MALAYSIA
When the Full Moon Rises
Stage 3
Story by Kyee Ong
Edit by the CLA Editing Team
Illustrated by Farren Febiola Darmawi
MALAYSIAN WORDS
Kampung Bulan - [Kham-pong Bu-lan] A village in Malaysia.
Kebaya - [Ke-bah-yah] A traditional attire in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
Abang - [Ah-bang] Means “older brother” in Bahasa Malaysia.
Rendang - [Ren-dang] A form of curry stew from Indonesia and Malaysia.
Sarung - [Sa-rong] A piece of fabric that is worn around the waist.
Satay - [Sa-teh] A chicken skewer dish in Malaysia.
Nasi lemak - [Na-sih leh-mak] Malaysian national dish that consists of coconut rice, egg, and cucumbers. fried peanuts and anchovies and a spicy chili sauce called “sambal”.
Pontianak - [Pon-ti-ah-nak] A vampire-like creature from Malaysian and Indonesian mythology.
Opah - [Oh-pah] A slang for grandmother in Bahasa Malaysia.
Keris - [Ke-ris] A short knife-like weapon.
Bomoh - [Boh-moh] A shaman.
CHARACTERS
Ariff - Main character. A journalist who’s investigating Kampung Bulan.
Kamal - Secondary lead. A resident of Kampung Bulan and Zahra's protective brother.
Zahra - Secondary lead. A resident of Kampung Bulan and Kamal's younger sister.
Satay Uncle - Side character. A resident of Kampung Bulan who sells satay.
Opah - Side character. Zahra and Kamal's deceased grandmother.
Bomoh - Side character. A witch doctor.
Prologue
During the day, villagers of Kampung Bulan walk the streets happily and the market is alive with street vendors. However, when night falls, the streets are empty and every door is closed. Everyone in Bulan village is scared when the full moon rises. Some who questioned this mystery have never been seen again. But one man found the answer.
Chapter 1
Ariff was driving when a loud bang stopped his car. He stepped out of the car, frustrated, and lit up a cigarette. Ariff was trying to think about what to do next when he heard another car approaching. He waved at the car, and it stopped in front of him. A young man stepped out and asked: “Is everything okay, sir?”
“Unfortunately, no. I got a flat tire, and I’m on my way to Kampung Bulan,” Ariff replied. Before Ariff could say anything further, a surprisingly beautiful young woman stepped out of the car. She looked charming in her stylish kebaya. He wondered if she was the man’s wife.
“What’s the matter, Abang?” she asked the man in her sweet, soft voice. The man explained Ariff’s situation to his sister in a cold manner while Ariff stood, dreamily amazed by her beauty.
“We could let him ride with us since we’re heading in the same direction.” the young woman remarked. Her brother agreed and Ariff came back to reality with a smile.
Ariff thanked them cheerfully and introduced himself. “I’m Ariff from Kuala Lumpur. And you are?” Ariff asked kindly as he extended his hand towards the man.
“My name is Kamal. This is my sister, Zahra. We’re villagers of Kampung Bulan. Why are you traveling to our village?” Kamal asked as he shook Ariff’s hand.
“I’m a reporter. I’ve come to investigate the tales that have been going about your village recently.”
“A reporter? You are here to look for something scandalous, I assume. But I have to say, if you want to get out of here alive, don’t try to do anything stupid.” Kamal looked at him dead in the eye and gave Ariff’s hand a tight squeeze.
Within the next hour, the three found themselves in Kampung Bulan and Ariff settled himself into an old hotel.
Chapter 2
The next evening, Ariff walked through the village. Some villagers were weaving baskets. Some were stirring giant pots of rendang on open fires. Everyone was chatting happily, and a dance group was practicing graceful moves on the empty field nearby. Ariff wondered why the village was so busy.
