HUNT OR HUNTED PART 2

He was totally confused and he had never been in such a situation. The drizzle had turned into a rain but he could still see where he was.
He checked his shotgun and pointed it into the air. He fired a shot and waited. The sound of the shot was loud. He ears hummed and he listened for a reply. There was none. He shouted to his friends and called for help. There was no reply.
The rain was getting heavier and he could barely see twenty metres ahead. He tried to look for some shelter; a tall tree or something better. His hopes were high but a tall tree would attract lightning. He did not want to be struck by the thousand volts from the sky. He was right as lightning flashed and thunder followed. It would be foolish to stay under a tree.
He trudged on and on and hoped to find a shelter of some sort. But in the middle of the jungle who would build a hut or a shed.
He was indeed a lucky man. The jungle was already in darkness but as the lightning flashed, he saw a hut. He could not believe what he saw. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Was it due to his paranoid feeling?
For a second time, the lightning flashed and for a split second he saw the hut again. His heart pounded with excitement as he was sure of what he saw. Was it a trick or an illusion? He was actually running straight towards the hut regardless of who or what built it; regardless of who or what was inside. It would be better than being soaked in the rain and the fear of being struck by lightning.
At the door of the hut he stopped and breathe heavily. It would be impolite to barge in without being invited. Whoever was inside would be offended if someone rushed in unannounced.
He rapped on the flimsy door and waited. There was no reply. He called out aloud because the thunder had muffled the knock on the door; he assumed. He waited again. As he was feeling cold and wet, he could wait any longer. He opened the door slowly and expecting to find the inhabitants shocked but he was relieved as the hut was bare and totally uninhabited. The light emitted from the lightning shot through the cracks on the walls and the roof. He was now sure that the hut was indeed empty.
He felt a sense of relief as he could get some shelter away from the rain. He would explain to the owner later when he returned later; he thought to himself.
He switched on his torch light and surveyed the empty hut. It was indeed vacant except for the floor that was littered with dried leaves and branches. Not a single piece of furniture was seen. The only sign of use was a small blackened patch of branches that had been used for a fire. That gave him an idea. He gathered the leaves and the branches and twigs that were in the hut.
Then he took out his box of matches; luckily they were wrapped in a container so it was still dry. He struck a match and made a small fire. Next he removed his jacket and shirt and dried them near the fire. It was warm and he gave out a sigh of relief.
But, sad to say, that sigh of relief was a short one. Read on.

HUNT OR HUNTED PART 1

My Standard 4 class teacher, Mr. Hong Eng Kooi, was a great story teller and he had the knack of making the class attentive and interested even when it was dark and rainy. When the evening was dark and windy, we knew that Mr. Hong would have a tale for us. It was because teaching and learning was impossible with the rain splashing in through the open windows and the lightning and thunder making us lose concentration.
One evening, the sky was threatening and the clouds were building up in the horizon. Mr. Hong, asked us to keep our stuff into our bags and move the desks and chairs to the middle of the classroom. From experience, we knew that the rain water would splash into the classroom through the open windows. Our windows were bare except for the iron mesh across it.
We were excited because we knew that there would be a tale; short or long, it would not matter as long as we could listen to some eerie or frightening tale. Mr. Hong seemed to have a handful of such tales.
When everybody was gathered in the centre of the classroom, he told us a strange but true tale. After the tale, I leave it to you to decide of its legitimacy.
He came from Sitiawan, a town you would pass through on your way to Lumut. If you want to buy preserved cuttlefish or dried prawns, you can find them here. And if you want to savour fresh seafood, you are in luck here.
At time he was an avid hunter just like many folks in Sitiawan. Many of them had licences to go hunting in the jungles nearby. As planned, Mr. Hong agreed to meet the usual friends at the edge of the jungle one Saturday evening. He had packed an array of light snack of coffee, biscuits and some tidbits. Of course he had his shotgun, a hunting knife, a box of matches and a torchlight.
At the usual meeting place, he met the other three buddies. After the usual greetings and exchange of the latest happenings, they started their walk into the jungle. The weather was fine with a clear sunny sky. It was around 3 o’clock so they had a few hours before sunset. That was what they wanted; to be able to see the animals in the jungle.
They moved quietly and only whispering occasionally. They had a strange feeling; the jungle was as quiet as a graveyard. Normally, they could hear chirping of birds and the call of some animals. But that evening was abnormal indeed. Everything seemed odd and even the breeze was not felt. The leaves were still and the only sound was the footsteps on dried leaves and occasionally the breaking of twigs.
Their hopes were not dampened and they expected a change of luck later in the deeper part of the jungle. After about half an hour it was still the same. So they decided to break up and go separate ways. Maybe this would be better as they could move silently without disturbing the inhabitants in the jungle. Each took one direction and promised to meet the next morning at the foot of the tallest tree.
Mr. Hong moved quietly and stealthily among the bushes and listened with all ears for any sounds to indicate the presence of animals. He was disappointed but nevertheless he trudged on. By then the sky had turned dark suddenly and thick dark clouds gathered above indicating the great possibility of a thunderstorm.
After a few minutes, a light drizzle had started and Mr. Hong felt that he was lost and he could not see the tall tree they had indicated. He panicked and started going around in circles. This was because after walking for a few minutes, he was back at the same spot. He was totally out of his wits.
As an experienced hunter, the only way to get help was climb up a tree and look around. He did that but that was of no help. The next thing was to yell and call for help. He tried that but there was no reply. The jungle seemed to have enveloped him and his call seemed to echo off.
If you are in such a situation, what would your next course of action be.

