Ghosts of Newlyweds

Currently I am in between jobs so I have a bit of time to spend with my friends.  Being 20 years of age, I don’t really feel the urge to land on a new job soon.  So what I do now is relax.  I love singing and playing the guitar, so most nights I prefer hanging out with some of the dudes my age.  

 

I still recall a scary incident that happened a month ago.  If you’ve been to my village, you’ll get to see that there’s a lane at the front area right before the entrance.  The lane is usually busy during the day and night.  At night, hawkers fill the sides of the lane – you can find all sorts of food there and to a person with limited financial means like me it’s almost like a food paradise.   It’s also the perfect chill out area for me and my friends.  Usually, we would only call it a day when the time tells 1:00 a.m.

One night, a fatal accident occurred at the lane and it involved a newlywed couple.  They got hit by a motorbike when they were crossing the lane.  Some people said they had just bought something to eat from one of the food stalls before heading home.  

In the middle of crossing the lane, suddenly a speeding motorbike appeared and ran over the couple.  The rider only got some bruises here and there but the bride couldn’t survive the momentum of the hit as she had a severe injury on the head.  She died on the spot.  The bridegroom made it to the E.R., but he also died two days later.

Just about three or four days after the accident, one night, as usual, most of the dudes including myself couldn’t find other useful things to do except hanging out at the hawker’s lane.  We ate, chatted and drank coffee.  It was a common night.  However, around 11:00 p.m. it was drizzling and many hawkers decided to settle their business early and go home.  It’s not common for them to leave that early, as most of the nights they would only leave when it’s already midnight or a bit later than that. 

I still remember that moment.  It was around 1:00 a.m. and there were only five of us sitting at the shoulder of the lane.  It was still drizzling but we found a warm shed to continue with our normal routine – playing the guitar.  After a while the temperature dropped down, most probably due to the drizzle.  So we intended to part our ways and head home.  

Unfortunately, there was a sudden power failure and our whole neighbourhood became pit dark.  Although we had intended to go home, we didn’t dare looking at the absolute darkness surrounding the whole neighbourhood.  Left with no options, we waited for the lights to return.  We could actually see some lights coming from some major departmental stores but the illumination was rather useless as it was too far away.  At the same moment, the lane was totally deserted and there were no passing cars. 

So we acted cool and sang some more to cheer up the uneasiness that had started to crawl into our mind.  And then we could smell the scent of flowers typically used in wedding ceremonies.  All of us stood still in silence. I saw everybody’s facial expression and I believed they were thinking of the same thing - the accident that happened a few days back.  And… we were actually standing right in front of the crash site.  Well, at least a couple of feet away, I told myself to ease up on the pressure.

One of the dudes said, “Don’t you think it’s time to go home now?”  Another dude replied, “I think we should wait for the lights to return.”  I looked at the answering dude, but his facial expression looked unconvincing.  Immediately, I knew everyone was scared.

Well, dudes are dudes.  Oh boy.  We still had the guts to wait.  We tried to chat with one another but obviously our minds were already half insane.  My hair stood on ends, man!

Five minutes later the same dude who suggested that we wait ran faster than the wind blowing.  He was yelling and running at the same time.  I heard him – he said, “Look what’s coming from the west!”

We did as we were told; we looked to the west and… 

What I saw were a dude and his girl and they were holding hands.  The dude was wearing his wedding suit and his girl the wedding gown.  Both were walking towards us.  Up to that point everything was quite normal except…

Their eyes were entirely black and their skin appeared very pale.  And the scale of the scent increased rapidly.

At that moment, nobody had the guts to wait.  In the dark of the night, we all ran into our village and spent the night at Johnny’s as his house was the nearest. 

I didn’t dare hanging out at the lane for at least a whole week after the scary incident. 

The Power of Bismillah, Fatihah and Qursi

This is a story where a rented property is being haunted especially in the bedroom area.  Weird things would normally occur during midnight times, and various sounds were heard such as the door being scratched and the sounds of people walking all around the room.  Even the furniture in the home was moved around on its own.

There were three people living in the house.  They were a family – the father, mother and their daughter aged around five at that time.  The father had to leave his wife and daughter at his mother inlaw’s home when he was working night shift.  He was a security guard, so he couldn’t avoid from working night shift.

It has been known for long that the particular house was actually haunted.  People from the same neighbourhood told that nobody could actually stay very long in the house before moving out.  Once a family moved in and they could only manage to stay there for one night due to the disturbances from the ghosts in the house.  It was believed that the tree next to the house has often been the place where people perform spiritual ceremonies, and this is one of the main reasons why the house became haunted.

Some people claimed that they saw something sitting on one of the branches of the tree.  It looked like a shadow of a person.  The haunted house was at the corner lot, and the tree was actually a few metres from the house.

The ghost was said to enter the house as well and disturb the occupants.  It was obvious that he seemed determined to chase any occupants out of the house.  Some occupants were being strangled near to death.  Fortunately, after reading the Qursi versus the ghost was not able to continue on what he was doing.

One of the attempts to get rid of the ghost was by writing bismillahirrahmanirrahim on three pieces of paper.  One of the was placed at the front door while the second was placed at the back door.  The third paper was placed at the bedroom door.  The papers were not meant as the ultimate chaser for the ghost, and these were not considered as charms.  These papers were only used as an attempt to seek help from the almighty God.

The problem stopped for a while, and the occupants were pretty happy about it.  However, they were advised not to be totally content with what was happening because the devil always has a way to pay a revenge.  Devils are definitely clever, and when they feel threatened they will pretend that they no longer exist. 

The prediction turned out to be true.  After a month, the disturbances occurred again.  This time the devil acted harsher than before.  The whole family didn’t even dare to sleep in the house, so they had to spend the nights at the security post where the father (the head of the family) was working.

They called a religious person (ustaz) to help them.  The ustaz asked for a praying mat and he prayed in the house. He also asked for a jug of clean drinking water.  After performing solat hajat, he recited surah Fatihah and Qursi with certain countings and blew into the jug of water.  Then, he pleaded to God and asked for mercy so that the family could be hindered from the devil’s disturbances.

The water in the jug was utilized for drinking and some of it was added into the bathing water.  The remaining of the water was sprinkled around the home and the ustaz read the surah Fatihah and Qursi while doing it.

