Saturday October 30, 2004
A compilation of spooky tales
By LIZ PRICE
Get Spooked! Experiences of the unexpected
By Chief Spookster,
Times Editions, RM17.90
“The demon’s ear-splitting howl was cut off suddenly as two explosive fireballs burst from where the fresh lime juice had splashed on its hands and legs. These fireballs quickly became one as the demonic apparition was consumed by the flames.”
Chief Spookster aka Francis Nantha with his book. Besides penning spooky tales, Francis also runs nightly ghost tours in KL.
ARE YOU easily spooked? Does your hair stand on end, or a shiver run down your spine when you read spooky stories? Then this book is for you.
Get Spooked! is a compilation of seven gripping and scary stories. The book’s charm is that the stories are set in the modern day and are therefore easier to relate to. In this book, there are no abandoned houses in dark woods, no ghostly figures on lonely roads to scare passing motorists. Nor are there any cemeteries with old gravestones. All the narratives are set in modern buildings or settings, and affect ordinary people going about their daily lives.
The opening story, The Oily Man, is sure to scare you. A shadow lurks in a nurses’ hostel. Who is this orang minyak and why is he stalking the nurses? The belief in the orang minyak terrorising folks has been passed down through generations and is still talked about today.
Another story is about horrible accidents at a building site. What is the mysterious being that pushes workers off the scaffolding? The building project’s foreman rides roughshod over local superstitions. He has to keep the project going, despite the reluctance of the workers. The workers demand a priest to bless the accident site. Will this priest be able to exorcise the spirit? Read the story to find out!
Although the stories are set in the present day, the evil forces and mysterious happenings are based on Asian superstitions and beliefs. I liked the way the stories describe the spirits and demons for readers who are not familiar with Asian ghostly beings.
The Battling Spirits features a toyol, a little zombie foetus which will obey its master and do evil deeds. In Malay superstition, a toyol is believed to be a baby who died at birth or was an aborted foetus. It is raised as a zombie by a bad bomoh. It is feared as it can steal and even kill.
Other stories relate how blood sacrifices are made to appease the spirits. In Begging for Riches, a man with gambling debts needs money, so he and his brother offer the blood of a white chicken to the spirit of a newly buried baby girl. But something goes wrong when they anger the spirit and trigger its lust for blood.
The stories end in such a way that the reader understands what has happened. You learn why the incidents happened, how and why the spirits affected the main character.
The stories in the book is designed for reading pleasure, although it doesn’t give great details of Asian superstition. The belief in the supernatural is an integral part of Asian life and is something that is still passed down from generation to generation. Many people may be scared to delve into the world of spirits, but they can enjoy reading about this segment of their culture. This book will also appeal to non-believers and the curious. Good Halloween reading. W
Get Spooked! Experiences of the Unexpected is available in all major bookshops throughout Malaysia. The author of the book, Chief Spookster aka Francis Nantha, also runs nightly ghost tours in KL. The tours are an opportunity to delve into the spirit world and learn more about the mysteries of Asian superstitions and beliefs.
The tours run twice nightly, at 6.30pm and 10pm, every night except during Christmas week. Each tour lasts about three hours. Cost: RM168 per person including dinner based on two to seven persons per trip. For more details contact Spooksters at (03) 2092 5626 ext 137, Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm; e-mail: spooksters@ez2pr.com; website: http://www.ez2pr.com/).
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