The Boy On The Hill

Have you ever been alone in a quiet and distant place. I do not mean a dream or your imagination but a real experience. If you have experienced it, I can bet you would have cringed and shivered at the thought and chills still travel down your spine.
As a kid and the eldest of the siblings, I would usually accompany my parents to the vegetable farm especially during weekends or school holidays. It was my duty as the eldest to help out in the family chores. I was quite timid and naïve then.
One such place was a plot of land on top of a low hill.where the trees and bushes were cleared It was planted with chilli plants. This hill was a short distance from the actual farm where my parents planted the other stuff like spinach, cucumbers, long beans and lady’s fingers. My dad, mum and the other siblings (girls) were there to help pluck and pack the vegetables into the baskets.
As a boy, I was asked to carry out my task alone. I had to carry a four-gallon container to collect or pluck the ripe and red chillies from the hill. I dreaded the chore not because of having to do it alone but for another reason. Let me explain in detail.
As I have mentioned earlier, the hill was a short distance from the actual farm. If you had shouted the sound of your shout would not be able to reach the others. Furthermore, from the top of the hill, I could see the Chinese graveyard. I could even see the tombstones sticking out of the ground. Can you imagine the situation?
With the container, I walked reluctantly to the hill. I opened the wooden gate and climbed the hill. I tried to make some noise by beating or hitting the container. I also used a stick to beat the tall grasses in case a snake should be hiding there.
I moved from one chilli plant to another to pluck the red and ripe chillies. The chilli plants were planted in rows so I had to move from one row to another. I kept my ears pricked to pick out any unusual sound. The chirping of birds were distant and it gave me a sense of comfort. Sometimes, strange sounds could be heard. Maybe it was imagination or my fear that I thought I heard footsteps of something. I could even hear whispers and other strange sounds.
Whenever I heard a strange sound my heart started to beat faster and my breathing became heavier. I assured myself that it was my own breathing and nothing else. I stopped and looked around. When I was sure there was nothing, I moved faster and collected the chillies. I did not dare to stare at the tombstones that were located a short distance away. I feared that I would see the things associated with the dead.
I could see my parents every now and then but to shout at them was useless. They would not be able to see me. Still I had to complete the little task. So on and on I moved from row to row of the chilli plants. I plucked them as swift as I could. When I reached the last row, my heart beat faster and I became even more excited. I knew that the end of the fearful task was to end soon.
I plucked the last of the chillies and carried the container and walked down the hill. After closing the flimsy wooden gate, I walked quickly from the dreadful place. I reached the farm and showed my parents the collection. They smiled and asked me to have a snack before I help in other chores.
I shall never be able to remove the scene from my memory. It was a blessing in disguise because I have learnt to braver and my parents believe that it was a part of training to face the future and to be independent

