Dragon Bay

PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

DRAGON BAY PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

DRAGON BAY YAHYA MOHAMED PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

Puhli-hcd h>\" \"I:-'\\IU~ IIK03. (\"11:-.0.) IlLKII\\1J 3!!9. Chulia Slicer, Pulau I'inang (Al.1. l{«alrS ursruvrn ) First edition - 1<117 Printed aut! bound h~ Sin31;1Il Bros. (Sdn.) Berhad. Malaysia PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

TO MY WIFE PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

House of Fear THE 5HRILL cry was heard again. In the dark- ness Mazlan was beginning to feel scared. \"Maz, that's the dragon. I know.\" It was his cousin, Alias' voice. He was some- where there in the dark. Then Mazlan could feel the cold fingers of his cousin tugging his. \"Let's go back,\" the frightened ~voice whisper- ed. \"I agree with you,\" Mazlan replied,\" But let's find the torch first. It must still be on the floor where you dropped it.\" \"In the meantime the sharp shrill sound was still in the air. It was getting louder and louder every time. The old wooden floor was beginning to tremble and then the two boys found that they had lost their voice in fear. But then the sound grew weaker. The floor was not trembling very much and finally everything was still. The two boys how- 7 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

ever had not found the courage to speak yet. Perhaps they were expecting a dragon or a serpant to enter. \"Maz!\" Alias' voice was suddenly heard. It was strange indeed with that boy. When he is so scared, he becomes brave. \"It's the torch. I've found it.\" \"Good,\" Mazlan replied, \"Let me have it this time.\" He could then feel the object being thrusted into his hands. Then the whole room was lighted. With the aid of the light, Mazlan could examine the room again. \"We've found the torch,\" he continued, \"What do you say? Shall we go home as you suggested or shall we carry on?\" There was a short pause. \"We'd better carry on. After all we've still got father to find.\" \"Very well,\" the elder boy replied, \"Let's try that way.\" He pointed at the narrow path in front. It was being pressed by two walls. Alias did not say any- thing. Perhaps he had regretted of his decision. He just nodded his head and followed the elder boy. There was a bend ahead. And when they reached it they found a staircase leading upstairs. \"What do you make of it?\" Mazlan asked. \"No idea.\" Mazlan took the first few steps on the staircase then he turned around. \"Be careful Lias,\" he warned, \"These boards are loose. You may fall down if you don't:' 8 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

The warning came a little too late. The smaller boy had fallen and he hit the floor with a loud crash. He groaned slightly but then he lost no time in catching up with Mazlan. He did not wish the bigger boy to laugh at him. At the end of the staircase, they found a closed room. Again the walls looked old. The door was clinging to one of its hinges. Slowly Mazlan pushed the door inwards. The action produced a long hair- raising creak. He torched the room from end to end. There were a few empty boxes at one corner. On the walls there seemed to be many cobwebs. Mazlan took another look at boxes again. And he was sure that they had been put there quite recently. The torch moved again exposing every inch of the floor and wall. It moved gradually to the other end. Oh! There was a kerosine pressure lamp on the floor. Perhaps the owner had lost his matches and had gone down to fetch one. Mazlan stared again at the lamp. No he couldn't believe it. Some- one was here. His heart started beating more vi- gorously again. He didn't know if the younger boy was scared too at that time. Anyway nobody wanted to ask and nobody wanted to admit. Mazlan slowly moved the torch forward. Alias' eyes was following the light all the time and as it reached the far corner of the room, it revealed something that made the boy scream. Mazlan could feel the poor boy's arms tight around his body and were shaking him like a leaf. Mazlan stared at the objects. There were two 9 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

of them. Yes, two human skeletons. One was propp- ed up against the wall. The other was sprawled on the floor. They looked too tall for most men. Were they actually human skeletons? Or were they the remains of cavemen? \"Let's er let's get below,\" Alias whispered and Mazlan was only too happy to follow. Climbing down the stairs took extra care. Alias especially took extraordinary care as he did not wish to fall for the second time. As they were climb- ing down the smaller boy tugged at Mazlan's hand. \"What is it?\" Mazlan demanded. \"I...I thought [ heard something.\" \"Oh! You're jumpy that's all.\" \"May be [ was hearing things. Or wasn't [1\" \"How'd [ know.\" \"There. There it is again. Can you hear it ?\" Mazlan strained his ears. Alias was right after all. There was a sound. It was the sound of an object being pushed against the wall. Or may be that was the sound of an object being dropped on the floor. No one can be sure of it. The boys reached the floor and stayed still. There seemed to be many objects being dropped on the floor. The sounds however were faint making detection im- possible. Alias was about to get up to satisfy his curiosity when the shrill sound was heard again. And he quickly threw himself on the floor. The old floor and walls started to tremble again. The old board loosened by Alias previously 10 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

Yes, 1,, '0 human , .kclctons 11 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

then fell down on the floor. \"My goodness,\" Mazlan softly uttered. Alias put both his hands against his ears. Luck- ily the bigger boy had switched off the torch. If not, he could have seen how pale his young cousin look. He was beginning to cry when he realised the sound was gradually weakening and finally became no longer audible. \"Let's go back,\" he appealed in a whisper. \"Are you afraid 1\" the other teased. \"Certainly not.\" \"Then, why that kind of talk 1\" \"It's mother that I'm concerned for. You know. She's alone by herself at home.\" \"Oh! Let's cut it out shall we1 You know how angry your mother will be if we return without your father 1 You were the one who wanted to carry on with the search. Now you talk like a girl:' \"All right. All right. You win.\" So Mazlan switched on the light and led the way. 'The torch had found a new path. The two boys followed it. Not long afterwards, Mazlan was heard saying, \"Lias, There's a room in front.\" \"Well. Open it then.\" \"You must help me.\" The two boys then put their weight together and battered the door, but it never moved. The door seemed to be made of fresh planks. They kick- ed and shouldered the door again. Still the door stayed. It didn't moved an inch. Mazlan examined ]2 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

