The Midnight Shuttle

Chapter 17: Dita

Marni, the beautiful and brilliant young woman who had once dreamed of a better future, was consumed by despair.

The whirlwind romance that had captivated her heart had crumbled in only three months.

She had given Pak Lurah everything—her love, her trust, her future.

She had believed she would become his second wife, bear his child, and one day replace Mrs. Mirasih.

Instead...

She was the one who had been cast aside.

She had heard the rumors before.

Everyone knew Mrs. Mirasih came from an influential family.

She had financed her husband's political career.

She had helped build the businesses that secured his success.

She was a woman Marni had never stood a chance against.

Ki Kusno remained seated beside Dita's bed, his eyes fixed on the young woman whose body was still possessed.

"You all know what happened to Marni after that, don't you?"

Pak RT nodded.

"Yes."

"She gradually lost her mind."

"She became convinced that her skin was burning..."

"That she had turned hideous."

"A few months later..."

"She died."

Ki Kusno lowered his head as he continued, "I was the one who introduced Mrs. Mirasih to the black magic practitioner," and silence fell over the room.

No one expected those words.

"It was December 5, 1997."

"Heavy rain was pouring that day."

"A luxury car stopped outside my old hut."

"A beautiful, elegant woman stepped out beneath an umbrella held by her aide."

"One look at the car was enough to tell anyone she came from an incredibly wealthy family."

"Far wealthier than the wife of a village head should have been," he let out a slow breath.

"I had known her long before she married Pak Lurah."

"Her family often came to me."

"They wanted to meet someone..."

"Someone capable of destroying their enemies."

"Making them fall ill."

"Suffer accidents."

"Or even die."

Back then, I was still young. Money was all that mattered to me. I never stopped to think about how many lives would be destroyed by the things we chose to do.

"So..."

Mr. Dirga slowly set his cup of coffee on the table and looked directly at Master Kusno.

"You're saying..."

"You were the one who helped curse Marni?" Master Kusno gave a slow nod.

"Yes," he said, his voice heavy with regret. "We used a curse known as Santet Cidra. It is one of the cruelest forms of black magic. It doesn't attack the body first—it attacks the mind. The victim slowly loses the ability to distinguish reality from illusion. They begin to believe their own body is changing. They see burned skin, wrinkled flesh, a face so horrifying that no one could bear to look at it."

He lowered his gaze. "The curse feeds on fear. The more frightened the victim becomes, the stronger the illusion grows."

Mr. Dirga clenched his fists. "So Marni never actually looked like that?"

Master Kusno slowly shook his head. "No. Not at first. Everything she saw existed only inside her own mind."

The Neighborhood Chief frowned. "Then why did everyone who handled her body after she died say it was filthy, that it smelled unbearable, and that her face had become exactly as she had described?"

Master Kusno let out a long sigh. "Because by then, the curse no longer mattered." He closed his eyes. "Marni had stopped eating. She refused to drink. She locked herself away from everyone, day after day, week after week, until severe malnutrition consumed her body."

He looked at everyone in the room. "When she finally died, the body people saw wasn't the work of black magic. It was the tragic result of a young woman who had slowly allowed herself to waste away."

Silence settled over the room. No one spoke.

For years, the villagers had believed Marni's horrifying appearance was proof that the curse had transformed her into a monster. Only now did they finally understand the truth.

The curse had destroyed her mind. But it was despair that destroyed her body.

"Did you really curse Marni?" Mr. Dirga asked from his seat near the bedroom door, setting down his cup of coffee.

Master Kusno gave a slow nod.

"Yes. We used a curse known as Santet Cidra. It is one of the most feared forms of black magic because it leaves its victims confused and forces them to see only the worst version of themselves. Preparing the curse was no simple task. We needed strands of Marni's hair, a photograph of her, offerings to summon the spirits, and soil taken from the grave of someone who had died in an odd-numbered year. The soil had to be collected exactly thirty-three centimeters beneath the headstone. Finally, we needed the victim's date of birth."

