Chapter 6

+ CHAPTER 6 +

Twin Shamrocks

Pak Ujang was their only great chieftain and his family was his greatest supporter, other than his people. 

His community had adequate food and proper shelters under his responsible and strong leadership. 

The couple, upon acknowledging her intellect, tolerated her to guide the Malays with Western education so that they are seen ‘civilised’ according to European standards, and not be subjected to oppression by the Occidental colonialists. 

Meanwhile, just outside her manor, Musang bid farewell to his master, Sir Hastings.  Sir Hastings returned it and he went inside his manor with his straight face.  He looked dreamy.  He did not say much to Musang and his cronies, walked into the house and not turning back. 

After being certain of this, Musang said to his colleagues, “Well done, gentlemen.  We did very well and have fulfilled our mission.  Be sure that no one else knows about this.”

“We shall be very certain of that, Master’s Advisor,” said one of them.  “You are a man of intelligence, Mr. Maling.”

“I certainly seem very shrewd and others will not deny it, including our master,” said Musang, with his feeling of superiority.

Eleanor heard a knock at the door.  “Whose presence is at my door?” she asked.

“It is I, Margaret, who is at your service,” said a woman’s voice.

“I am coming to you, Margaret!” Eleanor called out. 

Eleanor approached the door, and then both of them leant their ears against the door in order to listen to one another’s conversation. 

“What news have you brought here, Margaret?” asked Eleanor. 

“Miss Harold, there is a message for you from Mr. Abraham O’Bannon,” replied Margaret the brunette maid.  “I shall send it through under the door.”

“Thank you, Margaret,” said Eleanor, as she picked it up from the floor.

“My pleasure, Miss Harold,” said Margaret.

Eleanor questioned herself in her mind.  “Abraham has never written me a message before.  What is it that he desires from me?”

She then unfolded the letter and read the cursive handwriting on it:

Dear Eleanor,

I understand that I may still anger you for what I have recently committed, and please do forgive me, as I have committed it to be avoidably suspicious.  As your brother, I do not wish to afflict you with further misery.  I acknowledge you value your friendship with Melor, Demang, Megat, Niall and Angus.  They are pleasant for you to befriend with, although they are not of the high society. I do not forbid it.  The Sulongs are still alive, only that they have been imprisoned. Please kindly read the book I bought for your birthday this year.  Turn to page one hundred, and skim through to paragraph three.  I cannot explain beyond this point, just in case this letter has been intercepted into the wrong hands.  There are times when you need to discover mysterious matters alone.  Remember the twist and turn.  Use it well and store it safely.  You must also use the portable oil lamp standing on your study desk.   I wish you the best in fulfilling your mission.

With love,

Darren

Darren wrote down his signature on the big spacing above his name.  Abraham was Darren’s most-trusted friend.  He entrusted his own life for Abraham to send the note to his sister.  Eleanor was curious why Darren would send such a letter to her.

She remembered what Darren gave her as a birthday gift.  It was a novel with brown cover called Sebastian Holmes’s Unresolved Mysteries.  It is a dark red detective book full of unresolved mysteries written by an author named Sir Adam Connor Doyles, and he was a former English detective himself.  She took the book from the bookshelf, and then turned to page 100 of the book.

Then, she browsed down to paragraph three, as Darren had instructed:

…I stepped into a study room and discovered a study desk. I opened one of the drawers and flicked through piles of papers.  I was amazed to what I had found.  I found a key that existed in the Star of David form. I had come to examine its functionality.  It was a unique key that fitted no other doors in the mansion.  It must have been used for one purpose – I thought to myself.  I then turned to the fireplace and pressed a floral button on the right of the fireplace.  I then noticed that a door that I opened with the key, and it seemed to be leading me out of the building. This may be made by an enemy who is willing to trap me with his hidden motives.  He seems to know me.  I believe he is an influential man in town, and he perceives himself more superior than others.  I have learnt never to judge the book by its cover…

A small note piece of dropped from the book and holding onto it.

Then press in the big floral carving of the fireplace on the right and the fireplace shall soon twirl itself. Finally, please kindly close the door behind you. 

“Perhaps he has eventually taken the liberty to be of help to me after that scolding I gave him,” she said in her mind.  “On the other hand, could this be one of Darren’s tricks?  After all, he has a sense of superiority to others before him, including Father.  Furthermore, it is possibly that it within his intention to make me to turn against the Sulongs.  I shall give a worthy attempt but I shall also be wary of this risk.”