With God’s mercy now the family is no longer disturbed by ghosts.  Well.. everything actually happens for a reason.  As human being we are given the intelligence and energy to find ways of ridding such problems.   

The Screaming Vampire at the Deserted Lane on Your Way Home

It was difficult for Aaron at first to believe about scary ghost stories, spirits, supernatural, and so forth. Sometimes he protested when his friends told stories about strange happenings or mysterious occurrences. It was not because he was afraid but because he did not believe it.

But the incident three months ago had changed his perception. Finally he had to admit that the stories of horror, supernatural and spirits, do exist in this world. Indeed, the incident was so difficult for him to forget, and it was still fresh in his memory.

A very scary incident that occurred on a quiet lane located not far from the factory he was working made Aaron shiver every time he recalled it. Indeed, it was such a quiet lane but he had to pass through it each time he returned from work. But Aaron has been using the quiet alley for almost four years. He had never come across any strange creature or supernatural.

A lot of his friends have reminded him about the road though. Despite the horror stories he heard, even hundreds of advice has been received, but Aaron remained stubborn even though he knew the road is almost totally deserted.

Actually Aaron had no choice. The quiet lane is a shortcut for him, whether to go to work or to return home. Aaron worked as a journalist at a magazine publishing company. Because his working hours are not fixed sometimes he had to go home late at night due to the completed assignments he had. Sometimes he had to go through the lane even at two in the morning.

In the beginning the lonely path was not actually deserted because many factory workers were there since it is an industrial area. But since a year or two in recent years, factory workers rarely used the alley as the spread of the ghost stories and ghost vampires who resembles a small boy.

Even if people do not dare to use the quiet lanes, but still Aaron was stubborn enough. Until one night, after he completed his work, Aaron started his car and headed home. But on the way home before he reached the quiet lane, Aaron stopped at a food stall because he saw two of his friends, Shawn and Matt. They chatted until none of them remembered that the hour had been crawling pass midnight.

His watch showed that the time was already 12.45 am. It was a night with a full moon.  Matt and Shawn did not return through the quiet lane. Although invited by Aaron, Shawn and Matt still refused to drive through the alley. However, Aaron had no other choice. Whether he liked it or not, Aaron was forced to drive through the quiet lane.

On the way home, Aaron’s heart suddenly pounded hard. His eyes glanced to the right and left, watching the lane carefully. When he was halfway through, he snapped. A visible face of a woman appeared suddenly in front of him. Aaron paused. His thoughts and feelings began to recall what had been described by his colleagues. But Aaron strengthened his courage.

No longer able to keep being brave, Aaron opened his car door and ran outside.  But the woman followed her effortlessly.  When she became closer to him, his nose suddenly sniffed something so fragrant. He never smelled a fragrance that was so sweet. He couldn’t resist but to inhale deeply. It is impossible to ignore the temptation.  Aaron stopped running and stood still, as if in a trance.

Suddenly Aaron remembered where he was.  Quickly, Aaron covered his nose. He continued to run without caring whether the woman is in front of him or at the back. He bowed his

head down. He kept running faster and faster. But no matter how fast he ran, the stronger the scent pierced into his nostrils.

At that very moment the story about ghosts came to disturb his mind, and Aaron thought about his friends who had always been reminding him about it. One of his friends told him that if he noticed the smell of perfume, avoid inhaling the scent because it was actually coming from a vampire.  Remembered that, Aaron immediately held his breath for a moment.

All of a sudden the woman was in front of him.  She looked up to face Aaron. Aaron braved himself and threw back a fierce glare.  They locked eyes for a few seconds.  Aaron saw there was a peculiarity in her face. Her face was white, she had red lips and long hair past the shoulders.

All the hairs stood on Aaron’s body. He couldn’t move, he felt as if stiffed or held by something. He tried to move but not successful. His legs felt so heavy. His eyes continued to catch sight of her face that began to change. Starting with a smile her face turned into a ruffian. Teeth that were arranged prettily before suddenly turned into sharp jaws – she had obviously turned into the composition of a creepy monster.

Her hair was such a mess, followed by scary laughter that broke the quietness of the deserted lane. With a scary face, the woman approached Aaron. He tried to flee, but his legs was as if he was stepping on a road loaded with sticky glue. With all his might, he continued to struggle and finally he managed to scream as hard as he could, then fell down to worship the ground.

The following morning, Aaron was discovered by an elderly woman who happened to walk through the quiet lane. After getting help, Aaron was eventually sent home.  He was obviously still in a shock. Aaron described that the woman’s face turned blue - clearly Aaron was not excited at all about it.

Aaron stayed in bed with a high fever for three days and according to her mother, Aaron talked in his sleep.  It happened especially at around 1:00 or 2:00 am. Finally, to cure Aaron his mother called an expert on traditional medicine.

With God’s permission, he finally managed to heal even though it took a long time. Since the incident, Aaron always believed stories told by his colleagues. Aaron is now no longer using the quiet lane.

Scary Ghost Stories 2 - A Head On The Grave

Scary Ghost Stories 2 : A Head On The Grave

Scary Ghost Stories 2 :  Related by a young man.  "When I was small I used to follow my father to the musolla.  Sometimes I followed him to far away places and sometimes I just accompanied him to nearby places.  I like being with him, besides being a good son I really like to sit at the back seat of his motorbike, and to have adventurous journey almost every night. I like the weather at night, especially when the wind was blowing cold towards my neck.  

One night, as usual I followed my father.  However, that night we didn't travel by his motorbike because my mother was coming along.  We went by car.  Actually during the day we went to Malacca just for fun, shopping and sight seeing.  On our way back my father headed straight to the musolla because there was going to be a speech on that night and we were going to be late if we went home first.  When we arrived, no parking space was available near the musolla, so my father had to park his car beside the graveyard.  My father went inside, but my mother and myself waited in the car because the speech was going to end in half an hour.  My mother asked me to lock all doors, so I did what my mother told me to do.  While I was locking the doors, I accidentally looked at the graveyard.  I looked everywhere within the graveyard and saw several banana trees.  I wondered whether the trees were producing fruit or not.

Suddenly, I saw something weird on a grave located just three meters from where I was sitting in the car.  It was a head, and I was sure with what I saw.  The head was sitting just beside the tomb.  I called my mother, but she didn't answer.  I looked again, and I saw the head was showing a smirk at me.  I felt very scared and kept calling my mother but she didn't answer me.  I began to panic when suddenly I heard a knock on the car window.  It was my father.

