The brief encounter...

Ashraf wakes up earlier than usual that day. The sleep of the night before was not sound. And now a full bladder is forcing him to leave the comfort of his bed.

He heads for the bathroom located at the back of the kitchen. It is not yet daybreak but the light from the streetlamps outside filters in through the rear windows. As he is about to turn towards the kitchen, he catches a glimpse of a familiar figure in the dim hallway by the entrance door. He freezes.

He recognizes his father who is putting on his shoes and looking ready to go out.

'Dad, is that you?' he asks, just to be sure.

'Yes, son. It's me. You are up early. I'm just about to go to work.'

Without missing a beat, the son asks another question, 'But you know you're dead, right?'

He sees the figure in the hallway smiling back. 'That indeed I am, my son. But I am going to work anyway. You take care now.... and tell your sister to finish reading the book that I gave her.'

The figure then makes a move for the door and without the need to open it, leaves the house like a fading mist.

The young man remains rooted to the spot. He wonders if he is dreaming or he has just really seen what he has seen. After a while, the urge to pee makes him realize why is up from bed this early.

He makes a shake of his head and walks towards the bathroom...

Pohon Tembusu

Setelah beberapa tahun bekerja sebagai seorang guru di sebuah sekolah di bandaraya, saya akhirnya dapat bertukar ke sekolah yang tidak jauh dari kampung saya. Memang sudah lama saya berhasrat untuk berpindah balik ke kampung. Anak-anak saya semuanya sudah dewasa dan mempunyai kerjaya mereka sendiri. Suasana aman dan tenteram di kampung sangat saya rindui. Lebih-lebih lagi saya masih ada ibu tua yang tinggal keseorangan, jadi memang eloklah saya mohon pertukaran tempat bertugas itu.

Sebelum berpindah, saya sempat membina sebuah rumah baru di atas sebidang tanah yang tidak jauh dari rumah ibu saya. Tanah tersebut asalnya sebuah dusun kecil dan sebahagiannya ditumbuhi hutan belukar. Banyak juga wang yang saya perlu modalkan untuk membersihkan tapak tanah itu jadi saya buat yang mana perlu sahaja dulu. Antara yang tidak ditebang ialah sebatang pokok tembusu yang tumbuh hampir dengan sempadan tanah. Pohon tembusu itu tersangatlah besar. Tingginya saya anggar melebihi 30 meter dan mungkin berumur beratus tahun. Memang memakan masa hendak menebangnya. Lagipun kedudukannya tidak menghalang pembinaan rumah, jadi kami buat keputusan untuk membiarkannya dahulu.

Beberapa bulan pertama saya duduk di rumah baru itu dengan gembiranya. Jiran-jiran sekeliling kebanyakan adalah saudara mara saya juga. Sekolah tempat saya mengajar tidak jauh dari rumah. Tidaklah lagi perlu saya mengharungi trafik jem setiap hari pergi bertugas.

Atas permintaan beberapa orang saudara mara, saya bersetuju untuk mengajar tuisyen kepada anak-anak mereka, kiranya anak-anak buah saya juga lah. Kelas tuisyen dibuat di rumah saya dan bermula pada 8.30 malam. Anak-anak murid kelas tuisyen ini seramai 6 orang, 4 lelaki dan 2 perempuan.

Semasa mula-mula mengajar mereka memang problematic sikit. Jelas sekali pendedahan sistem pembelajaran kanak-kanak di desa jauh berbeza dengan kanak-kanak bandar. Tambahan pula, yang budak-budak lelaki empat orang itu nakal-nakal belaka. Tetapi disebabkan semangat hendak menolong saudara, saya teruskan usaha untuk mendidik mereka.

Setiap malam bila tiba waktu kelas tuisyen bermula, saya boleh tahu ketibaan kumpulan murid ini dengan bunyi riuh rendah mereka bila sampai di hadapan pintu pagar rumah. Bunyi kelentang-kelentung gate dibuka disusuli dengan sorak ketawa budak-budak berlari dari pintu pagar itu yang jaraknya lebih kurang 20 meter dari rumah. Suara ketawa biasanya dari budak-budak lelaki sahaja. Yang perempuan bunyi marah atau geram. Setiap kali sampai di rumah mesti semuanya termengah-mengah.

Saya pun bertanya, mengapa mesti berlari.

