Chapter 2 - The Story

2

The First Incident

(Don't flinch if your name comes out wrong)

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Suping’s house

“Wake up, WAKE UP DEAR! You’re late for school!” Mrs. Su (SuPing’s Mum) shook her daughter like a rattle. “Don’t forget, you have your last exam paper today!”

“Aww, mum… I don’t wanna go to school… I’m sick, as you can see,” said a half-asleep SuPIng.

“Now, now, no excuses. I’ve just taken your temperature, and you’re fine. Now buck up and get ready for school.” Replied her mum.

Through SuPing’s sleepy eyes she saw a blur vision of the clock. “Mmlmp… where is me glasses…” mumbled SuPing as she fumbled around her drawer next to her bed. She found her glasses, wore it, and glanced at the clock once more----

“糟高! 8.30a.m.!” She scrambled out of her bed and stumbled into the bathroom, knocking quite a number of stuff down.

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Classroom 3I, Block A

“Stand up class… Good morning, teacher!” Amir’s voice boomed out. “Good morning… teacher…” came the chorus of the class.

As usual, the class was noisy like a wet market. As usual, students were in their respective ‘gangs’ chatting or preparing for the exam. As usual, famous chatterboxes of 3 Ikhlas would be blabbering away non-stop. As usual, nothing-to-do people would be throwing and wrecking the poor calculators. As usual, secret admirers would be staring at their admirer. As usual, as usual, everything as usual…

“Okay students, who is absent for today?” asked Miss Azura, the English teacher. Amir Syed, as the class monitor, counted the missing students.

“Dramenthar and Mugan Shan is in the running competition, Kate Kong, Masantha Khoo and Selohah… I dunno why they’re absent..”

“H1N1 flu,” said Suan Kho Jiat jokingly.

“There’s quite a lot of absent people today, huh,” mused Miss Azura. “Anyway, everyone please return to your places, and I will handout the test papers. And NO TALKING.”

Everyone scrambled back to their seats and the class became as quiet as a grave. How amazing. The class was indeed silent. Somewhere on the floor, an ant farted, “Blaaarp”.

“And whoever is farting, please stop it, or I will devise a fitting punishment,” said Miss Azura.

The students were furiously scribbling away on their papers. Someone sneezed. Someone blew his nose. Someone peeped at someone else’s answer sheet. Someone slapped his head in frustration… And that was when something happened.

A piercing scream of high decibels emanated from somewhere. It could heard across the classroom, and across the whole school. It was Ling Phang Yi. Everyone jumped, shocked, and glanced at Phang Yi, but she didn’t seem to notice this.

“D-d-did you see what I just saw?” whispered Phang Yi to Xing Teh Min next to her, unconscious of the stares and glares of the others.

“No lah, what was it?” Xing Teh whispered back, her eyes wide open with curiosity. Everyone strained their ears to listen.

“L-look!” stammered poor Phang Yi as she pointed out the window. Everyone looked at where she pointed and saw— nothing. Everyone scratched their heads, puzzled. WTH? What was it?

At last, Xing Teh gathered her courage and said, “Ah Ling, there’s nothing lah. Are you okay? Maybe you’re too nervous bout exams.”

“Y-you don’t see it meh?” she whispered back, shivering with fright from head to toe. “He’s reaching out for me, help! Save me ah Teh!”

Xing Teh had confusion scribbled all over her face.

Suddenly, Phang Yi fainted, and tumbled onto Xing Teh. “Teacher! She fainted!” some of the other girls shouted.

“Uh.. Teacher? She..” called Xing Teh, whose feeble bones was going to snap under Phang Yi’s weight. Then she turned and stared. Miss Azura had disappeared into thin air! Yoong Kok Lam and Li Kang Yip who were the head prefects, ran out of the class to get help. Seconds later, they came back, looking pale.

Everyone was too scared to notice. But Sue Anne Tee did. “Lam, what happened? Did you get help?”

“No, because… because… All the teachers has disappeared!”

Li Kang Yip finished off for him, “and all the other students, they’re all asleep!”

“What on earth…?” Ellie Tan and a few of the other boys who heard, said.

“It can’t be,” someone said.

“Impossible!” said another.

Vin Su Lee, who had walked over to help Xing Teh beside her said, “Look here, we have to stick together.”

“Yeah, I agree. This crap incident is freaking me out. Maybe we woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Maybe it’s just a dream,” Yang Ngui Sui commented.

“I’m sure I’m not dreaming. Even Dr. Mahadir doesn’t have this kind of dream,” exclaimed Amir. Everyone agreed and started pinching one another. “Ouch” and “Sorry” could be heard here and there.

All of a sudden the doors and windows shut itself, which was extremely weird and freaky. Slam! Went the door. Everyone panicked, and the boys tried their hardest to open the door… but failed.

“Damn la…” muttered LK-Jon angrily.

“Oh… what should we do? What should we do?” wailed Yeinn Ng. Some of the girls sobbed. Everyone was afraid. Jon kept kicking the door as if it were a soccer ball. Suddenly a weird voice boomed out from the loudspeaker in the classroom.

