My eyes couldn't take my eyes off of him at that moment. For some reason, my eyes saw a human, not the demon or ghost I'd imagined. Yes, my gaze was on a human sitting cross-legged in that room, facing a candle.

So, if that was a real person, what was he doing there?

It was just a person sitting cross-legged, facing a candle in a plate-like container. Why was that person waiting for the candle?

No, I've heard some occult stories about black magic. You probably immediately understand where this is going if someone is performing black magic and waiting for a candle. They're said to be pigs (pigs).

Was it true that the person inside was performing a pig ritual? If that were the case, a lot of money would be lost that night. Or could it be that pigs (pigs) can also make cows disappear? Just yesterday, a cow disappeared because of a pig (pig)?

Ah, digressing!

How could a cow be stolen through a sorcerer's ritual? Could a cow as big as a baboon be kept in a sea urchin? There's always something. I shook my head again, wondering how my mind could be filled with such strange thoughts about sorcerers. I prayed for forgiveness.

I raised my head again, and sure enough, the man was still cross-legged, facing the burning candle. He clasped his hands together and intertwined his fingers, his right and left hands joined like someone about to perform a magical power in a historical film.

I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer. I approached and entered from the side. I used to visit that house often when Mbah Pati was still alive.

I was quite close to the late Mbah Pati, which is why I disagreed with and disapproved of people associating the horror of our village and this old house as a sign that Mbah Pati was still haunting.

Now, I wanted to prove it. Was Mbah Pati really haunting? For me, that was completely impossible and just a fabricated story. It's not necessarily true that they saw Mbah Pati in spirit form; it could simply be that they were afraid of seeing a real ghost, which could have been another ghost. Then, the person responsible attributed the incident to Mbah Pati's spirit.

My mother used to often take me to Mbah Pati's house, sometimes bringing him food.

My mother truly cared for Mbah Pati, an elderly man who lived alone and had no children or grandchildren. Mbah Pati herself would sometimes come to my house when she was alive and buy me food and snacks.

Mbah Pati was also close to my father, especially since they often prayed at the mosque and talked frequently.

My father and mother said that Mbah Pati was like their own parent, so you could say he was my grandfather.

Because I used to visit his house often, I knew the ins and outs of the house very well. Although I haven't been to Mbah Pati's house since college. Mbah Pati passed away when I was in my fourth semester. I crouched under the glass window and crawled slowly. I stood up and pressed myself against the wall, like an agent or detective. I moved slowly, and from the large L-shaped room, there was a small door that led through the corner of the wall to the back.

The owl's call made the atmosphere even more eerie. I ignored it, wiping the goosebumps from the top of my head down to the bottom of my neck.

I said "Bismillah" quietly and assured myself that I was brave and not afraid of anything. Not even demons.

The old house was indeed old, never used for Koranic study, and there might have been many jinns or demons here.

But this time, I wanted to investigate what was happening to the man sitting cross-legged in the room. Hadn't I just beaten two ghosts, and everything was safe? I remembered the ghost incident at the factory to bolster my courage, so I wasn't afraid anymore.

I reassured myself. I prepared to press against the wall and move toward the door. I wondered if the man inside was really performing a ritual for black magic, or if he was hiding something.

My curiosity was piqued.

The door came into view. I continued to approach it. I reached it and peeked around the side.

I strained my eyes. One eye peeked inside. The man was still cross-legged, occasionally swaying from side to side, perhaps tired from sitting cross-legged all this time.

The man remained seated, his eyes occasionally opening and looking left and right. Then they closed again. What was he doing? This was truly suspicious.

I couldn't fathom what the man was doing. I wanted to ask, but I was afraid of making a mistake. If I just stayed silent, I would lose my composure.

What should I do now?

The man, still cross-legged, occasionally made a sound like a hymn or a soft song. I just listened. The atmosphere became increasingly tense, and I fell silent because it seemed like the man was doing something, but what was it?

The man then moved his hand to keep the candle from going out due to a strong gust of wind from outside. I felt it, and my body shivered slightly. The candle flame swayed slightly in the wind. The man, sitting cross-legged, still covered the candle with his palms, trying to keep it from going out. I became increasingly curious.

Already in a dark, haunted place, he was still trying to keep the candle from going out. What was this a sign of?

The candle had begun to stabilise. The wind was blowing gently again, and the man smiled with satisfaction. I inadvertently poked my head through the open doorway. On the other side was the door, and beside me, my head was sticking out, and my eyes were just staring at it.

Perhaps it was past midnight, and I was also feeling very sleepy. The man, sitting cross-legged, seemed a little startled and turned to me. My head was sticking out from under me, and because I was sitting, my head was tilted, as if only my head was visible.

The candle-keeper, sitting cross-legged, froze for a few seconds, watching me intently. It took three seconds for our eyes to meet, as it was also dark and only the candlelight was present. I tried to smile, already caught, so I just said that if something happened, I saw a light in the room and went to see who was inside. That would certainly make things easier if the person were available for discussion.

As soon as I smiled to greet the person, he tiptoed and jumped in surprise. The candlelighter jumped from his seat and stood there, his face pale at the sight of me.

Was he caught? Did he think I'd found out and run away, afraid of being reported or arrested?

The man immediately took a quick step toward the front door of Room L, nearly crashing into it. However, due to his speed, he hit the door frame and fell.

"Shit!"

The man got up with all his might, slipping and falling again. He got up and continued running out of the yard, his eyes sometimes looking back and then straight ahead, continuing to run.

"There's a headless demon!"

The man shouted, still running, occasionally falling, his feet slipping several times as he continued running as fast as he could.

Why did he say "Demit" and run so fast? The candles in the room were already extinguished. Oh, by the way, "Demit," do you know what a "Demit" is?

"Demit" is a demon or ghost whose horror is described as a headless demon or a ghost with only a head and no body.

That's what the man guarding the candles shouted, causing him to run away in a panic.

I stood up straight and walked towards the man, running away. "So, be a hard worker, and not a black magic practitioner risking your own life. Isn't health the most important thing in this world?"

As I exited the front door of Room L of Mbah Pati's house, a group of people arrived in front of the late Mbah Pati's house. There were about seven of them. What was going on? Could they all be friends of the man guarding the candles?

The man who was guarding the candle was also seen with the group. They were rushing to enter L's house, and I was there. I took a few steps back because it seemed like he was a criminal or something, and he was seeking revenge on me.

I continued to retreat into the darkness of Mbah Pati's house. I felt like someone from the group of soldiers seemed familiar.

They were getting closer to me.

"Come on! Where's the ghost?" One of them approached the entrance, and I remained in the room, unable to do anything but prepare my stance. Who knows, they might attack, and I'll have to fight them.

"In there!" another voice said.

As the group entered, the bright lights came on, and my face was caught in the glare of the bright lights. They began to enter, and one by one, they saw me, ready to fight if they attacked me.

"Oh, you're Adnan!"

Huh? Why did someone recognise me? When I looked closely, I saw the bright lights shining on my face. I saw Roni, and it seemed like the village chief. Well..., why is this?