1 Malaysian Ghost Stories (Short Stories) PDF

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READING LOG – HIGHWAY SPIRITS Story 1 – The Hitchhiker Sanusi swore that the following is a true story when he told me about it. It concerned his neighbor, Hassan. Hassan used to work with a sales company in Kuala Lumpur and his job required him to travel frequently outstation. He had to leave town one night to attend a meeting in Kelantan the following morning. He started late and drove hard, determined to get himself a good night rest before that. It was all going according to plan and at the rate he was going, he should reach his destination sometime around midnight. There would be ample time for sleep. Hassan is used to long night journeys but he was approaching a stretch of road near Gua Musang, notorious for its spooky reputation. He has heard stories about a ghost menacing people along that stretch but he never believed in such nonsense. It was just superstitious crap probably started by someone with too much time on his hands. Strangely, he couldn’t get that crap off his mind that night and it became more realistic the more he tried to brush it off. He turned the radio on full blast to steady his nerves. It didn’t help and he still felt restless. He had only a few kilometers to go when he saw a stalled motorcycle by the roadside. The stranded rider waved frantically at him to stop. That person must be crazy if he expected him to stop, he initially thought. He was on a lonely and dark stretch in an ungodly hour. It could be a ploy to rob him for all he knows and his instinct urged him to speed on. But he has always been a good Samaritan and his conscience bugged him. “What if it’s a genuine case?” he questioned himself. Thus, despite his better judgment, he slowed down as he neared the rider, consoling himself that he could always speed off at the first sign of danger. The rider turned out to be an elderly man… a Pak Haji if his skullcap was anything to go by and Hassan immediately felt better. He figured that he could benefit on two counts; he could do a good deed and also get himself a passenger to accompany him for the rest of the spooky stretch. It was not a bad deal he happily concluded. “Peace be upon you Haji,” he greeted the old man. “A breakdown eh! Can I drive you somewhere?” he kindly offered as he came to a full stop and slid down the window. “Yes, thank you,” the Haji replied gratefully as he got into the car. “Could you drop me off just before the toll? I live just around the corner somewhere there,” he requested. “Of course… no problem,” Hassan replied graciously. He was only too pleased to help. “I had been stranded for the past hour and no one even bothered to slow down for me,” the Haji complained as he adjusted his sitting position. “Bummer isn’t it?” Hassan concurred. “I was almost resigned to spend the night there,” he half jested and they both laughed.

“Well… you can’t actually blame them right? I mean this is a lonely stretch and at such hour… you could be a robber for all they know. I guess they’d rather be safe than sorry,” Hassan reasoned. “Maybe you’re right. But I’m glad that at least one motorist is brave enough to stop or I’ll still be stranded,” the Haji agreed. “And there’re stories about a headless ghost menacing motorists on this very stretch… I wonder who could have started such nonsense eh?” Hassan asked rhetorically. It seemed ludicrous again now that he had company. “Silly, don’t you think? How could people still be so superstitious? Have you heard such stories yourself, since you are living within the vicinity?” “No… I haven’t!” “There… see? I am right after all. They are just rumors or I’m sure you would have at least heard of it. But I guess it would be a good tale to scare people around campfires.” “I guess so,” the Haji smiled. “But tell me something, don’t you believe in ghost?” “Nahhh! Of course not!” Hassan replied. “Ghost don’t exist… at least not in our dimension anyway,” he added as an afterthought. “The headless ghost indeed! How do you suppose the headless ghost walks around anyway, with his head under his arms?” “Maybe… for all we know. And maybe when he gets tired of carrying his head like that, he would just put it down on the dashboard like this,” the Haji replied as he casually pulled off his head and placed it on the dashboard. “See how easily it’s done? Do you believe in ghost now?” the head asked and smiled eerily. Hassan lost control of his car. He hit the concrete bunker before the booth and was stunned by the impact. Luckily he was not seriously hurt except for a few bruises here and there. A small crowd was already clamoring around his car by the time he got back his senses. They pulled him out quickly fearing the worst. He kept muttering that there was a ghost in the car and they all thought that he was just incoherent. When he kept insisting, they finally told him that there was no one else in the car. One person who had witnessed the entire incident even before the impact swore that he saw no one else in the car. Hassan was alone all along. Hassan was a skeptic and had never believed in such things but the incident changed his perception. He was taught a lesson he will never forget. He is an ardent believer now. When Hassan related the incident to his friends, they told him that he was lucky to be alive. They have heard many strange accidents there and of the less fortunate who had died or were crippled for life as a result thereof. Sanusi said that rumors have it that a company of Japanese soldiers had set camp in a village somewhere there during the Second World War. They beheaded the headman, a Haji for alleged treason. They wanted to send a message and make an example of him to deter others. For that reason, they dismembered his body parts at different corners of the village for all to see. The Haji was deprived a proper burial and it was believed that his restless spirit came back to haunt the Japanese soldiers.

