My name is David Koh. I am five years old and I live with my family in a five room HDB flat in Yishun. In my family, there are 5 of us; Pa is a taxi driver, Ma a housewife, a thirteen year old brother and eleven year old sister followed by me. I think I have a reasonably happy family. Of course there is the usual bullying that I get from my elder siblings but it is all kept under tolerable control by the watchful eyes of my parents. Although we are not very rich by Singaporean standards, we get by pa's income is enough to support all of us. Ma also supplements what pa earns by working as a part time cleaning lady. So we do have a little extra for some luxuries. my brother and sister, they usually whine more because they want to but the usual branded stuff that their friends have. I don't blame them because I understand that peer pressure can be overwhelming. I have yet to start formal schooling and be subjected to that type of insufferable pressure.
Ma and pa would usually indulge their materialistic whims once in a while but generally, all 3 of us have been taught the value of money and thrift. Which is why ma would still rather shop at wet market than in supermarkets. And that brings us to the start of this story. That early morning, I had followed ma to the wet market. It was fifteen minutes walk from our block. I love going to the wet market. I find it immensely exciting. The smells (not all good), the bustling activities, the interesting and colourful sights... I don't understand why chieh always complains when she has to accompany mo to go to the market during the weekends. She is always asking ma to go to the supermarket instead. "But I cannot bargain in the supermarket!' Ma would sigh tiredly in Cantonese.
That s=day, I had a particularly fruitful day at the market. Ma had just received her pay from the agent the previous day. As the beneficiary of her generous mood, I received a plastic gun that cost all of $9.90! I was so absorbed playing with the gun that I did not even notice the huge white sheet. My first awareness of the incident was when ma clucked her tongue in displeasure and spat, an action that shocked me. I may only be 5 but the rules and regulations that I have to abide by to live unmolested in Singapore are already deeply ingrained in me. I am supposedly too young to know about smoking but I do know that on no account must I litter or spit. Otherwise I would risk improverishing my family by $500!
So I was very shocked to see ma doing the forbidden thing. My scandalised feelings reached new heights when ma asked me to spit too. I refused. ma hit me on the head but I clung on to my obstinacy. I could not do the bad thing! I would have cried but before I could do that I saw the white sheet on the ground. There were some lumpy things under the white sheet. but there was no opportunity for me to satisfy my curiosity as there was some coloured tape cordoning off the whole area. even more interesting were the policemen on duty in that area. I regarded policemen with a mixture of fear and fascination. I thought that they were very impressive creatures with their smart blue uniforms. But at the same time, they had the power to catch any wrongdoer and throw him into jail. I was scared that one day I might unknowingly become the wrongdoer.
There were 3 policemen there! One of them was standing guard at the edge of the tape, making sure that no one enter the marked off area. Two were standing together, talking. There was a crowd of people gathered at the edge of the tape. I would have liked to join them and stand there longer to observe my heroes but ma dragged me away. At the lift landing, ma ran into Chan Soh, our neighbour 2 doors away. They spoke in Cantonese and the conversation went something like this: 'Who was it?' Ma asked. 'I don't know. I didn't see it myself but they say it is Mrs. Choo's girl, Ai Ling.' ma did not bother to explain who 'they' were. 'Aiyoh, Mrs. Choo must be so sad.' 'Ya lor, but you also know lah, that Ai Ling has been a really wild one. The stories that Mrs. Choo told us. If my Min Min is like that, I think I would be the one to jump!' 'Hush! We shouldn't speak of the you know what like that,' ma said nervously.
Then the lift reached our floor and ma shooed me out and on the way back to the flat, she kept a tight hold on me, so tight that there was a red mark around my wrist after she had let me go. I had no idea what they were talking about. But I knew Ai Ling. I know that the adults did not like her for some reason. Whenever they discussed her, their voices would drop and they would speak in hush hush tones. But Ai Ling had her fans from the younger crowd. My sister and brother were her avid fans. Chieh admired Ai Ling because she thought that Ai Ling was very cool and had great fashion sense. I didn't know why kor thought so highly of Ail Ling but I had seen the way he stared dumbstruck at her sometimes. As for myself, I also like Ai Ling, for the simple reason that she was kind to me. Whenever I ran into her, she would give me a sweet smile and she's one of the prettiest chieh chiehs that I've ever seen. Very often, she would give me some candies too. It's just too bad that ma did not take to her. Sometimes, adults just have the strangest thinking.
