English
In a remote village on a mountain slope that was always shrouded in mist, lived a boy named Aris. Aris was an active child, but he often ignored his mother's advice to come home before sunset.
"Aris, when you hear the clanging of the electric poles, come home immediately. Don't play under that silk-cotton tree after Maghrib," his mother warned him repeatedly.
However, that afternoon Aris was too busy playing marbles near the bamboo forest. The orange light on the horizon slowly turned into a deep purple, then darkness. His friends had gone home long ago, but Aris felt someone calling his name from behind the thicket of trees.
**Encounter Behind the Mist**
The voice was soft, like his mother's, but felt heavier and echoed. Aris walked closer toward the massive silk-cotton tree. Suddenly, the air felt very cold and the scent of damp earth wafted through the air.
There, stood a very tall woman. Her hair was long, trailing down to the ground, matted like palm fiber. The most terrifying thing was her pair of very long and large breasts, hanging down to her stomach. Before Aris could scream, the woman—Wewe Gombel—lifted Aris gently and hid him behind her wide breasts.
Aris felt no pain; instead, he felt as if he were in another, silent world. He saw delicious food before him: yellow rice and fried chicken. In reality, what he was eating was cow dung and worms, but his eyes had been bewitched by the spirit.
**The Search in the Village**
In the village, the atmosphere became frantic. Aris's mother wept hysterically. The villagers quickly gathered, bringing kitchen utensils: pots, frying pans, and cracker tins.
"Come on, hit them all! Let’s make a ruckus so that Wewe Gombel’s ears hurt and she lets Aris go!" shouted the village chief.
All the villagers went around the village while loudly banging the kitchen utensils.
*Teng! Preng! Juar!*
The noisy din broke the silence of the night. They headed toward the silk-cotton tree at the edge of the bamboo forest. They knew that Wewe Gombel hated loud noises and crowds.
**Aris's Return**
In his hiding place, Aris suddenly heard a deafening noise. The spell on his eyes faded. The delicious food from before turned into a pile of disgusting filth. He saw the face of the Wewe Gombel, which was deathly pale and looked to be in pain from the villagers' noise.
The Wewe Gombel finally placed Aris on a low tree branch, then she vanished, swallowed by the night mist.
The villagers found Aris in a daze, sitting on the branch with a blank stare. His mother immediately hugged him tightly. Since then, Aris never again dared to be outside the house when the Maghrib call to prayer sounded.
**Moral Message:** Value time and listen to your parents' advice. The Wewe Gombel myth is actually a reminder for children to stay safe inside the house once it gets dark.
"Aris, when you hear the clanging of the electric poles, come home immediately. Don't play under that silk-cotton tree after Maghrib," his mother warned him repeatedly.
However, that afternoon Aris was too busy playing marbles near the bamboo forest. The orange light on the horizon slowly turned into a deep purple, then darkness. His friends had gone home long ago, but Aris felt someone calling his name from behind the thicket of trees.
**Encounter Behind the Mist**
The voice was soft, like his mother's, but felt heavier and echoed. Aris walked closer toward the massive silk-cotton tree. Suddenly, the air felt very cold and the scent of damp earth wafted through the air.
There, stood a very tall woman. Her hair was long, trailing down to the ground, matted like palm fiber. The most terrifying thing was her pair of very long and large breasts, hanging down to her stomach. Before Aris could scream, the woman—Wewe Gombel—lifted Aris gently and hid him behind her wide breasts.
Aris felt no pain; instead, he felt as if he were in another, silent world. He saw delicious food before him: yellow rice and fried chicken. In reality, what he was eating was cow dung and worms, but his eyes had been bewitched by the spirit.
**The Search in the Village**
In the village, the atmosphere became frantic. Aris's mother wept hysterically. The villagers quickly gathered, bringing kitchen utensils: pots, frying pans, and cracker tins.
"Come on, hit them all! Let’s make a ruckus so that Wewe Gombel’s ears hurt and she lets Aris go!" shouted the village chief.
All the villagers went around the village while loudly banging the kitchen utensils.
*Teng! Preng! Juar!*
The noisy din broke the silence of the night. They headed toward the silk-cotton tree at the edge of the bamboo forest. They knew that Wewe Gombel hated loud noises and crowds.
**Aris's Return**
In his hiding place, Aris suddenly heard a deafening noise. The spell on his eyes faded. The delicious food from before turned into a pile of disgusting filth. He saw the face of the Wewe Gombel, which was deathly pale and looked to be in pain from the villagers' noise.
The Wewe Gombel finally placed Aris on a low tree branch, then she vanished, swallowed by the night mist.
The villagers found Aris in a daze, sitting on the branch with a blank stare. His mother immediately hugged him tightly. Since then, Aris never again dared to be outside the house when the Maghrib call to prayer sounded.
**Moral Message:** Value time and listen to your parents' advice. The Wewe Gombel myth is actually a reminder for children to stay safe inside the house once it gets dark.