"Dad!  Look!  Over there!"  I told my father about what I saw but he didn't see it.  I looked at the spot again, but the head was gone.  I was very sure it was there before, but then it was gone!  I asked my mother whether she saw it or not, since she sat in front and the grave is nearer to her.  She said she was sleeping just then and didn't see anything before she closed her eyes.

I was disappointed because I couldn't prove what I saw to my parents.  I was scared, very scared indeed but I kept everything inside.  It happened 16 years ago but the memory still lingers inside my heart.  Now I've moved out, following my father but occasionally I pass through the same graveyard again but now I am using my own car.  I will look at the particular spot every time I pass by.

Scary Ghost Stories 1

Scary ghost stories will haunt you after you finished reading.  If you are the type of person who likes to be scared, this is the right place for you.  If not, leave immediately because I'm afraid you can't take the shocking scary feeling that you will get as the impact from reading the stories... Make sure you are ready now because the story is going to start in the second paragraph.  If you are scared but still want to chill yourself with ghosts... find a friend to accompany you.  Let's get ready now... the story is going to start now!

Scary Ghost Stories 1:  Related by a student girl living in a hostel.  "This thing happened while I was in the third semester.  I was having a heavy menstrual, and I stayed back with other peers for our examination.  All juniors were back at home, enjoying their holiday.  Many beds were empty then.  That night, after studying last minute I found it hard to go to sleep.  It was past midnight, and I was really worried and anxious without knowing why.  I struggled to close my eyes, and after a difficult half an hour of twisting and turning I managed to drift off to sleep.  But...

"Just a few moments after a brief sleep, I was awaken by a strange, loud noise.  I've never heard such a weird sound before in my life.  Of all the scary ghost stories I've read before, this experience was extraordinarily different.  I tried to gain control of my courage, and I turned my head to search for the source of the noise.  I was terrified when I saw it.  It was very, very scary.  Helped by the dim light from the corridor outside my cube, I saw the head of a hideous ghost without a body, sitting at the bed opposite mine, and she was combing her long hair.  Her position was upside down, with her long hair reaching the ceiling.  I woke up a friend beside me, but she was sleeping like a corpse.

"This incident was not ordinary like other scary ghost stories.  The sound became really loud.  The creature continued combing her hair, and I was sure I saw those pair of red eyes looking my way.  I really didn't know what to do... so I hid myself under the blanket, and pressed my pillow against my ears to shut off the eerie sound.  It didn't work.  The noise became louder.  I read some of the versus to chase away ghosts, and five minutes afterward the sound gradually became slower and slower... and finally gone.  But I didn't dare to turn around.  Who knows, if suddenly the creature was already sitting in front of me, snarling and showing her sharp teeth?    I didn't want to even imagine that...

"I drifted off to sleep once again, mixed with fear and fatigue.  I woke up again by the first rise and shine sound of other students, walking and pacing along the corridor.  I got up from bed, and as I turned my head towards the wall, I saw a huge, long and ugly stretch of scratch marked the whole of the wall above my bed, and it originated from the place I put my head last night.

"Shocking.  That's the word I think most suitable to match how I felt that morning.  It is by far, going to be one of the scary ghost stories you will remember for a long time."

Head smiling at the shoe racks

Before we bought the house, it was vacant for 13 years.  My neighbor said that he had spent the night in the house for the purpose of calling spirits - he wanted to buy the Magnum lottery numbers.  He dreamt that night, and in his dream...

At the backyard there were a wedded couple with white heads.  The husband sat on the ground and always pointing  to the south.  The wife sat at the doorway with a blade in her hand.  In front, a vague entity was standing just beside the wall to a bedroom.  Outside, a black spirit with fiery hair sat at the gateway waiting for passersby. 

In the bedroom, a young girl dressed in red is seen crawling on the walls.  And a head was smiling at the shoe racks at the entrance...


I was relieved because it was only a dream!

The Haunted House : The History

We've already paid the downpayment for the house.  It means we are really serious in buying the house.  Yeah, I am very determined to own it, since it is such a large compounded house and I don't think we would be able to find another property this good at a very low price.  However, the owner didn't give us the key yet, because we still didn't get any loan providers to settle the balance payment for the property. 

We made the payment at the legal office where the owner had suggested.  We found out the legal company's service was excellent, and every process ran smoothly.  Afterwards, my husband suggested that we go and visit our 'new house' since he had already taken a day leave from work.  I agreed.  We went there and parked our car in front of the entrance.

This time it was daylight and everything can be seen clearly.  The horror scenery we saw the other night had now turned into an ugly scenery, because it was obvious the house needed repair in all aspects.  Its exterior paintings had turned out dirty and disgusted to look at.

I sighed.  Oh well.  It might be hard work for the next six months for us, since we don't actually have the money to hire people to do the repairs.  Nevertheless, my husband is talented.  Even though he is not a contractor, he knows how to do it himself.  So I agreed with him and I offered myself to help him do the repair.  It would save us a lot of manpower costs.  We buy the things, we fix it ourselves.

The nearest weekend, we went there to start working.  The grasses were as tall as our heads, and it felt impossible to cut them all.  However, two of my husband's friends offered to help without any pay.  Thank God!  So the four of us started working.  I didn't cut the grass, but I helped them carry the grass to the disposal ground.

It was already midday, and the sun was shining so brightly.  I felt a little dizzy, so I went to the entrance door which was still locked and rested my back at the door grill.  While resting, I looked inside and wondered when could we all go inside and see the interior.

Suddenly... I felt uncomfortable.  I felt as if something was looking at me from a hiding place upstairs.  My mind started to say things, and to imagine things.  I quickly looked toward the stairs but nothing was there.  But my heart kept feeling something was there at the peak of the stairs.  I don't know what it was but something was there.  I kept the feeling to myself.

That evening, when we were ready to go back, we met with a neighbor.  He lived just next door.  My husband asked, whether there were any strange things like ghosts or something that had happened before.  He didn't want to give a straight answer, but his face told us there was something.

It's okay.  Next week we'll come again and we'll ask for more information.  I was scared but at the same time excited.  We have bought the house, and no matter what we have to deal with it.

The Haunted House?

