The Haunted House

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I haven't set foot in this house for many, many months.

As I inserted the key and turned the lock, I hesitated. I placed my hand on the knurled stainless steel door-knob and took a deep breath. What would it be like to return to a place so ingrained with memory and sadness? I could almost hear the echo of tears long gone, bouncing off the smooth painted walls.

The house is an apartment, somewhere off Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur. It has never been the grandest or most prestigious place to live in, but it was once a home. Sometime ago it played host to the lives of people, who slept beneath the ceiling and walked on the parquet floor. That was sometime ago. Now it is an empty chamber.

I turned the door-knob and the first thing that struck me was the thick, dusty air. The windows and sliding doors have not been opened for months, and it was amazing how quickly debris accumulated. There was a fine layer of dust on the normally spotless floor. The furniture, untouched, lay covered beneath white sheets that now looked gray from the dust. It looked drab, gloomy... deathly, even.

I closed the door behind me and glanced at the floor. There were no signs of disturbances save for the tell-tale scurry of perhaps a mouse or cockroaches. I shuddered a little. I hated cockroaches.

Pale early morning sunlight filtered through the drawn shades, and as I pulled them open I had to cover my mouth and nose; it puffed up a dry cloud that was slightly choking. But the sunlight now came in strong and bright, and it gave a little bit of a cheer to the place, pushing away the initial gloominess. I paused a moment, and scanned my eyes across.

It looked like the house was ready for a re-painting; all the chairs and sofas and tables were covered with sheets, and there were no pictures on the walls. Those had been taken down months ago, when the inhabitant had unfortunately passed away. They now rested in a box in the defunct bedroom.

I walked around, leaving footprints on the floor. From the living room, I walked to the dining area. Somewhere in my mind I saw a picture of people having meals together there, laughing and talking over, say, a pizza or rice and condiments. I stood at the edge of the covered dining table and from there I saw two bedrooms, a study room and the kitchen.

I breathed shallowly, partly because of the dust, but also because the place was overwhelming me. The power of memory was slowly taking its hold upon my mind. With it came vivid recollections of a past that I, a certain times, long for, but know for certain will never live again. I walked slowly, deliberately, and made my way to the bedroom.

Like the living room, everything was covered in sheets. But I could still make out the outlines of the dresser, and of the pillows on the double bed. Again, my head blooms with images of a face long gone but still alive in my memories. A box, roughly 2 feet square, sat near the edge of the bed. I made my way to it and knelt down. The box was not sealed. I opened it and took out a bunch of framed photographs and a photo album.

I looked at the pictures and thumbed through the album. Curiously, at that moment, I felt that I was no longer alone in that house. I felt as if someone was there with me. It was silent; under different circumstances, perhaps that would have been eery, but strangely enough, the silence was comfortable. I packed the pictures back into the box.

I exited the bedroom and strolled around inside the house. My senses were beginning to overload. It seemed that everywhere I looked, I saw ghosts. And everything I touched pulled me back to the past. The memories were racing at the speed of light in front of my eyes, and it felt like my heart was being crushed inside me. I sighed, and a sudden upwelling of emotion threatened to make me weep. But I kept it in check, and held it in. I promised myself that I would not cry. Because I knew that it would be meaningless. Tears will not bring back the dead.

I will still see the ghosts, and not just in this now empty house. And no; the ghosts are not figures shrouded in white and moaning, nor are they apparitions that walk through walls.

No.

Instead, the ghosts are of a beautiful woman of whom I loved and left, only to realize I needed her. The ghosts are that of a time long gone, a past I had hoped to reconcile with this woman. But God loved her more, and Fate decreed that I would never have the chance to be with her again. And so I was destined to live with the ghosts of my past.

This house is haunted, you see. Not by restless souls. But it is haunted by a love that was unfulfilled. A love that, perhaps, did not have the chance to blossom. To live.

I made my way out of the empty apartment and closed the door; and just for a split-second, I thought I saw a slender, beautiful woman dressed in a white kebaya, with long, straight hair and the brightest eyes ever. And I knew it was only my imagination, but for that split second, I thought I saw her smile at me and say,


"Goodbye Wise--"

... but I closed the door before she could finish.

