The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 6)

....and now, the end is near.

Two months passed and Ah Tit has been working for Hor Pek as a cleaner in his shop. It was just past mid-day that the postman hooted out Ah Tit to collect a letter addressed to Hor Pek.

Suddenly, Ah Tit remembered that when Ah Kow asked him to put the money back, Ah Kow did remind him to put the message back as well. Ah Kow had in his excitement, left the message on the altar in Ah Tit's house!

“Hor Pek, may I go back to my hut for a while?” asked Ah Tit.

“Ok, go on... but push those boxes of ulamas to the side first,” said Hor Pek with a Burmese cheroot stuck between his teeth.

It did not take much time for Ah Tit to locate the lost message for it was merely camouflaged by the newer packs of joss-sticks and other praying paraphernalia. Ah Tit hurried back to Hor Pek’s shop.

“ What’s this Hor Pek?” Ah Tit asked.

Hor Pek glanced at it and turned staring at Ah Tit.

“It’s outrageous! ...where did you get this?” Hor Pek demanded to know.

Ah Tit was too dumbfounded to say anything.

“Well, ....you tell me what it says and I’ll tell you where I got it,” Ah Tit replied.

Hor Pek looked at it again and then read it out slowly:

“My darling Kok Aun, please take the money I’ve saved and leave today. I just can’t wait to start a new life together with you and our child. (destroy after reading!). All my love, Bee Ai....”

Ah Tit, eyes glistened with tears, finally realised that he has been fooled. Worse still, Ah Kow has been fooled by his own sinister wife, Bee Ai... a liar, a devil in disguise.

She made up the Tua Thau stuff! She poisoned the medicinal soup. And she fled with somebody’s child in her body!

And Kok Aun?... that seemingly innocent young brat was nowhere to be found. He was not even around during Ah Kow’s simple burial.

After Ah Tit related what he knew to Hor Pek, Hor Pek jostled Ah Tit into his rusted Austin. Hor pek told Ah Tit that Ah Kow will never be able to rest in peace until the long arms of the law caught up with those criminals of passion.

Just on the main road, Ah Tit noticed some crows pecking at the carcass of a cat. Those words spoken by his good friend and partner when they found the money, came ringing and ringing in his ears.

“Look at those crows, so many of them nowadays. My father used to say that they bring bad luck, .......

                                                                            ....and death."

That's it folks, the END! ...and if you believe in karma, what goes around will come around.
Tell me what you think, tick in the  polling boxes to the left of this blog... I hope you've enjoyed this long "grand-mother" story cut short - kekekeke...

The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 5)

....and this the fifth dimension of the story.

That night Ah Kow complained of giddiness but went to sleep anyway. In the middle of the night, he started to sweat profusely.

Bee Ai felt his forehead – cold as ice, ...but yet Ah kow kept sweating. Before Bee Ai could fetch him a cup of warm water from the kitchen, Ah Kow was already dead.

Poor soul. Poor Ah Kow.

Poor Bee Ai, ....a young widow with a child in her tummy, and wailing like an infant.

The whole village shared her grief and loss.

Ten days after Ah Kow’s death, Bee Ai informed her neighbours that she was returning to her kampung to deliver and raise Ah Kow’s child.

It is very empty and quiet at home...

A sojourner she has to be. Staying on is meaningless as Ah Kow does not have any brothers... or sisters... or relatives... Besides, he is now buried beside his first wife. The dead will be better taken care of by the dead.

Bee Ai left with tears in her eyes.

....and life goes on in the usual drudge a small fishing village is supposed to conduct itself.

(...more to come)

The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 4)

...and now here comes the 4th part, all about hearts.

The villagers are very happy for this blessed couple, but a few gossip-millers have already started to churn stories about Bee Ai and Kok Aun, the cendol seller and part-time caretaker of the village shrine; just because Bee Ai has been savouring a bowl of cendol at Kok Aun's makeshift stall almost everyday.

