In
the late of the night
The
children and adults gathered in the house
The
single bulb light hovering over the crowd
Eyes
and ears concentrating on the story teller
He
was trishaw man
A
distance relative those years ago
Trading
his skills ferrying passengers
When
bus services never plied on the rural roads
I
never returned to the old village
It
may have changed in all aspects through developments
What
I could recall was the story
About
a white clothed woman in the night
When
he had sent his last passenger home
He
pedalled back to the house
To
the village the side of narrow lane
Shadowed
by trees on both sides
At
night the cracking of insects
The
soft wind blowing brushing the branches and leaves
He
pedalled on with his trishaw lights
Along
the narrow road of the night
Over
the big drain there were more shadowy trees
He
said he saw a white clothed woman smiling at him
She
waved when he stopped to look
What
he saw his hairs stood still and tall
Her
face turned into eyes bold and red
The
fingers became long and hair waving to him
He
didn't wait any longer
He
pedalled with his life fled away quickly
The
young children open mouth
The
breathing was heavy fearing gripping their minds
The
trishaw man went on with his tale
He
saw the white clothed woman flew in the night
By
the time he reached the house
He
was trembling with fear
Of
the unnatural thing he saw
Once
he thought it was just fairy tales
Some
said it was a woman committed suicide
Along
the bushes and shadowy trees....
Those
years when development never came
Life
in the small village was peaceful and free
The
unlucky few of the adults
They
saw light floating around the trees
Maybe
it could be fireflies
There
were plenty of them then
So
the trishaw man
He
didn't dare to look back
He
bolted the doors
His
washed face and legs
In
his room he dared not sleep
Thinking
of the face he saw
The
white clothed woman
In
the midnight of breezy wind
The
next day he had a fever
Bought
some fever tablets and chinese herbs
He
rested for a few days
Then
he recovered his ordeal
He
never worked at night anymore
The
last I saw him years ago
Age
has taken him
He
has a different vocation
The
years have passed
I
don't see him for years
I
never know what happen to him
I
am living out from my home town
