the hunter and the beast BY pop mie

mari aku bercerita sebuah kisah hantu lama yang berkaitan dengan abang kepada bapaku. kisah ani terjadi kian lama lah sudah ah, mungkin dalam era 50-an, masa atu abang kepada bapaku, hidup sebagai pemburu di hutan. orang dulu-dulu ani di benarkan membawa dan menyimpan senapang sebelum berlakunya pemberontakan 1962. jadinya, hidup sebagai pemburu ani keluar malam menuju ke dalam hutan untuk memburu payao (spisis pelanduk). steady yo orang dulu-dulu ani. ragat dan berani. maklumlah, alum lagi berapa ni brunei ani dulu. nada byk perkerjaan yang tersedia.

maka dalam seminggu dua kali atu keluar lah uncle ku ani bersama 2 orang yg lain, biasanya kawan-kawannya. bemalam lah dorg tu biasanya 2-3 malam lamanya. di tengah-tengah hutan tabal tu. kalau inda berilmu, jangantah harapkan menjejak kaki 5-10 meter ke dalam hutan, konpom sasat. so, abang kepada bapaku ani menuntut ilmu jua sikit lah. ilmu silat lah. entah seberapa banyak ilmunya tidak di ketahui, yang penting cukup lah untuk di bawa ke hutan atu.

biasanya bisdorang memburu di kawasan perhutanan yang masa ani perpindahan kampong katok, dulu hutan tu kawan2. banyak payao tu sana. dorang nada camping gear tu, nada temampu tu kan membali. hanya harapkan beteduh dan tidur di bawah pohon pun cukup. jadinya, satu malam, keluar memburu lah dorang ani bebatakan senapang patah. mula-mula dorang mesti memasang pukat (net) tu, untuk memerangkap payao atu, lalu berpecah lah ketiga tiga mereka untuk mencari seekor payao. sudah di jumpa payao atu, lalu di guide lah payao atu menuju kawasan berpukat atu, macam2 lah bising2 bisdorang buat tu. bunyi menghalau kucing ada, bunyi "yihaa!!" ada, macam2 lah, riuh lah hutan atu uleh bisdorang. yang penting payao atu akan terperangkap di kawan berpukat atu.

iatah, pada satu malam, ketika bisdorang berpecah atu. uncle ku ali-ali tu. seorang diri. senapang patah atu sedia sudah tu mana tau ada babi hutan. nya uncle ku, lebih ia takut babi hutan daripada hantu. namun kata-katanya atu cuma eksen saja. haha. masa ia sedang meninjau keberadaan seekor payao, dengan cuma berharapkan ketajaman deria mata dan pendengaran dalam kegelapan dan kebisingan hutan, kedengaran tia bunyi aneh. bunyi aneh ani bukan seperti bunyi yang biasa2 di dengarnya. bunyi ani seperti helaian tawa seorang perempuan.

mengikut pengalaman dan deria instinct, sesiapa pun tahu yg bunyi atu datang dari seekor hantu. konpom hantu sudah tu kalau ada bini2 ketawa dalam hutan, jangantah pikir2 lagi. naik abis bulu roma uncle ku ani, dari leher ke batis. seram sejuk di rasainya. di teraisi nya kawan2 yang lain, "oi mat! dul! mana kamu ani?! mendangaa kamu tuu?!". kali kana jawab lah oleh kawan2nya. "awo!! mendangaa kami! nda usah terais!" kedengaran sahutan mereka kira2 10 meter dari di mana uncle ku berdiri. susuk tubuh bisdorang di telan kesemakan hutan. nda nampak di lihat.

uncle ku ani pun, ambil inda peduli lah, memandangkan kawan2 nya yang lain macam steady masih.ia pun mau jua kan steady-steady ani. ia pun meneruskan peninjauan beliau, walaupun bulu roma masih tegak berdiri. semakin lama dan semakin jauh perjalanan meredah samak, makin halus pendangaran ketawa bini2 atu. semakin lama, semakin kurang lah rasa takut uncle ku ani. di pikirnya nda lagi kana kacau ia ani. jauh sudah lari hantu atu. berasa gembira, duduk ia dulu kan berehat di bawa sebuah pohon jati ani, besar dan tinggi pohon jati ani, 100 tahun sudah kali umurnya.konon kan minum kopi. lalah dan letih sudah berjalan tapi masih nada payao.