But I soon forgot about the confusing behaviour of adults and engrossed myself in my own world where I'm a detective with near clairvoyant powers. My gun was not a typical, run of the mill, made in China plastic pistol; instead, it was a super weapon with impressive powers, one shot from it would set anything, absolutely anything ablaze. If I changed the function, it would blow up the object that it comes into contact with in a powerful blast and so on. As I was busy chasing the baddies in my make believe world, ma was preparing dinner in the kitchen. It was about six in the evening. As usual, at this time, only ma and I were at home. ever since kor started secondary school, he would stay out everyday till seven or eight, occupied with extra lessons, co-curricular activities or project work. Chieh was in the afternoon session, so she too, would only be back after seven. Pa always worked the mid morning to evening shift and he would usually be back around half past seven.
Although there were only two of us in the flat, ma always kept the door open. She said that it was a habit that she had cultivated since her kampung days and that it took too much effort to change. She would further justify her indulgence by reasoning that Singapore was a safe place. Moreover, the metal gate was locked. That particular day was just like any other normal day. Till I felt the ice cold breeze blowing from my back, which was facing the open door. I shivered and looked out of the window, wondering if there was going to be a storm. The sky looked bright enough. Then I turned to the front gate. I don't know why, but I did and I saw Ai Ling Chieh walking past. She turned to look into the house, which delighted but at the same time puzzled me. My joy could be easily explained by my anticipation of a sweet treat. But I was also surprised that she would actually look into my flat. Ai Ling Chieh knew about ma's feelings towards her. So usually, she too, took pains to avoid unnecessary contact with my family. My confectionary encounters with her usually took place when I was playing downstairs with other neighbouring children, unsupervised by our parents as they conducted their own activities upstairs, entrusting the care of the younger children to the older ones.
But now, she was actually looking in. She looked a lot paler than usual. But she was still pretty as ever. Maybe even prettier, for her new found fairness suited her elfin features, making her seem like a fairy princess. She was dressed in short white dress with black, chunky shoes, showing off long, slender legs. I smiled warmly at her. But she didn't smile back at me. Instead, she looked at me pensively and beckoned me to go to her with her finger. I did as she instructed me to. At the gate, she bent down and whispered into my ear, 'Look in the drain.' Her cold breath tickled me and I giggled. At the sound of my laughter, ma come out of the kitchen. She saw me at the gate and asked, 'Who were you talking to, David?' I felt confused. There, Ai Ling chieh was,standing right at the gate, and ma was asking me whom I was talking to. I looked at ma, who was staring unseeingly past, no, through Ai Ling chieh. Then I looked at Ai Ling chieh. She was staring coldly at ma. There definitely was no love lost between these two women.
Ma repeated her question. I had been trained to be obedient to my parents. no matter how absurd the question was, and even if ma was trying to be rude, I had to answer, and answer truthfully. 'It's Ai Ling chieh.' At that, ma recoiled as if I had slapped her on the face. For a second, she looked petrified before her anger took over. She strode towards me and gave me a hard, stinging whack on my thigh. Ai Ling chieh gave her a baleful glance before moving away, down the corridor. I was too preoccupied with my pain to give her further thought. Though I was a little disappointed over the no longer forthcoming treat, my immediate concern was the burning pain in my thigh.
As if that was not enough, ma slapped me hard across my cheek too. 'That's for talking stupid nonsense!' She yelled at me. Despite the pain, I was too stunned to react. Although ma ruled the household with an iron hand, she rarely lost control like this. Before I could decide to cry, she pulled my ear and led me to the altar. Lighting a stick on incense, she thrust it into my hand and commanded me to pray to one of the deities for forgiveness, I can't remember which; they always looked the same to me, menacing and malevolent. 'But I didn't lie, I really spoke to Ai Ling chieh.' I regretted my obstinacy immediately as ma raised her hand to deliver another mind numbing slap across my other cheek. This time, I began to cry. It was really painful! 'OK, ok! Don't beat me anymore, I'll pray!'
