At the finishing point of my regular run, I met a fisherman who initiated this encounter by commending my strenuous effort as reflected on my flushed and exhausted countenance. After a while, this conversation took a mysterious twist with this stranger telling me tales about fugitives who've once trodden on part of my running route(which I'm glad to follow their glorious footsteps HAHA) in their escape from captivity and his peculiar encounter with the third kind at The Village(Kampong then) which was on the opposite bank of the canal. Being a naturally inquisitive and curious person with time to spare, I decided against hastily ending this conversation and listened on with cautious as well as skeptical interest. The added fact that I am so familiar with and frequent the places these bizarre encouters took place further urged me to stay and hear him out. Yet, at the back of my mind, I constantly reminded myself to take whatever had been spoken with a pinch of salt..or two.
Right now, I shall re-tell these stories to u amigos in the 3rd person, as well as provide my personal commentary and opinions on them.
Tale #1.
This fisherman who apparently regulary parks himself along the canal, has claimed to have manifested an apparition darting across the expanse of the kampong in the period of '94-'95. To add a further detatil, the apparition resembled a shimmering, luminous satin cloth violently tossed by the blustery winds.
Commentary
As it was my first time hearing such a tale, I can't help but think that it was a poorly spun one. Also, such an event seemed ever too cinematic! Though this story appears to have been too conveniently created based on these elementary details, or perhaps a genuine figment of his imagination, I think i'd go against my better judgement and give him the benefit of doubt just in case.
Incidentally and on a totally unrelated note, this stranger witnessed this flying figure in the same period I intruded and fled from the golf course adjacent to the canal, with wild abandon o course. I swear, the village was terribly, hideously terrifying man; with glass shard strewn all over its ground, dilapidated and standing against a pitch dark background then. The combination of uncertainity, danger and of course adrenaline fuelled my mad dash home and unfortunately the village was the only way through. In case you don't know, I was already chased by a furious caddie who discovered i trespassed. Holyshit, it was like being IN 2 concurrent horror movies that I am not intent on re-enactign.
Tale #2
In an unspecified number of years ago, 2 fugitives scaled the inner walls of Changi Prison and managed to reach the perimeter fence. The guard on duty slept on his job and they broke a weak-link in the fence wiring. Through that opening, they fled for their lives. Somehow, they reached the canal, darted across the bridge into the village and disappeared in the wild forest. Surprisingly enough, the connecting chains that linked each of their cuffs were broken too..
Commentary
This is absurd! Changi prison is how freaking far from my canal man! Escaping without getting caught while handcuffed is in itself a miracle, but to gain access to handcuff breaking equipment and later travel that far by foot? My foot! This fisherman sure talks too much cock and failed pathetically at lying.
Tale #3
Once upon a time, there was an illegal immigrant that hailed from Java who docked at the mouth of the canal. It is along Changi beach. He got caught by the police coast guards and thrown into the shell. One night, he asked his fellow inmates if they wanted to escape and told them he knew how to. Nobody believed him. This Javanese used his sharp fingernails to etch a figure of a boat on a wall of his cell and alledgly performed an incredulous feat of black magic; his body vanished into the boat figure as though it were a portal to somewhere else. For the record, the fisherman claimed that to this day, the etched figure still exists, but not the body.
Commentary
In FrozenThrone(Warcraft 3 expansion) the computer game, I know that the Way Gate(teleporting gate) exists and had been my saving grace on numerous occasions. However in real life? I find great difficulty in coming to terms with it. Physical prison breaks are possible though extremely improbable; like the exemplar Andy Dufrene in The Shawshank Redemption(btw it's based on a true story) who caved his escape with a simple and small rockhammer. With that mentioned, Tale #2 seems even more plausible compared to this. I must also admit that I'm unable to grasp the supernatural or the spiritual realm because I haven't experienced anything first hand in that respect nor have i had the luxury of dealing with any evidence of such. Yet, the lack of such knowledge usually leaves me ambivalent and at times, disconcerted.
Just to let yall know, I do my routine running dead into the night while most are already deep in slumber. Yeah, I operate in a similar fashion to the BFG(Big Friendly Giant) in respect to our common topsy turvy waking times! Somehow whenever I cross the bridge to the barren region of the razed village, I never fail to be consumed by this foreboding evil and darkness which inevitably translates into larger and quicker strides as a physical manifestation of my horror.However I must say, that I'm rationalising these premonitions away because I know they're unfounded and stem from no definite reason. Yet just for the sake of good measure, a tad of such a lingering fear might actually be constructive as it provides me with the impetus to flee in the event I feel like ceasing a workout due to tiredness/laziness.
-Kenneth Wong
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