A Strange Dream

Nara’s eyes slowly fluttered open, still heavy with sleep. She stared blankly at the ceiling.

The silence around her suddenly felt strange when she tried to shift her position.

The mattress sank beneath her, weighed down by something—or rather, someone—beside her.

Holding her breath, Nara slowly moved her hand, feeling around the side of the bed that suddenly seemed much smaller than usual.

Warm.

The girl with messy hair glanced to the side, slowly trying to figure out what was making her bed feel so cramped.

“W-what is this?” Nara mumbled sleepily as her hand reached out again.

Her fingers brushed against something firm.

A broad chest.

She could feel the defined lines beneath her fingertips.

“Ugh... What is this? It’s so soft.”

Still half-asleep, Nara continued mumbling.

But the moment her eyes finally opened completely—

“OH MY GOD!”

A man was lying beside her.

He was handsome.

A sharp jawline, a straight nose, long eyelashes, and a face so beautiful that it almost looked unreal.

His breathing was calm, as if the world had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Nara stared at him.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Five seconds.

And then—

“AAAAAAAAAA!!!”

She immediately jumped backward and slammed into the wall.

The blanket flew off the bed, the pillow fell to the floor, and her heart pounded as if it were trying to escape her chest.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!”

The man slowly opened his eyes.

He didn’t look surprised.

He didn’t look panicked.

He didn’t even look guilty, like a normal person would after waking up in a stranger’s bedroom.

Instead, he looked completely relaxed.

“Ah,” he murmured, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “You’re awake.”

Nara glared at him.

“Who are you?! Why are you in my room?!”

The man slowly sat up.

“That’s a strange question,” he said calmly. “Shouldn’t a wife recognize her own husband?”

Silence.

Nara blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then she pointed at herself.

“…Wife?”

The man nodded.

“Yes.”

Nara pointed at the man sitting on her bed.

“…Husband?”

“Yes.”

Nara took a deep breath.

“I DON’T ACCEPT THIS.”

Without wasting another second, the long-haired woman grabbed the broom from the corner of the room and pointed it directly at him.

“Get out! Right now! Or I’m going to scream that there’s a thief in here!”

The man didn’t move.

He didn’t panic.

He didn’t even try to run.

He simply stared at Nara with a confused expression.

“Why are you angry?”

“WHY AM I ANGRY?!”

Nara nearly choked.

“YOU BROKE INTO MY ROOM AND CLAIMED YOU’RE MY HUSBAND!”

“That wasn’t breaking in,” the man replied calmly. “You were the one who asked me to come.”

Nara froze.

“…What?”

Before she could process his words, something suddenly changed.

The atmosphere around the man shifted.

The air became heavy.

Nara frowned.

“Uh... what’s happening?”

In the next second, a faint light surrounded the man’s body.

His body began to shrink.

His shape changed.

Nara stood frozen.

Her eyes widened.

Her mouth fell open, but no words came out.

A few seconds later, sitting on her bed was no longer a man.

It was—

A white duck.

“Kwek”

Nara’s eyes widened even further.

The entire world seemed to stop spinning.

She didn’t move.

She didn’t blink.

The duck calmly stared back at her as if this were the most normal thing in the world.

“Kwek.”

“Nooooooooooo!”

Nara screamed at the top of her lungs.

---

Nara suddenly jolted upright in bed.

Her forehead was covered in sweat.

Her heart was pounding wildly.

“Oh my God! That dream again!”

“Kriiiiiing!”

Her alarm suddenly rang loudly.

Nara blinked several times.

Her hand immediately shot toward the phone on the bedside table.

The moment the screen lit up, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

7:42.

“I’M SO DEAD!”

Nara practically launched herself out of bed.

The blanket flew off, the pillow hit the floor, and she nearly tripped over her own feet as she rushed toward the bathroom.

“Why the hell did my alarm only ring now?!”

In reality, her alarm had already gone off several times.

It had started ringing at five in the morning.

Five minutes later, Nara came out of the bathroom with her hair still half-wet.

She hurriedly threw on whatever clothes she could find.

Whether they matched or not was no longer important.

She just needed to leave.

The village where Nara lived was the kind of place that was peaceful.

Too peaceful, actually.

So peaceful that even the smallest incident could turn into major gossip within minutes.

