kampong tengah 35

The quiet village life

It went on high alert during 1969

The year of racial clashes

May 13 came

The elders used to tell stories

About the incident of political differences

The winners and losers couldn't see eye to eye

Thumbing nose trying to muscle through

The different races in the village

By then quite a number moved houses

Leaving some staying behind........

In the night gun shots could be heard

Many were caught unaware

The day curfew came quickly

Every one wondered what really happened

The young couldn't understand a thing

In days that followed

The racial clashes came to an end

The government managed to get it under control

The answers weren't written

Nobody knew why and how it started

The stories came with conflicting news

Kuala Lumpur caught in the mess

Of the racial clashes in the city

The elders didn't know

Who started the black history

In the village every one was supporting

Each other against outside elements

When it was over

Curfew lifted

Every one was in high spirit

Now they could go out quietly

Life in Kampong Tengah

It returned to its normalcy

Around a year the village pulled down

On the tarred roads and buildings there were history

kampong tengah 34

The years were gone

In the village once flourished

Now it was laid in memories

Of those events happened decades ago

One incident rocked the village

A man of religious faith

The youngsters looked up to him

He was the guiding force for the young boys

He thought the young boys

The good part of hardworking

Pursuing dreams with tenacity

Never give up believing in your abilities

One day police officers came

He was caught handcuffed and put away

The story finally came out in the open

He was charged with rape

Not young girls or young women

It was a child his own daughter

What turned him into a beast

Nobody could explain

The shame in the village

The people who knew him got a shock

Many couldn't believe he did it

The young boys were sad

The story kept in the village

For years nobody wanted to discuss it

Some stories came fueling the imagination

Maybe it was the work of ghost apparitions

The young boys had grown

No contact with the elders then

Maybe by now many had passed away

The story could be buried....

Kampong Tengah the village near to town

It was on one of the main thorough fares

Now the land occupied by highrise office buildings

It was just memory living in the mind

kampong tengah 33

Before the village gone
There came a 50 something China man
He occupied one of those abandoned homes
And he made the best “chee chong fun”

Every afternoon he carried his product
Out to the village and sometimes walked to town
Alone he was no friends and relatives
When I came by to look, he asked me to leave

I guessed then he didn't want to share his trade secret
As he alone made his “chee chong fun”
He made quite a good profit on his trade
For months he could earn his living

Then the village was torn down
All houses gone as bulldozers came
The villagers had moved to new location
For the 50 something China man he had no where to go

My family moved out
The village of Kampong Tengah gone
There was no goodbye; there was nothing to take
It was a place kept in memory of the time shared

The Chinese temple stands today
The god doesn't want to move to a new place
The developer couldn't get the god to move
So he had to build around the temple

Nobody dares to shift the temple
The warning had been given not to defy the deity's order
So it is better to let god stays where it is now
Then get death or something in the end

A year or two later
I thought I saw the 50 something China man
I couldn't believe what I saw
He was paralyzed from his legs

He moved with wheels supported by planks
On the streets begging for alms............
Alone and miserable on the street
Hope and dreams all gone in his eyes

People passed him by
Some gave him money
This was all he could do
The chee chong fun secrets gone with him


When I was in town
I tried to look for him
I couldn't find him any more
So I guessed he must have passed away

His “chee chong fun” the best I tasted
I used to bench mark it with others
I couldn't find any one close to him
The 50 something China man took his secret away

I remembered too my form 3 teacher
She came to the house talked to my mother
You see I didn't go to school after beginning of form 3
I thought working was the best way to earn money

This Malay teacher by name of Cikgu Rokiah
She came to the house told my mother to let me go to school
She said she has confident in my school work.........
So I went back to High School Klang

She took me to see the headmaster
He spoke to me about education
Then I was sent back to form 3
I was away for about 2 months

I had a lot of catching up to do
In the end I managed to pass the examination
At least it proved Cik Rokiah was right
I could do something with my life

Secret of chee chong fun
Secret of an education
It all boils down to earning money
With hands or with brains

When the result came
My class mate Chew Kian Fatt passed by
On his way home to tell me
He said I passed

We never know about life
We never know the village could be gone
The future nobody can predict
Even Chew Kian Fatt now decades in Australia

Kampong Tengah
The simple life carefree years
The races shared enjoying the friendship
Now the whole village in memory

kampong tengah 32

Kampong Tengah
Only the memories staying alive
In years it may be forgotten
As there were no pictures to remember

Only can imagine the years
Of the houses scattered around
At the centre is the Chinese Temple
Every festive season free food catered

And the opera show from Muar
Entertaining the gods and the crowd
Some came to talk to us
Some borrowed irons....

Lives were tough
These opera actors and actresses
Doing it for the love of the show
In time pop culture added to its repertoire

The friendly faces amongst the villagers
Sad moments too happened in the village
In time all will be forgotten as it always will
Leaving the footprints in the mind

About those village friends
Boyhood friends shared and played together
Names and faces all gone now
We had grown left the village

Only relatives meet infrequently
The years since the village gone
By the time we meet age has taken its toll
The young ones once we knew long ago

Kampong Tengah
Now is just a memory
A page of a life story
Somewhere in my mind

kampong Tengah 31

Kampong Tengah
The races live well together
Houses scattered in the village
Some on long houses

Life then was peaceful
Weather was cool enough greens around
The trees planted and bamboo trees
Years gone without unwarranted incidents

Occasionally the gangs fought
Over territories and misunderstanding
Then the police detectives came
Roughing the bad and good guys

In broad day light police brutality
Of those years ago in the village
With Black Maria fetching them to prison
Parents cried seeing sons gone.......

