Fiction by Rowan W. [part two]
“Asmara” [part two] [Go back to part one]
Oh,
what a magical evening!
After
what they had shared with each other, he was quite sure his feelings were
reciprocated. He had almost given up hope of finding the right one, not for
want of trying. Unlike Manis, he was an extroverted introvert and had no
problem socializing with others. Having said that, due to his given name, most
females expected over-the-top romantic declarations of love from him. Words of
love were not his forte; he was more of an action-oriented creature.
He
first saw her trying to inveigle her way out from a social gathering, which was
arranged by the elders at least once a year. The sole purpose of such
gatherings was for the younger ones to hook up and mate, all in the name of
preserving the family lineage. Easier said than done. It was quite a stressful
affair; he still had several scars from the last duel with another competitor
to win the heart of a potential partner. Obviously, he did not emerge
victorious. Everyone had to go through this rite of passage. For him, once was
enough.
On
that balmy evening, when Manis looked up at the moon and sighed, he could not
help himself. Clearing his throat to announce his presence, he asked in his
most seductive voice, “Would you like to dance?”
Startled
by his sudden appearance, Manis clumsily fell into a muddy pool of water. In an
attempt to extricate her from the mess, he found himself entangled with her.
Before long, they were both tangoing, or rather, frolicking in the mud.
“That
was fun.” She flashed a shy smile at him.
Unexpectedly,
she led him to a secret termite nest and invited him to feast together. All
this while he and his competitors had to outdo one another to impress the
fairer sex. For the first time, he just had to relax and enjoy their
tête-à-tête.
After
spending the night together (which happened to be the most climactic moment of
his adult life), he quietly left her at the break of dawn. There was no time to
lose. He wanted to start preparing for their new home without any further
delay. He had already earmarked a prime location near an endless supply of ant
colonies. It was meant to be a surprise, so that he could welcome her to his
humble abode to start their family. In his haste, he had assumed that she would
wait for him.
Whilst
completing the finishing touches, he chuckled to himself as he imagined her
reaction when he invited her over. To say that he was flabbergasted when Manis
appeared out of the blue at their new home was an understatement. He knew she
could locate his scent with her superb olfactory sense. Could it be that she
missed him as much as he missed her, or even more?
He
would never know the answer.
Immediately
upon hearing the foreboding sound of heavy footsteps, he sprang into action and
tried to lure the intruders away from Manis.
No,
spare her, take me instead! Don’t you dare touch her.
It
was déjà vu all over again. Didn’t this happen to him years ago? Those bangsat
humans. They were the ones who separated him from his family. Due to a strange
twist of fate, kind Samaritans rescued him and released him back into the wild.
That was how he ended up in Malaysia alone.
The
humans’ hunting dog barked non-stop at Manis. He tried whistling to distract
the dog. Using his long tail for support, he stood on his two feet and broke
into a sprint. As complete mayhem broke out, he eventually lost sight of her.
Two pairs of legs cornered him. Self-protection became his only option. He
rolled himself into a ball and fervently hoped Manis managed to flee for her
life. Cocooned in the darkness of his safe armour, he waited and waited.
Suddenly,
a fierce squall of wind lifted him up. He was tossed around mid-air and then
dropped onto the ground like a ball. An owl’s hoot pierced the quiet of the
night. He mustered the courage to take a quick peek outside to check whether
the coast was clear. By the time he returned to look for Manis, there was
nothing left. His new home was destroyed, and his future wife had been
captured.
Her
life was in danger all because she came to look for him. Tears of fury blinded
him as he wrestled with survivor’s guilt. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Raindrops fell on him, as if the skies were crying along with him. Misty dark
purple aura permeated the air as his spirits sank to an all-time low. A bolt of
lightning ripped open the skies, followed by a deep rumble of thunder. He froze
as a human-sized shadow loomed atop him. His eyesight had always been poor,
which was why he had to rely on his hearing and sense of smell.
“Moping
around will not help,” whispered a sinister voice.
“Who
the hell are you?” He trembled in shock as a pair of flapping wings vanished
when the menacing shadow landed next to him.
“Such
hostility and not a word of thanks. Is this how a pangolin treats his saviour?”
“Why
did you save me? I don’t even know you.”
“If
it helps, I am the Phantom of the Dark Forest.”
“Phantom
of whatever. You should have saved her, not me!”
“Oh
well, you were nearer to me. I am sorry for your loss. It is quite impossible
to find her and the little one now. Unless perhaps hmm …,” the Phantom paused.
“What
little one?”