I performed the usual rites. As I raised and lowered the incense stick, ma stood beside me and chanted in Cantonese, asking the gods to forgive my stupidity, overlook my ignorance and mischief and to bless me. I'm not stupid. I am only five and the concept of death is still rather alien to me. I know that people die and that after their deaths, they don't come back anymore. I also know about the supernatural, but I do not have a system based on logic, religion or conviction to organize my feelings or knowledge about death. it is all a whirling, hodgepodge of what I have imbibed from the B grade horror flicks that kor always watches on VCD or the ghost stories from my sister's friends. The monster are the baddies; they are the ones who would capture me for some obscure, sinister reason. They are not people whom I know, dead or alive. In fact, it hadn't even clicked in my mind yet that Ai Ling chieh was dead.
But I soon learnt it over the next few days. I could hardly have missed it. Our usually quiet neighbourhood was abuzz with the macabre excitement that follows a scandal. Even then, I was not unduly frightened as the sequence of events did not ring an alarm in me. in the next couple of days following Ai Ling chieh's death, ma did not allow me to go downstairs by myself, leaving me with no chance to act upon what I thought were Ai Ling chieh's last word. my opportunity came when in the evening, after dinner. Pa and ma took us there. Mrs. Choo, Ai Ling chieh's mother, greeted us quietly. Her eyes were red but she was no longer crying. As pa and ma offered her their condolences ans made small talk with her, I wandered to the edge of the drain.
Peering in, I saw a glint in the muddy water (it had been drizzling on and off the last few days). Curious, I bent down and picked it up. It was a ring, made of some substance that looked like gold. Later, I was to learn that it was indeed a gold ring; a Tiffany gold ring on which were engraved two names: Ling and John. At that moment, I was enveloped by a familiar icy sensation. I felt a shadow fall over me. Some intuitive sense warned me and when I saw Ai Ling chieh as I looked up, I was not really surprised. But this time, I knew enough to be afraid. I backed away as she bent down towards me. Looking at the ring in my grubby hand, she said, 'Well done, David. Now remember this telephone number 6566 9898.' I shook my head, screwed up my face and wailed. Some of the adults immediately came to see what the matter was. I pointed to the apparition and shouted, 'Ai Ling chieh! Ai Ling chieh!'
At my words, some of the people looked around uneasily and Mrs. Choo burst into tears. That was when I realised, to my horror, that the others could not see Ai Ling chieh. For some reason unknown to me, I was the only person who could see her. I cast a fearful glance at her. She was looking at me with a mixture of sorrow and pity. But I was too young to decipher her expression. I looked at ma and pleaded, 'Ma, please, she is there. Please make her go away.' Ma was looking thunderously furious. she obviously disbelieved me and was going to whack me real hard when sharp eyed pa said, 'What's that you're holding in your hand, David?' Everybody looked at the ring. Mrs. Choo exclaimed, 'That's Ai Ling's ring! I've seen her wearing it before. Where did you get it from?' 'The drain.' I had no time to explain what had prompted me to go looking in the drain for a ring which I did even know exist before Ma made her apologize to Mrs. Choo and herded us back home. I turned back. Ai Ling chieh still standing on the same spot. She gave me a little smile and said, 'Don't forget, David, the telephone number is 6566 9898.'
The next morning, two policemen came to our flat. I was frightened when I saw them and I just could not remember what I could have done to elicit a visit from them. Then I remembered the spitting incident a few days ago and feared for ma. What would i do if she went to jail? What would any of us in the family do without her?until then, I had never realised the strategic importance of ma's position in the family, how she was our pillar of strength and administrative manager. We could not survive without her. Before I could devise a plan to throw the policemen off her tracks, ma had already invited them in. I looked at her in palm amazement. Was that woman mad or something? Of course it was not as I thought. later, when I had grown up, I learnt that the policemen were beginning to suspect that Ai Ling chieh's death was not suicide. From the autopsy, they knew that she was two months pregnant at the time of her death. Up till that point, the authorities had thought that it was suicide. Until the ring came along.
If Choo Ai Ling had wanted to kill herself, why did she remove the ring before jumping down sixteen floor? How did the ring end up in the drain? And how did a five year old boy manage to find it? The police had come to find answers to their suspicion. They began by asking me some routine questions about myself and my family, warming me up before they popped the critical question, like, 'How did you get the ring?' 'I found it.' 'Where?' 'In the drain downstairs.' 'How did you find it in the drain?' I looked blank, not comprehending the question. 'Did you accidentally look into the drain and find it? or were you playing in the drain when you find it? Or did you hear someone say something about it?' I nodded my head vehemently at his last question. The policemen shot an excited glance at each other before the interrogator asked, 'Who?' 'Ai Ling chieh.'