She approached her study desk.  She searched the three drawers thoroughly.  She went through piles of papers in the left drawer.  After a thorough search, she found a small pocket size bag with something solid in it.  She decided to untie the small bag’s twine at the top and hoping it was what she expected to be.  She took the object out of the bag.  She found a small hexagonal shaped box, enough to put your necklaces in it.  She pressed a button at one side of the hexagonal box. Then, something popped up from all six sides of the box, forming the shape of two interlaced equilateral triangles.  She was right.  It was a key.

Coincidentally, it perfectly fitted the description on the thick book about the Star of David key.  She took the portable oil lamp from the desk and carried it with her.  She pressed the floral button on right of the fireplace, and then it moved in a circular motion on an axis by a hundred and eighty degrees, of which it allowed her to be transported to the area behind her bedroom’s fireplace.

“Is this the right key?” she asked herself, wondering whether it was the one she was looking for. 

She took out the key and approached an unusual keyhole door. 

“I shall give this a persistent try,” she said to herself. 

She placed the key into the keyhole, turned it to the right, then to the left in an anti-clockwise direction, and finally pushed it forwards.  To her surprise, a door opened and she noticed a secret passage attached to her bedroom. 

She took the key out of the keyhole with her right hand.  She opened up the middle part of the book.  She placed the key on a hole on page 201 and it fitted the key.  She kept the book with her.

After placing the key in the hole of the book and shutting it, she noticed a leather string knot from the back cover and slipped onto a leather buckle strap on the front cover.

It was a sunny yet breezy late afternoon at Malay Town.  There were crowds of people strolling in the streets.  As usual, the small business operators would sell their products and persuaded more customers into buying them at the bazaar.  Then, disarray took place.  Gunshots were travelling in the air as a group of men pillaged the neighbourhood and committed arson.  All the defenceless men, women and children were running away rowdily from the ruthless intruders.  It was as if a civil war had erupted.  They broke into a wooden building known as the Bank Petani (or Farmers’ Bank), and took out with them moneybags.  The Bank Petani was where loads of money was stored for financial, wage-collection and sales income purposes.  There was a wavy haired and dark skinned man amongst them.  It was the crooked and shifty-eyes Musang.  Some Malay men attacked with their parangs in an attempted self-defence.  One of the Malay men fired bamboo cannon shots at their enemies.

“Scourge the brown-skinned immigrants!  Long live the Superior!”  The fanatic Crusaders set the Kedai Makan and some nearby houses on fire. 

A thunderbolt struck the arrogant man down before he was about to commence the arson, and he never recovered ever since.  The torch fell onto the ground and burnt the dry leaves.  It bypassed the elderly Malay man.  He was saved from getting burnt.  The evil young man himself fell onto the ground and his eyes were shut. The tragedy made Musang and his three remaining heartless associates, Andrew the red, Anthony the blond and Jonathan the brown-headed young man, were frightened and they fled away.

There was utter chaos in Malay Town.  The temporary drizzle slowly extinguished the fire on the burning torch and dried leaves. 

A lady was shouting for her life to free herself from a nefarious invader.  Suddenly, the intruder felt his head spun; he fell to the ground, blacked out.   It was the lady’s husband who hit the man’s head with a wooden club.

“You shall not lay your hands on my wife, for I am a very jealous husband!” he said frantically, intending to give the man knuckle sandwich.

The lady said, “Serves you right, you ungrateful rogue!  I hope you have learnt well not to covet with a man’s spouse.”

Three bandits have already fallen to the ground and their cronies have left earlier.  Some Malay men, women and children lied in weakness.  It was as if a plague had struck them.  These innocent people were unable to flee the crumbling village, and were covered in charcoal dust.  A cloth-wrapped baby on the ground stopped crying the moment the gunshot was made.  Furious flames burnt down some of the stilt houses.  There was a Malay family of four, who survived the attack, and they managed to escape.  While walking on the dirt road, they bumped into two men.

Both were wearing suit piece, yet one wore a straw hat, and the other with a cowboy hat.  They were none other than Daniel and Abraham.  They were standing still and silently watched the helpless civilians heading towards them. 

“I command you all to go at once!” Daniel commanded.

He looked regretful upon observing the event. 

