Bloody Door

Recruit T M Ang, C'mon. Endure! We're reaching dinner point soon.' 'Yes, sir!' Dragging his feet, Tuo Mei struggled behind the company. Gradually he lagged behind. He began to lose track of the time. Finally, after walking for what he seemed to be miles, the company came to a halt. They had reached their dinner point. The place, the company settled for dinner was a deserted durian plantation, left unattended after the last of the villagers left Pulau Tekong. The trees had then grown wild, with their crowns spreading like a mad man's hair. The abundant leaves formed canopies that they shaded the entire ground, allowing only rays of light to seep through. If one was to look up, he would notice a graceful dance as the gentle breeze touched the leaves. The whole plantation had projected such an air of serenity, in which no other place in Tekong could match. However, unknown to anybody, evil was steadily pushing its way into the plantation as the sun gradually weakened.

Dinner finally arrived, to the joy of the hungry soldiers. Everybody rushed to grab their food, but in an orderly manner. After eating, many just lazed around their confined area designated by their platoon commander. Nobody, except Tuo Mei dared to cross the boundary. Drawn by the mystical look of a gigantic durian tree, the subconscious soldier staggered towards it. With a sigh of relief, he threw his helmet and field pack down, tore apart the straps of his webbing and sank down onto the ground. 'At last! I can sleep!' meanwhile, at another corner of the plantation, the officers had gathered for a meeting. 'PCs we have a problem here. It's Thursday today and it's gonna get dark soon. However, we still have eight click, what's your opinion?' 'Sir, but the school's rule... I think we should wait here, while Encik goes back to call for transport.' As they were discussing and arguing, a sudden creepy feeling touched everybody's hearts. The entire plantation had become silent, dead silent. The crickets and the toads seemed to be gone. Or perhaps they had decided to listen to their conversation instead of participating. The recruits had gathered into groups, looking at each other. The urgency to leave the place become strong. Just then the dark clouds covered the sky like a big piece of blanket, refusing sunlight to enter the plantation. A creepy feeling crawled in.

'C'mon, PCs get your men ready, we'll walk a bit faster and finish the last eight click.' A roll call revealed that everyone was present. Soon, the recruits were pushing their bodies which were totally exhausted forward and fastened their pace. Singing an army song that sounded more like a funeral tune, the company was filled anxiety. Unknown to everybody, recruit Ang Tuo Mei did not join in. Another recruit, Jason who was just discharged from the sickbay, had joined the platoon during roll call. Somehow the mistake was made when Corporal Cheong failed to notice Jason. A cooling sea breeze blew. Enchanting music filled the air, breaking the magical silence of the plantation. Tuo Mei was dreaming. He could not hear his friends singing. All that he heard was the gentle sweet voice calling him. 'I ask my girl, to take a walk, to take a walk...' Slowly the singing faded.

Captain Chia was looking at his watch with anxiety. It was already past eight o'clock. He knew it was getting late and he knew that he must reach camp before the school's bedtime. Therefore, he skipped the intended rest point and pushed his men to walk faster. He had only one intention in mind, that is to reach camp as fast as possible. The thought of camp finally became a vision. They had managed to make it back before the school's bedtime. 'Dari kanan bilang!' commanded Corporal Cheong. 'Twelve and one blank file, corporal!' 'One blank file? Sure? Fall in properly and number off again!' 'Twelve and one blank file, corporal!' shouted the last man in the file. 'Who's not here!?' After glancing at one another, checking their friends, the answer finally came to light. 'Recruit T M Ang is missing, corporal!' 'Corporal! I think I saw him sleeping when I was eating. 'Tuo Mei's buddy exclaimed. 'Hmm... cannot be what. The roll call after dinner was correct, twelve and no blank file.' Corporal Cheong began to probe for information. At last enlightenment was attained. Recruit Jason had messed the roll call. He was not supposed to be in the file during the roll call, as it was only meant for those who were in the original walking strength. furthermore, Jason failed to inform Corporal Cheong, the Duty Instructor of his return before joining the platoon. Thus, this had caused Corporal Cheong to make an error in the platoon's walking strength.

Immediately the matter was made known to Corporal Chia. Just as fast, a search was activated. The whole company was involved. Platoon 3 was assigned to search the durian plantation. 'Tuo Mei!' 'Recruit Ang Tuo Mei!' everybody was shouting at the top of their voice. Panic filled their hearts as they temporarily forgot about their tiredness. Just an anxiety reached climax, winds started howling and leaves rustled violently. The whole plantation suddenly became very much alive. It seemed to be protesting. The commotion created had caused a rumpus. A creepy kind of feeling struck everybody's hearts once again. However, this time it was a stronger one mixed with fear. Suddenly, the wind stopped, and the whole place was silent again. It was too quiet for anybody's comfort. Nobody wanted to shout anymore. Nobody wanted to walk another step. Everybody was staring at one another, dumb stricken. The trees seemed to be stretching out their branches to touch them. 'Okay... uh... guys... let's head back to camp! It's getting late.' Their officer's commanding order warmed their hearts. In just split second, everybody had gathered on the road, ready to get out of the eerie place. Once all were present, the platoon hurried back to camp, joining the rest of the company on their way back. Just as soon as the soldiers stepped out of the plantation, it became alive again with crickets, toads and all kinds of insects that inhabited the area. They seemed to be laughing, perhaps at the cowardice and incompetence of the soldiers.

Tuo Mei was feeling terrible. He could see the lady in in his dream, tearing his flesh, devouring his body. He heard his friends shouting, calling his name, and he had screamed out, using the last bit of strength that he had left. Sadly, nobody heard his painful scream, nor did they notice him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw them leaving, they had left him to die. Tears trickled down as they disappeared out of his sight. 'Company... Ber... hen... ti!' Charlie company had returned. It was almost dawn and everybody was dead tired. How much they had missed their beds and the warmth of their blankets. After dismissal however, 2LT Razali and his instructors followed their recruits to their bunk. They had not ruled out the possibility of Tuo Mei going AWOL. They intended to investigate further. Just when they had gathered the recruits around, a sudden blackout occurred. Mist started forming. It was evolving from Tuo Mei's cupboard. Cold sweat trickled platoon sergeant. 'Who opened that cupboard? Close it!' screamed the platoon sergeant. Too late! Out of nowhere, Tuo Mei's head appeared, resting on his intestines on top of his cupboard. Was it Tuo Mei's head? Nobody was sure. The face was hideous. It seemed as though half of the face was being burnt by acid. The dermis had melted, exposing the red raw flech. Blood was flowing profusely. If one was to look carefully, he could actually differentiate the cheek bones from the flesh. Teeth marks sank deep around his left eye causing blood to ooze out dripping on his intestines. The intestines were coiled like a rattle snake, nicely under the head, with the end part of the colon dangling at the edge of the cupboard. The intestines was red, yet made redder by the bleeding from the wounds on the face. Somehow it seemed to brighten the darkness consumed bunk. In fact, in no time, the entire cupboard stood out, together with the head and the intestines, as it was tainted with blood. The instructors and the recruits as well as everything else in the room had become the background as darkness gradually devoured them. 'All of you deserted me! Left me to die there!' Anger filled his eyes as Tuo Mei stared at every single soul in the room. Suddenly laughter filled the air. His anger had been appeased. Thunderstorm was over, was it? Everybody looked at him in fear. Their hearts were pounding as though they were racing. Nobody were scared out of their wits. Tuo Mei's buddy even uncontrollably urinated in his shorts, as he closed his eyes, trembling. Silence. The devilish laughter had stopped abruptly. A long frightened silence followed, reminding everybody of the extraordinarily quiet plantation. Tuo Mei was now scanning the room, recording each and everyone's expressions. Finally, the pair of eyes rested on Jason, Tuo Mei grinned.

'Revenge! I want revenge!' His words died off, as a monstrous mouth appearing from nowhere tore away the upper half of the head. Tiny pieces of flesh mixed with blood dripped at the corner of the mouth as it sank its teeth into the skull. Blood spurted out from the hollow of the lower part of Tuo Mei's head, creating a bloody fountain. 'I've... a... fare... farewell gift... for you...' cried Tuo Mei in bitter pain. As soon as he finished his words, something dropped on the floor from his colon. It was shit! Suddenly his colon erected, pointing at the startled faces and started spraying, like a machine gun. Nobody managed to survive this ordeal. Screaming and shouting, cursing and swearing, as they tried to wipe their face. They were powerless against him. Nobody even dares to shift his position. They were afraid that this could be just the beginning. Looking at their expressions, Tuo Mei laughed inside the gigantic mouth. He was laughing at their helplessness. The laughing ended as razor sharp teeth sank deep into his skull. 'Grunt! Grunt!' As the mouth gorged down its delicacy, saliva blended with Tuo Mei's blood dripped on the floor. It seemed to be enjoying every bite of this unusual food. Once it was done, it began licking the intestines lovingly, down to the colon. As though it was having oral sex, it began sucking the colon. Saliva dripped from the corner of the mouth. It was enjoying every single moment. Gradually, it sucked and swallowed the whole colon. It was disgusting, so much so that disgusting was too mild a word to be used to describe it. After what seemed to be hours, it finished the entire intestine. A burp followed by a grin ended the show. The mouth was satisfied. Suddenly it disappeared, vanished into thin air. Following that the cupboard door banged, sucking in all the mist, as it shut itself. Instantly, the light came back on.

All eyes were still fixed on Tuo Mei's cupboard. Nobody had yet recovered from the shock. Just then, their eyes caught sight of Tuo Mei's helmet, resting on top of this webbing on top of his cupboard. Nobody said anything. The image of the mouth, and their friend's head and intestines was still in their minds. They had not vanished into thin air. A long silence. 'Okay, everyone... uh... its over. Back to sleep.' The platoon sergeant broke the dreadful silence. Was it over? Or was it just the beginning? He himself was not sure. Nobody was sure. But he knew he had to do something. Slowly but firmly, he walked towards the cupboard. His mind was racing fast, his heart was pounding faster. He mumbled his prayers. He knew deep inside his heart that he could die with just one false move, and marked the end of his career. As he got nearer to the cupboard, he took out his beret from his trousers pocket, flung open the door and put his beret firmly inside the cupboard. lights flickered for a minute or to then returned to normal. He had subdued the demon! The Singapura crest on the beret did its job. Immediately, without thinking he grabbed a lock and locked the door of the cupboard. Then he took the berets of the other instructors and placed them on the cupboard. Everything was peaceful for now.