They sat up even straighter and asked, 'When?' I thought for a moment. 'Last Tuesday.' The man recording wrote this down too, before a puzzled look came onto his face. he referred to some of his notes and shook his head. He looked up and asked me, 'When on Tuesday?' 'At about six o'clock in the evening.' Looking at me sternly, he warned, 'Little boy, you must not lie to the police. If you do that, you'll get into trouble. How could you have heard Choo Ai Ling talk about the ring at 6 p.m. on Tuesday when she jumped to her death on the same morning?' 'But it's true!' I wailed and began to cry, the fears and stress of the last two days overwhelming me. "I saw her again yesterday night. She told me to remember the telephone number 6566 9898.' The policemen looked at each other again. The recorder shrugged and scribbled down the telephone number. Then the man who had been questioning me asked ma who was hugging me then and trying to hush me, 'Does he usually tell lies?'
'No, rarely until the incident. And now that he mentioned it, it was true. That Tuesday, I was cooking in the kitchen when I heard his voice. I usually keep my door open with the gate locked in the evening. I was concerned that he might be talking to a stranger so I came out and queried him. He told me the same thing, the he was talking to Choo Ai Ling. I thought he was playing a prank so I beat him. Do you really think he's been seeing 'those things'?' ma, usually as stoic as a rock, sounded frightened. That didn't make me feel very calm. I clung onto her with a tighter grip. 'I can't say, ma'am. But I can recommend you a psychologist. He might be able to help David.' 'Psychologist? You think my son is xiao!' my mother accused. 'No ma'am. At the moment, we are as much in the dark as anyone else. But if your child claims that he has been seeing Choo Ai Ling after her death, and he's not willfully lying, then you should bring him for a check up, before it is too late.' And with that, he left with his colleague.
Singaporean's police are really efficient. Two days after my interview with the police, the case was solved. Following up on the lead that I provided them with, they trace the telephone number to another girl, Felicia Lim Choon Bin. She was Ai Ling chieh's best friend. Because Ai Ling chieh had such a tumultuous relationship with her mother, who had felt the best way to express her love and concern for her only daughter was to rummage through her belongings in order to keep tab on her affairs, she kept her diary with Felicia. After her death, Felicia had been wondering if she should surrender the diary to Mrs. Choo or the authorities. But she had hesitated as she tried to ascertain what Ai Ling chieh would have wanted her to do. So the decision was thankfully taken out of her hand when the police called on her and asked her what information she had to offer regarding Choo Ai Ling.
And finally, in Ai Ling chieh's diary, the police found the details of her love story with John Eng, the scion of one of Singapore's most prominent and wealthy families. The diary also described how John was unhappy when he learnt about Ai Ling chieh's pregnancy. He had wanted Ai Ling chieh to have an abortion. But Ai Ling chieh had refused. In Ai Ling chieh's last entry in the diary, she had written that she was meeting John at her flat on that fateful morning. John Eng was 'invited' to the police station for questioning. And the truth was out at last. That morning John had wanted to go to Ai Ling chieh's house to discuss her pregnancy. But Ai Ling chieh had refused as she did not want Mrs. Choo, her mother, to know about it. By then, John wanted to end his relationship with Ai Ling chieh so he did not want to be seen out with her. Instead, they decided to go to the highest level in the block, a spot that was usually quiet on a weekday morning.
There, their argument had rapidly heated up till in a moment of pique, Ai Ling chieh removed her ring, which was John's Valentine gift to her, and threw it downstairs. John had insisted upon an abortion. Marriage was out of the question as he felt that he was too young to be tied down with a wife and child. And he did not want Ai Ling chieh to have the baby because he knew that that would give her a claim on his fortune in the future. Unfortunately, Ai Ling chieh refused to go for an abortion. So John tried to manhandle her into going. In the midst of their scuffling, the accident happened. John lost his grip, causing Ai Ling chieh to lose her balance and she fell storeys down to her death. When the story broke out in Singapore, the press had a field day. John was sentenced to jail on charges of manslaughter. As for me, I also had my five minutes of fame. I was hailed in the papers as the boy with second sight, the crucial key without whom the truth would not have been revealed.
