Honeymoon

Albert and his wife, Mavis, were holiday makers in Kuantan, Malaysia. Both from Australia, Albert had met Mavis at work. Although Mavis was an Australian permanent resident, she had relatives in Malaysia and wanted to take the opportunity to visit them, whilst on honeymoon. The young couple spent their honeymoon, like what most couples. Amidst passion filled nights, they had gone all around the town, exploring batik factories, admiring the intricate handicrafts and the like. By the third day, both were exhausted. Mavis was also not feeling well. In the past few days, she had insisted on eating at the street hawkers outside the hotel, instead of eating in the hotel. Although she claimed that eating out would be a more authentic and flavorful experience, Albert suspected that she was worrying too much about their budget.

Alas, her stomach proved too weak to deal with the unhygienic standards of food preparation and she had come down with food poisoning. In the end, they decided to stay in their hotel room and Mavis shall rest. 'That would be too early anyway Al,' she laughed groggily, as she laid in bed that evening, trying to ignore the ache in her stomach.' I don't think I am going to get up until we have to go home.' 'Well,' Albert said. 'As long as you get better.' He kissed her on the cheek as he pulled the covers up to her chin. She smiled sleepily and muttered something lovingly under her breath. after Mavis had dozed off, Albert decided that he would go for a swim in the hotel pool.

He went into the bathroom and changed into his swimming trunks. As he did, he caught sight of himself in the mirror. He turned to his side, looking at the tell tale signs of a paunch that was building up over the waistband of his trunks. 'Wonder what Mavis saw in me,' he thought, looking at himself. 'That's too many years of oily bacon for breakfast. After he had changed, he threw on a robe and slipped quietly out of his apartment. As he went down, he tried to imagine life without bacon and pizzas. Disappointment greeted him when he arrived at the swimming pool. The gate was locked, and would not opened until seven in the morning. It had struck him as ridiculous, that the pool usage should be restricted in such a manner. He stood there, hesitating whether to climb over the fence or not. However, his reservations fleeted from him as quickly as it had settled in. Seeing no one around, he climbed over the small wooden fence with little effort. Although the lights around the pool were off, underwater lamps lighted the pool. Slipping off his robe, he placed it on the beach chair nearest the pool. As he stepped to the edge of the pool, he dipped his toe in.

Seeing that the temperature was just nice, he walked to the deep end of the pool, and dove into the cool waters. Pulling strong strokes, he swam a few lengths of the pool to work off the excess energy. The water felt good against his skin, and he luxuriated in the feeling. On his third lap, Albert sensed something and looked out of the pool. A woman was standing at the other end of the pool. Without his glasses, Albert could not see her clearly, but he assumed that she had climbed over the small wooden fence, like he did. He continued on his laps. It was only after his tenth lap that he felt that enough energy had been expended. Stopping at the shallow end of the pool, he looked up again. Scanning the pool, his eyes searched for the woman he saw earlier, but she was nowhere to be seen. 'Looking for me?' A sultry voice came from his back. Albert spun around to see a beautiful woman standing in the water behind him. Being closer, Albert could see her more clearly now. He could feel his heart beating more rapidly, for she was stunningly beautiful.

In the dim light of the pool, Albert could see that she was a native Malay. Tendrils of luxuriant hair that was pinned up snaked down and framed her oval face. large almond eyes were looking at him intensely, as her well defined lips were drawn out in a smile especially for him. Albert smiled back, as he felt his blood pump faster. 'Hi,' he grinned. 'Hi. Here on holiday?' She was lounged against the side of the pool, besides the pool lamp. A cloth with an elaborate design, that Albert recognized to be a sarong, clung onto her nubile body. His eyes could not resist roaming all over her, as if it was his hands touching her. 'Uh? Oh yeah,' Albert realized that she was waiting for an answer. As if she knew his discomfort, she giggled while her eyes cast him a sidelong look. 'Alone?' She came closer to him.

Albert try to swallow. She excited him. Even the scent of jasmine that clung to her hair excited him. The flickering light from the underwater lamp accentuated the cleavage in between her full breast. Her question took forever to reach his drugged brain. When it did, it hit him in full force. Pulling his eyes away, Albert stepped backwards unconsciously. 'No, I came with my wife,' he muttered. 'I see,' her smile remained on her face. She trailed a finger along his arm, as she stepped closer to him. 'She doesn't hove to know.' For a long while, Albert was torn between duty and desire. He could feel his blood rushing through his loins, and knew that she could see it too. Eventually, duty won out. Uttering his apologies, he rushed out of the pool. He did not look back. he was afraid that if he did, his resolve would fail him. he did not even bother to pick up hos robe lying in the beach chair. Back in his hotel room, Albert stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower to the coolest setting. Despite the chilly water washing over him, the memory of her touch burned on his mind. It was only fifteen minutes later that Albert stepped out of the shower.