Report to Brigade Headquarters on Missing Recruit Ang Tuo Mei
Date:     18 June 1980                    Ref:     X/T 666

13 June 1980, Thursday
0730 hours:     Charlie company had gathered in full battle order waiting to start their 24 km road march. Rec T M  Ang of Platoon 3 was experiencing severe headache. He reported to Corporal Cheong, the Duty Instructor for that day. Corporal Cheong encouraged him to participate in the road march and also assured him that he could fall out halfway if his condition got worse.

1200 hours:     Lunch break. Rec T M Ang was feeling dizzy. He informed 2LT Razali, his platoon commander, who suggested a rest before they moved on. He also offered oitment to ease his headache.

1240 hours:     The company proceeded. Rec T M Ang managed to keep up with the company's rear scouts.

1800 hours:     Dinner break. Rec T M Ang complained to 2LT Razali that his head weighed hundreds of tons. He dozed off at a corner.

1830 hours:     Captain Chia, after a meeting with all the platoon commanders, decided to continue with the road march to reach back to camp before lights out.

1850 hours:     A roll call showed that everybody was present. The company set off.

2130 hours:     The company returned camp. Rec T M Ang was found missing. Captain Chia immediately activated the whole company for a search.

14 June 1980, Saturday
0430 hours:     Search considered futile. Captain Chia command the search teams to head back to camp.

0500 hours:     Just before dawn, the platoon commander and the instructors of platoon 3, as well as the recruits witnessed the unusual phenomenon.

0730 hours:     The unusual incident was reported.

0800 hours:     The camp commander activated a 3 day search for Rec T M Ang.

16 June 1980, Monday
1600 hours:     Recruit T M Ang's remains were found dead near a gigantic durian tree.

Comments
It was strange that nobody had noticed the tree when they searched the durian plantation. What they found was only a skeleton with Recruit Ang's identification tag. Further evidence from the uniform the skeleton was wearing and the field pack beside it supported the fact that the skeleton was Recruit Ang Tuo Mei. The extraordinary speed of decomposition cannot be explained.

Conclusion
Classify case under Category X, also unsolved mysterious of Tekong. Fine to remain closed.

It was 14th June 1993, Friday. The time, 0700 hours. Staff sergeant Jason, Charlie company, newly posted Company Sergeant Major was found dead inside the company's lecture room. The room was actually an ex recruit's bunk, the one that brought back memories of Recruit Ang Tuo Mei, thirteen years ago. Staff sergeant Jason died a terrifying death, with his head been separated from his body and his intestines pulled out. It was a sickening sight, with the head resting on the intestines, on the stage. Blood was everywhere, on the walls, the benches and the floor. Upon investigation, the brigade failed to identify the killer. The case was then handed to the civilian police. The lecture room was put out of use. It was bolted and nobody was to use it ever again. They washed most of the blood stains from the room, except the one on the wall. It was very strange as the stain formed an outline of a door.

Thursday Night

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!'

Vengeance

Recruit Edmund Lee kept on running. The 2.4 km run end point was only two hundreds metres away. It was so near but yet seemed so far away. From the distance, he could hear other soldiers cheering him on, screaming 'Hurry up!' and 'Endure!'. Edmund told himself that he could not afford to fail the timing for this 2.4 km endurance run for the consequences of failing would be severe. He had already failed all the other four stations in the Fitness Test and not passing the run would only annoy his superior, 2LT Tan Hin Seng, further.

'You better run faster or you'll get hell from me later!' It was Edmund's Platoon Commander, 2LT Tan. He was all the while running behind Edmund, reprimanding him all the time, in the hope that such scolding would spur him on to run faster. Edmund tried to sprint his way to the end point but his legs resisted. Right from the beginning of the endurance run, he had been feeling spasms of pain in his chest but did not reveal it to anyone, for fear of getting unnecessary scolding. The pain was pushing him from the back. His vision blurred and before he knew it, he blacked out. It was two in the afternoon. The morning Fitness Test proved to be a strenuous one for Edmund. Even though he had fainted before completing the run, he was now certified to be physically fit for further training by the Medical Officer in his camp. Silently, he prepared his equipment for the afternoon's Field Craft training. In a convoy of six military vehicles, the soldiers arrived at the training ground for the days Field Craft training. After being allocated Training site A for the platoon's training, Sergeant Thong organized the soldiers while waiting for the 2LT Tan to give a training lecture to the platoon. The lesson took only ten minutes after which the platoon of forty men was sub divided to be trained under various instructors. Edmund was taken aback when he was told to follow 2LT Tan for his training. He knew that would men the 'hell' as intended for him earlier in the morning.

'Move!' commanded 2LT Tan. All seven in the group tiptoed their way through the jungle, trying to be as tactical as possible in order to avoid discovery by the enemy party who was simulated by the other soldiers. It was then that a clumsy Edmund tripped over a fallen tree trunk. He fell flat onto the ground, his weapon flew out of his hand. Thunderous noises from weapons fired by the enemy shook the whole place. 'All seven of you are dead!' exclaimed a frustrated 2LT TAn. Recruit Edmund was summoned by the officer. He knew he could expect more then mere tribunal this time. True enough, not only was he mercilessly reprimanded, he was rewarded several forms of physical punishment which lasted as long as an hour. It was only when the pent up frustration caused by the clumsy soldier was totally released that 2LT Tan finally let him go. Night fell. For a while, Edmund thought that he would have peace back in the barracks after the days harsh training had ended. But he was wrong! 'You stupid asshole! Because of you we came back so late. If not, we can sleep much earlier already.' Thundered Recruit Lim Ah Kow in fluent Hokkien. Edmund knew he could not argue with this uncouth soldier for that would animate thrashings from him. So he kept mum all the while, listening earnestly to the swearing in the many colourful Hokkien words by Ah Kow. Even then, he was not forgiven.

Edmund was dragged into the toilet by the well built Ah Kow. Trashings were inevitable. It was only after 2 am in the morning that he was allowed to retire to his bed to sleep, with bruises all over his small body. 'Better don't tell sergeant, or else...' Edmund remembered Ah Kow grin as he was warned. The seventh day of the seventh month in the Lunar calendar. An inauspicious day for Sierra company to have a rifle shooting practice for the recruits. Edmund sobbed. He had not shot well for the morning's firing practice and was badly told off by 2LT Tan. For the past two months, he had been fighting a relentless battle within himself. A usually timorous him told himself to give up hope but the stronger side of him refused, telling himself to endure for the sake of his parents. But now, he knew very clearly what his next move was. He gnashed his teeth and proceeded for the afternoon's firing practice. Edmund was now in the firing site, accompanied by his coach, 2LT Tan. He remembered his earlier plans and was determined to carry them out. Suddenly, he flipped up his weapon and aimed it at 2LT Tan, who was standing just ten metres beside him. 2LT Tan was too stunned for words. 'You don't like me and I don't like you. Let me end this thing once and for all.'

Such were the last words he heard. Within the last few second of his mortal being, 2LT Tan thought of his parents, his girlfriend, his ORD date which was just two weeks away, and every other matter... Before long, he felt a surge of immerse pain in the chest. he fell dead on the ground. For the first time in his military life, Edmund revealed a willful and victorious smirk. 'Sorry, mum.' With the weapon butt placed on the ground and the muzzle pointing up his chin, he fired a shot. Blood splattered all over the firing site and both soldiers lay dead in a pool of blood. The ambulance was called for and the Medical Officer sent. Both were evacuated out of the isolated island, back to a hospital in Singapore mainland. But it was too late. The shots had been too accurate and both soldiers died instantaneously. A letter written by Edmund addressed to his parents was found amongst his belongings a few days later...

Dear dad and mum,
I am so lost now. I don't want to die. I want to live on for your sake but I feel so tired in this wretched place. I am sorry to say that I will leave this world earlier than you. Thanks for the love and kindness you have showered me for the past eighteen years of my life. I am very, very sorry.
With regrets,
Your beloved but unfilial son
Edmund

A grand military funeral was held for 2LT Tan Hin Seng. Recruit Edmund Lee was charged by military law for homicide. It was a night when Sierra company was conducting its firing practice. Edmund adjusted his seal silently by the side of the firing chamber, observing the firing of the soldiers who used to be his platoon mates. He was not afraid of being discovered for none of them could see him now. Even if they could, there was nothing they could do to harm him. He felt that it was so unfair even in the darker world, for such lower forms of being as spirits and the dead. That bastard 2LT Tan was given immediate reincarnation after death but Edmund was left a wandering spirit. He resented it all and had decided to return for revenge, on all those who had done him injustice before. Edmund waited patiently for Lim Ah Kow. He knew he had the whole night to himself. The time had come. Ah Kow proned himself comfortably on the ground, waiting for his turn to fire his weapon. With a whirl of his index finger, Edmund made himself visible to Ah Kow. The latter was shocked. What appeared before his eyes was a fleshless and transparent body which he could look through. The emotionless face was that of a familiar person but it was as pale as a white sheet of paper. it was that pair of unblinking murderous eyes that could make him insane.