I was really desperate to find a new house to live.  Mine now sucks, because the next door and the front door neighbors were turning out to be useless friends.  They seemed nice at first, then gradually turned nasty and rude.  I suspected it was pure jealousy.  I don't understand why people around me, especially the same gender are usually jealous of me or offended by what I said.  I never found faults in anybody, but they usually found faults in me.  Heck.  I don't want to think about it too much.  What I should do now is to find a new place.  Here, this place is starting to make be beaten up, because it's very difficult to ignore their voices outside my front door, saying rude things about me - frankly speaking, badmouthing me and backstabbing me. 

That morning, my husband said.  "You can start looking for any advertisement on the net.  I would prefer a landed home and not flats, condos or apartments.  Not like what we are living in now.  It sucks.  What do you think?"

"The same thing," I replied.  Yeah.  I really feel the same thing.  It was hard living in a condominium, even though we have somewhat luxurious facilities such as swimming pool, maintenance are done for us, two parking spaces, a gym, our own musolla, playground for kids and efficient security.  Despite all that, my neighborhood was never good.  What I mean is I was so unfortunate to have two jealous neighbors and it made my husband and my life miserable.

So I searched the internet, and after half an hour searching I found what I was searching for.  It was a good property.  It was a double-storey, corner lot terrace, with spacious land of approximately 3,500 square feet.  The price?  It was amazingly low.  In my country this type of property is usually priced at least RM300k, but they offer only RM95k.  I quickly called the number provided in the advertisement slot. 

A woman picked up.  She confirmed she was the owner of the property, and she wanted to sell it immediately.  She said it would be better if she sells directly to us, rather than using the service of an agent.  It would save both of us around RM6k each, i.e. the seller and the buyer side.  I put our conversation on KIV and quickly called my husband to confirm.  He said he was also interested and I made an appointment to meet the owner that very night after my husband finished work.  The owner agreed.

That night, there I was, standing in front of the property.  The owner was not lying, it was a corner lot, double-storey terrace.  And the land was huge, in fact I noticed it had the biggest land in the housing area.  It had a huge pool beside the entrance gate and a base built up for a beautiful garden tent.  But...

It was indeed a very ugly house.  It was ugly because it was very old.  I noticed there was no gate at the entrance, most probably had been stolen because nobody lived there.  There was no electricity, i.e. the wirings had to be made again.  The roof had to be repaired because damage had been done.  Holes of bats were many. 

I looked deep into my husbands' eyes.  I asked him mentally, what do you think?  Then I asked him, and surprisingly he said yes.  Slowly... I begun to realize that it was a lifetime opportunity to own a house with such a huge land area.  I prayed silently and hoped everything would be okay.  I made a deal with the owner, since I am better in direct communication compared to him.  I managed to reduce the price to RM93, and walla!  The house was going to be ours! 

After the owner had gone, my husband took my hand and guided me into the house compound.  It was actually a very scary scenery, since the whole land was covered with grass as high as our heads.  There was no clear land to step onto, but my husband guided me carefully and shoved the grasses gently aside so that we could get through to the entrance door.

I was scared of so many things.  First, snakes.  Then, maybe ghosts.  Old houses are usually haunted.  Many people say so.  And this house was no exception.  We managed to pull through the entrance, but it was locked.  However, we could look inside because the sliding door was no longer there, only the grills were intact.  Somebody had interest with the sliding door, and had stolen it too. 

Yeah... the house was ugly.  The floor was basic cement, and the walls had cracks and holes in so many places.  There were so many repairings to be done.  No lights were intact, neither any fans nor electrical gadgets like switches on the wall.  The paints on the wall was white, but it looked dirty.  I looked at the stairs, and it looked so glum due to darkness.  I wonder how upstairs would look like, since the owner gave us a condition that she would only give us the keys to the house after we pay her the downpayment.     

There was a little store room under the stairs, but without a door.  So I was free to look into it, but it was dark and scary.  I imagined so many scary things were hiding in the house.  I think I saw a shadow moving, but maybe it was just my imagination?  Despite the feeling, I was determined to own the house, because I know both of us could turn it into a beautiful home later. 

I went home that night with mixed feelings.  I looked at my husband and he felt the same thing too.  What we didn't know was the history of the house.  And the history was only known to us later. 

If you want to know what was the history of the house, please be tuned onto the next chapter of this short story.  Until then, have a good day and enjoy yourself in my blog!

Sundal Bolong Final Chapter - The Inner Peace

"Thanks for being here. I really appreciate it," uttered Hamzah sincerely. The presence of Imam Samad really had saved him, because without Imam Samad, Hamzah was sure he would never have gained his courage and therefore surrendered totally to the evil Malika.

"It's nothing actually. You would do the same if I were in your shoe," replied Imam Samad, showing a little smile on his dry lips.

Hamzah nodded in agreement. Imam Samad was his best friend, and he knew he could always depend on him. But that night, he wasn't sure how Imam Samad had found him. He was perfectly sure he hadn't told Imam Samad he was coming over to his house. Maybe it's just meant that Imam Samad was to be his rescuer. It had all been pre-written by God.

"What do we do now?" Imam Samad showed a concerned gesture. His eyebrows were the number one story teller, making his face look pretty obviously worried.

"Nothing more, nothing less. We just wait," said Hamzah, controllably calm despite looking at the worried facial expression from Imam Samad. Quietly, he knew there's nothing more to be done, since Malika had been chased away and nobody knew where she was headed to. Even though Malika would come back for revenge, that's a new story and Hamzah felt he shouldn't worry much about it. He had known Malika's weakness, and if Imam Samad and himself combined together, they would make a perfect challenge for Malika.

"All right. Now let's go to my house. I have something to show you," Imam Samad said while poking Hamzah at his elbow.

Hamzah smiled. He knew what's inside Imam Samad's mind. If he's not telling him about his latest development in reciting the Quranic versus, it must be something about his little hobby - fishing.

Both of them walked side by side through the dark night, but this time with an easy heart.

And deep under the ground, Malika cried bitterly as the pain increased through her whole body. The damage done were so massive that it would take at least a century to heal completely. Until then, she could only wait and make plans. Soon. Soon she would come back. With that evil thought, Malika laughed hysterically despite her sufferings.

The End.

p.s. Dear readers and fans, my next posts will be about short ghost stories like what I had done before, I hope many of you would like it, since it would be my original creation - these stories couldn't be read elsewhere. Please wait for their coming, yeah... Thank you so much!

