Part1
It was a normal day in 1991 until a man, Appuhami, was walking through one of the paddy fields near his home and saw the corpse of a young woman.
"Aiyoo deiyane!" he screamed at the gods, causing a flock of birds congregating nearby to spread their wings and fly away, startled.
Appuhami then ran away as fast as he could, shouting for help as he went through cold, squishy mud and freezing water. But he didn't care about the state of his attire; he was much too panicked. He ran through the paddy fields towards the nearby town where he lived, eventually stumbling into his friend, Johanis.
When they collided, he fell backward and hit the ground hard. But the other man was quick to get to his feet and help his friend up as well. His eyes narrowed as he scanned his smaller friend's shaking figure, trying to figure out what was wrong.
"Appuhami, what the bloody hell is wrong with you?"
"Jo, Johan-" Appuhami could not speak, for his heart was beating fast, and his hands were shaking.
"Appuhami?" Johanis asked.
"I was in the paddy fields and there was a body."
Johanis scratched his head, trying to process Appuhami's fear.
"When did you find it, this morning?" Johanis looked at him in disbelief.
Appuhami nodded but his features contorted into a scowl.
"You don't believe me, man?"
Johanis crossed his arms and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Calm down, then explain this further."
Appuhami nodded and was about to, but his throat felt dry.
"I need wa-" he said but before he could finish, fell to the ground, unconscious.
Johanis gasped in surprise before he lifted his friend into his arms and hurried to his home. His wife, Kusuma, nearly fell over in shock when she saw her husband coming towards her with an unconscious person in his arms. She grabbed the door handle to steady herself and regain her composure.
Johanis saw her a moment later and shouted, "Bring me some water!"
She nodded and went to do as her husband had asked.
Once Johanis was inside, he laid Appuhami on their bed and grabbed the pot of water she had gotten, pouring it over Appuhami's face. When it was empty, Johanis set it on the bedside table. Appuhami regained consciousness and blinked the water out of his eyes. He could see the worried expressions of Johanis and Kusuma, his friend's wife hovering behind Johanis, touching his shoulder.
"Johanis, what's wrong with him?" she asked, and Johanis looked at his wife, worry in his dark eyes.
"Appuhami said he found a body in a paddy field," he explained before noticing his friend was awake. "Appuhami, can you talk now?"
Appuhami tried to get up, so Johanis walked over to put a hand on his chest and pushing him back down. Appuhami glared at him, trying to resist.
