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"What???"
I never heard the word before so it was so strange in my ears.
Dylan rolled his eyes.
"Jailangkung. The first syllable is pronounced like you pronounce Jay. The a in 'lang' is pronounced like you say the u in 'sung' and the u in 'kung' is like the double o when you say 'moon'. Understood??"
He talked to fast actually and I only absorbed half of it but I knew how annoying Dylan could be and I refused to give him that opportunity. So I nodded my head.
"So what are you going to do with it?? You're not playing doll, aren't you??" I asked in mockery.
Dylan snorted loudly. "Of course not. But...you're right about the 'play' part. This doll," He said, wiggled the doll in front of my face. "is not ordinary doll. In Indonesia, they used this to summon a spirit. Like Ouija board."
I crunched my nose in disgust. I never liked the idea of summoning lost spirit near me. In movies, it never ended well for the player.
I had no doubt in Indonesia they experienced the same.
There's no good coming from inviting the spirit.
Dylan saw my face and his smirk came back. I hate it when he curved his lips like that. He always used that smirk to intimidate me. To tell me indirectly that I was weak, weaker than him.
"Someone is scared." He sang the words.
I pursed my lips. "I am not scared, Idiot! I just do not believe that kind of things. Beside, where did you get it?"
Dylan winked his brown eyes. "It's a secret. So, do you want to play it with me? Let's make you believe it."
I scolded inside. I didn't want to play it. The fact, yes, I was scared. I don't mind Vampire and Frankenstein since I knew they're just fairy tale but spirit, I believed it's existed.
"Are you nuts??? Why are you bothering yourself to play it? It's The Ghost Day. Halloween. We have too much ghosts already." I said, tried to make him to forget his crazy idea about the Jailangkung.
Dylan snapped his fingers.
"That's why we have to play it tonight. Since it's Halloween, the spirit will come faster."
I stared at Dylan like he just popped out another head on his neck.
In front of me, Dylan kept that half-smile and I really wanted to wipe it away from his face.
I narrowed my eyes as I stared at him suspiciously.
"When the last time you take your medicine, Dylan?"
He grumbled as he hit my forehead with the doll.
"I'm not crazy, Loony. Yet." He added, made me held out my tongue at him.
"Whatever!!! But I will never play that doll with you." I said, folded my arms in front of my chest.
When I did that, I suddenly realized I still on my nurse costume. No wonder my legs were cold.
Dylan shrugged his shoulders once again.
"Oh, fine. You don't have to come. But..." He smiled wickedly. "I can't wait to tell everyone about how coward you are."
I widened my eyes in rage at him but Dylan ignored me. He wanted to walked away but I quickly blocked his path. I reached out my hand and I planned to shove his shoulder away but before I could reach him, he took a step back from me.
My hand still hanging on the air as I watched Dylan in shock.
He never did that before. In fact, he always challenged me to shove him harder.
Dylan looked mad but he blinked his eyes and the anger suddenly gone.
Dylan confused me. This wasn't feel like him.
Was that possible??
But before I could think about it further, he hit my forehead with the doll again.
I groaned in annoyance.
"Can you stop doing that??" I snapped at him.
Dylan chuckled and I knew it was his laugh.
"Nope." He answered then he waved his hand like ordered me to leave.
"Go home now if you don't want to join this game then. I have something to do."
Dylan walked away and I heard him opened his front door. The hinge of the door sounded so loud from my spot.
I was tortured between joining him or not.
I was scared but I was curious too.
I looked at my wrist and saw it's almost eleven thirty now.
Without knowing the reason, I still locked on my spot.
I lifted up my head, knew I could see his window from there.
His room was dark at first but suddenly dim orange-yellow light brightened it. He would start soon.
I made a frustated sound from my throat and before I changed my mind, I ran toward Dylan's room.
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"This is crazy." I murmured lowly but I knew Dylan could hear me.
He ignored me, as always, while he placed a few kinds of flowers beneath the standing dolls.
I counted it and at least there were seven kinds of flowers there. I had no idea where Dylan got them or how long it was for him to collect the flowers. But maybe he just went to the flower shop and bought them.
I sat across Dylan. I kept my mouth shut while he was busy arranged the place for ritual.
