The next morning, Rian woke up in his own bed with a start. The house was bathed in sunlight. He checked his palms, but there were no marks from the stylus, only the faint, lingering scent of lavender and dried herbs.
"Rian," her voice echoed from the dimly lit living room. It was soft, almost melodious, yet it sent a shiver down his spine. "Come here, dear."
Rian felt the world outside the living room fading away. The ticking of the clock grew louder, filling his entire consciousness.
Rian sat, the atmosphere in the room suddenly feeling thick and still. ACHJ-051 Turuti Saja Apa Yang Bibi Lakukan Kepadamu
She began to explain a family meditation technique passed down through generations. It wasn't just a simple relaxation exercise. She started tracing intricate patterns on his palms with a silver-tipped stylus, the metal feeling impossibly cold against his skin.
He felt a deep, heavy stillness settling over his limbs. He tried to shift his position, but his body felt anchored to the sofa, unresponsive but not uncomfortable. Sarah continued her work, whispering old stories of their ancestors—tales of those who could see into the future and those who guarded the family's oldest secrets.
When his parents returned later that afternoon, they seemed surprised when he mentioned the late-night meditation. They exchanged a quick, unreadable glance before his father laughed it off, claiming Auntie Sarah had been resting in the guest house all evening and hadn't come inside. Rian walked to the window and looked out at the guest house; the curtains were drawn, and for a brief moment, he thought he saw a silver glint reflecting from the darkness behind the glass. He realized then that some family traditions were meant to be followed, even if they were never spoken of again. The next morning, Rian woke up in his own bed with a start
"Shh," she whispered, her voice seeming to echo from the corners of the room. "It’s for the clarity of your thoughts. Let the ritual work."
When Rian finally drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep, the last thing he perceived was the flickering candlelight reflecting in Sarah’s eyes as she watched over the house in the silence of the night. The Aftermath
Rian, twenty years old but suddenly feeling like a small child, walked in. Sarah was sitting on the sofa, a warm cup of herbal tea in her hands. She was an enigmatic figure, rarely seen, always smelling of lavender and dried herbs. "Rian," her voice echoed from the dimly lit living room
The old, mahogany staircase creaked under Rian’s feet, a sound that seemed too loud in the silent house. It was 10 PM. His parents were gone for the weekend, leaving him in the care of Auntie Sarah—a woman who lived in the guest house but was now, to Rian’s surprise, preparing to spend the night in the main house.
"Auntie, this feels... strange," Rian mumbled, his eyelids feeling heavy as if weighed down by invisible stones.