Mr. Dirga stared at the old man in disbelief.

"You made an eighteen-year-old girl your target. What a terrifying world we live in."

Realizing the story was far from over, Aditia quietly brought over several small plastic stools so everyone could sit comfortably while listening to Master Kusno.

"Don't forget," Master Kusno replied. "That eighteen-year-old girl willingly became another man's mistress when she had only just turned eighteen. She was brilliant, beautiful, and had an extraordinary future ahead of her. With her intelligence and beauty, she could have married a respectable young man from a wealthy family and lived a happy life. Instead, she chose to pursue a married man. I'm not saying what we did was right, but neither was what she chose."

He fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"In July 1998, Marni died. That same month, Mrs. Mirasih gave birth. Before Marni died, I begged Mrs. Mirasih to stop. I told her Marni had already become a living corpse, but she refused to listen. She continued sending curses until Marni finally breathed her last. It turns out that even a refined, educated woman can become cruel when consumed by jealousy."

Without warning, Dita's body jerked violently against the ropes.

"Shut up, you filthy old man!" she screamed, her voice no longer her own. "That wretched woman deserved everything she suffered! She had to experience exactly what I went through!"

Master Kusno glared at the possessed girl.

"You were the one who made the wrong choice from the very beginning. Don't you remember? I came to your university and warned you that you would become a target, but you arrogantly said you weren't afraid. I warned you before we performed the ritual because your father had once been my classmate. I pitied you, but you were too blinded by your own desires to listen."

The room fell silent once again.

No one dared to interrupt.

Finally, Aditia broke the silence.

"So... what happened after that?"

"What happened next?" Aditia asked.

Master Kusno let out a weary sigh before continuing.

"After Mrs. Mirasih gave birth, everyone in the family was overjoyed. The baby girl was beautiful, with fair skin and a healthy cry. But the moment the nurse placed the child into her mother's arms, Mrs. Mirasih let out a terrified scream. She insisted the baby was hideous. She even threw the infant away in horror. Fortunately, one of the nurses reacted quickly enough to catch the baby before she hit the floor."

Mr. Dirga frowned.

"Was that the curse taking revenge?"

"At first, that's exactly what we believed," Master Kusno replied. "Everything that happened to Mrs. Mirasih mirrored what Marni had gone through. She alone saw her own child as hideous, while everyone else saw an innocent, beautiful baby. Because the family was already deeply involved in black magic, they sought out another shaman. It wasn't me this time. After Marni's death, my own family fell apart. My son died from a mysterious illness, and I realized God was warning me. I repented and abandoned that life."

He lowered his gaze.

"But Chief Miftahudin's family didn't. They believed Marni's family had cursed Mrs. Mirasih, so they retaliated by sending more black magic after them."

"They were wrong," Aditia said, leaning forward. "Then... what really happened to Mrs. Mirasih?"

Master Kusno looked directly at him.

"One day, a man who drove a minibus came to Chief Miftahudin's house. He said Marni had refused to be guided home because her resentment was too great. Instead, she clung to the newborn baby. That was why Mrs. Mirasih saw her own daughter as hideous. Marni wanted her to experience the same suffering she had endured... and eventually lose the child she had waited so many years to have."

Aditia's eyes widened.

"My father?"

Master Kusno nodded.

"Yes. Very few people knew your father possessed abilities beyond those of ordinary men. He was a kind man. We talked often, and he was the one who opened my eyes. He made me realize what would happen if I continued walking the path I was on and God chose not to forgive me. Your father was the one who led me back to the right path."

A faint smile appeared on the old man's face before it slowly faded.

"He tried to guide Marni's spirit home."

Aditia already knew the answer before he asked.

"But he couldn't... could he?"

Master Kusno slowly shook his head.

"No. Marni's hatred had already grown far too powerful. The burden she carried was so great that she chose to defy God's call. Little by little..."

