This Just Has to Stop

My cousin and I were in the living room, fiddling with out gadgets. Suddenly, we both heard shouting and crying. It came from the kitchen. Hannah and I exchanged glances.

We both went, running into the kitchen and found Mila sitting in her room, crying.

“Whatever happened here Mila?” I asked, sitting next to her. Hannah sat on my left.

“It’s that horrid Yana. She broke the tea set that my husband had bought from Japan. I scolded her and told her to never touch my stuff. Suddenly, she began to chant some nonsense and when she was done chanting, she told me, ‘In the next 5 years, when you go back to Indonesia, I will find you in the rivers, as a snake. And suddenly, you’ll turn back into a human and have snakes as your hair!’” Explained Mila.

Hannah and I went pale and stiff. We didn’t know what to say. We looked at each other. Hannah was sweating while I was shivering from head-to-toe.

“We’ve got to tell Abah.” Hannah whispered to me. I nodded.

“Thanks for explaining this to us Mila. We will be going now.” I told her. Mila thanked us for our company and we got out of the room.

We made our way up the stairs and found Abah sitting peacefully in his room, using his iPhone.

“Abah!” I called out. Abah looked at both me and Hannah. And I knew at once that he knew it was a story about Yana. He called us into the room and we immediately poured out the whole story, not a single detail was missed.

Abah had gone pale when we had finished. Honestly, I would’ve laughed at him. I always thought he was a tough cookie but I found out, he rather wasn’t. But I couldn’t laugh. For I too was scared out of my wits.

“You do know that Grandma will be out of the hospital in a week right?” Asked Abah.

“So? What does that have to do with our explanation?” Hannah asked back.

“We can ask Grandma to get Yana out of this house and the nightmare will be over!” I said, reading my father’s mind. He nodded.

“Insyirah’s right. And I think, Grandma won’t want Yana after all this horror stories.” Abah said, half smiling.

Hannah and I looked at each other; satisfied.

💀💀💀

The next day, Abah went with Achu to visit Grandma. Hannah and I had prayed all morning. Praying that Grandma would fire Yana and kick her out; for good.

“Do you think Grandma’s going to say yes?” I asked Hannah after Abah and Achu had left.

“Think? Oh I know Grandma’s going to kick Yana out. I swear it and know it Insyirah my cousin.” Hannah said with a scoff and the end of her sentence.

2 hours later…

“Assalamualaikum…!” Said a voice while the door opened and unlocked. Hannah and I rushed downstairs, seeing Abah and Achu. Achu didn’t understand why we both were so punked up when they got back. But Abah was grinning from ear-to-ear.

“I’ll take it from here Didi.” Said Abah to Achu. Achu, still clueless, nodded and left us with Abah.

“So…?” Hannah asked. Hannah and I were holding hands firmly, praying that it was good news.

“Of course Grandma said… yes.” Abah said, happily with a grin. Hannah breathed a breath and I heard her say, Alhamdulillah under her breath. We looked at each other and high-fived.

“When’re we going to break the news to the witch?” I asked Abah. Hannah snickered when I called Yana a witch.

“Now.” Abah said, grimly. “Let’s call everyone in house, including Mila. And before you call Mila, ask her to call the witch.”

Hannah laughed and I snickered. “Haha… Witch.” Hannah said, holding her sides.

“Okay are you two going to help your old man out, or not?” Abah said, seeing the both of us not moving or either going anywhere.

“Yes, yes, we will.” Hannah said as she dragged the laughing me up the stairs. 

To be continued in: The End of the Nightmare