As an NSman I am the GPMG Commander belonging to 524 SIR, Delta Company, Platoon 16, part of 2 PDF.

I remember during one in-camp we had to stay in Pulau Tekong for 2 nights. Those were two nights that few of us would forget. As we look back as our boat left the island, it was with a relief. Those 2 nights left a deep impression on us that most of us who went through won’t forget.

Those two nights were spent in an old abandoned (I think) primary school. Ask around, anyone who had to stay in that school in Pulau Tekong were bound to have some encounter or another.

Well, this is my story.

I was the advance party, and our group arrived at the school in the afternoon to do to do the initial setting out.

The school building was typical of the older primary school that can be found on the Mainland. Long rows of single storey classroom, with the canteen (a little shop) right at the far end. Two companies shared that school during our stay. The other company took the front rows of classrooms, while my company took the back classrooms.

I remember as I was setting my station I keep looking at the open, broken down empty space that was what the canteen store once was. I remember feeling queer, and a bit afraid.

Well that night my company came back after training. I remember walking pass the other company, seeing their lit up rooms, with small laughter, and snatches of chitchats drifting to my ears. And I remember when walking to the classrooms where housed my company men, the lights seemed dimmer, the men more sombre, the atmosphere more quiet.

Eventually after all the hassle of bickering and other army stuff we settle down to sleep, each platoons in a classroom. We all of course slept on the floor.

Then it began.

I remember I had a dream, or thought I had a dream. You see, I had a big mongrel of a dog then. Often it would come to me and lick my face with her slopping big tongue, pasting its saliva all over my face.

And so I dreamed that my dog licked me. I remember giggling out in real-time “hee..hee..hee?..” as I squirmed to get away from its invading tongue.

Then the scream happened. It was a loud scream, following by wailing. Everyone got up and rushed to where the screams occurred.

When I reached that classroom it was a flurry of activity?. There were some men looking very shaken, there was 1 who was crying, and almost everyone was looking pretty scared.

Slowly the stories emerged. It would seem that most of the men in that bunk had seen something of sorts. There were even talks of someone floating up in the air.

I regret I didn’t remember all the sightings, saved this one.

One man was sleeping, when he realised he was being licked by something. He (I am not sure here) opened his eyes and saw a figure next to him? apparently after that he screamed? the man sleeping next to him supposedly sat up, and he said that he was pushed with great force to the wall. A third witness was the sergeant, who was resting by the door. The Malay sergeant said that in-between nodding of his head to sleep, he spied a white figure standing by him (the man who screamed). He said that he couldn’t see the face, as ‘her’ back was towards him. But he said that he noticed there was something long and dark coming from where the mouth supposedly to be, and hanging down to the floor.

The Malay sergeant said the he saw the man screamed, saw the man next to him being shoved aside, as the white thing zoomed passed him out of the door.

There were many other stories, but I couldn’t vouch for them, as they were told after the incidents. Like the night guard who saw figures in the big field, and a sharp pointed eared man who said that he saw two figures sitting up in the trees that same night.

But back to the story. The next day, we had our training, and returned back to the school to sleep. I remembered that everyone who slept in that bunk refused to sleep. They were about 30 men, and each of them sat together, burning their white SAF issued candles. I remember the OC asking them to sleep, and they said they would sit out the night.

Then I don’t remember so well. All I recalled was that everyone slept. And the screams happened again. I remember hearing that the OC was the first one to reach that classroom. And I, regrettably, do not remember what happed after that.

My next memory was leaving the island, in my boat, and looking back at the reducing landscape that was Pulau Tekong, and thanking the gods above that we have left that place.