Ah Kow screamed and told Sergeant Thong what he saw but it was of no use, for no one else could see Edmund except Ah Kow himself. Sergeant Thong, thinking that Ah Kow was trying to play a prank, gave the latter a smack on his head. Ah Kow could take no more of that ghostly sight. He yelled his way out of the firing site. Sergeant Thong, sensing something amiss, ordered the other soldiers to stay foot while he went after the frantic soldier. it was at a bare grass patch that Sergeant Thong found Ah Kow, now lying flat on the ground. It looked as if all his four limbs were pinned down, so that no matter how he struggled, he could not free himself. Being a devoted Taoist, the Sergeant knew what to do next. He took out a talisman which was folded into a triangular shape ans strung through a black string worn around his neck. In a single swift movement, he swept it across his eyes. It was now that he could see that ghastly face of Edmund. Blood was flowing out of those eyes which exhibited nothing but hatred. Sergeant Thong shouted for Edmund to release Ah Kow but his orders fell on deaf ears. With the talisman in his right hand, he dashed towards Edmund who was strangling Ah Kow with both hands. The long and sharp fingernails which were given a black coat of polish piercing through that latter's neck. Sergeant Thong pinned the talisman on the spirit's head. It let out a piercing scream and disappeared into thin air.

'I will be back!' Such were the words which rang through the air. Three other instructors ran to the scene, all armed with weapons, only to see a worn out Sergeant Thong and Recruit Lim lying unconscious on the ground. Both victims were sent to camp's Medical Centre. Two weeks later, Lim Ah Kow was disrupted from National Service and sent to a mental institute as he was found to be incurable. To his colleagues, the incident did not seem to affect Sergeant Thong at all. He appeared to be no different from the past, strong and daring. However, he had quietly requested for a transfer out of Pulau Tekong and was waiting for approval. Well remembering the words 'I'll be back' he hoped that he could get out of the mess by getting out of the wretched island.

Ouija

The ouija board is a board with letters and other signs on it which people try to use for receiving messages from the dead. Of course, most of us many know that there is a Chinese version too which displays Chinese characters instead of letters. Some argue that the Chinese were actually the ones to invent the ouija board and the Caucasians had merely adapted it to suit themselves. However, most seem to treat it more like a game than a serious means of communicating with the dead.

It must be played by three or more people. Some argued that if less than three people participated, it would not work. First of all, those involved have to placed their index finger on a circular marker placed at the centre of the board, usually an inverted saucer with a line drawn down the side. Then, an invitation had to be extended to any spirit in the area. If a spirit takes up the offer, it will began to answer any questions posed by moving the marker to the relevant characters. When the participants decide to end the game, they must invite the spirit to leave the place. The marker would return to the centre of the board to indicate its departure. Throughout the process, the participants must keep their fingers firmly on the marker until the spirit has departed. The story I am about to relate is about this game with the supernatural and why it is sometimes better to leave them alone. Many years ago, a new batch of recruits arrived on Pulau Tekong to do their Basic Military Training. As usual, there was the hustle and bustle of the first day in camp. They were sent to their respective companies and then brought to their bunks where they spent the better half of the day settling in. There was not much to do on the first day and the recruits were advised by their platoon sergeant to rest early as they have a long day ahead the next day. However, as the recruits of a particular company were getting ready for bed, one of their platoon mates produced an ouija board, a gift from his friend during his send off. A few started to gather around him, and soon the entire platoon was huddling together in the middle of the bunk to watch the proceeding. A thoughtful member went to switch off the lights so that the sergeant would think that they were asleep.

Of the entire platoon, there was only space for eight of them to actually squeeze their fingers onto the inverted saucer. They were namely, Toh, Jeremy, Sean, Cheng, Yeo, Sim, Situ and last of all, Malcolm, the owner of the set. He lighted a candle to provide some light, adding to the already eerie atmosphere of the bunk. Malcolm started the ball rolling by inviting a spirit nearby to come forth to answer their questions. He did it in a purposefully dramatic manner, like the Chinese priests in the movies and that invoked a few giggles from his platoon mates. For a while, nothing out of the ordinary happened. The audience looked at each other and burst out laughing. Some of them were even beginning to feel a little silly. When they had all finally managed to regain their composure, Malcolm recited the invitation. When he was halfway through, the saucer on the board began to vibrate. Malcolm stopped midway amidst looks of bewilderment from the observers faces. Malcolm held his breath and posed the first question, 'Spirit, are you with us?' The saucer revolved slowly around the many characters on the board, emitting a soft, rasping sound. Then, it came to a stop on the character 'Yes'. There were gasp from those watching. Toh then asked the next question, 'Are you male or female?'

The saucer moved to the character 'Female'. 'Your name?' Toh asked. The saucer moved to the character 'Siok', then moved to the next character 'Leng' and then became motionless. 'Siok Leng', Toh muttered, 'Your name is Siok Leng'. 'Yes' came the reply. 'My turn! My turn! shouted Jeremy. 'Howold are you?' The saucer shifted again, giving the answer as 'Eighteen'. 'She's eighteen when she died. I wonder how long ago that was,' said Jeremy. 'How long have you been dead/' he asked. The saucer moved steadily and gave the answer as '1932' 'Man, that's a long time ago,' exclaimed Jeremy. Yeo then continued the questioning. 'Where are you from?' he asked. 'Near' was the reply. 'Why does she always answer with such vague terms?' Yeo asked in exasperation. 'Hoe near?' he asked further. This time, the reply was more concise, 'By the river'. 'I know the river!' exclaimed Jeremy. 'It's about 2 kilometres to the east of here. My grandmother even lived there a long time ago. Did you use to live there?' he asked.

'Yes'. 'My turn now', said Cheng. 'What's out sergeant's name?' 'Soo'. 'His full name?' Cheng inquired further. 'Soo Kar Siow', the spirit replied. Suppressed giggles broke out immediately throughout the bunk. 'Soo Kar Siow', someone repeated, 'I'll like to play a few rounds of mahjong with him someday'. They continued asking personal questions about their sergeant, platoon commander and each other. They discovered many hilarious facts; their PF is actually henpecked, and their sergeant goes to Geylang every Saturday, The horde sure had a good laugh at their expenses. Suddenly, the smart Alex among them, Sim, exclaimed, 'Hey, how do I know that its not one of you who has been secretly moving the saucer around, giving us all those ridiculous answers, and here we are, lapping up every single word of it.' 'Why don't you ask the spirit some personal questions about yourself which only you have the answers to?' challenged Malcolm. 'Hey, that's a great idea. Why don't we each ask a personal question about ourselves. That way, we will know that all this game is genuine,' Cheng replied. 'I'll start,' offered Sim. 'What's my baby sister's name?'

The characters showed 'Lim Siew Fang.' 'That's absolutely correct', said Sim, a bit surprised. 'None of you could have possibly known that.' Chen was next in line. 'What's my mom's I/C number?' he asked. The spirit took her time and gave the correct answer, right down to the alphabet at the end. In this manner, each of them took their turn to pose a question, and each time, the spirit managed to give an accurate answer. Finally, all of them were convinced that none of the players were trying to act smart. Malcolm, who was always too curious for his own good, then asked, 'How did you die?' There was an immediate hushed silence. The saucer moved slowly before stopping at the answer 'Violently'. 'Can you be more specific?' Malcolm pursued further. All of them were not prepared for the reply 'Raped and murdered'. The room took on a sombre atmosphere. 'Who did it?' asked Cheng, who was silent all this while. The arrow on the saucer pointed to 'Outsiders'. 'You mean there was more than one?' he asked. 'Five' replied the spirit. 'Man, these people are brutal. They are animals! Where did it happen?' he asked.

Slowly, the saucer indicated the reply 'By the river'. 'When did it happen?' he inquired further. 'Today' it replied. 'Today?' Cheng asked in bewilderment. 'Oh, you mean in 1932? That means that today is actually the anniversary of your death?' 'Yes'. 'What do you mean the people who raped and murdered you were outsiders? Do you mean that they were from somewhere else?' asked Malcolm again. 'Yes', replied the spirit. 'Then, where exactly were they from?' Sean interrupted. The characters indicated 'Mainland'. 'Then, what were they doing here?' he asked. 'Seeking fun', and after a moments hesitation, the spirit added 'and trouble'. Toh then took over the questioning. 'Why did they pick you?' 'Alone' came the reply. 'Why were you alone?' he asked. 'My father's grave' she replied. 'Your father's grave?' Toh pondered. 'You were alone at your father's grave, near the river? Were you there to clean his grave?'

'Yes' she replied. 'So you were at your father's grave when those scoundrels stumbled upon you. They then took you to the river where they took turns raping you?' This time, there was a slight rattling of the saucer, as if the spirit was reluctant to answer the question. It pressed down hard on the board, went around the board, emitting a sharp, screeching sound, before coming back to the character 'Yes'. 'How then they kill you?' asked Jeremy, with a perverse grin on his face. 'Beaten and drowned' was the reply. There was groans of disgust all around. 'Those bastards aren't human', somebody exclaimed. 'Didn't those in your village catch them?' Sim asked in turn. 'They didn't know' she replied. 'Why could they not know?' he asked, genuinely puzzled. 'Body never found' was the reply. 'How come?' he pursued further. 'Cut to pieces and dumped into river' came the reply. Sim immediately felt like vomiting. 'These bastards are really sick', he thought to himself/ 'So those bastards got away scot free?' asked Yeo in anger.

This time, the reply was a quick 'No'. 'What happened to them in the end? Were they sent to prison? But you said that nobody knew?' This time, the saucer moved promptly to the character 'Kill'. 'You mean they were murdered?' he prompted, the atmosphere now deadly serious. Nobody was treating it as a game anymore. 'Yes' replied the spirit. Situ quickly cut in, 'Who did it? How could all five of them be killed?' The instantaneous reply, 'I did', curdled his blood. 'What do you mean you did? You are dead!' This time, the saucer remained stubbornly on the character 'I'. Malcolm was the first to recover from the shock. 'You meant to say that you caused their death, don't you? Just how did you manage to do that?' The spirit seemed to hesitate for a while before answering. 'Unnaturally' was the reply. By then, all of them were scared shitless. 'Let's end this game', said Yeo to the rest, 'its getting was too far'. 'No!' exclaimed Jeremy, with a look of fascination on his face. 'Just how did you manage to do that? They overlooked something that night, didn't they?' he asked the spirit.