After some consideration, ma did make me an appointment with the psychologist recommend by Mr. Policeman. She was immensely relieved when I was pronounced healthy and well in all aspects, except for a somewhat over active imagination. I did see Ai Ling chieh one more time. One night, in the midst of the hullabaloo, I was in bed, exhausted by the day's interviews, on the verge of sleep, when I saw a glow from my slightly opened eyes. Thinking that kor must have switched on the light, I opened my eyes and saw Ai Ling chieh standing before me. This time, she was different. On the previous two occasions that I had seen her, she looked both angry and sad. But now she looked.... at peace. Not only that, this time, she was also luminous, like she was made of some translucent material and there was a fire burning within her. She smiled at me and mouthed 'Thank you' before bursting into many, many little round sparks, all floating upwards and disappearing as they hit the cold cement of the ceiling in my room. For a short moment, it seemed like my room was filled with thousands and thousands of fireflies. And I was not frightened either. Since then, I had never been bothered by any other visitations. Touch wood!
But now, she was actually looking in. She looked a lot paler than usual. But she was still pretty as ever. Maybe even prettier, for her new found fairness suited her elfin features, making her seem like a fairy princess. She was dressed in short white dress with black, chunky shoes, showing off long, slender legs. I smiled warmly at her. But she didn't smile back at me. Instead, she looked at me pensively and beckoned me to go to her with her finger. I did as she instructed me to. At the gate, she bent down and whispered into my ear, 'Look in the drain.' Her cold breath tickled me and I giggled. At the sound of my laughter, ma come out of the kitchen. She saw me at the gate and asked, 'Who were you talking to, David?' I felt confused. There, Ai Ling chieh was,standing right at the gate, and ma was asking me whom I was talking to. I looked at ma, who was staring unseeingly past, no, through Ai Ling chieh. Then I looked at Ai Ling chieh. She was staring coldly at ma. There definitely was no love lost between these two women.
Ma repeated her question. I had been trained to be obedient to my parents. no matter how absurd the question was, and even if ma was trying to be rude, I had to answer, and answer truthfully. 'It's Ai Ling chieh.' At that, ma recoiled as if I had slapped her on the face. For a second, she looked petrified before her anger took over. She strode towards me and gave me a hard, stinging whack on my thigh. Ai Ling chieh gave her a baleful glance before moving away, down the corridor. I was too preoccupied with my pain to give her further thought. Though I was a little disappointed over the no longer forthcoming treat, my immediate concern was the burning pain in my thigh.
As if that was not enough, ma slapped me hard across my cheek too. 'That's for talking stupid nonsense!' She yelled at me. Despite the pain, I was too stunned to react. Although ma ruled the household with an iron hand, she rarely lost control like this. Before I could decide to cry, she pulled my ear and led me to the altar. Lighting a stick on incense, she thrust it into my hand and commanded me to pray to one of the deities for forgiveness, I can't remember which; they always looked the same to me, menacing and malevolent. 'But I didn't lie, I really spoke to Ai Ling chieh.' I regretted my obstinacy immediately as ma raised her hand to deliver another mind numbing slap across my other cheek. This time, I began to cry. It was really painful! 'OK, ok! Don't beat me anymore, I'll pray!'
I performed the usual rites. As I raised and lowered the incense stick, ma stood beside me and chanted in Cantonese, asking the gods to forgive my stupidity, overlook my ignorance and mischief and to bless me. I'm not stupid. I am only five and the concept of death is still rather alien to me. I know that people die and that after their deaths, they don't come back anymore. I also know about the supernatural, but I do not have a system based on logic, religion or conviction to organize my feelings or knowledge about death. it is all a whirling, hodgepodge of what I have imbibed from the B grade horror flicks that kor always watches on VCD or the ghost stories from my sister's friends. The monster are the baddies; they are the ones who would capture me for some obscure, sinister reason. They are not people whom I know, dead or alive. In fact, it hadn't even clicked in my mind yet that Ai Ling chieh was dead.
But I soon learnt it over the next few days. I could hardly have missed it. Our usually quiet neighbourhood was abuzz with the macabre excitement that follows a scandal. Even then, I was not unduly frightened as the sequence of events did not ring an alarm in me. in the next couple of days following Ai Ling chieh's death, ma did not allow me to go downstairs by myself, leaving me with no chance to act upon what I thought were Ai Ling chieh's last word. my opportunity came when in the evening, after dinner. Pa and ma took us there. Mrs. Choo, Ai Ling chieh's mother, greeted us quietly. Her eyes were red but she was no longer crying. As pa and ma offered her their condolences ans made small talk with her, I wandered to the edge of the drain.
