Chapter Text
Once, there was a Malaysian child. In this familiar sweltering home he was an “ethnic minority”—Han Chinese, black hair and brown eyes that seemed to melt into the thousands of others around him and then the millions more. The sun melded him and his comrades together like candle wax. Perhaps there were days of anguish in such a climate, forgettable arguments dissipated into burning words and hot air. These affairs ended quickly as candles had to be blown out. Conflicts were controlled with the resounding crack of a cane until they were no more.
Many can see the glow of a candle, enraptured. Until it is flickered into nothing, only then can the scorching flames’ imprint be brought to light. Every indistinguishable Malaysian child had a shadow, blackened and dirty as coal. As little children do.
.
.
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My father was full of fears.
There was a day he arrived at his school afraid. Swearing and sweating of forty little boys filled the classrooms as per usual but he could only wince that day. Though every limb and muscle ached unimaginably, he could not bring himself to do what had to be done at school under an average of probably 40 degrees Celsius. His stomach lurched but the shadows of his peers lurched further. So still he could not.
He needed his shadow to be alone, just today, the youth promised, the pungent beads racing down his temple. The fans and clocks hummed in tune announcing the end of the day and ,goddamn, he felt freedom again. Time and time again his house was his refuge for such events of terror.
That entailed a huge fucking nightmarish shit stain on his underwear, cramped into the back of his aunt’s car being slowly roasted under the greenhouse effect.
Nearly 5 decades have passed since the legendary defecator experienced such a poo. Today, one can smell his regrets.
“There was a very large bit brown left on one of my workbooks too, it was in my bag at the time.”
”And your teacher must have thought it was mud—tea or something!”
”Yes and I had to use that workbook for the rest of the term.”
”THE REST OF THE TERM-“
”That is why I never forgot..”