'What are you talking about?' interrupted Sim. Jeremy paid no attention to him. Instead, he continued, 'You were wearing something special that night, weren't you? You were wearing something red?' 'Correct' was the reply. 'From head to toe' the spirit continued. 'That's why you were so vengeful, because you were wearing red. But why would you wear red to your father's grave? You had something else up your sleeve, didn't you? You wanted to be noticed, didn't you?' reluctantly, the saucer moved to the answer 'Yes'. 'You knew that those scoundrels were passing by,didn't you? You wanted to be noticed, didn't you?' This time, the saucer swung viciously around the board before stopping on the character 'No'. 'You know you can't lie. You were the one who was trying to have fun, right? Things just got out of hand and you finally got yourself killed, isn't that right?' This time, the saucer did not move an inch. 'So you are not going to deny it anymore, are you?' Jeremy continued. Once again, the spirit refused to answer his question. The group was at a lost for words. The air was thick with apprehension as they sensed the spirit's increasing defiance. They were no longer in the right frame of mint to ask questions, except Jeremy, that was. 'So, how did you manage to get all of them killed, huh? Didn't anybody suspect foul play?' Jeremy asked.

'No' the spirit answered this time. Then, the saucer continued to move, forming the words 'you... are... next'. Suddenly, the saucer went berserk. It began to revolve round and round the board, faster and faster. All of them was trying to keep their fingers on the saucer as it sped around the board. The screeching sound had become deafening. Malcolm was shouting above the din to the rest, 'Don't let go! Whatever you do, don't let go or else we are all dead meat!' Jeremy, who was shocked by the reply of the spirit earlier on, was the first to let go. The others were immediately thrown backwards by a huge force. Some landed on their backs while a few of the others were thrown against the lockers. Malcolm was the first to regain his senses. He half crawled back to the board and, to his relief, saw that the saucer had returned to the center of the board. Apprehensively, he picked up the saucer and flipped it around. A look of terror immediately flashed across his face. There was a solitary drop of blood at the base. He flopped on the concrete floor with a look of resignation. 'We're dead. When you play with the ouija board, you must never release your finger until the spirit has left. Now we are done for. She will never rest until we are all wiped out', he moaned. Reluctantly, the rest of the platoon picked themselves up and returned to their beds. All were fearful of what Malcolm had said. They were especially concerned about Jeremy, whom the spirit had singled out. For the rest of the night, most could not sleep. Those who did had nightmares. Malcolm and a few others even claimed that they had seen the grinning face of a woman starring at them in thin air during one point at night or another. It was a terrifying sight, as there was blood trickling from her eyes and mouth and a bluish tinge in her complexion.

when somebody tried to awoke Jeremy the next morning, he was already stone cold. His face was frozen in a mask of sheer terror. he would never have the chance to tell anybody that he used to have an aunt living on Pulau Tekong with his grandmother, except that she had been missing since she was eighteen.

Deadly Pranks

Nicholas Koh Eng Soon was commissioned exactly a week ago. He would never forget the pride he felt that day. Since then, he was known as 2LT Nicholas Koh instead of being called a cadet for the past ten and a half months. He had gone through so much and he was determined to make full use of his newly gained status. He had only received his posting the day before. He was to report to Pulau Tekong Camp 2 as the new MTO (Military Transport Officer). Nicholas had to admit that he was a little disappointed. He had hoped to be posted to some combat unit as a PC (Platoon Commander), where he could lead his men into battle. Instead, for the rest of his NS career, he would have to be stuck in a transport company, away from all the action. However, he had not forgotten his oath on the first day of his enlistment to do the best in whatever he was assigned to do.

As instructed the day before, he arrived at Changi jetty at a quarter to eight. He was met by a Malay corporal called Ibrahim. Together, they took a ferry from the jetty to their destination. Nicholas had never taken a ferry before in his entire life and the trip was rather interesting to him. He had only been to Pulau Tekong once during his OCS course and they had taken a military RPL, a huge barge like vessel. His impression of the island was limited. He remembered the humid forest and long stretches of tarmac where he and his fellow cadets had trekked. The temperature there was always one or two degree higher then the mainland and the whole island seem to have an air of desolation. Nicholas turned his attention away from his string of thoughts to the waters. Surprisingly, he thoroughly enjoyed the sea breeze and the emerald green of the see. Along the way, the small ferry passed by several large islands and a few kelongs, which Nicholas observed with acute interest. The trip slightly longer than thirty minutes. Upon alighting onto Ladang jetty, the ferry on Pulau Tekong, he was struck immediately by the heatwave. Ibrahim ushered him to a waiting jeep and both of them proceeded to Camp 2.

Nicholas saw that the island was pretty much the same as the last time he was there. Time seems to stand still here on the island. There was the familiar dense vegetation on both sides of the single lane road. The street lamps were the type that could be found on the most rural areas of the mainland, the most unique feature about Pulau Tekong was the absence of traffic lights on all the roads. It was a driver's paradise. After ten minutes ride, they arrived at their destination. Camp 2 was very much like one of those old camp at Changi. The buildings were colonial bungalows of the early twentieth century. They were obviously very old and desperate need of a new coat of paint. Ibrahim parked the vehicle at a corner of the parade square. He then led Nicholas towards a cluster of one storey buidings at the edge of the camp, which were the living quarters for the soldiers. The officers bunk were at the very edge of the group. Nicholas was the one on the extreme left along the row next to the jungle. Surprisingly, the corridor and the drains were well cleaned. The interior of his bunk was also very tidy. It was definitely more spacious than his previous one at OCS. It was approximately the size of a master bedroom in a HDB flat. The room was sparsely furnished with a single metal bed, a study table and a wardrobe. There was a window with wooden shutters near the entrance of the room. There was also a back door, which Ibrahim explained, led to the common toilet behind the building. Nicholas then excused Ibrahim and started to unpack his belongings.

it took him about twenty minutes to unpack all his stuff. It was then that he noticed the rusty old kris hanging above the back door. It had tarnished with age and humidity. Curious, Nicholas took a chair from the desk and placed it at the door before climbing up to removed the kris from its perch. The metal with which the cover was made of was green with oxidization and had stained his hands. It was wet and cold to the touch and he was quite repulsed by the clamminess. With his hand on the elaborately carved handle of the kris, he slowly withdrew the blade from its sheath. To his disgust, a stream of murky and evil smelling liquid which had gathered inside spilled out onto his No.4. He shrank back instinctively and, simultaneously, threw the kris onto the ground before wiping his hands on his pants. Upon impact, the kris broke into two. He then noticed that the blade of the kris had strange inscriptions on it. Whatever it meant, the kris had stirred a sense of uneasiness in Nicholas and he decided to get rid of it. With a broom and dustpan, he swept up the mess and dumped it into the dustbin outside. Nicholas had just changed into a new set of No.4 when there was a knock on the door. He opened the door and there stood a short and wiry Malay. He introduced himself as 1st Sergeant Mohan, the senior vehicle mechanic. He had accidentally discovered the broken kris in the dustbin and had come to find out the cause. Nicholas described the accident and how he had dumped the broken pieces into the bin. He noticed that 1SG Mohan had suddenly turned very pale, as if in shock and was speechless for a moment. When he finally regained some composure, he explained that an officer friend of his used to reside in this same room and had left the kris behind when he was discharged from service.

Somehow, the lack of conviction in 1SG Mohan's statement made Nicholas suspect that he was not telling the whole truth. However, he decided not to pursue the matter as he was already late for an interview with his OC. Captain Lee Yew Hock was a huge disappoinment. His appearance was unimpressive, unlike his instructors in OCS. He was only about thirty plus and was already balding prematurely. He had a slight paunch and a thin moustache which reminded Nicholas of a centipede. He looked more like a hawker in the market than an officer. He shook Nicholas hand half heartedly and started to brief Nicholas on his duties. Nicholas was rather surprised by the amount of work he was assigned to. As the briefing continued, Nicholas realized that he would be covering both their duties. He was then dismissed and brought to his office by a junior clerk. He spent the rest of the morning going through the things in his office and interviewing the few clerks. During lunch, Nicholas had his first chance to visit the cookhouse, which like everything else there, was a disappointment. It was old and dilapidated and baldly in need of renovations. The food looked more fitting for animals and he immediately lost his appetite. At the cookhouse, he also saw 1SG Mohan. The Malay sergeant was with a few colleagues but he kept stealing glances in Nicholas direction. He would then point to Nicholas discreetly and whisper excitedly with his colleagues. Nicholas was rather amused by this. He thought that it may be because he was new and they just needed some time to get used to him.

After lunch, he went back to the office and started doing some paperwork. If fact, he was so occupied by his work that he almost forgot that it was time to knock off. His lazy OC had left the office long before the stipulated time to catch a ferry back to mainland. He was a married personnel and was accustomed to going back to his family a few times a week. The rest of the staff, however, were not allowed to book out during weekdays. As he strolled out of his office into the cool evening air, he saw a group of younger drivers and clerks having a game of soccer on the parade square. They called out for him to join them and he sportingly accepted their offer. After about an hour of vigorous soccer, the group broke up for dinner. This time, Nicholas decided against the cookhouse and joined his men at the canteen. The food there was much better and he enjoyed his dinner thoroughly. They stayed behind after that to chat and to watch TV. Nicholas then noticed 1SG Mohan at a corner of the canteen. he was staring absent mindedly at Nicholas before realizing that he was being watch in return. he immediately looked away and got up to leave. Nicholas was getting irritated by all these but decided not to take any actions for the time being. Something in 1SG Mohan's look frightened him. He looked terrified every time he looked at Nicholas. He was quite curious to know what frightened the obviously experienced sergeant so much when the others were not the least bit intimidated by him. He made a mental note to find that out the next time he saw 1SG Mohan.