“Thank you, sir. We do not know how to repay your kindness,” said a soft-spoken Malay lady, who pressed her hands together in order to show courtesy.

The lady was carrying a crying baby girl. 

“Shhh – jangan menangis, Delima (Shhh – don’t cry, Delima),” she said. 

The man carried his three years old son.

“There is no need to repay us.  Please bring yourselves to salvation now before it is too late!” Abraham commanded.

“Certainly, sir,” said the man.  “Jomkitabertolak (Let’s leave)!”

“Good evening,” greeted Musang.  “Our tasks have been accomplished. 

“Excellent,” replied Daniel.

“We’ve seen a few people heading towards this direction,” said Musang.  “Have you by any chance spotted them?”

“No, I have not spotted anyone heading this way except for you gentlemen,” replied Daniel.  “Very well, you are dismissed for the day.”

Musang was very excited seeing the glittering gold coins in the stolen chest boxes like a little boy playing with his new toy. 

Ciaran stood at a distance away with his colleagues observing the scene.  Ten people were massacred, and seven of them were Malays.  The blazing furnace vanquished large parts of the neighbourhood and the drizzle gave slow extinguishing response. 

“Those ruffian Crusaders are contemptuous!” said Melor incredulously, as she saw her village being burnt down from afar.  “They have destroyed my neighbourhood and killed some of my people!  Their loss to their rivals in the football cup gives them no valid reason to do this loathsome devastation!  They shall regret this!  Bloody Musang!  He is a thorn within the flesh!”

“They refer themselves the Crusaders?  On the contrary, I can see nothing of a Christian cause from them. Their hypocrites who only burnt down the Malay temple and threatening non-Believers of Christ,” Jane said, whilst looking through the telescope lenses.

“Why is Superintendent Gallagher standing there?” asked Melor whilst noticing a familiar man on the telescope.  Her long fine black tresses had been reaching down her shoulders.  The day was getting cooler despite the burning sensational feeling in her.  She passed the telescope to Jane.   

“Yes, good question, Melor,” replied Jane, who then took the telescope.  “What is Superintendent Gallagher doing standing there with his colleagues?”

“I have a strong suspicion upon Superintendent Gallagher’s involvement in this attack.  Perhaps, he is ‘the Superior’.  After all, he had been known for leading his constable colleagues.  I could still remember the time when my father was shot a long time ago.  I saw a man wearing a hidden mask with a slouch hat.  Within seconds, he vanished.  Then, Superintendent Gallagher suddenly came out of nowhere, looking like as if he wanted to rescue my father.  No, I somewhat still have doubts on this wickedness.  Anyway, here is a poster of him.”

Jane showed Melor a poster of Ciaran Gallagher as a suspect for assassinating Sir Hastings. 

“I also concur disbelieving the fact that Superintendent Gallagher is in any way involved within the attack,” replied Melor.  “As long as I’ve known him, he is a man of justice that brings upon social stability to the locals.  Yet, I still do not understand why he is standing there inactively.  This is rather a peculiar act.  Perhaps, on the other hand, Daniel could have been behind this gruesome activity all along – seeing that the bandits salute him.  He could possibly be the Superior.  After all, he was the sole leader of the Crusaders team, who seems angry upon his defeat, and the one that had caused havoc against the Sulongs.  It could have been him who planned the bank robbery in cooperation with Musang and planted the stolen moneybag to frame the Sulongs of the scandal.”

“A good point is made there, Melor,” responded Eleanor.  “It could possibly be true that Daniel is behind this.  The conspiracy of the bank robbery case rested easily without some form of proper investigation at the Kedai Makan.  Spare yourself some thoughts on this matter.  Controvertibly, despite liberating a few Malays, he was, however, communicating with Musang and the other partners in crime.  However, I do also notice that Musang had often been seen with Daniel and my father, he was intended on influencing their actions.  Upon my suspicions, it is either Daniel or Musang have plans to gain wholesome authority over this colony to satisfy their selfish agendas.”

 “I also do perceive of it that manner,” Melor said.  “Daniel may surely have other plans.  After all, it was he that framed Pak Ujang and his family into opium smuggling.  I find him unjust with his seeming willingness to have complete control on the lives of my people.  We share this prosperous land with other races to earn our honest living.  My people do not deserve this ill-treatment.”

