Christina stood up and walked off. My heart sank and Shu Wen lept to her feet in pleas
"Madam! Madam?"
Officer Daniels was at a loss but soon ran off presumably to invite Christina Holmes back to the interview.
"We probably hit a raw nerve." I mumbled.
"Let me try." Shu Wen spoke into the mic "Madam Christina we are sorry if we had been insensitive. However, the information you provide may save lives. Please." The emotions in her voice resonated in my mind and struck a chord.
She is so genuine.
No response. In the corner of the screen, we saw the figure of Officer Daniels that offered little clue to what is happening off-screen.
Just when we were about to give up, Christina Holmes returned. Her eyes were red from the weeping and she was sniffing into a tissue. I felt guilty
“Thanks for returning, Madam. We are very sorry if our approach has offended you."
Christina waved off the comment w
After the call has ended, we lapsed into a long and uneasy silence. We were all trying to come to terms with the fact. It was Raja who broke the silence "Now, at least we know, Major's death is linked to an illicit affair." "Who is the other party in the relationship? Who is the lady?" "The family that travels to England to meet Christina's mother must be related to this lady." Shu Wen said. "Do you think if this family has something to do with the Major's death." I asked, with a tinge of provocation in my voice." "Think they may be angry with what the Major did to their daughter?" Raja added "I think the key is who is this lady?" I asked in deep deliberation. Shu Wen scratched her head "How can we be sure this is related to the lady spirit and the three missing boys." "I will need more information before I can answer you Madam. I need to know the identity of the missing persons."
Dorothy has shut her eyes in deep recollection. She projected such serenity that for a moment, I thought she was asleep. When I was about to interrupt her, I saw Josephine Kwek shaking her head gently. I got the hint and kept silent.Dorothy finally spoke with a genteel voice “You’re right I do know quite a bit about Bukit Pandan. It was my playground. My family's playground." She beamed "We would go for a picnic there every once in a while. In the 1960s, my father had a factory further down the road at the Dairy Farm. Whenever he was free, he and mum would drive us to the jungle for some trekking." ”My envy." I said "The landscape is conducive for walks. Earlier planters had cleared some trees and there is a nice piece of flat land by the stream. It is ideal for picnic." "I love the trees." I added "Ah, yes the trees. Those trees were huge, and there was always shade for a good camp-out. They are like guardians of o
“Nai Nai is asking if you want more tea.” I returned to my seat. “I’m sorry. I just happen to like black and white photos.” Dorothy smiled nervously. “Who is the-” Dorothy coughed hard unexpectedly and then rested her head on her right hand. “Are you feeling alright, Nai Nai?” Josephine asked and threw a slight glance of reproach, which made me felt bad. I decided I had to brave the displeasure and voice my question. “I have a request that may offend you.” “Do you mind if we stop this meeting, Dr. Ant?” Josephine cut in. Before I could reply, Dorothy Kwek raised her hand. “Go ahead, Anthony.” “Can I invite you to visit the jungle again?” I knew I had touched a raw nerve when I got a glare in response. Her hands were tightly clasped. For a moment, she stayed wide-eyed and I was worried she may get a heart attack “It could help us in our investigation,” I added and she rega
As I drove on the Sentosa Gateway, heading out of the island, I turned to the right where the Tanjong Pagar Port is. There is a neat row of containers handling equipment standing proud like a family of giraffes - a perfect picture of hustle that made up one of the busiest ports in Asia.As I marveled at the sight, my handphone buzzed. It was Leng and she is on WhatsApp call.“Hey, Dr. Ant, find somewhere to park. I have something to show you.”“Is it that earthshaking that I need to park my car first? I am getting thrilled.” I said lamely.“It’ll be worth your time,” She assured me. “Call me when you’re nicely parked.”I drove over to the nearby Tanjong Beach car park, and quickly called back Leng.“What is it?”“We found a lot of things from the Kaleidoscope App. In the past two weeks, there were three thousand items posted for sale. I had them sorted by th
Back home, I felt a fatigue in my system -that sort of exhaustion that originated from a mixture of frustration and anxiety. The two soldiers are still missing and there is a rumor on social media that they could be dead. It had disturbed the Colonel and his superiors that he communicated he would intensify the search round the jungle. Alone, I had squashed that thought and sat down in deep meditation for an hour to keep the monster called anxiety in check. After my mind is de-toxified, I made a simple dinner out of instant noodles and eggs and quickly settled myself in front of my laptop. I searched about the history and sources of the Kwek family and its related logos and symbols. The results were a revelation. I sieved through the results and was pleasantly surprised to find public sources of information on the evolution of the family emblem. Some sites were defunct, but there was one particular site owned by JJ Wong that seemed active.