After dinner, he took a nice slow stroll back to his quarters. On the way back, as he passed by the other bunks to reach his own at the extreme corner, he found that they were all unoccupied. He remembered vaguely Ibrahim telling him that all the NSF officers had ORDed recently and he was the first to be posted here since. When he reached his door, he let himself in and switched on the light. He peered out of the window at the lighted bunks of the specialists and enlistees some distance away. Sounds of people laughing and talking drifted through his window in the cool night air. He began to feel a sense of loneliness and desolation. he wished, at that very moment, that he was just a junior rank instead of an officer. As an officer, he was taught always to behave in a manner that distinguished himself from the rest of the men. In other words, he had to often keep his distance from them whereas the other ranks were not restricted by such unwritten regulations. After office hours, specialists and enlistees were free to mix with each other without any feelings of restrain. Nicholas could only sigh in desperation. As a recruit, he had hoped to go to Officer Cadet School after his BMT because he had always been consumed by a desire to be superior over everyone else. He had worked hard to achieve that. Now, that he finally had it, he was beginning to have second thoughts. He decided that it was probably a passing phrase and he would get used to it in time.

Nicholas decided to take a nice long shower and retire early for the night. He reached for his towel and toiletries from the wardrobe and proceeded to the toilet from the back door. He was surprised by a draught that hit him the moment he opened the back door. He reasoned that the air at the back could be much colder than the front. There was further humidity in the air, almost a clamminess that made him feel uneasy all over. However, at the shower, the feeling left him as mysteriously as it came. The water was cold, but he did not mind as it helped cool him down in the hot weather. On the way back to his bunk, Nicholas was once again aware of the unsettling feeling he has felt prior to leaving his room. He dismissed it as chills from the cold shower. In his room, he did a bit of reading before going to bed. It was approximately ten thirty. The cold was really getting to Nicholas. He subconsciously pulled the blanket up his neck. Suddenly, a stiff wind blew across his body. It was so chilling that he was rudely awakened. He opened his eyes and then got yet another rude shock. Instead of looking up at the ceiling of his room, he saw the lush, leafy branches of a tree swaying in the wind. he sat up and found himself in the open! There was a door on his left. He was in the damn courtyard outside his back door. Even his bloody bed was there. That certainly ruled out the possibility of sleepwalking, which was never a problem for him.

He looked at his watch and saw that it was four in the morning. In addition to the cold of the morning, he once again felt the chill that he had felt while walking past this exact place earlier on. He quickly jumped out of bed and tested the back door. It was unlocked though he was sure he had locked it before going to bed. It was then that he realized that he could be the victim of a very sick practical joke. He carefully looked around him, but could spot no hidden figures in the shadows. Frustrated, he dragged the bed back through the back door. For the rest of the night, he was so perturbed that he could not get back to sleep. Nicholas got out of bed at first light the next morning. By six, he was dressed and proceeded to the cookhouse for breakfast. Throughout the entire night, he had thought things over and was convinced that someone had played a practical joke on him. The first person that came to his mind who would have a motive for doing so was 1SG Mohan. He believed that the incident of the broken kris must have had offended him more than he had suspected. That must have sparked off the mischief. Hence, he was determined to find 1SG Mohan within the day to force the truth out of him. At the cookhouse, he tried to keep a lookout for 1SG Mohan but failed to find him. After attending his company roll call, Nicholas made his way to the vehicle repair sheds some three hundred metres into the forest at the back of the HQ building. Arriving at the run down shed, which housed all sorts of vehicles in various states of repair, he only managed to find the same group of people that 1SG Mohan had hung out with. He questioned one of them concerning the whereabouts of Mohan and was told that he was running a high fever the night before and was sent to the Medical Center at the other side of the island this morning.

Disappointed that he had failed once again to find the elusive 1SG Mohan, he left a message for Mohan to see him the moment he returns from the Medical Center. Later that same afternoon, Nicholas was informed that 1SG Mohan had been sent to Changi Hospital on the mainland because the Medical Officer had felt that his condition was too serious for the inadequate facilities on the island. The rest of the day passed uneventfully as Nicholas occupied himself with his work. That evening, after dinner and a few drinks at the canteen, Nicholas returned to his room. He decided to put the previous night's incident on hold until Mohan was back. Though he still experienced that awkward feeling on his way to and from the shower, he was no longer as badly disturbed by it as the previous night. It also occurred to him that when he went to the toilet this morning, the feeling was not there. Therefore, he was further convinced that it was just the cold of the night and nothing else. That night, just before he turned in, he double checked the doors and the window to make sure that they were locked. When he went to bed, it had suddenly begun to rain heavily. he had caught a glimpse at the clock on his table. It was midnight. Water was dripping on Nicholas and that had awakened him. He used his palms to wipe away the trickles from his face before opening his eyes. He did not realize that the ceiling was leaking so badly. He was getting frustrated for being disturbed the second night in a row. Until he fully opened his eyes and realize that he was no longer in his room. He was at the exact spot as he was the night before.

The rain had dwindled into a slight drizzle. His entire mattress was almost soaked and his pillow and blanket were wet. Nicholas was furious this time. His watch showed that it was again four in the morning. Whoever had done this was going too far. He sprang out of bed and searched the surrounding area, challenging the responsible party to come out and face him like a man. Still there was nothing but shadows in the rain. Finally, he had to give up and drag his wet bed back into his room. After he had dried himself, he had to make a makeshift bed in a corner with his spare No.4 uniforms. However, the night was so cold that he spent the remainder of the night huddled in his spread of clothes. The next morning, Nicholas went back to his office to inform his OC that his bunk had leaked and he needed the rest of the day off to make some repairs and repack his room, which was a lie of course. His OC was annoyed that he would be shorthanded and grumpily allowed him only the afternoon off. Hence, Nicholas had to struggle to prevent from dozing off after two successive fitful nights. He had also decided to feign ignorance tonight and lead the pranksters into trying their tricks again, while he set a trap to ambush them.

At noon, he was finally allowed to leave the office and return to his bunk. The entire place was isolated at this time of the day. He laid out his bedding to dry in the sun and changed his bedsheet and pillowcases. He spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping in his makeshift bed. When the intruders came again, he thought, he would not hesitate to breaks a few bones. After discovering their identities, he would ask his OC to charge all of them and send them to the Detention Barracks. Then, everyone would know not to mess around with 2LT Nicholas Koh. Nicholas woke up slightly after four in the afternoon, after about three hours of undisturbed sleep. He felt wonderfully fresh, better than he had felt in the last two days anyway. He collected his bedding, which was completely dried by the extra hot Pulau Tekong sun, and proceeded to pack up his room. Slightly after five, he went for dinner at the canteen. He tried to act as normal as he could, all the while keeping a lookout for any suspicious characters, but everybody seemed to be going about their business without paying any special attention to him. Earlier in the day, he had made inquiries and had found the 1SG Mohan was still in hospital. He had to concede that whoever the pranksters were, they were playing it cool and were not giving themselves away. After dinner, he lingered around, all the while trying to detect if anybody was keeping tabs on him. At about nine, he slowly walked back to his bunk. As usual, he got his things and headed for the shower. Once again, he got that distinctive eerie feeling on his way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, he went back to his bunk where he began to get ready for the night.

First of all, Nicholas took out his spare uniform, poncho and other large clothing items. Using the poncho, he covered the shutters of the already closed window. He used the other items to block the slits below the two doors and any other openings that might emit light. He wanted to give the intruders the impression that he had already gone to bed. As he noted that they usually strike at about four in the morning, he decided to keep himself awake until then. That was why he sealed all the openings but kept the lights on. He was afraid that he might doze off if he waited in the dark. Next, he plugged into his earphones, settled in bed with a thick novel and began the long wait. After a desperate struggle to stay awake for the past few hours, the time eventually drew nearer. It was three thirty in the morning, and Nicholas got out of bed quietly. First of all, he switched off all the lights. Then, he slowly and silently took away all the clothing he had used to seal up the room. He then returned to bed with his personal changkol stick by his side. He pulled up his blanket to the neck and continued waiting. It was three forty. After approximately ten minutes, he suddenly sensed sounds of heavy breathing in his room. He was surprised that he did not hear the pranksters come in. He had locked the door although he knew that it could not deter them as they had managed to undo the lock before. However, he did not expect them to be so quiet that he could not even notice them until they were already in the room. He heard them undo the rusty old latch of the back door and the slight creak as it was opened. By then, he had opened his eyes to a slit, and managed to catch a glimpse of four figures in the darkness. He tightened his grip on the changkol stick and watched as they slowly took their places at the four corners of his bed.

Up until then, except for their heavy breathings, these fellows hardly made a noise. Then, he saw them bend over and lift his bed slowly from the ground. With amazing fluidity, the whole procession began to move slowly towards the opened back door. This was the moment Nicholas had been waiting for. He pulled his changkol stick from under his blanket, raised it over his head and swung it sideways at the head of the nearest figure with all his strength. He felt the impact of the stick against the head and the sickening crunch of breaking bones. At the moment of impact, the head was actually scythed from the shoulders of the figure and it flew right across the room. The figure gave such a chilling scream that Nicholas felt his blood freeze in his veins. It was a scream from hell! Then as abruptly as they came, the four figures vanished into thin air altogether, along with the severed head, leaving Nicholas by himself again before he passed out from shock. Nicholas felt someone shaking him by the shoulders. Memories of the previous night began to flood back into his mind. He struggled with the pair of hands gripping him by the shoulders and opened his eyes. He saw the familiar face of 1SG Mohan and immediately relaxed. 1SG Mohan was first to speak. He had returned to camp late last night and had heard that Nicholas was looking for him urgently. he instantly knew the reason. He came to see Nicholas as soon as he had awaken. He has knocked on Nicholas front door for almost a minute and getting no response, came around the back to find the back door open and Nicholas completely knocked out. Mohan then told his tale.

