The Reedswoman
Sarkawi or known as Nek Eurih (Reed Grandmother) was the last elder of the Kulawu sect that worshipped the spirits of the woods. Villagers would often see her in the outskirts, carrying bundles of reed with her wooden staff from the wilderness.
She would still often appear many years after she died, hobbling around with her large, twisted feet, appearing down a dirt path by the reed patches of the swamp, or from the depths of the oldest trees of leuweung geledegan (the oldest areas of the forest protected by the village elders).
She had passed on her knowledge of the dark arts to someone else knowing that her sect was to face imminent persecution under the Dutch government in the early 20th century. She lived out the rest of her years in the woods, gathering reeds and communing with the spirits until she became one herself
Seeing her is a bad omen. She's always walking towards you, never the other way around. She represents fate, as was destined for you. Whatever path you choose, she will still go your way, and you have no choice but to face her.
"Eeh, budak bageur..."
'Hello, good child' she would say, nodding and grinning as she sees you down the path. It would be so easy to mistake her for any other old lady.
"Wilujeng patepang deui..."
'Good to see you again' she would say, as you pass her by. You've never met her before, and you'll probably never see her again.
And then you remember.
