The Van Til House: STRAF SABBAT
Chapiter 23

Someone shook Magisna's body.

He felt a strong grip on both his shoulders. But his consciousness seemed to sink. His whole body felt light. Like floating in the water.

"Sina?!"

He heard Hendra's voice. So far.

Before long he felt his body lift up from the ground. And away from the side yard, down the long corridor towards the front porch. Everything feels like a dream and looks like it's not in reality.

Both of his eyes were open and unblinking, but he could see nothing but the dark-robed horseman figure that was imprinted in his memory.

Before long he felt a hand rub his face. Feels rough and wet.

Magisna.

The seraut of the middle-aged man's face ducked before his eyes, aligning his face with Magisna's.

Magisna blinked and pulled away from his face suddenly until his head hit the chin of Hendra who was ducking behind him.

Hendra squealed a little.

Magisna turned to Hendra and realized that Hendra was supporting his body from behind - it could be said Hendra almost hugged him.

What the hell's going on? Magisna wondered in her heart.

He looked around and found two tall thin men on his left and a middle-aged man in front of him.

We were all on the front porch of the school, Magisna realized. Then looked at the middle-aged man in front of him with his eyebrows intertwined.

Where have I seen him?

He tried to remember. Then realize that the man is the keeper of the school's bell substation. Papa Tibi, he said in his heart.

The middle-aged man thrust a bottle of mineral water towards Magisna without speaking.

Magisna accepted it while forcing a smile. "Thank you, sir," he said. He turned the bottle cap around while looking towards the tall skinny guy on his left side.

The guy grinned with a silly look, while the other guy just looked at him while crossing his arms.

Magisna gulped water from the bottle for almost half.

"This is Ais, who was the cave story," Hendra told Magisna while pointing at the guy who was grinning. "This is Agustin, Temen Ais," continued Hendra while pointing to the other man.

Magisna smiled towards Ais while closing her drinking bottle back-Ais replied with a childish grin. Then a cursory glance towards Agustin who seemed to have no taste for pleasantries.

"Other times when you're sitting, don't stay at the door" Papa Tibi rebuked Magisna in a soothing, shady voice.

"What's that, sir?" Magisna asked, along with Hendra.

"You don't know sambekala?"

Hendra and Magisna shook their heads together.

The ice stared at the two in turn with its mouth and eyes rounded.

Papa Tibi smiled faintly. "Sambekala means afternoon. Older people used to call it sambekala" he explained, putting one knee on the floor, while the other leg was still folded in a squatting position.

Magisna turned her attention back to Papa Tibi. "I don't understand" he confessed. He remembered a moment before Ais slammed into him, shouting the word like a warning, as if "Sambekala" was something very dangerous.

"In modern times the name sambekala is used by parents to scare children" Papa Tibi smiled wryly.

Hendra and Magisna exchanged glances.

"The rule about not being able to stay at the door, actually only happened during the colonial period" Papa Tibi continued. "In those days standing at the door, especially in the evening, was done only by the soldiers. Enemy troops would fire on anyone standing guard at the door. That's why parents forbid children to be in front of doors" he said."

Magisna glanced at Ais with a look of reproach.

The ice smothered her mouth with both hands - with her childish silly demeanor being typical - acting scared.

Hendra clenched his mouth-holding laughter.

"Yes," Agustin chimed in. Suddenly take over the conversation.

Magisna turned her head towards him with her eyebrows interlocked.

"The people around here did name the red mist "Sambekala". Some people believe that the fog is the spirit of someone who has been lost and may have died. Many people have been missing since the house was restored to a school. One of them is called Dusk."

Magisna held her breath and exchanged glances with Hendra.

"The phenomenon of fog appeared after Dusk disappeared. The term "Sambekala" is taken from the name of Dusk. The people here do not dare to mention his name openly because they are worried that the spirit of the young man feels called and then approached them" continued Agustin. "So they call it Sambekala!"

Magisna gulped with great difficulty.

"It's just a myth" Agustin added. "But, naturally, the fog contains harmful substances such as sulfur and toxic gases that can cause a person to experience shortness of breath and hallucinations."

I understand now why I saw the strange figure that I thought was the angel of death, Magisna thought as she looked around and realized that the red mist had vanished into darkness.

It was evening, and they were still talking on the front porch of the school with the bell substation guards.

A moment of sudden silence.

Wait, Magisna said in her heart. I'm not hallucinating. The ice hit us as the creature passed by. The ice also sees it-or the ice also hallucinates. Magisna glanced at the guy with a frown.

The ice replied to him as well with a frown of confusion.

I will ask Ais next time, he thought.

"Sambekala may be just a term" continued Papa Tibi. "Prohibition of standing by the door is also just a myth. But as the red fog descended, standing in front of the door was extremely risky. The poison level in the red mist was rising inside the room."

Hendra let out a short breath.

Magisna bowed lethargic.

So, Ais pushed us away from the door to keep us out of the indoor fog?

He breathed heavily.

That's right, he said in his heart. I was just hallucinating.

"Ais and Agustin will take you home" said Papa Tibi, sighing and rising from the floor. Then stand near the concrete pillar while looking glaring towards the plantation. His facial expression showed as if he was remembering something he deeply respected.

Magisna looked at Hendra with a wondering expression. What about Dika, Novi and Alexza?

Hendra breathed a heavy breath. Then open his mouth, to say something.

"I'm going to find your friends" Papa Tibi cut off as if he could read the thoughts of both.

Hendra and Magisna exchanged glances once again. The expressions of the two showed their shock.

"Your school heads are ringing danger bells" said Papa Tibi. "So I rushed here. I replaced him ringing the bells while he himself went down to the basement to look for you. Soon, the locals will arrive. So you don't have to worry."

Isa sir realized we were in danger, Magisna thought. Is Hendra's guess right that Mr. Isa knew something. Is the name Michael Isaac on the wall his name?

Nah! Magisna tried to get rid of her guess. The skull was thirteen. The names on the walls are also thirteen. Michael Isaac's name written on the wall is already a skull.

Wait a minute, thought Magisna. Agustin said one of those missing was named Dusk, and that storm of fog appeared after he disappeared. The fog storm had formed several faces and Mr. Isa recognized them as his friends.

Whatdoes thatmean?

Could one of those skulls belong to a boy named Dusk?

But the name Dusk is not written on the wall!

I began to understand, Magisna thought.

It wasn't Michael Isaac who died, it was Dusk!

And…

Somehow they switched places.