Unable to resist himself, he stepped to the window that overlooked the pool and looked down. She was still swimming in the pool. The sight of her was enough to excite him again. Albert could feel himself wanting to go down to the pool an join her. Quickly, Albert dropped the curtains. Keeping his resolve firmly in mind, he went to Mavis who was peacefully asleep and slipped under covers besides her. In five minutes, he was sound asleep. He dreamt that she came to him in the night. Invitation was written all over her face and her body, without a single stitch of clothing on. As he laid there in bed, he was ready for her. after all, he had spent the entire night thinking of no one but her. When she touched him, he felt as if he was on fire. Just as he was about to make love to her, Mavis appeared in front of him. immediately, guilt swept over him and he awoke.

Albert opened his eyes to see Mavis smiling at him. 'Slept well, darling?' She asked, hugging him. 'Hmm... nope,' he replied, smiling back at her. 'But I know how we can fix that.' At that, he made a grab for her. It was considerably that they left the hotel room for breakfast. By then, Albert had forgotten about the mysterious lady. They spent the entire day visiting Mavis's relatives. Mavis had relatives in the neighboring town. The first meeting with her relatives was awkward, for they were unused to Mavis having a Caucasian husband but the ice soon melted for her relatives were extremely hospitable. Upon their insistence, Albert and Mavis had agreed to stay over at her relatives place for the rest of their honeymoon. Seeing that Mavis was tired, Albert told her to remain with her relatives while he drove back to the hotel alone to get their things. Since the journey was relatively long, it was night when he got back to the hotel.

Along the way, the thought of the mysterious lady surfaced involuntarily in his mind. He wondered whether if she was a tourist staying in the hotel, for he head not seen many single tourists in the hotel. Getting back, he went straight to the receptionist. 'Hi, I would like to know whether if there is a single Malay lady staying in this hotel?' The receptionist looked at him queerly. Albert felt uncomfortable after a while. 'Oh no,' he tried to explain. 'I met her last night...' 'Sir, there are no single Malay lady staying in this hotel,' the receptionist cut in. Albert looked at him, a little surprised. 'Oh perhaps she could be a staff.' 'We have a lot of single Malay ladies among our staff. May I know what is her name?' For a while, Albert wanted to tell the receptionist that he met her in the pool, but held back when he realized that he might get her into trouble for doing so. He knew that he was not supposed to be in the pool that late.

Thanking the receptionist, Albert was still wondering when he saw the mysterious lady, She walked into a lift. Running up to the lift, Albert looked up and note the floor the lift had stopped. Immediately, he got into the adjoining lift and hit the button for the twenty third floor. In the lift ride up, Albert wondered why he was doing this, but as the doors opened, his reservations soon vanished. As the door opened, Albert caught a glimpse of the lady at the end of the corridor just before she disappeared around the corner. Quickly, he dashed out of the lift and ran down the corridor. When he reached the corner, he saw her disappearing into the fire escape. Just as Albert was about to start down the corridor, he felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped. When he recovered, he turned around to see a young Malay bellboy smiling at him. 'may I help you, sir?' The bellboy spoke. Albert looked at his name tag; it read Hamis. 'No, I was just trying to catch someone I know,' Albert smiled, turning to go.

'It is not a good idea, sir,' Hamis said quickly. 'Why?' 'She is not who you think she is,' Hamis explained. 'Come, you'd better go down.' When Hamis said that, disappointment hit Albert. She was already attached. He should have guessed that she  was married, or in the very least attached. he walked back to the lift and hit the button for the lobby. He remembered that the key was still with the reception. As the elevator doors opened, Albert was surprised to see Hamis in the lobby. He was still on the twenty third floor when Albert went down. Extremely curious, Albert went up to Hamis. 'Hi, just wondering, how did you manage to get down so fast/' Albert asked conversationally. 'I'm sorry, sir?' Hamis was extremely polite. 'I saw you on the twenty third floor a while ago, remember? You told me to come down here,' Albert wondered why he did not recall. 'I was here all along, sir.' 

'No, you were on the twenty third floor,' Albert insisted. 'Sir, how did you go to the twenty third floor?' Hamis asked, a little curious. 'The higher floors were closed off, because we get less tourists now during the economic crisis. The lifts serve only the lower floors. No one can go to the higher floors without the key, and only I have the key.' 'Come, I'll show you,' Albert was getting impatient. When he stepped into the lift, Hamis stepped in with him. Albert hit on the twenty third button but it refused to light up. 'I really went up there,' Albert insisted. Hamis took the key car from his pocket and inserted it into a lost on the lift control panel. He them pressed the button for the twenty third floor. This time, it lit up, and the lift jerked as it started climbing. The climb was a slow one. Albert did not recall it being so long. When the doors opened, he stepped out and walked to the end of the corridor. Gesturing to Hamis, he started to explain. 'Okay, I met someone I know and was following her. When I came around the corner, she had just disappeared into the fire escape, when you came and told me to go down.