Sundal Bolong 18 - Face Your Fear

Visible hints of tears started to emerge in the corners of Hamzah's eyes. His thoughts were scrambled inside, and thorn apart from their safe compartments. Nothing matters more than survival. Yet, Hamzah felt hope was not on his side. The word hope gave no meaning to him, as if it was only a dream, separated like the contrast of day and night.

Panic was everywhere, attacking his numb brain and rummaging through his whole brain compartments. Hamzah tried to be calm, yet his knees defeated his mind. Both of them buckled and fell to the wet ground. Insanity started to creep in, and taking charge of his thinking kingdom.

"Hamzah, come over to me now!"

Hamzah heard the voice of Imam Samad, calling to him again. He knew he was not alone, but the irony was he knew he had to face the evil Malika alone. At least for the moment. He knew Imam Samad couldn't come to his rescue without making himself dead. That Malika, the evil sundang bolong was with no master. She was free to do as she pleased. Murder was nothing to her, it was like kissing a smiling baby.

Quick, Hamzah thought to himself, even thought through the panic attacks thinking wisely was nearly impossible. Then, as if rescue suddenly found its way, Hamzah had an inspiration. He closed his eyes and forced himself to focus. He collected all this scrambled thoughts and put them back all together into their appropriate places.

Amazing... the power of brains could do miracles. Hamzah could already feel the rays of energy flowing back into his body. Now he felt as if his whole body being recharged using heavy dutied batteries. He felt relieved, energized and focused. Slowly, Hamzah looked upward, searching for Malika's pair of eyes.

"I will surrender myself to you, but with one condition." Hamzah's voice was calm, yet it was full of positive aura. He locked his eyes straight into the burning eyes of Malika. There was a slight tremor, yet now Hamzah knew he could rely on his knees. He knew his own body would not disappoint him now.

Malika grew interested. A curve of smile portrayed on her crumpled lips. Her long, hedious hair flowed back when the chill wind of the night blew. Her thin, white garment she wore exposed the smell of decayed flesh. Everything ugly belonged to Malika. This ugliest creature on earth was now locking back her gaze into Hamzah's. Deep interest was registering.

"Don't think you can get away. You'll die on my hands, I swear. Now say what you want." Malika looked impatient now, but still she nodded once, purely because she was deadly curious. Beneath her chin green maggots beginning to appear. Disgusting.

Hamzah looked away for two seconds, but looked back, fearing Malika would change her mind.

"My last wish is..." Hamzah left his sentence hung. He put his right hand into his baju melayu's pocket. From inside, he brought out a small book. Without waiting, he opened it in the middle, right where the Yaasin chapter was.

"Allahuakbar!" Fiercely, Hamzah exposed the content of the book to Malika's face.

The evil sundal bolong shocked. Pure anger started to creep into her. She knew she had been tricked. And knowing she was so close to enjoy her next murder, anger conquered her even more.

"By the name of God, the Most Merciful and Most Powerful. I am now ordering you to go back to where you belong. This instant!" Hamzah shoved the page to Malika's face in an abrupt manner, giving the evil sundal bolong no way of escape.

Malika turned hysterical, anger was overruling her and she was mad as hell. Yet she could do nothing. Her power was nothing compared to Yaasin. Her whole body started to produce smoke, and seconds later began burning in flame. She cried in pain and agony, hiding nothing from Hamzah that she was confirmed full of hatred and she was sure to come back for revenge.

Moments later, Malika disappeared in a puff of smoke and the night turned calm once more. If a stranger passed by later, he would never guess the most terrifying incident had happened on the same ground.

Hamzah walked slowly but with huge relief. He nodded calmly towards Imam Samad who was also heading towards him.

Sundal Bolong 17 - The Desperate Malika

"By the name of God, please help me...."

In desperation Hamzah prayed deeply, hoping God would help him. Hamzah didn't know where else to turn to. He was nowhere to be seen by others. He was in the middle of the thick bushes, and only ghosts and spirits were residents of a place as such.

Malika's footsteps were obviously becoming nearer and nearer to where Hamzah was kneeling. Hamzah felt his sweat trickling down his neck and dampen his shirt, front and back. His knees were sore and trembling nervously. Hamzah didn't know what to decide. Should he get up and run? What if Malika attacked him then? Hamzah tried to put off the disturbing mind, but not able to push aside the tremor of imaginary consequent that might happen in just a mere seconds.

Hamzah felt and heard the footsteps of the sundal bolong became even nearer. Now it was just a matter of a few steps before the evil Malika would be beside him and make her fatal attack. In extreme fright, Hamzah sensed an instinct of survival arose inside his sole. Briefly and mixed with terror, Hamzah parted his eyelids a bit and gave a peep of what was really going to happen to him.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Malika lifted her left leg and landed right infront of Hamzah.

"Make your final wish, Hamzah! Tonight... you are going to die in my hands!" shrieked Malika in a hedious voice, uproaring nerve wrecking laughter which contained obsolute anger and revenge.

Hamzah closed his eyes again, surrendering himself to the evil spirit. He didn't have any choice. Even if he ran, Malika would come after him without effort. Hamzah had begun to cry when he heard footsteps of another person approaching.

"Cease!"

Hamzah turned his head and saw the shadow of a man.

"Hamzah, come to me!" the man shouted at Hamzah, ordering him to move quick.

As soon as Hamzah stood up and turned to run towards the man, Malika flipped his arms and lifted her body upwards. As quick as lightning, she flew forward with an intention.

Hamzah must die and she would make sure it happened no matter what.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 16

Four days had passed since the death of Majdi. Hamzah's daughter Zainab, had no tears left to trickle down her sobbing face. Everyone in Lane Street were still mourning and grieving for what had happened to Majdi. Besides his death, everyone feared that they would be the next victim. A normal human being could last three days without water due to thirst. But the thirst of a sundal bolong - nobody wanted to crack their heads to think about it.

During the past four days Hamzah had felt uneasy. As soon as Majdi's funeral was over, he felt as if he was being watched. He can't move about without having that feeling. Hamzah became restless, and he couldn't get a good night's sleep since then. His heartbeats went faster than usual, especially when he was alone.

That night Hamzah went to see Imam Samad. He couldn't bear the feeling of somebody watching him. It was a strange and unwelcome experience for him. Slowly, he paced down the narrow path heading towards Imam Samad's house. He wanted to let Imam Samad know about what was happening to him. At least, if anything happened Imam Samad would know how to react.