Peering in, I saw a glint in the muddy water (it had been drizzling on and off the last few days). Curious, I bent down and picked it up. It was a ring, made of some substance that looked like gold. Later, I was to learn that it was indeed a gold ring; a Tiffany gold ring on which were engraved two names: Ling and John. At that moment, I was enveloped by a familiar icy sensation. I felt a shadow fall over me. Some intuitive sense warned me and when I saw Ai Ling chieh as I looked up, I was not really surprised. But this time, I knew enough to be afraid. I backed away as she bent down towards me. Looking at the ring in my grubby hand, she said, 'Well done, David. Now remember this telephone number 6566 9898.' I shook my head, screwed up my face and wailed. Some of the adults immediately came to see what the matter was. I pointed to the apparition and shouted, 'Ai Ling chieh! Ai Ling chieh!'
At my words, some of the people looked around uneasily and Mrs. Choo burst into tears. That was when I realised, to my horror, that the others could not see Ai Ling chieh. For some reason unknown to me, I was the only person who could see her. I cast a fearful glance at her. She was looking at me with a mixture of sorrow and pity. But I was too young to decipher her expression. I looked at ma and pleaded, 'Ma, please, she is there. Please make her go away.' Ma was looking thunderously furious. she obviously disbelieved me and was going to whack me real hard when sharp eyed pa said, 'What's that you're holding in your hand, David?' Everybody looked at the ring. Mrs. Choo exclaimed, 'That's Ai Ling's ring! I've seen her wearing it before. Where did you get it from?' 'The drain.' I had no time to explain what had prompted me to go looking in the drain for a ring which I did even know exist before Ma made her apologize to Mrs. Choo and herded us back home. I turned back. Ai Ling chieh still standing on the same spot. She gave me a little smile and said, 'Don't forget, David, the telephone number is 6566 9898.'
The next morning, two policemen came to our flat. I was frightened when I saw them and I just could not remember what I could have done to elicit a visit from them. Then I remembered the spitting incident a few days ago and feared for ma. What would i do if she went to jail? What would any of us in the family do without her?until then, I had never realised the strategic importance of ma's position in the family, how she was our pillar of strength and administrative manager. We could not survive without her. Before I could devise a plan to throw the policemen off her tracks, ma had already invited them in. I looked at her in palm amazement. Was that woman mad or something? Of course it was not as I thought. later, when I had grown up, I learnt that the policemen were beginning to suspect that Ai Ling chieh's death was not suicide. From the autopsy, they knew that she was two months pregnant at the time of her death. Up till that point, the authorities had thought that it was suicide. Until the ring came along.
If Choo Ai Ling had wanted to kill herself, why did she remove the ring before jumping down sixteen floor? How did the ring end up in the drain? And how did a five year old boy manage to find it? The police had come to find answers to their suspicion. They began by asking me some routine questions about myself and my family, warming me up before they popped the critical question, like, 'How did you get the ring?' 'I found it.' 'Where?' 'In the drain downstairs.' 'How did you find it in the drain?' I looked blank, not comprehending the question. 'Did you accidentally look into the drain and find it? or were you playing in the drain when you find it? Or did you hear someone say something about it?' I nodded my head vehemently at his last question. The policemen shot an excited glance at each other before the interrogator asked, 'Who?' 'Ai Ling chieh.'
They sat up even straighter and asked, 'When?' I thought for a moment. 'Last Tuesday.' The man recording wrote this down too, before a puzzled look came onto his face. he referred to some of his notes and shook his head. He looked up and asked me, 'When on Tuesday?' 'At about six o'clock in the evening.' Looking at me sternly, he warned, 'Little boy, you must not lie to the police. If you do that, you'll get into trouble. How could you have heard Choo Ai Ling talk about the ring at 6 p.m. on Tuesday when she jumped to her death on the same morning?' 'But it's true!' I wailed and began to cry, the fears and stress of the last two days overwhelming me. "I saw her again yesterday night. She told me to remember the telephone number 6566 9898.' The policemen looked at each other again. The recorder shrugged and scribbled down the telephone number. Then the man who had been questioning me asked ma who was hugging me then and trying to hush me, 'Does he usually tell lies?'
