Jungle trekking and camping can be an extreme yet fun activity and this is what a bunch of group friends enjoyed doing when they have free times. To them, more extreme, the better it is. Often challenging themselves that they are indeed "IRON MEN" conquering one forest trek after another. One day, Louis - one of the members most passionate extreme jungle trekker was searching the web locating where to trek next for their free time. And he eventually found one...
"Zhang Zhou Island, an island famous for it's seafood at it's harbor and dried seafood along the town. Fun activities - cycling around town, great BBQ spot, more food varieties, great picnic spot and mystical teks for jungle trekkers. Only 20 minutes ferry ride from Hong Kong's famous Queen's pier."
Immediately, he says to himself inside his heart, "PERFECT" - He called his friends and tagging them details on his social network wall. When they expressed interest, in a haste they sold their soul to the deal - Making dates everyone available for the trip, time to meet at the airport, a place for meeting and all. Two weeks later, they finally meet after months locking themselves with their busy working schedule. It's always a typical greetings in the air when they haven't met for quite a while,
"Wah~ Long time no see, you gotten fat already wor, no exercise ar?", joked Peter another trek enthusiast.
"Eh.... You also la, good to see you haven't die yet after so long!", Louis in reply.
Soon, half an hour before taking off to Hong Kong, more and more of their mates had finally showed up. John, Ah Huat, Joanna, Alice, Sean and Michelle made the quota counts to 8 person in their group. Before leaving on a plane, they took a photograph. The flight took about 2 hours, making a stop first in Bangkok and then resume it's flight for another 3 hours reaching Hong Kong International Airport at about noon.
After checking into their hotel rooms and rested after a long flight, they made plans to walk around and stomp the streets of Hong Kong for sight-seeing and for their favorite agenda - FOOD.
They finished the night by heading down to Lady's Street before dozing off for a big adventure tomorrow.
Finally, the big day has arrive. They met at the lobby and finally moves out to Queen's pier and off to Zhang Zhou Island, the next trek they gonna conquer. They decided to camp at the beach side for 3 days before spending their final days in Hong Kong, it's like the whole island had been cursed with time freeze making the times goes by slowly. Common as it gets for a countryside territory, far from an urban civilizations, easy and simple life of a fishermen's tenancy.
It's only their first night, they had complaint saying this place was a flop and putting all blames on Louis,
"Oi, Louis! There's nothing fun and extreme on this island as it says, you sure you got the right updates ar?", says Michelle known for her rough tomboy attitudes.
Louis gave out a small smirk and says, "There's actually more to it. I've managed to find out that a section of a trek - North-west of our current spot is an off limit for treks."
The atmosphere turned silent for a moment with them continue looking at each others in a creepy manner during their BBQ session. Then, Louis continued on, "Our destination tomorrow is an abandoned treks near the off limits area in which is a route connected to numerous cemeteries scattered all around for about 100 years."
The atmosphere turned even more silent and cold. Louis explained that they are going to try something different since every time they went trekking doing almost the same thing. He add on that when they went trekking, whenever they passed by a graveyard, they should jot down a serial grave number, it's "resident's" name, date of birth and the day they passed. Whoever has the most oldest "residents" in their list wins and the loser had to treat them for a meal when they head back to Hong Kong.
Everyone seems excited about the competition and agrees except Joanna and Sean who had a bad feeling about it but to avoid being called coward by them so annoyingly, THEY SOMEHOW AGREED TO JOIN. Night's getting late, they decided to hit to their sleeping back and get ready for tomorrow excitedly. At the first break of dawn, They finally packed and leave for their trekking destination.
Walking for about 15 minutes, they finally arrived at the off limits area, they stop and rest a while at a nearby old temple, marking it their spot. Louis had another brilliant idea of splitting up the group into 4 groups a pair - Louis and Peter, John and Alice, Ah Huat and Michelle and lastly, Sean and Joanna. They will each take a route and will trek until 3pm into the woods before coming back to the temple mark.
Before taking off, all of a sudden an old man with a traditional typical Chinese look approached without a sound and says something which makes their skin had a sudden chill, "Enter at your own risk, Respect the resting place, Don't do anything foolish or pay with your own life...", and he walks off towards the old temple area.
The gang ignores and continues their plan for the day but not for Joanna as she turned silent and looked pale since yesterday. When they finally parted ways, they went and did to fulfill their objective. At the end of the day, only Sean and Joanna made it back - TOGETHER WITH THEIR LIST. They decided to head back much earlier after Joanna complaint of not feeling well. They expect they will lose after just 7 grave counts. Both of them waited for another hour and started to get anxious for the others had not made it home.
In the end, they decided to head back the camp site hoping they will be back before night time bearing in mind probably they are being "kiasu" trying to look for more graves and avoid paying the meals back in Hong Kong soon. Sean and Joanna decided both of them will share to pay for the meals and when to sleep at their respected tents. When the next morning came, both of them awakes with no sights of their friends and decided to pack up and went back to Zhang Zhao town to file a missing person report.
Later on, they went back to the temple ground and look for the old man whom they met yesterday but only found a middle aged man who is seen sweeping the temple ground. They tried to ask for where abouts of the old man, he replied,
"There's no old man here, only me. And this area only me stays here no others..." and he left to run errands.
Before they left, the same caretaker opens a large wooden door yelling, "开门见山, 大吉大利...", meaning "Open door overlooking a mountain, Great fortune to all..." in which the direction of the door really does overlooking a hill which most of their friends disappeared to... To their horror, behind the door reveals a stone plaques which is used to store ashes of deceased people. They saw the old man's picture there in the middle complete with serial tombstone number, name, DOB and deceased date.
Sean remembered he still keeps a list and that number looked familiar, he took out and compare - THE OLD MAN'S NAME AND ALL MATCHED. As he viewed further down the remaining six list of deceased person, it was Louis, Peter, Ah Huat, Michelle, John and Alice.... THEY WERE ALL DEAD SINCE YESTERDAY SIMILARLY STATED IN THEIR LIST, ALL DIED EXACTLY THE SAME DATE...
Joanna went through the photos they taken and went numbed when she viewed a photo they took before leaving to board airplane - ONLY SEAN AND JOANNA IN THE PICTURE...
*THE STORY WRITTEN ABOVE IS MERELY FICTIONAL AND HAS NO RELATIONS TO ANY LIVING PERSON AND IS THE ORIGINAL IDEA OF THE BLOGGER HIMSELF. IF IT DOES RELATES TO ANY PERSON OR ANY PERSON YOU KNEW, IT IS JUST A COINCIDENCE.
No comments:
Post a Comment