"...Marni became a demon."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

The Neighborhood Chief and the Village Head had always known Aditia's father as someone who often helped people possessed by spirits.

But until this very moment...

Neither of them had ever known what his true calling had been.

"The respected family of Chief Miftahudin was furious after learning the truth," Master Kusno continued. "Instead of seeking God's guidance, as your father had advised, they turned to another black magic practitioner. They intended to destroy Marni once and for all."

He paused, his expression darkening.

"But everything backfired."

"Mrs. Mirasih lost her sanity, while Chief Miftahudin couldn't bear the shame after his affair became public. His wife had gone mad, his daughter was still an infant, and instead of protecting them both..."

"He ran away."

Master Kusno clenched his jaw.

"He abandoned his own family like a coward."

Aditia frowned.

"Then... what does Dita have to do with all of this? Why has Marni been targeting her all this time?"

Master Kusno looked straight into his eyes.

"What year were you born?"

"October 1997."

"And Dita?"

"July 1998."

Master Kusno gave a faint smile.

"Only nine months apart. Doesn't that strike you as strange? Did your mother give birth to you... and then immediately become pregnant again?"

Aditia quickly shook his head.

"Dita was born prematurely. That's why our age gap is less than a year. My mother became pregnant when I was only two months old, and Dita was born when she was seven months into the pregnancy."

Even as he said the words...

He realized he had been trying to deny something he had secretly questioned for years.

Master Kusno remained calm.

"Have you ever looked at her birth certificate?"

"Or her adoption papers?"

"Go and bring them here."

"We'll learn who Dita really is from the official documents."

Without another word, Aditia hurried to the old wooden wardrobe in his mother's bedroom.

That was where she always kept the family's important documents.

After searching through several folders...

He finally found them.

His hands trembled as he opened Dita's birth certificate.

Master Kusno watched him silently.

"Tell me..."

"Does it say she was adopted by your parents?"

Aditia's face turned pale.

"...Yes. It says Dita was legally adopted by my father and mother."

The room fell silent.

Master Kusno didn't look surprised.

"I told you. The official documents would reveal the truth."

He took a slow breath before speaking again.

"Isn't the names of her biological parents listed there as well?"

Aditia lowered his eyes to the document in his trembling hands.

His lips moved silently before he finally forced the words out.

"...Miftahudin... Mirasih."

The birth certificate slipped from his fingers and fluttered onto the floor.

His knees gave way.

The sister he had loved and protected all his life...

The little girl he had always believed was his biological sister...

Wasn't related to him by blood at all.

Master Kusno closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"Chief Miftahudin and Mrs. Mirasih... they are Dita's biological parents. Now you understand why Marni has been after her all these years."

Aditia remained frozen.

His mind replayed every memory he had ever shared with Dita.

"But... my father... my mother... they never told me."

His voice trembled with disbelief.

"They should have. If I'd known the truth... I could have protected Dita better."

Mr. Dirga placed a reassuring hand on Aditia's shoulder.

"They kept it from you because they wanted Dita to grow up as a true member of your family. They never wanted her to feel different. They wanted her to have a normal life."

Aditia slowly lowered his head, his grip tightening around the document.

He finally understood why his parents had chosen to bury the truth—not because they didn't trust him, but because they wanted Dita to grow up surrounded only by love.

"So... what does Marni want from Dita?" Aditia asked, though deep down he already knew the answer. He simply wanted to hear it from Master Kusno himself.

"She wants to take Dita with her," Master Kusno replied. "In Marni's mind, Dita is the price that must be paid for everything she lost. She sees the child as compensation for her own suffering."

Aditia's expression hardened.

"No. Dita is my family. No matter what happens, she'll stay with us."

Master Kusno gave a slow nod.

"Then you must do what your father once tried to do. Guide Marni home."

Aditia looked at him helplessly.

"How? My father couldn't do it. Marni refuses to leave. All she wants is to drag Dita into her world."

