Trust Me, Okay?

Went Missing

Entering the tenth day of the first month of the new year of 1934. At the Klang Railway Station, the labourers are busy assisting the passengers unloading their packets, cargos and luggages from the stomach of the train. It is a busy midnight as passengers from the whole peninsula, coincidentally arrived at the station simultaneously. Among the people who are there, stands Ghaafar Lee who has just gotten out of the train with his leather briefcase firmly gripped in his dominant right hand.

It is a hard decision for him to leave for Klang. To leave Ipoh, the place where he had spent most of his adulthood at. Most importantly, the hardest part in making this decision is to leave his brothers. Never had he imagined leaving Ipoh where he spent many years living. However, his instinct said otherwise, that he should leave and start a new chapter in his life. Despite the worries, he eventually went on and left Ipoh this morning.

The view here in Klang Railway Station is very much different from how it seems back in the heart of Perak. Here, the station is much smaller while in Ipoh, it is massive which if seen at first glance, many would assume that it is a colonial government building. This is strengthened with the fact that the colonial government had put its focus mainly in Perak. Never did people know why though? The best guess is due to the rich natural resources there in Perak.

Although the station is not as mighty as it is in Ipoh, Klang is also best known for its busy and variety of opportunities especially for young men like Ghaafar Lee. With Port Swettenham, one of the colonial government's main ports in British Malaysia being built near the heart of the district of Klang, it is considered to be the best choice to seek for opportunities. Although the said opportunities might just be opportunities to become the industrial slaves of the colonial trading business.

Arriving in Klang Railway Station when it is near dusk, Ghaafar Lee gets off board with a deep inhale. He is excited yet worried of what will eventually come across his path. He started making steps. Each step is arranged thoroughly. He slowly takes his steps, there is nothing to be caught upon. The night will arrive soon. Now is the time for him to find a roof for shelter tonight.

Seeing a nearby wooden bench, he moves directly towards it. He sits there and sees a hanging clock near the train platform. There is nothing he can do now besides thinking of a way to get to the Klang town. There is no way any taxi would be fetching passengers at this time of the day. Even if there is any, the fare rate would extremely be a lot higher than the usual rate. He brought with him just enough money to survive for a couple of weeks here so he does not want to risk it just to get himself to the town.

"My gosh, why did I even make this stupid decision?" He is starting to regret it. However, he has already arrived, going back to Ipoh would be very much of a stupidity. "I should have not done this!" He complains further.

He stares at the zinc that made up the roof of the station. For him, a person who grew up with British education always looked up to the colonial government. That the colonial government had developed British Malaya to another extent that the people here would have never achieved without the hands of the colonial government. Railways stations, big ports, big colonial buildings, and concrete towns, these were all built and done by the colonial government, he thinks.

While day-dreaming there, staring at the zinc roof, noises were heard from not-so-afar location. Based on rough hearing, some would consider it being within the radius of the station itself. Ghaafar Lee without hesitation stood up and tried to look at what had just happened making the noise up. He sees many people start running making their ways. Some even left their baggage and ran without proper directions.

"BANG! BANG!" Gunshots fired. Ghaafar Lee is now anxious. He now starts to grab his stuff and run leaving the station.