the door more closely. His torch pointed out some- thing on the door. What he saw made his blood go chilled. \"There's a padlock attached,\" he reported. The younger boy felt a little annoyed. \"So what? Haven't you seen a padlock before 1\" His voice was calm and undisturbed. Mazlan was feeling ashamed of himself because he felt a bit scared. He looked at the way Alias was facing the problem. There was surely much more than just a dragon. At least after knowing all these things were around. Mazlan knew how scared he actually was. That was not the way with Alias, at all. \"You mean you are not taken aback on know- ing that there is a person here?\" Alias was more annoyed, \"Person? So what? Let it be a dragon or a person ?\" Suddenly he stopped and when he said again, his voice was very much different. \"What? Did you mention a person?\" \"Yes. That's what I was scared of. All we know is that this place has been empty for very many years. Now we know there's someone here.\" \"Are you sure there's someone here?\" Alias asked. \"That padlock,\" answered Mazlan, \"It's new. It had been put here by someone. No dragon can do it, surely.\" Suddenly he knew why Alias had been so brave, and that's because he was not aware of it. 13 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"Maz,\" the once brave little boy gasped, \"I'm scared! That person may be a bad man. For all I know he may be the man who owns the dragon.\" \"All right. All right,\" said Mazlan. \"So both of us are scared.\" He stressed the last word in such a way that he sounded as if he was so much of a relief. \"It's definitely no use of hanging around in the dark like this. Let's get ourselves elsewhere. The smaller boy did not reply but Mazlan knew then that he had no objection to it. Mazlan therefore led the way on. At length he found an- other staircase. The staircase, this time was made of stones and they were leading downwards. He waited for the smaller boy to get closer. Then he whispered, \"Why should a person have an underground room?\" \"I don't know. The Resident might have been crazy.\" \"Did you say Resident?\" \"Why yes. Father mentioned once that the kampong people used to say that the Tuan Resident lived here.\" \"Oh! So he was an Englishman for sure. That goes back to the past when we used to have Eng- lish District Officers. Only nowadays we have Ma- laysians filling in the posts.\" \"I got it,\" Alias beamed, \"I think it is typical of Europeans to have cellars in their homes. You know Maz. Surely you have stories where they have dark rooms underground.\" l-l PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"Yes. Now I understand...\" said Mazlan. But then his eyes fe11 on the sea water a few feet in front. The boy directed the light a11 over the room. There was a big opening on the wa11, big enough to let a lorry in. Through it they could see the sky and a few stars too. When they looked lower they could see the sea. The sound of the waves could be heard from there. The two boys studied the room for a long time. Part of the sea had come into the room. And it had obviously come in through the opening, flooding the floor to a cer- tain level. Mazlan remarked, \"If the worse comes to the worst, we can get out of here through that opening.\" \"Not at this time of the night,\" Alias protest- ed, \"I don't intend to get myself wet and cold.\" \"All right. We'11 get a better exit,\" Mazlan agreed, \"But we'll have this opening as the last resort.\" They about turned and started climbing up the stairs. Alias was leading this time. He did not climb far when he suddenly stopped and picked up something from the brick stairs. \"This is a cockle shell,\" he announced, \"I'd just remembered that our teacher wanted us to bring some shells for our art lesson.\" He stopped again and picked up a few more. The room was not so dark compared to the other rooms. The pale moonlight had managed to come in through the opening in the wall. All this while Mazlan was quiet. Suddenly he spoke up. 15 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"Wait a minute Lias. Did you notice the wa- ter level below?\" \"Sure [ did,\" came the reply. He was still filling up his pockets with the shells. \"Why do you think the shells had managed to get up this high?\" The smaller boy blinked. He had stopped fill- ing up his pockets. \"The tide Lias. It's the tide that brought the sea to a higher level. When it subsided it left the shells here.\" He stopped there. Alias who expected to listen more of it was curious. \"Maz!\" he called. \"Why? [ am close behind you. Can't you see my torch?\" \"Why did you stop talking?\" His question was not answered. \"Maz!\" the smaller boy called out again. \"Shhh!\" The bigger boy finally replied, \"I heard something.\" \"Let's get out then. I'm feeling the creep.\" They wasted no time in climbing to the top of the staircase. There they found a wall had divi- ded the space into two paths. \"Shall we take the left or the right?\" Alias asked. Mazlan pointed his light to the left. \"Take that one,\" he ordered, \"I wanna go back the way we came. It naturally is far better than the cellar.\" The two boys happened to take the wrong 16 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

path and they almost stumbled into a spot of bright light around the corner. Had Mazlan not pulled Alias behind the wall in time, they would surely have landed into trouble. The two boys kept them- selves close to the wall. They had switched off their light and from their position, they could see an un- usual scene. In front of them, a few yards away, a man was standing in a bright light obviously coming from the room into which he was looking. He was talking loudly, in a course voice, a sort of threat- ening someone in the room. \"Remember one more thing mister,\" he was saying, with both his arms swinging about, \"Take one step and I'll drill you full of holes, that water could pass through it like a big sieve.\" Then he wandered away into the darkness. Mazlan waited until the man had gone at a safe distance before he led Alias to take a fast look into the room. Cautiously they peered and were surprised to find an elderly man inside. The man was seated leaning against the half opened window. A fraction of the light had managed to get into the room from outside. There was also a kerosine lamp burning. Alias was more surprised when he discovered who the man was. \"Father!\" he yelled. Before Mazlan could realise it the smaller boy was already in his father's arms. \"My hands are tied,\" the man whispered. You must not waste any more time. Go and tell the po- lice.\" 17 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"Tell what?\" Mazlan interrupted. \"Why so?\" the other boy asked. The poor man paused. He had realised then that he had to tell right from the beginning, every- thing he had learnt. He knew he had no time but he had intended to make it as short as possible. \"All right boys,\" he said in a low voice. \"I'm going to tell you a story. And when I've told you everything, you must run as fast as you can and tell it all over again to the police.\" \"Suppose there's no policeman around?\" Alias asked. \"Why, you can tell your mother.\" Alias nodded his head and Mazlan began to sit down on the floor. The man, his uncle soon began to relate his story. 18 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