Deep within the crowd, a man was carrying two baskets that hung from both ends on a bamboo pole. He wore a sarung and a stained shirt. “Hey, mister! How about some satay? I have some delicious nasi lemak as well!” The man called out to Ariff and Ariff immediately agreed.
The uncle then set down the baskets. He reached into one of them and pulled out 10 sticks of uncooked chicken. From the other basket, he pulled out a small grill, lighting it up as he set the chicken sticks on top. In no time, Ariff could smell and almost taste the delicious browning meat.
Ariff reached for his pack of cigarettes. He bent his knees to sit down and asked the uncle about what was happening around the village.
“The villagers are preparing for the harvest moon festival3. There's so much to do. The women are busy cooking and their husbands have just returned after harvesting for the season!” The uncle responded excitedly.
“I see. I heard that people are terrified to go out at night, but things seem pretty normal here.”
The uncle laughed nervously. “Mister... what are you talking about? Things have always been like this here.”
“Wasn't there a disappearance that just happened recently? It was big news even in the city. There was a guy who was cycling through the forest one night and he never returned!”
“Mister!” The uncle shouted in panic. He leaned in close to Ariff and started whispering. “We don't talk about that here. Or she'll come for you.”
“She? What do you mean by ‘she’?”
The uncle nervously eyed his surroundings.
“The Pontianak,” he whispered in his lowest tone.
Ariff’s eyes widened at his response. “The spirit of an angry woman who comes out on the full moon? Like in the stories?” he asked as he let out an unbelieving laugh. “You mean that woman from the tales is attacking villagers!? That's funny!”
“Shh! Believe whatever you want but it's just what it is.”
Ariff was amused, he knew that this was all just superstition5 but still his curiosity and desire for fame motivated him to investigate further. “Alright, if this is true then where can I find her?”
“No! You just don't go looking for it! Do you have a death wish, mister?”
“Don't worry, I'm from the city! Traffic scares us more than spirits!”
The uncle shook his head as he plated the satay and Ariff handed him some cash. “C’mon, help a man out here!”
“I really don't like the idea of sending another man to his death,” the uncle replied hesitantly.
“Don't worry about it. I can guarantee that if you tell me, there won't be any future victims!” Ariff declared confidently.
“Alright, fine.” The man said, finally giving up. “You didn't hear it from me, but most of the disappearances happened in the forest near that mansion on top of the hill.”
“Who lives there?”
“No one.” The uncle replied with a threatening look.
A cold wind suddenly blew through the village and the clouds parted, revealing an almost full moon. The satay uncle glanced at the sky with a hint of panic and rushed to pack up his baskets.
“Wait, where are you going?” asked Ariff.
“It's getting very late! Gotta go! You better hurry home too!” As the uncle was about to leave, he turned to Ariff and grabbed him by the shoulders with force. “If you're planning to go there, don't go during the night. It's extremely dangerous! And remember, you didn't hear about this from me!”
Ariff stared at the uncle as he hurried off. When he turned around, the village that was lively 10 seconds ago had become empty and quiet.
Chapter 3
Late at night, Ariff walked the dark forest trail to see with his own eyes the old mansion on top of the hill. Its dirty white walls were partly covered with overgrown weeds. Ariff paused for a moment, feeling afraid for the first time as he stared at the house. Recovering his determination, he slowly started approaching the old house. As he got nearer to the mansion, he noticed a shadow near the building. With the help of the moonlight, he recognized the shape of a woman. It was Zahra. She stood there in her pink kebaya, worryingly staring into the moon. Ariff walked up to her after admiring her from a distance.
“Hey, miss. It's dangerous for a young woman to be out at this time.”
Zahra turned around in surprise. “Oh. It's you.”
“What are you doing out here alone?” asked Ariff.
“Just admiring the beautiful moonlight. Did you know that the village was named after the fact that you can witness the most beautiful and brightest full moon on this peak?”
“I thought it wasn't advised for villagers to come out during the full moon?”
“Oh, they're just superstitions. I've been here on a lot of nights and it's as peaceful as ever.”