 

Ah Kow laughed off those gossips. Bee Ai has always been loyal to him. He does not want to be, and never will be weakened by mere gossips spun by loafers who have "nothing to do".

To play safe, however, Ah Kow has forbidden his wife to pray at the shrine or eat cendol. He just told Bee Ai that walking along the gravelly path to the shrine in her condition and eating cendol is “no good” for their child.

“I’m home!” shouted Ah Kow as he walked towards the door of his hut. The door opened and behind it stood Bee Ai.

“How was your day?” she asked.

“Not bad. Ah Tit’s quite generous today,” replied Ah Kow.

Ah Kow could not wait to get into the details. He was soon whispering into Bee Ai’s ear about what happened the last hour or so. Ah Kow took the message he found from his pocket and asked Bee Ai to read it to him. She looked quite surprised.

“What’s the matter?” asked Ah Kow.

“Mmm ...it says the money is for Tua Thau, ...the district's top gangster," Bee Ai translated summarily.

“What! ...what else does it say?” enquired illiterate Ah Kow as he unbuttoned his shirt.

“Nothing... nothing else,” replied Bee Ai and she went straight to their small kitchen to transfer the ambers from the charcoal stove to a tin can.

Lunch already on the table was gruel with small plates of salted fish, dried sea-weed, and fried bean sprouts. Ah Kow sat down, had a bit of the thin porridge and then suddenly put down his chop-sticks and turned to Bee Ai, “Oh!...I think I must go now! ... I must ask Ah Tit to put the money back or Tua Thau will be after our lives!”

“You better do that, and don’t tell anybody about this!” Bee Ai said as her husband raced down to Ah Tit’s ramshackled hut 200 yards away.

Ah Tit immediately lit up six joss-sticks, passed three to Ah Kow and prayed before the Goddess of Mercy on the unkempt altar in his hut upon knowing what the message was all about.

“Let us ask Kuan Yin for mercy, forgive us....let us pray for our safety when we put the money back. The wrath of notorious Tua Thau has no limits!” quivered Ah Tit.

That evening Ah Kow came home quite relieved that the money was stashed back in place. Bee Ai prepared a medicinal soup for him, and Ah Kow took a sip.

“Aya!...too strong lah, the taste is too heavy!” complained Ah Kow.

“It’s all right, the sinseh told me that the herbs may be doubled to make it more effective. Besides, after what you have gone through today, the medicinal soup will do you a lot of good,” replied his caring wife, “...and if you drink it straight down, it wouldn’t taste that bad.”

“All right, ...all right!” Ah Kow grudgingly gave in.

A quiet Bee Ai stood and watch the projection in front of Ah Kow’s neck moving up and down as he gulped the medicinal soup.

Ah Kow laid himself down on a canvas bed and gazed at the roof. He was still wondering; trying to figure out what is behind this rather unusual episode. Who could be giving money to Tua Thau in this manner?

(...More to come)

The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 3)

...and now the 3rd part of the story. It starts to go deep.....

“Money! ...money! At least ten thousand bucks!” Ah Kow exclaimed.

Both were bewildered and at least for a minute, looked at the money in astonishment. They had never seen anything like that in their lives! In fact, $100 was the biggest amount they had ever seen – the $100 “Ang Pow” Hor Pek gave them the last Chinese New Year.

“Let’s count it,” Ah Tit broke the silence.

“Okay, okay ...but not a word! Not a word to anyone else,” said Ah Kow and he nodded his head in agreement.

This is the life. This is indeed the life. Counting money in the sun. It was another 15 minutes before they finish counting and for the first time in their lives, Ah Kow and Tan Ah Tit found counting fun.

“Naw!...” Ah Kow grunted, “...only two thousand and five hundred! Nearly all are one dollar bills! But hah!...we're lucky, let’s take it home – it’s a gift from God!”

