#01
Chin Huat unlocked his mailbox hesitantly, bracing himself for the letters of notification which would inevitably appear in his mailbox. It seemed to him that all the mail he had been getting recently consisted of nothing but bills and more bills. As usual, he took the pile out and chucked them into the bin without even opening them.
A year ago, Chin Huat had fulfilled his life-long dream of owning his own business. A small eatery in the popular Holland Village was up for lease. Its previous owner was retiring and decided to wind up the business. The business was modest but Chin Huat was confident that his pub would do well there. After all, Holland Village had a great location and had always been a popular watering-hole for both Singaporeans and expatriates alike.
It was an opportunity not to be missed. Chin Huat invested his savings and borrowed from banks to raise the start-up capital of two hundred thousand dollars. As he had worked in the F&B line before, he had no problems liasing with suppliers. Within a month, renovations were complete and the place staffed with a bartender and two waitresses. Two part-timers came in on weekends. Jason was in charge of the overall running of the pub. He would also whip up finger food for the customers.
However, business never really picked up. Initially, some customers patronised the newly opened pub. Business dwindled after that as pub goers returned to the likes of Wala Wala and Siam Reap. Pubs like Chin Huat's were a dime a dozen. There were simply too many of them. His dream of making his pub a popular hangout spot for avid soccer fans never materialised.
One year on, Chin Huat was struggling to pay back even the interest for the banks' credit lines. His savings were drained and he was at his wit's end. To make things worse, his wife was pregnant with their first child and was due to deliver in 2 months. Chin Huat did not tell his wife about his financial woes as he did not want to upset her. But the pressure was immense and he felt himself breaking down.
Chin Huat decided to approach his army buddy, Haslan for another loan to tide him over. Haslan was also in the F&B line and his business was doing well. Chin Huat had already borrowed some money from him a few months ago.
"I can lend you a few thousand dollars but I doubt it will be of much help to you. I can introduce you to somebody who can help you to improve your business. He helped me before."
"Someone to help turnaround my business? Who is that?"
"Well, i did not tell you the last time as I was afraid you might not believe me. But he can really work something ... "
"I don't understand"
"If you wish, I can bring you to meet him. But let's just there are some things which we cannot explain. Some unnatural things ... "
Chin Huat took the cheque from Haslan and left. What was Haslan talking about? Chin Huat had never been the superstitious kind and had been a free-thinker all his life. To entrust his fate into the hands of a stranger seems too far-fetched for him. But he was at the end of his tether and was quite willing to try anything.
Two days later, Chin Huat called Haslan and asked him to help arrange a meeting with the bomoh.
That weekend, Haslan accompanied Chin Huat to a village in Selangor. It was quite a long drive and they reached around noon.
As they pulled up the driveway of the bomoh's house, Chin Huat felt the back of his spine prickle. As if sensing his discomfort, Haslan assured him that it was safe. He also reminded Chin Huat to be respectful at all times when he was inside the house.
They were greeted by a middle- aged women. They took off their shoes and walked into the hall where they waited for the bomoh. Chin Huat looked around and could see nothing strange about the house. It was simply but tastefully furnished though he continued to feel uncomfortable.
To Chin Huat's surprise, the bomoh was not the old man he thought he would be. Instead he looked around 40 years old and was wearing traditional malay robes.
Haslan acted as translator as Chin Huat told the bomoh about what he needed.
"I see, it is quite common actually. Many Singaporean businessman come to me for such things. But i must warn you that when you take, you must also give. They will want something back from you."
"What do they want?"
"I cannot answer you as I do not know. You can call me the middleman if you like. But they will want something in return"
Chin Huat eventually agreed. He would have to pay the bomoh two thousand ringgit for his services.
The bomoh told him to obtain a human head for the spell to be cast.
"A human head?" Chin Huat gasped. "How am i going to find a head? This is ridiculous"
On seeing his reaction, the bomoh smiled as if amused and said "Don't worry. A human head is not as hard to find as you think. Your friend here knows how to get one."
On their way back, Haslan explained that they could buy one from a grave digger who was willing to do such a job. Just pay the man 500 ringgit and he would be able to get it. As there were always unclaimed bodies from the city mortuaries, usually that of crimminals or abandoned old folks who died in government sponsored nursing homes, the grave diggers who handled such 'business' were able to get body parts with little trouble.
That afternoon, CHin Huat and Haslan went to a cemetary where Haslan knew a grave digger who was willing to do the job.
The next day, they obtained the head from the grave digger. Chin Huat was thankful that the it had already been wrapped up although he still caught a whiff of the stench.
At the bomoh's house, they were guided to a room. The sickly sweet scent of incense was strong and strangely intoxicating. Chin Huat felt a little lightheaded as he knelt on the carpet as instructed by the bomoh while Haslan waited outside.
The bomoh unwrapped the head and Chin Huat felt nauseated. It belonged to a man who looked to be around his thirties.