“Well, it certainly is stunning. Just like you.” He said with a fearless smile.
Zahra smiled gently at Ariff, but quickly turned her gaze10 back to the moon.
“So will I see you around?” asked Ariff.
“Here? Well, I’m not supposed to. But this place holds many special memories for me. I grew up here, you see. This was my grandmother’s house. When we were children, my brother and I would play near this forest.”
“That sounds lovely. That uncle must be out of his mind! How could there be a Pontianak in this place!”
Zahra’s smile immediately faded.
“What’s wrong?” Ariff asked as he noticed her sudden sadness.
“You shouldn’t believe the villagers. They fear the unknown. All because of that incident.”
“What incident?”
“It was 20 years ago. My grandmother was a witch doctor. Her clients were businessmen and politicians. People came to her for help in achieving money or positions. Despite her profession, my grandmother was as loving as any other opah. She tried her best to provide for us after our parents left. But people didn’t trust witch doctors. Rumors spread and eventually, the villagers grew wary of her power. They feared a powerful woman. They attacked.”
Zahra closed her eyes as the story of her opah sent her back to her days as a little girl.
“I still remember that day. Opah was meeting with a client in the living room, and suddenly a bunch of villagers barged into our house with lit torches and pitchforks. They grabbed Opah and tied her up to the pillar in the house.
“My brother and I have been searching for years, Ariff. And we still haven't found anything. I have no idea what will happen on the day of the Harvest Moon Festival.”
“Is there nothing else we can do?”
“Not as far as I know of.”
Suddenly, Kamal appeared out of the dark forest.
“Zahra, I’m done… Ariff? What are you doing here?” asked Kamal suspiciously.
“Nothing, I was on a walk under this gorgeous moonlight when I met your sister.”
“I see… You really shouldn't be out here at this time.”
“But what are you guys doing out here in the middle of nowhere at night?”
“Nothing you should be concerned about. It's late already, we should leave. Let's go, Zahra,” exclaimed Kamal. Zahra followed Kamal quietly and Ariff watched as they disappeared into the night.
*******
The next day, Ariff was wandering again in the village. Amidst the busyness, he spotted Kamal. At first, Kamal was just talking to a villager normally. However, after last night, Ariff became suspicious of the siblings. He decided to eavesdrop on the conversation between Kamal and the other villagers.
“Everything’s been prepared. All we have to do is wait for that day,” said the villager.
“We’ll wait until everyone is out for the festival and then we’ll start. How’s the sacrifice?” asked Kamal.
“Caught and ready.”
“All right. I’ll get going then.”
Ariff was speechless.
Chapter 4
It was finally the day of the Harvest Moon Festival. From early morning, the village had been busy setting up for the celebration. There were tents outside, decorated with colorful traditional accessories. Tables were filled with food. From everywhere, people could hear the band playing.
There was a crowd gathered around the bomoh - the village’s shaman.
“With the power of these coconuts, I bless the fields to produce another bountiful harvest for the coming year!” the bomoh shouted as he raised two coconuts up in the air.
Ariff followed the clapping and cheers from the villagers to find the bomoh. After the ritual had ended and the villagers had left, he approached the bomoh.
“Can you expel curses?” Ariff asked.
“Like what kind?” The bomoh replied in confusion.
“Like a 20-year-old, set-to-bring-terror-for-eternity kind.”
“Why did you mess with something so dangerous?” the bomoh gasped.
Ariff decided to tell the bomoh everything that he knew about the curse.
The bomoh was speechless for a moment before he spoke. “I'm not too sure about the details, but from what I know, traditionally, human sacrifices are made when it comes to stopping curses as powerful as this one.”
“Human sacrifice? Is that what Kamal meant when he said sacrifice?”
“The brother mentioned this to you?”
“No. I overheard.”
“Now that is not a very nice thing to do. But what the brother said does make sense actually. It's what witch doctors are all about. An eye for an eye.”