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this is very short and not very rich story-wise. i'm just having fun, and i need to keep writing to stay sharp.
TWAAY readers, hope you liked it. before you cry foul, read the story properly; it's not literally 'ghosts'.

The Death of Helmi The Fat Boy

------

Meet Helmi. Fifteen years old. Fat. Pimply. Whiny voice. Constantly with a snack in hand. But also intelligent and hard working; he regularly scores straight A's in examinations. Also, depending on how one sees it, either a 'good, respectful and helpful boy', or 'brown-nosed teachers pet'. Helmi lives in Kampung Bukit Selama, and goes to school at SMK Kampung Bukit Selama. His parents are obviously proud of him. The village folk and his teachers constantly shower him with praise, although perhaps it would be safe to assume that they also secretly think the boy is in desperate need of a diet. At fifteen years old, he is approximately the size of an oil drum, and probably weighs as much too.

Despite his obesity though, Helmi is curiously popular with the girls at his school. Keep in mind this was a small kampung school however, but still, the girls at his school always took amiably to him. He was, after all, polite, soft-spoken (despite the whiny voice) and was never mean or rude or insulting to them. Plus, he was also very helpful in schoolwork.

And this was why Affandi, Zikri and Rauf hated him so much.

Affandi, Zikri and Rauf were all sixteen years old; a year older than Helmi. They roamed the dusty kampung roads and came to school on hand-me down motorbikes, tuned in such a way that they sounded like ten-foot long mosquitoes whenever the engines were revved. All three of them were excellent at sports; Affandi was the star of their school's football team, whilst Zikri and Rauf were excellent takraw players. They were even handsome in that high-school boy way. Each of them had their fair share of admirers. But whilst Helmi the fat boy was adored by the village folk and the teachers, these three lads were not. For one, despite their athletic abilities, they did not do well in class. They were loud, disruptive and often answered back to their elders.

It could be said then, that Helmi and the three boys were the anti-theses of each other. Ironically Helmi has no idea that the three motorbike-riding boys hated him so. To Helmi, and indeed, to everyone else, he was doing nothing wrong. But to Affandi, Zikri and Rauf, Helmi was an insult to their existence. How could a fat, pimply tub of guts have so many female friends and so many sick adults poring over him?

It was incomprehensible to the three of them. In their minds, they should be the ones people looked up to. They were 'cool' and rebellious. Is that not what all teenage girls look for? 'The bad boy'? Then why does Helmi attract so many friends of the opposite sex?

The three boys almost made it a daily mission to humiliate or cause anguish to Helmi.

Once, Affandi kicked Helmi's feet from under him, causing him to tumble and fall. Affandi had begun laughing even before the fat kid fell down, and Affandi almost imagined that the earth would shake when he did. But then a group of girls came to help the fat kid up and the sight of it disgusted him; worse, one of the girls actually told him off! Affandi had walked away from there feeling angry.

Zikri and Rauf on the other hand once spat into a bowl of mee kari that Helmi was having during recess one time. Unfortunately that had happened in plain view of their grumpy disciplinary teacher and each of them got caned as a result; and when the teacher called their parents, they got caned by their dads as well, and their mothers had cried in shame.

The three of them were almost always trying to find a way to isolate that fat shit and beat him up to within an inch of his life. But no; despite being visible from the moon, Helmi has a knack for avoiding them. Helmi always walks with friends (he too, has friends; most of them girls), and generally avoids walking alone. That fat kid likes to stay close to people. He was smart after all; he knew that although he was bigger than the three boys, they could always gang up on him and make him feel pain. So Helmi made it a point to not give the boys that opportunity.

For Helmi's part, he had never understood why the three boys hate him so much. Was it because he was fat? Because girls liked his company? Because he did well at school? And although those were all true, the irony again is that Helmi never once saw it that way. So rather than dwell on a pointless question, Helmi just made sure he minimized all contact with the three boys who were his opposite in both physique and intelligence.

Unknown to Helmi though, the three of them had found the breakthrough they were looking for. And it would ultimately spell his doom.