Other than that life was peaceful
In the evening watching cars and lorries
Motorbikes and bicycles passing through
Pretty girls on bicycles the wolf whistling

You could see their monkey faces
As they cycled passed the boys...
The fun by the roadside.....
Then the night market walking

Going to town
It was a short walk away
Of the cinema and hawkers' stalls
Picked the choices the thriving business

Slowly developments encroaching
The faces of the village and town changed
The rustic village life would be gone
Once the government moved in....

The gangs moved away
Some were put under Restricted Residence
In time friends I knew all moved away
Leaving the memories fading too with time

The girl that we tried to make friend
She eventually got married and moved away
Into a brick house about 3 km from the old village
When the village destroyed all lives changed

kampong tengah 30

In those early years
Lives were easy food was cheap
One could earn pocket money
Selling rubber woods or recycled products

The empty small bottles
Collected and sold to the middleman
He washed it clean put it to dry
Then he sold it to the clinics

Those days ago
A few ringgit can buy many
Life was laid back
Evening playing marbles and flying kites

The wide field a simple village football
The youngsters kicked and screamed
They enjoyed a healthy life environment
They didn't hear about drugs and sexual diseases

They were the innocent teenagers
Dream of small things roaring to grow up
Believing the future would wait for them
The village of Kampong Tengah.........

Police came occasionally
When gangster fights flared up in town
Gangs of 18 Lohan or 24 or 36
The village had its share.....

Black Maria came
Swiftly rounded the gangs
Some were kicked and punched
In broad day light of the villagers

Some elders said these gangs deserved it
Lazy guys didn't work for a decent living
They went asking for protection money
Then they spent on clothes and parties

The mothers kept a close watch
On their young teenagers on the field
The unwanted socializing wouldn't be allowed
Enough of the worries in police lock up



Sometimes black magic happened
Many couldn't believe it was true
One day a Chinese woman got charmed
Walking back along the usual road

A few days later the parents visited the temple
Brought with them the crazy Chinese woman..........
She sat quiet on the bench waiting for her fate
As the parents told the story to the medium

In his trance he could see
That the woman was unlucky to be charmed
The bad talisman was meant for another woman
She was unlucky she walked over that fateful day

The medium chanted
Brought out his spike ball
The crazy woman sat still
She didn't scream or cry in pain

As the spike ball hit her
She sat still taking her punishment
She took the punishment quietly
She went for a few rounds

Late in the evening
another trance with drums beating
The medium walked out from the temple
Searching for the evil talisman

He found it buried on the ground
When he directed the people to dig it out
The charm red cloth was found....
He chanted a few times burned it down

Later the crazy woman got well
She was returning to her normal self
The charm of black magic..........
The desperate people would do

The years passed into pages
The stories of the village disappeared
As its footprints amongst her people
Scattered and developments came

kampong tengah 29

In the old days
When the weather was cool
The young teenagers roamed
In the neighbourhood

Gangsters in group
Clashes to protect the turfs
Yet they had the rules
Only the police Black Maria

The police came
In odd hours of the day
Rounding them up
Some gangsters so defiant

Challenging the police
Running away to hide
The macho guys standing up
The authority gave way a while

In peaceful surrounding
The religious celebrations
Time of peace and food
The sound of praying could be heard

About lovers hardly came
Playing marbles the game
The young adults never had to worry
Life in the village

At that time nestled near to town
Life was easy; friends around
Of those years ago...........
I wonder where those people gone

Once there was a girl
She was always doing her homework
On the lanai studying hard
The young teenagers trying

She didn't respond
She didn't want to
Of those teenagers
She thought they were nuisance

In the neighbourhood
We didn't know her name
We saw her every day
She didn't say a word


We tried hard
One day we wrote
A short letter saying hello
She came back with her greeting

In time the changes came
Her family moved the village pulled down
New buildings came; new roads to development
The footprints all were gone........

Big drains were dug
The roads were built
On heavy rain the drains flooded
We were swimming standing on edge

We didn't know about luxuries
Life was simple easy way to live
Passing time with marbles
Catching lizards, fighting fishes and spiders

Flying kites at the round about
In the evening when the wind was strong
Kites fighting in the sky
The chasing the fun and adrenalin pumping

Where were the people gone?
The childhood memories all disappeared
Of the wind and its caressing sound
The events of happy moments gone

The village called Kampong Tengah
In the Royal Town of Selangor
Developments came concrete office blocks
In years the road become congested

I did pass through years ago
Only the Chinese temple still stands
The surrounding areas are building blocks
The footprints all gone to the wind

The Malay guy who cut my hair for free
Bata went to jail for his gangsterism
He told me don't be like him
Life could be no double lane

The childhood friends
There are just memories
Even the girl on the lanai
It's the whirring voice

in the old village

By hanyouxiang

nice kampong

In the old village
There lived 2 sisters
Elderly in their years
Mothers would tell

“Children don't be naughty
If you do, beware of the elderly sisters
They put charm on you
Then you know where to be”

Behind the old house
In the village of Kampung Kuantan
There was a well...........
The elderly sisters would come for their bath

With a pail holding up long cloth wrapped around bodies
They took time to clean themselves in the evening light
Once I was at the backyard checking for eggs..........
I looked at them; they stared back at me

Mumbling something I didn't hear
I quickly ran back to the house
Why want to bother them?
Witches as the adults claimed

They lived alone
On the Malay styled house
The sisters didn't harm any one
They minded their own business

Years down the road
We shifted house
The old village gone
It stayed in my mind

Sometimes I remembered
The 2 elderly sisters and the well
The staring eyes as If I did something wrong
As I ran back to the house

the village woodcutter 4

By marlonbrando451

Golden Dragon

In his flight to the light
He heard the coarse voice says
“30 will stay the race will be lost!”
He plunged deep into the dark hole

Floating in the mid-air
He struggled to get free
The falling seemed so deep down
He couldn't know what was there

The village woodcutter screamed
Into the dark hollow nobody heard
On his soft bed he woke up struggling
“No 30 we will be free!”