Sand smacked off their pants and ready to leave, Ah Tit noticed something else in the trunk. He quickly gesticulated to Ah Kow and without hesitation Ah Kow moved his hand in to pull it out. It was a small piece of paper and on it was written chinese characters, a message. Ah Kow and Ah Tit being illiterate could not understand what it meant.

“Ah Tit, you keep the money in your hut first,” said Ah Kow as he slid the message into his trouser pocket, "...I’ll ask my wife to tell me what it means."

What is the message all about?

Both men were pondering. Not a word was uttered as they walked back to their sampan to fill their catch into four pails and then plodded along their usual muddy track to Hor Pek’s shop.

Hor Pek was busy supervising his workers weighing fishes and prawns delivered to his shop.

He just handed $15 to Ah Kow without even looking at what he had brought in.

“Just leave your catch there!” Hor Pek shouted to Ah Kow.

What a measly sum...both men said to themselves as they left Hor Pek’s shop.

“Ah Kow, you keep the $15. I still have some money with me. Moreover, when we divide the share of the money we found, seven dollars and fifty cents won’t mean anything,” Ah Tit suggested.

“...and ooei Ah Kow!! ...we go back after lunch to see who is behind all this.”

Ah Kow nodded in agreement.

Ah Kow’s wife Bee Ai is only 31.

Hastily match-made to Ah Kow five years ago after cancer took the life of his first wife, she is an excellent wife.

Naturally.... for Ah Kow has no off-spring from his first wife but Bee Ai is now three-month pregnant with his soon-to-come bundle of joy.

(More to come...)

The Day The Crows Flew By (Part 2)

...and this is the 2nd part of the story, Ah Kow made a little discovery.

It was Monday, 10am. Nobody was around. Who would be at the beach except Ah Kow and Ah Tit? The other bigger fishing boats of which Hor Pek owns are on the horizon, just ploughing back. Ah Kow reached for his crumpled Rough Rider and lit up a fag.

He tossed a stick over to Ah Tit and then lay his tired body towards the sand.

“Look at those crows, so many of them nowadays. My father used to say that they bring bad luck,” said Ah Kow, “...and look at that one on the ground by that tree – rather big isn’t it?”

Tan Ah Tit couldn’t be bothered.

“Hey, Ah Tit! ...can you see a package stuffed into a small hollow of that casuarina tree?” said Ah kow as he pointed towards the tree that was no more than 20 yards from where were.

“Must have been those picnickers from the city,” replied Ah Tit.

"I don’t think so. There were no picnickers here yesterday as far as I know... Come! Let’s go and see what it is!” suggested Ah Kow.

“You go on, let me finish my puff first,” Ah Tit took a deep drag.

As Ah Kow clambered closer to the tree, he noticed the package was neatly wrapped in newspapers. Something rather out of place, he thought. On his knees Ah Kow moved his hand towards it and...ouch!...like a stroke of lightning, he quickly pulled back.

“Hell! You son-of-a......” he cursed as he swiftly pulverised those ants that have started to bite him, “Hey! ...come lend me a hand! ...and bring along my lighter – it’s in the cigarette box.”

“Now what are you up to?” Ah Tit asked, giggling.

There was no time for answers, in fact Ah Kow didn’t even know the answer. He had just only managed to feel the package with his fingers but he could imagine that it is surely something unusual.

“Over there!...piece of paper...burn it! Kill the ants first!” an excited Ah Kow directed Ah Tit.

“Serves you right! The thing is not yours and you shouldn’t have touched it in the first place,” said Ah Tit as he obediently scrolled up the paper and lit it.

“Very cruel...very, very cruel! The ants had to die because of you!” grumbled Ah Tit.

“Shut up and don’t burn the package!” Ah Kow warned. Ah Kow looked around. Still scared of the ants, he broke a small branch and like the skilled fisherman he is, hooked out the package and quickly unwrapped it.

(...more to come)