The Old Witch of the Forest (Nenek Kebayan)

I never believed in the stories of the nenek kebayan, the old witch who lived in the forest and preyed on unsuspecting travelers. I thought they were just tales to scare children and keep them away from the woods. But I was wrong. So very wrong.

It happened last week, when I decided to go camping with my friends. We wanted to have some fun and adventure, so we chose a remote spot in the forest, far from any civilization. We set up our tents, lit a fire, and started to tell stories and jokes. It was a great night, until we heard a strange noise.

It sounded like a woman's voice, singing softly in the dark. It was eerie and haunting, but also strangely beautiful. We couldn't make out the words, but it seemed to be in Malay. We wondered who it could be, and where it was coming from. We decided to investigate, thinking it might be another camper or a local villager.

We grabbed our flashlights and followed the sound, deeper and deeper into the forest. The voice grew louder and clearer, but we still couldn't see anyone. It was as if the singer was invisible, or hiding behind the trees. We felt a chill in the air, and a sense of dread in our hearts.

We should have turned back then, but we were too curious and foolish. We kept walking, until we reached a clearing. There, we saw her. The nenek kebayan.

She looked like an old woman, but not a normal one. She had long white hair that reached the ground, and a wrinkled face that was twisted into a wicked grin. She wore a black dress that covered her body, except for her feet, which were bare and clawed. She had no eyes, only dark holes where they should be.

She was holding a basket in her hand, which contained something horrible. It was the severed head of one of our friends, who had gone missing earlier that night. We realized then that he had been lured by her voice, and killed by her spell.

She saw us too, and laughed. A horrible laugh that echoed in the night. She said something in Malay that we didn't understand, but we knew it was a curse. She threw the basket aside, and raised her hand.

We felt a sudden pain in our chests, as if our hearts were being squeezed by an invisible force. We gasped for air, but couldn't breathe. We fell to the ground, clutching our throats. She walked towards us slowly, enjoying our suffering.

She grabbed me by the hair, and lifted me up in the air. She brought me close to her face, and whispered in my ear:

"You should have listened to your elders. You should have stayed away from the forest. You should have feared the nenek kebayan."

Then she let go of me, and I dropped to the ground. I felt my life slipping away, as I watched her walk away with a smile.

The last thing I heard was her voice, singing softly in the dark.