And, of course, the center of all that gossip was none other than Mrs. Sulastri.

That morning, wearing rather flashy house clothes by village standards, Mrs. Sulastri was already standing in front of her house, casually swinging a broom around.

Her goal was simple.

Find something.

Anything.

Something she could turn into gossip.

Unfortunately for Nara, who had already woken up late because of the nightmare that nearly drove her crazy, she ran straight into the village’s biggest gossip.

“Nara! Why are you in such a hurry?”

Nara gave her an awkward smile while pushing her motorcycle out of the yard.

“I’m late, Ma’am.”

“Oh, dear... What kind of woman can’t wake up early?” Mrs. Sulastri commented, shaking her head as if she had just witnessed a national tragedy.

Nara chose to remain silent.

Experience had taught her one very important lesson:

Once you started talking to Mrs. Sulastri, the conversation would never end anytime soon.

“Well, I’m off, Ma’am!”

“Okay, be careful! And don’t take the road past the swamp!”

Nara stopped.

She turned around.

“Why, Ma’am?”

Mrs. Sulastri immediately came closer, lowering her voice like a secret agent.

“Someone saw a strange light there last night.”

Nara sighed.

That rumor again.

She had heard it so many times that it was practically familiar.

The people around here really believed in superstitions, she thought.

“It was probably just some kids messing around.”

“No, this is serious! According to the village chief—”

“Yes, Ma’am. I’ll think about it. Thanks for the warning.”

Before the story could evolve into another village legend, Nara quickly started her motorcycle and drove away.

The swamp.

That place was always the center of gossip.

People said it was haunted.

They said something lived there.

They said strange sounds could often be heard around it.

According to Nara?

It was just a muddy place filled with wild plants that smelled awful during the dry season.

That was it.

There was nothing special about it.

The day went by as usual.

Nara got scolded by her boss for being late.

A customer complained because she had given them one hundred rupiahs less in change.

And she almost entered a transaction incorrectly.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

By five in the afternoon, Nara finally left work with a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

She rode her motorcycle slowly, letting the cool afternoon breeze brush against her face.

For a moment, everything felt peaceful.

Until she remembered that tomorrow, she would have to do it all over again.

“…My life seriously sucks.”

She sighed tiredly.

At a fork in the road, Nara stopped.

Usually, she took the main road.

But that day, for some reason, she glanced at the small road beside her.

The road leading toward the swamp.

It was quiet and creepy, but it would save her some time.

Nara stared at it for a few seconds before shaking her head.

She pushed away every thought about the supposedly haunted swamp.

Finally, she turned her motorcycle onto the road leading toward it.

The road wasn’t in very good condition.

Some parts were muddy, while the trees grew thickly on both sides, making the surroundings feel darker than they should have been.

Strange.

It was still afternoon, but it felt like night was already approaching.

Nara slowed down.

Then she noticed something.

There were no sounds.

Usually, there would still be birds chirping or insects buzzing.

But now?

Nothing.

It was too quiet.

“Why is it so quiet?”

She frowned.

Suddenly—

Crack.

Nara immediately turned her head.

“What was that?”

A sound came from the bushes.

Soft.

Like something moving through the leaves.

Nara swallowed.

“Probably just a cat,” she muttered, trying to reassure herself.

Reluctantly, she stopped her motorcycle.

Then she got off and slowly walked toward the bushes where she had heard the sound of the branch snapping.

“Hello?”

No answer.

Nara pushed the leaves aside.

Her eyes widened.

“…A duck?”

A white duck stood there.

Still.

Watching her.

Nara let out a long sigh.

“Oh my God. I thought it was something scary…”

She almost laughed.

But then she stopped.

The duck didn’t move.

It didn’t blink.

It simply stared at Nara.

Strange.

“Why are you staring at me?”

The duck tilted its head slightly, as if it understood her.

Nara shook her head.

“Okay. This is getting weird.”

She straightened up.

“Why am I even talking to a duck?”

Nara turned around and started walking back toward her motorcycle.

“Wait.”

Her footsteps stopped.

Her entire body stiffened.

Slowly, she turned around.

There was no one there.

Only the duck.

“…Who said that?”

The wind blew softly.

The leaves rustled.

“Come here.”

This time, the voice came again.

From the direction of the swamp.