Many mysterious and fatal mishaps befell the Japanese soldiers after that. Stories were rife that the Haji had come back for revenge. The number of fatalities in the Japanese camps became worrying and they finally moved elsewhere to escape his wrath. It seemed that even that failed to pacify the Haji who persisted to haunt the village even after the war ended. Terrified villagers frequently saw him patrolling the entire village with his head under his arm. They finally sought a bomoh to help but the man died soon after he tried to rid the village of the spirit. No one dared to try anything else after that. Like the Japanese soldiers, the villagers were finally forced to move out too. Sanusi is certain that the headless phantom still lurks the area and insisted that it is not advisable to travel alone there at night. But some people say that the matter had been taken care of and the road is now safe. This version tells of an Ustaz’s encounter with the same ghost. He is well versed with the world of mysticism and has cured many people from various mysterious ailments. He was driving on the same road one night when he stopped for a stranded motorist, just like in Hassan’s case. “Thank you for stopping,” the Haji thanked him. “You’re welcome. What’s going on?” he asked good naturedly. “Oh… it’s a long story,” the Haji sighed. “you are a brave man to stop for me in the middle of the night like this,” the Haji complimented him. “What’s there to fear? You need help and I happen to pass by… so why not? Anyway I am just a poor man and no robber would find me worth their while,” the Ustaz jested. “It’s not only robbers that people fear on this stretch you know.” “Really…?” the Ustaz asked as if intrigued. “Really… people are also afraid of ghost around here. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had not stopped just now.” “Well… even if it’s a ghost who needs help, I won’t mind giving it a hand as well.” “Aren’t you afraid of ghosts?” the Haji asked incredulously. “Not really. They are God’s creation too aren’t they?” the Ustaz replied. “There are stories about a headless ghost menacing this very stretch you know,” the Haji added. “I’ve heard… headless you say? I’ve always been curious to see how the ghost takes off its head.” “It’s nothing special really,” the Haji replied. “It’s easy,” he added as he pulled out his head and placed it on the dashboard. “See how easy it is?” “Amazing…” the Ustaz agreed unfazed. He then slid down the window, grabbed the Haji’s head and dangled it outside the car.

The Haji pleaded with the Ustaz not to drop his head on the road. The Ustaz made him promise not to haunt and make a nuisance of himself any longer. The Haji has no choice but to agree or he would most likely lose his head permanently. The Ustaz then helped him to continue his journey into the other realm where he belongs. The road is safe now for those who choose to believe that part of the story but there are many others who are not so optimistic. For such people, it’s still better to be safe than sorry.