When he was first posted there two years ago, he had became good friends with 2LT Shah, the previous inhabitant of that room. After some time, Shah had confessed to him that the room was actually haunted. The site of the whole camp had previously been a training area for mortar fire. One day, a group of four men had secretly sneaked into the area to pluck some rambutans. Without realizing that they were in there, the exercise begun. Later, the four men were reported to be missing and their badly ravaged bodies were later found in the area, at the exact spot where Nicholas bunk now stood. The spirits of the four men had came back to haunt the place where they died. The previous inhabitants never stayed there for more than a few days. They would request for a change of bunks. However, when Shah had moved in and experienced the haunting, he had gone to see his uncle, who was a bomoh. His uncle gave him the kris which he had blessed through a special ceremony, to keep in his bunk. True to his word, for the remainder of his stay there till he ORDed two weeks ago, Shah never experienced any disturbances again. However, when Nicholas moved in, he broke the blessed kris and Mohan was worried that the disturbance would start again. However, as it has been such a long time since anything strange had happened, Mohan hoped that the spirits were driven away permanently and he saw no sense in worrying Nicholas unnecessarily if that was the case.

He wanted to tell Nicholas the truth at the first sign of any unnatural happenings. Coincidentally, however, he had suddenly become very ill and had been unable to keep an eye on him. That very day, Nicholas had applied for a change of bunk, citing a leaking as the reason. Mohan had helped him move to his new bunk at the other end of the camp and he had not experienced anything strange since then. Some say that perticular bunk still stands but it had long been uninhabited and was used for storage purposes. Those who passed by the back door after dark still complained of a sudden eerie feeling.

Jacob's Ladder

A Light Mist shrouded the two soldiers at the quiet sentry point. A cold breeze whispered past the trees branches waved like giant hairy fingers in the dark of the night. The stars glimmered with the shine of a meat cleaver against the black sky. The night was still, almost unmoving, uneventful. If that was true, the two soldiers would be smiling, laughing if they were in good mood. But, no one does that on sentry night. 'Did you see it?' Salim almost gulped down his words. He gripped his truncheon stick so tightly that the stick almost creaked in protest. Sweat streamed down from under his oversized helmet. he was spindly, had a small head and a small body, and even smaller guts. 'See what?' Cheong whispered. One of the few giants in this batch of recruits in the ITD (Infantry Training Depot), he towered over Salim by more than two heads. Needless to say, he was solidly built and had biceps larger than his small backside. 'If you see nothing, why are you whispering?' Salim glared at Cheong, his eyes narrowed in an effort to see his buddy better in the dark. 'Because you're whispering, lah,' Cheong whispered nonchalantly. 'That's because I saw something.' Salim broke his glare and ran a piece of tissue paper over his forehead. 'Oh, the sickening sweat.' 'What did you see?' 'I don't know. It's not very clear.' 'Then pretend you saw nothing lah.' Cheong pulled Salim towards him. 'Relax, buddy.' 'But, it's our duty to check.' 'Please lah, Salim, don't siow on (take things so seriously), can?' 'But...' 'Sit back and relax lah. Sentry id for you to relax. Talk rooster and sing Karaoke, man.' Salim let loose a string of malay expletives. 'It's talk cock and sing song, blur king Cheong.'

Cheong laughed softly. 'The world is progressing. This must progress too. Be civilized lah.' 'You, eh, really bodoh (stupid), you know.' Salim stabbed a finger at Cheong's helmet. 'Certain things don't progress. Army tradition. 'You see anything?' Cheong asked suddenly. His voice was barely audible. The colours drained from Salim's face. There seemed to be some movement under the trees near the SOC (Standard Obstacles Course). 'I... I think so.' 'I think they're headed in this direction. Stand behind me, 'll challenge them.' 'You... you dare to challenge ghosts?' 'No, I eat ghosts. Of course I challenge ghosts. You understand, as in friend or foe ghosts, lah.' Salim landed a heavy punch on Cheong's bicep and swore. 'You're sick. Don't joke now. I'm in no mood...' 'Shh...' Two shadows were fast approaching. under the pale moonlight and in the heavy mist, they seemed to glide gracefully towards them. Smoke wafted from their bodies as if they had just emerged from a burning hell. Salim squinted his eyes. Their heads seemed big, bald and hard. he had always heard about ghosts in Pulau Tekong, but he didn't expect to see any. No, not tonight, not on Thursday night when no night training is allowed. The school rule was stipulated because the spirits of Tekong roam the land and hunt for preys on Thursday. To find someone to steal a life from.

'Cheong, I'm scared.' Salim stayed behind the weightlifter. 'Relax.' Cheong brandished his truncheon stick, breathed in deeply and bellowed, 'Halt! Friend or foe?' 'G... h... o... s... t... s.' The voices quivered, rising and falling in an eerie minor scale. Two helmeted heads suddenly appeared and floated out from within the mist. Their faces emitted a pale green light. They looked like dead soldiers: probably recruits who had died during their training here. Every year there were stories about recruits dying in Pulau Tekong. Some died after a strenuous run, some committed suicide, and some simply vanished or lost their lives. many know the reason why, but simply keep it to themselves. Salim felt his tongue stiffening like a corpse undergoing rigor mortis. His grip on Cheong's arm tightened and his fingers instinctively dug into Cheong's flesh. The giant shuddered, if not for the pain, it would be for the two ghostly heads. The two heads floated towards them. Now, they were so close Salim could see the anguished look on their faces; both had a cigarette sticking out of their twisted mouths and had for their eyes only the whites without the pupils. The two heads moved unsteadily as if losing their balance. Then, they collided. 'What the fish! Yeo, you can't balance, is it?' 'Ong, how to balance without looking?'

The two men emerged from the mist and grinned at Cheong and Salim. 'You guys are sick!' said Salim, his blood almost boiling. 'Guard duty is to be taken seriously.' 'Don't siow on lah!' The duo said in unison. Yeo wore a pair of black framed spectacles and would have fooled anyone into believing that he was a goody two shoes until one sees his cheeky face. Ong, on the other hand, was born with a serious face: but, when it comes to joking, his dirty jokes always bring the whole house down. 'You two should go fly spider, man,' said Cheong as he gestured the rest to sit down. 'Blur king Cheong! It's if... spider and fly kite,' said Salim, still insistent on using the proper army terms. 'Anything lah.' Cheong dismissed it with a wave of his hand. 'Another boring night, right?' asked Yeo. 'Want to be entertained?' Ong asked eagerly. Lust shone on his eyes. Worries creased Salim's faced. 'Ong, you sure the DO (duty officer) won't charge you two for wandering from your sentry point?' 'Don't worry about Chee Keong. We're like brothers, okay. If he charges me, I'll make him pay the five thousand bucks he owes me. So, sit back, relax and be entertained.' Within minutes, Ong made the group laughed till their sides and jaws ache.

'And then, there was this man who went to this nunnery at night. You know, nuns always have funny habits. Never seen man before what. They have this weird habit of bathing at night as a group... and then, this man, he blur like sotong (squid), wandered into the bathing pool area to bath before the nuns did and... so, he had no place to hide... he acted like a statue and the nuns just...' 'Stop! Stop!' Cheong laughed harder than ever. 'I can't tahan (tolerate) anymore.' 'Me... me too.' Salim rocked from the side to side in laughter. 'Ong, you, damn funny.' 'I know.' Ong wasn't modest about it. Minutes passed as the foursome caught their breaths. Above them, the dark clouds scudded by, stopping to cover the moon. A blanket of darkness moved in to smother the island of Pulau Tekong. Camp 1, where the foursome were seated, became extraordinarily quiet. Three in the morning wasn't a time to make too much noise. Not when the spirits were roaming the land. No one would want their attention, anyway. 'You guys want some ghost stories?' asked Yeo as he adjusted his spectacles. Each of them could feel a tingling sensation creeping up their backs. The silence and the darkness made the atmosphere eerie. Coupled with the cold breeze, the time and place were perfect for something supernatural to come forth. 'You're sick,' said Salim. 'Why frighten ourselves?' 'Come on, buddy Salim,' said Cheong, 'there's no such things as ghosts lah.'

'Oh yes, there are,' said Ong in an ominous sounding tone. 'They're now around us. Listening.' Yep rapped his knuckles on his helmet on the floor. 'They like to hear us talk about them. Just like we like to hear others gossip about other people. They're clever creatures.' 'They were like us once,' Ong chipped in. 'When they die, they travel in their own dimension. From where they are, they can see us. But, we can't see them, unless they let us. Some people with yin yang eyes can see them. And I can see them.' The group held their breaths. 'Don't bull,' said Salim, taking in a deep breath to boost his courage. 'It's true.' Ong looked serious. 'I don't lie about this. I'm one of the few born with this ability.' 'I can prove that,' said Yeo. 'Just now, he saw a lady combing her hair at the top of the Jcaob's ladder.' Salim's eyes froze, looking at Yeo. Cheong grinned. The word 'ghost' didn't exist in his dictionary. He didn't even know what it meant anyway. 'We were strolling at that path,' Yeo pointed into the distance,' and the mist was rather thick there. Then, there was this wind and the branches were waving as if beckoning to us. Then, we heard dogs barking damn hard. All of us know dogs can see things that we can't. And they were barking their heads off at the Jacob's ladder.' 

'And,' Ong continued for Yeo, 'I saw her. We were quite a distance away actually. But, I could see a shadow, a very faint one at the top of the Jacob's ladder. One hand seemed to be straightening her long hair, and the other was busy moving up and down as if combing the hair.' 'Then, the three dogs stopped barking. Suddenly, she was gone.' Yeo looked at the rest. 'I don't know about you guys, but I do believe in ghosts. Ong just proved it to me.' Cheong laughed. 'Come on lah, all these are bullshit.' 'No,' Yeo pursed his lips. 'The atmosphere was real ghostly. The wind, the mist, the dogs barking. All these are associated with their appearances.' Salim remained quiet. Ong looked at him intently. Salim tiled his head to his right. 'What are you looking at?' 'Shh...' Yeo looked worried. 'Ong?' Ong nodded. There was a tinge of fright in his voice. 'Yeo, let's go. We've work to do.' Salim shot a questioning glance at Cheong, and Cheong shrugged his shoulders in reply. 'Take care,' Yeo said as he hurried after Ong. 'Be careful.' 'What was that all about?' Salim asked Cheong as he stood up. 'You ask me, I ask who?' Cheong was now standing beside Salim.