-----------------

Helmi, being the good boy that he is, partook in extra-curricular activities at school, which were usually held during evenings after classes. So far as he knew, the three boys who were constantly trying to get him never came to extra-curricular sessions, so this was the only time that Helmi let his guard down a little. So far, nothing unfortunate has happened. He would stay back at school straight-away in the afternoon, and then he would walk back alone, taking his time, knowing with absolute conviction that Fandi, Zikri and Rauf were not going to be there to beat him up or pull down his pants.

The walk from school to home usually took him about 25 minutes; twenty-five minutes of walking the dusty kampung road. Kampung Bukit Selama was situated in a valley, and a small river ran through the middle of it. In certain parts of the kampung, like behind the school, the woods were almost untouched, and the riverbanks were high and sloping. One day a year ago, Helmi discovered a path that ran through the woods behind the school. The path was parallel to the river, and much to Helmi's surprise, it actually led to the kampung on the other side of the woods, effectively shaving ten minutes off his walk. One must understand that Helmi resented walking because he tired easily, and no bicycle could support his frame. So ten minutes was a huge saving to him, even if it meant walking on a path littered with dry leaves and beneath tall trees, with the sound of buzzing insects and the river beside him. Often a snake would cross his path.

And, much to Helmi's delight, the secret path also meant he could avoid encountering the bullies if need be. It was his path. He was never going to show it to anyone. Helmi took that path through the woods everytime he had the opportunity to.

So it was today; it was near 5pm, and he had just finished a meeting with the History Club. As the other students dispersed, Helmi said goodbyes and packed his bag. He looked around to find someone whom he could walk home with, but all the other students were going in the opposite direction than he wanted. Nevermind, he thought, I'll just take my short cut. He gathered his stuff and walked to the back of the school. There was a link-fence; he followed it until he found rusty, opened gate. He passed through the gate and went ahead, finally coming to the woods and his path. As usual he made sure he watched his step when he walked the path; nasty creepy crawlies were abound here. But other than that, the path was pretty much alright. He could already here the river, about 20 meters below him, coursing its way on his left. It was a pleasant sound. Cicadas and crickets buzzed in the air.

Pretty soon, he got lost in his world and thoughts. He did not pay attention the other sounds, like the sound of three pairs of feet not far behind him.

--------------------

Zikri, Fandi and Rauf had been waiting long for this chance. They had stayed back at school, a rare thing for them to do, especially for this moment. While the fat boy had his club meetings, the three of them were waiting in an empty classroom, telling each other sadistic tales of what they were going to do once they got their hands on the fat kid.

One week ago, Rauf had been held at the principal's office for failing to submit his homework for the eleventh time in a row. He got caned on the hands, and a hard scolding from the hateful principal, and was forced to help the school groundskeeper with chores throughout the day. As a result of that, he had to go home late. But, as luck would turn out, being held back late proved to be beneficial. As Rauf had been cleaning the empty school walkways, he saw a familiar figure walk towards the back of the school. Curious, he quietly followed Helmi and saw him go through the rusty gate in the fence and disappear into the woods. Rauf had waited a moment, and after about ten minutes, followed the way Helmi had gone. He had smiled when he discovered the path, and had instantly realized this was his and his friends chance to teach that lard bucket a lesson. Along that path, in the woods, no one could come and help him.

Rauf had left school that day and immediately told Fandi and Zikri. They waited one week to see if the fat boy was going to take that path again. And when they saw that that indeed was the case, they rubbed their hands in glee.

Here comes the pain fat boy, the three of them thought.

-------------------

Helmi felt uneasy. It was the humidity. It was a hot day, and walking in the woods, the air was thick and suffocating. But there was something else. Something was not right. He listened, and as usual, he could hear the river, the insects, the falling leaves... and the snap of twigs being trodden on. He suddenly felt that he was being watched.

Which was exactly what was going on; about fifty meters behind him, Fandi, Zikri and Rauf were stalking him. They tried to keep their footfalls light, but it was impossible to be silent. But they almost did not care; they were closing in on the fat boy. The gap between them was getting narrower and narrower. Fandi was clenching his fists. Rauf too. Zikri felt out of breath. They quickened their pace.