Our Faithful Dog

As I said earlier dogs can be faithful, protective and understanding. They know how to obey and be loyal to their owners if they are treated well and loved.
There was one particular incident that we had never expected. It was truly a show of true grit, bravery and courage.
We were all having our dinner at about 8.00 pm. I was in the primary school; probably in standard 3.
During that time, we normally had our dinner at 8.00 pm. The reason was simple. My mum or my grandma who would prepare our meals also had to help out in the vegetable farm. So after returning home, it was quite late. Only then would they prepare dinner. As kids then we would normally prepare the rice at about 6.00 pm. The dishes would be prepared when my mum or grandma returned. The dinners were late but all of us enjoyed the meals together. That is why I strongly believe the saying ‘a family that eats together, stays together’. Even now that we are all married and we have our own families, our relationship is strong as a rock. Incidentally, I had 5 other siblings.
So, let us get back to the dinner. Normally our dog would wait for us to finish our dinner and then he would have his share with any left-overs of the dinner. He would never bark or make a fuss about his late dinner.
That particular night, he was barking furiously and seemed out of control. He was barking; not as us but at something or somebody.
We all thought that some intruder had invaded his territory. Or it was a stray dog outside the compound.
My dad and mum shouted at him to make him quiet but the din was worse. It was unbelievable. So all of us left the table and went out to check the disturbance. He was looking and barking at the side wooden wall of the house. My father suspected something amiss. He got his torchlight and aimed the light at the source of the annoyance.
We saw a hole at the base of the wooden wall. My mum immediately suspected a snake was hiding in the hole. Her intuition was correct. She asked my grandma to quickly boil a pot of water while we all kept watch in case the snake slithered away.
We kept ourselves at a distance because we were inexperienced in such matters. My dad and my mum got long rattan rods that were kept for such purposes. They held them ready in their hands.
After a few minutes, my grandma returned with a pot of boiling water. My mum took the pot carefully and with precision poured the steaming water into the hole. She quickly backed away. My dad was ready with the rattan rod in hand. We being naïve moved closer but were shouted at to move backwards.
From the light, we saw something emerging from the hole. The dog was even more excited at the sight of the snake. My grandpa held him tightly. It slithered quickly out of the hole and tried to get away. If not for my grandpa who had held him tightly, our dog would have pounded and fought with the creature.
The snake apparently in pain due to the onslaught of the boiling water slithered and wriggled away. My dad moved as quick as lightning and whacked the creature. With just two strokes of the rod, it stopped and was motionless. The dog was even more agitated and tried to lurch at his enemy. When we were absolutely sure that the snake was dead and that it did not pose any danger, the dog was released. It charged and stopped at the dead snake. It smelled and touched his enemy with his paw. I bet he was also checking it to see if it was still alive.
It was left there for us to see. The dead snake measured about 2 metres; black and spotted. The width of its body was the width of an arm. I was not frightened but I felt pure excitement to see it killed because if it had been left alone and allowed to enter the house, our lives would be in danger. It was a black cobra, the deadliest and one of the most poisonous snakes.
I also came to know of a sad incident when one of our relatives; a distant one was bitten by one and was dead before she was sent to the hospital. This will be another strange tale.
Later my father lifted the dead creature with the rattan pole to a disused mining pool nearby and he threw it into the far end. That was the end of the curious incident and one of the many encopunters with snakes especially the cobras.

My dog Part 1

These creatures can be really cute, playful, mischievous, loving and active. Some on the other hand can be nasty, aggressive and fierce.
I had the experience of being chased, bitten, barked at and frightened by some of the later.
The memories of my encounters with dogs are the topic of this memoir.
As a kid I grew up in the village and many families kept dogs. They still do. We had several dogs and they dies one by one as they aged. They were not the well-known species but common ones. The wonderful thing about them is that they are not picky or choosy whe nit came to food. They ate what we cooked or the left-over of meals. Next, they were also really protective and loyal to the members of our family. They were never aggressive when we fed them; even when we removed their bowls while they were eating.
I knew of some which growled aggressively when their bowls were touched or removed. They are those that felt that their territory had been threatened or disturbed; just like humans, we get annoyed or angry when we are provoked.
There is this scene that is still very vivid in my mind. I was sitting at the entrance of the front door at night. At that time I was probably four or five years old. I was actually for the family canine to return. It had apparently gone out to wander and to look for its own kind.
I could still hear the words my mum said, “Go to be. You don’t have to wait for him to come back. It will return later. When you wake up, you will see him.”
I was quite reluctant as I loved the dog very much and I did not want to lose it. Dogs have often been knocked down by vehicles or poisoned or killed by people. Anyway it was there the next morning when I woke up.