'Ask me.' The duo turned around to see who it was. There was no one there. 'Cheong?' fear ate into Salim's mind. 'G... ghost.' 'Down here, stupid!' The duo looked down and saw the duty officer, Chee Keong, squatting at their feet. 'Good evening, Sir!' The duo stood at attention. The officer stood up and shone his torch at the two recruits. 'It's morning, soldier.' 'Good morning, Sir!' 'Gentlemen, are you trying to be funny? You do sentry by sitting down, is it?' 'No, Sir!' 'How come I saw you two sitting down just now?' 'Because Yeo and Ong came over to chat, Sir,' said Salim. 'So you do sentry talk cock and sing song one, is it?' 'No, Sir!' 'Then, how do you do sentry?' 'Standing up and remaining alert, Sir!' Cheong bellowed. 'Standing up and remaining alert?' 'Yes, Sir!'

'Then, how come you two don't even know when I'm behind you?' Silence. 'You two better give me a f...ing good reason, understand?' 'Yes, Sir' 'So? Start explaining.' Silence. Chee Keong's penetrating eyes burnt into Salim's fright filled ones. The officer had bushy eyebrows and a rather prominent mole at a corner of his mouth. he was a head shorter than Cheong, but was still a giant to Salim nonetheless. 'Never mind. Knock it doen twenty first.' 'Down! One! Two!... Nineteen! Twenty! Permission to recover, Sir!' 'Tell me why you two are not alert. Do you know that if I'm the enemy, you'll both be dead?' 'Yes, Sir!' 'A soldier must always be alert at all times, you understand?' 'Yes, Sir!' 'Bloody hell! You don't always 'yes, Sir!' this and that, and don't listen.' He paused. Salim sneaked a glance at the officer, and found his eyes burning into his.

'What are you looking at, Salim?' 'Nothing, Sir!' 'Not happy with me, is it?' 'No, Sir!' 'Bloody hell! You recruits are damn lucky, you know. Last time, I look at my officer like that, I've to sign three axtras.' 'Yes, Sir!' 'Recover!' 'Thank you, Sir!' The officer circled the two recruits. 'Tell me, gentlemen, how you want to be punished.' Silence. 'You don't think you deserved to be punished, is it?' 'No, Sir!' 'So, you know that you're wrong, right?' 'Yes, Sir!' 'very good. I like responsible soldiers.' Chee Keong paced up and down, thinking. 'I'm going to punish you two according to your weaknesses. You two better tell me the truth. Who lie to me will be charged. Understand?' 'Yes, Sir!' 'Good. Salim, tell me your buddy Cheong's weakness.'

'I... I don't really know, Sir.' 'What do you mean you don't know? You're supposed to know everything about your buddy. You're not going to fight a war together with a stranger.' The officer paused. 'Drop twenty.' Salim did twenty push ups. 'Permission to recover, Sir!' 'Recover!' 'Thank you, Sir! Cheong's weakness is not believing in ghosts.' The officer nodded. 'Cheong, what's Salim's weakness?' 'He's very afraid of ghosts, Sir!' The officer sniggered. 'Salim, you seedless, is it?' 'No, Sir!' 'Very good. You heard about the Jacob's ladder lady?' 'Yes, Sir!' 'She's a nice ghost. I want you to spend the night guarding the Jacob's ladder.' Salim's face turned pale. 'But, Sir...' 'You dare to defy my orders?' 'No, Sir! Yeo and Ong, they also...' 'I didn't see them doing anything wrong. Twenty, Salim.' Chee Keong gave Salim the inverted 'V' sign. Salim did twenty push ups ans stood up after Chee Keong permitted him to do so.

'Double to the Jacob's ladder now! Move!' Salim ran as fast as he could towards the SOC, his torch bobbing up and down. The Jacob's ladder was about two hundred meters away. Visibility was low due to the heavy mist and the moon wasn't in a position to make things any brighter. Salim swore. 'F...! Yeo and Ong get nothing! Cheong gets don't know what! And I get to guard the Jacob's ladder and keep the...' Salim slowed down. Keeping the lady ghost company at this unearthly hour wasn't really his cup of tea. From behind him came his officer's shout. 'Run! I'll spot check later!' Another string of expletives polluted the air, but Salim picked up speed nonetheless. He reached the jacob's ladder two minutes later. From where he was, he couldn't see his officer and Cheong. The mist was real thick here. And the lone wild dog there was getting a little too inquisitive for his comfort. The canine brute sniffed the air and walked towards Salim. He shone his torch at it and the animal flinched. 'Back off, you bitch. Stay away from me.' Salim waved his truncheon stick maliciously at the dog. He felta surge of courage charging into his mind. 'Come any closer, I'll whack the brain juice out of your skull!' The dog regarded Salim with its mournful eyes. Tears were evident in its eyes, and it had a forlon look on its face as if it had lost her puppies.

'Stay away from me.' Salim climbed up the Jacob's ladder backwards. His bottom landed on a rung of log as his feet gave the bottom rung a push. The dog followed, climbing up the rungs one by one. When Salim reached the top rung, a chill ran down his spine and a tingle crept, up at the nape of his neck. As if synchronized with Salim's fear, the wind began to howl and the trees branches went into a frenzied dance. Dead leaves flew up from the ground like spirits breaking free from hell. The mist swirled and the surrounding turned into a vision of surrealistic images. From his left eye's peripheral vision, Salim saw a form materializing. It was a coruscating nuance of black, shimmering at the edge and solidifying in the centre. Slowly, the mass of black took form. A hand appeared first. It was pale like a dead pig's skin. A long white dress, typical of a ghost's, emerged from within the black and flapped softly in the wind. Salim froze, his breath caught in his throat and his torch dropped onto the ground. He couldn't take his eyes away from the thing. Neither could he ran away from it. He was nailed onto the Jacob's ladder like a sacrificial object. The thing really took its time to show itself. long black tresses appeared, followed by a hand which held a wooden comb. The face slowly emerged from the black like a corpse floating to the water surface. She turned to look at Salim. In spite of the surrounding gloom, he could see her quite clearly.

Her smile was so captivating that Salim smiled back in spite of the fear nibbling at the edge of his mind. She had very fine features - small mouth, small nose and a pair of mesmerizing eyes. Her porcelain white complexion accentuated her high cheekbones and provided a beautiful contrast against her jet black tresses. 'Hello,' she said. 'Hah... hah... loh.' Salim placed his hand on his crotch. He was so scared that the urine in his bladder was going to burst forth. 'Don't be scared.' She ran her comb through her hair once. 'I'm a good ghost.' Salim looked at the advancing dog and then at the lady. 'Go, Jess!' The lady waved a hand at the dog. It whimpered, turned and ran off into the distance. 'Sometimes, these rude dogs have to be taught a lesson.' Salim nodded as if he had a robot like neck that needed oiling. His body was so tensed that he panted from the exertion. 'Relax, Salim. Ree-lax... ree-lax...' Salim could feel the words penetrating his brain and triggering some calming chemical reaction. Strangely, his muscles relaxed and he suddenly felt comfortable in the lady's presence. 'Feel better?'

'Yeah.' Salim looked at the lady intently. 'You're very beautiful.' The lady smiled. 'Good ghosts usually look beautiful.' 'You mean not all ghosts are bad?' She covered her mouth with a hand and sniggered. 'People are always so ignorant. Ghosts are just people who died and has not left this world yet. There are good and bad people, why can't there be good and bad ghosts?' 'True.' Salim nodded in agreement. 'But, how can we tell the good and bad ghosts apart?' 'Like I said, good ghosts are usually beautiful. Because of the goodness in them, they take on beautiful forms. Bad ghosts, on the other hand look horrible. Some have long sharp teeth, others have worms growing on their faces, and yet others simply don't look like a ghost.' 'Have you seen any bad ghosts?' 'Yes. They are always around, waiting and searching for an opportunity to steal someone's life. Infact, there's one sitting beside you. She signaled to me to let her have you. I refused her.' Salim looked to his right and saw nothing. 'But, there's...' 'You can't see unless we let you to.' 'And you refused her...' 'Oh that. It's ghost ethics. No ghost is to infringe on the earthly connections of another.'

'Earthly connections?' 'It's a very broad term. It means anything that comes from your world and is preempted by us on a first come first serve basis.' Salim nodded his head even though he didn't understand what she had just said. He shot another glance to his right, and of all the rotten luck in the world, his wasn't particularly good. The bad ghost had decided to show itself, and perhaps fish for some compliments from Salim. 'Hello, handsome.' The she ghost put on her most endearing smile a twisted mouth of misshapened teeth gleaming like little knives. A piece of rotting flesh slid slowly from her temple down to her chin, and dangled like a hangman's bloddy rope. From within her eye sockets, white light flickered. 'Aren't I beautiful?' Scorching vomit surged up Salim's throat and would have sprayed onto the ghost, had Salim not bit his lips. 'Y... yes.' 'Don't you desire me?' The words slurred sexily. Salim would have let loose a string of expletives if the ghost wasn't sitting so close to him. Of all the cursed luck, his must have been run over by the coffin of a car smashed drunkard. 'Yes', the ghost would take him; 'no', the ghost would strangle him. Either way, his life would be drained from him. 'I... I...' Salim turned his head slowly to look at the good ghost. 'Well, handsome?' Impatience was evident in the voice. Even a tinge of threat was coming through.