Salah seorang dari yang perempuan menjawab, `Diaorang ni Cikgu (sambil menunjuk ke arah budak-budak lelaki), suka nyakat kami! Diaorang kata ada hantu tinggal kat atas pokok besar tu. Siapa yang last sampai kat rumah Cikgu nanti kena cekup. Tu yang kami lari laju-laju!’ Pokok yang dimaksudkan itu ialah pohon tembusu besar yang terletak betul-betul sebelah pagar pintu masuk.

`Hish, mana ada!,’ saya berkata. Sambil menoleh ke arah seorang budak lelaki yang saya anggap sebagai kepala, saya cakap, `Abu! Tak elok kamu takutkan kawan-kawan kamu. Jangan buat macam ni lagi.’ Abu hanya menunjukkan muka selamba. Yang budak-budak lelaki lain tersengih-sengih.

Marahlah macam mana pun, perkara yang sama tetap berlaku. Maka kelas tuisyen saya setiap kali dimulakan dengan senaman larian dari pintu pagar hingga ke rumah.

Sehinggalah satu hari beberapa minggu kemudian…

Murid-murid saya sampai ke rumah malam itu dengan keadaan tertib dan senyap. Saya teramat pelik. Tiada bunyi riuh dan berlari-lari sebagaimana biasa. Pada mulanya saya tidak bertanya apa-apa. Semasa mengajar pun kesemuanya senyap dan menumpukan perhatian terhadap apa yang saya ajar. Abu, yang selalu paling bising dalam kelas, pun kelihatan begitu tekun.

Tidak boleh menahan kehairanan saya lagi, saya pun bertanya, `Eh Abu, kenapa kamu senyap je malam ni? Selalunya tak habis-habis menyakat orang…’

`Heheh… takde apa-apa Cikgu,’ jawab Abu. Dia terus menunduk untuk menyiapkan latihan yang telah saya beri.

Saya pun duduk sebelah murid perempuan bernama Atikah dan bertanya, `Kenapa semua orang diam dan rajin je hari ni?’

Atikah merenung ke muka saya dengan keadaan serba salah. Setelah beberapa ketika, dia berbisik kepada saya.

`Cikgu… tadi ada orang dah marah kat kami. Suruh belajar rajin-rajin dan jangan main-main.’

`Orang mana?’ saya bertanya.

`Orang yang tinggal kat pokok besar tu,’ jawab Atikah.

`Orang tu rupanya macam mana?’ saya bertanya lagi.

Wajah Atikah berubah jadi keliru. `Tu Cikgu, dia duduk kat belakang Abu tu. Dia ikut kami dari depan gate tadi. Cikgu tak nampak ke?’

Giliran saya pula untuk menjadi cemas. Memang saya tidak nampak sesiapa di belakang Abu. Saya berbisik kembali, `Dia masih kat situ?’

`Ada, Cikgu…’

Saya pun membuat keputusan untuk menamatkan sesi pembelajaran malam itu dan memberitahu anak-anak murid saya, `Err… malam ni kelas tuisyen kita tamat cepat sikit. Cikgu pun rasanya nak tidur kat rumah sepupu Cikgu kat sebelah tu. Kamu semua jangan balik dulu ye. Temankan Cikgu sampai sana…’

Nota kaki : Cerita di atas adalah berdasarkan kisah benar... cuma identiti watak-watak telah diubah untuk memelihara yang berkenaan.

Something lives in this tree

Around two weeks ago, I accompanied my brother-in-law for his bernikah ceremony at the bride's home in Hutan Melintang, Perak. From Kuala Lumpur, we took the coastal road by way of Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam north towards Teluk Intan. The small town of Hutan Melintang is situated in the district of Bagan Datoh, just across the Selangor/Perak border demarcated by Sungai Bernam.

I have travelled this road a few times before and have always been fascinated by the lovely kampung landscape that included paddy fields in the areas of Tanjung Karang and Sekinchan. As we neared Sabak Bernam, we can see many roadside stalls selling mentarang, a type of shellfish that lives in the muddy tidal flats along this particular stretch of coastline. I have not seen this type of shellfish anywhere else in Malaysia.