masa siuk2 menyandar sambil minum kopi arah pohon atu.... datang bebalik ketawa bini2 atu mengajut. kali ani makin basar. seolah olah sangat hampir bunyi atu. tekajut dan tepelanting kopi uncle ku ani, tarus di pasangnya senapang patah. panic ia tarus. tolehnya kiri kanan.. nada. lagipun kegelapan malam atu sangat inda menolong. langsung inda nampak apa-apa. lalu, di tolehnya ke atas pokok...kali...

nah! di sana bah hantu ah. duduk gembira lagi ia di atas dahan. tapi yang uncle ku hairan, seolah-olah ada cahaya bah yang meliatkan hantu atu arah dirinya, walaupun di kelilingi kegelapan malam. macam glow-in the dark lah. tarang dan clear usul hantu atu di liatnya.ani nah deskripsi hantu atu, seperti di katakan oleh uncle ku ani. "panjang taringnya, matanya merah, buruk muanya macam kan tekupas, rambut panjang menutup seluruh badan. kakinya.... mencecah ke tanah!"

ketawa labang2 hantu atu di atas pohon. uncle ku pun tarus menjatuhkan dirinya ke tanah, menukup dirinya macam tengiling. keadaan panic mengerumuni dirinya. nda lagi dapat baca2 ayat. baca2 mantera. kan bersuara utk memanggil kawan2nya pun nada. menangis bah uncle ku ani. abis ilang cool nya. nda apalah, bukannya ada org lain meliat. yang penting, uncle ku bepaut macam tengiling arah kawasan yang sama atu amat lama lah. dalam beberapa jam. atu pulang di cakapnya. banar atau inda, aku inda pasti.

sasak2 sudah uncle ku ani nda tahan, batah hantu atu ketawa2 di atas pokok atu, only one thing to do. di ambilnya senapangnya, lalu di tembaknya arah direction hantu atu. POWWW!!...... nah.. tarus hilang bah hantu ah. nda lagi nampak. sunyi tarus nada helai tawa yang mengerikan. bangunlah uncle ku ani, berlari ia arah tampat ia sama kawan2-nya biasa bekumpul, jangan di tanya macamana, memang handal lah uncle ku ani kalau mencari jalan di hutan.

sudah sampai ke tampat bekumpul tarus kana tanya oleh kawannya si mamat. "dari mana luah mu wang?, batah kami menunggu ni dih." reply uncle ku "aah.. bekamih ku tadi.. ". kalinya kawan2 uncle ku ani " karas kau ni Ji, kami nda tahan eh kana kacau tadi ah, tarus kami ke sini, steady kau ani eh". dalam pikiran uncle ku ani "elleeeh, steady tah karang!". sekian.

Come Out & Play, Child, Come Out and Play~....Part 2 BY -D-

(for those who didn't get it, the title's a reference to the Grundel from the Ghostbusters cartoon. now, for the (season?) finale....)

so a whole month passes by since the incident, and all is right with the world for my little sister, whom gets ridiculed at for getting scared by a few cute, cuddly caged rabbits by my mother. sun was shining, monsoon season kinda died down, and i'm trying to sneak a peek at porn in my older sister's room, the only place with a working computer and internet connections at the time.

let's just forget about any form of transition in this writing and get to the point; so, one night, my little sister went to my older sister's room to surf the net, alone, while the older sister was elsewhere. now her (older sis) room lies exactly on top of my little sister's room, and has a window that directly looks out to the grass field as well, along with the single tree with vines beyond the fence. it was a more quieter and calmer night this time around, but that didn't stop history from repeating itself. i was heading up the stairs, to see if there's something to eat at my parent's room, when lo and behold, my little sister running out of my older sis's room screaming and crying, this time, uninjured since the door was open. i was the first to be there to asked her what happened, as others came out of their room, including my older brother.