The crunching of dead leaves and dried wood behind him caused Helmi to turn around. He yelled in surprise as he saw the three boys behind him, and they rushed him. Fandi tackled Helmi in the mid-section and Rauf and Zikri pushed down on his shoulders. He crashed to the earth with a dull thud. He looked up and saw three grinning faces above him. Then a fist, he wasn't sure whose, struck him square in the middle of the face. Helmi felt his lips split and warm blood seep into his mouth. He tried to scream but then one of the boys kicked him in his huge stomach, sending the wind out of him. Helmi rolled onto his stomach.

Fandi, Rauf and Zikri were laughing at the sight of the fat boy curled on the earth. They took turns kicking Helmi's thighs and legs and arms. Each time the fat boy tried to get up, they'd kick and punch him back down. They were at a frenzy. Zikri landed a kick that struck Helmi's ribs, and the three of them actually heard the cracking of bones. Helmi's clothes were torn. Fandi took a handful of rough, dry leaves and rubbed it into Helmi's eyes. Rauf pounded on the fat boys body with his fists.

As the boys went crazy on him, Helmi could only try to scream, but he knew nobody would come. His fears took hold of him and he began to weep. But this only seemed to raise the boys' aggression. Helmi felt each blow as it struck him. His ribs were searing in pain; his body felt was in agony. He feebly tried to say stop but to no avail. His mind was dazed not only by fear, but also by incomprehension; how could they do this to him?

The boys' blows slowed down. Helmi thought they were going to stop. But then he heard Fandi say, "Get him up!"

The two other boys grabbed him by his arms and heaved him up to his feet.

"Oof, you're a heavy bastard," said Rauf.

"What are you, an elephant?" said Zikri, and the three of them laughed crazily. Helmi raised his head. His lips were bleeding and almost all is front teeth were missing. He could only see out of one eye; the other was swollen shut.

"Feel good fat boy?" said Affandi in front of him. The other two snickered.

"You got this coming to you," said Affandi and he kneed Helmi's testicles. Helmi's eyes bulged out and he gasped in pain. Rauf and Zikri let go of his arms, laughing. Helmi's hands went to his crotch and he stood uneasily, swaying with fatigue. They were standing near the top of the riverbank, halfway through the pathway in the woods.

"Fuck you," Affandi said. He hawked and spat a large glob of phlegm on Helmi's face, and then he shoved him mightily in the chest. Helmi teetered and tottered, then suddenly lost his balance and fell backwards, rolling hard down the sloping riverbank. The last thing he saw was the three boys laughing and then the world literally rolling by; suddenly he felt one last snap of pain in his head and neck and then there was nothing. Blackness.

-------------------

Fandi, Rauf and Zikri were still laughing as they heard Helmi crash through the undergrowth on the slopes of the riverbank. When they heard the noises stop, they made their way down, following the broken branches and bent foliage that indicated Helmi's descent. They were joking and laughing, and they were planning on dragging the fat boy's sorry ass back up and giving him another beating. But when they found Helmi, their smiles and laughter evaporated into thin air.

There, at the bottom of the slope, just a foot or two shy of the river itself, was Helmi. His body was covered in bloody, torn clothes; but what had wiped the crazy smiles of the faces of the three boys was the fact that Helmi's skull was split open near the top and his neck was bent at an awkward angle. Blood was pooling below his head; his eyes stared emptily back at them, expressionless, devoid of life.

The three boys were silent. And suddenly, it got eerily quiet. Even the insects had stopped buzzing. The only sounds were their breathing and the river. Finally Zikri spoke. He had an ashen look on his face.

"We killed him."

Fandi and Rauf turned to him; their faces were equally shocked and pale. Zikri spoke again.

"We killed him."

"No," Fandi said, shaking his head. He looked at Helmi's body. "No, he's alive." He was in denial.

Zikri pointed at Helmi's head, split like a coconut shell. "Alive? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Fandi shook his head again and took a step backwards. "No."

Rauf, who had began trembling, looked to both of them. "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know," Fandi and Zikri answered in unison.

"We have to tell the cops," Rauf said.

