kalumba

Today the atmosphere at my grandmother's house is very busy, the whole family is gathered in this big house. This house has 10 rooms, understandably my grandmother has many children. The grandmother deliberately didn't sell this house because if her children returned home, they wouldn't have to bother looking for a place to live. Like now, there will be an aqiqah celebration for my cousin who was just born a week ago.

My grandmother is from Gorontalo, while my late grandfather was Javanese. My grandfather served in Gorontalo and met my grandmother, then they got married. My father was born in Gorontalo but grew up in Java, specifically in Surabaya. When he was 7 years old, he lived with my uncle who was my grandmother's first child.

As the night went on, the atmosphere at Grandma's house became busier. Many neighbors came to help. There are those who help with cooking, cleaning and mutual cooperation. Here, everything still feels very different from the atmosphere in the city, where everything is done by yourself.

Suddenly, one of my grandmother's neighbors told me that the baby who was born at the same time as my cousin was born had died, and had just been buried this morning. The baby boy came from the next village, And what was even stranger, the baby looked very pale, as if his blood had been sucked out by a calumba

According to the people of Gorontalo, Kalumba is a ghostly creature in the form of a goat with an upside-down body. Usually these creatures are kept by shamans.

"Be careful, kid!" Mother reminded me, because I am new and a newcomer to this village.

"Don't throw away coconut dregs or leftover food, especially yellow rice at night!"

I got goosebumps hearing that. Honestly, at first I didn't believe in stories of supernatural beings like this, but because everyone in this village really believed it and saw the evidence, what they said really happened made me want to immediately return to town. This place really makes me scared and uncomfortable.

According to information from the women here, if someone witnesses Kalumba with their own eyes and Kalumba follows him, then that person will die a few days after the incident.

"Hoek hoek hoek."

I heard the cries of Dede Arka, my cousin who was just born a week ago. His voice got louder and louder. At first, I wasn't worried about the sound of a baby crying like that, but since hearing the story about kalumba earlier, my thoughts kept going there. Are supernatural creatures starting to roam around here?

People started to look panicked, especially my aunt who was carrying Dede Arka while rubbing his back. However, the sound of crying still did not stop. Some parents started saying prayers. I walked towards my mother and hugged her.

"Be honest with me, do you keep it!"

My aunt's voice boomed as she shouted, pointing at my uncle who was none other than Dede Arka's father.

Everyone in the room was shocked and a commotion started to break out. People started whispering, and I heard that the person who kept this goat-shaped creature said that if they forgot to feed it, one of their family members would look pale and die.

Dede Arka's cries began to subside, but his face grew paler. Over time, the sound disappeared and was replaced by the crying sound of Aunt Meri, the baby's mother. I can't bear to see it. It turned out to be true, Dede Arka could no longer be helped. He was dead.

Is it true that my uncle keeps a supernatural creature called Kalumba? because they were given food late or there was not enough food, their family members became victims.

The atmosphere this morning was filled with sadness. My uncle is nowhere to be seen. Last night's questions started to bother me. Is it true that my uncle is a shaman? After finishing the funeral, I walked with my mother back to my grandmother's house. On the way, I didn't feel good. It seems like someone is following us. I deliberately turned back and saw a rather old man looking at me.

When I got home, I saw the old man chatting with my family and neighbors.

The clock showed 22.00 at night, I woke up and the house was very quiet, all the residents were still sleeping. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Who visits in the middle of the night like this? I started walking towards the door, even though I was a little afraid. I peeked through the door to see who was coming.

I saw a supernatural creature that had hands but its face resembled a goat with a scary upside-down body. Suddenly my vision blurred and I couldn't remember anything anymore.