The girls were shocked at the loss of lives of innocent civilians at Malay Town.  They still have doubts whether or not Superintendent Gallagher was involved in the unforgettable destruction if it was not for Daniel.  Could they be planning this together all along?  Was Musang the one who led the attack or was rather simply involved in it? 

Melor heard some rustling in the bushes. 

“Who is out there?” asked Melor in paranoia, holding a parang, whereas Eleanor was carrying short gun in her hand.  “Come out and face us!”

“You need not to worry.  It is we, Melor,” replied a man, who was close to middle age life.  He was wearing a bandanna. 

“Ayah, it is you that had come for us,” said Melor, hugging her father.  “I am delighted that you and the others are safe and alive now.”

“I feel the same way you feel about us, Melor,” the father replied. 

The remaining refugees from Malay Town have safely followed him from behind. 

“The evil Holloway and his Bell cronies have gone beyond our limits,” Melor said.  “How could they destroy our land and brutally harm our people?  Pray everyone, where is the unquestionable meaning of living in harmony?  I could no longer tolerate their mistreatment!  Let us all unite and fight against this injustice!” 

“How long do we have to wait and suffer like this?” asked Niall Gallagher.  “We must not let those bloody oppressors do this to us!” 

“I agree that you Malays are normally resorted to peace by nature, and for the sake of humanity, I antagonise the outlaws’ mistreatment upon you all,” said Eleanor in an emotional yet charismatic tone, supporting their struggle for true justice.  “For this, we must strive against those people who suppressed us until justice is served for us to have a better future!  We must not allow them to squash us!”

     There was a big uproar of supporters to the charismatic people. 

Tok Kencana gave a short speech to build up his people’s morale; “I know our religion teaches us to settle matters in peace, but we must now prepare to defend ourselves against our enemies’ atrocities.  Although we may not have a good leader now but the victory continues on from today.  So, do not to fear those who suppress you, but fear God your Creator.  Fight only against those who fight against you, until persecution is no more – but if they stop, let there be no more war!  God does not like the starters of war.  Therefore, we must first find a peaceful resolution to release Pak Ujang and his family from prison.”

     They headed back for their village as they saw the raiders had left the place some time ago.  Heavier drops of rain started to take place as soon as they reached the village and they all ran to their temple.  Four people have carried two corpses into the place of worship.  An elder woman and a young lady were crying out loud.  They have approached the elderly Malay man, who was attacked by one of the bandits earlier on, only to find him dead.

     Out of respect for the local custom, Eleanor took off her footwear and wore a wimple upon entering the temple.

     “What are we going to do with our people?  How are we going to get our Penghulu (village chief) and his family out of prison?” Tok Kencana asked.

     “How are we going to feed the people as well?” Eleanor asked.  “They would not last long without sufficient food and water supplies.  The Kedai Makan has been destroyed.”

“Ayah and Eleanor, I may have a solution for this,” replied Melor.  “In agreement with the late elder man, the leader of this place of prostration, I have kept some rice grain supplies and vegetables at the barn behind this building, just in case of a drought.  Furthermore, with a horrifying situation now, we still can gather some food from there.  As for the water supply, we can always collect it from the well behind this building.  The amount is enough to hydrate us all.  I must also speak of Angus’s mother, for she is a great baker and kind.  She bakes biscuits and bread.  I am sure she would not mind feeding some of her bread to our people for the mean time we will repay her later.”

Niall was about to say something to Melor.  “Now, upon rescuing the Sulongs – here is our plan.”  Niall whispered something into Melor’s ear for a few minutes.  Suddenly, without notice, an image of a pair of young men appeared.

“What is it that you demand from us?” asked Tok Kencana, facing them.  “This is the House of God, and it is not a battleground.”

It was Daniel and Keith. 

“Do forgive us for our strayed ways,” Daniel replied.  “We have no wish to trouble anyone here, and we come with the intentions of tranquillity.”

At the same time, Eleanor turned to her right upon hearing someone calling her name up in a hushed voice.  She saw Melor.  Melor approached Eleanor and whispered something into her ear.  After a few moments, Eleanor nodded.  Melor then began whispering to her father’s ear. 

Then, Eleanor decided to confront the two friends.  “Daniel!  Keith!  How could you plan on killing so many innocent people?  Have you had enough with all this devastated life you have caused onto others?  Three of your men have died in the raids.  What more do you expect from us?”

