It was still early in the morning when Rainy set foot in the parking lot of a Mental Hospital where she was carrying out her practical duties as a Resident of the Psychology Profession. The heavy rain was poured from the sky in that early morning, making the air feels cold. Rainy, who had just run through the rain, was busy tossing her wet hair while walking down the slightly dimly lit corridor towards her supervisor's Office. But her steps stopped when she saw the disturbing sight before her.

Right in front of the Office room she was aiming for, a young woman was sitting silently. The woman sat with her back straight and her head slightly lowered. She was wearing a long, tawny dress, or maybe white, but it was so old and dirty it turned brownish. On her head sat a hat wide enough to cover part of her face. Her curls were tied in a tiny bun at her nape with little strands of hair hanging down at either side of her face and a pair of gloves clasped in one hand. Her overall appearance resembled that of a woman from the Dutch era, which made Rainy's brow furrowed suspiciously. Seeing it made Rainy's nape hairs shiver.

But what's even weirder is that not far from the woman, in the corner of a narrow corridor, a man dressed as a patient was crouched on the floor with his back to the woman, like someone who was frightened by something. Rainy recognized him as Musa, one of the patients who had been her object of training. Rainy immediately ran to the man and tried to help him slightly rise from his crouched position on the floor. But Musa snuggled deeper. He tried hard to hide his head, just like an ostrich digging the ground to put his head in.

“Musa, what's wrong? Why are you like this? Get up.” Rainy asked. Yet Musa just shook his head vigorously. His head pressed harder and harder against the cold, dirty floor.

“No! No! Go! Don't bother me!” mumbled Musa.

“Musa, it's okay. Everything's fine. Get up! No one will hurt you!”

This time, when Rainy pulled him, Musa lifted his head from the floor and looked behind him at the woman who still sitting motionless in her place. As soon as his gaze swept over to the woman, Musa immediately screamed, with his body shaking violently. He quickly plopped his head back down on the floor.

“Lies! Lies! You liars! She's there! She's still there!” said Musa frantically.

“Who is it, Musa? Who is scaring you?” Rainy asked, trying to understand what was going on with Musa. Musa was a Schizophrenic and hallucinations are a common occurrence. Rainy guessed Musa was in one of his schizophrenic episodes.

Suddenly, one of Musa's hands grabbed Rainy's collar and forced her to come closer. Rainy had to hold back the screams that almost escaped her mouth in surprise, especially when the man's dirty face was so close to hers. His unpleasant odor wafted out every time he opened his mouth, forcing Rainy to block her sense of smell. Rainy tried to free herself from Musa's grip, but the man was too strong.

“That woman! She's sitting there!” Musa Hissed. The terror that plagued him was vivid in his voice.

“She? That woman? You mean the woman wearing the hat?” Rainy asked. Musa was silent for a moment as if surprised at this question.

“You saw her too?” asked Musa, half whispering.

“Of course.” Rainy nodded.

The answer seemed to make Musa stupefied. His body, which had been shaking violently, gradually calmed down.

“But that's impossible…” Before Musa could finish his sentence, a loud voice called out his name.

“Musa, are you all right?” A man in a Nurse's uniform rushed over. Rainy's Supervisor was following behind him. When the Nurse immediately checked Musa's condition, the Supervisor asked Rainy.

“What happened?”

“I found him curled up on the floor.” As she spoke, Rainy looked at the woman, who was strangely still sitting unmoved in her place. “He seems scared because he saw a woman…” Rainy's sentence was cut off when she saw the woman suddenly raise her head and turned to her. The woman's face was pale, and her lips were blue. On the face that had been hidden by the hat, there was a large gaping wound that exposed the bones inside. And where the woman's eyes should have been, only two empty black holes could be seen.

Rainy's breath caught in her throat as the woman's lips slowly stretched into a very sinister smile.

“Rainy? What's wrong?” asked the Supervisor, who was astonished at the surprised look on Rainy's face. Controlling her selves, Rainy turned her gaze to her Supervisor.

“Musa was surprised to see a woman wearing a hat and clothes from the Dutch era sitting on that chair.” Rainy pointed at the chair where the woman was, but her eyes only focused on the supervisor's expression. To her surprise, her Supervisor just nodded and seemed enthusiastic to listen to Rainy's story. He didn't pay any attention to the woman or looked at where she was sitting as if he didn't see her.

“He said that much? It was the first time he'd ever wanted to tell anyone about his hallucinations in such detail.” The Supervisor commented.

But suddenly, Musa, who was no longer shaking or curled up on the floor, walked up to Rainy with an intrigued expression. He gripped Rainy's arms tightly, making the girl winced in pain.