10th July 2019 “Dr. Anthony Jin? The Supernatural Professor?” My breakfast of toast and eggs was rudely interrupted. “I sound like I've just been cursed.” I shot back with a dose of sarcasm. “I am sorry, but everyone calls you by that name,” he said. I stopped stirring my Kopi-O and looked up at the disrupter of my breakfast routine. “You’re not from the media I hope,” I asked. “I assure you I’m not, Dr Jin.” “Don’t call me Supernatural Professor. Just call me Ant. Everyone calls me that.” I asserted. I tried to ascertain the speaker’s identity, but the sunlight behind the figure made it hard for me to make out his facial features. I stood up to get a better view but he continued. “Some call you the Bridge. The Bridge to the other worlds.” I winced at that description written by Singapore Global, a journalistic social site with over a million subscribers. It was an inconvenient overstate
There was no verbal agreement, but I decided I should help the Colonel. I paid for my breakfast and then walked to his vehicle, ready for him to bring me to his Base Camp. On our way to his car, the Colonel briefed me in a tone that was warmly soothing. Three NS Men are missing during a military exercise. Usually, one would expect a water bottle, knife, or toggle rope in such missing incidents, but the search party had found nothing. The men had disappeared without a trace. Earlier interviews with their friends and platoon mates had indicated they were behaving normally with no evidence of depression or mischievous intent. As the Colonel recounted, my mind burst into hyper mode. What had taken them? What’s inside the forest? Just when we were about to enter the lift to the car park, I heard my name being called. I turned around and found a familiar figure running towards me, hands in
For the past twenty-five years, there has been a movie reel in my mind. Many nights, in my dreams, that reel will replay the scenes of the fateful day my parents disappeared. The dreams carried a nightmarish tone in the initial years, but as I grew up, stronger in management of sorrow, it mellowed into a plain trailer. I had learned to tame the monsters in me, though at times, I struggled with the powers that came with my lone existence. My growing-up began when my parents embarked on a journey to Japan on a mission to search for the roots of my mother’s family. My mother had always wanted to explore her Japanese ancestral roots. As a child, she had listened to her grandmother’s talk about her father’s family, who were based in the mountainous region of Nagano. They, the Kaneko, had served for generations in the imperial court under the samurai clan. War brought my mother’s Japanese family tree to Singapore. They left in 1945 after the defeat but returned a few
Back home, I felt a fatigue in my system -that sort of exhaustion that originated from a mixture of frustration and anxiety. The two soldiers are still missing and there is a rumor on social media that they could be dead. It had disturbed the Colonel and his superiors that he communicated he would intensify the search round the jungle. Alone, I had squashed that thought and sat down in deep meditation for an hour to keep the monster called anxiety in check. After my mind is de-toxified, I made a simple dinner out of instant noodles and eggs and quickly settled myself in front of my laptop. I searched about the history and sources of the Kwek family and its related logos and symbols. The results were a revelation. I sieved through the results and was pleasantly surprised to find public sources of information on the evolution of the family emblem. Some sites were defunct, but there was one particular site owned by JJ Wong that seemed active.
As I drove on the Sentosa Gateway, heading out of the island, I turned to the right where the Tanjong Pagar Port is. There is a neat row of containers handling equipment standing proud like a family of giraffes - a perfect picture of hustle that made up one of the busiest ports in Asia.As I marveled at the sight, my handphone buzzed. It was Leng and she is on WhatsApp call.“Hey, Dr. Ant, find somewhere to park. I have something to show you.”“Is it that earthshaking that I need to park my car first? I am getting thrilled.” I said lamely.“It’ll be worth your time,” She assured me. “Call me when you’re nicely parked.”I drove over to the nearby Tanjong Beach car park, and quickly called back Leng.“What is it?”“We found a lot of things from the Kaleidoscope App. In the past two weeks, there were three thousand items posted for sale. I had them sorted by th
“Nai Nai is asking if you want more tea.” I returned to my seat. “I’m sorry. I just happen to like black and white photos.” Dorothy smiled nervously. “Who is the-” Dorothy coughed hard unexpectedly and then rested her head on her right hand. “Are you feeling alright, Nai Nai?” Josephine asked and threw a slight glance of reproach, which made me felt bad. I decided I had to brave the displeasure and voice my question. “I have a request that may offend you.” “Do you mind if we stop this meeting, Dr. Ant?” Josephine cut in. Before I could reply, Dorothy Kwek raised her hand. “Go ahead, Anthony.” “Can I invite you to visit the jungle again?” I knew I had touched a raw nerve when I got a glare in response. Her hands were tightly clasped. For a moment, she stayed wide-eyed and I was worried she may get a heart attack “It could help us in our investigation,” I added and she rega