Needless to say, misfortune usually comes in bulk. For the third time, of all the damned luck in the world, his must have been run over by the coffins of ten car smashed drunkards, with a few dead black cats thrown in for a good bargain. The good ghost was nowhere to be seen! 'Smooth skin.' Salim shuddered as the ghost run her long and sharp fingernails over his face. 'You use Oil of Ulan?' Salim closed his eyes and concentrated on slowing down his heartbeat. God, his heart was beating too fast. There was a shortness of breath. Sweat gathered on his body as much as fear clouded his brain. In his mind's eye, he saw death staring starkly at him. A myriad of colours spun with cyclonic force. Furious red and freezing blue, ragged bolts of blinding yellow and icicles of penetrating black. 'Allah,' Salim muttered. 'Don't act, Salim. You're not a religious man.' He could feel her cold breath on his neck. 'Now that Ling isn't here, you're all mine. Look at me.' Salim held his eyelids shut even tighter. If he looks at that foul creature again, he would die of shattered guts. 'Look at me, look at me now...' The voice dulled Salim's senses. Sound waves of uneven tones and pitch entered his ears and assaulted his brain. Somehow, the cell responded in defiance of Salim's wishes, like glasses shattering due to resonance. His eyes twitched. He could feel the eyelids lifting up and he wasn't even willing it!

'Look at me... look at me.... you desire me.' The voice changed. 'Ling.' Salim looked at the mesmerizing eyes and felt his manhood asserting control over him. 'You're beautiful.' 'Take me.' Ling pulled him over. Coldness merged with Salim's body warmth, and desire reared like a sex starved maniac. 'Feel me.' Salim could feel Ling's hand holding his tenderly. Slowly, she moved his hand to her cheek; then, downwards, to her neck, and further down to her breasts. 'You like?' Salim nodded and grinned like a drunk monkey. 'Then, you'll like my hair.' Salim felt his fingers going through Ling's tresses. 'Smooth?' He nodded. 'Good. Pull them and feel... hmm... good. Pull harder... harder still... PULL!' Salim felt their tearing from Ling's skull, making sound of an rusty zip. He stared at the bunch of torn hair - no, snakes, snakes of grey and black in his hand, and vomited in fear. The bridge between dream and reality had been demolished. Nightmare loomed. Ssss... A snake lashed out at him, and he instinctively leaned back, lost his balance and fell backwards. His helmeted head impacted a rung, knocking the breath out of him. His body followed, and soon he was sliding down the Jacob's ladder, screaming like a lunatic. Vomit burnt his throat and tongue again, erupting from his mouth like a water fountain. His vision blurred, but still he could see Ling's smiling at him. Such an endearing smile, and the sharp teeth that she had.

The bunch of snakes move animatedly like the snakes on Medusa's head. Salim couldn't do anything but look at them wide eyed. His hand seemed to have become a part of it. There was no way that he could will his hand to throw the snakes away, much less squeeze them into pulp. He simply lay on the ground, waiting for his time to end. Ssss... Venom dripped from the snakes tongues like blood from a spirit possessed tap. Somehow, Salim relished the burning sensation on his chest. He even wished for more. 'Enjoying yourself?' Ling had appeared beside him. She placed his head on her thighs and stroke his face. 'Want a kiss?' Salim nodded ans smiled in anticipation of an erotic kiss. 'STOP!' Something snapped in Salim's mind and suddenly, reality washed over him. He saw the evil ghosts rotting face over his and the bunch of snakes in his hand. More from fright than from instinct, he threw the snakes away ans screamed into the face of the she ghost. The rotting flesh dangling from her chin dropped into his mouth, and a bitter taste of dead flies and cockroaches bit into his tongue. Vomit surged and he began to foam.

'Stop it, Ah Huay! Stop, you bad ghost!' In that split second, too fast for the human mind to register, two shadows, one black and one white caught hold of the evil ghost and pulled her away from Salim. For Salim, that time and frame seemed to freeze for eternity. His mind took in the details of the event. each of the spirits wore a tall hat which was matched by a similarly coloured robe. They had very long tongues and deep set eyes. But, what really struck him was the fact that their skin colour was the same as their entire outfit, black for one and white for the other. Ah Huay wailed like a spoilt child who was being pulled away from her doll. Then, the wail died off abruptly like a siren switched off. 'Salim, are you all right?' Ling's tender face came into view. Salim nodded weakly and forced a smile. 'What happened?' Ling help Salim to rest his back on the Jacob's ladder. 'Ah Huay, that bad ghost, tried to rape you and then kill you.' Salim shook his head, trying to clear the dizziness throbbing between his ears. 'But, she looked like you.' 'Illusions, She used her magic to confuse your senses. She took on my form to entice you. In her real form, she wouldn't be desirable to any man.'

'And you left...' 'To look for help. A bad ghost always has much more powerful and evil magic than a good one. I can never outfight her. The two spirits that you saw just now were hei bai wuchang, the black and white hell constables. only they can subdue her.' 'That means you save my life.' 'No,' said Ling as she ran her comd through her hair, 'you're going to save mine.' 'Me?' 'Yes.' At this, sadness shone in Ling's eyes, and tears began to trickled down her face. 'Are you human?' Salim was surprised to see tears on someone who was supposedly long dead. 'I wish I were. But, I'm a ghost, a human gone. I belong to the other dimension.' Salim felt the dizziness clearing and his thoughts became more coherent. 'But, you can cry just like us. And, and you're so like us. How can you not be human?' 'There are some similarities because we're actually the same species. But her the similarities end. Ghosts are humans who died and are stuck. Those who are not would have reincarnated.' 'Stuck?' 'Like me. That's why I need your help.'

'Stuck? Salim said the word again like a broken record. 'my body is buried under the Jacob's ladder. I'm imprisoned under it and I can never reincarnate unless my body is freed from it. Would you help me?' 'Of course.' Salim almost melted from Ling's imploring look. 'But, how did you end up under the ladder?' 'I don't know. It was such a long time ago. My memory of it was gone.' 'How can I help?' 'Simply dig up my body from under the Jacob's ladder. After that I'll be free.' Ling smiled. 'And I'll no longer have to sit on the Jacob's ladder and comb my hair all alone. I can be reincarnated.' 'I'll definitely help you/' 'Thank you, Salim.' Ling kissed him lightly on his cheek. 'I've to report to the hell constables now.' 'Where's your body?' 'I don't know. Promise me you'll definitely find it. Thank you.' And Ling faded off. Salim touched the place where Ling had kissed and felt wetness on it. Tears of sympathy for the ghost had stained his face. 'I promise, Ling. I promise I'll definitely free you.' So saying, Salim struck the earth with his truncheon stick. Helmet off, webbing off, and he was digging the earth furiously. The torch on the ground provided little light, but that didn't worry him. The truncheon stick entered the earth again and again.

'Ling, I'll free you. Don't worry.' Emotions washed over him and tears flowed again. 'Salim!' A voice rang out and a beam of light landed on Salim. It was Cheong. 'What are you doing? Siow ah?' Salim stopped momentarily, looking at Cheong like a busy workman who hates to be interrupted, much less insulted. 'You either help or keep your damn mouth shut.' 'What's wrong, buddy?' Cheong felt as if hie mother had just slapped him for no rhyme or reason. 'You. That's what's wrong. Don't interrupt when I'm doing something important.' 'I don't understand. You're digging for what?' 'Don't ask. Help if you want, but don't waste my time.' 'But...' 'F... you!' And Salim lunged at Cheong with his truncheon stick. Cheong was caught unaware, and the blow landed squarely on his chest. He disarmed Salim and pushed him away, dropping his torch in the event. Like a mad bull, Salim charged again. Cheong leapt forward and surprised Salim with a roundhouse blow at his head. Salim ducked, feinted a right handed upper cut and followed through with a powerful left handed straight punch. The blow connected and forced Cheong to back step.

He groaned in pain. 'Stop, Salim. Why are we fighting?' Salim panted from his exertion. 'Because you're wasting my time.' 'but you're digging as if you're mad.' 'I'm not mad. I'm trying to free Ling.' 'Ling?' 'The Jacob's ladder lady. I must find her body so that she can be reincarnated. Now, you either step aside or help.' The gauntlet was thrown and Salim readied himself for the big fight. His eyes narrowed and his hands tightened into fists, draining blood from the knuckles. 'Help or fight, Cheong?' 'Stop joking lah!' Cheong waved off the challenge and laughed. 'Salim, I didn't know you damn joker, man.' 'I'm not joking!' Salim leapt forth and swung a bone cracking blow at Cheong's stomach. Cheong side stepped, and used his body mass to push Salim onto the ground. The smaller boy fell. 'Salim, are you mad?' Concern was evident in Cheong's voice. 'Are you joking or what?' 'F... you!' And Salim was up and at Cheong. The duo traded blows. A jab caught Cheong at the kidney; not to be outdone, he landed a blow on Salim's shoulder. The smaller boy stumbled a little and leapt at Cheong like a leopard. The force brought Cheong down, and the fight continued with the smaller boy on the top of the bigger. Salim's great strength amazed Cheong, and his gaunt body really belied the tons of muscles and bones he had within him.

'Salim! I'm Cheong!' 'I know.' And the blow knocked the lights out of the bigger boy. 'Stop it, Salim! Are you mad?' It was Yeo. Ong was just behind him. 'What the hell is going on?' 'No one's going to stop me from looking for Ling's body! So, get lost.' 'You're mad,' said Ong. 'No, you all are!' Salim almost snarled. 'Yeo, he may possessed,' whispered Ong. 'Salim's too small to knock Cheong out.' 'Don't whisper, you cowards. Fight me!' Salim dashed forward and tried to down the duo with a wrestler's T shape flying tackle, his two arms outstretched perpendicularly to his body. The duo ducked and countered with a kick at Salim's knees. he fell and soon the two boys were pinning him down by their body weight. 'Let me go, you f... assholes! I've to save Ling! Let me go!' A tear trickled down Ling's face. She was sitting along at the Jacobs' ladder, combing her hair once again. The night breeze was freezing even for her. But, there was nowhere she could go.

Another recruit, as she understood it, had been sent to a place those people called Woodbridge. His name was Salim. But, she couldn't understand why. All she did was only ask for his help, and nothing else. Perhaps, all those recruits had been over zealous to help; so determined were they when they promised her freedom. She sighed. Hopefully, tonight, another man could help her. It was after all another sentry night.