“I never told you that much. How did you know?” He whispered to Rainy. The man's eyes gleamed with interest and forced Rainy to struggle to control her wobbly legs. Luckily, Rainy didn't have to answer because the Nurse immediately grabbed and dragged Musa back to his room. Rainy rubbed her aching arm as she watched Musa's distant figure. All the way down from the corridor to the exit, Musa kept turning half of his body and looking at Rainy. Meanwhile, in the chair not far from him, the woman was still sitting there, peering at Rainy through her empty eye sockets, with a sinister smile blooming on her face.

Rainy realized that if she could see the same hallucinations that Musa could see, then what they saw together was not a hallucination at all. But how can that be possible?

The next day, after carrying out his practical duties, Rainy rushed to the room where Musa was stayed at. When Rainy opened the door to Musa's room after knocking on it first, she found him already sitting in front of the table where they used to talk whenever Rainy visited him.

“I've been waiting for you.” Musa said. Rainy's throat felt tight. Determined, she stepped inside. Rainy looked at Musa in surprise because he looked different from usual. Musa often looked a little dirty, with wrinkled clothes, long hair, and a face that always looked down, as if afraid to see the world around him. He was always withdrawn and refused to speak. Usually, it took Rainy a long time to get a conversation out of him. But Musa who greeted her that day was entirely different person.

The hospital uniform he was wearing looked clean and tidy. He also looked like he had just taken a shower and had his hair trimmed, not leaving a single strand of hair behind. His face looked refreshed, and his eyes gleamed with life. Musa, who was sitting in front of her, was no longer the mentally ill Musa. The man seemed clear-headed and enthusiastic.

Rainy pulled out a chair in front of her and sat down with her hands on her lap. She looked intently at Musa, trying to see the slightest hint that the man before her was the same man she'd found curled up on the floor yesterday morning. Seemingly aware of the meaning of Rainy's gaze, Musa smiled broadly. A smile that made Rainy realized how handsome the man in front of her was when mental disorders weren't covering his mind.

“What do you want to ask me?” Rainy asked calmly. Musa leaned towards Rainy and looked at her with an intense interest expression. Not to Rainy as a woman, but to what Rainy 'can' see.

“I never tell you what I saw yesterday as much as what you explained. How did you know?”

Rainy didn't budge. Her facial expression was cold and unaffected. Instead of answering, Rainy said,

“Tell me what you saw yesterday.”

Musa leaned back in his chair. His lips pursed for a moment before Musa answered in a low, but confident voice.

“I saw a woman wearing clothes from the Dutch era. She wore a long dress that was brownish yellow because it was dirty. She also wore a hat on her head which, when she looked down, covered part of her face. But when she lifts her head, you can see a large wound on one cheek and an empty eye sockets without eyeballs.”

Rainy clenched her fists tightly, trying to stop the tremors that started in her spine and spread to her fingertips. Her body was like being splashed by cold water and her face turned pale.

“Did you see what I saw?” asked Musa. Rainy didn't answer, but the look on her face was the answer Musa needed. The smile on the man's lips grew again as he leaned back towards Rainy.

“Are you scared? Don't worry. Like you always told me, they just look scary but can't really hurt us.” Musa said.

But instead of answering, Rainy asked again,

“And now… what do you see in this room?”

Musa was silent for a moment before answering,

“I see you.”

“What else?”

Musa smiled again with a smile that looked terrible in Rainy's eyes. He chuckled softly before then asking,

“Which one do you want me to describe?”

“Is that foul-smelling old man sitting at the end of this chair…”

Musa then looked back at Rainy, but his eyes were looking straight behind Rainy's back,

“Or that man whose standing so close to your back…” he said slowly.

“How interesting. He sees me as a man…” A seductive laugh rang in Rainy's ear. But Rainy was too engrossed in what Musa was telling her and ignored the voice.

“Or this woman… whose hanging from the ceiling…” Musa looked up to the ceiling above them, “Who has been trying to attack us with her hair for a while now.”

Rainy looked up and met a pair of glowing red eyes at the black figure that looked like a woman hanging upside down from the ceiling. It was the first time Rainy had to admit to herself that she really could see what no one else could.