The Malays carried the outlaws to the church so that they are given their proper Christian burials.  The Church respected the Malay community for their genuine contributions although they were not the followers of Christ.

The Malays were saddened with the death of their fellow compatriots but their prayers to their God helped them to show outward calmness.  The bodies were buried six feet deep underground without coffins, and they were all dressed in white – the males in white shrouds around the bodies and females covered from heads to feet, with only their faces and hands exposed.  The Malays prayed with upward facing palms raised in front of them.  While attending the burial ceremony, the women covered their heads with wimples while the men wore their black songkok.

It was early in the morning.  A rooster had called upon a new day just before sunrise.  A group of four guards saw two beautiful voices singing from a distance under a big tree near the wooden-built prison building.  As they approached closer to the marvellous singers, they clearly saw a lady in Victorian dress and the other in the sarong kebaya, a long blouse pinned up together with brooches worn together with the batik sarong.  Both were covering their faces with fans and posing their bodies.  They both appeared to be attracting the guards’ attention with their dress and sarong as well as their strange moans.   

“Hello, handsome!  Yes, it is you guards there we are summoning,” said the raven-haired girl with a sexy voice. 

The guards’ eyes bulged, and they howled.

“Come to us, for we acknowledge your persistent desires, darlings.  It is up here for possessions directly in front of you,” said the brown hair girl with a seductive voice. 

“Oh my!  You both are the most gorgeous creatures we have ever seen.  This is a very charming moment for us four,” said the guards whilst raised their eyebrows and had sinister smiles on.

They walked forwards until they reach a certain distance away from the girls.

The long black hair girl replied, “We fear that your desires shall not be fulfilled.  However, you may turn around as we have brought some extravagant gifts to offer you.”

The guards turned around to see a blonde man in a black broad brimmed hat, khaki blazer with black collars, and, medium to dark grey colour trousers.

“Hello, gentlemen,” Niall greeted them sarcastically.  “Here are the gifts we promise you.  Happy birthday!”

Out of the two men, one had his face knocked out, while Melor punched and back jabbed the other with her lethal hands. 

“Bravo!  Way to go, sister!” the girls cheered amongst themselves. 

“You are a brilliant girl, Melor,” said Eleanor.  “Our pre-planning has turned out well.”

“Thank you, Eleanor,” replied Melor.  “I actually worked it out with Niall.  That makes us three as brilliant-minded.”

“At your service, My Ladies,” said Niall with a bow. 

“My apologies, gentlemen, your birthdays are not due yet,” said Angus.  “Thus, we have no gifts for you.” 

“I cannot believe you gentlemen are so obtuse to fall for our trap!” Eleanor said. 

“Snake fangs are just too poisonous to be trusted as medicines,” Melor said.  “We girls may be pretty but we can also be tricky.  Besides, let us disappear before they are awakened.”

 “Splendid idea!”  Niall said.

He clapped his hands upon agreement.

Meanwhile in jail, Megat had some questions to ask.  “Ibu, Bapak.  Saya ingin bertanya satu soalan.  Siapakah ibu bapa saya yang sebenar?  Apa yang telah terjadi pada mereka (Ibu, Bapak.  I have a question to ask.  Who are my real parents?  What happened to them)?”

Mak Delima replied, “Ibu bapa asal awak bernama Killian dan Ashling.  Mereka telah lama meninggal dunia selepas sekumpulan perompak membunuh mereka ketika awak berumur empat tahun (Your biological parents are Killian and Ashling.  They died after a group of bandits killed them when you were four years old).” 

Megat grieved when he heard the tragic story from her.  He then thought about the boy named Niall, who had identical resemblance to him.  He asked his parents, “Apakah saya ada saudara kembar (Do I have an identical twin brother)?” 

“Ya, awak memang ada saudara kembar (Yes, you do have a twin brother),” She stopped halfway through her response, as footsteps were heard in a distance, walking towards their prison cell. 

“Megat, tolong simpankan rantai ini denganmu (Megat, please keep this necklace with you)!” said Pak Ujang, handing Megat a round gold pendant attached to a black string pendant.

“Ya, Bapak,” said Megat, who took it from him and hid it from sight. 

Megat and Demang have noticed the mysterious footsteps.  They speculated four people tapping their feet continuously on the ground as they approached closer and closer.  Three boys took off their mouth masks whilst the girls took off their veils.  The brown haired girl unlocked the cell door with the key. 

