The kempetai came a calling in the night

1943 One night, father was trying to put youngest baby Ramli to sleep by reading to him comforting sentences from the Quran. There were shouts from outside asking him to open the door. Letting baby slip onto the mat he got up to see who it was. On opening the door we saw about a dozen Japanese soldiers asking him to hand over the weapon. What weapon he asked? This must have been 1943 and I was 4 years old and Ramli 2.
Mother went to the cupboard took something out and slung it through the window into the night. The soldiers shouted and scampered in the direction of the projectile with the help of flashlights. They picked it up and came back with it, the captain handed it back to my father. We do not want this telescope said he, we want the gun that you have in this house. Father protested he did not have a gun. Truth was he was scared: he had stolen the telescope from the abandoned British Army base along with a thick algebra book. It was all he could get in a mad frenzy by the villagers pilfering the British garrison near the air strip of Lalang Luas.

Not convinced that he had no gun the soldiers started ransacking our little hut and I was cowering in one corner scared. Finally satisfied there were no weapons the soldiers prepared to leave but not before placing hand cuffs to my father's wrists and dragging him along into the dark night. This was my cue: I started bawling and woke baby up as well and we bawled in unison. The soldiers stopped and the Captain barked some harsh words to one of his men. This soldier ran back in our direction and seeing this I cried even louder and my mother was shedding tears as well. The soldier took something out of his pocket and handed it to me. It was a 10 dollar note something I have not seen before in my existence. As if by magic I stopped crying and snatched it away from him with a sheepish grin. As soon as they have disappeared mother washed my face and i laid down to sleep with the 10 dollar note tightly held in my fist.

At first light the next day I was up and scampered to the lane in front of the hut waiting for that woman who sold cakes to come by. After a long wait she appeared and I exchanged the 10 dollar with 2 pieces of cake. I ate one and gave Ramli one. We finished it in no time. My mother did not have any, she said she was not hungry.

We waited around all day for father's return and finally towards dusk he came walking back feet sore from walking the 12 miles from the interrogation centre. He told us he was not harmed saw a few others getting the water treatment. I asked how was it that he was not harmed. he said kept reading the quran from memory and somehow that saved him.

Grandfather and uncle came over to the hut and they seemed relieved that everything was back to normal.

I cannot recall where my 2 elder brothers and sister were. I reckon there were all staying with my grandparents as mother and father did not have enough food to feed us all.

Chilhood Memories

From my youngest brother Suhaimi:
Well, there are lots of our childhood memories. And one that I cherished most is when it comes to harvesting time "mengetam". At that time we were staying at Kedai Labok in that rented shophouse.














When it's mengetam time everybody decamped to the padang staying in a Dangar beside that "kubang raja". That Dangar house was built by Pak Chu Kob the man who minded our padi field. It took 3 months for the mengetam to complete. And I remember how every now and then Mek Jah woul be seized by her epileptic fit during the mengetam. At that time I was in standard 2 at Sekolah Labok. Everyday on my way to school, I have to carry a stick in order to fend off the tall padi plat, so that I don't get wet from the dew on it. During the fasting month, I remember how on my way back I fell asleep in someones kebun getah at Kg Takil, and Abah came searching for me in the evening. Life was full of fun, especially that Kubang Raja full of fish. The padi plants were taller than me at that time, and I used to play hide and seek with Raudah. At night we used to lay mats on the jerami and slept there together with Ramli and Derame. Early morning Abah would escort Ramli to Batu 23 roadside to catch the bus to Kota Bharu (Schooling in SIC), because there's a wild Bull tied by someone by the path. As for Mokhtar, he was in the army at that time. I remember how during lunch time we would always received guest at our Dangar because they enjoy having lunch at the padang al fresco. I still can't figure how Abah and Mek were able to make ends meet during those difficult times. Nevertheless we had happy life. And one thing I regret is that we have sold that Tanah Padi, someone from our family should have taken it over, because its full of memories.

Masjid Labok

Kampong Labok

That Masjid Labok was where Ramli and I went one evening at dusk to sound the gong for signalling the Buka Puasa and we did not hear the the geduk from Tok Bok one mile away as our cue due to the wind blowing in the wrong direction: so that night Labokians were late in breaking their Puasa. Mek rushed out of the hut (50 metres away) onto the bullock cart track and shouted at me, "goreb doh wel, gelap doh ni katok lah geduk tu". I could have been about 9 years old which was about 1948 that's 60 years ago.

No TV nor Handphones then. No radio, no watch nor clock not even electricity. I used to dream what it would be like to have shoes. I did not have to dream long for one day on the way home from school I came across a pair of Fung Keong rubber shoes on the edge of the stream. Finders keepers losers weepers.

Fast forward 60 years:

And now it is so much different. Philip can see this message at the same time that I publish the post though he is 14,000 km away.

In honour of Labokians everywhere I adopt the word labokin as my gmail handle