Hantu Gunung [On Hold]

Chpater - 7

The next day was the day of remembrance. The festivities that were going on from a week, had boomed that day and were going to finally end that night. Pocky was ready for the event, wearing a beautiful purple long dress, that had flowers on it. She herself looked like a flower. She went to the market where festivities were going on. She stayed there for a while, looked at it all, then left for the Gunung.

She was feeling anxious since the day before, when Kahfi said that he had found a clue about her father. It was the last day she was here. She had to find him and Kahfi had assured her they would. She was having mixed feelings, she was happy about finding a lead, but scared of something going wrong and definitely anxious because she knew nothing of this lead.

She reached the mountain, and as always Kahfi was waiting for her. Together, they went to the lake and she saw the man Kahfi called his friend. For an instant she couldn't believe her eyes. The very tall person with such a pale skin, and this wierd glow on his skin. Was he really human? "No, I am not" she almost jumped on Mayeng's words. Was he hearing her.

"There are many beings on this mountain that cannot be called human, and I am one of them. I am telling you this because it seems like, your father is with one such being too."

"Who?" It was Kahfi who asked this time.

"She is called Rings. And unlike most you have met here Kahfi, she stays hidden."

"But who is that, I have never heard of anyone like that"

"This mountain is not always the same. It keeps changing, new places coming up and old ones hiding. Remembrance is one such day when Rings shows up herself. We need to be quick."

Pocky was silently listening to all this, unable to digest what she just heard. She was constantly staring Kahfi, wowed by the fact that he was taking it all so casually and actually believing all this. She herself would have found it tough to believe, if only Mayeng wasn't standing right in from of her, someone who could not be a human at any price.

Mayeng took them near the Gunung entrance, and they all sat down at some distance, hidden from plain sight. "Why are we here, why are we not going to that Rings?" Pocky asked. "Because I don't know where she will show up this time". Mayeng replied. It looked like they were waiting for something but Pocky wasn't sure, what.

Soon they saw a man entering the gunung. Mayeng signalled them and everyone started following him. He went into the deep mountain forests. Everyone silently followed him. They walked on the narrow pathways at a distance from him, but the man suddenly vanished. Pocky and Kahfi became flustered at this and started looking around when Mayeng gave them an irritated look and pointed towards a large hole into the ground behind the scrubs.

Mayeng said that it was all the help he could provide them and left. Pocky and Kahfi looked at each other, determined they entered it. It was a small tunnel and it opened into a large cave like place, but they could see the night sky. Pocky was confused, "But it isn't even the night yet."

"It's not real." Kahfi told her. And then, they saw a sight of horror. There was a huge tree. Barren but it's branches thick and elongated spanning all across the cave, forming a ceiling and hiding the view of the supposed sky at various places. That tree had people hanging from them. Hands tied using a red cloth to the branches. All were breathing but seemed in deep sleep.

The man who they were following was hanging on one of the branchs. Pocky held Kahfi's arm in fear, and together they started walking towards the other end of the cave, looking at the faces. Neither Pocky nor Kahfi said it, but they  knew, it was not going to be an easy way out, even if they find her father. Moving from one person to another, they had gone through almost a thousand of them when they found her father. He was deep in sleep too.

Pocky's eyes welled up the moment she saw him. Her feet started shivering in anticipation and she kneeled down on her knees, sobbing. Kahfi acted quick. He knew they didn't have time to waste. He took out a knife tied at his waistbelt and cut the cloth tying his hands from the tree. He caught him just in time and put him down. Then he untied the cloth from his wrists. As soon as he did that, he felt that someone was standing beside him. He looked that way. He could swear they were alone until a moment ago, but now, a girl was standing there. She looked young, around sixteen years old. She was short and lean but with long hair. She was wearing a purple kimono longer than her height that was spreading on the ground.

She was smiling a sarcastic smile, and she asked him in an innocent chuckling voice, as if mocking him."Are you trying to steal from the mountain?"

"We are here to take him back, he is the father of my friend. And you took him without any reason. It's time we take him back with us."

"Who told you there was no reason? Why is he here, is not your concern. But he is part of the mountain now. It will be a clever choice for both of you, if you leave." She said.

"Rings" Pocky called her. Her attention was now towards Pocky. "Mayeng said that's your name, Rings." she continued, "What do you need my father for? You already took someone else today. We saw. My father has been your captive for 10 years now. Please let him go."

"There are people my dear, who have spent an eternity here. I only take one person. Every festival, just one. For the mountain."

"Please, there must be another way." Pocky pleaded.

"Of course there is. We just take him." Saying that, Kahfi lifted him from ground and put him on his shoulder. With another and he held Pocky's hand almost dragging her. She stood up and ran behind him. Rings looked at them, but didn't react.

As they reached near the mouth of the cave, Rings suddenly appeared in middle of them. The branches started growing rapidly out of the cave walls and ground. It started strangling Kahfi. Suffocating, Kahfi had to let go of Pocky's father. Seeing Kahfi like that scared Pocky. She started pleading Rings to let then go. She looked at her and simply said that she cannot let any of her people go. Every year, the mountain needs one more. Pocky felt helpless as she saw Kahfi stuck among branches. And her father being taken away too. And she plead to Rings one last time.

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"Do you think anyone will find him soon?" Pocky asked Kahfi.

"Don't worry as soon as the sun shines, there will be people. He will be taken care of." He replied.

"When do you think he will wake?"

"Soon" replied Kahfi, looking at Pocky, guilt and disappointment evident in his eyes. He had laid down her father on the sidewalk near foothill. They sat together hiding behind shrubs keeping an eye from distance. The red cloth now tied to Pocky's wrist.