Pantomaniac

Chapter 26

"Assalamualaikum. You alright?" Encik Bakar's voice was calm and collected, as always.

Kef's cheeks blushed. There he was, standing in front of his boss' house in the middle of the night. It should have been him to utter the greeting.

"Waalaikumsalam..."

"Come in. There's teh tarik. I could use some..."

Still not able to say much, Kef followed Encik Bakar into the house. It was a two-bedroom apartment. After his wife passed away, Encik Bakar decided to move into a smaller home. It was more practical, he had said. Besides, his previous home held to many memories of his late wife, both happy and ugly ones. He needed to get out.

For a few minutes, Kef allowed the sweet taste of milk and tea flow down his throat. After what had happened, he needed the boost. It was Encik Bakar who broke the silence, again.

"You can stay here as long as you want, Kef. As you can see, I'm alone and there's a spare room. But...I think it's really good if you can tell me what happened. I can't help besides...well, giving you accommodation, if you don't tell me."

Kef looked at Encik Bakar. "I'm being haunted."

There. He finally said it. He never really did admit it to himself, at least not out loud. But saying those words to Encik Bakar, hearing them with his very own ears, somehow made things feel more manageable. It was like when the brain is thinking about too many things and writing the tasks down cleared the mental fog.

"By...mimes. Children. Kids." Kef struggled to place his finger on the right word. "I mean, they're children. But they're also mimes... I-I don't know. I mean-"

"Kef, Kef...stop."

And he did.

"I'm not your boss now. This is my home and now, you're just a friend. We're not at the guard house."

A small laughter escaped Kef's mouth. "Sorry... and really, thank you so much Encik Bakar. I just need tonight. I will find a new place tomorrow."

"No, you won't. Enough with that. You were saying?"

Kef sighed. "I've been seeing things. These mime-like children. And they're starting to hurt me..."

Kef told everything. Well, almost everything. He left the part about the bungalow out for a couple of reasons. One, it was a dangerous place. Two, he hasn't figured out the deal with that place and he surely did not want anyone to interrupt that process. Not even Encik Bakar.

He expected Encik Bakar to look at him weird, or perhaps even laugh at the silly story. But no. Once he was done telling his story, Encik Bakar simply continued sipping his drink.

"My grandfather used to tell me stories like that. When I was a kid. Things exist. I mean, I don't know why they're disturbing you but I know, I believe they exist."

"You've seen them?"

Encik Bakar laughed. "No. And I don't want to. It's just that I grew up hearing these stories. And in Islam, we are to believe in jin and syaitan, aren't we?"

Kef nodded. There was something about the way his boss spoke that could calm the storm. It wasn't anything he didn't already know but Encik Bakar was one of those people who had the gift of rationalizing. Of breaking huge messes into smaller particles which could be dusted.