The Lonely Bungalow

In June 1966,I joined Kumpulan Guthrie Sdn.Bhd.,as its probationary assistant.There I was initially placed in charged of its Sengkang Division,Port Dickson.I was given a beautiful,large bungalow as residence.

It was a lonely bungalow far away from all other residences.A beautiful unfenced bungalow.The whole structure was raised about 2' from the ground level,so all my rooms cannot be seen from out side,only I can watched what were outside. All the rooms had bathrooms attached.An excellent house fit for my position.Only thing was I was alone especially during the night.

Being fenceless made it the more scary for a young man like me.I had little or no time to look around during my first few days.During the day there was a gardener attending to the garden.As an Assistant I was advised to secure a cook/servant to prepare my daily food and to clean the bungalow.It seem the Manager would time and again look into all these.

Fortunately the other Assistant was helpful by securing a cook for me.So I had a cook cum servant an old woman who would work during day and return to her home at night.All ths same I had to live alone especially during the night.This will be my first time staying alone all by myself.

The bungalow was large and very comfortable but being alone all the time made it spooky.A lagre house with a large compound,now how do you like that.The nights were silence except for the cries of insects,and an occasional hooting of an owl in the distant.With that the environment seemingly eerie especially during a windy rainy night.

A strong breeze would make some the windows ,creaked ,opened and closed with a huge bang.Being alone I dare not make any attempts to inspect what were making those noises nor dare I venture to close those windows properly to stop from banging away.The lights were off by ten o'clock every evening by the engine driver from the line-site a distance away.The lights will come back the next morning at five.

There some stories of ghosts going round that my bungalow was haunted,and some of the staffs apparently made it known to me that very fact.Well.I needed the job so I just cover myself with my blanket pretending not to hear those spooky and weird sounds of the night.Those ghosts I presumed,were watching me,taking notes of my every steps before they sound their attack.

Somehow I got the time to look around the bungalow and its vicinity.The compound with its flowers were okay but when I look at the well where my water was from.I got a shock of my life.It was filthy and full of dry leaves with a thin film of rust floating on its top.The water level was low and I had consumed and used those water for so many days.

I had intended to clean it before that could ever happened I was transferred out of that division to another.So there goes the lonely bungalow and those ghosts there never had the chance to make fun of me.



to be continued.