"What? NO!" Fandi shouted and lunged for him. Fandi grabbed Rauf by the collar and shook him. "WE ARE NOT GOING TO THE COPS!"

Rauf nodded, but he looked frightened. All of them looked the same.

The three boys paced in circles; they were on the verge of panicking and were beginning to argue. Finally they decided that each of them would swear to keep this a secret; they were to walk away and never talk about it again. They would forget this ever happened. They would forget that Helmi the fat boy ever existed. The three of them stood a few feet away from Helmi's body and stared at it solemnly. Already flies were beginning to alight on him.

"Should we bury him?" Rauf asked.

"I don't want to," Fandi said. Zikri agreed. "Let's just get the fuck out of here."

They made their way back up the slope, and all three of them kept looking back, as if secretly wishing to see any sign of life or movement from the fat boy. Finally they reached the top and ran along the path till they reached the exit. They found themselves on the edge of their kampung. There were few people around. They looked at each other, silently. They did not say anything, and they made their way back to their own houses.

--------------

All three of them slept badly that night. All three of them had nightmares about Helmi rising from death and killing them. Haunting them. All three of them woke up the next day visibly tired and shaken. At school, they were quiet. So quiet that the teachers were surprised, although they did not mind one bit. When recess time came, they met up at a quiet spot behind the school.

"Got a ciggie?" Zikri asked. Rauf and Fandi shook their heads. They sat in a circle. Their mouths felt dry.

"Do you thin-" Rauf started and Fandi shoved his head.

"DON'T!"

Rauf sulked. For the first time in a long while, none of them had anything interesting to say. The specter of Helmi hung above their heads like a guillotine. Zikri noticed Fandi was staring absently into space; surely he must be feeling the most guilt, as he was the one who had shoved Helmi down that slope, killing him. But all three of them had a part to play in the fat boys death. If anyone ever found out, all three of them would be facing time.

"I want to be alone," Fandi said, finally. He got up and left. Soon Rauf said he wanted to be alone as well. As it turns out, the three of them stayed out of each other’s way the entire day.

----------------------

The next day was a historic day for the three of them. For the first time in a long while, they refused to see each other, even at school. They could barely look at each other’s faces; especially Fandi. Fandi was feeling the most guilt amongst the three of them; he was the one who pushed Helmi down. Zikri and Rauf avoided each other and him, and they were quiet and brooding the entire day. Even when the school bell rang to mark the end of school, they kept to their separate ways, barely acknowledging each other.

Zikri spent the rest of the day cooped up in his room, sleeping until his father scolded him. Then he would sleep again.

Rauf went home and then went back out. He roamed the kampung roads absently, kicking the dust beneath his battered shoes.

Fandi though, did not go home straight away that day. Instead, when school closed for the day, he snuck back to the back and walked up that fateful pathway beneath the woods again. He found the spot where they had beaten Helmi up; there were broken branches, but the ground was already covered with freshly fallen leaves. He made his way down the slope, noting the disturbed foliage. It was hot and humid beneath the trees. When he found Helmi's body, he stopped. He sat himself down in front of it.

Helmi's body was covered with flies, and they buzzed in a thick black cloud above his corpse. Squinting his eyes for a closer look, Fandi could see small white splotches on his skin that were actually clusters of flies eggs. A rat nibbled at his exposed hand, paying no attention to Fandi sitting closeby. Fandi threw a rock and it scurried away. The blood that had pooled out of his split skull had turned an inky black, and it looked thick like molasses. Helmi's eyes, still open, were glazed. A fly crawled on the surface of his left-eye, grotesquely. There was a faint stench in the air.

Fandi stared at the corpse of the fat boy. Helmi's lifeless eyes seemed to be staring at him. Fandi found himself looking back into those empty windows and he broke into tears.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I didn't mean for it to go this far."

He hung his head between his legs and wiped his eyes. He looked at Helmi's corpse again. It seemed to stare accusingly at him.

"Forgive me!" Fandi bawled. "Forgive me..."

Fandi crawled towards the corpse, disturbing the swarm of flies. Up close, he noticed that there were already maggots crawling on Helmi's hand. Fandi brushed them away and grabbed Helmi's cold dead fingers and squeezed as if giving him a handshake.