As he explained, Hamis face turned pale. 'Are you sure it was me you saw?' he asked. Albert nodded. 'Yeah! I saw your name tag.' Hamis reaction was not what Albert had expected. He began to shake, and perspiration appeared on his forehead. He stood there, in a loss, not knowing what to do. A moment later, he stepped into the lift. 'Please come down with me, sir,' he asked. Albert wondered at his strange behavior. inwardly, he was getting worried. 'No, I am not going with you. Please explain to me what is happening,' he insisted. Hamis began to get angry. 'Look, I don't care whether if you follow me down or not. There are only two ways down thi building. One is through this lift, the other is through the same fire escape the pontianak went through earlier,' he uttered the word 'pontianak' in a hoarse whisper.

Albert looked at Hamis. It seemed that something genuine was bothering him. At that moment, Albert decided to take his chances and stepped into the same elevator with him. The lift doors closed and the elevator started its slow descent. Time seemed to drag out within as minutes went past slowly and excruciatingly. At first, Hamis seemed more calm now that they were on their way down. Albert saw that he was in no mood to explain, and decided to leave him alone. He would ask the hotel management later, he thought. However, Albert's thoughts were interrupted when Hamis gave a cry of frustration suddenly and punched the wall of the elevator with his fist. His actions shocked Albert, and he began to worry once more. 'Why did you have to see me up there?' Hamis turned to him and cried. 'What?' Albert was really lost. 'Do you know, the last time someone was seen up on the twenty third floor like that, he died the very next day?' Hamis eyes were wild with fear. 

'Calm down,' Albert tried to soothe him. 'It could be just coincidence.' It was useless. Albert really regretted choosing the lift over the fire escape then. 'I don't care! I don't want to die. I'm going to quit tonight!' At that, Hamis punched the number '5' on the elevator controls. 'Actually, I'm going to the servants lift to pick up my things and run now!' The next few minutes were the longest in Albert's life. When the lift doors finally opened on the fifth floor, Hamis rushed out. When he left Albert heaved a sigh of relief. when the lift finally reached the ground floor, he dropped by the reception to pick up his keys. This time, a different receptionist was tending the counter. A tall Malay receptionist with green eyes was on duty. While waiting for her to retrieve his keys, a question popped into his mind. "What's a pontianak?' He asked curiously. "What?' the startled receptionist looked at him curiously. 'What's a pontianak?' He asked again.

The receptionist laughed, as her eyes darted around the corners nervously. 'Where did you come by that word, sir?' 'Oh, I was up on the 23th floor earlier, and Hamis told me that a lady I saw was a pontianak,' he explained. The receptionist was thoughtful. After a while, she said, Sir, I think you better not stay in the hotel tonight.' At that, she put the key back into the slot. 'Don't ask anymore questions, and leave now. Come back in the morning, and all your questions will be answered.' Albert opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off,' don't worry about the hotel charges. The hotel will not charge you.' Albert was totally mystified. However, he decided that he had enough of strange happening for the night. He turned and walked out. Albert reached his wife very late in the night. By then, she was already asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he slipped into bed quietly. However, sleep evaded him as too many questions filled his mind.

The sleepless night passed slowly. A few hours before dawn, Albert gave up sleeping. Leaving a short not for his wife, he went out and headed back towards the hotel. He reached the hotel an hour after daybreak. After getting his room key from a different receptionist, he went up to his room and started packing. He carried his luggage out into the lobby an hour later, ready to check out. The lift door opened to revealed a few police officers loitering in the lobby. Through the glass door, he could see an ambulance arriving. He glanced around the lobby, and everyone seemed exceptionally solemn. The hotel manager was occupied, talking to some bellboy. Albert waited until he was free and went up to him. 'Hi,' Albert gestured towards the police officers. 'What happened?' "Oh, nothing to worry, sir,' he tried to explain, seeing Albert with his bags. 'One of our employees had fallen into the hotel pool last night. No one knew why or how.'

'Is it Hamis?' Albert asked. The hotel manager nodded. Albert could see the question in his eyes. 'Don't ask me how I know. As far as I'm concerned, there are too many spooky things happened in this hotel that I don't understand. I just want to get out of here. One minute there's a pontianak, next minute there's Hamis. When Albert mentioned pontianak, something flickered in the manager's eyes. However, his face remained impassive. 'I see,' was all that he said. 'What's a pontianak?' Albert asked on a after thought. 'In local folklore, the Malays believed that a pontianak is a female vampire who attacks men and babies only.' Albert face paled when he realized how close to death he had come. Not wanting to remain in the hotel longer than necessary, he bid the manager farewell and went to the reception counter to check out. Halfway through the paperwork, the hotel manager came up to Albert and spoke to him.

'The hotel will not charge you anything.' 'That's exactly what the receptionist said last night,' Albert uttered in surprise. The hotel manager looked at the receptionist with annoyance. Albert saw this and quickly explained. 'No, it's not her. It was a different receptionist. I did not get her name but she's tall and have green eyes. The manager looked at him for a long time before replying. 'We do not have a receptionist with green eyes in our hotel,' he nodded to the girl over the counter. 'She was the only one on duty last night.' When he was finished, Albert said nothing. He simply picked up his bags and walked out of the hotel. All the while, the hair on his neck stood on ends.