Editor: Matsan
Proofreader: Lagged
An unfortunate and distressing incident befell a family. The second child, Suraya, died in a traffic accident. The tragedy happened in the evening. Thus, they decided to bury her body the next morning since it was already late.
Hazra rubbed her eyes many times. Then she sighed. She couldn't sleep no matter what. Turning left, turning right, yet her eyes just won't stay closed. Her body was exhausted yet her mind was in chaos. Thinking about it, who could sleep in this kind of situation? Hazra hugged her pillow, squeezing it, covering her face with it. Her tears fell again. Just like earlier, her tears did not only contain sadness, but also confusion, anger, anxiousness. She was still in disbelief. The body of her big sister Suraya was lying lifeless in the middle of the living room, her hands placed on her chest. Frozen, covered by a blue batik.[1] Hazra couldn't accept it. How could this be? It was just yesterday that she was joking with her sister. She could still hear Suraya's laugh, see her sweet smile, and feel her soft touch.
Hazra sat up, sitting on the bedside. She wiped her shedding tears. Suddenly came a longing for her sister.
"She is downstairs. I don't want sis Suraya to be alone," said Hazra in her heart. This might be the last time she would be with her sister. After this, she could only remember her through her prayers. Hazra thought that she should take this chance to spend time with Suraya. Even if it was just the body, just the corpse. Hazra didn't mind. To her she was still her sister. There was no difference whether she was dead or alive. The body was still her beloved sister…
Hazra left the room and climbed down the stairs. To get down, she needed to pass her late sister's room. She had a strange feeling when found the door to her sister's room closed. It was Hazra who left it open before going to sleep.
"Maybe mom came before…" said Hazra, comforting herself.
Downstairs, Hazra did not immediately go to where Suraya's body was. Instead, she went into the kitchen to brew a cup of tea to drink alongside a few pieces of bread. Hazra brought the cup and plate to the living room. It was pitch black. Momentarily blinded, suspicion crept upon her heart. Earlier, she had adjusted the lights to dim so her sister wouldn't be alone in complete darkness. Who turned them off when it is nearly impossible to see?
Hazra's finger groped around for the light switch and turned it on.
"Mom!!! Lil bro!!!" yelled Hazra loudly. The cup and plate she was holding fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
Hasmah and Sufiyan, who had yet to fall asleep in their rooms, immediately came out after hearing Hazra's scream.
"What happened, Sufiyan?" asked Hasmah when seeing her son's panicked face.
"Pian's not sure as well. He heard sis Haz screaming downstairs."[2][3]
The mother-and-son pair rushed downstairs towards the living room."
"Masha'Allah… Suraya!" cried Hasmah. [4]
"Brother Sahar… Sis Sura…" Sufiyan's voice was trembling on the line.
"What happened to sis Sura, Pian?"
"She… she…"
"What's wrong? Just say it," urged Sahar, their eldest sibling.
"Sis Sura… she's combing her hair in her room. In front of the mirror…"
"Pian! What nonsense are you talking about? Recite the shahadah… Sis Sura is no longer with us."
"Sahar! Hurry up and come back… Please hurry! I don't know what to do…" Hasmah's voice suddenly replaced Sufiyan's.
"Mom… calm down. Tell me properly. What happened?" asked Sahar as he himself started panicking.
"Sahar… Suraya came back from the dead," said Hasmah in her sobs.
Sahar gulped.
"Haz came down to stay with sis Sura. Just felt like accompanying her. But when Hazra entered the living room, sis Sura wasn't there. There was only the batik on the floor. I screamed, making mom and Pian come down. We were all shocked and unsure where sis Sura's body had gone to. For some unknown reason, we decided to check in her room and as we did, we saw her in front of her make-up table. Her face was facing the mirror but it was still covered with a black sheet. She'd been there ever since, not even turning to face us. We're… afraid of going closer," explained Hazra to Sahar lengthily. Sahar, who rushed from his house, immediately went to get Hazra, Hasmah and Sufiyan who were standing in confusion in front of Suraya's room.
Sahar listened to Hazra's story showing no reaction. He pushed open the door to Suraya's room.
"Sura…" Sahar called out.
Suraya stopped combing her hair but her back was still facing Sahar.
With conflicting feelings, Sahar went towards Suraya until he was only a few steps away. He simply stood still behind her. Suddenly, the black cloth covering the mirror fell down. Suraya's face which was showing a calm smile was revealed to Sahar. Her complexion was pale and her eyes were somewhat reddish.