"There is still a way," Master Kusno said. "Someone buried the medium used for Santet Cidra in Marni's grave. That is what awakened her vengeful spirit. I'm certain it wasn't Marni's family. If we dig up that cursed medium, Marni's spirit can finally be released."

"Then let's go," Mr. Dirga said without hesitation.

Aditia slowly shook his head.

"What if there's a substitution ritual? What if the person who removes it has to take its place?"

Mr. Dirga let out an exhausted sigh.

"For heaven's sake... why is the spirit world so complicated?"

"I'll do it," Master Kusno said calmly. "This began because of me. It should end with me."

He rose to his feet and walked toward the door.

"Master... wait." Aditia quickly stood up. "There has to be another way. What about building a spiritual barrier like my father did?"

Master Kusno looked back at him and gently shook his head.

"It would only delay the inevitable. Marni would eventually find another way in. Dita is still too young to suffer the same fate as her biological parents."

"Master..."

"Don't come with me," he interrupted. "It's too dangerous. Once I recover what was buried in Marni's grave, I may never return home. I've prepared myself for this day for a long time. The shaman who cast the curse will also pay the price. When this is over..."

He gave Aditia a faint, peaceful smile.

"...prepare my funeral."

Without another word, Master Kusno walked out of the room.

No one tried to stop him.

The silence he left behind felt heavier than anything he had said.

Mr. Dirga finally turned toward Aditia.

"So... what do we do now?"

Aditia looked at Dita, who sat quietly on the bed, her empty eyes fixed on nothing.

"We wait."

The night grew deeper.

The Neighborhood Chief and the Village Chief had already gone home, leaving only Mr. Dirga, who, as always, refused to leave Aditia alone.

"Kak... My head hurts."

Dita's weak voice suddenly broke the silence as Aditia immediately leaned over and gently embraced her.

"It's okay, Dita. Just be patient."

She looked around the room in confusion.

"Why am I tied up, Kak?" Tears slowly welled in her eyes.

The little sister Aditia knew...

Had finally returned.

"It's nothing," Aditia whispered as he gently stroked her hair. "Go back to sleep."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure moving past the bedroom window.

A woman dressed entirely in black, her impossibly long hair covering most of her face, walked slowly across the backyard, and Aditia immediately stood.

"Mr. Dirga... please stay with Dita. I'm going after Marni."

Without waiting for a reply, he rushed outside.

The figure had stopped beneath the enormous tree behind the house.

She sat quietly on the old wooden swing hanging from one of its branches, swaying back and forth as though she had been waiting for him.

"Marni..."

Aditia tightened his grip around the hilt of his keris as the woman slowly turned her head, revealing a deathly pale face with cheeks sunken deep into her skull. Without saying a word, she tossed a worn black cloth toward him, and Aditia caught it before it hit the ground. When he unfolded the bundle, several strands of hair fell into his hand, along with a faded photograph and a clump of grave soil. His eyes widened—it was the medium used for Santet Cidra. Master Kusno had succeeded. He had found it. Aditia immediately reached into his pocket for a lighter. As soon as this cursed medium was destroyed, Marni's spirit could finally be set free. Just as the flame was about to touch the cloth, Marni's voice echoed behind him.

"A kind woman traded her life for that."

Before Aditia could react, she was already standing directly in front of him, her icy fingers wrapping around his head. Aditia instantly drew his keris and forced her hand away. "What do you mean?" Marni smiled.

"She kept begging me... 'Don't take my daughter... Please... don't take my daughter.' So I told her... If she wanted to save her child... She had to dig up my grave... And bring me that."

She slowly pointed toward the bundle in Aditia's hand.

"The medium for Santet Cidra."

Aditia's eyes blazed with fury.

"A life for a life... You damned Black Kuntilanak!"

Without another word, he lunged forward and drove the keris straight into Marni's chest. A deafening scream erupted from her throat, the sound piercing the night like shattered glass. Aditia's ears rang violently as Marni's body dissolved into darkness. She vanished. Gone. Then—

"Mother... Mother... Mother!"