The silent night wrapped Naeswari's room in stillness. Pale moonlight slipped in through the gap in the window, casting faint shadows across the wall. Naeswari's eyes opened, disturbed by a soft voice drifting from somewhere in the distance.
(A wilted flower, blown by the morning breeze, my love forever lonely, never reaching you, my body crying out in pain.)
Naeswari fell silent, her heart pounding. The voice was coming from the hallway, right outside her room. Her hands trembled as she pulled the blanket to her chest.
"Who... who's singing that?" Naeswari whispered to herself.
Her eyes remained fixed on her tightly closed bedroom door. Still trembling, she slowly rose from the bed and crept forward. Her feet touched the cold floor. The song abruptly stopped. The sudden silence made the air feel heavy.
Holding her breath, Naeswari reached for the doorknob. When she opened it, the hallway appeared empty—but there was something there. At the far end of the hall stood a young woman. She wore a dark green kebaya, her hair neatly pinned in a bun. Her smile looked gentle, but something about her face was unnatural. The woman's eyes stared at Naeswari without blinking.
"Who... who are you?" Naeswari asked, her voice trembling.
The woman in the kebaya did not answer, but her smile grew wider. Then, in a soft voice, she spoke in Javanese, like a mother advising her child.
(Go away, pretty girl. Don't stay here. This isn't your place.)
Naeswari froze where she stood. The woman's voice was so gentle, yet it carried a clear warning. She felt her body growing heavier, as if an invisible force were pulling her backward.
Naeswari swallowed, trying to speak, but no words came out. The woman in the kebaya still stood there in silence, a mysterious smile on her face.
"I have to... leave?" Naeswari whispered, barely audible.
The woman only nodded slowly. Then, little by little, her figure faded like mist swept away by the night wind. Naeswari staggered back several steps, gasping for breath, until the bedroom door behind her finally closed by itself, leaving her alone in the silent hallway.
Now, there was only silence hanging in the air. Naeswari stood rigid, feeling cold spread from the tips of her hair to her feet. The hallway fell silent again, as though nothing had happened.