Tragic School Holidays

Tragic School Holidays

The last night, on the 7^th day after Malcolm’s cousin, Weng Kai, died, there was a sound, of 2 people talking, and the only person there was his aunty (the cousin’s mother) and.....!

Malcolm See was an old classmate of mine, when we schooling in the seventies in Penang. He lives with his uncle and wife and only went back to his parents place in Ipoh (as both his parents were so busy with their jobs).

During a particular trip from Ipoh, they decided to go to Seremban in Negeri Sembilan (to visit their relatives) and then off to Singapore to spend during Christmas. At that morning before leaving for Singapore, they were informed that one his cousin, Weng Kai, just drowned in a tragic accident.

 It seemed, that his cousin (its’ the school holidays) and his friends went to an old disused abandoned tin mining pool to swim. They were so poor that they used to place plastic bags filled with air and used that as floats. 

Unfortunately, my Weng Kai’s float had a hole and he got into difficulties. Weng Kai’s friends tried to help but were unsuccessful and they rushed back to his cousin’s house whereby they informed the family had happened. They rushed to the abandoned mining pool, by that time Weng Kai’s body was already missing.

Then they informed their relatives in Seremban and the police. After rushing to Malcolm’s uncle and aunty’s house, they waited beside the overgrown bushes at the disused mining pool but Weng Kai’s body did not show up. By the 2^nd day, they all went to the mining pool and waited for the whole day unsuccessfully as Weng Kai's body was stiill missing.  Malcolm’s uncle and the police then suggested to call the Navy divers who was based in Lumut in Perak.

After the next morning (the 3^rd day) they gathered again at the abandoned mining pool and waited for the Navy divers. While waiting, a cousin saw Weng Kai’s body beside edge of the mining pool and they all rushed to inform the parents. Malcolm’s aunty (the mother of the dead cousin) rushed to the pool but was forcibly held back by the rest of the aunties. Weng Kai’s distraught father was also there and when everybody seemed reluctant to retrieve the cousin’s body, the Weng Kai’s father went down to the mining pool and gathered the body which was covered with greying weeds. Malcolm was told by some busybody aunties and elder cousins that it was not right for the father to touch the dead son in drowning case (as some believe that those who had died unexpectedly and young as especially with parents who are still alive would come back as humiliated and restless spirits).

Anyway with the funeral arrangements, they decided to leave for home on the 8^th day after the death of Weng Kai. All these time, the Weng Kai’s mother was place in a separate bedroom which was in the ground floor and closer to everyone. Malcolm’s aunt was crying continuously and had refused to eat anything and have to be forced fed.

Malcolm’s other older cousins have said that the ghost or spirit will come back on the 7^th day of Weng Kai's death. Everybody were planning to leave the next day, as Malcolm and the other older cousins waited impatiently for the whole day for any supernatural signs but as the day pass until night but nothing unusual show up. However, after dinner that night, the children were allowed to stay up later than usual as they were leaving the next day….when Weng Kia father was shocked to hear strange voices talking from his wife's temporary room.

He rushed to his wife’s temporary room, closely followed by the uncles and the cousins but found the room locked! (Weng Kia’s father, previously removed the lock when his wife was acting funny) They could not actually hear the voices – but it sounded like Weng Kai’s mother and a little boy.

Weng Kai’s father turned around desperately and asked my eldest cousin to bring an axe. That cousin rushed off and finally brought back a “cangkul” (an instrument to dig soil) instead. Weng Kai’s father grabbed the “cangkul” and was about to hit the bedroom room, when the voices suddenly stopped. He place his hand on the door…and the door gently opened.

He found his wife sitting on the bed in a dazed but she and not answer and kept silent oblivious or unaware to any of their questions. They notice that were patches of water around the room and on the water, there were greyish weeds!