Love In War
⁇

"Faridah, Sintia, Ayesha, Tomi, Rashid, Haris."

I called out the names of my friends one by one but no word was heard.

Walking through the forest alone with heart pounding, afraid.

My footsteps stopped. From the back of my eardrum caught the sound of someone's footsteps.

I swallowed my salivaku rough. The shadow of the news on the internet that I had read about the perpetrators of the sadistic murders in the forest area, who were persecuting by slashing the victim's legs, also poisoned his victims filled the memory in my mind.

What if the ones following me right now are a group of them? From the clattering of his steps alone did not sound like the clattering of the footsteps of a savage beast, but the clattering of human footsteps.

The faster my pace goes, the faster the pace follows.

With the rest of the energy I have. I ran with all my might.

Not caring about the tiredness and thirst that had been gnawing, which was on my mind now, I had to be safe and separated from the person who was chasing me and get help from whoever it was.

"PLEASE," I screamed. I wish anyone could hear me. But nil.

The figure is getting closer. Pursuing me from behind the grove of trees, even the roar of unpretentious wild beasts made my hair bristle.

Round by round clear water from the corner of the temple continues to pour .

"Aww." Grimaced as tree branches and other sharp objects scratched my skin.

My body felt crumpled and sick from tripping over the roots of the trees. Sometimes I call my friends names. They left me in this forest alone.

I screamed in pain as the roots of the tree suddenly wrapped around my feet, the sound of something from behind the bushes made me unable to endure the crying. I'm trying to get out of this tree root loop, but it's hard.

"AISHAH, FARIDAH, SINTIA…." I went back to calling out their names one by one, hoping that they would come to my aid soon. But it's all for nothing.

Cry broke. I was terrified, all I could do now was surrender. I give up whatever will happen to me.

I will run, too, in vain. The roots of this tree are too strong wrapped around my feet. Made me helplessly cooped up under this banyan tree.

O Allah, the voice is getting closer accompanied by the sound of the footsteps of someone.

Please protect the servant, help the servant, Rabb. Only in You servant take refuge.

Crying a mouthful, the shadows on the faces of my parents and friends filled my mind.

The footsteps stopped. Someone is standing in front of me.

Dare to dare to look up. See who that figure is. Who is the one who is chasing me.

My eyes wide. My breath seemed to be holding. Seeing the shape of the creature that is now looking at me with his eyes that look blue. A hairy creature with buffalo horns on its head and sharp pointed teeth.

I immediately closed my eyes as the creature drew closer to me.

My body shakes with fear. Cold sweat came right out of my skin pores.

I couldn't say a word, my voice as if stuck in the esophagus.

Whoever it is, I beg you to help me! This creature is so scary.

The breath of the creature hit the skin of my face. I felt the rubbing of my hairy hands at the corner of my watery eyes.

The creature whispered and stuck its lips to my ears as its hairy hands crept into my ankles. Open the root of the tree.

Allohu laa ilaaha illaa Huwal Hayyul Qoyyuum, laa ta’khudzuhu sinatuw walaa nauum, la Huu maa fis samawaati wa maa fil ardh, mann dzalladzii yasyfa’u ‘inda Huu, illa bi idznih, yes’lamu maa bayna aidiihim wa maa kholfahum, wa laa yuhiituuna bisyayim min ‘ilmi Hii illaa bi maa syaa’, wa si’a kursiyuus sataawaati walardh, wa laa yauudlu Huu hifdzuhumaa, wa siayu, wa Huwal ‘aliyyul ‘adziiim"

“Allah, there is no God (who deserves to be worshipped) but He Who is Eternal Life again continuously takes care of (his being); not sleepy and not sleep. To Him belongs what is in the heavens and the earth. Can no one give a shafa'at to Allah without His permission? Allah knows what is before them and behind them, and they know nothing of the knowledge of Allah except what He wills. The seat of God covers the heavens and the earth. And Allah is not heavy in keeping them both, and Allah is Most High, Most Great." (QS. Al Baqoroh: 255)

"MAYERY!" My eyes widened, my body reflexively woke up from the bed.

Aisha immediately hugged me." Thank goodness you're conscious."

I let go of her embrace. Around me were some fathers who formed a circle around me, to my right a father who was seen chanting the holy Quran with a prayer beads, holding a prayer beads, beside my left was Aisyah and my friends who looked at me with worried faces.

I'm trying to digest what really happened. Was I alone in the forest? Meet that creepy creature? Why would I be here?

I looked at Aisyah. Questioning what's on my mind.

"Didn't you remember?"

I'm shaking.

Aisyah took a deep breath while telling her the chronology.

"When we were walking through the wilderness. I felt something strange, like someone was following us from behind. Rashid who also felt the same way also violated the warning of the man we met at that time. When he looked back, you were no longer there. " I heard carefully Aisha's explanation.

"We didn't know how long we were looking for you until we found your body lying under a banyan tree" he said.

"Initially we thought you fainted. We kept trying to wake you up, but it didn't work."

"Finally, Rashid ventured to seek help, walking alone through the forest, until he found this village, "the woman continued.

"Not for long, some residents

come to help. Carrying your body still unconscious."

"Keep what's going on?" tanyaku who was filled with curiosity when Aisyah paused her speech.

"He said. " Aisha pointed to the Father who was reading the holy verses with his chin. "That you didn't faint. You're just asleep."

I scrunched my forehead.

"Sleep?" many ensure.

Aisyah nodded her head.

"He said your body was trapped by an invisible creature, " added Inayah, who was also beside me.

"meaning?" I ask who still does not understand. What really happened.

The man stopped his Quran recitation.

"Have you ever seen or found anything strange before?"

I try to remember, until…

"There is, sir, a painting of an ancient soldier and a half-animal man with the script."

The man nodded his head." Quickly. Only you can see the painting as well."

"I mean father?"

The man took a long breath." The ancient writing you saw tells the story behind the painting."

He looked far away with a straight forward view.

"Nobody's seen that painting yet."

"According to the hereditary story, anyone who can see the painting, it means he is the person that the creature has been waiting for all this time" he added.