Hamzah brought out his old torchlight from his lose jacket. He pressed the on button, hoping it would produce light as usual. But that night the torchlight didn't give it's cooperation. Hamzah shook it several times, hoping that it would just a matter of unadjusted battery. But still, there was no light.

Hamzah began to feel scared. He knew the torchlight was as old as his own age, and the battery had most probably expired. Hamzah turned his head, and the only thing he saw was the dim shadow of the long path which seemed endless from where he stood. He was indeed in the middle of his journey and that meant he was exactly in the middle of a large, unattended orchard.

Going either way was the same thing because he was right in the middle. Having no choice, Hamzah closed his eyes for a second and inhaled a long breath. He whispered some of the holy versus which he knew at heart and continued his journey forward. He wanted to reach Imam Samad's house as quickly as possible, what more with no light in hand and he only had to use his instinct and a little mercy from the half heartedly glowing moon.

Suddenly, Hamzah's heart beat faster. Hamzah knew somebody was still watching him in the darkness and only God knew how scared he was. But there was nothing else to do, but surrender to God's will. Hamzah only hoped God will save him from the evil.

"Hamzah!" A shrieking voice appeared suddenly, trailed with a long, evil laugh.

Hamzah was shocked to hear the voice and the laughter. He thought he knew the voice. He had heard the voice somewhere and sometime in the past but he couldn't remember. He looked everywhere, trying to search from where the voice came from. Half of his mind was scared to death, but the other half told him to think and find courage. His instinct told him he must face the owner of the voice or else, his life would be in jeopardy.

"Who are you!" screamed Hamzah as loudly as he could. He collected all his courage and determined to face the evil thing, whatever it was.

"I am Malika!" said Malika with an arrogant aura. She opened her mouth and a blaze of fire escaped from the opening. Her fiery eyes were full of revenge and hatred.

"Malika?" Hamzah uttered in amazement and quietly to himself, beginning to realize where he had heard the name before. Then he nodded. He recalled the time when Daud had spoken to Malika on one of the wedding ceremonies in Lane Street. Now Hamzah understood. Daud was the master of Malika, and now he was dead. Malika was left without a master, and without a master a sundal bolong's existence would be the worst disaster Lane Street could have.

"Surrender yourself! I've waited this moment for ages. Now... you're completely mine! Mine!" yelled Malika in the most disgusting yet terrifying voice.

Malika stepped forward towards Hamzah. She opened her sharp jawed mouth and ready to attack.

Hamzah had nowhere to turn to. He closed his eyes and waited nervously.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 15

In the pit of the darkness, Malika crept out from her bottle. She no longer needed it, because the bottle didn't give any comfort to her anymore. Since the death of Daud, her master, Malika had to find her own prey and it was not an easy thing. Getting in and out from the bottle was just wasting a lot of her time and energy. It would be better if she was free, forever free from any ties of the last master she had.

It was already past midnight. The coldness of the surroundings didn't have any effect towards Malika. In fact, the eeriness provided joyfulness to her evil spirit. From far away, the howling of the wild dogs which cried for a piece of warmth and protection from the cruel coldness of the midnight air made Malika smile.

"I shall forever hunt you, and you shall never live in peace!" screamed Malika, breaking the silence of the darkness. What she meant was both the lives of Hamzah and Imam Samad. Both of the men had brought many sufferings to her. Because of them, Daud had become weak and couldn't provide her with what she wanted. Because of them too, Malika had to kill Daud, and now she had trouble finding her new prey.

Human blood is a necessity and couldn't be compromised with anything else. Malika couldn't accept chicken and goat blood with several trickles of human blood anymore. This was nonsense. Malika would do just anything to get the human blood.

Malika smiled again when she recalled about Majdi's death. Her hunger for human blood which she had abstained for quite some time were fully satisfied when Majdi met his death. Malika didn't waste any of the blood. Even the cords from Majdi's stomach were chewed to drain all the blood out. It was indeed a very satisfying meal for Malika.

"Just you wait. Soon, both of you would be mine..." whispered Malika, spreading her arms wide to her side with her head facing the sky and her eyes wandered trying to search for the glowing moon. Then, as quick as the lightning Malika transformed herself into the green grasshopper and flew back to Hamzah's house to see what was next to happen.

Malika reached Hamzah's house in no time. She landed perfectly on the open window and saw Majdi's body in the middle of the house. His body was covered with a piece of large cloth and many people had already arrived. Hamzah and Imam Samad were both busy, preparing for the burial ceremony while at the same time attending to questions from the others.

Malika was satisfied with what she saw. She flew back to her place and retransformed.

"Soon... soon." It was the only word that played in Malika's evil head. The picture of Hamzah and Imam Samad being dead and useless rewinded again and again. The cries from the dogs chilled the already shivering night and Malika took her place beside her bottle.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 14

Hamzah and Imam Samad had just arrived. Quickly, both of them raced to where Majdi was lying down. As soon as they reached the bedroom they saw Majdi was squeezing his stomach, ignoring the disgusting scene of his bursting belly.

Zainab was already unconscious at the corner of the room. Hamzah ignored her because at that time Majdi's life was in a dangerous state. Hamzah was afraid if it would be too late to save Majdi. Slowly, Hamzah paced towards Majdi and his pace was trailed by Haji Samad from behind.

Hamzah looked at Haji Samad to ask for his help. Haji Samad understood and he nodded as a sign. Without wasting time, Haji Samad recited some of the religious versus and hoped that whatever evil spirits which haunted and disturbed Majdi would escape and let Majdi free. However, his effort seemed to be useless. Nothing happened even though Haji Samad had recited the holy versus for five minutes without stopping.

Now, Majdi's hands had entered into his own stomach and he reached for its contents. Everything from his stomach came out and blood bathed all over the bed. Majdi pulled the cords from his stomach and took it to his mouth. He ate them with a big appetite, as if it was very delicious.

Hamzah and Haji Samad tried to stop Majdi from eating his own cord. But Majdi's energy was amazingly strong and he pushed both of them to the wall as if he was blowing off a piece of feather. He continued eating until a few minutes more. Hamzah and Haji Samad vomited because they couldn't stand the disgusting and frightening sight, but they couldn't do more than that.

Slowly, Majdi who was still eating his own cords became weak and finally he closed his eyes. Majdi was dead, at last.