as she was surfing the net, she heard the window shaking. at first, she shrugged it off as the wind when the shaking then kept going at a continuous pace. it took her awhile to notice that something was knocking the window from outside. she stared at the window, the curtains closed, hoping that it was maybe just a cat. then, very clearly, she heard her name being called out slowly by the shaky sound of a little girl.

after hearing this, my brother, the wanna-be hero, rushed into the room and opened the window. i was just outside the room by the door, and even from there, i could smell the strong stench coming in as my brother slides the window open, while nothing was there. from then onwards, for awhile my sister always kept the door to her room or any other room she's in open, and at night, it wasn't strange for anyone to see her running out of a room, sobbing and into my parent's room. every now and then, late at night when she's asleep in her room, she'd hear a knocking from her window (if you remember, it also looks out to the grass field/ tree with vines), followed with a voice calling out her name. this continued for a week or two, when the name calling stopped and only the knocking occurred. over time, my little sis came over it and just ignored it when it happened.

it was somewhat funny when i found out that "it" was also knocking the window to my older sis's room whenever she's in there since she shared a striking resemblance to my little sis. though in her case, she ignored it since day one. from then on, every once in awhile, the windows to both my older and younger sister's would be knocked at late at night as they sleep. not long after, "it" stopped knocking at my older sis's room, supposedly knowing the difference between the two. this went on for months non-stop, and over that time, my mother, whom slept in the room to keep my little sister company have heard it, and two of my older sis's friend, who slept over her room have heard it before it stopped harassing her. my parent's only advice was to ignore it and hope it to go away.... which they realized did not work half a year later as my little looked a bit more miserable than usual. they brought in a medium, apparently, despite the fancy smelling oil rub and rituals, it offered no help. it was then my grandmother, at her daughter's (my mom) request that she bought home an old friend of hers; an old, supposedly experienced medium.

i wasn't there when they performed whatever it was they were performing (busy; Video Games), but it ended up with a small red pot containing a small tree stump being placed at the corner of both my older and younger sister's room the very next day. i also happened to listen in on the convo between the medium and my parents. apparently, the one disturbing my sister was the ghost of a little girl, who was of the same age as hers and looked EXACTLY like her, only whiter. the tree that i mentioned, the one with the vines was where she usually hangs out. her reason for the harassment; to have my sister to "play" outside with her. and if you've watched a lot of horror movies, this just basically translates as sucking my sister's soul or something, to my parents.

(P.S: to phrase Porky Pig, "Th-th-th-that's all folks!". well, i knew i had loads to tell but not as much as 30+, though most are from friends and other member's of my family. with so much happenings around me, it shouldn't be big a surprise to some of you that i'm as scared of ghosts as much as i am scared of the huge wild boar that roams my place (i.e; not very much). sure, my heart will start beating fast, but as long as i keep my calm and do nothing stupid (i.e: my older brother if you've read this far), i'll most likely get off unscathed.

now then, i'm hoping this will be your turn to contribute a story. it doesn't HAVE to be true. not all those stories you read in Singapore True Ghost Stories were true. some were just made-up fillers. Yes, true stories are preferable (it's what i've done so far), but it's not like made-up stories can't be scary, just as long as they are believable (i.e "a headless figure roaming Jerudong Park" vs. "your fight with a Snoop Dogg looking ghost that you defeated using that magic skull dagger you happened to find"), though keep it a secret if it's true or not. heck, some of mine, like the one about DST HQ, which was from a friend wasn't believable. ask a friend about ghost stories they know and post it here. for the brave ones who want to ghost hunt, based on the locations of my posts as well as other stories; 1) places with a body of water (lakes, swamps, waterfalls) nearby; 2) hilly areas. so contribute. as AB said "Have you got much better stories to tell ?", and it never said it has to be true (again that would be VERY preferable))