“If only we had Zahra’s grandmother’s keris.” Ariff sighed.
“A keris?”
“Yes, the keris that was stolen from the grandmother. Zahra said that it was passed down to the women in the family and can possibly reverse the curse.”
The bomoh started searching his bag when Ariff mentioned the keris. He pulled out a dagger. It has a gold handle decorated with gemstones shimmering31 in the setting sunlight.
“A keris like this?”
“Wait, where did you get that from?”
“It was passed down to me from my grandfather.”
“This is it! I think this might be the keris that Zahra was looking for! We need to get this to them quickly before anyone gets sacrificed!”
“We? Oh no, this is not a ‘we’ situation, sir. You should go, but not with me. I’m pretty sure you can find someone that’ll accompany you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go-”
“But you’re a shaman! You know how the magic stuff works and can put a stop to it right?” interrupted Ariff.
“Look mister, just between you and me, I literally have no idea what I am actually doing. Just a few words to God and some coconuts, the villagers pay me good to boost the community’s spirits!” the bomoh whispered.
“Well well, look who’s been lying their whole life. If you don’t come with me, I’ll tell everyone your secret.” he threatened the bomoh with a smirk.
Chapter 5
It was the night of the Harvest Moon Festival. The moon was hidden behind the clouds, and the atmosphere was unsettling. Ariff and the bomoh broke into the mansion on the hill with caution.
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“Are you sure this is a good idea?” the bomoh crouched in fear.
Ariff shushed in reply. They could hear someone crying in pain from the house. The pair looked at each other nervously and the bomoh pointed to a dark figure in the living room.
“Ariff! There!”
As they got closer, they saw a familiar face. It was the satay uncle - tied up with his mouth taped shut. He was left in the middle of a ritual circle, surrounded by candles and religious items.
The bomoh whispered in a panic “What do we do now?”
Sounds of footsteps approached the area. Ariff and the bomoh quickly hid behind an old couch in the room.
“This is it, Zahra. Tonight is when we will finally stop living in guilt and fear,” Kamal exclaimed as he walked into the room with his sister. “As long as we have the blood and flesh of our enemy’s kin, we can reverse the curse.”
The satay uncle trembled in fear as Kamal approached him.
Kamal took out a knife, carefully raised it above his victim, and chanted.
“O spirit, I offer this human flesh to wash away our family's sins. As the fog lifts, a new start shall begin for the Bulan village!”
Before Kamal could stab the satay uncle, Ariff jumped out of his hiding spot to stop him and the bomoh followed behind. The siblings stepped back in shock at the sudden interruption.
“Ariff? What are you doing here? And who are you?” exclaimed Kamal, pointing to the bomoh.
“You don’t have to do this. No one has to die tonight. We have what you need.” Ariff reassured.
He took out the keris and waved it up high in the air for everyone to see. Kamal lowered his knife at the sight of the long-lost keris while Zahra gulped nervously.
“Where did you get that?” Kamal asked with a trembling voice.
“The bomoh had it all along! Now that we have the keris in our hands, we don’t need to kill anyone anymore!”
“Yes Abang, please stop!” cried Zahra.
“But even if we have the keris, I have no idea how to use it!” replied Kamal.
“There has to be some way that we can try Abang!”
Ariff walked up to Kamal and handed him the keris. Kamal looked at the keris hesitantly before he shouted. “No! It’s too risky. We don’t know if this would work or not. The sacrifice is the only sure way to stop the curse now! We cannot wait any longer!
We are running out of time before the full moon rises!” said Kamal in a panic. He raised the keris in his hand above the Uncle in a second attempt to finish the ritual.
“No!” Ariff charged at Kamal as fast as he could, knocking Kamal to the ground. The bomoh rushed in and quickly disarmed Kamal with a kick to his hand.
“Stop! Don’t hurt my brother” Zahra cried in distress.