"This one must be a criminal. Very 'fierce'. But better for your business. Young man, you must be careful, if it is too strong for you, you must come back."
He then took a dagger and made a small vertical cut in Chin Huat's left palm. Chin Huat winced as the bomoh pressed hard on the wound and poured the blood into a wooden bowl. "You pay with your blood" the bomoh muttered.
The bomoh proceeded to chant prayers. He pried open the mouth and cut off the tongue with a knife, pouring the blood into the mouth. He then sewed the eye lids shut.
"So that you customers will not 'see'. They will come and they will drink" he said, putting it into a box and sealing it shut. "Now you take this back and put it under your cash register. Never open it. When you don't want it, you must bring it back to me."
Chin Huat's hands shook as he took the box from the bomoh.
After returning to Singapore, he followed the bomoh's instructions and placed the box at the bottem of a cabinet below the cash register.
True to his words, business started to pick up overnight. Customers were streaming in and the place was filled. His bartender could barely prepare the drinks fast enough and complained that he needed help.
Chin Huat was relieved and glad that he would be able to pay off his debts. He thanked Haslan for helping him and apologised for being such a skeptic.
All seemed to be well and Chin Huat was starting to put the memory behind him.
Two months later, CHin Huat received a call at the pub in the evening. It was from his wife's sister. She had accompanied his wife, Margaret to shop for baby accessories when his wife had gone into labour.
Upon reaching the hospital, Chin Huat was led to Margaret's gynae, Dr Tan.
Chin Huat could sense something was wrong when he saw the doctoe's grave expression.
"Mr Lim, I need to inform you about .. ."
"Is my wife alright?" Chi Huat asked before the doctor could finish.
"Yes, yes your wife is fine. She is still in labour. You can go to her later. But your baby ... " The doctor paused.
"What's wrong with my baby?"
"It appears that your baby is already dead." The doctor said gravely.
"What? How can that be? You said my baby is healthy. Margaret had her check-up just 3 days ago!"
"Yes Sir, I cannot explain it too. Everything about this pregnancy has been perfectly normal. But sometimes such unfortunate things do happen. Its rare though. I am very sorry for your loss. I wanted to tell you first. Your wife does not know yet as we do not wish to upset her now."
Later, in the delivery room with his wife, Chin Huat felt like crying. He wondered how Margaret was going to take the news.
Their baby was finally delivered at 3am.
The nurse gasped when she saw the stillborn baby. Its skin was purplish blue and its eyes swollen shut with what looked like faint lacerations on the eyelids.
"You pay with your blood" The bomoh's words replayed in Chin Huat's mind.
Chin Huat knew he had just paid his dues.
A year ago, Chin Huat had fulfilled his life-long dream of owning his own business. A small eatery in the popular Holland Village was up for lease. Its previous owner was retiring and decided to wind up the business. The business was modest but Chin Huat was confident that his pub would do well there. After all, Holland Village had a great location and had always been a popular watering-hole for both Singaporeans and expatriates alike.
It was an opportunity not to be missed. Chin Huat invested his savings and borrowed from banks to raise the start-up capital of two hundred thousand dollars. As he had worked in the F&B line before, he had no problems liasing with suppliers. Within a month, renovations were complete and the place staffed with a bartender and two waitresses. Two part-timers came in on weekends. Jason was in charge of the overall running of the pub. He would also whip up finger food for the customers.
However, business never really picked up. Initially, some customers patronised the newly opened pub. Business dwindled after that as pub goers returned to the likes of Wala Wala and Siam Reap. Pubs like Chin Huat's were a dime a dozen. There were simply too many of them. His dream of making his pub a popular hangout spot for avid soccer fans never materialised.
One year on, Chin Huat was struggling to pay back even the interest for the banks' credit lines. His savings were drained and he was at his wit's end. To make things worse, his wife was pregnant with their first child and was due to deliver in 2 months. Chin Huat did not tell his wife about his financial woes as he did not want to upset her. But the pressure was immense and he felt himself breaking down.
Chin Huat decided to approach his army buddy, Haslan for another loan to tide him over. Haslan was also in the F&B line and his business was doing well. Chin Huat had already borrowed some money from him a few months ago.
"I can lend you a few thousand dollars but I doubt it will be of much help to you. I can introduce you to somebody who can help you to improve your business. He helped me before."
"Someone to help turnaround my business? Who is that?"
"Well, i did not tell you the last time as I was afraid you might not believe me. But he can really work something ... "
"I don't understand"
"If you wish, I can bring you to meet him. But let's just there are some things which we cannot explain. Some unnatural things ... "
Chin Huat took the cheque from Haslan and left. What was Haslan talking about? Chin Huat had never been the superstitious kind and had been a free-thinker all his life. To entrust his fate into the hands of a stranger seems too far-fetched for him. But he was at the end of his tether and was quite willing to try anything.
Two days later, Chin Huat called Haslan and asked him to help arrange a meeting with the bomoh.