The Prisoner (This part of the story was narra led by Alias' father). \"I AM AN archaeologist, working for the Na- tional Museum at Kuala Lumpur. I have learnt about types of living things and people and how they had lived in the past-the ancient civilisations and things that occurred many thousands of years ago. Often in my work, I had to trace history from fossils, cave drawings, carvings and pottery of an- cient people. I had to study classical Greek, San- skrit and Latin so as to enable me to read the writ- ings of people in the olden age. For the museum, whatever I have obtained so far have to be iden- tified first and a short explanation of each written before I could have them hung up on the display walls. Fossils are not easy to find. That is why our display in the National Museum is rather limited. Work is monotonous. All the time, I was praying that news of certain pre-historic animal of some 19 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

sort would come. I didn't have to hope in vain. Two months back, I read in the magazine that there was a vague story of a sort of a dragon around this place. In my job we deal with facts. We couldn't al- low this tall tail to get the better of ourselves. We had to investigate and find proof. A few days later, by mere coincidence, I read an article in another magazine written by two Zoologists. Zoologists are scientists who make detailed study on animal life. According to the article, the two Zoologists had come all the way from America to study the possi- bility of a certain pre-historic fish called \"lchthyo- sauria\" living in our waters. The name is difficult to pronounce, I know. Actually it is not a fish. It is a form of reptile. Other examples of reptiles are lizards, crocodiles, iguanas and alligators. lchthyo- 20 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

sauria is a marine reptile. It does not have the exter- nal features of a reptile however. Its body resembles that of a fish. Instead of limbs it has flippers to swim with. The tail is large. There is a broad dor- sal fin on its back. The eyes are big, very much like those of reptiles. The teeth too are sharp and the head resembles much of a crocodile. Perhaps, only its nose is much smaller. The body is covered with scales to enable it to live in water. \"Alias' father drew a rough shape of the pre-historic fish on the floor, as he was talking.\" Well, there you are. That's how it looks like roughly. This form of reptile is believed to be extinct by now. When I was in Europe once, I saw its markings as fossils in rocks. They are believed to have lived during the Mesazoic pe- riod and it's hard to believe or to hear at all of its existance in the present day. The Zoologists managed to publish the first report on their subject in an international maga- zine. I've got the report cut out and it's in my draw- er at home. It is a weekly magazine. I looked out for the next report which was promised by the edi- tor. But no report came. On the following issue the editor wrote that the two Zoologists were report- ed missing. As I have told you, there was a rumour of a dragon around here. It surprised me. Then I learnt that the two who were missing were last seen in this locality. I had two options then- the dragon or the Ichthyosauria. I decided to hunt for both. If I fail in hunting one, I'll have a chance at the other. So I obtained permission to get trans- 21 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

ferred here for a short while, long enough to per- mit me to do an intensive research. I decided that I had to take your auntie and Alias along. I didn't want to alarm you Alias, so [said [ was going for a holiday. And before [ could stop you, you have already invited your cousin Mazlan. I am sure by now you are quite aware of this area. It consists of a small coastal village overlook- ing a small bay. And here right where we are now, stands the only building. Part of it is made of bricks the foundation that is, and the rest is made of wood. Do you know Pa' Wahab?\" Alias answered, \"Yes father. Pa' Wahab is Aminah's father. And he owns a boat.\" \"That's right. He works in the Marine Depart- ment and he likes to live close to the sea.\" There was a pause, but not a long one. \"He has been living here for quite some time. He knows everything here like the back of his hand. [ was introduced to him and not very long afterwards I persuaded him to accompany me in my investigation. The first place that he took me to was that small coffee shop near the tip of the promontory. Fishermen gathered there before and after their catch. Most of them even spent their free time there. That was an excel- lent place to start asking questions. I saw a group of men drinking at a table. I excused myself and asked the first question. I tried to smile and be polite as far as I could. There were four of them. Their clothes were old and torn. They looked at me with a feeling of uneasiness. 22 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

They seemed not reluctant to answer. Jn the end one of them spoke up. He was an Indian. I learnt later that his name was Ramasamy. \"Yes, dragon. I've seen it with my own eyes. I even saw it passing by a few yards to the starboard of my boat. \"What was it like?\" \"I -I don't know.\" \"But you said you saw.\" \"Yes. I did. But part of it was underwater.\" \"What part was above the surface?\" \"Er-er its back. It had something broad and sharp. It was moving very fast. I knew it could only be a dragon.\" \"It could have been a fish. A shark may be.\" The man looked annoyed. He stood up. His eyes became stern. \"Look here young man,\" he remarked, \"I've been a fisherman all my life. Ask me how many years I have been at sea. I'll tell you now. I've been at sea for more than fifteen years. I've braved the winds. I've been thrown into the rough waters. I've seen men drowned. I've quarrelled with those fishermen from those far off islands. I've been at the mercy of the winds and rain and have experienced being blown off far away from home for several days without food and water. I've caught all sorts of fish. You just name me a fish and I'll lecture it to you-sharks, eels, rays, dogfish -anything. Now you come and tell me if I've mis- taken it for a shark. I don't care who you are or what your job is. But I'll tell you this. I agree sharks have dorsal fins. It is broad and is visible 23 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