Also along this road I spotted a number of stalls selling `kekabu'-filled pillows and mattresses. Kekabu is a type of fluffy cotton-like fibre used as the pillow filling. Before the advent of foam or artificial fibres, kekabu was the main material found in pillows and mattresses. The fibre comes from the seed pods of the kekabu tree whose English name is kapok (ceiba pentandra). It is also known as the Java cotton tree. Kapok trees are quite huge... they can grow in excess of 30m height.

I remember as a small boy, there was a big kekabu tree at the back of my grandfather's house. When the family gathered there for hari raya, the older cousins like to frighten us younger ones by telling that a certain pontianak lives on this tree and would come down to suck our blood if we persist in playing outside past maghrib (sunset) time. It was a very good scare tactic... but it also created a problem. Kampung houses those days do not have flush toilets. Latrines were all located outside. You drop your poop through a hole in the outhouse floor into a bucket. A very hardworking gentleman would then come every few days to manually collect your deposits and clean the bucket.

The latrine at my grandfather's house was located next to the kekabu tree... and if there is a need for any of the young ones to do business at night, we dare not do it alone. Therefore one or two of the other cousins are forced to accompany the person doing the business. And because we were chicken-hearted, the business is done with the latrine door full open. If you are the one doing the business, then you'll have to live with the embarassment of having other people watching you crapping your stuff. On the other hand, if you are the one doing guard duty, you have to bear with the aroma from the outhouse while at the same time stealing glances at the imposing kekabu tree for anything that may swoop down from it and grab you by the neck. A classic lose-lose situation...

For the wedding at Perak the other day, we put up at a homestay not far from the bride's house. Next to this homestay is an old abandoned kampung house. In front of this abandoned house is a kekabu tree... and this was what reminded me of today's story.

An abandoned house with a big kekabu tree... brings back scary memories from the past.

Don't want to be around this place after dark...

Giving a lift to a total stranger

The government clinic is housed in an old building built pre-independence. It is located at the outskirts of town, away from the urban congestion. I didn't actually know that there is such a place. The missus and I are there to visit someone. It is a brief visit.

As we walk back to our car, I study the surroundings. Although the building is old, it seems to be well-maintained. The grass is neatly trimmed and a few flowering bougainvillea shrubs gave the large surrounding compound colour. A big old angsana tree grows just next to the entrance, providing much needed shade. The presence of a slight breeze complements the tranquility of the mid-afternoon moment.

We get into our car that is parked in a small paved area not far from the main gate. I mention to my wife, "The peaceful surroundings sure suit the clinic... but for the general public who don't have their own transport, it can be quite troublesome to get to this place. I don't think the public buses come round here. I doubt there are any taxis either... it is too out-of-the way."

My wife nods in agreement. But what startled me is a voice coming from the back seat of the car.

"Betul tu dik... dah lama akak tunggu teksi tapi tak sampai-sampai. Nasib baik la adik bagi tumpang kat akak."

I turn around to see a middle-aged Malay lady sitting at the back smiling at me. Good God! Who is this woman? And how did she get into my car?!

"Adik turunkan akak kat bandar ye..."

I take a big gulp but my throat is suddenly dry. I can only mutter a muffled, "Uh-huh" in reply. She is already in the car... so I can't ask her to step out, can I?

I start the engine and slowly drive out of the clinic compound. My wife sits quietly, looking straight out the front windscreen as if nothing is happening. I thought she is doing a good job of remaining calm by ignoring who (or what) is sitting at the back and focussing her mind directly on the road ahead. Good move, buat tak tahu aje.

Throughout the drive into town, it is eerily quiet inside the car. Nobody spoke. I occasionally steal some glances at my rear-view mirror. Firstly, to check if my unexpected passenger is still there and if she is, to have a more detailed look at her appearance.

Well... she is still there. She wears a simple baju kurung in a light-blue floral pattern. Her hair is wavy and shoulder-length with streaks of grey showing all over. She sits there calmly with both hands neatly on her lap as she looks out of the window at nothing in particular. The slight smile on her face gives the impression of contentment. I couldn't see if she carried a bag or anything else.

We reach a busy part of town and the silence in the car is broken by my passenger.

"Adik boleh berhenti kat sini. Akak nak turun sini."

"Oh.. okay," I reply.

"What okay?" my wife responds. "And why are we stopping here?"

"Err... our passenger wants to get off here," I answer while twisting my head slightly to indicate the back seat.