"Forgive me Helmi," Fandi sobbed.

Fandi spent the next few hours just sitting next to the corpse. The flies began to light on him as well, but he let them. He was still crying, and disturbingly, he began to stroke Helmi's hand.

"Everything will be fine now," Fandi said. "You will not need to be afraid of us anymore..."

-----------------------

Helmi's disappearance was immediately noted. His worried parents reported it to the police, and the authorities began to look for him. Ironically, they started slow, and they had yet begun to question his schoolmates. Nonetheless, a search was carried out, but the police were focusing on Helmi's known haunts and places. Not one member of the kampung nor the police gave a thought to that path behind the school... maybe because nobody knew, or everyone had forgotten it was there.

The following day marked the second day that Zikri, Rauf and Fandi avoided each other. And again they spent the rest of the day doing their own things. They were all trying to cope with what they had done. Zikri shut out his troubles with sleep; Rauf forced his mind to relive the incident, maybe in an effort to desensitize himself to it. And Fandi went back to Helmi's corpse.

Fandi found Helmi in much the same state that he had been, with the exception of a stronger putrid stench and more maggots covering his body. There were maggots already eating away at his ears and nose and lips.

"Hello Helmi," Fandi said and set down his bag. He rummaged through it and took out a small plastic bag of currypuffs. "I brought you currypuffs."

Fandi ate one and 'gave' one to Helmi. At first he placed the currypuff on his rigid lips; for a few minutes he pretended that he was sharing some currypuffs with Helmi. But then he moved closer to the corpse and used his hands to open the mouth, and then he shoved the currypuff down, mashing it against Helmi's teeth which were already feeling loose. The stench was even stronger this close.

"There. Isn't it delicious? I bought them from the makcik down the road from our school," Fandi said. Fandi then spent the next few hours alternating between talking about school and crying. He told the corpse how today he did not see the other two boys, and how he felt that time was passing by so quickly. When it was evening and the light was getting darker, Fandi said goodbye to the corpse and kissed it on the forehead.

Fandi came again the following day, and this time there was a visible change in Helmi. His limbs were bent at an odd angle, and the skin was turning grey in patches. The maggots were now in the hundreds if not thousands, and still there were all manners of bugs swarming the corpse. The stench was off the scale. Fandi vomited this time. In the sweltering heat, perhaps it was too much. But still, he sat himself down next to the corpse and stroked Helmi's bloated fingers. Again, he bought some food and forced it down Helmi's mouth. The currypuff from the previous day was still there, but it was crawling with maggots that had made their way into his oral cavity. And again, Fandi finally left as evening drew near, saying goodbye to the corpse.

The next day Fandi smelled the corpse even when he was on top of the slope. And when he made his way down, he saw that the corpse had turned almost entirely grey and was bloated. Helmi's clothes were torn apart and his tongue stuck out of his open jaw. His eyes had sunken a little into the sockets. Again Fandi vomited, but still he stayed. This time he brought a pack of nasi lemak. He shoved it down Helmi's stuffed mouth, and the tongue suddenly burst with a hiss and a release of gas that smelled rotten and yellow. Fandi vomited again, this time on top of the corpse.

Eventually this became a routine for Fandi. As he grew more and more alienated from Zikri and Rauf, he spent more time with the corpse. Zikri and Rauf were becoming distant and introverted, sticking to themselves. Fandi took no notice of them. He kept visiting the rotting corpse of Helmi the fat boy, bringing food and telling the corpse stories and singing to it and crying to it. He became used to the strong stench, the clouds of flies, the squirming maggots and insects. Helmi's bloated corpse finally burst at the seams, releasing a cloud of foul smelling gas. When Fandi touched his sallow skin, it made an indentation. The flesh was going soft and it smelled sour and rancid.

On the eight day of his 'visits', Fandi did not bring any food. Rather, he came to talk to the corpse.

"Helmi..." he called out to it as he sat himself down, cross-legged. "I just wanted to apologize again to you, for everything that happened..."

