Jungle of Hope

As I was cleaning and rearranging stuff in my room, a paper was lying on my table. It seems insignificant, but once I read it, gosh! It sure brings back a lot of memories!!!!

It is a script of part of the storyline of the freakin long and boring and utterly useless novel: Jungle of Hope. But then… the script is prepapred by Mr. Pek, Mr. Chai Eho, Mr. Sebastian, and myself. I donno whether you guys remember or not, but I surely remember! I was laughing so hard by then. =) Here is the script, enjoy yourself!!!

Pak Kia and Karim moved the tools that kept under Jusuh’s house to little hut. Pak Kia then took a whetstone and went under the shade of a kelepung tree by the river.

Sharpened the tools one by one, Karim watched and busied himself, taking away a chopper that had been sharpened and handling the next in line to his father.

Karim sharpened the choppers on Jusuh’s whetstone. He handed each chopper to Pak Kia for more expert sharpening.

Pak Kia: “Working in the village or jungle begins and ends with the tools.”

Karim is silent and Pak Kia went on sharpening.

Pak Kia: “You know ho? You punya parang must be one with your hantu.”

Karim: “Ha?”

Pak Kia: “You tak faham a? Limpeh ka li kong, li must be berani, kuat, rajin and loso…”

Pak Kia stopped and ask Karim for the parang tapik Karim had been sharpening.

Pak Kia: “Ho wa kua~”

Karim stopped sharpening, examined it, feeling the blade with his thumb. He then handed the parang to Pak Kia.

Pak Kia took it, smiled at the sight of the blade. He checked the blade, smiled again.

Karim watched his father, exhausted.

Pak Kia showed Karim the blade.

Pak Kia: “You’ve sharpen this parang too much on one side. Look, the blade is the wrong way round.”

Karim looked at it and looked at his father’s face.

Pak Kia: “A blade must not be sharpen this way. After one hack, it will be blunt again. Sharpen this side again.”

Karim sharpened it again, while bending over the whetstone. Later, he stopped and checked the blade.

Pak Kia snatched it from him, smiling as he examined the blade, touch with his thumb, smiled again.

Pak Kia: “Sharpen the other aside a little more.”

Karim took it and sharpened the other side.

Pak Kia: “Enough, not too much, or it will be the wrong way round again.”

Pak Kia took it and looked at it, felt it with his thumb, the smiled widely.

Pak Kia: “Lai! Kua!”

Pak Kia hacked the bamboo, pull the blade out again. Then showed the blade to Karim.

Pak Kia: “Look. Is there any mark on the blade?”

Karim (looking at his father’s face): “Bo~”

Pak Kia: “Now look at the bamboo, chipped or cracked?”

Karim (looked at the bamboo, then his father’s face): “Bo~”

The parang is well sharpened.

Pak Kia: “Is time for Zuhur prayer. Kia, teng chu.”

Karim took the tools.

Pak Kia give the parang tapik to Karim and says, “ji le si lu eh, gia ke.”

Karim stood still. His eyes lit up with joy. He took it and looked at it.

Pak Kia stood watching, in his heart he prayed. He looked at Karim from the tip of his toes to the top of his head, taking his measure.

Pak Kia bent to pick up the tools, says, “Kia!”