"Astahghfirullahalazim… [5] Suraya…" that was all that came out of Sahar's mouth. Suraya, after smiling towards her brother through the mirror, continued combing her hair. As if nothing had happened.
"How was it, Sahar?" asked Hasmah as her son exited the room.
"Let's call Dr. Aryani. There must have been a mistake during the autopsy," suggested Sahar while taking out his phone.
"Okay. You call the doctor and I'll call Ustad Amir."[6]
"Why do we need to call him? This matter has got nothing to do with him. This concerns the medical field," interjected Sahar, disagreeing.
"It's fine. I'll just call him. Just in case… If a dead person came back to life, anyone would freak out, right?" Hasmah insisted.
"Impossible. There is only one probability. Suraya never died. It's definitely a mistake on Dr Aryani's part. She must have made a mistake. But if you insist on calling the ustad, suits himself as long as he doesn't say that my sister is possessed by a ghost."
"Astaghfirullah… why are you saying this!? That thought never crossed my mind. I just want an opinion from someone who is knowledgeable in spiritual matters. It's because this matter is too bizarre. That's all," explained Hasmah.
Sahar nodded while his hand was tapping on his phone, calling Dr. Aryani's number.
Half an hour later, Dr Aryani and Ustad Amir arrived at the same time. As they entered Suraya's room, the two exchanged glances, each having the same incredulity in their eyes. Dr Aryani had confirmed Suraya's death while Ustad Amir was the person who was managing the preparations for Suraya's burial.
"Please, ustad…" invited Dr Aryani to Ustad Amir.
"I think that… it's best if you check on her first," said Ustad Amir.
"Eh, ustad… don't tell me that you're scared?" teased Dr Aryani.
"That's not it. It's just that I feel it would be better if we inspect her from the medical perspective first…" Ustad Amir made an excuse when in fact he was genuinely terrified. During the years that he had been an ustad, he had never encountered a case like this.
"I'm not blaming you for being afraid. In fact, even I am trembling right now, ustad," admitted Dr Aryani.
"How about this? We'll check her together," proposed Ustad Amir.
The two then approached Suraya who was sitting on her bed, her head facing her pale, bluish feet.
Dr Aryani held Suraya's hand and examined her pulse. It was there. Then she placed a stethoscope on Suraya's chest. Her lively heartbeat was clearly heard. The doctor faced Ustad Amir and nodded as a signal that she was indeed alive. Dr Aryani's face was truly confused at this time. Now, it was the ustad's turn.
"Suraya…" called out Ustad Amir, his voice soft.
Ustad Amir called out again. This time, he held Suraya's cold shoulder. Suraya raised her head, smiling at Ustad Amir. Only God knew how that smile gave the chills to the ustad.
"Suraya… did you remember what happened?"
Suraya shook her head slowly.
"Can I ask for your full name?"
"Suraya Binti Salman…"[7] answered Suraya, getting stuck at times.
"Okay. Now, I want you to recite the shahadah and al-kursi verse."
Suraya then recited them fluently.
"Alhamdulillah…"[8] said Ustad Amir.
"Well then, Suraya. I feel that it's best for you to lie down and rest. I'll come again tomorrow for another check-up, okay? Now, you should go to sleep." advised Dr Aryani.
Suraya, without saying a word, obeyed. She lay down calmly. Her hands were neatly placed on her abdomen. Just like when she was lifeless just earlier.
The next day, Suraya locked herself in her room. She did even not go out to eat or drink. Although they were confused, Suraya's family simply let her be for now. They just didn't know what to do.
At night, Hasmah, Sahar, Hazra and Sufiyan ate dinner together, but all of them were silent. They were still shocked and confused regarding what happened. Suddenly, they heard someone coming down the stairs. It was Suraya.
Suraya greeted them with a sweet smile on her face. She wore a red kebaya nyonya [9] along with a blue batik. The same batik that was used to cover her body last night. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun, decorated with the stalk of a rose of which no one knew where it came from as Suraya did not left her room since yesterday.
"Suraya… where are you going, all dressed up? That's… my old kebaya, right? Where did you find it? I've been looking all over for it," questioned Hasmah.
But Suraya did not answer. She only smiled and walked away. However, she was blocked by Hasmah. Her shoulders were held tightly.
"Where are you going this late at night, Suraya? You're not well right now. It's better if you stay home…" appealed Hasmah. Sahar, Hazra and Sufiyan simply watched over them.
Suraya smiled. Then she finally talked.
"Aunty… I'm not Suraya. My name is Azwa. I'm just inhabiting this body for a while… I have an unfinished business."
