Antidote in the Land of Hornbills

Bella was raking the leaves in the yard that surrounded the tiny cottage where she lived with her paternal uncle , Uncle Ben and her younger brother ,Tom.On that particular afternoon , Ben had taken Tom for a dentist appointment in the city of Kuching that was approximately 64 kilometres away. The crimson skies threw a prism of colours over the viridian plant life that grew in abundance outside the perimeter of the Dankers' home where time appeared to be at a standstill as a cacophony of rustic sounds filled the silence . Something rustled in the bushes and caused Bella to jump nervously .Indeed , she discerned a shadowy figure in the distance and her heart thumped in its ribcage . As dusk settled in , the weird sounds intensified and caused a shiver to run down the girl's spine.The scent of wood smoke coupled with a whiff of jasmines pervaded the place .It caused Bella to leave the rake on the ground as she rushed into the cottage with its rickety walls and thatched roof.Although ,she had come to stay with Ben Danker a year ago , she could not rid herself of the fear that filled her heart whenever she smelled the cloyingly sweet scent of jasmines. Once inside the cottage , she latched the glass windows and drew the curtains .In some Eastern cultures , the fragrance exuded by jasmines was associated with the presence of an evil spirit.In fact , her closest neighbour often related to her scary ghost stories.Bella was especially scared to hear about the idiosyncrasies of the pontianak , a spirit that came into being whenever a woman with child died. The ornate clock chimed eight times. Some person or animal scratched the windowsill .Bella crouched in a corner of the room and said a prayer.It could be a Borneo clouded leopard or even a stranger who had been attracted to the warmth of lighted windows . The girl remained in a state of paranoia as she awaited the return of Uncle Ben and Tom. Samarahan was a place rife with tales of human sacrifice that was carried out whenever there was a new bridge being constructed , namely in secluded rural areas where the long arm of the law was rarely present .Just two weeks ago , two headless corpses were found sprawled underneath the new bridge at the edge of the forest .All locals had been asked to follow a strict curfew that began at 10 PM and ended at 6 AM.Nonetheless , the indigenous people rarely observed these curfew hours.It was normal to see a native walking through the forest , in the wee hours of the morning ,either in pursuit of deer or wild boars. The wind chimes in Bella's bedroom tinkled as a draught of wind blew in through the ventilation holes.Bella decided to continue writing the first chapter of her latest book.It was about a Caribbean boy who had to undergo all kinds of abuse before he , finally, found peace in the perimeter of a church.The girl was so absorbed in her work that , in the beginning, she did not hear the incessant rapping on her front door.At long last ,she heard the knocking and called out , "Who's there?" but received no reply.Assuming that it was just a trick of the mind , Bella went back to her writing.Then ,the knocking started again.Feeling bewildered , she walked to the glass window to look out , but there was nobody at the door. Fear shot through Bella's heart as she wondered who had tried to disturb her.With shaky fingers , she drew the drape curtains and went into her room.There were no one to be seen.What she did not know was that there was a figure of a man hunched near the window , and he was chuckling to himself.There were no windows in her bedroom , so she felt safer in her personal space when she had locked her bedroom door.In truth , the whole cottage had been built with sturdy hardwood timber , and it was burglar proof with the exception of the glass windows.For half an hour or so , nothing happened but exactly 40 minutes later , the knocking started. John Limbang , a marine biologist was taking a walk when he descried the short,stout figure by Uncle Ben's front door .He had a beard , and his clothes were rather unkempt.John kept to the shadows as he watched the man who was chuckling to himself.From time to time ,he knocked on the door and hid in the orchid arbour.John saw a young woman trying to peer through the clear glass windows.John had purposely taken this path in the hope that he would be able to see Bella.The last time they had met ,she had been a tiny tot with auburn-coloured plaits and rosy cheeks . The sight of the midget trying to scare the girl made John mad.With a native's panther-like gait , he walked towards the man .The man's jaw dropped open , and his eyes portrayed something akin to terror when he saw John. Without a second glance , he ran away helter-skelter.John leaned against the lone cotton tree and smiled.Although he looked very civilised , he had certainly inherited the headhunters' ferocious eyes.