“Oops,
was it meant to be a secret? I thought you knew she is expecting.”
A baby? Manis and him, in just one night?
“Tell
me what you know! How can I find her?” Desperation crept over Asmara.
“I
know where they are heading to. You will never be able to catch up with them at
your speed. But with my wings, I can fly you anywhere. You will need to decide
now, time is of the essence.”
“What’s
the catch?”
“In
return for saving your beloved, you pledge your life to me. If I had not saved
you, you’d be as good as gone anyway.”
“Why
are you doing this?”
“Let’s
just say that I am recruiting a few volunteers for the greater good of our
Kingdom. This is a full-fledged battle of us against the humans.”
Asmara
hesitated for a fraction of a second. A glimmer of hope kindled within him. He
must go all out to save Manis and their baby, even at the cost of his own life.
He would teach those morons an unforgettable lesson. Let them know, hell hath
no fury like a vengeful pangolin.
“Fine,
just do it.”
“I
will need your claw print on a non-disclosure and indemnity agreement
confirming you participated in this arrangement out of your own free will. Do
we have a deal?”
Asmara
nodded in agreement.
“Excellent.
Hop on to my back and hold on tight.” The Phantom stretched his arms wide,
spreading his wings to their fullest width.
On
and on they flew until Asmara almost fell asleep. “Are we there yet?”
“It’s
a long journey, we have to stop for a break. Close your eyes if you don’t want
to get vertigo.”
The
Phantom started swooping down. Asmara followed the Phantom’s advice as he felt dizzy with the change in the
altitude. Upon touching solid ground, the first thing he noticed after opening
his eyes was that he was incarcerated behind bars in a cave!
“Did
you trick me? You, you …,” Asmara was at a loss for words.
“It’s
for your own safety. I have other guests here as well and some of them are,
ahem, bigger than you. Here’s some sustenance for you. I would suggest you eat
up and get some rest.”
With
those parting words, the Phantom disappeared into the night.
Asmara
eyed the ants and termites warily. He was tired and thirsty. If the Phantom had
wanted to poison him, he would not have saved him, would he? He slurped some
water, which tasted slightly tangy. In the end, his growling tummy made the
decision for him.
To
kill time, he tried to study his surroundings. Squint all he could, he was
greeted only with bleak emptiness. Wait a minute, was that a bark or growl?
“Who’s
there?” he murmured.
Silence.
“Come
on, I know you’re just next door.”
Again,
silence.
“I
usually don’t talk much, what more with a stranger. But this place is driving
me nuts.”
“Just
shut up,” came the sullen reply.
“I’ll
be leaving soon. Need to rescue my future wife and our child, you know. By the
way, I am a pangolin, name’s Asmara.”
There
was an audible sigh, followed by a reluctant, “Those who go with him, never
return.”
“Of
course, who would want to be stuck in this prison forever?”
His
unfriendly neighbour snorted. “He’s no better than humans.”
“Clearly,
the Phantom is no angel. I don’t care what he does, as long as I accomplish my
mission. He’s a bit scary though, I’ve never met an omniscient creature like
him.”
“Keep
your voice low. You don’t want to antagonize Rimau over there.”
“Who?”
Asmara was intrigued. Now that he concentrated harder, he could hear a sonorous
snore deeper in the cave.
“Shhhh.
Let sleeping tigers lie.”
“What,
there’s a tiger here? Let me guess, are you a dog?”
Another
exasperated sigh filled the air.
“Can’t
blame you, it’s pitch-black in here. I’m a sun bear.”
Asmara
knew bears were solitary creatures as well. No wonder it was so difficult to
get this bear to talk. “You do have a name, don’t you?”
“Bruno.”
This
bear evidently preferred one-word answers.
“Oh
dear, a sun bear trapped here without sunlight. Must be tough for you, Bruno.
I’ve always wondered why sun bears are named such.”
“Our
unique chest patch resembles the sun, it’s like a birth mark. If we ever meet
again, I’ll show it to you one day.”
Without
any warning, the Phantom waltzed in with a swoosh of his flowing black cape.
“Getting
all chummy, I see. Have you finished your meal, my dear pangolin?”
Despite
the irritating drawl of the Phantom, Asmara replied with a meek, “Yes, thank
you.”
“All
right then, let’s go. We haven’t got all day.”
Asmara
found himself whizzed off on the Phantom’s back. Selamat tinggal, Bruno.
