The Curse of Telangjing

“The Curse of Telangjing” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Olivia Chealsy Tambong Anak Pengarah, Sekolah Kebangsaan Stalon, Malaysia.

The Curse of Telangjing

In a village near Ulu Kapit lived a family named Pak Jabud and MakUtih. They had a son called Bujang. Bujang had two close friends, Judi and Aloi. They always go hunting and fishing.

One afternoon, Bujang, Judi and Aloi went fishing at Buayariver. They brought along equipment to their fishing trip. They used a small boat to go to the furthest part of Buaya River. They paddle the boat for half an hour to reach the place. When they reached the place, they started fishing. In a short time, they got a lot of fish.

Suddenly, they heard some noise near the bushes. Then, they saw a deer coming out from it. They went after the deer. After some time, they still could not catch the deer and they did not realize that the sky was getting darker. The three of them decided to find a shelter. Not long after that, they saw a hut and decided to stay there.

Around midnight, they heard someone knocking on the door. They felt very scared and curious. Bujang asked Aloi to open the door. Aloi, who was frightened, opened the door. They were shocked when they saw three beautiful girls at the door. They invited the girls into the hut. Bujang, Aloi and Judi introduced themselves to the girls and started chatting. Not long after that, one of the girls named Endun asked for some sour fruit. Bujang went to get some sour fruit from their small boat.

All of a sudden, the three beautiful girls went crazy in the hut. The three of them changed into “Pontianak”. Aloi and Judi were shivering in fear. They could not run away from the “pontianak”. They were killed by them. One of the “Pontianak” chased after Bujang. Bujang was shocked when he saw the Pontianak was chasing him from behind. He ran as fast as he could. When he reached his small boat, he reversed his boat and hide under the boat. The Pontianak scratched hard on the top of the boat in order to get to Bujang. However, the Pontianak could not catch Bujang and she scratched the boat until sunrise.

Suddenly, Bujang heard crying sound. The Pontianak was crying. The Pontianak asked Bujang to come out from the boat. Bujang agreed to come out if the Pontianak promised not to harm him. The Pontianak agreed with the condition. Bujang came out from the boat. Bujang and the Pontianak sat down near the riverside. The Pontianak was still sad and crying because all her fingernails were torn and she cannot be a Pontianak anymore.

Bujang brought the Pontianak to his home. The Pontianak agreed to marry Bujang with the condition that they could not have children. It was a curse placed on her. If she has a child with a human, she will become a Pontianak again. Bujang agreed. Bujang married the Pontianak called Endun and they lived happily.

One day, uncle Remat went hunting in the jungle. Suddenly, he smelled something smelly. He tried to look for the source of the smell. Uncle Remat found a hut nearby. He was shocked when he saw two corpses. He quickly went back to the village and told the villagers about what he saw. The corpse of Aloi and Judi was buried by the villagers. They also asked Bujang about the death of Aloi and Judi, but it remained a mystery because Bujang kept his mouth tight.

One year passed, Bujang wanted a child and Endun was pregnant with their child. During her pregnancy, Endun was sad due to the curse she had. She asked her mother and father in-law to take the child away if a baby girl is born because the baby might turn into a Pontianak as well if she was taken with her. On the 9 months and 9 days, Endun conceived a baby girl. The baby girl was taken far away from Endun while Endun cried loudly due to her sadness. Not long after the birth, Endun turned into a Pontianak again. Endun returned to her world immediately. As for Bujang, he continued his life with his beloved child.