“What are you doing, Ariff!? Do you want the whole village to suffer?” said Kamal.
“No! There must be other ways that don't involve killing an innocent soul!”
As the two were fighting on the floor, the clouds in the sky parted slowly and the moon lit up the mansion.
“Let me go! You have to let me do this! The full moon is rising and once it fully rises, there's no turning back!” Kamal panicked. Ariff was speechless over the request as he questioned his own morals. To let one die to save the others or save one and let the others die.
In the heat of the moment, Zahra suddenly started to shake strangely. Her face and eyes turned white for a moment before she fainted.
Chapter 6
Ariff and Kamal stopped their brawl immediately and rushed over to Zahra.
“Zahra! Are you okay? What happened?” Ariff asked as he shook her strengthless body.
“It's coming. The monster. You need to go soon before anything happens.”
“What do you mean?”
“When the full moon rises, I will lose myself for eternity. I will become the monster that brings fear and terror to the village.”
“What?” Kamal responded in shock.
“Yes, Abang. 20 years ago, shortly before the night of the incident, the village was not the only thing that grandmother had cursed. She knew that bad things were going to happen as the rumors about her profession traveled around the village.”
“So she cursed you into a Pontianak to avenge her if anything happens” Kamal finished her sentence as he came to a realization.
“Yes. Now that grandmother is gone, I will become a Pontianak for eternity, seeking revenge against those that have wronged our family.”
Kamal’s sad expression changed as he turned to Ariff with an angry yet desperate look. “Ariff, please. You have to let me save my sister. The ritual has to go on before it's too late!.”
Ariff stood up silently. He looked over at the bomoh who had been watching the event unfold in a silent fear and grabbed the keris from his hand. Ariff then walked over to the uncle who was still tied up and raised the dagger above him. The uncle sobbed as he helplessly struggled to move. Ariff then charged the keris downwards and everyone else in the room shut their eyes. But instead of the sound of blood splashing, they heard the rope getting cut. Ariff freed the satay uncle and shouted “Uncle, run!” The uncle got up and escaped from the mansion as fast as he could.
“What are you doing!? Do you not care about Zahra or this village at all?” Kamal yelled furiously.
“There has to be a way to save both of them. We will figure out a way together!” Ariff said.
“You idiot! Can't you see that we're running out of time?” roared Kamal.
The clouds dissolved and the full moon shone. Zahra shook uncontrollably. Her screams turned into growls. She fell on her knees with her head crunched over. Her rosy cheeks turned pale and cold. Her eyes turned white. Humanity had left her. She had transformed into a Pontianak.
Everyone stared in disbelief at what they witnessed.
The Pontianak stood up. As quick as lightning, she pounced on Kamal and rendered him unconscious. At great speed, she struck the bomoh too. There was only one target left in the room. The Pontianak charged towards Ariff with a bloodthirsty look. Ariff was paralyzed with fear but in one quick motion, he stabbed her in the stomach with the keris.
Zahra screamed in agony and fell to the ground. There was a moment of silence in the room. Ariff couldn’t believe what he had done. Has he killed her? How could he face Kamal when he wakes up?
But Zahra opened her eyes. This time, her cheeks regained color and the life in her eyes came back. It was a one-in-a-million chance, but it worked. The keris brought her back.
“Ariff? What… happened?” Zahra asked softly. She noticed her brother laying on the ground.
“Abang! Are you okay??” Zahra rushed towards Kamal. Kamal awoke from the cries of his sister. He gasped at the sight of her and rushed to give his sibling a big hug.
Ariff and the bomoh watched them, relieved with smiles.
“Thank you. For saving my sister and the village.” Kamal exclaimed gratefully to Ariff.
“It was just pure luck that the keris worked,” said Ariff.
“It doesn’t matter now! The 20-year-old curse that shadowed the village is now gone! God bless Bulan Village!” the bomoh chimed in cheerfully.
THE END