Zainab who woke up by her own. As soon as she opened her eyes, the only thing which caught her attention was her dead husband. Majdi's body was full of blood, and so was the bed. Hamzah and Imam Samad who were still in puzzlement took a piece of large cloth and covered the body. Then all of them waited for the others to come.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 13

Zainab waited nervously beside Majdi, her sick husband. If she followed her heart, she would have run away from there. The horrifying grimace which Majdi gave him made Zainab tremble in fear. She felt as if almost sure that Majdi's body had been entered by another entity from the unknown. His rotating eyes, fierce and full of demand when he glared at Zainab. What he wanted, Zainab didn't know and she didn't dare to ask because she feared Majdi would ask for things she couldn't possibly give.

Majdi kept glaring madly at Zainab. Trying to declare peace, Zainab stepped forward slowly and calculatively towards Majdi. She saw what was squirming on her husband's skin. The giant maggots had roamed almost everywhere on his body.

"My dear husband, if you can hear me please blink your eyes twice. You have to be strong. Father is on the way to seek help. He's calling Imam Samad to come over. Please, darling. You have to hang on. Don't let the evil spirit control you. You have God and He will always help you. Please, blink twice if you understand," pleaded Zainab almost to the verge of tears. She pitied her husband and at the same time very scared of what she was seeing. Never in her life before something as strange and frightening like that happened to her nor her family.

Majdi didn't shift his glare towards Zainab. Nor did he blink twice to show he understood. Zainab became more trembled when he saw Majdi's eyes turning into burning red, and slowly little tiny drops of red liquid resembling of blood trickled down from those pair of eyes. Now concern and worry began to replace her fear. Majdi's condition alarmed a somewhat dangerous signal to Zainab. She began thinking whether Majdi would be able to survive with his condition at that time. And she began thinking of death, and what would happen if her husband died.

Suddenly there was a sound from the wall nearby. Zainab turned around. There, on the wall of the bedroom Zainab saw a green grasshopper landing his feet and was swaying its wings. At first sight, Zainab knew she was in deep trouble. She instantly recognized the grasshopper because it had a pair of red eyes.

Zainab had seen the grasshopper with her own eyes at Daud's house on his funeral day. An emergency thought appeared into her head, telling her to protect her husband. Her instinct told her the grasshopper was there to attack her husband.

Before she managed to think about what to do, the green grasshopper flew straight towards Majdi and bit him on his eyes. Majdi who was already weak couldn't do anything but scream and cried in pain. Then the grasshopper attacked for the second time, and bit his stomach.

Zainab ran protectively towards her husband, ignoring her own fear and safety. She didn't care if the grasshopper bit her. She blocked her husband's body from the grasshopper, but it was too late. Two bites had already been done.

Seeming satisfied, the grasshopper flew out from the house and was gone almost instantly. Leaving Majdi with extreme suffering and pain. Majdi groaned and cried and he held on to his stomach. The pain was too great that he wasn't aware he was pressing too hard on his stomach. Within a minute, his stomach had swollen and it became like a balloon filled with gas. Majdi continued pressing on his stomach until it burst. Instantly, blood spilled out from his stomach and bathed his bed.

Zainab screamed out loud. She didn't know what to do. Panic attacked her and she met a dead end. Her mind was jammed and she saw nothing upfront.

Zainab fainted and fell to the floor due to the extreme fear and pressure. Majdi was left alone, crying for mercy and hoping for an end to his suffering.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 12

Hamzah took a holy book with him before he went out of his house. He put the book into his front shirt pocket just in case if anything happened in the middle of his way to Imam Samad's house.

"Hopefully Imam Samad would be able to help me this time. There's nobody else I can rely on except for him. Majdi is real sick and he is the bravest man so far. Please God, please save him," uttered Hamzah while striding his steps carefully through the small path heading towards Imam Samad's house.

Lane Street was still not very modernized even though it was situated near the main road. Most of the paths that led into houses were not tarred and there were also many unkempt orchards because many young men had went to town to work. Here and there people could see messes of bushes and long, untidied grasses. Dried leaves were everywhere.

Hamzah turned his head around when he heard a strange noise from his back. He had noticed a couple of minutes before that a grasshopper with red blaring eyes was following him from a distance. He also noticed that the grasshopper had tried to land on his shoulder, but Hamzah managed to avoid it.

In his heart, Hamzah knew the appearance of the grasshopper was a sign of bad omen. He thought about previous incidences, all of them involved a red eyed grasshopper. Hamzah recited several of the holy versus and took out the holy book from his pocket. He blew out hard towards the grasshopper as soon as he completed reading the versus and he chased the thing away using the holy book.

Hamzah's effort succeeded. The red eyed green grasshopper couldn't get near Hamzah and it flew away.

Hamzah felt relieved. He continued his walk towards Haji Samad's house in a hurry. But there was one thing which Hamzah didn't know.

The red eyed green grasshopper didn't just fly away. It had a new destination to go. And Hamzah didn't know where the grasshopper was heading this time.

As the night became darker, Hamzah walked straight without thinking even more.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 11

Satisfaction overwhelmed throughout the body and soul of Malika. She was really excited knowing that both of the people whom she hated most had died in her own hands. Proud mixed with arrogance lingered in her mind, and the feeling intoxicated her until she felt almost floating in the air.

Malika had succeeded to kill Daud and Pawang Pahar. Both of the men had made her suffer. She had to obey Daud's orders, even though the rewards given were not satisfying enough for her. She needed more human blood, as chicken and goat blood started to taste bitter to her tongue.

Malika killed Pawang Pahar because the shaman had an intention to destroy her. She couldn't wait any longer and let the old man vanish her from the surface of the earth. If she followed Daud's order, Malika was convinced it would be too late. Malika never believed that Pawang Pahar could be persuaded with bribery. It was wise for Malika to take her own actions. And it had been proven correct. Malika had chosen the right path.

She killed Daud because her master was useless. Daud only gave her a few drops of human blood, and nothing more. Her thirst for human blood became so great, and she couldn't tolerate it any more. By killing Daud, she could use her own master's blood to the full extent. Malika was indeed satisfied. She sucked Daud's blood until there were not a drop left in his decaying body.

Now Malika was free. But suddenly she realized that she was no longer being kept by anyone. She had been pampered before and now she had to find her own way. It was going to be tough but because of that she was determined to destroy every human being in Lane Street. She would kill them mercilessly and left their body unattended, frightening to look at and shameful.