Story 2 – Deadly Illusion Salam is the only person I knew who is not afraid of ghosts. Once when we were younger, someone dared him to sleep in a Chinese cemetery to prove his worth and he did just that. He came out alive the next morning and earned the respect of the entire community ever since. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in ghosts, he just has very little respect for them. “Evil spirits can’t harm anyone even if they want to. They can’t strangle anyone to death despite what the movies tell us. They may scare people to death, give them a heart attack or make them jump irrationally off tall buildings to their death. As a general rule, spooks don’t kill. It’s our unbridled fear of them that kills us. For such reason, we needn’t fear them,” he contended. My friends and I listened in awe and respect. But deep inside, we believed that to emulate his attitude would be harboring a death wish. We were all therefore just his ardent admirers but never his disciple. Maybe one day he will meet another madman who would share his view but such person won’t be from amongst us. Kamal on the other hand, believes otherwise. He believes that ghost could harm us even if we are not afraid of them. And they could do it so discreetly that we won’t even know what hit us. He told me a story about a guy named Arsyad to emphasize his point. Arshad was driving along the Karak Highway one stormy night. He had bas eyesight but despite having broken his glasses a week ago, he had not found time to get himself another pair. It was not too bad in the daytime for he could still see the road quite clearly but he was caught in very unfavorable condition that night. He could hardly make out the road before him and regretted not getting himself the much-needed new pair of glasses. He had two options, to stop by the roadside until the weather clears or move on carefully. It was dangerous either way. To stop by the roadside would expose him to being rammed from behind by other drivers with equally bad eyesight. To go on could cause him to ram into other vehicles in front instead; or worse still, to inadvertently drive off a steep cliff to his death. It was a touch call but after some thought he decided that it was better to move on... very slowly and carefully. Then it occurred to him that it would be more practical and safer if he tailgates the car in front of him. There’s a good chance that the other driver would have a much better

vision. In the worse scenario, the other driver would get it first in the event of an accident and he would hopefully have ample time to take evasive action to avoid the same fate. He therefore focused on the rear light of the next car that overtook him and kept close. It worked as planned and he was pleased with himself. But the car in front gradually increased its speed despite the poor weather. It was soon getting precarious trying to keep up and he was in two minds about abandoning the current course of action. However, there were very few cars plying the road at such hour and there’s no knowing when the next vehicle would come along. He therefore decided to stick to plan and increased his speed accordingly to keep up. It proved to be a costly mistake. He was taking a corner when the said car suddenly disappeared. Then, the road in front of him disappeared too and he found himself soaring in mid air in total darkness. He must have fainted at the instance for he couldn’t recall what happened after that. He found himself in the intensive care unit at the local hospital when he finally came to. He leant that the following morning, a passing motorist saw the broken railings by the roadside where his car had crashed through. The said motorist stopped to investigate and saw Arshad’s car at the bottom of the ravine. The rescue team found him unconscious inside the car. They had to cut off the door to extricate him from the mangled vehicle. He had lost a lot of blood from multiple injuries and would have died had help not come any sooner. He asked about the other driver he had tailgated thinking that the poor man must have suffered a similar fate but he was surprised when told that there was no other vehicle in the ravine. The policeman who came to take his report seemed to know what had happened and told him in strict confidence that such accident is rampant in that particular area. Many other unfortunate drivers had suffered an even worse fate. When the gravity of the situation sank in, Arshad realized that he was lucky to be alive. A nurse at the hospital told him that such accidents even happened in broad daylight! The survivors all reported that they were following another vehicle when the vehicle as well as the road in front of them suddenly disappeared. The nurse told him that such bizarre accidents started after a lady was found dead in the ravine one morning following a stormy night a few years ago. People suspected that she was haunting the place but no one knows why she was being so vindictive against innocent motorists. It was believed that the authorities had on the quiet, called a bomoh to pacify her restless spirit to make the road safer but he failed despite his best effort. Other bomoh subsequently called were equally ineffective. Arshad got himself a new pair of glasses as soon as he was discharged but he knows that it wouldn’t be much help in the event he should be misled again by another spook. He now wonders whether public transport is the safer mode for outstation journeys. Someone said that the bus and taxi drivers are better equipped to deal with restless spirits since they have some basic training with regards to such things.

I myself was almost lulled into believing such comforting notion but then it occurred to me that there are also numerous headlines concerning weird and unexplainable accidents involving buses and taxis too. The roads are simply not safe!