That night, at 20.30, the rain was pouring from the sky. Not heavy, but enough to lower the temperature at night so that almost everyone chooses to stay in their respective warm homes rather than being outside in the cold. On a small street that is free from motorized vehicles, a girl walks quietly while holding a black umbrella, which is big enough to shade two people. The wet streets muffled the sound of her shoes, and the night made her look like a ghost that was moving slowly and silently, especially because of her pale face and slender body, which was clad in a black midi dress. The girl continued walking for 10 minutes, before finally turning onto a private road leading to a brightly lit white mansion. The large yard of the house was already filled with neatly lined cars, and a woman seemed to be standing outside, leaning on the wall in front of the entrance of the house.

The woman was incredibly beautiful. She was tall and slender, with a plump chest and protruding hips, and a light skin tone. When she saw the girl, a smile immediately appeared on the woman's face, making her even more beautiful. But the girl acted as if she didn't see her, causing the woman to stand right in front of her, blocking the girl from walking further.

“You're finally here. Welcome back home, Rainy.” The woman was greeting her warmly. The woman's voice was like the tinkling of wind bells, so soft and warm. But her warmth couldn't touch Rainy's cold heart. She lifted her face up and looked at the woman expressionlessly.

“Get out of the way!” Rainy ordered. Instead of obeying, the woman shook her head and leaned against the door behind her.

“Let me see you first.” She said. “The last time I saw you, you were still wearing a gray and white uniform and always smiling. Why do you look so cold now? Have you forgotten how to smile while you were away from me?” The woman commented.

“It's none of your business. And didn't you just meet me yesterday?” Rainy answered again, curtly.

“That's different.” The woman slowly walked closer. “Sending a part of me to tease you is very different from standing right in front of you, were I could…” The woman was already standing very close to Rainy. She tilted her face towards Rainy, then took a deep breath. “… feel your warm breath and your scent…” Rainy took a step back, and then she took another step back.

“Ah, come on! I won't bite you!” joked the woman.

“Why don't you just go to Hell?!” Rainy cursed.

“Grumpy. Very much like your grandfather. Cute!” The woman winked and smiled seductively. “But honey, going to Hell? I've been there, and it wasn't fun because you weren't there.”

“Get out of the door, Devil! I don't have time for you!” Rainy growled. The woman raised her hands and stepped aside to invite Rainy into the house. A smile still graced her lips.

Rainy pulled the door open, but just as she was about to go through it to enter the house, the woman's voice which was 80 degrees colder than her previous voice, stopped Rainy in her tracks.

“Remember; she has no time left. So choose wisely.” Stunned for a moment, Rainy walked forward and slammed the door behind her, leaving the woman standing alone outside. The woman crossed her arms and leaned back against the door. Her eyes looked at the rain that was still falling outside, but didn't really see it. Tonight would probably be the longest night for all of them in this house.

Rainy walked deeper into the house. In every room she passed, she met her family members one by one. Her uncles, her aunts, and her cousins… It seemed they had all gathered in the house, and all of them were wearing disgruntled expressions. Rainy knew very well what was going on in their minds. Oh, come on! Everyone in the place understood very well what was going on in each other's minds, as this matter had been a matter of debate between them for years. But tonight may be the night of confirmation. After this night is over, no one will be able to change the decision that was taken because it is already like a letter which is engraved on a stone; cannot be erased. And at this last second, only Rainy could make any changes to the outcome of that decision. Only Rainy! Of course, this made all of them feel dissatisfied. The dissatisfaction was evident on their faces and in their fierce gazes.

Ignoring everything, Rainy continued to walk further and further into the house. Her steps took her to a small living room, where she found her parents sitting on the sofa with a worried look on their faces. As soon as they saw Rainy, they immediately stood up to welcome her. Her mother took her hand and stroked her wet hair.

“Where have you been? Why let yourself get rained on like this? What if you get sick?” Her mother asked anxiously.

“I'm fine, mother. Don't worry.” Rainy said. She turned to her father and asked,

“Is she still awake?” His father nodded.

“She's been waiting for you for a long time now. Go and meet her.” Her father said.

Rainy nodded, let go of her mother's hand, and walked towards a large white door.

When the door opened, Rainy entered a spacious room. The temperature in the room was warm and smelled of drugs. Right in the middle of the room, there is a king-size bed that looks soft and inviting. Besides the bed, a young man sat in a chair, and on the bed, an old woman lay covered in a thick blanket.

Seeing her, the young man stood up and shifted away from the chair. He nodded his head respectfully to Rainy. His name is Raka Ranggabumi, one of her grandmother's assistants. The man was wearing a formal work suit and thin leather-colored gloves wrapped around his hands.

“Rainy, welcome back.” Greet Raka with respect. Rainy just nods her head. She took a deep breath for a moment, before continuing to walk into the room. She walked to the side of the bed where Raka was. At first, her eyes looked straight at Raka, but because the person she was looking at kept lowering his head down, Rainy turned her attention to the figure lying on the bed.