She knew, Hamzah and Imam Samad were just waiting for the right moment to kill her. Due to that, Malika promised herself to attack them both first before attacking other residents in Lane Street. And she also included Majdi, the brave young man who had saved Hamzah and Imam Samad during her attack at Daud's funeral day.

That night, Malika decided to attack Majdi first. She silently crept into his house. At that time, Majdi was sitting at the dining table together with Hamzah. Majdi had just wedded Hamzah's daughter, because Hamzah insisted Majdi to marry her. Hamzah said it was a reward for saving his life from the sundal bolong attack the other day.

Majdi was actually in love with Hamzah's daughter for quite a while. That's why he didn't refuse the offer. That night at the dining table, Majdi felt dizzy. He had lost his appetite, but because he didn't want to give a bad impression in front of his new father in law, he controlled his pain and sat quietly on his chair.

Majdi felt there was something wrong happening to him. His face suddenly turned pale and not a trace of blood could be detected from the veins on his cheeks. Hamzah and her daughter, Zainab, looked at each other in puzzlement.

"What's wrong, Majdi?" asked Hamzah in a concerned tone. He had never seen Majdi reacting the way he did that night.

Majdi could no longer speak. He closed his mouth with his hands and tried to get up. He wanted to go to the toilet because he felt too nauseous and he wanted to vomit. But Hamzah blocked him and asked him to sit.

"Zainab, take a basin here. Your husband is too weak to get up. It would be better if he just sit here," said Hamzah to his daughter.

Zainab quickly went to the kitchen and took a basin. She put the basin in front of Majdi. Majdi could no longer retain whatever was inside his stomach. On that instant, he vomited everything out. Zainab massaged Majdi's back a few times softly to enable Majdi to vomit everything out. Once in a while she massaged her husband's temple to make him ease the pain.

Majdi continued vomiting but this time it was no longer a puke of food but it contained several worms the size of a thumb. The worms crawled actively inside the basin, and swam through the puke of Majdi. It looked very, very disgusting.

Majdi's vomit didn't stop. It became more and more. Everytime when he puked, more worms came out. Up to now he had vomited half a basin of living worms.

Then Majdi vomited even harder. Now it was no longer worms, but large green maggots. The green maggots eagerly ate all the worms in the basin. Majdi vomited more and more maggots came out. He became very weak and couldn't do anything at all. Hamzah carried Majdi into the bedroom and lied him down.

"Let him rest. I have to go to Imam Samad's house to inform about this matter. I want him to help us solve this serious problem," said Hamzah to his daughter.

Zainab didn't answer but she only nodded her head. Even though she was very scared she had to obey her father's request because there were nobody else in the house. She had to be responsible, furthermore it was her husband who was in trouble.

Hamzah left soon afterwards, and Zainab was left with her sick husband. The house became too quiet and it made Zainab's hair stood on ends. She prayed hard, wishing her father to return home as quickly as possible. She looked at her husband's face, and it had turned green.

Zainab closed her eyes, and prayed for nothing worse to happen.

SUNDAL BOLONG CHAPTER 10

The news of Pawang Pahar's death spread quickly among the residents of Lane Street. Hamzah who was one of the respected person in Lane Street became more worried about it. He intended to ask Pawang Pahar's help to get rid of the ghosts, but now the man had already died. He didn't know from whom else he could seek for assistance.

Still dealing with his disappointment, Hamzah felt it was his responsiblity to get rid of all the ghosts from Lane Street. He didn't have the heart to see all the residents live in fear. Something have to be done quick.

"Before it became worse, I must do something. I can't stand it any longer. Too many spirits are residing here, not to mention about the pocong, hantu raya and the sundal bolong. If I knew who is the culprit behind all these, I swear I would kill him. I am not scared of evil spirits. It is only to Allah that I surrender my soul," whispered Hamzah to himself, trying to calm himself from worrying even more.

Meanwhile, Daud was no where to be found. Nobody knew where Daud had disappeared. Some of the residents said Daud went to visit his son, but some others didn't want to believe. They felt it was impossible for Daud to travel that far, since some of the times he couldn't even afford to buy his own food.

Personally, Hamzah started to feel strange about Daud's disappearance. Due to that, he gathered the residents of Lane Street and divided them into small groups. They were assigned to search for Daud. The search was done for a whole week, and Hamzah's prediction turned out to be true. Daud's body was found lying dead under a banana tree. His face was unrecognized but fortunately people could recognize him by his clothings.

Everybody came for Daud' burial ceremony because they wanted to see in detail how terrible his dead body looked like. Suddenly, just after the prayers ceremony ended, Daud's body was fully awake and he sat up straight. Everybody ran cowardly and left only a few brave individuals at the scene.

It was only two persons left at that time. They were the chief of prayers, Imam Samad and Hamzah. They couldn't leave Daud's corpse just like that because they pitied him. Furthermore, they couldn't run away from their responsibility. Daud must be buried, no matter what.

Hamzah and Imam Samad recited all the surah that they knew by heart. Imam Samad was a very religious man and Daud's corpse seemed afraid to go near him. He went straight towards Hamzah.

Daud's face looked fierce and full of revenge. He pinned Hamzah towards the wall and his rotting hands reached for Hamzah's neck. Hamzah couldn't do anything since Daud's energy was too strong for him to fight back. On the other hand, Imam Samad could do nothing too. He just continued reciting every surah he knew in hope that Daud's corpse would collapse.

Suddenly, Majdi who had run away felt he shouldn't run. He returned and ran into the house as quickly as he could. He grabbed a sword which was hanging on the wall and swung the sword towards' Daud's neck. Daud lost his neck within seconds. Before he fell down he gave out a loud scream. Then everything was silent.

Hamzah blew out a relieved sigh and smiled gratefully at Majdi. He owed him his life. Haji Samad patted Majdi on his back as a sign of appraisal. Majdi smiled back, feeling outrageously proud of himself. Indeed, he had saved Hamzah's life, and he was going to be called a hero.

"Now we better call back all the residents so that we could bury Daud's body as quickly as possible," said Hamzah to Majdi, asking for his favor to call upon all the residents of Lane Street.

That evening, the burial ceremony was done as simple and as quickly as possible. Nobody wanted the scene to happen again. After Daud's body was safely buried, everybody felt a huge relief and assumed everything had returned to normal.