when the fish is chasing its prey. But I can tell the fin of a shark from that thing-a dragon or whatever it is. The shark has only one fin. That thing - well-- it had two or three attached close to one another. Let me see, yes, there was a broad one, then a smaller one and the third was the smallest. Oh ! I'm not very sure of the third. It was very very close to the surf. \"He paused for a while.\" You're new around here. I see. Well let me tell you one thing, boy. Here in Tioman Island everyone believes there's a dragon here. Our great-great grandfather did. So did our grandfathers. So does everyone to-day. Look around boy. Look into their eyes and tell me if I'm not telling the truth.\" \"Can you prove it T I asked, \"I mean other than what you saw.\" \"Of course. Someone tried it once, by acci- dent. He spilled vinegar on the ground. The dragon was mad and it shook up the whole island. Trees fell, houses were destroyed and many people were killed.\" Later Wahab told me that it was the earthquake that did it. The fisherman was angry and I decided that I had better stopped asking any more questions. Pa' Wahab intervened. He told the Indian that I was his friend. Since they had come to know the mariner for quite sometime, the man apologised and we thanked him for his answers. As we were going out of the shop, Pa' Wahab asked me how I would like to go in his boat for a trip in the little bay. I was delighted of course. It was not long there- 24 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

fore that 1 was helping him to push the craft into the water. The boat was about ten feet long. I call- ed it a sampan. However Wahab insisted that it was not. He said he had an outboard motor to go with it but he did not want to go back home for it as it was a long distance away. He had been keep- ing his boat locked up in a shed close to the shore. We got into the boat and Wahab took a pair of oars from the floor and started rowing. The morning was fine. It was bright. Along the beach I could see quite a number of people run- ning about happily. Wahab reminded me it was Sunday and that those people were having a pic- nic by the sea. A few boys and girls were seen swim- ming and playing about in the water. We had to proceed slowly in order not to knock into them. One of the daring swimmers was a dark boy. He looked so happy. He was detached from the others and was the farthest out from land. \"Hey! sir,\" he called as we were passing him by, \"Can I get a lift 1\" \"Sorry,\" Wahab replied, \"I know you have no money.\" The Indian boy chuckled happily. He knew it was a joke. Your Pa' Wahab is a good boatman. Skilfully he managed to guide the boat to such an angle that ] was able to see the good part of the land comfortably. \"There is the single building,\" he said pointing at this very house, \"The only one still standing around here. It looks too old to be still there.\" 25 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"What happened to the others?\" \"Oh! There were three or four of them. But they were fishermen's huts and they gradually got washed up by the waves. You know Samad,\" he said, \"That old building was once a Resident's house. It is built up of specially selected wood and con- structed up by very skilled workmen. The sea had advanced gradually from time to time shorewards drowning the land inch by inch. So that Resident's house must be strong enough to be still standing.\" \"Anyway it is aging. It would not be long be- fore it collapsed like the others.\" \"No one is strong forever Samad. That's for sure. Already the water is threatening its founda- tions. At the most it will last for a couple of years more.\" I did not reply. I kept looking at the shore. I could see our house far off. And there were the Casuarina trees swinging in the wind. I could make out too, a number of Weeping Willows, the small Chinese tree that Malays mistook for 'Buloh Pe- rindu', In Malay 'buloh' means bamboo and the Willow is hardly a bamboo at all. I realised that in this world there are many things that people take something wrongly for something else. \"You seem to be enjoying the sight of Dra- gon Bay,\" Wahab remarked smilingly. \"Did you say 'Dragon'? \"Yes. Ever since a dragon was claimed seen III this area, it has been more popularly known as \"Dragon Bay.\" Ask any fisherman. They'll say 26 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"What happened to the others?\" \"Oh! There were three or four of them. But they were fishermen's huts and they gradually got washed up by the waves. You know Samad,\" he said, \"That old building was once a Resident's house. It is built up of specially selected wood and con- structed up by very skilled workmen. The sea had advanced gradually from time to time shorewards drowning the land inch by inch. So that Resident's house must be strong enough to be still standing.\" \"Anyway it is aging. It would not be long be- fore it collapsed like the others.\" \"No one is strong forever Samad. That's for sure. Already the water is threatening its founda- tions. At the most it will last for a couple of years more.\" I did not reply. I kept looking at the shore. I could see our house far off. And there were the Casuarina trees swinging in the wind. I could make out too, a number of Weeping Willows, the small Chinese tree that Malays mistook for 'Buloh Pe- rindu', In Malay 'buloh' means bamboo and the Willow is hardly a bamboo at all. I realised that in this world there are many things that people take something wrongly for something else. \"You seem to be enjoying the sight of Dra- gon Bay,\" Wahab remarked smilingly. \"Did you say 'Dragon'? \"Yes. Ever since a dragon was claimed seen III this area, it has been more popularly known as \"Dragon Bay.\" Ask any fisherman. They'll say 26 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

this is \"Telok Naga\" which means \"Dragon Bay.\" To add more emphasis to it he said, \"The fisher- men have been telling their children too, not to play about in this area:' I kept looking in the direction of the shore. I saw one of the boys was trying hard to get close to our boat. He was a good swimmer to get that far. I recognised he was the same Indian boy. \"We'd better allow him to come aboard,\" [ said, \"He looks so determined.\" \"All right,\" Wahab agreed, handing me one of his oars. \"Help him up with this.\" I took the oar and stretched it out to help the boy. He was only a few feet away from our boat. I saw him moved towards the oar. Then something that I least expected happened. He looked so terri- fied. He paused for a few seconds and then tried to swim backwards. His hands moved so frantically to swim effectively. It happened all of a sudden. There was an ear-splitting scream. There was blood. It went red all over. Then the calm bay became stormy and [ had to grasp the gunwale to prevent myself from falling overboard. I took another look in the direction of the swimmer. I was so tremendously shocked to find that the once care-free Indian boy had been cut up neatly into two. \"It's the dragon! It's the dragon!\" Wahab yelled out. \"There, there, look, look.\" I turned to the direction that he was pointing at. Sure enough. There was a fast moving fin across the water heading towards the land. It looked like a shark's fin but I 27 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

