That morning, Marlina stared at Si Kelabu’s untouched food bowl. Her cat, usually eager at mealtimes, just sat in the corner of the room, staring at the bowl with wide eyes and perked-up ears. Marlina frowned, trying to understand her pet’s strange behaviour.
“What’s wrong, Kelabu? Are you sick?” she asked, kneeling to stroke the cat’s head. However, Si Kelabu let out a low growl before darting under the sofa.
Marlina looked at the food bowl. Inside was the soup delivered by the boy yesterday, a gift from Tenuksia. She hadn't dared to taste it either after its strange aroma reminded her of the foul-smelling black powder she had once seen in Tenuksia’s hands while the woman was staring at her house a few days ago. But how did the soup get here? Hadn't she already thrown it away into the drain?
“Weird,” Marlina muttered, carrying the bowl to the kitchen. She poured the soup into a plastic bag and stepped into the backyard to dispose of it in the drain outside the fence. As she tossed the plastic bag, she heard a strange hissing sound from within the drain. Her heart pounded, but she saw nothing.
Afterward, Marlina returned inside. Si Kelabu was still hiding under the sofa, tail curled and eyes locked on something invisible, as if sensing a threat. Marlina tried coaxing the cat out, but Si Kelabu remained in place, occasionally growling and flicking its tail in agitation.
After tidying up the kitchen, Marlina heard commotion outside. She stepped to the window and peeked through the curtains. In Tenuksia’s yard, neighbours had gathered, sharing a meal at a long table laden with various dishes. Their laughter filled the air, yet something about it unsettled Marlina. They all seemed... too quiet, even as their lips moved in laughter.
Her gaze shifted to Tenuksia, standing in the middle of the group like a queen. The woman looked directly at Marlina’s house, a thin smile curling her lips. Marlina quickly shut the curtains and stepped back, trying to steady her suddenly racing heart.
“They’re all acting strange,” she whispered to herself. “What’s really going on here?”
That night, Marlina tried to calm herself by watching television. Her husband, Merilton, had left for work that morning and wouldn’t be back for five days. In their old house, she had a maid for company, but here, she was alone. The absence of Merilton made the large house feel even emptier, despite all the lights she had turned on.
Si Kelabu, who usually curled up in her lap, kept prowling around the living room. The cat moved as if tracking something unseen, occasionally swiping at the air with its claws, eyes fixated on the empty corners of the house. Marlina grew uneasy.
“Kelabu, what are you seeing?” she asked, trying to mask her nervousness.
Suddenly, Si Kelabu leaped onto the bookshelf, clawing at a porcelain figurine until it fell and shattered on the floor. Marlina gasped, letting out a small scream. She approached the shelf, but before she could pick up the broken pieces, Si Kelabu had already jumped down, lunging at the empty air and growling fiercely.
“What are you attacking?” Marlina asked hoarsely. But the cat didn’t stop. It kept leaping around, scratching the walls and tearing at the carpet with its sharp claws.
Finally, Marlina decided to catch Si Kelabu and lock it in the bedroom for the time being.
However, Si Kelabu continued to scratch at the door from inside, its cries loud and relentless. Sitting in the living room, Marlina felt the weight of exhaustion settle over her as she struggled to make sense of everything. She thought about the soup she had discarded in the drain that morning. Was it connected? Had Tenuksia really put something in the food?
As the night deepened, strange noises began to fill the house. Footsteps creaked across the wooden floor, yet when she checked, no one was there. Doors that had been closed suddenly swung open with a slow, eerie groan. The tension in the air thickened, keeping Marlina wide awake.
At 3 a.m., she heard something fall in the kitchen. Summoning her courage, she grabbed a mop as a makeshift weapon and went to investigate. When she arrived, all the kitchen cabinets were wide open, and dishes were scattered across the floor. Marlina covered her mouth, stifling a scream.
“Who’s there?” her voice barely came out. She raised the mop, but nothing happened.
Then, she felt something move behind her. She spun around quickly, but only a cold breeze touched her face.
Panicked, she locked the kitchen door and ran back to the living room, her forehead damp with sweat. Si Kelabu was still clawing at the bedroom door, its frantic scratching filling the silence.
The next day, Marlina decided to observe her neighbours from the upstairs bedroom window. Their behaviour still seemed odd, but none of them showed signs of experiencing the disturbances she had endured the night before. They looked happy, chatting pleasantly while enjoying the same dishes from Tenuksia’s house.
Marlina began writing everything down. She noted how the neighbours moved, too slow, as if they were in a trance. Every time they laughed, their voices sounded empty, devoid of real emotion. Marlina became increasingly convinced that something unnatural was happening in this neighbourhood.
As she wrote, she noticed Tenuksia standing in her yard, staring directly at Marlina’s window. The woman was smiling, but the expression never reached her eyes. Marlina immediately shut the curtains and stepped back, her body trembling with fear.
On the second night, Si Kelabu began hissing non-stop. Unable to sleep due to the cat’s noise, Marlina finally opened the bedroom door and let it out. Si Kelabu darted into the living room, stopping in the middle of the room with its fur standing on end. Its eyes were fixed on something in the corner, but Marlina saw nothing.
Suddenly, the living room lights flickered, and the air turned icy. Marlina hugged herself, trying to fight the growing fear inside her.
Si Kelabu let out a loud yowl before pouncing toward the corner, but its claws met only empty air.
“You see something, don’t you, Kelabu? What’s here?” Marlina’s voice shook. She grabbed her phone and tried calling Merilton, but the call wouldn’t connect.
Si Kelabu eventually backed away, running to Marlina and jumping into her lap. The cat trembled in her arms, clearly terrified. Marlina hugged Si Kelabu tightly, hoping this was just a nightmare that would pass.
But deep down, she knew.
Whatever was happening… it wasn’t going to end.
Was this happening because she had refused to join the feast at Tenuksia’s house? Marlina racked her brain, trying to piece everything together.