Dorothy has shut her eyes in deep recollection. She projected such serenity that for a moment, I thought she was asleep. When I was about to interrupt her, I saw Josephine Kwek shaking her head gently. I got the hint and kept silent.Dorothy finally spoke with a genteel voice “You’re right I do know quite a bit about Bukit Pandan. It was my playground. My family's playground." She beamed "We would go for a picnic there every once in a while. In the 1960s, my father had a factory further down the road at the Dairy Farm. Whenever he was free, he and mum would drive us to the jungle for some trekking." ”My envy." I said "The landscape is conducive for walks. Earlier planters had cleared some trees and there is a nice piece of flat land by the stream. It is ideal for picnic." "I love the trees." I added "Ah, yes the trees. Those trees were huge, and there was always shade for a good camp-out. They are like guardians of o
After the call has ended, we lapsed into a long and uneasy silence. We were all trying to come to terms with the fact. It was Raja who broke the silence "Now, at least we know, Major's death is linked to an illicit affair." "Who is the other party in the relationship? Who is the lady?" "The family that travels to England to meet Christina's mother must be related to this lady." Shu Wen said. "Do you think if this family has something to do with the Major's death." I asked, with a tinge of provocation in my voice." "Think they may be angry with what the Major did to their daughter?" Raja added "I think the key is who is this lady?" I asked in deep deliberation. Shu Wen scratched her head "How can we be sure this is related to the lady spirit and the three missing boys." "I will need more information before I can answer you Madam. I need to know the identity of the missing persons."
Christina stood up and walked off. My heart sank and Shu Wen lept to her feet in pleas "Madam! Madam?" Officer Daniels was at a loss but soon ran off presumably to invite Christina Holmes back to the interview. "We probably hit a raw nerve." I mumbled. "Let me try." Shu Wen spoke into the mic "Madam Christina we are sorry if we had been insensitive. However, the information you provide may save lives. Please." The emotions in her voice resonated in my mind and struck a chord. She is so genuine. No response. In the corner of the screen, we saw the figure of Officer Daniels that offered little clue to what is happening off-screen. Just when we were about to give up, Christina Holmes returned. Her eyes were red from the weeping and she was sniffing into a tissue. I felt guilty “Thanks for returning, Madam. We are very sorry if our approach has offended you." Christina waved off the comment w
The arrival of certain news interrupted our conversation. It has that Senior Station Inspector Rajagopal who was tasked to manage the follow-up on the John Wilkins case, has made progress. ASP Wong has earlier requested an investigation to obtain more information from the Wilkins family. After 60 years, the case has gone dead cold. It may be a futile attempt but Raja decided to try and breath life into it. As he mentioned, you never know how useful a tiny lead may be. Through Raja's efforts, the Singapore Police had managed to contact the descendants of Major John Wilkins. It was not easy but possible as the Singapore Police had a longstanding relationship with their British counterpart thanks to their Commonwealth network. It took a few calls between our Home Affairs, their Home Office, and the Ministry of Defense before they found the living descendant of John Wilkins. He was survived by his daughter, Christina Holmes, who presetnly re
As we waited for the Colonel to return, our dialogue drifted along. "Has your cases always been this tough?" “To be honest, the last 24 hours were challenging for me. I have never seen such a case.” ASP Wong added, "Initially we were clueless, then you came along, then we save someone and in less than a day, that someone is ...gone." Shu Wen blew a sigh and leaned back on the chair. "It is the same for me, Shu Wen. My past cases have been more straightforward. There was spiritual disturbances and I pacify the soul. This Bukit Pandan episode is a lot more complicated." "Three missing soldiers and one of them dead. In this age, every son counts and loss of one is devastating." Shu Wen observed I grimaced. Again the loss of Chris Chen stun my heart. “Ahhh, it was so emotional. I just hate deaths. The spirit in this case is also much more ominous and a lot more powerful. I once told myself with my powers I must achieve two th
Both of us found ASP Wong conducting a briefing in the tentage. She saw us and put two fingers. Two minutes. She sat on the table cross-legged in a pose of confidence and listened intently to the updates about the investigation. It seemed progress has been made. I was expectant when she wrapped up the session and sauntered over. We quickly pulled chairs and sat in a corner like children hungry for a story. Shu Wen looked fresh since we met at the hospital. She had her hair let down and wore a dark purplish shirt with black pants. Professional and beautiful. “Dr Ant, you are doing ok?” she asked before I could utter a word. I nodded, “I had a good sleep but dreamt about the lady spirit. I can only say any lead will be important for me now” “After you left, my men at the hospital found this, just beneath the bed. They had taken a picture. We left this out when you deployed the Mugwort powder. Take a look?” “What may that be” I was