The morning early rays bathed through
He got up what a weird dream.......
He opened the windows to his garden
Outside the black dogs snarling at him

The story of the dark elements
He saw it in his days...........
He brushed his hair staring in the mirror
He put on his clothes topped it with his hat

Outside the house the soft windy touches
The morning dew smell he felt alive again
He walked with a light floating spree
“Ah this is life to be free!”

The black dogs hid behind the coconut trees
Along the yellow road away from the woodcutter
The black dogs didn't want to challenge him
With the knowledge he would chase

The children waved at him
Trooping on bicycles going to school
Ringing its bells laughing with the breezes
Of friends together riding the road

The woodcutter stopped at the village graveyard
In the early morning sun blue sky and care free
The shards of grass cutting his trouser
And the “love me not” bit on its cotton pant

He prayed for the departed souls
The family plots he came so often
Memories of those he knew.......
Now only the echoes of a dream


In his mind he could heart
The voices of his lost children
They broke his heart when they were gone
So young full of lives ahead of them

Dropping tears wiping it away
The village woodcutter went on his way
Passing through a bridge and streams
He finally reached the place once he knew

A long time he didn't come
The place where he found his future bride
Now he assumed dead disappeared from his eyes
Ashes to ashes gone off with the wind

He stood at the spot he found
Ears popped up high gear to listen
He closed his eyes alone in the woods
Of the years when he was young.....

He listened hard in the solitude
The wind rustling through leaves
The singing in the deep woods
His mind floated into unison

He saw the face he knew
Smiling to him reaching out her arms
“It's been so long darling
I am here waiting for you”

He tried to push it away
It couldn't be happening
He saw she was gone
In ashes floating up in the air

Then he saw her face
Crying softly asking him to come
“You can't forget me
I have to take you away”

The village woodcutter understood
He had lived alone for decades
Now he knew he would be home
Smiling he knelt slowly he gave up his soul

The roar in the wind
Hitting hard on the naked branches
Shaking the leaves falling some on the ground
The village woodcutter struggled finally lost

When night fell on the village
The people looked for him
Nobody knew where he gone
The elders came to help

In his house he kept it neat and tidy
Everything was in place as he used to display
Some women said they saw him going into the woods
We should go find him there quickly

The youths came organized in groups
They went looking for the woodcutter
Divided into 3 groups of 6 people
Bringing torch lights and axes and long spears

The 18 young guys
In the deep woods studying the clues
The night suddenly turned bright
In the far distance a bonfire

The young guys went quickly
The torch lights waving in circles
The group converged to the bonfire
The stood back when they saw him

The village woodcutter smile
“You guys wasted your time
I am at peace now in this world
I am home in this wood”

“We thought you were missing
So we came to help you go back”
“I will be gone soon
My time had come I took it”

The youths looked at each other
They couldn't understand his meaning
“My wife came to me in the woods
So I am going home with her soon”

The youths stood there wide eyes
As the village woodcutter changed and disappeared
“Goodbye young guys
Believe in your faith!”

The youths gone back
They couldn't believe what they saw
A big dragon flying away to the silent sky
And disappeared into the stars lit night

the village woodcutter 3

The village woodcutter dreamed
About the place once he knew
Deep in the forest he walked
With his long axe as his company

There was a broken down bricks complex
Situated along the lake....in the distance shadows moved
In the moonlit night the dark shadows floating around
The dark forest was their domain.........

100 storey high
Built of bricks and mortars
One time a majestic view
It was said from the village heads

Commanding a view
Of the sun and the moon
Rising high as if meeting the gods
Only evil luring humans got lost

The strong roots entangled the rundown building
The facade lost its colour and strength
The live force all gone now
As he saw standing nearby of the lake

The two back dogs suddenly appear
The village woodcutter appeared surprise
He picked stones to throw at them
They changed into dark angels rising in his eyes

He tried to run away
He fell to the ground of twigs and wet grass
He managed to get up holding his long axe
The dark angels floating by

He swung his long axe blindly
Every direction he threw his swing
Yet he could hear the laughter
“Fools! You can't touch me!”

He struggled with them
As they fought on the grass
He fell into the deep hole
Waking up screaming in cold sweat



The woodcutter got up from bed
The room was dark with dim light from outside
He got up to check on his wrist watch
It was 4.30 in the morning

He peeped outside his window
All dark and quiet with some dogs running about
He stared at the tall coconut trees
Thinking he saw a white aberration floating

“Nay it was my eye sight
Lately it caused to see double”
He walked slowly back to bed
Then his dream unfold again

This time he was in the village
Of a place he hardly knew
The sun was going down
He saw the golden rays disappearing

He ran to the broken castle
He thought it was in his mind
The ruins inside gripped his soul
The burial plots on the backyard

All was painted number 30
As if it did want to change
Every mark he saw numbered
It never gone beyond

Puzzled he walked around
Feeling the evening breezes
He checked the markings on the tombstones
It never said anything at all

It was written just 30
With blanks on the tombstones
He walked quickly to find out
Every piece every number

It's number 30
What was the significance?
He closed his eyes
When he opened there was light

He didn't understand
He was puzzle scratching his head
And the lights here and there
What was this place anyway?



