The World of Tai Tai

Gibert and I arrive at the out-of-the-way desert town at nearly one in the somnolent July afternoon.   The first thing that greets our eyes is the rusty chassis of a horse-drawn carriage. It   stands forlornly before a row of tombstone-like old shop buildings. In the distance is a mountain of rocky stature. Totally still and devoid of life, the uninhabited town exudes an air of quiescent melancholy. We get out of our car and walk towards the carriage.   The gritty sand crunches under the weight of our feet. It is the only sound apart from   the hollow whistling of the wind. I am uneasy in the oppressive silence. I do not know why we come here. Gilbert and I had been on our way to Yellowstone   National Park before he took the sudden decision to turn off the main road into the long-abandoned town. If Gilbert has set his mind on something, there is no stopping him.                  ...

It was raining cats and dogs. I hardly saw anything. All I could hear was the sound of rain hammering the wind screen and the wipers. I was in a hurry. My son’s birthday party would start any minute. I could not miss that moment. It was the day when he turned sixteen.             Suddenly, the phone rang. It was Daniel!             “I am on my way, sweetheart. Five minutes, please. I won’t let you down this time. I have made a promise, remember?” the sweet talk came out from my mouth. I heard his chuckles. “You know how much Mum loves you, Daniel”.             Finally, I reached home. Daniel was waiting for me at the gate with an umbrella in his hand. In great haste, I unleashed my seat belt and opened the door.             “Daniel! It is raining outside here...

The mere mention of 'Linut' makes Pit Peng salivate. It means sago starch in English. It is the tradtional food of the Melanau in Sarawak.  Pit Peng learned to eat it from Nina, his Melanau girlfriend. Six months ago, he was full of misgivings towards the gooey food. “Hi, Peng,” greeted Nina, as she opened the front door of her house. “Welcome to my house.” “Hi, Nina,” said Pit Peng, giving a bouquet of flowers to Nina. “I am excited to meet your parents.” “Don’t worry,” says Nina, sniffing the flowers. “They are friendly.” Nina, looking great in a pale blue blouse and a white knee-level skirt, ushered the self-conscious, ill-at-ease Pit Peng into the tastefully-decorated sitting room in her house.  Her parents, both seated on a sofa couch, smiled as the two walked in their direction. “Good evening, Uncle and Auntie.”  Pit Peng held out his hand and shook the hands of Nina’s parents. “Please sit down,” said Nina’s father, a retired government servant in hi...

Wu Fang had a strange recurring dream before he attends the literature workshop at the Teacher Activity Centre along Bintang Road.             In the dream, he reached his home in Pin Fook Garden from school in a late evening. The moment he crossed the threshold of his house, a young woman in a crushed flower dress greeted him and gave him a hug. Wu Fang inadvertently put his arms around her and kissed her cheek. He did not know who she was but found himself drawn to her in spirit. He could feel the warmth of her touch and smell the light floral scent from her slim body.  Wu Fang then heard children voices ringing around them and they were surrounded by three to four kids of six to eight years old. He stroked the soft hair of their heads and lifted up a girl in his arms.  Soft, fuzzy light moved like an undulating stream among them and his heart was flooded by an overwhelming sense of peace.     ...