The corpse's eyes had by now sunken in, leaving empty sockets seeping a yellowish fluid. The maggots, thousands of them, squirmed and writhed, making the body appear as if it is moving. Fandi stared into the empty eye sockets. He moved towards the corpse and kneeled beside it. He placed a hand on the belly that had once been so big; but it was now almost flat and soft; Fandi was vaguely reminded of a well-used mattress. He stroked the skin and it peeled away, revealing small maggots that had been feasting beneath.

Fandi broke into tears again. He sobbed hoarsely. "I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!"

He laid his head on Helmi's now exposed ribcage. Flies buzzed around him. "What do you want me to do for you to forgive me?" Fandi asked no one in particular. The corpses face was now barely recognizable; the cheeks were sunken and the jaw hung at an awkward angle. Traces of food fell from the mouth. A fat maggot was crawling on the peeled back lips.

Fandi stared at the face of the boy he had once hated and vowed to 'get' at. Well, he had 'got' the fat boy, but it was barely a victory, so it seemed. Fandi fixated his eyes on the body. He scanned it from head to toe. He pushed the stomach with his hand and the flesh simply gave in; it was already mushy in consistency, no longer firm. Whitish yellow slime seeped from the torn skin. Fandi then grabbed the stomach and the flesh compacted in his fist; it oozed from between his fingers. He tore that lump of rotten meat away from the body and held it to his face. Crying, he looked at the face that had once belonged to a soul named Helmi.

"You will live in me," Fandi said to the corpse. At this point one would probably have guessed that Fandi had gone insane, and one would not be wrong. "You will live in me," Fandi said again.

He ate the piece of flesh. He stuck it in his mouth and chewed; but that was not required. The flesh was gooey and mushy, like the flesh of a very ripe mango or durian. Fandi gagged, but forced himself to swallow it. Then he tore another piece of rotting flesh and ate it. Then another. Then he vomited onto the corpse again, but he was determined not to stop. He began using both hands, tearing at the soft, decomposing meat and forcing it down his throat. Putrid flesh ran down his lips, staining his chin and chest. Fandi no longer cared that there were maggots and all sorts of bugs on the flesh. He went into a sort of frenzy, using his hands to tear away at the flesh of the corpse.

"You will live in me! You will live in me!" he cried as he ate. He lifted Helmi's rotted face and bit into the cheeks, swallowing the meat. Fandi pulled apart the already cracked skull and picked up pieces of rotted brain. All the time he cried "You will live in me!” He scraped away at the ribcage and scooped out the soupy insides with his hands. At one point he shoved his face into the body, licking at the juices that had accumulated at the bottom.

Finally he stopped. Fandi threw his head back and uttered a loud, wailing cry. He was covered in putrid flesh, blood and God knows what else. He stared at the corpse of Helmi, a corpse now torn and mangled. Consumed.

Fandi stood up. He looked at his hands and screamed. Then he passed out.

----------------------

Fandi was reported missing the day after he failed to come back home; the day he ate the corpse of Helmi the fat boy. The kampung folk and police were baffled. First it was Helmi, now this Affandi boy? Was there a connection? They began to investigate, and they found out about Fandi's relationship with Zikri and Rauf.

But four days later, Zikri committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree behind his house. He did it during the night, using a length of rope as a noose. He left no note behind. Rauf ran away from home soon after. He stole RM200 from his mother's purse, and left a note saying he was sorry. Police began to suspect foul play. They began a hunt for Rauf, whom they suspected (rightfully so) held crucial information that connected the disappearances of Helmi and Affandi, and the sudden suicide of Zikri. The kampung was shocked. These cases even made national news.

And then, one week later and about two weeks after the death of Helmi the Fat Boy, a group of curious school kids stumbled upon the path that Helmi had used so often, the path that had ultimately led to his demise and the foul luck of three other boys. The school kids, 5 fourteen-year-old boys, followed the path and noticed a foul smell coming from the bottom of the slopes. Intrigued, they followed the stench and came upon the small river, and there they found two bodies: one was already dried, but the other was that of a thin young man that was bloated and blackened, covered with flies and maggots.

The school kids ran as fast as they could and told their parents. The police were alerted, and soon the case of the disappearance of Helmi and Affandi was solved.

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