knew sharks were very rare in this part. Ramasamy was right after all. It could never be a shark's fin. It moved for about 30 m.p.h. for a few yards and then it disappeared under the water. We reported to the police immediately. Ra- masamy was called. It had turned out that the un- fortunate swimmer was his son. He sadly took the body away but not before giving an angry snarl at me. I guessed he blamed me for that. They all be- lieve that if ever anyone become inquisitive about the dragon, a few will have to die. Nobody have dared to report about the dragon. The small police station had only five policemen. They said however they have been visited regularly by the marine police who had their base in the mainland a few miles away. At the moment the police corporal did not look keen enough to lodge a report to his superiors in the mainland. Wahab warned me not to continue with my investigations. He said Ra- masamy was a hard man and that he may want to take revenge on me. I promised Wahab that I would not continue the investigations any further. But when I reached home, I realised that I could not keep that promise. There was a dragon of some sort in the bay. I had seen it with my own eyes. It was my duty to science and mankind to reveal its secret. It took me two days to make up my mind. So the next morning, I set out alone on foot in the direction of the old building. It was rather hot. There was only this building in that sandy stretch. So I stepped inside and rested on its old floor. I 28 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

took a long drink at the tea that I had brought along. It was my intention to continue with a close- up exploration of the interior of the building af- ter I had rested long enough. But that intention was still to be carried out. A man in dark clothes suddenly confronted me. His face was stern and cruel. He had a pistol in his hand. I guessed it was of .38 calibre. With that dreadful weapon pointing at my stomach I was obliged enough when he tied up my hands behind me. The stranger took me into this room and I am more or less a prisoner, and perhaps forever will be. Once in every three hours he would come into the room and offer me some food and drinks. He cautioned me not to try to get out because. from his room he could easily spot me. He said he did not wish to tie up my legs as he wanted me to have a little convenience. That was the man who had just gone off a few minutes ago. He was fair skinn- ed. At around 2.00 a.m., a few minutes ago that was, the dragon was heard whinning loudly. I don't know where it came from, but it was here alright -somewhere here. And when the dragon is heard whinning, the man had to leave the room. May be it was a sort of a signal. By the way, there's a room above there. I've never tried to go there yet. I wonder what's inside. \"We've found that out, father,\" Alias spoke up. \"There are two skeletons there. Tall skeletons.\" \"What?\" 29 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"Human skeletons,\" Mazlan joined in. The archaeologist thought for a while. But then something distracted him and he said, \"Alias, Maz- lan, you must run away before it's too late,\" The two boys soon learned the reason for the warning. It was the sound of approaching footsteps. 30 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

Mazlan's Discovery \"WHY FATHER?\" Alias asked. \"Those skeletons, from the way you've describ- ed them, may well be those of the missing Ame- ricans,\" Samad replied excitedly, \"I've heard a lot about these people. They give offerings to dragons and what not. Quick boys! Run. Jump through that open window.\" Mazlan made for the window and climbed hastily outside. \"Hurry up Alias,\" he warned, \"The footsteps are getting louder.\" The smaller boy soon followed. Had he climbed a second later, he would have been noticed. The two boys, how- ever did not jump straight into the water below. They just clinged to the wall. \"I can't swim,\" whisper- ed Alias. \"Never mind,\" hissed Mazlan, \"If we're to jump now, the splash would surely give our posi- tion away.\" The stranger was in the room by now 31 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

and they knew it. Even his voice could be heard. \"I thought I heard several voices in here just now,\" the course voice of the stranger was heard. \"What's go- ing on T' Mazlan could hear his own heart beat- ing. \"Nothing:' Alias' father replied as bravely as he could. \"I was reciting some poetry. That's all. Perhaps you're jumpyT' \"Shut up,\" the stranger snapped, \"You stupid landlubbers, just because you've been to some uni- versity, you wanna talk of poetry.\" Alias wanted to say something, but Mazlan was able to caution him from saying a word. Foot- steps were heard again and the two boys then knew that the stranger was leaving the room. When the footsteps had died away, Mazlan urged the smaller boy to jump into the water below. \"I'm scared,\" Alias protested, \"It's quite dark. I can't.\" \"What do you mean you can't? Can't jump or can't swim T' \"Both.\" Mazlan got irritated and he pushed his cousin into the water. Then he jumped in after him. They each hit the water with a splash. It was rather dark down there. And the water was cold too. \"Lias, Lias,\" Mazlan called anxiously, \"Are you all right T' \"I'm all right. I'm here,\" the other boy answered. \"The water isn't too deep here. I'm standing on my toes.\" Mazlan strained his eyes and gradually 32 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

saw the smaller boy's head just above the surface. \"Come on. Let's make for the shore,\" the bigger boy commanded. They waded through the water. When they were half-way to the sands, a light suddenly appear- ed on the tower window. \"We've woke up some- one,\" Alias noticed, \"Let's swim for home.\" \"Our house is only half a mile away,\" said Mazlan as he was crawling out of the water. When his feet were firm on dry land he said, \"Run. Run.\" But the smaller boy was already at his top speed. They ran on and on. There was some glimmer of starlight and that aided them to find their way home. It was indeed a pity that they were not com- peting in any sports meet or they would surely have won the hundred yards flat. They were panting heavily when they reached the door. Only when they had climbed safely into their room window did they realise that they had just finished a great adventure. The two boys were sharing a room between them. Alias fell asleep al- most as soon as he had changed. He was sensitive to cold. That was what Mazlan had learnt several years ago. Mazlan took his own time to sleep. He was lying beside his cousin and his mind was full of unanswered questions. Dragons are horrible beasts. Everyone therefore must co-operate in find- ing its lair and then in destroying it or them. Why then must the stranger prevent his uncle from revealing the dragon's lair? What relationship can 33 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

