THAT cool morning, the Monkey Forest tourist attraction was as busy as usual. Tourists from various countries came to see the cute monkeys and enjoy the coolness of the forest. In the midst of the joy, a street vendor named Komang was busy offering his souvenirs in the form of monkey-shaped key chains, small statues, and Balinese sarongs.
“Bro, buy me this! Cheap, cheap! Special discount for handsome tourists,” he shouted while chasing a tourist.
But the tourist politely refused. “No, thank you.”
Komang did not give up. He moved his target to a pair of tourists from Japan. “Madam, Sir, buy me this! Good souvenirs for the family at home!” he said while shoving the key chain in front of their faces.
The tourists smiled awkwardly and tried to avoid them. However, Komang did not give them any space. He continued to follow the couple like a shadow.
Finally, the Japanese couple began to panic. Instead of continuing the designated tourist route, they decided to sneak into the forest to avoid Komang.
“Eh, why did you go in there? That’s not a tourist route!” Komang was confused. He paused for a moment, but his curiosity arose. “Wow, what do they want to do in there!” Enthusiastically, Komang followed their footsteps into the forest.
However, the further he walked, the quieter and darker it became. The forest that was previously full of monkeys suddenly felt cold and eerie. Even the sound of birds chirping slowly disappeared.
Komang began to feel restless. “Oh, where are they? Maybe they got lost…” he muttered while looking left and right.
Suddenly, from behind a large tree, a white figure appeared standing still. The figure was wearing a shabby white cloth, his face was pale, and his eyes were empty.
“HELLOO…” the hoarse voice echoed.
Komang was speechless. His legs immediately went weak. “Oh, this must be a cosplay tourist… right? HAHAHA… not funny, huh?” he asked in a trembling voice, trying to convince himself.
But the figure did not answer. Instead, he jumped towards Komang with jerky movements.
Komang immediately screamed, “Pocong!!!”
Pocong is representation of the spirit of a deceased person, and its form is distinctive—wrapped in a white shroud with a scary-looking face. Without thinking, Komang threw all his merchandise into the air and ran as fast as he could out of the forest. His voice echoed along the road, startling the tourists and monkeys around him.
When he arrived at a crowded place, Komang stopped to catch his breath. His face was pale as if he had seen a ghost (because he had just seen one).
“Komang, what’s wrong with you?” asked one of his fellow traders.
“There’s a pocong in the forest! I don’t want to sell there anymore!” he shouted while hugging his friend in fear.
Several tourists who heard Komang’s story laughed. They thought this was just a typical Balinese trader joke to attract attention. But one thing Komang didn’t know: the “pocong” was actually a forest officer who was cleaning a sacred area wearing ritual clothing.
Since that incident, Komang has become friendlier and less aggressive in offering his goods. He always says to tourists, “It’s okay if you don’t buy, I just want to smile today.” However, every time someone mentions “monkey forest,” Komang’s face immediately turns pale and he chooses to sell elsewhere.
