So you're a royal princess," said Rafique for the gazillions time. All of us gathered at Pak Hassan's nasi lemak stall for breakfast. It was Saturday morning, there were no classes and Mom had to go to Kuala Lumpur to visit a sick aunt. We sat there trying to figure out how to find Malek while indulging ourselves to the sweet spicy coconut rice, wrapped in banana leaves and drinking steaming hot teh tarik. (Milk tea)
I told them about the dream that I had the night before. Rafique was so excited that he was meeting a real life princess.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Raju.
"I didn't feel it was time to tell you. Father didn't approve of my marriage and I didn't want to be separated from Malek."
"That's why you left the Istana*(palace)." I said. Raju was eating his rice quietly.
"Aloooo Raju, what's on your mind?" asked Rafique .
"What I don't understand is why did Sofia dream about the *Istana(palace)"
Melor shook her head.
"It wasn't a dream, it happens to most humans that wander into our world. It's a temporary side effect, where the soul is connected to my world either subconsciously or unconsciously. We have humans that can find their way into our world after their first contact but it only last a few days or, most is a week. In Sofia's case it was unconsciously. When you sleep your soul will leave your body and wander the earth. Her soul was pulled into the other world, my world. Since she has been in contact with me longer than you and Rafique, her soul must have been pulled to my place of origin which is the palace."
"What about the old man's message about Pak Pandir?" I asked. Melor perked up.
"He asked to see Pak Pandir? That's good, we go now?"
"Pak Pandir exists?" asked Rafique intrigued. Melor nodded her head.
Raju was looking blankly at the three of us,
"Who is Pak Pandir?"
Pak Pandir was a famous folktale character. I used to listen to my grandmother when I was small telling the story about Pak Pandir and the Giants. He was known as the village clown. Fool and dimwit as he was, his character was loved by many. It had always been a fable but now Melor was claiming that he actually exist.....
"What are we waiting for, let's go," said Rafique getting all geared up. The four of us left the nasi lemak stall and followed Melor . We headed back to our village, Tanjung Kling.
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I have to admit, for someone who was pregnant, Melor had great stamina. We walked past the corn fields, passed my house and clambered up the railway track. Melor stopped and looked left and right.
There was a train coming towards us from a distance. Melor was still looking around.
"Hold hands," said Melor and walked on the track. I held Melor's hand; Rafique grabbed mine and Raju's hand.
*****Now most people would have thought there's one Tanjing Kling in Malacca but there is another village known as Tanjung Kling which not many people know it exist which is in Rembau. It is in the shape of a cove , in the olden days it was surrounded by padi field but now since the padi fields has dried up, farmers plant corns. There is a railway tracka passing by the village hence where it got its name due to the sound of kling king when the railway first started. There are a lot of sena trees and also small muddy streams there.
