Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Dancing Balls of Fire
When I first joined the rubber plantation in Taiping,I resided with the plantation Manager.When I was hardly three months there, one late evening the Manager knocked on my door only to be told to witness a ball of fire floating just out side the fenced area of the bungalow.
It appeared around the area just in front of the Manager's window.From there we could see it floating slowly around as it was lifted or carried to waist high level by some one. Only thing scary was there was no one seem to be around assisting it.
The ball of fire was no bigger than a football. All fired up burning brightly.At a glance we had suspected some one was carrying it around but no - no one was present.It just simply floated lightly around without any aids whatsoever.It knocked against the fence once or twice but to no avail as it could not come through it.But as it crushed against the wire netting fence there appeared to be a slight crashing sound though never loud enough to attack any attentions.We saw that.
That ball of fire circle round nearly half an hour or so before it floated away leaving us to marvel and wonder at its sight>Later I was informed the ball of fire dancing around at night were actually minor ghosts.Ghost bred by some "bomohs"who were residing around the vicinity.Those ghost were released in the deep of the evenings to search for food.They roamed about usually in the form of balls of fire and would return "home" once they were satisfied with their outings.Normally these ghosts do not harm any one.
On another occasion about two months later I had another encounter with another ball of fire.One week end I made a trip to town and had to return to the estate that very evening.I arrived at he entrance road leading to the estate past 11,00p.m.The taxi could not send me further as there was a locked railway gate obstructing the way,so I was forced to walk home.
Wah!!! just imagine having to walk the next two miles of laterite road and at night.I have not done that before,that would really be an experience.The whole stretch of road seem very dark but I could still make out the road without much problem as my eye sights were still excellent.Actually it took a lot of guts to endure that long and lonely road at night.
I had at least expected some one would be like me going back so late at night but sad to say there was none available.Initially I bravely walked at quite a steady space.Both sides of the road were old rubber stand.The inter-rows on both sides were covered with thick growth of shrubs and wild rubber seedlings.There was fear of meeting with some wild animals along the way.Wild boars or "musang" were common.Well scared maybe but with no choice I had to struggle on.
Everything around seem so quite except for some crying sounds made by insects and crikets.On the way there were occasion where I stumbled upon some night birds flying about.All these does not frighten me and I surged ahead with half heartedly.Almost half way through my my journey home I suddenly became astonish at the sight of a ball of fire,dancing some twenty meters away from me.
It was the size of a football,kept afloat about waist high from the ground level.It drifted across the laterite road way ahead me.That really shook my guts out of my wits.There was nothing I could do as now I was between the devil and the deep blue sea.Oh,no !!!,I meant that I was half towards home and an equal distance towards the main road.That sinister thing had to be in between me and home.
Fortunately that ball of fire did not drift or advanced towards me.It was on the road for a few seconds before floating into the thick "belukar". Seeing that I decided to make a dash home .There was no choice because should I retreat out to the main road I would end up disastrously with no shelter for the night Taxi were rare at those hours.
Armed with no alternative I decided to make a desperate dash ahead.That night I think I ran the fastest 100 meters of my entire life.I think I ran that under fourteen seconds or so.What a dash really?.In haste I passed the spot where the ball of fire had floated.The ball of fire had gone into the bushes and I did not notice whether it was by the side or because I just surged ahead as fast as I could. Passing every thing without eying side ways to check what were around.
The ball of fire did not come out of its hiding place to frighten me.So within minutes I was safely home at the bungalow.However the lighting were all out as it was almost twelve o'clock already.Having that experience I just went on to my own bed room and rested for the night.It surely was a very tiresome night.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
The Cries Of A Baby On rainy Day
I joined the planting sector in early 1960 just after my school Certificate Examinations.The rubber plantation was situated some ten miles from Taiping town.In actual fact the entrance road to the plantation was 8 miles on the main road from Taiping to Batu Kurau.From the entrance road we had to travel another two miles or so further into the interior on laterite road to reach the plantation proper.
While there I was given a front room of the Manager's bungalow.The Manager occupied the other main bed room.All my life I had never the privilege to have a bed room all to myself.Sleeping alone in a strange,strange rubber plantation really gave some eerie feelings especially the dark dark and silent nights when the lights were all out.
Plantation normally switched off after ten o'clock in the evening.Thereafter I would had to sleep alone.All the windows were opened on all three sides.No mosquitoes could get to me because all of those windows were covered with mosquitoes proof netting.The evening air could still breezed through those netting.
On a rainy night those wind blowing through were really cold.Should the blanket be not thick sufficiently then the evening could damn cold.On rainless nights the singing of insects of all sort could be heard loud and clear.When used to them it sounded pretty nice but the hooting owls give cause for alarm. They sounded like a ghost lurking nearby.Rumours had it that once there was a owl crying at night in the neighborhood could mean that some evil lies around.
