Childhood Memories

Childhood Memories

Bukit Gelugor is one of the main housing places in Penang, Malaysia, located just north of Gelugor Village. The name practically can converted as 'Gelugor Hill' in the Malay language. The area was one of the oldest residential housing areas in Penang, and has many old colonial-style bungalows that are still occupied.
The top of Gelugor Hill was supposedly a site where criminals and political prisoners were beheaded and killed during the Japanese Occupation of Malaya.

 

Old School in Bukit Gelugor, Penang

 

Old Wooded House in Bukit Gelugor

Jess Chong lived in Bukit Gelugor during the early 1970s. She stayed with her parents in those early years in a wooden planked house, before the rapid housing development nowadays. Jess basically lived in an old wooden building in a one storey structure. There was one room that nobody was allowed to used and the room was locked with chains. Jess being only 5 years old did not asked the reason for that. All the other rooms had partitions but were raised up about 2 feet (60 centimeters) from the top.

One day, Jess was in her parents’ bedroom, lying in her bed and ready for her afternoon nap, when she noticed a boy looking at her between the gap between the top of the partition. He was smiling and even waved at her.

At bit angry and shy, she turned her head to face the other direction to go to sleep. When she woke up, she was extremely upset that her favorite doll was missing. Her mother tried to look for the doll everywhere but she could not find it. Jess was angry and said that the little boy must have taken her doll. Jess’s mother shook her and merely said Jess must have left it somewhere in their house.

When her father got back from work, Jess complained to him that the little boy took her doll. She stubbornly insisted that boy must be playing with her doll in that room. Unable to convince her, Jess’s father reluctantly took the key from the locks and opened the door to the empty.

It must have been many years since the room has been opened as it was covered with fine dust. Using a flashlight, Jess’s father finally saw the doll in the corner of the room. At Jess’s urgings, her father grabbed the door closed and hurried left the room.

Years later her whole family moved to their house in another suburb.

The mysterious and scarily incident was forgotten but did Jess the “boy”?