An old lady sits with us
Anthea Haryoko
Happy at work! (2018) ▶
Two to a room, I shared mine with my friend Bats.
The guesthouse had multiple floors with long corridors
stretching across the building, and room doors were
evenly spaced on either side as you walked down.
I remember one particularly drunken night when
I climbed the stairs on all fours up to our room.
But that’s not the night that particularly stuck with
me all these years.
We slept in separate single beds in each room. Falling
asleep was not hard to do during the trip as our trip
schedule would take us climbing ancient ruins and
visiting various NGO groups to document their stories.
arm and call out to Bats sleeping over in the next bed,
but my voice came out as barely a hoarse whisper.
Trying to calm myself down, I stayed still, focusing on
taking deep breaths until what felt like a heavy haze
was lifted.
I doubted my experience, thinking it was a dream, so I
didn’t tell many people about it.
Years later when I finished my course at Monash, I
met Ethan, who was also on the trip as a senior in the
year above me. We started reminiscing about the trip,
when he told me:
“That hostel we stayed in was haunted. One night I
came up to my room and saw an old lady sitting on
the bed. I freaked out and quickly switched on the
lights, and she was gone.”
Cambodia has gone through unspeakable horrors and
blood-shed under the communist regime of Polpot.
The stories often weighed heavy on us. Ethan was not the only one to express that the hostel
had very creepy vibes, many in our group felt the
same. I still wonder if I was paid a visit by that old lady
too that night.
One night, whilst sleeping, I woke up half-asleep when
I found it hard to breathe. My heart started racing as I
realized it was hard to move too. I tried to reach out my Anthea graduated with a Bachelor of Communications
in 2010. She is currently Head of External Relations at
the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies, Jakarta.
Looking the part as Indonesian tourists
during ISO Siem Reap (2008). ▼
With best friend, Bats,
at Angkor Wat, during ISO
Siem Reap (2008). ▶
89
I doubted my
experience,
thinking
it was
a dream
During one of Dr Yeoh’s “In search of…” study trips,
our group was staying at a modest guesthouse in
Siem Reap, Cambodia. My memory on details of the
place and the trip has dimmed over the years, but this
story has not.