a human being have with such a dreadful beast? If the two Americans had been eaten up by the dra- gon, why were their skeletons still around? Why were they kept in a tower room? At last Mazlan became so sleepy and fell asleep. Like other children, after having experienced an exciting adventure, Mazlan dreamt. In his dream he saw a number of dragon ships. They had sails and their bows were decorated with wooden im- ages of dragon heads. Those sailing ships suddenly disappeared. In their place was a submarine. Its bow too had an image of a dragon head. He was confused, for he was inside the ship. There were dials and meters all over the place- big and small. There were levers too and a metal desk with so many buttons and wires. Mazlan could not stand being alone in such a strange place. So he climbed up the steep ladder and ran ... The next morning, it was Alias who woke up. He thought it would be better to leave Mazlan a- sleep and take advantage of his share at the break- fast table. He tiptoed out of the room and took a hurried bath. He returned into the room to dress up. It was then that Mazlan woke up and the smaller boy had to give up the idea of eating up Mazlan's share. At the breakfast table, Alias' mother looked at Mazlan's face and pointed out. \"You look sleepy,\" She observed. \"Finish your breakfast. I'm going to report to the police. Your uncle is missing and you're 34 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

trying to hide it away.\" \"We saw him ma,\" Alias retorted. \"Is he alive?\" \"He's very much alive ma. He told us to get away... \" \"Oh! I don't think I can believe you. I'm sor- ry. You said you went for a while. How could you have found your father within an hour? You didn't find him, did you? He's missing and I'm going to let the police know about it.\" Mazlan stared at Alias. He had lied to his mo- ther. Alias was scared that if he had said he had come home at 3.00 a.m. his mother would have been cross with him. Instead he told his mother that he had come home at 9.00 p.m. last night. Alias soon got up and went into his room. Mazlan remained at the table. He knew he had to tell the truth. He knew it's wrong to tell lies. Sadly he said, \"Auntie, I've something to tell you.\" \"Yes Maz.\" The lady seemed curious. \"I'm sorry. I hope you'll not be angry when I tell the truth.\" \"Of course I won't.\" Mazlan paused. He knew too that if he tells the truth, Alias would get the worst of it. Anyway he said it bravely in the end. \"We didn't get home at 9.00 p.m. as Alias had promised auntie. We re- turned six hours later.\" Alias' mother was startled. \"Why did he have to lie1\" \"He's scared that you'll get cross with him. 35 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

He'd promised to get home by 9.00 p.m. And he didn't want you to know that he had not kept his words.\" The lady was beginning to get more angry. \"Why are you telling me then?\" \"Because I want to tell the truth and save Alias. Auntie, my teachers too have told me never to tell lies.\" \"All right,\" his aunt agreed. \"And another thing is,\" Mazlan added, \"I want you to believe that we actually saw uncle. He told us in turn to report to you and then to the police.\" His aunt thought for a while and then said, \"All right. I forgive you Maz, but I'm going to punish Alias now.\" \"She looked stern as she called her son, out loudly. \"Lias! Lias! Come here.\" The small boy knew what was coming and he looked so scared. \"You've told lies to me Lias,\" she said, \"Go into the room and never leave this house.\" The poor boy sadly went to his room and his mother locked the door from outside. Mazlan quietly approached her. \"Auntie,\" he said, \"What is the meaning of the word 'landlubbers'?\" The lady didn't expect to hear such a word from him. \"Where did you get it?\" she asked cu- riously. 36 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"The stranger who kept uncle said it last night.\" \"It's a sailor's word. It stands for some people who have spent too much time on land.\" Mazlan's face glowed. His lips were begin- ning to arch out with a smile. He had something in his mind. Suddenly however, the lady added, \"Anyway I don't think it's a sailor's word. Anybody knows such a word. No. No. I don't think sailors have kidnapped him. What are their reasons anyway?\" Mazlan didn't feel well with himself that morn- ing. He felt unusual to be alone. He remembered Pa' Wahab, from his uncle's story and thought it would be wonderful to ask him about Dragon Bay. Then he can tell him of his missing uncle. Perhaps the mariner would help. He walked to the neighbouring house around twenty yards away. At the door-step, he found a smal1 girl about Alias' age looking so miserable. Mazlan recognised her. Her name was Aminah. \"Hey Aminah,\" he cal1ed, \"Why do you look so sad to-day T' \"Oh! my brother and sister have just left for the food-fair in town. They didn't want to take me along.\" \"Why?\" \"They said I talked too much.\" \"Where's your father?\" \"He's gone to work. Only mother is at home.\" \"And I suppose you've nowhere to go?\" \"Where else can I go.? This is the first term 37 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

holiday and I feel so lonesome. There's everything in town. And I have to stay at home.\" \"But the countryside too is just as interesting. \"Such as?\" \"The beach; near the sea is one of them. The hill, well it's nice to climb. You can see everything for miles from the top of the hill. Don't forget the butterflies, the flowers and the insects.\" \"Wow!\" Aminah reacted. \"Let's go then. Mo- ther said I can go anywhere around here, but I am scared to go alone.\" Suddenly she paused. \"Oh! I'll go in and take a small case first. I can keep some flowers in it afterwards.\" She got up and went inside. A few minutes later she reappeared. \"I've got it,\" she said, gesturing at the bulge in her blue skirt pocket. \"Let's go.\" Not far away stood a small hill and the two children were soon climbing it. They were follow- ing a narrow track used by rubber tappers and hunters. The hill was not too high and they reached the top within a few minutes. \"What did I say 1\" Mazlan said, \"You can see everything from here.\" He pointed in the south- ward direction. \"See those houses down there? Well, the one on the left is mine. The one on the right is yours.\" \"I know. I know. I can see. Eh! Mazlan. Have you been up to Penang Hill?\" \"Why Penang Hill in particular? You were talking about the sight from this hill weren't you?\" Mazlan was slightly annoyed at the· girl trying 38 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