My wife looks at me quizzically and asks, "What passenger?"

Both of us turn to look at the back seat.... but there is nobody there.

I ask my wife, "You didn't notice an old woman riding with us in the car from the clinic? She wanted a lift into town."

My wife has a bewildered look on her face. She slowly shakes her head and reply, "No... "

Another `Cerita Seram'

As an extension to the earlier post, here is another eerie story. And this incident is quite recent.

My 26 year-old niece (my sister-in-law's youngest daughter) is pursuing further studies in Kuala Lumpur. One weekend, about a few weeks ago, she returns to her hometown in Mersing to visit her parents.

She sleeps on the double bed in the spare bedroom. In the middle of the night, she wakes up to go to the bathroom. In the dim light, she sees her mother sleeping on the bed next to her. Her mother must have laid on the bed after she had fallen asleep.

She softly calls to her mother, "Mak...?".

Without turning, the mother replies, "Hmmm..."

My niece gets up and goes to the bathroom. On the way back, she sees the light of the television still on in the living room. She walks to the living room to switch off the TV. To her surprise, she sees her mother asleep on the sofa.

If her mother is sleeping on the sofa in the living room, then who is sleeping with her in the bedroom?

Daughter wakes up mother and tells her of what she has seen. Both mother and daughter quietly walks to the bedroom and switch on the lights. The room is empty. Whoever or whatever that was sleeping on the bed is no longer there.

Mother takes her holy Al-Quran and recites some verses. Outside, the sound of barking dogs fill the night air...

This is not the first time my niece has seen things that other ordinary people could not see. So far, alhamdulillah, there has been no physical harm on the family.

I sometimes wonder why is it that some people have the ability to see things that are normally unseen. Or do these other beings make themselves visible only to certain persons.

If you do know why, then you need not tell me.... because I actually don't really want to know. I'm happy to leave it as a mystery.

The other unseen occupants

Two weeks ago, my 14-year old son went for a 3-day field trip to Kuala Lumpur organised by his school. When he handed me the consent form for me to sign, I read through the itinerary and noted that the students would be staying at The Heritage Station Hotel.


Since the trip was fully sponsored, it is understandable that the school would book a budget hotel. But I felt that putting up the kids in an` old' building is not without some risks. The Heritage Station Hotel is located within the old KTM train station. Photos in the hotel's website show reasonably well-furnished interiors but the hotel's unique selling point is its historical attachment.

On the second day of the trip, my wife called up my son to check how he was getting along. Generally okay, my son said, except that one student experienced `disturbances' during the night. "Gangguan mahluk halus", were his exact Malay words. My son himself did not see any ghosts or spirits or whatever... but my wife advised him to be careful just the same. `Jangan lupa sembahyang' was the standard reminder of mothers to sons.

I couldn't help but smile when I overheard the conversation. In my course of work, I have stayed at numerous hotels in many parts of the country and also overseas. Most times alone. The types of accomodation range from the very basic to the very plush. So far, I have been fortunate enough not to encounter any spirits or other beings `not of our world', except for this one incident at a hotel in Cameron Highlands, around 5 years back.

I can't remember the name of the hotel but it is a fairly big one and built more than 10 years ago. I was in Cameron Highlands to visit one of our projects and stayed alone at the hotel that night. Initially, I had difficulty in falling asleep but the tiredness of the day's work and traveling finally took over and I drifted off. Sometime in the middle of the night, I felt difficult to breathe.... as if a heavy load was resting on my chest. I struggled to push the load away but my arms felt liked they were pinned down. I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out. It was suffocating, my heart was pounding... and I was in real fear.

And then I started to recite the relevant holy verses of the Quran that I have in memory, as taught by my elders. Initially my recitation was gibberish... like my mouth not following the instructions of my brain. I tried and tried... until I can actually hear the words come out right. And slowly, the heavy load on my chest lifted, my breathing returned to normal and I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up at early dawn and quickly switched on the lights and looked around the room. I could see nothing out of the ordinary. Did an unseen being sit on my chest last night or was it all just a bad dream? Hard to say...

Another hotel that is in the heritage category is the impressive Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang. The hotel has undergone extensive refurbishment over the recent years.

I stayed there once, three years ago, despite having heard a first-hand account of encounters with other unseen occupants. But that's a story to tell for another day.