Somehow, it reminded me of a game called 'Charlie Charlie'.
The difference was there were no signs or weird letters on the paper or floor. It just us and the Jailangkung between us.
A few candles surrounded me and Dylan and the flame stood still. Unmoved.
The silence suffocated me. It felt like there was something in the air and it was ready to put me down. My heart began to pound hard again but I didn't say anything. I wouldn't admit the fear I had, especially in front of Dylan.
Finally, Dylan was done. He clapped his palms together to clean his hands then sat properly.
"How do we know if it's worked?" I asked him, couldn't hold my tongue.
Dylan smirked. The evil smirk.
"I guess we'll find out soon. Ready??" He asked me back, raised one of his eyebrow arrogantly.
Of course not.
I screamed inside my heart. But to save my pride, I nodded.
Stupid me.
I told to myself that this was the worst Halloween I ever had.
Instead of having fun with my friends, I had to watch boring movies and now involved in summoning spirit.
Dylan looked proud for a few seconds then he poured his concentration on the doll in front of him.
He started to say something in the language I didn't know.
I quickly noticed it was the chants to call the spirit.
Dylan didn't just say the words.
He sang it slow and melodically. Almost sounded like he adored the doll very much. The way he said the words made me doubt that this was his first time playing Jailangkung.
It must be not his first time, wasn't it??
The rhythm he said over and over again made the hair on my neck and arms stood up.
This was not good.
I gasped when suddenly the candle on my left turned off.
Seriously, the other candles still stood still and I felt no wind passed.
Then how the hell the flame turned off by itself.
I bet Dylan noticed it too since he stopped the chants.
"Dylan.." I croaked as I stared at the thin white smoke coming from the candle.
"Sssttt!!!!" He hissed impatiently. Then he began the chants again.
This time, chill running down my spine. It bit my skin slowly and I felt the ends of my fingers turned cold.
I clenched and unclenched my fists, waiting in anxiety.
Two more times and Dylan finally stopped singing the words.
It might be stop but not the fear I felt.
I watched Dylan lifted up his chin and his eyes wondered around, like he was searching for something.
His face suddenly filled with disappointment and he stared in annoyance toward the doll.
He grabbed it and shook it.
"Come on, stupid doll!!! Come on!!!"
In my place, I sighed in relieve. It's failed. It's failed.
Oh, thank goodness!
I felt bad for seeing Dylan like that but I couldn't say that I was sorry. The spirit seemed uninterested to join us tonight.
Remember, it's Halloween! Probably he or she was busy staring at the craziness people did out there.
Dylan made tsk sounds and he threw the doll away.
Clearly he was pissed off.
The doll bumped on the wall pretty rough and it landed on the floor near me. It lied there helplessly.
Poor doll.
"Hey, relax, Dylan!" I said gently, tried to calm him down.
"It just a stupid game any--"
I didn't finish my sentence since at the moment, I already jumped from my spot and moved closer to Dylan. Complete with a fearfully scream.
The cause was clear.
It's the doll.
It began to rattle on the floor and since the room was filled with silence, the creak voices sounded like thunder in my ears.
It kept moving and I widened my eyes in terror.
Oh, gosh! It's really happening!!
"D-Dylan, w-what's going on?" I stuttered.
Dylan waved his hand, ordered me to shut my mouth.
Well, it was not a problem. My tongue was numb anyway.
The door still rattled on the floor and I slid closer to Dylan.
"It's coming!" Dylan whispered to me.
Oh, hell no!!!!
The doll creaked harder and I was scared the doll would suddenly jump toward us.
"I-I think.. I think we've m-made it mad." I managed to say.
Dylan said nothing as his eyes kept looking at the doll.
In one point, the doll finally stopped moving.
But I had no change to take a deep breath cause the real shocking moment just began.
I made another gasp when the Jailangkung slowly stood up. It looked like something picked it up from the ground and fixed its position.
Beside me, Dylan smirked in victory.
If I had strength in me at the moment, I would slap his face. But my fear paralyzed me.
Dylan leaned forward toward the doll. Just a little but it was enough to scare me.
"Hey," Dylan whispered to the doll.
"Are you here?"
And the lights out.