This was how it started—my becoming away. It began in the womb of banana trees, in the cradle of midnight, in pursuit of a ghost. My mother was the one who told the tale, as mothers were wont to do with cautionary fables. To punish my disobedience of curfew, she instilled my dreams with the…
Trigger warning tags: gore, blood, self-mutilation, death First of all, I want you to look me in the eye. I don’t look crazy, do I? Please believe me, or this entire conversation will be pointless. I understand that were I in your position, I would think that the person sitting across from me was, just…
The afternoon sun leaks through the mosquito nets barring the window, spotlighting the stained wooden floor beneath; circles resembling the bitten holes in the net. Crows perched on the corner of roof and wall, present but visibly out of sight, gargle and shriek with googling eyes; a constant pester to the neighborhood as they ache…
The body of man has in itself, blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile; these make up the nature of his body, and through these he feels pain or enjoys health. Now he enjoys the most perfect health when these elements are duly proportioned to one another in respect of compounding power and bulk, and…
Tonight, I’m hosting a dinner party. Care to join me? For this party, I’ve spent 19 years of preparations, double, triple-checking everything, the floral arrangements and food on the table, paintings on the wall, all at where they belong. When you arrive, a young man in a well-pressed suit greets you, but behind his friendly…
Winter greeted us with its bitterness. Windchills slipped through our bodies and noses flamed bright pink as layers of cloth suffocated our fragile figures. While my classmates went to bars and carnivals, I was stuck here providing for my family at the local 24-hour convenience store. Chained to this cage of artificial lights, the occasional…
I am forever lost in the memory of dark city streets. They come to me in song, the rhythm coursing through my bones and whispers of lyrics tickling at my ears. My eyes would close, darkness engulfing me, and with my hands in my pockets, I would let myself relive every minute spent basked in…
Year 2031, Malaysia It’s snowing in Malaysia, if you can believe that. Has been for months. White is no longer the emblem of purity and all things heavenly; it spells doom for us now. Only the cosmic creator knows how much longer before we run out of resources and ideas, before the Earth becomes encapsulated…
Penang, 1938. A woman stood in an apartment above the busy streets of central Georgetown. The afternoon was alive with the sound of trishaws rattling against the cobbled roads, the wafting smell of spices stained the humid air, making its way into her room. Years had passed since she first arrived in this land, but…
The ladle slides into the broth. No one moves to pick it back up. Ba spares a glance at me, a fleeting movement, before returning his focus to the bowl in front of him. Waiting. Beside him, Ma picks at the plates of liao. My curled toes press themselves into the ground as I reach…
It is the year 20__. The big tech companies have taken full advantage of Malaysia’s geographical size and location. Being at the very center of Southeast Asia, it has become their playground for new developments. Everywhere else, the climate fluctuates like volcanic eruptions; but here, everyone saw better living standards in one way or another….