That weekend, Haslan accompanied Chin Huat to a village in Selangor. It was quite a long drive and they reached around noon.
As they pulled up the driveway of the bomoh's house, Chin Huat felt the back of his spine prickle. As if sensing his discomfort, Haslan assured him that it was safe. He also reminded Chin Huat to be respectful at all times when he was inside the house.
They were greeted by a middle- aged women. They took off their shoes and walked into the hall where they waited for the bomoh. Chin Huat looked around and could see nothing strange about the house. It was simply but tastefully furnished though he continued to feel uncomfortable.
To Chin Huat's surprise, the bomoh was not the old man he thought he would be. Instead he looked around 40 years old and was wearing traditional malay robes.
Haslan acted as translator as Chin Huat told the bomoh about what he needed.
"I see, it is quite common actually. Many Singaporean businessman come to me for such things. But i must warn you that when you take, you must also give. They will want something back from you."
"What do they want?"
"I cannot answer you as I do not know. You can call me the middleman if you like. But they will want something in return"
Chin Huat eventually agreed. He would have to pay the bomoh two thousand ringgit for his services.
The bomoh told him to obtain a human head for the spell to be cast.
"A human head?" Chin Huat gasped. "How am i going to find a head? This is ridiculous"
On seeing his reaction, the bomoh smiled as if amused and said "Don't worry. A human head is not as hard to find as you think. Your friend here knows how to get one."
On their way back, Haslan explained that they could buy one from a grave digger who was willing to do such a job. Just pay the man 500 ringgit and he would be able to get it. As there were always unclaimed bodies from the city mortuaries, usually that of crimminals or abandoned old folks who died in government sponsored nursing homes, the grave diggers who handled such 'business' were able to get body parts with little trouble.
That afternoon, CHin Huat and Haslan went to a cemetary where Haslan knew a grave digger who was willing to do the job.
The next day, they obtained the head from the grave digger. Chin Huat was thankful that the it had already been wrapped up although he still caught a whiff of the stench.
At the bomoh's house, they were guided to a room. The sickly sweet scent of incense was strong and strangely intoxicating. Chin Huat felt a little lightheaded as he knelt on the carpet as instructed by the bomoh while Haslan waited outside.
The bomoh unwrapped the head and Chin Huat felt nauseated. It belonged to a man who looked to be around his thirties.
"This one must be a criminal. Very 'fierce'. But better for your business. Young man, you must be careful, if it is too strong for you, you must come back."
He then took a dagger and made a small vertical cut in Chin Huat's left palm. Chin Huat winced as the bomoh pressed hard on the wound and poured the blood into a wooden bowl. "You pay with your blood" the bomoh muttered.
The bomoh proceeded to chant prayers. He pried open the mouth and cut off the tongue with a knife, pouring the blood into the mouth. He then sewed the eye lids shut.
"So that you customers will not 'see'. They will come and they will drink" he said, putting it into a box and sealing it shut. "Now you take this back and put it under your cash register. Never open it. When you don't want it, you must bring it back to me."
Chin Huat's hands shook as he took the box from the bomoh.
After returning to Singapore, he followed the bomoh's instructions and placed the box at the bottem of a cabinet below the cash register.
True to his words, business started to pick up overnight. Customers were streaming in and the place was filled. His bartender could barely prepare the drinks fast enough and complained that he needed help.
Chin Huat was relieved and glad that he would be able to pay off his debts. He thanked Haslan for helping him and apologised for being such a skeptic.
All seemed to be well and Chin Huat was starting to put the memory behind him.
Two months later, CHin Huat received a call at the pub in the evening. It was from his wife's sister. She had accompanied his wife, Margaret to shop for baby accessories when his wife had gone into labour.
Upon reaching the hospital, Chin Huat was led to Margaret's gynae, Dr Tan.
Chin Huat could sense something was wrong when he saw the doctoe's grave expression.
"Mr Lim, I need to inform you about .. ."
"Is my wife alright?" Chi Huat asked before the doctor could finish.
"Yes, yes your wife is fine. She is still in labour. You can go to her later. But your baby ... " The doctor paused.
"What's wrong with my baby?"
"It appears that your baby is already dead." The doctor said gravely.
"What? How can that be? You said my baby is healthy. Margaret had her check-up just 3 days ago!"
"Yes Sir, I cannot explain it too. Everything about this pregnancy has been perfectly normal. But sometimes such unfortunate things do happen. Its rare though. I am very sorry for your loss. I wanted to tell you first. Your wife does not know yet as we do not wish to upset her now."
Later, in the delivery room with his wife, Chin Huat felt like crying. He wondered how Margaret was going to take the news.
Their baby was finally delivered at 3am.
The nurse gasped when she saw the stillborn baby. Its skin was purplish blue and its eyes swollen shut with what looked like faint lacerations on the eyelids.
"You pay with your blood" The bomoh's words replayed in Chin Huat's mind.
Chin Huat knew he had just paid his dues.