He ran to the doors
Made of hardwood and steel bars
He banged hard hoping to get in
The doors slowly opened with squeaky sound

He pushed in slowly
Looking far into the entrance
It was light up every where
He was surprise

An old man came
“Welcome to my home
The vision house”
The village woodcutter blanked out

The old man looked like him
He couldn't believe in his eyes
When he came out of his consciousness
He had to believe what he saw

“Outside the death of 30
It was the dead blow to many
Until they became incompetent
Dreaming of handouts every day

We shouldn't live on handouts
With hard-work and skills
We can go far in our fields
We have to die for our needs

Handouts only destroy
The image of man and his rights
Carved in hard stone stay forever
It's the flexibility will help us glow

Look around you
The glow of golden rays
The ideas and freedoms flow
Within these walls you will learn

Unity is strength
Harnessed the people likes
The vision can be realized
Look beyond colours”

Outside gunfires
The woodcutter ran away
Far from the falling out building
The strong wind blew

the village woodcutter 2

By Norseman81

Tatyana's Ghost

The other night
When the wind was still
A youth posted a question
“Are there blood sucking ghosts?”

The question floated in for a while
The others couldn't laugh or smile
Knowing the night had many tricks
They wanted to hear what the woodcutter say

“The film makers will direct
The many stories about the evil kingdom
The human minds can conjure up plenty
Of the wayward lives we imagine

The story I was telling
It could be true or could be a passing trend
Just know this in our society
They are murderers, robbers or thieves

The dark side of our nature
We know it is always there
We don't show it unless we need to
When society piles on pressures

When mental capacity exceeds
The downward trajectory pursuits
We have seen people gone mad
We have seen people acted strangely

If we have cold blooded people
By right we should have cold blooded ghosts
Tell me why nobody go to the abandoned homes?
Because the nights telling shadows”

“Now let me narrate my story
Of the woman I met in the jungle
Years had gone I lived alone
The sunrise and sunset got no value

I was alone sitting on this chair
I couldn't know what to do
Years since the incident
My children died my wife disappeared

She turned into dust
The wind took her away
The floating particles in the air
Circulating finally all gone”

The soft wind taking a drive
Brushing the naked branches
Rustling the leaves singing its song
Every one looked behind.........

The echoes of the night
With dim light shadowing the trees
The crescent moon ran her course
Playing her tricks on human's fear

“I buried my children
On the village burial plot
Every night I said my prayers
For their souls living free

But you heard the cries
The eerie screams in the night
It bolted up many people
On the full moon they saw

The children turned into blood sucking ghosts
Running wild screaming in the night...........
The village elders came to offer prayers
It didn't stop the evil spirits

In those days unity was shared
The village youth came to help
They condoned off the area
Putting up fires surrounding the ghosts

I was there staring at them
They weren't my children any more
They belonged to the dark lord
The evil lurked in our souls....

The elders sat together
In the night full of sudden activities
On the ground they sat cross legged
Reciting the prayers ringing loudly in the night

The blood sucking ghosts held their own
Fighting for their own survival.............
They too squat cross legged closing eyes
The conjured up evil of many kinds”

A black cat jumped down from the roof
Meowing its way to the crowd
At this moment many stood up
Thinking of what cooked up in their minds


“The strong wind came
Lashing it hard within the condoned area
Every one looked surprise
The evil children smile

Pushing the elders away
Some got up couldn't fight the energy thrusts
They stood up ran behind trees
Reciting the religious verses earnestly

I saw what the evils were doing
They didn't like interference...
Eyes still close the mantra flowing
I sneaked away brought my long axe

With the noises amongst the crowd
With the battle of wits fought openly
I walked silently behind tree to tree
Reaching the evil ones quietly

I raised my long axe
I killed them once again
A quick swing of my axe
The heads fell the silence ruled

The bodies turning to ashes
Within moments of death
Every body came to see
Say a prayer for the souls

The elders came to me
They were evils in our souls
We mustn't allow it rear quietly
We must purify our minds and souls

Every one sat on the ground
Offering prayers asking for mercy
The village was singing holy verses
Ringing through the silent night”

The crying wind picking up the pieces
The youth park up and leave the compound
Along the way out they see a white apparition
They stare they can't make it sure

The wood cutter sees it
The evil of the night has returned
After decades of peaceful living
It makes its appearance



“Hey uncle you saw it?
I think someone wants to make a joke”
“Playing ghost in the dark night?
Don't play with the unnatural occult”

“I think he wants to scare people
He is a friend of mine living across the bridge
He heard about your narration of the dark life
So he thought he could add some colours”

“You better advice him to stop
Unless he wants to meet the real ghost
By then he may not live to tell
He may lose his mind and all”

The young guy left the compound
Whistling in the silent night
He took his bicycle rode it away
The woodcutter watched him “Damn silly!”

The woodcutter watchesd the dark tall coconut trees
Nothing was there to scare people away
Only the tall shadows flickering with the wind
Then he saw it again....the floating white aberration

He rubbed his eyes
The object was still hanging in the air
The breezy wind capturing its swaying clothe
Then he realized it was a white cloth

He sat on his rocking chair
Blowing his cigarette in the night air
Feeling satisfied of his story
Tomorrow he has to go to the woods

He saw the 2 black dogs
Strays from across the bridge
He threw cigarette butts at them
The dogs only barked and ran away

He retired into his house
When the last puff was taken
Straight away he fell asleep
Dreaming about his excursions

the village woodcutter 1

By norazlena

Pontianak

The village woodcutter
Sitting alone smoking his pipe
Blowing misty smoke in the air
With waving kerosene light

On his rocking chair
He rocked his world
The children all gone
Even his wife too

How did it happen?
He would tell the familiar story
Of his youth cutting woods
In the jungle he always looked

After prayer and his dinner
He would begin his story
Around his house entertaining crowd
The village of mix races living in unity

The village youth eager to learn a thing or two
Of the jungle mysteries trapping many wayward hunters
Of the stories of those got trapped in darkness
They never found their way home..........

