A recruit's life is tough and torturing. Though a freshman, he is expected to attain the soldier's discipline as soon as his hair is cut. 'Tekaning' is usually being used by the intructors to instill discipline in the recruits. Beside that, a recruit is also expected to obtain a high level of fitness as the training progresses. Physically weak recruits will enjoy 'special treatment'. It was another routine of chin up sessions before lunch. Ronnie's platoon sergeant, the infamous sadist maniac, has came to see their progress personally. Everybody was trying their best not to anger him.
'Recruit Ronnie Ong! You swine! Call yourself a soldier when you can't even do one single chin up! Might as well wear skirt! This platoon is a bunch of weaklings. How can I expect a hundred percent pass in your IPPT?! All of you drop fifty. Recruit Ong, you drop one hundred! Down!' All eyes were on Ronnie as they carried on their push ups. They were filled with anger. How they wish Ronnie would just disappear from this world. Ronnie, the platoon sissy as he was called, was the weakest in the platoon. 'Sabo King' tittle was honourably given to him as he always get the platoon into trouble. How they hated him. How they detested him. Gradually, he was being isolated by everybody. 'I must pass! I must pass!' Ronnie would always mumble. After that incident before lunch, Ronnie was more determined to prove he was no weakling. He hated to be left alone. Tonight he would give himself extra training. It was Thursday night. The night where the school's rules stated 'No Training'. All recruits and instructors are to be in bed at 2200 hours. Nobody had ever questioned the rulling before and nobody knew the reason behind it. In fact, nobody had ever disobeyed this rule before. However, Ronnie was going to make an exception tonight. It was raining cats and dogs. Ronnie, putting on his physical training attire, waited impatiently for the rain to subside. Just as his eyes were getting heavy, the rain ceased.
'Must do it tonight! Do it or never!' he mumbled as he reluctantly left the warmth of the bed. It was extremely chilling that night, with mist forming around the chin up bar. The effect of the dim light from the cookhouse made the surrounding very eerie. Ronnie shivered... the atmosphere had reminded him of one of the horror scenes in a drama series shown a couple of years back. He remembered how he dared not sleep that night after the show. He was young then. Now, he was a soldier. He must be brave, and besides, such things were non existing. Picking up his courage, he approached the chin up bar. 'Pull! Pull up, useless arms!' In his anxiety and anger, Ronnie failed to realized that his hands were losing grip. In just a split second, he fell, lost his balance and fell headlong onto the curb. Blood flowed profusely from the gash on the forehead. Struggling to stand up, he stumbled and fell into the drain in front. There he laid unconscious... It was rumoured that ever since the fated accident, dogs had gathered around the chin up bar, howling on every Thursday night. It was such a spectacular sight. Dogs from nowhere would surround the shin up bar, like witches surround their pot of magic, howling. Sometimes, they even dance a tribal dance around it. Somebody had once said that it was an evil night. According to him, dogs would only dance around the place where spirits are fierce and revengeful. The more dogs there are, the fiercer the spirit.
A year had passed. The accident was long forgotten. People were using the chin up bar again. The Thursday night ruling was also abolished after a change in command for the military training school. However, one practice still remained. All recruits still do chin ups before every meal. 'C'mon Lee! Two more. Pull!' the platoon cheered on. Recruit Lee tried hard to do the additional chin up. He had needed two more before he could pass his chin up. His done his best, but 'not good enough!' his sergeant would say. 'Recruit Lee! If you fail your IPPT tomorrow, I'll have to put you on remedial training every Saturday until you pass. Is that clear!?' 'Yes! Sergeant! I will pass, sergeant!' How was he going to pass if he failed the chin up station. Sighed, he shook his head and went for lunch. 'I'll do it tonight. When everybody is sleeping, I will still carry on pulling until I can pull six.' Determined, Lee waited for night fall patiently. It was raining heavily after dinner. Lee waited. It was nearly midnight and Lee was about to give up. Suddenly, the rain stopped. It was very strange. Usually rain would subside then come to a stop, slowly. This rain just ceased abruptly as Lee's watch struck twelve.
