Category: BOO!

In The Dark, by Art with Alaska

She resides in the corners of my mind,
and sometimes,
in the corner of my room.
Blood dripping down her face,
yet grinning from ear to ear,
appearing in the mirror as I chant her name,
thinking, “what is there to fear?”
She doesn’t move an inch,
nor does she utter a single word,
and yet her presence still sends chills,
regardless of what you heard.
They tell me
“Mary isn’t real”,
yet she is here,
I guess all I am left with is to feel
the presence of someone too near.
—
Inspired by the ‘Bloody Mary’ folklore.

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When the Sun Sets, by lovurisu

Young and curious. 

Mama loved going on adventures by herself. She too, had a secret place she was peculiarly fond of.

🍃

Deep in the woods, Mama finds peace and joy. She enjoyed being alone there. But is she really?

Mama often trailed the jewel-blue stream that flows through the woods as if it was meant for her to find way to her secret place without getting lost.

On most days, the stream would lead her to an eerily mysterious area. But not on this odd day. Because what she had witnessed was instead, enchanting. It was truly… be”witching”. It felt as if she was dazed by an illusion. And by then, dusk had fallen.

On her way home, she felt darkness shadowing her. An existence of the unknown. Which came to her mind the warning her mother told her, “Jange tubek taing gorrib…”

“Oh boy. I guess it wasn’t a great time for adventures..”

*Jange tubek taing gorrib = Don’t go out at sunset

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Jasmine at Night, by Jessie Shin

Ah, jasmine flower.
The pure white flower.
Delicate with an alluring scent.
The gentle white flower calms me in the daylight,
yet it scares me during midnight.
One does not wish to encounter the flower’s sweet smell during the witching hour,
nor the lady that comes with the fragrance.
If you ever smell the flower’s sweet fragrance during midnight,
stay quiet, or may God bless your poor soul,
from the wrath of the lady in white.

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Vanishing Love, by Aimi Jannat & Aida Sophia

We were in love,
forgetting the worries of the world;
We were lovers
consumed by a language we only knew;
We were intertwined,
by our bodies whose touch could not be without the other;
We were one,
with each other completing each other’s sentences and soulmates
At least I thought we were
The change was gradual, but I didn’t see it.
The change was not instant but I saw it coming
The change was taking you away from me but I thought it was your sense of duty The change was inching to
a point of no return
I didn’t want it to happen
I didn’t want to believe that it could happen I didn’t want to accept that it will happen
And yet BOOM!
We were pulled from each in all directions Pulled from each other
Grasping for each other
Holding on to each other
Your life and my life,
used to be similar
Your life and mine,
started to differ
Your life became so different, I don’t recognise you
My life and yours,
no longer the enviable life we knew
Our lives were being torn apart. Our lives that was once one,
is only half of what it was.
Our lives of forever
is no longer there

Why couldn’t you come for me?
Why couldn’t you reach out to me?
Why did you have to stop communicating with me?
Why did you let your new life consume you to the point you don’t recognise me, nor do you recognise yourself?
I lived for you, you resonated with me We had similar struggles in life,
only we knew how to navigate through it We had similar dreams,
that we encourage each other to be that dream or even better than that We were each other’s lifeline. Each other’s buddy. Each other’s love.
But your life took you somewhere
Somewhere not many people in their lifetimes could ever fulfill
Somewhere if you are one of the lucky few Lady Luck opens the door for you
Somewhere only the invincible could that glory only few people on this earth at this moment in life could ever achieve.
I couldn’t reach you anymore
I am too scared that you are too far away
Like a purple balloon filled with helium and tied to my little pinky.
And a burst of wind blew in the second the knot came loose,
The balloon flew away higher and higher that I couldn’t hold on to you to bring you home Our lives became scattered like ashes from a cremation
A cremation of a love that was once there.
But just like death. What’s left is our memories. The beautiful memories that we made.
The love that we shared
The dreams that we believed in.
Maybe one day those memories will bring us back together again. I pray sometime soon.
Until then my love, I will let you go fly high until I no longer see you And pray someday we will meet again.

Poem By: Aida Sophia

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Orang Dulu-dulu Kata 2, by boldbaldbulb

…

‘Man bila kau nak potong kuku? harini dah hari Jumaat’

‘ya, mak. lepas makan Man buat’

‘Dah gelap ni. mak taknak kau potong malam-malam. Buat esok pagi je’

‘Alah mak ni, apa risau sangat’

…

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Orang Dulu-dulu Kata 1, by boldbaldbulb

…

‘kau tau cerita pasal Limah?’

‘kenapa?’

‘anak dia tu. ada penyakit aku dengar’

‘eh, dia baru beranak kan?’

‘ya, dengar cerita lah. hm lalu bawah ampaian lah tu’

…

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Unperson, by giralka

This artwork is inspired by Nothing But Thieves’ Unperson, and the existence of Orang Bunian. They are mythical creatures described to have elf-like features and live deep in forests or sometimes among us. But only those who have their veils lifted would be able to see Bunians. Personally, I’ve always been intrigued by them, especially stories of how those “kidnapped” or got lost in the hidden world would come back here in a different time. They are supposedly kind, benevolent beings with supernatural powers, but I’ve always found the thought of them a little unsettling.

