A night of mystery

   Spots of lights from the towering flats framed the neighbourhood's night landscape with a subtle glow. The dissonance of bustling traffic soon slowed to a dwindle. The chill night air stung my cheeks pink. I rubbed my numbed fingers and my toes curled in the comfort of my thick woollen socks. I glanced at my watch for the hundredth time. Almost eleven. Not wanting to miss the last bus, I dashed to a bus stop which held across the road. Ten minutes later, the entire sky was momentarily illuminated by the flash of lightning. Soon, rain came crashing down in torrents. In a distance, the trees swayed and danced to the tune of the wind.
   Before I noticed, a bus stopped in front me. However, the driver refused to drive in as I was his last passenger. At the moment, white flecks of spit flew out of my mouth as anger rose in me at an alarming rate. Only at that point, I realised that I would have to walk in at least three miles into my housing area. To add to my unfortunate situation I was in, I had to walk along a lonely stretch of road which included a park and an old Muslim cemetery! Well, it was no use lamenting. Hence, I buttoned up my jacket and started walking briskly down the lane.
   Up above, thick purplish clouds fitted across the raven black sky splitting the slender crescent moon into halves. Walking along the deserted road, I felt the soft breeze blowing around me giving the air a tint freshness. The foliage of leaves on the tree tops rustled and whispered in the wind. The huge, shady trees at the park loomed in darkness. I had reached the playground. Strangely, I had a distinct feeling of being watched. In the distance, dogs were howling sadly to each other and I could hear the crickets singing in a melancholic tune.
    I increased my speed. Cold sweat dripped from my forehead. In spite of the fear that had begun tugging at my heart, I remained calm. The atmosphere had become really silent, except for the sound of my heart beating fast. Soon, I reached a large bamboo tree. The cemetery was coming into sight! I looked ahead. My vision became blurry and in moments, I saw mists forming in the air. Immediately grandma's stories at the kampung came to my mind. Villagers there believed that, at the bamboo tree, the spirit of a dead, pregnant woman lived on. She would prey on unsuspecting and helpless men, often appearing in the form of an angelic looking young woman. Usually, her presence would be preceded by mists!
    I shut my eyes tightly. My whole body was trembling and I wanted to faint. Then, I read aloud, whatever versus from the 'Bible' that I could remember. How ridiculous this was! Suddenly I scolded myself. There was absolutely nothing out there, just my own creative imagination running wild. Besides, I was not going to let myself to be the subject of my friends' ridicule and taunting any more. Even if there was a vampire and she looked something like Jennifer Lopez, I would gladly welcome her company.
    Before the words left my mind, the smell of jasmine filled the air. Such an empowering fragrance it was, enveloping the night with its delicate sweetness. Oh boy! I thought desperately, now, I'm really going to get it. Suddenly, I heard a thumping noise which coming from the cemetery not far ahead. Walking cautiously towards the noise, coming into view was the silhouette of a man. I could not see him clearly but he appeared to be working with a chisel and hammer, the sound of hammering ringing clearly in the silence of the night.
    The man stopped working and called out to me, "Hello son! Where are you off to so late at this hour?" Upon hearing his voice, I visibly relaxed. The voice of another human being was such a relief that I almost jumped up with joy. "Hello Pakcik, working overtime hah?"  I asked him, wiping the sweat from my brows. My shirt was drenched with sweat. "You shouldn't walk alone like this, it's not safe," the old man said to me. Then he continued hammering. "I know, I was already late. The bus did not want to come in," I told him. "You know Pakcik, I'm so glad to see you. I was so frightened out there, you know, all the stories," I said again. "How come you are still working?" I repeated my question.
    He stopped and turned towards me. "Oh......actually I live around here. You see, they wrote my name wrongly," he said, pointing to the tombstone of the grave he was standing on. "So, I came to correct it. Want to help me?" he said smiling at me, his yellow teeth, gleaming under the moon light.............