9. Rumors of Mount Obal

This morning they will get ready to climb and sleep on Mount Obal. Everyone gathered on the terrace of the inn. They had agreed to leave the car at the inn and would walk.

As Pradit suspected, Hardi's face looked wry and embarrassed as a result of being constantly teased by his cursed friends.

"Who slept together cuddling last night..." Vera joked.

"The more you go there, the more you come here Di" Rahmat said, Okta gave Hardi a shake of his head.

Hardi squeaked, "What the hell!" The answer was curt.

With a seductive smile, Ummu pointed at Hardi's arm, "Bah... Don't try to deny that nothing happened..." He teased. The girl was more happy when Hardi looked away, trying to dodge.

Unlike Ibn, his response was even horrified when Yusman told him about the sight he saw, namely his uncle, who is a famous and strong Bripka, was found hugging Hardi in the early morning.

He shuddered, Luckily he wasn't the one who saw it in person, otherwise... Ibnu felt the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stand up, Hey... Don't let that happen!

"You must be sick?" Pradit asked his nephew who was acting strange. The two of them stood side by side leaning against the wall near the entrance of the inn, away from the 5 people who were busy teasing Hardi all out.

Ibnu shook his head, "No, Bripka's nephew is sick... Weak!" His jokes on his Uncle. Making his trademark thin smile, Pradit ruffled Ibnu's hair.

If honest, Pradit really wanted to process his nephew into cake dough because he was angry. He didn't know where this kid got the idea to spend his holiday in Mount Obal.

Not what, According to the information he heard from his men at Headquarters, Obal is a rather haunted mountain. This is due to the stories of the local people who live around Mount Obal. Also reinforced by some evidence of climbers who disappeared after climbing this mountain.

It was these rumors that forced him to join. He felt sorry for his sister-in-law (Ibnu's mother) who was so worried about his only child. He repeatedly tried to persuade his son, Not intending to forbid him to vacation, At least his son chose another vacation spot, Except Mount Obal.

What Pradit heard, the people here believe that Mount Obal has inhabitants, namely invisible creatures who live at the top of the mountain. Many smart people go there to get evidence and go home empty-handed.

None of them could explain why this could happen. The locals only believe that the inhabitants of the peak of Mount Obal do not like to appear with people who are deliberately looking for them.

It's disturbing, yes, because there are many reports of missing climbers. And many of the survivors said that they often encountered strange things there, but the news did not make the climbers never give up on exploring Mount Obal. Like the teenagers he followed.

For details, Pradit did not know what they meant by the strangeness they encountered there. Information about Mount Obal seems to be kept secret from the public.

"Uncle, let's go" Ibnu's invitation made him wake up from his daydream. Nodding briefly, Pradit followed the teenagers from behind.

Suddenly Hardi stopped their steps, "Hey wait a minute, Mat, You as the group leader, lead the prayer for our safety during the trip," he exclaimed to Rahmat.

The sightings in his room as well as his dream last night made Hardi sure there would be something on their way later, but he himself didn't know what it was.

Rahmat sighed, "Okay, everyone, read the prayer according to your respective beliefs"

then Hardi kicked him in exasperation, "We are all Muslims!" he said. They laughed out loud before returning to solemnly recite the prayer.

***

From the inn, they only need about 30 minutes on foot to arrive at the slopes of the foot of Mount Obal.

"It's a very high mountain! How long will it take us to reach the top?" Okta raised his head to see how crowded the wild trees and forest plants were here.

"Let's just climb it first, later if our supplies run out, that's a sign that we failed to reach the top" explained Rahmat resignedly, seeing how high the mountain in front of him was.

"We can't be sad, our goal here is for a vacation, not a competition, just take it easy" Entertain Ummu. They nodded in agreement with Ummu, their intention was to take a vacation and add to the experience.

And the climb continued. The ground on the road is a little wet and a bit slippery maybe because the morning dew has not dried by the sun because the thick trees are blocking them. At least they won't fall, especially with the typical climber shoes worn by these teenagers.

They were really amazed by the beautiful and cool state of the forest, and the air here was so cold that Ummu and Vera were reluctant to take off their jackets from their bodies. This atmosphere reminded Hardi of his village.

"Hey look there's a monkey!" Ibnu exclaimed happily pointing to a tree branch not far from them.

Ummu chimed in, "That's right, it's no wonder that you answer first, the friend anyway..." The green hijab woman mocked at her boyfriend.

They spontaneously laughed in the forest.

"That means you're also a monkey, if guy is just a monkey" Ibnu snorted softly and then laughed.

The sun was getting darker and Yusman asked Rahmat, "Mat, what time is it? I don't have a watch, my cellphone is also low battery"

He glanced at the clock and then answered, "10 minutes at 10" Rahmat said.

"That means we have to find a safe place for the night." Obviously Vera warned her friends.

"That's right, but we'll walk until 2 pm and then we'll find a place to set up a tent," Rahmat confirmed. The six continued to tell stories, forgetting about another teenager who was not usually silent.

"Are you still thinking about that dream?" Fierce uncle asked unexpectedly to Hardi who was walking right in front of him. It's just surprising because since climbing that teenager has not made a sound.

Hardi shook his head, "No, Uncle, Hardi is just tired of messing around" He replied without looking back. Luckily the others didn't hear their conversation. Hardi himself didn't even tell his friends about his dream last night. Surely they won't believe he anymore.

In fact, he lied to fierce uncle, Hardi is still thinking about his dream of sleeping. The long-haired woman he saw at the door reappeared in his dream in the same position. But the message conveyed by the woman was questioning.

"Don't pollute Mount Obal with your filthy people... Hi..hi..hi..hi..." Hardi shuddered remembering the kuntilanak's giggling laughter. What do she mean by dirty people? That teenager continued to daydream until he was not aware of the presence of a large rock in front of him.

"Waaah!!" He screamed closing her eyes.

1 minute passed...

"Huh?" He muttered confusedly, why didn't it fall to the ground? Who's holding him?

Pradit heaved a sigh of relief, "Are you okay?" other places that turned to them.

Yusman, who was in front of Hardi, immediately asked worriedly, "Are you okay Di? How did you fall? It's a good thing that Uncle is there. If not, what will happen to your standard Indonesian face?"

Hardi looked curtly before turning around, "Uncle, thank you." He immediately corrected his position when he removed fierce uncle's hand from his stomach.

Fierce uncle nodded, "Hmmm, next time be careful" he said. He brought back his hand to hold the backpack on his back.

"Kyaaa!!! So sweet ..." Ummu shouted exasperated, almost still Vera did not hold her body to stand on the ground, it could be dangerous if left. That girl will fall down and hit the 3 men below her.

Vera said, "Be patient, this is a trial for us." The hijab girl nodded in a cute gesture.

Ibnu massaged his temples with a rough breath, his girlfriend really couldn't see something like this. On his left and right, Rahmat and Okta patted him on the back to strengthen the teenager's mentality.

"The patient Nu" said Okta with a made-up sad face.

"I support your girlfriend," said Rahmat, interspersed with amused chuckles.

"you two pigs!"