SHANEKALA

part 1.

 

 When I was a kid, my parents told me that between 5.00PM until 7.00PM, kids should come home immediately, or there is a “Shanekala” waiting for them. What it “Shanekala”? It is a kind of ghost who kidnaped children in my age. Usually, my friends and I play at a public grass field untill late afternoon, then, we usually went to our house after maghrib or at 6.00PM. It has been told that they who went alone to their house usually followed by Shanekala, because Shanekala likes children.

 In our culture, Shanekala is actually a father who killed himself because his couldn’t face the reality about losing his sons or daughters.

So they all who killed themselves because they can’t accept their children’s deaths, usually, in our culture, they become a Shanekala in the end.

That story, or that myth, haunted me so much when I was young. Because, basically, I’m not a believer of Shanekala’s existence. For me, that myth is just a tool to make children become more agreeable, control-able, and obedient. But when I was asking to my friends, surprisingly, they believe in Shanekala existences, they said “well, we believe that story, that’s why we have to stick together when we going back home”. That was my friends’ responses. But even after that, still, I was doubting Shanekala, because I thought it was too much, I could not put my trust in that myth. But I’m just said “ok, fine we stick together”.

 

                So, every day after we finished all of our activities, at the afternoon, after we just having some fun time with playing football, we usually going home together. One by one accompany another until the one who has to be come home last. But that day, I was trying to prove something, about the myth, I was going home alone at maghrib or 6.00PM, and on my way home, I was about to across cornfield and rice fields.

                When I was crossing the cornfield, I was feeling a little bis scared and I was freaked out so much but knew that I needed to remain relax and calm. I didn’t want to run caused by something that I didn’t really see, because that’s would be ridiculous. But in that situation, when I was inside the cornfield, I felt difference nuance, I’ve got goosebump in my neck and I was sweating all over my bodies, these cornfields so quiet and I was alone. The corn plants were so elongated, it seemed like it turned into a fortress in the passage that I was walking through, I didn’t have any courage to look behind, because at that point, I admitted that I really scared. I just wished that I came home early. With the sky getting darker, the maghrib call to prayer was surrounding me, but then there was a sound of the crow, I became even more upset and I realized that my steps were so heavy. But finally, I’ve been successfully going through that cornfield, thankfully God.

 

                After passing the cornfield, I was going to pass the rice fields and the same situation happened again, but luckily, there were some people around me at the rice field so I was not feeling scared anymore. Then, I finally arrived at home. I told my parents that Shanekala was not true and I’ve been proved that he was not even existed in this world, but my parents were just laughing at me. So, I was thought that it was true, that myths only tools to make child like me more agreeable.

 

Part 2

 

                At night, usually after praying maghrib and after having dinner, we (my parents, my brothers and my sister) were just lay on top of each other’s backs in the bedroom (it was large enough for us all to lay together), sometimes we studying the lesson for tomorrow or just watching tv, or just heard radio station. Our home had two bedrooms, one for my parents and one for my younger sister and brother, and me? Well, I used to sleep at the center of living room. My habit was, if I was not sleepy yet, usually, I started to turn on the TV, and watch anything until I felt sleepy and then just fell asleep.

                At midnight, I woke up because I was feeling really thirsty. But as soon as I stood up, I looked out the window, accidentally, the curtains were opened, and I saw something. “What is that?” I stood still frozen for a couple of time, frightened by what I’ve seen, I wanted to scream aloud to make everybody woke up but I couldn’t, I felt like something held my mouth so it was so heavy to opened even just to make a tiny sound. Then I was paralyzed, I fell down unconscious to the floor.

                After that incident, I was sick for a few days, and I told my parents about what happened that night. I told them that I saw something big and tall, with a snake's head and cow's horns, it had wings like a bat and its body was jet black. That creature also made an extremely terrifying growling sound, and its mouth was filled with bloods. Then my father said that it was Shanekala.