Those were the years
In the village before bulldozers came
Destroying the natural environment
High rise buildings, commerce and trade

The open compound
Trees of rambutan and bananas
Lying along the fence and back of the house
On a quiet night the whispering by the wind

The mix young people
They came to listen to his story
About his wife and children
Believe it or not he didn't say

After prayers they came
Bringing with them titbits
On the verandah they waited
For the old woodcutter to begin

“It all started
One day I went to the collect rubber wood
Walking a distance of 3km deep into the jungle
I heard a woman crying..........”

“There I was ready to collect my woods
I stood there listening with my ears...
The soft crying of a woman somewhere in the bushes
I stopped what I was doing.............

I checked my watch
It was in the early morning sun
The rays shone splitting shadows
In the green forest the reflection of dews

You may think I was dreaming
In the jungle alone collecting woods
I had traveled here many times
Watching the waterfall and buzzing insects

I didn't prepare to hear woman's crying
My hair stood up ears picked up quickly
I turned around listening hard for the sound
There it went the sniffing echo...........

My ears picked it up
On my west direction I found
The source of the crying
I walked there quickly

I held my long axe
Walking cautiously towards the sound
When I finally reached there
The woman sprung up at me

I dropped my long axe
She landed on me
We wrestled on the grass and twigs
Hitting our backs on the broken wood

I grabbed her hands
Then I saw her long sharp nails
This woman wasn't human
I struggled with her again

I grabbed with I could
Hitting her with all I had
Yet she didn't go away
I picked up nails on the soft ground

I used it to pierce deep in her head
She stopped struggling with me
I got up quickly and gave her another nail
She collapsed on the grass floor...”



“I saw the face
I couldn't turn away
I bent down to feel it
I hammered the last nail in

She struggled then she laid limp
I thought she was dead......
The creature of the dark
I was wrong; I was indeed!

I picked up my long axe
I didn't like what I saw
This woman creature on the ground
When I came back to finish my job...

She was sitting on the tree trunk
The most beautiful woman I ever saw
“What are you Miss?
You shouldn't play game here”

“You think I want to
I lived in this wood
Now I belong to you
You saved me from my crimes”

“I didn't save you
You attacked me
With the evil face
I wished I didn't see it”

“Woodcutter you have no choice
I will follow you home like it or not
My life belongs to you now
I have to take care of you”

“I don't need
I have enough troubles already”
“Precisely I have to live with you
You live happy with me”

The woodcutter liked her
So he took her home to the village
The villagers came to ask
“Who is the woman?”

The woodcutter did the honest thing
Married her with proper procedures
Everything turned out fine for them
They lived happily with shared dreams


“No honeymoon?”
“In my time only visit the town
That took us a couple of hours
With the bicycle....”

In years down the road
We had children running in the yard
She was caring and we made it
The years were a total bliss

I was growing old
And she always looks the same
Aging has nothing to do with her
She is exactly the same as I found

As I stood by the window one day
The sun was going down.....
The sky glimmered with light orange cry
Splashing vividly in the sky

She was holding her youngest child
A girl with long hair laughing sweetly
She played on her hair touching her cheeks
The young child did the copy cat thing

I saw she took out her nail
The young girl thought it was a game
another one came out through her fingers
I was horrified watching from the window

I felt something bad
I quickly walked out from the house
As I opened the door
I saw my daughter pulled out another

The mother screamed in the dim sun ray
As she begins to transform into the evil self
The young girl cries loudly.............
I ran across hoping I wasn't too late

She picked her daughter
With one swift move she yanked off her head
Right into my eyes as I ran forward
“You are too late man!”

She threw the lifeless body on the grass
Laughing her way as if nothing to worry
“You are too late man
You are too late!”


“The light dim in my life
As I watched with horror
The little girl died without knowing why
By the hands of her mother

All those years ago
I didn't know about her background
What she had turned into
How I managed to make her whole

Was it fate I was there?
Was she waiting for me?
I didn't know I only saw the beauty
Of nature and her glory

Now she face me
Taunting eyes sharp finger nails
She had transformed into her old
The evil she once was

At that moment my two sons came home
After a game of football at the nearby field
As they walked into the compound
The evil landed on them in seconds

They were dead before I could shout
So fast and effective she killed her children
All laid dead with blood on the ground
Leaving me alone watching the horror in my life”

The woodcutter takes a sip of his warm drink
Then he smokes his pipe to relax his mood
The night stars shining in the dark clouds
The dim light of stars in his eyes

“Now the evil woman turned her head
Blooding flowing from her mouth.....
I stood my ground many thoughts running wild
I couldn't find an answer only the 2 big nails nearby

I ran to it holding it in my hands
I felt the power I could do something after all
These big nails would make her pay.........
The evil must be destroyed

Two black dogs ran to her
Barking wildly surrounding the perimeter
I had a few seconds to move in
I took it with a wild scream

The evil woman was staring at the barking dogs
Eyes looking left to right; right to left
I came running the 100 meter dash............
I tripped and flew right into her

With my out stretched hands
The big nails got into target
The 3 big nails struck into her heart
She collapsed slowly on the ground

The black dogs attacked her furiously
She screamed with her loud voice
She just couldn't move her body
She was motionless.............

