All of us imagine Pontianak as a Lady that dies during childbirth and becomes a blood-sucking vampire, but in actual fact, it does have fangs and it looks worse than the ones that we imagine. More like a demon…….

This incident happens to my mother when she’s at the age of 10,in 1965. It happens at the Kampung where she resides, at Serangoon, Kampung Pisang, near the Legendary New World Theatre. In the past, there is no water supplied to homes, therefore daily, Kampung residents at that area will have to collect water from a source which they call it “Government Pipe”. Too bad for my mother, the water source was about half kilometre away from her house and in order for them to access to it, they would have to pass through a patch with tall trees and dense shrubs.

It was already past midnight and my mother was instructed by my grandmother to collect water, when she realize that the container for storage of water is already empty. She went reluctantly with her 11 years old elder sister, with two empty pails each and for them to fill in the whole container, they would have to take about 5 trips.

As usual, the night was dark and the only source of light was the one emitting from the full moon. It was the first trip, when on the way back, through the dark, something dropped from the clutter of leaves and branches from above them, right at their front. They ignored it but their mind was already running wild. With the heavy load they walked back home quietly.

At that time, when they are preparing for the second collection, my mother told her sister that she felt scared and the thought that everyone knows that that area was spooky and haunted with all kinds of encounter from the villagers, make them shudder but they would’nt dare offend their mother by telling her that they were scared cause they knew that the old woman would thougt that they were plain lazy.

This time round, they decided to check the thing that dropped at their path just now. When they arrive at that spot, what they saw was a small bundle of newspaper. As childrens, they start being curious and decide to open the bundle. What they found was more crumpled pieces of newspapers and towels, soaked in blood. The smell was horrible. They closed back the bundle and continue their way to the Pipe. For them it was normal to find something like that near the shrubs cause during that time there was no proper method of disposal and it was actually the blood of a person having abortions, and nearby was actually a place where there is a prostitution trading grounds. But what they don’t understand was why it fell from the trees.

They start chanting the Islamic verses from the Holy Qur’an while they were walking, to scare any ghosts, but they were’nt thought to pronounce it properly but neverthelessly, they did try.

They were about 5 metres away from the pipe when something flew from behind them and landed on top of a 4 walled zinc toilet beside the pipe. There were no roof for the toilet except for 4 metal pieces of zinc that act as walls and that “Thing” was squatting on top of a single standing piece of zinc. Both of them was rooted to the ground and was trying to figure out what that thing was cause it was too dark to focus. Then they realize that it’s simply impossible for a person to squat there, when my mom whispered in malay, “APA TU?” – means whats that. They stared at that thing and started taking a few steps back when the thing stood up straight at it’s position. Her sister started to shout “HANTUuuuuu” and ran for her life. And my mother was a little slow in reacting and only started running after a while. At that split moment she could see that thing flying towards her and at a split second, “SHE” was just inches away from her. “SHE” start cackling at my mother’s ear and my mom could feel the gust of wind and “HER” warm, putrid breath at her own neck. She turned and saw that horrible looking creature, with dark burnt like wrinkled skin and two long fangs. What she could never forget till today is her stare. Those unblinking bid red eyes that has sunked in it’s socket was something that is still fresh in her mind. It’s long tangled hair and sharp long nails made her look like a female species.

My mother could not take it anymore and was ready to faint at any moment. She continue running and could not even utter a single thing, when she heard the familiar voice of her sister shouting for help at a distance, that’s when she was about to reach near a few Kampung houses. A few villagers came out from their house with their historical kerosene lamps to check the commotion. While my mother was busy saving her life, she was grabbed by on of the villager and was questioned. She could only utter the word “PONTIANAK”.

The villagers gathered and decide to check it out, went to the pipe to search the area and could not find anything. Even the bundle of blood is missing. They claims that the two child is seeing things. Only god knows what they saw and till now, at their age, this two sister is still talking about their encounter and my mother’s sister insisted that she saved my mother’s life, when she shouted for help cause when she ran away and left my mother behind, she thought that my mother was with her and after realizing that she’s not, turned back to look for my mother and that’s when she saw the life and death chase. It seems that the creature was just out to have fun and no harms done that fateful night.

To me it was an interesting story which i make her tell me over and over again till i can imagine how it looks like. Anyone interested to know how it looks like, you can search the book “SOULS”, which was a book published about 10 years ago. Can’t recall which edition it is in but my mother swears that it looks somewhat similar. Or you can ask my mother to describe it to you and hope that it will appear in your dreams or better still real life experience…………
[Posted at: Chased by Pontianak]