There, laid an old woman who looked so frail. Her face is filled with wrinkled lines, leaving a ghost of beauty that is still etched on her face. Her hair, which had all turned white and was cut short above her shoulders, was spread out on the pillow, around her tiny head. Her body was very thin and pale. She didn't have much time. Rainy could see it clearly.

“Rainy.” The old woman said softly as she raised one hand, looking like she wanted to touch Rainy. Rainy immediately welcomed her hand and sat on the chair which had been occupied by the young man before. Rainy's lips curved into a smile, and her heart was filled with great affection for the old woman.

"Nini, I'm home." She said. Rainy bent down and kissed the woman's cheek gently, while the woman she called grandmother, closed her eyes. Enjoying the sincere affection of her beloved granddaughter. She just opened her eyes again when Rainy straightened her body.

"Thank goodness you're home. I missed you so much." The woman whispered.

"I’m sorry, Nini. I should have come home sooner. I'm sorry." Rainy's eyes became teary seeing how weak and tired her grandmother was. Her grandmother, who was a businesswoman with iron fists and a heart of steel, always seemed energetic and full of life. But tonight, all of her zest for life seemed to have seeped out of her body; made her look smaller and thinner.

"It's okay… it's okay. The important thing is that you're here now." said her grandmother while gently patting Rainy's cheek.

"How are you?" Rainy asked quietly, could not help but hope to hear a different answer from the look in front of her eyes right now. But her grandmother seemed to have no intention of reassuring her granddaughter, as she said;

“Awful. You know that it's been like this all these years. My condition has never improved. But tonight was the worst.” replied her grandmother calmly. The tears that Rainy held back, slowly began flowing down the hills of her cheeks. She cried silently.

“Ah, my poor little granddaughter. This Nini of yours never intended to leave you alone until you were completely ready… but I'm sorry… it seems this old body can't take it anymore.” Said her grandmother quietly.

“If you weren't around, how would I be able to deal with everything?” Rainy asked, voicing her fear.

“You can! You definitely can! Because in this family you are the only one who inherits your grandfather's abilities… In this family, only you have the right to inherit everything your grandfather left behind…. My job is only to temporarily replace him until you're ready. But I'm exhausted, Rainy … Let me rest. I want to meet my husband again… I miss him so much…” Her grandmother pleaded, which caused Rainy's tears to flow even more.

“But I'm afraid…”

"Don't be afraid… Don't be afraid… you're not alone… I left all my right… and left hands… to help you… They will be your guide… then… there's her… The one who from the start… only chose you… she will support you… and teach you … all that you need to do… is to occupy the place which is… your rights…” The old woman's voice faltered as her fragile body grew weaker.

"My poor granddaughter… I wish I could… stay longer… and teach you everything… but… you've made me… wait for too long…” As soon as the grandmother finished her sentence, her eyes closed.

“Nini!" Rainy called her panicked, but a pair of hands pulled her slowly and led her to get up from the chair and away from the side of the bed. Her place was immediately replaced by a middle-aged Doctor who immediately stepped in to examine the old woman. Rainy let her body pull into the arms of Raka, who had been standing behind her for a long time, but her eyes never once left her grandmother's face.

Rainy's breath caught in her throat, and she didn't dare to make a sound. Her hands subconsciously gripped the hands that hugged her from behind tightly, as if seeking strength from the owner of those hands. Her brain couldn't think and just waited quietly. When the Doctor then finished examining her grandmother and got up from the chair to turn and speak to her, Rainy tightened her grip even more.

“Your grandmother fell asleep. She's just exhausted from talking too much and being too emotional.” The Doctor explained. Rainy let out a loud breath, feeling so relieved that what she feared had not yet happened.

“Will he be all right?” Rainy asked again. The Doctor was silent for a moment before answering calmly.

“I think you also realize that your grandmother is already very weak. Currently, her condition is still stable. But I hope tonight, you and your family can prepare your hearts for the worst.” Hearing this, Rainy almost fell. Luckily, she was inside Raka's embrace. Her body felt weak and lost strength. She could only lean back limply before her body was twisted and pulled deeper into Raka's arms.

“It's okay.” She heard a masculine voice flowing from Raka's mouth. A voice she knew very well. A voice which for several years had filled her days.

“Cry if you want to cry, Rainy. It's okay. I'm right here. I'll be with you.” Raka coaxed gently. Hearing this persuasion, Rainy's tears, which had been streaming down her face, fell more and more heavily.