The black dogs panting
As I chased them away
Barking in the night
As the evil woman looked at me

When I walked nearer to her
She had changed into a normal person
Tears fell as I watched her
Raising her hands to me

“I am so sorry honey
I didn't know what I did
Our children all gone
I am to blame”

“I am sorry too
I didn't know what to do
Now you will leave me
Wait for me in the next world”

“The two black dogs are the keepers
I have no power over them...........
They protect the innocent
From people like me...”

The village woodcutter got up
“It's time to sleep and dream
We all have secrets in our lives
In time all will be revealed”

the elder 23

By ronjon_

Story Teller

The elder peeps through the curtains
The shadowy figures sit on the chairs
With the half baked light shining on
The elder realizes his truth.........

“Do ghosts appear as they like?”
The elder scratches his head
He stares at the shadows
They smile to each other

As the moon light shifts focus
The shadows too tag along
Holding hands they dance
On the chairs of nobody

They float in the air
They turn around smiling so happily
In the tent of many chairs
They seem to dance on their own

The elder decides to walk out
See for himself what these shadows do
Creaking his doors open............
The two shadows quickly disappear

“I have seen you
Do not disturb the children!”
The moon light bathe on him
Casting yellow colour of ghostlike statute

The elder walks back home
Thinking those who had gone
Into another world to make a living
Carve a name or a second gift of life

The night breezes blowing along
Taking the leaves as hostages in the night
Shaking them until they float away
Of the night the silence creeps

The elder blows out his candle light
Closing his eyes alone he sleeps away
His mind floating into his stories
About the banana tree and red thread string



The snoring in the big bungalow
The silence dancing along into the night
The moon light torches the quiet shadows
As the red thread string floating along

The 2 black dressed women hide
In the many trees surrounding the bungalow
Breathing softly as they observe the night
Of the quiet house only buzzing of insects

Under the dim moon light
They see the red thread flying in the night
They use their binoculars to observe the flight
The red thread winding up into the bungalow

The women run softly on the ground
Behind coconut trees and banana trunks
Observing the story turning alive......
Now the snoring stops as they wait behind windows

A soft melodious music flow
The dim light shining in the room
The red thread turns into a woman
The most beautiful creature on Earth

The elder opens his eyes
Stretch out his finger to tie the red thread
Within moments the erotic dances
Penetrating deep in the darkness

The women see through the pigeon holes
Of the story burning out alive............
The dancers of the night in the house
It's like a king's banquet...............

The elder dancing along
In the night of sound and laughter
With soft music floating to the garden
The women's hands trembling

The truth finally prevails
The story he spins for the children
The red thread string enclosing the lover
Dancing through the quiet night falls



The creatures of the night
Floating easily in the bungalow
With nobody around to disturb
The life of the elder in their hands

In his dream the elder spins his tales
“The farmer sees his banana orchard engulfs in flames
Tears fall as he realizes his folly
He has lost his income to save his life

His daughter rushes out to see
Standing by her father she can't help
The flame dance in the cool night
The red and yellow sparks in the air

The witch woman struggles on her feet
She knows she is too old for it..........
Yet she has to fight for the common good
Until she passes her skills to an apprentice

She struggles to walk slowly
Every step she takes a deep breath
She knows she has helped the farmer
From a distance she always likes him

Imagine she smiles to nobody
At this age of 35 years old she feels weak
The skills she has made the energy draining away
Every time she uses it to fight off evil

The crescent moon bathes her light
On the open field she walks alone
The soft breezes brushing her legs
As she takes every step an effort

The farmer turns to look behind
He thought he hears somebody calling him
Then he sees the witch woman waving
He hurries along to walk with her

“You are too old to fight
Though I understand you will not give up”
“Farmer it is my profession to help
In the hour of needs I will be there”

Together they walk
As his daughter look at them
“They make a perfect couple
Since my mother gone.........”

the banana orchard 22

By RebeccaAnnCA

black bubbles

“The silver smoke bellows in the night
The salt and pepper colour covers the sky
The crackling of burning bananas
The farmer stands on his ground watching”

The young audience busy eating peanuts
Crunching away as the elder spins his fantasy
The 2 women disappear from their seats
The elder knows where they have gone

“Do you see the 2 women?”
Every young face turns around
“I thought they were sitting here
Now they have gone............”

“Never mind I continue
In another hour is bed time”
“Uncle tomorrow is Saturday
No school for us”

The elder nods his head
“It is your bed time
It's better you go home
When the time is up”

“The farmer watches the fire
It engulfs the orchard to the ground
He sees the wretched faces
Pointing figures at his face

“You can't escape me
I will be back to you”
The woman screams at him
The farmer ignores her plea

The daughter runs out from the house
“What's happening daddy?”
“I better destroy it
Then losing our lives”

Amina takes her deep breathe
Inhaling it as her energy returns
This sort of thing is draining her
I better pass it on..............

She gets up steadily
Walking to the farmer's house
On reaching there she finds
The banana orchard smelling of smoke



“Farmer are you alright?!
Farmer please answer me!”
She only hears the burning cracks
She runs towards the banana orchard

She stumbles onto the ground
As she steps on the potholes
Cursing herself for the blind running
“Farmer where are you?”