Finishing her sentence, Suraya departed, leaving the others confounded.
A week since Suraya disappeared, Hasmah and her children were greatly worried. They filed a police report about her disappearance but nothing else could be done. Perhaps, even the police were confused. The missing person was actually someone reported as dead. It was Sahar who made the report as soon as Suraya's death was confirmed. But now, even he did not know how explain himself to the police.
In the the eighth day since Suraya had gone missing. Hasmah's family seemed to accept things as they were. At the very least, they were able to sleep at night. Unlike the days before, always worrying where Suraya went. That night they were able to sleep soundly. Perhaps, they were too exhausted physically and mentally.
Hazra woke up from her slumber. She heard something from the room next door. Her big sister's room. Hazra got up. Slowly, she left her room. She peeked into Suraya's. No one. But with the help of the illumination outside, Hazra could see the red kebaya that was worn by Suraya when she left last week. It was placed nicely on the bed.
Hazra was hesitant. Then, she suddenly heard the voice of someone coming from downstairs. A woman's voice. Although it was barely audible, Hazra could still recognize it. Especially when the voice was of someone that she was very familiar with. The voice seemed like it was softly calling out to her, saying…
"Hazra… big sis is back…"
Hazra slowly climbed down the stairs. She went to the dark living room and switched on the lights. A body was lying down in middle. The still corpse seemed like it had never been touched. The hands were still on the abdomen and the body covered with a blue batik, just like nine days ago…
Suraya was back.
The next day, Suraya's body was bathed, covered, prayed for, and finally buried with no problems.
-End-
Munir rushed inside the house to grab his phone. He called his girlfriend, Suraya, but it didn't connect. Then, he called her brother who was also his best friend ever since their days at the police academy.
"Assalamualaikum…"
"Waalaikummussalam, Sahar. Where's Suraya?" asked Munir.
"Huh… she's your girlfriend, yet you're asking me?"
"Yes, she's my girlfriend, but she's also your little sister. I called her countless times but she didn’t answer her phone."
"Hmm… do you miss her that badly?" teased Sahar.
"Just tell me…" pleaded Munir as if he lost his patience.
"She's here. We're having dinner right now. Wait a moment. I'll get her for you."
Sahar passed the phone to Suraya.
"Munir… what's wrong?" asked Suraya as she held the phone to her ear.
"Why doesn’t my call connect every time I call you?"
"Sorry… the battery died. Why were you looking for me?"
"Nothing. I was just worried. That's all."
"Worried? Why?"
"I read a novel. Inside the story, there's…" Munir stopped.
"What story, Munir? Since when were you're into novels?" asked Suraya.
"Nevermind!" Munir's voice turned a decibel higher.
"Are you really okay?"
"Okay. I'll hang up first. If anything happens, just call me. Be careful."
"Yeah, okay. By the way… Hazra and Sufiyan sent you their regards."
"Waalaikummussalam…"
Munir cut the line. He pressed his throbbing head. He did not know what to think. What he did know was that everything was absurd. There's no way this was happening. How could the book in his hand contain persons that exist in real life? The plotline was concerning as well. Munir couldn't even imagine if actually happened in real life. He couldn't bear to lose Suraya.
But the one thing he did know was that he needed to continue reading the novel.
[1] Cloth made with the Batik technique.
Batik technique, wax-resist dye applied to whole cloth. Batik is handmade by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a Tjanting (Spouted tool) in a method called Canting or printing the resist with a copper stamp, Cap method.
(video)
[2] Informal way of talking in family using the third person singular, specially used with young ones.
[3] Pian is Sufiyan's nickname.
[4] Used to express extreme surprise here. Means "God has willed."
[5] Istighfar was mentioned in release 1 but was never told how it was recited. Now you know.
[6] Ustad is the common title used for those whose job is related to Islamic studies.
[7] Full name for Muslims generally consists of a person's name and their father's name. The word 'binti' ('bin' for males) means 'child of'. In this case, it would be Suraya child of Salman.
[8] Words of gratefulness. Means "praises be upon Allah."
[9] Group of women wearing kebaya and using a batik as a sarong or strapless skirt:
Kebaya, traditional formal dress, blouse-dress combination that originated from the court of the Javanese Malaca Kingdom (today Malaysia).
Baba Nyonya also known as Chinese Peranakan, or Straits-born Chinese. Descendants of Chinese immigrants who came to the Malay archipelago.
Kebaya nyonya, kebaya in Nyonya style. Do correct me if I'm wrong.
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