As quick as lightning, Lee changed. He was determined to carry on. Putting on his shoes, he went down to the chin up bar. Strangely, a mist had formed around the chin up bar. Dogs were howling around it. Stunned at this scene, Lee back up. He was hesitating, when suddenly, a strange mysterious force drew him nearer the chin up bar. The dogs were howling even louder, louder than ever before. Subconsciously, Lee mounted the bar. The dogs were no longer dogs. They were his platoon mates cheering him on. There was an unfamiliar face among them. A face he had never seen before. The face was smiling. 'Pull! Pull up, useless arms!' cried Lee. To his surprise, he could not even do one chin up. He struggled. Angry with himself, he did not realize that he was losing grip. 'Thud!' Lee fell. A pair of hands from somewhere grabbed his feet, gave him a quick jerk and made him fall headlong onto the curb. Blood flowed from his forehead, partially blinding him. 'Damn!' cursed Lee as he clumsily got up his feet. The face was staring at him, grinning. 'Give me hand, will you?' 'No... problem...!' laughing out loud, the ghostly figure of Ronnie pulled Lee down the drain. There Lee laid unconscious. 'Ha! Ha! Ha! Company at last! I'm no longer alone. Ha! Ha! Ha!'
The mist clouded into fog. Laughter heightened. Howling deepened. Dogs from everywhere gathered around the chin up bar, dancing their tribal dance, singing their favourite song. 'What is all this commotion!?' 'Nothing! It's just another Thursday night! Ha! Ha! Ha!'
A year had passed. The accident was long forgotten. People were using the chin up bar again. The Thursday night ruling was also abolished after a change in command for the military training school. However, one practice still remained. All recruits still do chin ups before every meal. 'C'mon Lee! Two more. Pull!' the platoon cheered on. Recruit Lee tried hard to do the additional chin up. He had needed two more before he could pass his chin up. His done his best, but 'not good enough!' his sergeant would say. 'Recruit Lee! If you fail your IPPT tomorrow, I'll have to put you on remedial training every Saturday until you pass. Is that clear!?' 'Yes! Sergeant! I will pass, sergeant!' How was he going to pass if he failed the chin up station. Sighed, he shook his head and went for lunch. 'I'll do it tonight. When everybody is sleeping, I will still carry on pulling until I can pull six.' Determined, Lee waited for night fall patiently. It was raining heavily after dinner. Lee waited. It was nearly midnight and Lee was about to give up. Suddenly, the rain stopped. It was very strange. Usually rain would subside then come to a stop, slowly. This rain just ceased abruptly as Lee's watch struck twelve.
As quick as lightning, Lee changed. He was determined to carry on. Putting on his shoes, he went down to the chin up bar. Strangely, a mist had formed around the chin up bar. Dogs were howling around it. Stunned at this scene, Lee back up. He was hesitating, when suddenly, a strange mysterious force drew him nearer the chin up bar. The dogs were howling even louder, louder than ever before. Subconsciously, Lee mounted the bar. The dogs were no longer dogs. They were his platoon mates cheering him on. There was an unfamiliar face among them. A face he had never seen before. The face was smiling. 'Pull! Pull up, useless arms!' cried Lee. To his surprise, he could not even do one chin up. He struggled. Angry with himself, he did not realize that he was losing grip. 'Thud!' Lee fell. A pair of hands from somewhere grabbed his feet, gave him a quick jerk and made him fall headlong onto the curb. Blood flowed from his forehead, partially blinding him. 'Damn!' cursed Lee as he clumsily got up his feet. The face was staring at him, grinning. 'Give me hand, will you?' 'No... problem...!' laughing out loud, the ghostly figure of Ronnie pulled Lee down the drain. There Lee laid unconscious. 'Ha! Ha! Ha! Company at last! I'm no longer alone. Ha! Ha! Ha!'
The mist clouded into fog. Laughter heightened. Howling deepened. Dogs from everywhere gathered around the chin up bar, dancing their tribal dance, singing their favourite song. 'What is all this commotion!?' 'Nothing! It's just another Thursday night! Ha! Ha! Ha!'
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