"Fatimah! Wake up! It's already morning! It's six o'clock! Are you going to be late for school again!?" Her mother shouted.
The shrill soprano voice jolted her awake.
It exploded like an emergency whistle right beside her ear.
Fatimah sprang up from her bed. The remnants of her dream scattered instantly. She rubbed her eyes, then got up, lazily grabbing a towel before heading to the bathroom.
Half an hour later, she was done bathing.
Her hair tied carelessly, bag slung over her shoulder, she dashed off to school.
When Fatimah arrived in class, most of her classmates were already there.
The atmosphere was still relaxed. Some students sat in groups, chatting. From a corner of the classroom, someone called out,
"Hey, look! Fatimah the Noobqueen is here!"
"Oii! Come join us!" another shouted.
Fatimah walked over to them.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked.
"We're making a bet," said Husnul.
"What kind of bet?"
"Whoever gets the lowest score on today's test has to take a punishment."
Fatimah crossed her arms.
"What kind of punishment?"
"Cleaning the classroom," Husnul replied casually.
"That's boring," Anik chimed in.
"Or the loser has to treat everyone!" Bagas shouted enthusiastically.
Odah immediately smacked her forehead.
"Oi… oi… all you think about is food. We'll go bankrupt, you bottomless pit."
They laughed.
Hesti, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
"What if the punishment was a bit more… challenging?"
All eyes turned to her.
"The one with the lowest score, just before Maghrib after extracurriculars, has to go to toilet number three in the back building."
Some of them exchanged uneasy glances.
"They have to take a bottle of water from inside that toilet… and put a flower from around there into it."
Fatimah raised an eyebrow.
"That's it?"
Bagas stared at her.
"That's it? You're usually the most scared one."
"Don't act tough," he added.
Fatimah smirked.
"Why should I be scared?"
Bagas leaned closer.
"You're not afraid… of the school toilet ghost?"
Fatimah let out a short laugh.
"A Japanese ghost? We're in Indonesia, guys. What, did it get lost and wander all the way here?"
She shrugged.
"Besides, ghosts are just stories. Pure nonsense."
Anik shook her head slowly.
"Haven't you heard the stories going around this past month?"
Fatimah looked at her.
"What stories?"
Anik lowered her voice, as if afraid someone might overhear.
"Nurul, a third-year student, got possessed because of that toilet. She still hasn't fully recovered. And don't forget what happened during the flag ceremony."
The mood shifted.
"And Iwan, also a third-year," Anik continued.
"He was found dead behind the school. They said it was a heart attack—but the way he died was strange."
Bagas added quietly,
"Everyone says it's connected to the ghost."
Fatimah didn't respond immediately.
Anik continued,
"Some students who've seen it say it looks like a high school girl… wearing a white and gray uniform."
She paused.
"Shoulder-length wavy hair."
"And her face looks like a Japanese girl."
Hesti swallowed nervously.
"Mr.Mamat, the school caretaker, saw it too," Bagas said.
"At night. He saw a girl standing in front of the back toilet. When he tried to approach…"
He paused.
"She disappeared."
A brief silence fell over them.
"Because her face looks Japanese," he continued softly,
"people started calling her…"
"Hanako."
Suddenly, the school bell rang.
"Teeet… teeet… teeet…"
The sharp sound broke the tension.
Today they had two quizzes: art and mathematics.
"Shh," whispered Bagas.
"Remember our bet. Whoever gets the lowest score takes the punishment."
Fatimah grinned.
"Relax. Drawing is my specialty. A talent sent straight from heaven as my survival skill on this planet."
Odah rolled her eyes.
"We're talking about the math test, idiot!"
Fatimah's face fell.
"Well… damn."
She sighed.
"That one… is my curse."
She remembered last semester. Math had always been a disaster—daily tests, weekly tests, even the finals.
She thought to herself,
Why is this subject so hard to understand? It feels so complicated. I've memorized the formulas, practiced so many problems, even studied in groups. I bought the textbook online.
My dad even helps me with homework.
So what's missing?
And yet, I still can't understand it—like corrupt politicians in this country.
Should I take private lessons? Online classes? Paid study groups?
Ugh… that means more money.
My allowance is already tight. There's martial arts training, craft experiment materials, and my internet data for MOBA games—my only escape from this miserable life.
Fatimah sighed deeply.
"Maybe I was just born cursed when it comes to this subject…"
A few hours later, the break bell rang.
"Teeet!"
Anik stood up.
"Let's go to the canteen! I'm starving."
"Odah, Hesti, Faty—"
"Don't call me Faty!" Fatimah snapped.
"It means fat!"
"You smelly lizard!"
The others burst out laughing.
They walked toward the canteen near the third building. Their class was in the first building, so they had to pass two buildings to get there.
The canteen was painted blue, about four by six meters in size, filled with tables and benches. It was crowded with students buying food and snacks.
They found a corner table and sat together.
After eating and chatting for a while, Anik spoke again.
"So, is the bet on?"
"Of course," said Odah.
"No backing out."
Hesti looked worried.
"I'm not really good at math…"
Fatimah raised her hand.
"Me too. I still need a lot of practice."
Then she stood up.
"I'll be right back, need to use the bathroom."
The school toilet was quite far. She walked past the third building, along a narrow path lined with small cherry-like plants.
Soon she reached the toilet building. There were five stalls for boys and five for girls, separated by a storage room for cleaning tools.
When Fatimah arrived, all the doors were slightly open. All empty.
The place was quiet. No one else was there.
She entered the second stall without much thought.
While washing her hands, she muttered,
"Why is this toilet so far from the classrooms…"
"If you really need to go, you're doomed."
Suddenly—
Rustle…
Fatimah froze.
The sound of shoes dragging came from the stall next to hers.
Shurrr…
The sound of running water followed.
She frowned.
Weren't all the stalls empty earlier?
When did someone enter?
Before she could think further—
Craaattt…
A sound like fingernails scraping the wall.
Craattt… craattt…
Then a low growl.
Grrrrmmm…
Fatimah shivered.
"What… is that?"
She opened the stall door and stepped out.
The stall next to hers was empty. Completely empty.
Her heart pounded faster.
A cold sensation crept up from her feet to her spine.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
Then—
A whisper echoed right behind her.
"Faaaatty…"
Fatimah spun around—
No one!
A cold breeze brushed past her neck.
The place felt unbearably silent.
Fear seeped into her chest.
Fatimah didn't wait any longer.
"Damn it! Lizard!"
She kicked the toilet door,
then hurried away, half running back to the canteen.
Inside one of the stalls, with the door slightly ajar, in the darkness stood a girl.
Shoulder-length wavy hair.
Wearing a white and gray uniform.
Her pale face and sharp eyes fixed on Fatimah as she walked away.
***