Moonbeam
poured from the heavens above, illuminating the path for their long voyage. In
the faraway distance, twinkling stars littered the deep velvety sky. The
nostalgic melody of Moonlight Sonata (the music that he and Manis had danced
to) played in his head. He closed his eyes and reminisced about their first
kiss. Although he was the one who made the first move, his sweet Manis was no
docile creature. He loved just being with her. Which brought him back to an
important task at hand. Oh yes, what should they name their baby?
Just
then, the sun peeked from behind fluffy white clouds, bidding farewell to the
moon. Radiant rays of sunlight bathed the vista of rolling hills below, signalling
the dawn of a new day.
He
lost track of time as they flew over serrated mountain tops and jewel-blue
seas. Until the moment when terraced green paddy fields with patches of golden
colour appeared at the periphery of his vision. As the Phantom began their slow
descent, Asmara knew there was no turning back now.
The
Phantom was adept at moving around surreptitiously and dodging places where
there were crowds. Could it be that his bat-like cloak somehow rendered them
invisible to humans? At long last, they reached a row of buildings about two
storeys high. The Phantom led him to a hidden back door, straight to a cage
where Manis was being held captive.
“Is
that really you, Asmara?” Manis rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“Manis,
I’m sorry. Better late than never.” He waited for the Phantom to release the
cage’s latch, which was too high up for him to reach.
Manis
rushed out as soon as the gate to freedom was opened. She was wrong! Asmara had
not betrayed her after all.
“Quick,
let’s get out of here.” Asmara grabbed her and was about to leave when an
unseen force pushed him into the cage.
“I
forgot to mention, the plan is for you to take over her place. That’s how you
will repay me.” The latch slid back into place with a resounding click.
“Run,
Manis!” Asmara panicked at the thought of not being able to protect her
anymore.
“No,
I saw what they did to Yen and her babies. You need to get out of that cage,
otherwise you will end up as grilled meat!” Manis shrieked.
“Ah,
don’t even dream about getting back together. He has already been infected with
a fatal toxin which will spread like wildfire within days. Soon, the tell-tale
symptoms will appear. Most importantly, there is no known cure. Only I am
immune to it.” The Phantom shook his head. “There’s no such thing as a free
dinner in this world.”
At
that very moment, Asmara was racked by coughing spasms.
“What
on earth did you do to him?” Manis snarled at the Phantom.
“I’m
afraid he’s the chosen one.” The Phantom turned his attention to Asmara. “Think
about what happened to your family in Indonesia. And now, her. You must die in
order for her and your baby to live. Infect the humans, make them cower in fear
when they see a pangolin. It is the only way to stop them from hunting your kin
to extinction.”
Memories
of his beloved mother flashed before his eyes as the cough subsided. Asmara
thought about his offspring, whether he or she would have a bright future
ahead. He gave Manis a final look that brooked no argument: Go now, or else my
sacrifice will be in vain.
“You
will live until the day they kill you. With your last breath, spit at their faces.
Every single one of them. Do not fail me. If it’s any consolation to you, not
everybody gets the chance to die as a hero.” The Phantom bade his adieu without
so much as a backward glance.
Too
late, Asmara realized the Phantom had indeed poisoned him. In his short life,
he had cheated Death twice. It was his destiny; their fates were intertwined
such that he was meant to fall in love with Manis and save her and their baby.
He had no regrets, come what may.
-------
Duc
was about to leave the washroom when he heard odd sounds from the basement. At
first, he was hesitant to investigate further. However, curiosity got the
better of him. If he bumped into anyone, he would behave like a normal
restaurant guest who lost his way. As he made his way downstairs, below the
wooden staircase, lo and behold, the pangolin that implored him to help was on
the floor, looking forlorn.
He
had only a split second to grab her and hide behind a door just when someone’s
handphone rang, the ringtone reverberating throughout the corridor. In the
small room, there was a partially opened window. Assessing the height of the ground from the
window, he was fairly confident that she would pull through. For some reason,
this pangolin trusted him and did not struggle as he lowered it gently out of
the window. Once out there, whether the pangolin could survive or not depended
on its luck and tenacity.
He
could not save all the pangolins in the world, but he hoped saving just one
could make a difference. Taking a deep breath, he returned to the enemy’s table
to continue with his lifelong mission.
- Rowan W. was born and raised in Melaka, Malaysia. Her day job in Singapore involves communicating with aliens on Planet Earth mainly via e-mails. She has been on a Meat-Free-Monday diet for two years and hopes to be a flexitarian in the near future. Through her writing, she aspires to be a voice for the voiceless.
Copyright©2020 by Rowan W. All Rights
Reserved. Artwork Copyright©2020 by BSR. All Rights Reserved.