As she gets up to her feet
Farmer appears in front of her
“Are you alright Amina?
You ran blindly”

“Oh thank god you are alright!
What happened to your bananas”
“I thought I saw evil hiding
I thought I saw women calling me”

“But you don't have to burn it all
Now you have lost your source of income”
“Amina it is a small price to pay
Life is important commodity”

The elder stops he listens
The whoring wind calling the night
The children too feeling drowsy
The owl hooting away

The empty chairs
The 2 women gone
The elder looks around
The scene is exactly the same

“Children time to bed
Uncle can continue tomorrow”
The children quickly get up
“See you tomorrow uncle”

The elder walks back to his house
Leaving the empty chairs in the tent
He turns around to look before he retires
The shadowy figures transcend to the chairs

the camouflage 21

By snunkie

Camo flowers

The elder takes his sips of drink
His eyes contact the two women at the back
They are scribbling notes unaware of surrounding
The children seems to be gone.........

Leaving them alone
The silence has no impact on them
They just want to get their story done
Forgetting about own safety

The crescent moon hits her rays
On the make-shift tent near the house
The elder watches them.........
The truth they will not live to know

The elder has marked them
In his camouflaged image
Every one thinks he is an old man
Living alone in his bungalow

The elder spins his story
Within his craft he makes his own
As the night shifting along
The soft wind howling softly

The women stop writing
“Hey where are the children?”
“They are here only you can't see
There is a mist in your eyes”

“Come on Sir
Is it a joke or something?”
“Look for yourself
Where are the children?”

They try to get up
They find they glue on their seats
“This isn't funny Sir
Just let us go!”

“Let's play a game
You tell me why you are here
Then I let both of you go”
“We are reporters!”


“You think I believe you?
You don't look like the type
Now I ask you again 'Why are you here?”
“We are reporters!”

The silence hanging in the air
As the elder look horns with them
Eyes play in the open space
The women try to keep secrets

They let their thoughts flow
Flying along with the soft wind
Howling softly in the dark edges
Away from the elder's eyes

Then they find pressure on their heads
They struggle and fight the moments
Pulling hard to get away.............
Until they scream loudly in the open space

The children turn around
Listening to the screaming
The women open their eyes
“What happened?”

“You were dreaming
Maybe you got into a spell
Maybe you got the red thread”
“Talking nonsense!”

“Children stay
They had a bad dream”
The 2 women stare at him
“Who is he anyway?”

“Now Amina rests on the hard concrete
She feels her strength is ebbing
Nay....I can't be doing this
It has taken so much of my energy

The farmer stands up
The whole orchard calling him
“Damn I better burn it down!
The whole orchard smells of evil”

He pours kerosene
As the liquid surrounds the place
He lights up the fire
The flame ignites

the white scissor 20

By xcardbordxrobotx

scissor

When the silence prevail
The elder begins his tales again
Every ear keeps listening
As the night owl hooting away

The two black dressed women
They feel uncomfortable sitting on the chairs
They feel something trying to pull them away
As they hurriedly scribbling notes.....

“The farmer struggles to get free
He shouts at his late wife to let him go
No way you are taking me in
I want to live my life

No way honey
You have to come to me
Tonight is the opening
I can take you along

The red thread tightens on his hand
The farmer tries his best to stall his entry
He shouts in the silent night...........
Only the wind telling him sorry

Now his leg is in the banana trunk
The farmer sees the bed and beautiful lights
He feels he is losing his mind..........
Please let me go I want to live free!

The magnetic pulls begin
The tussle to get away
The red thread winds its way
Through his legs roping him in

The farmer screams in the quiet night
Amina hears the frantic call of help
She concentrates on her vision........
Finally she sees farmer struggling

She sends a white scissor through the air
Flying cutting through empty space
It lands on the red thread..........
Opening its sharp blades to cut away

No! No! You can't do it!
I want him home with me
You have no right to cut away
He is my life here and after”

“Amina in her trance
You better leave the living alone
Your world isn't here with the living
It's time you take flight

No! I want him!
He is the one for me
For years we lived
Now I am in different world

Woman you had your time
Let the living stroke the pages
They will join your world
When it is their fate.....”

The red thread pulling hard
The farmer struggles with his bearing
The banana trunk opening wider
The fire seems to blow his way

Amina concentrates on her mission
The white scissor begins to cut the red thread
The farmer stands on his ground
Pulling tight the red thread in his hand

“Come on honey
It's me in this world
Come home to me
I am right here!

You have to leave me
You aren't born to this world
Your sister shouldn't come
She makes you evil.....

No my husband
I want to live not to die
Now will you come home to me?
Look into the banana trunk......”

The farmer closes his eyes
He can't bare to see her cry
Slowly the white scissor cuts through
The red thread snaps he is free

Amina sweating on her effort
Behind the big tree she stands her ground
The soft breezes caressing her hair
“Now...go away!”

the trick of an eye 19

By neondesert

Candles

The elder stops his tales
“Sorry children I need to take a break
I have to take my medicine
And I shall be back soon”

The elder gets up and walks back to his house
The children and the two black dressed women stare
As the elder walks slowly to take his medicine
For a while the image just gone!

“It's a trick right?”
“Yeah he always entertains us this way
He just disappears reaching his house”
“Are you sure about that?”

The women write it down
They just can't believe in their eyes
The old man just disappears in the dim light
Yet they sit still writing down notes

The young children and adults
Voices can be heard in the make shift tent
The crescent moon smiling with her rays
The night shadows waving by the branches

The small village bathes in shadow and light
The soft breezes caressing without any aim in life
Passing through the empty wide space...........
The night echo whirring silently softly along

The candles light dance
The soft breezes stroking its light
The weaving light in tune to flight
The soft whirring the melting cry

The children feeling restless
The time seems ages to arrive
The elder has gone for about 5 minutes
Will he tell his tales to night?

