Aishah (My Experience in Ilmu)

 

So, this happened back during my foundation years in 2015 and involves my friend (let’s call her ‘Aishah’, which isn’t her real name by the way) and I.

My friend and I had just finished answering our Test 1 for Calculus and we were walking back home to our place in Ilmu. Aishah seemed to be really down in the dumps, apparently unable to answer the questions that Madam had prepared and being the good friend that I was, I invited her to come along and rest in my place. Aishah agreed and so, we ended up in my room.

I was studying for another test at the time while poor, tired Aishah decided to take a short nap. Hesitant to sleep on somebody’s bed, she decided to sleep on the floor instead. It was a little weird, yes, but I didn’t really mind it. Whatever floated her boat.

She slept around 4pm-ish. I remember because shortly after she dozed off, I heard the Masjid blast the azan that indicated it was Asar. Everything was normal at first. I studied. She slept. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then, all of a sudden, she pushed herself off the floor to sit with her legs folded. I didn’t think too much of it then as I thought that she had finally woken up. I called her name to greet her, but there was no response. I shrugged my shoulders and returned to my tutorial, thinking that I needed to give her some time, so I did.

But then, there were the whispers. I caught soft-spoken, almost eerie words coming from out of her mouth, like some sort of mantra almost. A little scared, I convinced myself that she was probably sleep-talking. But then, from whispers, they grew louder and I could now clearly hear every single word and syllable to know that whatever she was saying was neither Malay nor English. She didn’t know any other languages – I’m extremely sure.

She raised her hands and rested them beside her ears, forming ‘OK’ signs, then turned her body to face the window and began bowing down repeatedly, as if it were some form of sacred ritual. I called her name again, this time desperately. And again. And again. I was desperate to see that this was a prank.

And yet, she did not respond. It took me a dozen more attempts for her to finally do something. She froze and faced me, eyes closed, grinning. And then, I remember feeling so very cold as she opened her mouth to say something. Her voice was not her voice. It was deep and gruff and airy, like one you’d hear from a man. While facing me, she finally answered me in Malay, “Nama aku bukan Aishah.”

I was paralyzed with fear. I was thinking about booking it but I was afraid that Aishah, or whatever entity was possessing Aishah, would chase me. My phone was also not with me but instead in the pockets of the pants I had worn to class, hanging by the door.

Instead, I just sat there, waiting for it to end, whispering whatever prayers that I remembered, begging to God that this would stop.

And finally, it did. When Maghrib finally came and the Masjid’s welcome azan pierced the evening air, Aishah stopped all of a sudden and she fell to the ground, as if she were back asleep. My friend then finally woke up and pulled a face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

I could have punched her right there and then. “You didn’t realize what was happening?”

“No,\” she said, \”I was asleep this whole time.”

Written by: Anonymous.