Being new planting life I was really scared of them initially.Fear of ghosts maybe but when your position is at stake you just had to bear it,ghost or no ghost.Beggars were no choosers in any case jobs were difficult to come by then.When in such a wretched position the beat option would be to cover without peeping out to find what lies beyond.
I was only there for just about a fortnight when the inevitable happened.That evening as I turned in for bed it was raining cats and dogs.Very heavy rain storm with the strong wind blowing ferociously.It was nearing midnights with all the lights off then.I tried my best to close my eyes but sleep allured me and I could hardly sleep a wink as the wind was quite cold.The extra clothing I put on did not help much.The noise of the rain storm was lashings all round strongly.
There I laid on my bed trying to sleep.Amidst those rainy sound there came suddenly from the distant rambutan trees the cries of a baby.That send a horrible child throught my spine that very minute.Hearing it for the first really scared me.For in that direction of the rambutan trees were no housing - nothing at all except a few rambutan trees,surrounded by some old rubber on one side while the other side was a nursery filled with young rubber seedlings.
No one were living in that direction either.So a cry from a baby r in the middle of a rainy night really frightened me.The baby cried some couple minutes and when those cries subsided I slowly peeped out my blanket.Raising my head with eyes running on the direction those cries came from I could find nothing or saw any movements.The night was pitch dark with rain falling down all round.However the cries of the baby never repeated again that night.That relief me to certain extent,
The next morning I told of my encounter to the Manager.Well,as that was the first time he heard of that he simply shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.Many others too shared his thoughts.That because none of them had heard those cries before.Others belived that those the cries of a baby ghost.Not harmful really as it had not disturbed me either.so allow it be.
Subsequently I herd it on a number of occasion there after especially on rainy nights but I just ignored them.I believed should we not interfere with them they would simply also not disturbed us..Later some one told me that he suspected that some one might had buried a dead baby there,that was why the the crying of the baby existed.The baby could be crying out for the mother.
While there I was given a front room of the Manager's bungalow.The Manager occupied the other main bed room.All my life I had never the privilege to have a bed room all to myself.Sleeping alone in a strange,strange rubber plantation really gave some eerie feelings especially the dark dark and silent nights when the lights were all out.
Plantation normally switched off after ten o'clock in the evening.Thereafter I would had to sleep alone.All the windows were opened on all three sides.No mosquitoes could get to me because all of those windows were covered with mosquitoes proof netting.The evening air could still breezed through those netting.
On a rainy night those wind blowing through were really cold.Should the blanket be not thick sufficiently then the evening could damn cold.On rainless nights the singing of insects of all sort could be heard loud and clear.When used to them it sounded pretty nice but the hooting owls give cause for alarm. They sounded like a ghost lurking nearby.Rumours had it that once there was a owl crying at night in the neighborhood could mean that some evil lies around.
Being new planting life I was really scared of them initially.Fear of ghosts maybe but when your position is at stake you just had to bear it,ghost or no ghost.Beggars were no choosers in any case jobs were difficult to come by then.When in such a wretched position the beat option would be to cover without peeping out to find what lies beyond.
I was only there for just about a fortnight when the inevitable happened.That evening as I turned in for bed it was raining cats and dogs.Very heavy rain storm with the strong wind blowing ferociously.It was nearing midnights with all the lights off then.I tried my best to close my eyes but sleep allured me and I could hardly sleep a wink as the wind was quite cold.The extra clothing I put on did not help much.The noise of the rain storm was lashings all round strongly.
There I laid on my bed trying to sleep.Amidst those rainy sound there came suddenly from the distant rambutan trees the cries of a baby.That send a horrible child throught my spine that very minute.Hearing it for the first really scared me.For in that direction of the rambutan trees were no housing - nothing at all except a few rambutan trees,surrounded by some old rubber on one side while the other side was a nursery filled with young rubber seedlings.
No one were living in that direction either.So a cry from a baby r in the middle of a rainy night really frightened me.The baby cried some couple minutes and when those cries subsided I slowly peeped out my blanket.Raising my head with eyes running on the direction those cries came from I could find nothing or saw any movements.The night was pitch dark with rain falling down all round.However the cries of the baby never repeated again that night.That relief me to certain extent,
The next morning I told of my encounter to the Manager.Well,as that was the first time he heard of that he simply shrugged his shoulders in disbelief.Many others too shared his thoughts.That because none of them had heard those cries before.Others belived that those the cries of a baby ghost.Not harmful really as it had not disturbed me either.so allow it be.
Subsequently I herd it on a number of occasion there after especially on rainy nights but I just ignored them.I believed should we not interfere with them they would simply also not disturbed us..Later some one told me that he suspected that some one might had buried a dead baby there,that was why the the crying of the baby existed.The baby could be crying out for the mother.
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