The doors creaking open
Every one gets a jump in the night
The elder walks out with his cup of hot chocolate
He sits on his chair sipping his drink

“The farmer wants to run
He finds his hand is tied to the red thread
He pulls it along but it bounces back
He staggers as he walks back

Don't be afraid my husband
I am coming to take you home
I miss you in my place here
Come to me and we can stay

The farmer feels his fear
This isn't his late wife speaking
I can't go with you dear
You had gone from this world

Look at you
Afraid even in your shadow
Am I dead now?
Come to me!

The farmer just walks along
He can't control the magnet pushing him along
He sees the banana trunk opening up
The soft music and cascading waterfall

He stops for a while
As his mind struggles to pull free
There is a tussle with the red thread
Don't fight with me dear!”

An owl flies in the night
Hooting its call frightens the children
The elder stops his tales
Eyes staring at the night owl

The candles turning bright
Many shadows shining on the tent
The noises in the night silence
Hairs erect goose bumps appear

The voices of the wind
Carrying its tales of its own
Laughing softly in the silent night
Every one stops to listen

floating out from the banana tree 18

By vandalbull

graffiti

The night wind whistle
Brushing the leaves the noises leap
The children jumping up to listen
What's the noise on the trees

The elder smokes his cigarette
Blowing up the smoke in the dark sky
The candles light dancing along
Bending in every direction

“Now the farmer opens the door
The cool fresh air rushing into him
He covers his face for a while
As the crescent moon shifting rays

His daughter resting in her room
Listening to her radio...........
She hardly hears the doors open
She is alone in the house

Amina feels the vibration
Of the red tread floating in the night sky
Cutting through the silence.........
She projects herself

The farmer walks
His hand holding the red thread
Bewitching him to the banana trunk
The little glow in the total darkness

The farmer forgets
His mind is totally confused
Looking back he seems so far away
The red thread pushing him along

Now facing the banana trunk
The image speaks sweetly
“Honey it is me!
I am here in the banana tree
Don't be afraid of the night
You will not be alone again!”

The farmer stares
His eyes seeing his wife
Floating out from the banana tree
Dress in her finest outfit”

the dark riders 17

By Kaefie

dark riders

The castle dark and quiet
Lying outskirt of town and city
By itself imposing structures
In the night the nightmares scream

The moonlight shining on it
The glow of intimidation....
By the sight the villagers see
The story of creatures crawl

On the banana orchard the shadows
Chanting and creating images in the fall
The elder spins his tales of the dead...
The young audience munching every word

The farmer finishes his dinner
Clearing up his dishes watching TV
His daughter retires to her bed
Dreaming about her boyfriend she finds today

The castle doors open
The dark riders galloping away
The wind blowing hard on them
Into the dark knight they ride

The farmer hears noises on the ground
He walks to the windows to watch what's all about
The images he sees riding fast towards him
The red thread floating high in the night dim light

He rubs his eyes he sees the dark riders
Punishing the horses riding hard towards him
He stares in atonishment as the images form
He hears a voice "Come to me I am waiting!"

The elder smiles with his eyes
Telling tales is his hobby of late
He sees the 2 women in black joining in
Crossing legs on the ground listening

The farmer get hooked up
He just absently opens the windows
He gets hold of the red thread
He just walks with it to the banana trees

In his mind he sees the dark riders
Flowing with the rushing wind on their faces
Whipping up the horses to get to their destination
As he feels he is floating in the night air of breezes

In his mind the farmer feels he is pushed along
He looks around his surrounding he finds nothing
He thinks he is walking blindly untill he stares
The banana trees of many faces and a ritual plan

The 2 women dressed in black
They write notes thinking what to include
As they hear voices sucking them to their senses
"Do you hear that? Something touching my neck!"

a black BMW 16

By Don_Cheto

Carbon Black BMW

The cloudy sky looming ahead
As the elder wakes up stretching his hands
Opening his windows he breathes the fresh air
Of the sunlight it disappears today

He lights up a cigarette
Stretching it deeply before he exhales
Though he knows its dangers
He smokes for many decades

He lives alone in his house
The children all gone into the city
His living partner too enjoying life
With her grandchildren making her smile

He performes his prayer
Saying thanks to the Lord
Of making him living his full life
Of good health and friendly neighbourhood

He walks out of his house
Bringing along his trusted umbrella
To the neighbourhood Gossiping Cafe
He sits and orders his hot tea

"Hey uncle you spin tales of ghosts
We heard about it through our brothers
"Is it true in the life you have lived?"
"Come and listen the more the merrier!"

He sips his hot tea
He looks at the crowd streaming in
Most are the familiar faces he has seen
In the morning enjoying good company

He borrows newspaper from the owner
On his corner he flips the pages to read
"Young teenagers flout the law.............."
"And whose faults will it be?"

A black BMW arrives
Screeching tyres on the uneven road
Every one stares at the sound outside
Two women walk in smile of pleasant morning

They sit on the corner
The elder smiling to them
Every guy pretends to watch
The window displays of yellow bananas

The owner comes to take order
"2 black coffee and toasted breads"
"You come here by chance or looking for somebody?"
"We are searching for this home address......see here"

"I know the house

It is a short walk from here

Whom are you looking for?"

"We want to write articles about ghost stories"

"We were told to search for this house

Apparently there are tales we seek to find"

"Really? I don't remember about ghosts

But I know an elderly man who spins tales"

The cloudy weather changes

Rain begin to fall quickly

Within seconds the road is flooded

The women wait for their orders

The shop owner doesn't disclose any details

Maybe he doesn't want to prey on others

In his life he has seen many coming here

Then nothing is written in this small village