A Mosque in the Jungle by Vivian Teo

Author:Vivian Teo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epigram Books

The Golden Lantern

The downpour that had started that afternoon was coming down relentlessly. Occasionally, lightning flashed through the blackness that was the sky, followed by booming thunder. The rattling of raindrops created a racket on the corrugated-iron roof of the house. But the young man was totally oblivious to all this. Seated alone in the room, his sole concern right now was the unlit lantern sitting on the table in front of him.

The young man was about twenty-five years old, his slight frame and bony face betraying a none-too-healthy constitution. Indeed, he was a sick man troubled by anxiety and fear. As he stared at the lantern, there was an expectation of impending peril in his eyes.

The lantern itself was of a type common in the countryside, only a little smaller. But it was of a brilliant golden colour that seemed to shine as it reflected light from the small electric bulb hanging from the ceiling.

Save for the young man, the house was deserted. Cobwebs were everywhere and all the furniture and the floor were covered in dust. Parts of the walls were broken. Except where the electric bulb managed to shine its light, the whole house was in complete darkness. But again, this was of little significance to the young man, as he kept his gaze fixed on the lantern. The only time he took his eyes off it was to cast an occasional glance at the door just behind him.

The young man was Amin, youngest son of Bomoh Awang, who in his lifetime had been a shaman of high repute in the village. Amin’s four elder brothers were all dead now. Over the last four years, they had died one by one under incredible circumstances, at the same time of the day, on the same day of the same month every year. They were victims of the black magic wrought by their late father’s arch-rival, Pawang Kassim. Amin had been waiting in growing terror as each year passed, wondering when his turn would occur. Tonight, finally, his time was up.

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