to talk too much. Now he was beginning to believe Aminah's brother when he had said that she talked too much. Perhaps all girls are like her. Finally he said, \"Well. I've been up there for acouple of times.\" \"Oh! This hill reminds me of it. You know. There they have the enjoyable Hill Railway. It's the only one of its kind in South East Asia. The first time I was riding in it, [ was scared that the cables would snap.\" Mazlan wanted to speak but the girl went on with her story.\"... and then I learnt to enjoy the ride. The sight too is something like we find here. There's the sea, the bay [ mean.\" Mazlan scratched his head trying to get an opportunity to speak. \"That's the bay isn't it?\" \"Yes that's the bay,\" Mazlan managed to put in feeling very obliged in doing so. \"That's Dra- gon Bay down there. You see [ was... \" Before he could carry on Aminah had already interrupted, \"I know. I know. May be a dragon did live there long ago.\" At this instance Mazlan wanted to say some- thing but the little girl gave him no chance. \"I don't want to talk about dragons. It makes me feel so scared. You see Maz. There was a fisher- man's report quite recently. Everyone in school knows it. It seemed a boat was split up by an un- known creature moving underwater. And there was that swimmer whose body was cut into halves.\" Mazlan scratched his head. For all he knew, 39 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

only the story of the swimmer was true. The story about the crushed boat was deliberately made up. It was people like Aminah who made stories long and spread them much faster that they normally could. Something in the air distracted them. \"Wow! Just look at those birds,\" the girl observ- ed. Reluctantly they looked up and saw a flock of storks flying past. They had long necks and were white in colour. Mazlan thought girls were crazy. They talked and yelled as if they had never seen birds before. \"And look at that butterfly,\" the girl's voice added and no sooner did her sentence end than she was running madly after it. She tripped and fell down and Mazlan was happy to have something to laugh at. She got up again and continued with the chase. Finally she was able to catch it. \"I've got it. I've got it,\" she said excitedly. \"Now to put it in the metal box.\" She took out the metal case from her pocket. Suddenly Mazlan became interested in the box. It was yellow in colour and was beautiful too. \"Hey Aminah,\" he called, \"Let me see that box ?\" He took the case. \"It's a cigarette case,\" he remarked, \"Did your father give this to you?\" \"No. Not my father. How could he have given it to me when he does not smoke? I got it from a friend at school.\" \"Where does your friend stay?\" \"Near the... Dragon Bay. Her father is a fisher- 40 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\" lI q ' Aminah , \" he called ,\" \\ ('1 me sec that box?\" 41 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

man. She said her brother had found it near the beach, and had told her to keep it. Her father told her to throw it away. He would be angry if she keeps it. So she gave it to me.\" Aminah had put the butterfly into the box and so Mazlan closed it. He then noticed a mark on the cover. It was the mark of an anchor. \"Why did you ask T' Aminah wanted to know. \"I'm sorry. Let's forget it. It's not so bad at all.\" Suddenly an idea came to his mind. \"Hey! There's something to it,\" he yelled. \"I've got to tell auntie something. I'd better hurry.\" So saying he ran off leaving the little girl guessing. Anyway she could not guess for long. Soon she was calling out loudly, \"Maz. Maz. Wait for me. I won't talk too much again next time. I promise.\" 42 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

Alias isin Trouble \"AND THERE you are auntie,\" Mazlan was explaining excitedly, \"Those people who are keep- ing uncle prisoner are definitely sailors. That sailor word and the anchor mark both point out to it.\" \"AII right. All right. I'm convinced,\" she said. \"So your uncle is alive. I'm so glad you told me. Now I can really believe that he's safe and sound. I'll report this to the police. They can send up more policemen from the mainland. And it would be only a matter of time before he'll be safe again. She walked up to the wall close to the kitchen. There was a telephone there. And she had intend- ed to call the police. Then she remembered some- thing. She turned around and said, \"You can un- lock Lias' room now. I think he has been punished enough.\" Mazlan was so glad to hear it. He walked up briskly to the door and drew back the bolt. He 43 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

k new Alias would be delighted. He pushed the door so excitedly. To his surprise he found the room empty. He looked under the bed if the boy was hiding there. He pulled open the big cupboard door. But Alias was not anywhere in the room. When he saw the open window he guessed that the boy might have climbed out through it. He went to the window and looked outside. A breeze was blowing softly. Suddenly his hand touched some- thing on the wall. It was a letter. And judging from the writing it could have been put up a short while ago. Dear mother, I am sorry to have told you a lie. I hare lied because I didn't want to break a promise. Please forgive me mother. I have found where father was but was not able to persuade him to come back. I am going there again and do just that. Perhaps when I've brought father back, you will not be angry with me anymore, Good-bye. Your loving son, Alias Mazlan took the letter and ran to his aunt. \"Aunt! Aunt!\" he screamed, \"Look what I've found.\" His aunt was about to dial to the police station with her right hand, while her left hand was hold- ing the receiver. 44 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

\"What is it?\" she asked slightly annoyed. Maz- lan said excitedly, \"Alias has gone! He's not in the room. Look. Read this.\" So saying he gave the letter to her. His aunt returned the receiver on the wall when her right hand was in the act of holding the paper. She went over the contents and her face changed. \"Oh! What's happening to my boy?\" she griev- ed. \"Poor thing. I've never punished him so seri- ously before. He's my only child. Now he has taken it so badly.\" \"Can I help auntie?\" Mazlan asked. \"Oh! Maz. I know it's not proper. But can you please try to find him? Oh! You must. You know the place don't you?\" she said excitedly, \"Quick. It is a dangerous place. I know. Please hurry. I can't call the police now. They'll simply shoot at any- thing and I don't want Lias and his father to get hurt.\" Mazlan didn't wait for long. He put on a pair of rubber boots and ran outside. Instead of taking the usual route to the isolated building, he follow- ed a short cut, following a wide drain. As he was following it, he suddenly remembered of a recent tale of \"Hantu Hitam\" (Black Ghost). The tale had started a couple of weeks ago. He was not sure if Aminah had told him of it. It seemed a tall, thin man, dark skinned liked to follow anybody who went along the drain. A small boy recently went along the drain to shoot birds. Suddenly when he 45 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

