I used to live in M1 last semester. I shared a room with one of my coursemates who we will call ‘Liyana’ for convenience.
So, one day, I was extremely exhausted from classes and whatnot. It was 6pm and I was on my period and though I should’ve showered, I didn’t want to bother at the time. Instead, I just tucked myself into bed, closed my eyes and dozed off.
I woke up at 8:30pm to relieve myself in the bathroom and then proceeded to play with my phone, innocently oblivious of the horror that awaited me. If I had known what would happen, I would’ve just stayed awake the whole night. However, instead, my tired self decided to just fall completely into a deep sleep, phone still within my grip.
The next thing I knew, there was something atop me, or as the Malays would call it, I “kena tindih”. I tried to fight the mysterious force by trying to move my arms and legs but to no avail. Beside me, on her very own bed, was Liyana, sleeping comfortably in peace.
Desperate for help, I diverted my attention towards waking her up. Now, for your information, the rooms in Murni for two people are pretty small. Kicking my roommate from my bed would be an easy task if it weren’t for the “thing” not allowing me.
Yet, somehow, among all the chaos, I was successful. That one solid kick, though a little rude, was one of the proudest moments in my life. I see Liyana jolt awake, peering at my gasping, heavily breathing, struggling body. Instead of trying to wake me up, she asked me, “Hey, are you okay?”
She walked over to me, sitting down on the floor near my head and began slowly but softly stroking my hair and ears, as if she were trying to comfort me. I couldn’t turn around to see her but I could hear her shushing me, trying to convince me that everything was okay. \”Shh… It\’s all right,\” she whispered in my ear.
I just kept mum, trying to stay calm. After a while though, Liyana left me, walked back to her bed and resumed sleeping in the exact same position as earlier, facing away from me. After that, though confused, I kept trying to fight back, whispering prayers, begging to be let go of.
Eventually, I succeeded somehow. I repeated my du’as and resumed sleeping, relieved to finally be able to sleep in harmony.
The next morning, I saw my roommate and thanked her for helping me out, even if it were a little strange. “Liyana, thank you so much for yesterday. I didn’t mean to kick you but still, thank you so much for waking up.”
Liyana pulled a face of confusion. I didn’t really care though. Instead, I went to shower.
It was only after the shower that Liyana confronted me.
“Nothing happened last night,” she said.
“I was fast asleep the entire night.”