2

JUNE 7, 2017 / NASVERSIX

Fans.

Lina really hated fans. Firstly, she couldn’t stand the cold. Yes, Malaysia is hot, but she felt that she could live without fans. Secondly, ever since the students in Kiambang Block moved to Teratai Block, Lina wasn’t able to get any sleep.

All because of fans.

The first night Lina slept in the room, she felt happy as she’s the only person who had no roommates. A room this large for herself – fuh, heaven! With Lina being a loner, it suited her very well.

People said that the room was ‘hard’[1]. At first, Lina just laughed it off as nonsense. It’s made from stone, right? Of course, it would be hard! Her classmates just stared at her when she made that tasteless joke. She bet that they’re just jealous of her… getting a room solo.

There’s no problem during the first week. When the second week arrived…

That night, Lina was ready to sleep. Not satisfied with her long-sleeved shirt, Lina pulled the blanket over. – even though the fan was off. She had said it before, she didn’t need fans. Just as she was getting comfortable, she heard…

“Aren’t you hot?”

Lina looked to her sides, wondering if there was anyone that sneaked in here. Nobody. Lina laid back down.

Suddenly, she felt a bit windy. She looked up towards the ceiling. Yep, the fan was spinning! Even though she didn’t even turn it on earlier. Was someone playing around with her? Lina stood up, looking whether there’s anyone hiding somewhere nearby. While searching, Lina took a look at the fan’s switch.

It’s off. Yet the fan was still spinning. Fast.

“What’s going on?”

Lina pressed the switch. On. Off. On. Off.

The fan kept on spinning fast. Her heart started beating fast. Lina wasn’t sure whether she should run out of the room or ignore it. Scared of a spinning fan… it’s fine, right? Maybe there’s a problem with the wiring or something.

Lina returned to her bed, pulling her blanket over.

And the blanket was then pulled away from her.

“Aren’t you hot?”

The voice came again. Lina didn’t dare look at her bed’s end – the place she felt that ‘thing’ pulling her blanket. Thus, she just looked up.

Who would’ve thought that ‘thing’ to be roosting on the fan!

[1] Lost in translation. In Malaysia, when people say a place is ‘hard’, it means that the place is cursed. To make sure that the next sentence makes sense, I opted to translate it literally.