to rely on. The gurgling rainwater then hurriedly began to wet the earth. I watched the sky carefully until a tap on my shoulder woke me up.

“You shouldn’t be here,” said the old grandmother with a face full of anger at me.

My heart was beating fast with sweat dripping down my forehead. I glanced at the clock which was now showing one in the morning. I fell asleep after studying for the chemistry exam tomorrow. The dream I just had must have been because of Amira’s story at school about her grandmother’s neighbor who took part in the magic ritual. I immediately closed the last page of Thermochemistry material and prepared the exam equipment in my school bag. I sipped my mother’s cold sweet tea from my favorite cup since childhood. The rain tonight made me decide to wear the thick fur jacket I gave last Christmas. The warmth that started to envelop me made me feel sleepy again.

2023-12-14 06:18:00
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