Lost world

Neighbors

*The Orang Bunian are mysterious invisible "Whistle People" living in the forests. In Malay folklore, the Whistle People are believed to be forests spirits that are responsible for a number of mysterious disappearances in the forests.

Toyol*

three-foot greenish creature that sucks on their master's big toe at night. Afraid of crabs. Used to steal neighbour's money. Employed by human.

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Their house was in a forest far from the other villagers. There were coconut trees everywhere. The house itself was made of wood supported with four strong pillars made of timber. The roof and the window shutters were made of nipah leaves.

Chickens were clucking and roasting below the house.

Inside the house was bare, except for a few oil lamps and a nipah mat where, Raju, Rafique and I sat as Mak Limah and Melor busied themselves in the kitchen.

"Why are we here?" Rafique asked as Melor served us tea. MakLimah was leaning against a wall munching on betel leaf. She offered to us but we declined politely.

"Most importantly where are we?" asked Raju.

"You are in our village," said MakLimah.

"Where is your village?"

"Same place where you live"

"But our home does not have paddy fields, even the nearest village has only dried up paddy fields," said Rafqiue helping himself to tea.

"You could say we are neighbors," said Mak Limah lazily, there were red stains on her mouth from the betel leaves. Raju and I exchanged looks, this wasn't going anywhere.

"You do know that god creates other living things that coexist with your kind, do you?" Melor asked gently.

'You mean.........ALIENS?" asked Rafique. I couldn't help shaking my head, aliens...really....Aliens. Rafique sometimes amazed me.

Mak Limah nearly choked on her betel leaves trying to stifle a laugh.

"You mean fairies, bunians, toyol?" asked Raju.

Melor nodded her head.

"So what you're saying is that your orang Bunian?" I asked trying to calm myself. If it was a normal situation I would have thought Melor was mad, but all three of us were sitting in her living room, sipping a cup of tea.

"You got to be kidding!"

"Says the guy who thought she was a Pontianak," whispered Raju to me. I giggled.

"Why not, my people have coexisted with you for centuries. We don't bother anyone; we just live happily and worship Allah. We meant no harm, "said Melor. She was touching her stomach. I had forgotten that she was pregnant.

"How do you travel from your world to our world?" asked Raju.

"We have certain portals or doorways from your world to ours, but it sometimes changes location. Your people sometimes mistakenly wandered into our world by mistake, either to end up staying here or to return back. We, of course welcomes them here into our homes as one of us."

"You mention that you need my help. What is that help?"

"Melor is trying to find her husband," said Mak Limah quietly. Melor didn't say anything, she merely looked down.

"What happened to her husband?" asked Raju.

"We don't know. He never returned."

"Returned from where?"

"He was one of you. He accidently stumbled into our world, bleeding and injured with no memories of who he is. Melor found him in the forest, unconscious. The two of us helped him the best we can. When he woke up he couldn't remember anything. We knew where he was, from the clothes that he was wearing. He was a nice young man Very polite and respectable to everyone. He helped out with the chores. Month past and both him and Melor fell in love."

"We married. One day he mentioned that he missed his mother and would like to go and see her. He never returned," said Melor gently, she didn't cry but her voice was trembling. I felt pretty bad, my mother was a single mother, and it wasn't easy to raise a child without a father figure.

"Have you tried searching for him?"

"We have but we can't stay in your world too long."

"Why?" asked Raju.

"Bunian people are nice people. Some people like to associate us with jins or elves but we're a peaceful creatures, we work and leave in harmony. We don't have corruption here. Nobody is talking bad of each other. We don't know the word back stabbing. Here, everyone is equal. There is enough food, wealth to go around. "

"We don't have to steal, everyone is family and we take care of each other. We are cocoon in our own environment protected from anything bad. All we do is work  and devote ourselves to god. But your world is a polar opposite from us. Bad feelings, stealing, corruptions, we can feel all that and it feeds inside us causing us to be sick. You can stay in our world but we won't last long in yours."

An eutopian place, thought Rafique walking to the verandah, feeling the wind against his face.

"What about your husband, what will happen to him? Since he's actually human?" I asked. Melor glanced worriedly at Mak Limah.

"We are not too sure; we never had an actual human that stayed too long from the community. But Abang Malek is a good man and he was excited to have this baby. He would have never missed the child's birth. Something terrible must have happen to him, I know it!" There was an awkward silence at Melor's outburst.

"Then we have to help," said Rafique." Do you have any pictures?" Melor shook her head.

"Do you know his name?"

"Malek. We called him Malek but I don't think that is his real name."

We have no actual names, no pictures......this won't be easy..........