“Ha ha ha ho ho ha ha… soon you’ll all be mine… he he ha ha…” Then the whole classroom started shaking. Everyone panicked and walked around like drunken people, knocking tables and chairs over. Exam papers were flying everywhere. Not to mention the answers on the objective paper. But now, exam answers is at the bottom of everyone’s mind.

“EARTHQUAKE! Lie flat on your round tummies now,” Riji Rash shouted. Everyone did so.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you,” said LK-Jon nonchalantly as he put a protective arm over a trembling Wang Wei Wen, who was too scared to resist him. Vin Su Lee casted a jealous glance at them. Oops.

Silence hung in the air and the class continued shaking. Everyone closed their eyes. Some were because they were afraid. Some were because they were dizzy.

The ‘shake-shake’ of the classroom stopped suddenly without warning. Everyone opened their eyes s-l-o-w-l-y. Instead of lying on the floor, they were all sitting on their chairs at their desks as though nothing happened. Even Phang Yi who fainted was well again. She looked very pale and was afflicted by a slight headache. Everyone blinked their eyes in disbelief. Whispers flew everywhere.

“What happened?”

“Was it a dream?”

“Silence, class! I will not tolerate with this kind of behavior! Anymore noise and I’ll deduct 5 marks from your paper, ALL OF YOU!” bellowed Miss Azura who had reappeared or maybe I should say, she didn’t disappear in the first place. “And, Jon! What are you doing?”

Jon blinked, then flushed. He hurriedly unwrap his hand that was on Wei Wen’s shoulder. “Err… nothing, teacher.”

Everyone kept quiet and tried to continue their exam. Now and then they would exchange a meaningful look at each other.

SuPing, at the far end blew her streaming nose and tried her hardest to concentrate. Ah yo, how on earth can I concentrate with a streaming nose and a ghostly whisper at my ears, she grumbled in her mind.

Sure enough, no one could concentrate with a ghostly voice whispering “Ikhlas… Ikhlas…” around their ears. Things were really weird. Sigh, how weirder could it get?

RINGG~ the students rushed out of the school like a herd of wild-and-crazy-elephants. LK-Jon & Vandy Tee trotted smartly behind the ‘gang’ consisting of Vin Su Lee, Tan Jian Tia, Jing Jia Jing and of course, Wang Wen. Amir Syed and Fitri Azril unlocked their bikes from the shed.

“Drat this dratted lock!” muttered Amir through gritted teeth.

“… Today was weird…” Fitri Azril said in a dreamy voice.

“Yeah. For me, yesterday was weirder,” and Amir told Fitri about the storm, the music, and the whispers…

Not far away, Jhinani and Bavani were talking excitedly.

“Are you going to watch TV afterwards?”

“Dey, of course! Shan and Goviind they all are having the interstate running competition,”

“Ok, remember to watch TV afterwards ya!”

And they walked off in different directions.

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Racetrack, Kundang

“Huff puff…” panted Mugan Shan as he raced down the cross-country race path.

“Hey come on, Shan! You’ve never been that slow before,” shouted Dramenthar who was a few metres in front of him.

“Ah… (pant) I feel… (huff)… weird,” said Shan breathlessly.

“Macho, you wanted to run like Usain Bolt right? Come on, Shanmu-bolt!”

Mugan Shan summoned the last dribble of energy in his body and enhanced it. Suddenly Shan felt a river of energy flow through his fatigued limbs and he surged forward with a burst of speed that drew him kilometers nearer to the finish line…

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Jhanenie’s house, BCH

Jhananie Rain kicked back in the recliner and pressed ‘on’ on the TV remote control. The sports news broadcaster’s voice emanated loud and clear.

“Once again here we are in the Run-for-It 2000! As you can see, the competitors are in a neck-to-neck tight race. Leading the group is Waran Loges, followed by Dramenthar, Raoul Goviind, bla bla bla and… Oh! Our straight winning Grand champion Mugan Shan seems to be tiring out. Could this be the end for his 2000 League? He’s moving behind the group with agonizing lethargy. Could… could… Wait! Mugan shan is regaining his composure, he races towards the group, passing Raoul Goviind… Amazing! He races towards the heading leader Waran Loges… passes him… he WINS! Once again, Mugan shan is the Champion for this 2009 League. The crowds are going jeepers, screaming and shouting away! Oh no, there’s something wrong… Hold on… zzz…”

Jhanenie Rain gripped the handrests and sat up straight, eyes glued to the TV screen.

“There is something weird going on…” continued the broadcaster. “All the competitors that crossed the finishing line, except Perak state representative Mugaran that tripped and fell, has VANISHED!”

Jhanenie threw her hands up in the air, wailing and sobbing. With trembling fingers she chose the name BAVANI from the contact list in her phone and pressed the ‘CALL’ button.

“H… hello? Bavani? Did you see—”

“Oh… (Sob) I… I (sob)…”

Bavani (in her own home) dropped the phone and it broke, shattering into a thousand pieces….

3

Weird Encounters

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To be continued. Don't hurry meeee!!!