'No, rarely until the incident. And now that he mentioned it, it was true. That Tuesday, I was cooking in the kitchen when I heard his voice. I usually keep my door open with the gate locked in the evening. I was concerned that he might be talking to a stranger so I came out and queried him. He told me the same thing, the he was talking to Choo Ai Ling. I thought he was playing a prank so I beat him. Do you really think he's been seeing 'those things'?' ma, usually as stoic as a rock, sounded frightened. That didn't make me feel very calm. I clung onto her with a tighter grip. 'I can't say, ma'am. But I can recommend you a psychologist. He might be able to help David.' 'Psychologist? You think my son is xiao!' my mother accused. 'No ma'am. At the moment, we are as much in the dark as anyone else. But if your child claims that he has been seeing Choo Ai Ling after her death, and he's not willfully lying, then you should bring him for a check up, before it is too late.' And with that, he left with his colleague.
Singaporean's police are really efficient. Two days after my interview with the police, the case was solved. Following up on the lead that I provided them with, they trace the telephone number to another girl, Felicia Lim Choon Bin. She was Ai Ling chieh's best friend. Because Ai Ling chieh had such a tumultuous relationship with her mother, who had felt the best way to express her love and concern for her only daughter was to rummage through her belongings in order to keep tab on her affairs, she kept her diary with Felicia. After her death, Felicia had been wondering if she should surrender the diary to Mrs. Choo or the authorities. But she had hesitated as she tried to ascertain what Ai Ling chieh would have wanted her to do. So the decision was thankfully taken out of her hand when the police called on her and asked her what information she had to offer regarding Choo Ai Ling.
And finally, in Ai Ling chieh's diary, the police found the details of her love story with John Eng, the scion of one of Singapore's most prominent and wealthy families. The diary also described how John was unhappy when he learnt about Ai Ling chieh's pregnancy. He had wanted Ai Ling chieh to have an abortion. But Ai Ling chieh had refused. In Ai Ling chieh's last entry in the diary, she had written that she was meeting John at her flat on that fateful morning. John Eng was 'invited' to the police station for questioning. And the truth was out at last. That morning John had wanted to go to Ai Ling chieh's house to discuss her pregnancy. But Ai Ling chieh had refused as she did not want Mrs. Choo, her mother, to know about it. By then, John wanted to end his relationship with Ai Ling chieh so he did not want to be seen out with her. Instead, they decided to go to the highest level in the block, a spot that was usually quiet on a weekday morning.
There, their argument had rapidly heated up till in a moment of pique, Ai Ling chieh removed her ring, which was John's Valentine gift to her, and threw it downstairs. John had insisted upon an abortion. Marriage was out of the question as he felt that he was too young to be tied down with a wife and child. And he did not want Ai Ling chieh to have the baby because he knew that that would give her a claim on his fortune in the future. Unfortunately, Ai Ling chieh refused to go for an abortion. So John tried to manhandle her into going. In the midst of their scuffling, the accident happened. John lost his grip, causing Ai Ling chieh to lose her balance and she fell storeys down to her death. When the story broke out in Singapore, the press had a field day. John was sentenced to jail on charges of manslaughter. As for me, I also had my five minutes of fame. I was hailed in the papers as the boy with second sight, the crucial key without whom the truth would not have been revealed.
After some consideration, ma did make me an appointment with the psychologist recommend by Mr. Policeman. She was immensely relieved when I was pronounced healthy and well in all aspects, except for a somewhat over active imagination. I did see Ai Ling chieh one more time. One night, in the midst of the hullabaloo, I was in bed, exhausted by the day's interviews, on the verge of sleep, when I saw a glow from my slightly opened eyes. Thinking that kor must have switched on the light, I opened my eyes and saw Ai Ling chieh standing before me. This time, she was different. On the previous two occasions that I had seen her, she looked both angry and sad. But now she looked.... at peace. Not only that, this time, she was also luminous, like she was made of some translucent material and there was a fire burning within her. She smiled at me and mouthed 'Thank you' before bursting into many, many little round sparks, all floating upwards and disappearing as they hit the cold cement of the ceiling in my room. For a short moment, it seemed like my room was filled with thousands and thousands of fireflies. And I was not frightened either. Since then, I had never been bothered by any other visitations. Touch wood!
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