reached the lone huge angsana tree, he was con- fronted by a tall, dark man. Perhaps the boy was terrified. So he yelled \"Hantut Hantut (Ghost! Ghost l)\". A youth who chanced to pass by saw the boy falling into the big drain, where he was drowned. The youth got a glimpse of the dark stran- ger. It was he who spread the tale of the \"Hantu Hitam,\" Mazlan felt scared now. Had he remembered the tale earlier, he wouldn't have taken that short cut along the drain. But now it was too late. He was already half way through. A few minutes later he reached the lone angsana tree. \"My God,\" he remembered, \"That's where the Hantu attacked.\" He immediately started running. \"Perhaps if I run, he'll not be able to catch me.\" When he had run for a few yards, he could hear someone chasing him. He turned. And he saw a dark figure running after him. That made him run much faster. \"It's Hantu Hitam,\" he gasped, \"Pray God I'll be able to lose him.\" He knew the area was rather uninhabited... Soon however he reached a sandy stretch and he was relieved to think the shore was reached. There were two or three sampans on the sand left by the fishermen. He had to jump up to avoid from being tripped down. Then the sight of an elderly man came into his view. He could not have been more happy. He rushed to the man and threw his arms around him. \"Help! Help!\" he appealed, \"Hantu Hitam is after me.\" The man had no shirt on. He smilingly took 46 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

down the fishing net from his shoulder and remark- ed, \"Steady boy, there's no hantu around.\" He sounded so serious. Reluctantly Mazlan turned a- round and sure enough there was no one following him. \"But' actually saw him,\" he said, \"I did see hi.m. \" \"No boy,\" the man said, grinning, \"Go on. There's no one here to hurt you.\" Sheepishly Mazlan walked on, northwards along the beach. It was not long before he reached the isolated place. On the outskirts were some bush- es. Further landwards were tall coconut trees. And there standing sentinel on that rocky part of the beach was the only building. Two American Zoologists had already met their death within its walls. An archaeologist was now held prisoner and God knows if he was still alive or had already been fed to the dragons. To add to all that, his cousin had walked right into it and he was about to follow suit. His intention, however was to try to find those two people and bring them home. Mazlan went into the compound. Most of it was covered with sand. There were a few short stone pillars standing in front of the building. Maz- lan guessed that they were flower stands. Only now they looked more like the remnants of some ancient Roman civilization that he had read in history books. His experience in the night before had told him not to go through the door again. \"I'Il only lose my way,\" he thought. An idea came into his head. He remembered the hole in the cellar wall. 47 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

He thought surely he could enter through it. So he waded through the water and headed for it. The water level was reaching his neck and he still had a long way to go. He was forced to swim in order to move more easily. Last night he didn't have to swim. The water level was only up to his waist. He kept close to the wall and was surprised to find the waves beating rather forcefully against the building. Last night there was no wave whatsoever, he remem- bered. Then it occurred to him that the tide was ris- ing. When he came to the broken wall only part of it was visible above the water. Almost one-third of it had been submerged. He swam into the open- ing, and just as he passed through it he could hear the window high up in the tower above being open- ed. Mazlan guessed that whoever was threatening his uncle was up there in the tower. And he had better watch out. Probably there were more of them. \"If there are more they'll surely be searching for me,\" he thought. Anyone from the tower could have heard him slashing at the water. He reached the dry earth and noticed that only a very small part of it was still there. A greater part of it had been swallowed up by the rising tide. He looked around for a suitable hiding place and finally decided that the side of the staircase was the best. He went to it to test its suit- ability. The floor of the hiding place was dry and sandy. The sand had obviously been brought by the sea. Where hiding was concerned the place was 48 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

most suitable. There was enough room to hide even the fattest water buffalo. Behind him stood the brick wall. Some of the white wash had been eroded revealing the neatly arranged bricks in several patch- es. Above him was the door, through which he and Alias had come in the night before. He was quite safe should ever someone peeped in through the door as the staircase had made a bend and thus provided enough cover to hinder the view. Mazlan was lucky to have tested the hiding place then. Had he made his decision a minute slower, he would surely be spotted. A man appear- ed like magic in the doorway. It was and only then that Mazlan was able to see for himself the por- trait of the sailor. He was wearing a sea coat on his back. And the beard only showed him more of a sailor than anybody else. Under the coat he had a brightly striped sweater visible just below the neck. He was taking a careful look at the cellar from the doorway. Mazlan was afraid that he might want to come down and find him there. But then the sailor about turned and went away. Realising that he could never gain anything by staying there, the boy slowly got up on all fours and crept up along the concrete staircase. When he reached the doorway, he could catch a glimpse of the sailor walking behind a wall. He therefore moved on tiptoes forward so as not to be heard by the sailor. He kept close to the wall and peered. He saw that the sailor was climbing the stairs to the tower room. Mazlan did not want 49 PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA

to follow him up there. His aim was to find his cousin and uncle quickly. And he well knew that his uncle was in a room to the right on the same floor. He walked straight on. There were two rooms around there. No. There were actually three. How different things looked then. Last night, he had come in the dark and thought there were two. He scratched his head trying to figure out which room to look into. All three rooms were closed. Then he remembered one of them had a padlock attached to the door. He turned around... it was unsecured and was hang- ing lazily on the hook. The sailor had just unlocked the door. Even the key was still in it. The temptation was so great and Mazlan could not control himself from taking a look into the room. When he stepped inside, he found that the whole place was full of boxes. They were of all sizes and were everywhere around him, as if the whole world were made up of boxes. The long ones were grouped to one side. The square ones were arrang- ed opposite them. Some had big letterings on them. His curiosity aroused. The things in them must be so important that the door had to be se- cured by a padlock. He wanted to find some- thing with which to open the boxes. He went closer to the boxes. They were wooden ones and he hoped to find a loose board or something between which he could see through. His eyes scanned over the letterings on the nearest box. HaUNS\", he read in a-matter-of-fact 50. PERPUSTAKAAN NEGARA MALAYSIA