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The Night Mermaid, by FaritsRiley

When I was young, I used to spend time in a small town with a beach during my holidays. Me and my parents used to stay in this small house by the beach. During my sojourn at the small town, I visited a small restaurant with my parents to eat dinner and I happened to eavesdrop a local who told his friends to stay away from the beach, which they do not understand why.

The local told a story about a mermaid that is seen lurking at night on a big rock at the beach and the bad smell of human bodies can be smelt from afar. He also claimed that the mermaid is not friendly and it is dangerous, hostile and evil and would eat anyone it encounters without provocation. His friends laughed off of this story, finding it too ridiculous.

I, on the other hand, was curious and wanting to know if his story is true. So, I planned to sneak out of the house to find this mysteriously hostile mermaid. After my parents were asleep, I snuck out of the house and wandered around the beach, trying to find this mermaid. After continuous searching and having found a big rock the local talked about, I discovered nothing but a bunch of skeletons lying around the beach, smelling bad, and the mermaid was nowhere to be seen. Until, I heard an eerily beautiful singing voice that is soothing. So soothing that I became distracted. I sat on the small rock, completely mesmerised by the voice but the mesmerisation disappeared when the mermaid splashed out of the sea. While glaring at me evilly with the intention to kill me, it was seen devouring a hand. Knowing that I will be killed, I decided to run away back to the house, she tried to attack me but because of how fast I ran, she didn’t get to catch me at all.

Despite reaching for the house safely, I am traumatised about what has just happened to me at the beach. Ever since then, I do not visit beaches anymore.

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Solisir dan Ibun Si Balan-Balan, by Shamrizan

Ritual si balan-balan itu ialah meninggalkan badan nya diam di rumah, kepala nya pula yang tertanggal bersama isi perutnya berkeliaran pada malam Jumaat mencari darah. Jadilah pada satu malam Jumaat itu, si balan-balan sudah ketahuan. Apabila ditemukan badan nya, si balan-balan dilindungi seorang manusia bergelar kekasihnya. Si balan-balan itu juga manusia dahulu nya. Namun, sumpah si bapa menempias kepada nya, kalau setiap malam Jumaat itu, Ibun, akan meronta-ronta mencari darah sehingga badan terpisah dari kepala. Darah itu jadilah darah dari rahim ibu yang baru melahirkan anak, darah dari perempuan yang datang haid, dari anak kecil yang ditinggalkan menangis di waktu malam atau darah pemuda yang terserempak si balan-balan. Pada malam tuan badan ditemukan, Solisir yang jatuh cinta pada manusia nya si balan balan, sudah berjanji sehidup dan semati. Solisir berjanji, “aku tidak hirau kalau pun setiap malam Jumaat kau berubah menjadi balan-balan. Aku jatuh cinta pada Ibun. Aku cintakan kau Ibun.” Maka pada malam itu, Solisir dicekup oleh orang kampung dan diikat tangan nya, dan parang dilayangkan ke lehernya. Malam itu, Solisir sudah menerima ajal. Sebagaimana dia tahu bahawa malam itu juga sampai ajal nya Ibun. Badan Ibun dilumurkan minyak tanah dan lilin yang menyala di sekelilingnya marak sekali. Solisir menjerit, dia meraung bercucuran air mata. Tahu-tahu, parang melayang itu sudah mengelar leher nya. Sampai situ lah, cinta Solisir dan Ibun si balan-balan. Sehidup dan semati.”

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We Need To Talk About Pandir, by dlo

Based on the Malay Classic Literature & Folk Tale, Pak Pandir.

Pandir [pan.dir]: Foolish; stupid; idiot.

“Bathe the child” Andeh said. “It’s freezing cold. Use the water I’m boiling in the cauldron” she said again. Just a quick trip to the market, Andeh left Pandir to look after their newborn child. A baby– so delicate, so precious.

Pandir quickly got to work. Without thinking much, he dip his daughter in the boiling cauldron. “You look so happy” he said to the frantically screaming baby. It didn’t take long for the scream to turn into complete silence. And Pandir thought that his child is only sleeping.

Andeh came home that day to a dead baby.

And just like that, whispers abound. News travelled fast; 

“The infamous village idiot killed his own child”

“Well what do you know, he’s so stupid he killed his own daughter”

“No way he’s that stupid, it’s the devil. The devil has gotten into him!”

“How can Andeh ever forgive him?”

“He pretends he’s stupid, but he’s actually the walking devil himself”

“No lah, he really is an idiot. That’s why everyone calls him Pandir. You can’t call him Pandir and expect him to not be stupid. It’s just a careless mistake”

“How can a person be that stupid? I’m telling you, he’s doing it on purpose– the child is a sacrifice for the devil!”

“There is no devil!!”

“Yes, there is!”

“No! He’s just stupid, and so are you!”

“You watch your mouth! The devil is real, and Pandir worships it”

“How many times do I have to tell you that Pandir is just stupid, and it was a mistake??”

“I’m not buying that story. It’s definitely the devil.”

“It’s a mistake. He’s stupid”

“It’s the devil. He’s not that stupid”

And the argument goes on and on. Till the end, no one knows for sure. The universe is very forgiving; and just like how the rain washes the earth clean, time rains down all memory of Pak Pandir’s murder. No one knows why. The story is passed down years after years and becomes a comedic folk tale instead. Who cares if he accidentally killed a child? He was just a stupid person anyway. But perhaps stupidity is the ultimate devil itself.

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