Story 3 – The Good Samaritan It was along the long and winding road to Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan that the following incident took place. It involved Lokman who commutes daily from Kuala Pilah to his workplace in Seremban. Lokman saw an old lady walking by the roadside on his way home one night. It seemed a bit odd what she was doing there at such hours all by herself. The nearest village was still several kilometers away. All vehicles on both sides of the road did not stop or even slowed down for her. In fact, they went even faster when they passed by her. Chivalry is dead, he thought and wondered where have all the good people gone to? He took pity on the poor lady and decided not to emulate the bad example of the other rude drivers. She seemed to be headed his way anyway and so he stopped to ask whether she needed a lift. It turned out that she did and she gratefully took him up on his offer and jumped into the back seat. He was startled because she did not take the front seat beside him. She must be shy he thought and moved on as soon as she was safely inside. They had traveled quite a bit when it occurred to him that he did not quite catch her face. He looked at the rear mirror to see how she looked like but she kept her head down each time he looked as if evading him. He gave up after awhile and decided to start a conversation to keep things lively. “Where to, aunty?” “Home… it’s not too far away,” she replied curtly and with a certain strain in her voice. “Are you alright?” he asked with concern. “I’m fine,” she replied. “I’ll tell you when to stop.” He didn’t ask anymore for she didn’t seem to be the talkative type. A foul smell stung his nostrils and almost suffocated him just as he was approaching a dangerous bend. It seemed to be coming from inside the car but what could it be, he wondered as he held his breath as long as he could. It wasn’t there before she got in and he wondered whether she had anything to do with it. He also wondered whether the stench had affected her equally as much. He therefore looked discreetly again at the rear mirror to find out but he couldn’t tell for she was still keeping her head down. The foul smell subsided only slightly even after several kilometers. He couldn’t hold his breath long enough and felt like dying each time he had to inhale. He heard the lady groaning softly behind him and thought that she must be suffering too. Something evil

made him wish that she would breathe in all the foul air and leave him the fresh ones. Just as soon as the thought struck him, he reached another bend and the stench came in full strength again. He did all he could not to vomit and when it proved more than he could handle, he slid down the window for fresh air. The stench subsided somewhat and he realized that the source must have been from inside the car. He strongly suspected the lady behind him to be the cause but he didn’t dare ask her. His superstitious mind went into full gear and he imagined the worse. Could she be a Pontianak, he asked himself but then he remembered someone saying that a Pontianak actually smells nice. So it couldn’t be a Pontianak then and he felt slightly better until it occurred to him that it could be something even worse. What had he gotten himself into that time he wondered as panic loomed its ugly head. He tried to keep his composure even though his instinct urged him to stop the car and run for his life. He would look like an idiot if it turned out to be nothing and his friends will not let him off easily if they found out that he had ran away from an old lady for no good reason. So he did the only thing… he recited silent prayers seeking divine help. She groaned louder as soon as he started and it spurred him to recite even more frequently. She groaned louder still and the stench got worse despite the opened windows! God has forsaken him he thought and he regretted not observing his 5 daily prayers as diligently as he should have. He tried to breathe through his mouth but the thought of gulping in such foul air made him even more nauseous. He was at wits end when the old lady suddenly tapped him on the shoulder and almost made him jumped out of his skin. He ignored her for he couldn’t bring himself to turn back and find himself face to face with something hideous! If the smell was any indication, he dreaded what she would look like! The lady became impatient and tapped his shoulder several more times. Finally she just told him to drop her off the next bus stop. It was such a relief and it seemed that God had not forsaken him after all. He made a silent promise to be a better Muslim if he survives the night. The old lady almost ran out of the car as soon as he stopped as if it was more than she could bear. Lokman felt powerful very suddenly and imagined his friends adulation of his prowess when he tells them what happened. He expected her to run or fly off for her life but she hesitated after a few steps and turned back towards him. God is punishing him for his pride he thought and cursed himself for not being less humble in his brief moment of triumph. She looked normal at least but he was also aware that looks can be deceiving. He braced himself when the lady gestured to him to slide down the window. He meekly did as told. Something told him that if he played ball, there’s a chance that she could still be nice. “Did you smell something bad just now?” she asked and he thought that she was just mocking him before revealing her true self. “Yes…” was all he could stammer in repl...