“Angus?  Eleanor?  Melor?” asked Megat, looking surprised.

Megat looked at Niall in curiosity.  “Are you my twin brother Niall?” asked Megat. 

“I am unsure of that,” replied Niall.  “We certainly do look the same.  Are you my twin Liam?” 

“I am uncertain of that too,” Megat responded.  “My mind begins to wonder about the name, as I have heard it long ago.” 

“Have you kept something with you for a long time, Niall?” asked Pak Ujang. 

“I have here a letter stating in regards to ‘Twin Shamrocks’, inclusive of a will, of which it persuaded Superintendent Gallagher to usher me.”      

“There is a similar statement on the letter I have here with me,” said Megat.  “Aside from Pak Ujang and Mak Delima raising me like their begotten son, it also states something about the ‘Twin Shamrocks’.”

“Niall, have you also a pendant with a shamrock leaf imprinted on it?” Demang asked. 

Niall thought for a while and then replied, “Yes, I assuredly do.” 

“Good then, I certainly have that in my possession too,” Megat responded.  “Let us compare them and observe any possible resemblance between the two pendants.  Are you ready?  One, two, and, three!”

The boys took out their twin shamrock imprinted pendants simultaneously and they were amazed to see the names Liam and Niall engraved on each pendant. 

“Perhaps you would like to lift up the covers?” Mak Delima asked in suggestion.  The boys lifted up their pendants’ covers and were surprised to see what they saw.  They saw two photos exact resemblance of a married blonde couple with their four years old blonde twin sons.  At their amazement, they looked at each other. 

On the two pendants’ inside covers, there was an inscription stating: To our dearest sons, Liam and Niall O’Donnell, as your birthday gifts.  From your beloved parents, Killian and Ashling.

“So, these are the Twin Shamrocks – a pair of identical pendants with identical photos,” said Megat.  “Niall, I have been wondering where you are all these years.”

“I am perfectly overjoyed to find my twin brother standing right here in front of me, Liam,” said Niall, who then hugged this twin brother and patted each other’s backs. 

It was the happiest moment of their lives.

“We are delighted upon your brotherly reunion.  It is like the same flock of birds that reunite after years of separation,” said Mak Delima. 

“How did you four get here?” asked Demang.

“We must reward Daniel and Keith for this.  If it was not for their help, we shall never find our way here to get you all out of here,” said Melor.

“Do you trust these two men, Melor?” Megat asked incredulously.  “Daniel and Keith, you have dishonoured us.  What else do you require from us?”

“I know you all despise us for what we had committed onto you,” said Daniel, in his sincerity.  “However, for once, please trust us.  We are seriously willing to help you all.”

“Henceforth, please provide another chance of trust,” said Keith. “We bring forth our sincere apologies, and together we wish to fight for your rights.”

“Very well, but as a matter of trust we shall see to it after we eject ourselves from this desolated place,” said Pak Ujang. 

Suddenly, at the tips of their ears, they all heard a moaning voice of a woman as if feeling ill and they thought she may have been one of those people who were falsely accused of a crime.  They turned their heads around and followed the sound.  They eventually found a thick wooden door of regular height. 

Angus said to them, “Well, are we ready, gentlemen?  One!  Two!!  Three!!!”

All the boys stood in front of the secluded cell room’s door to break in.  At first, they hit their heads against the door and fell backward on to the ground.

However, after three persistent tries, they have finally succeeded over breaking into the secluded cell room.  The thick door opened, and out came a forty years old woman.  She wore an almost tarnished rose red gown, and she did not look too well.

Eleanor approached the woman and asked, “Mother, is that you?” 

“Is that you, Eleanor, my little princess standing before me?” asked the sickly woman.  She then started coughing and placed her hand on it.  Eleanor stood still and kept her silence.

“Yes, it is Eleanor here.  Mother, it is so wonderful to see you again!” replied Eleanor, hugging her with excitement. 

“It has been twelve years we have been living apart from one another.  I have been waiting for this moment to occur, to meet you, my sweet daughter.  I miss you entirely.  I have been wondering what has happened to my beautiful toddler girl,” the mother responded, kissing on her daughter’s forehead. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to my mother, Lady Heather Hastings,” said Eleanor. 

“We are pleased to meet you, ma’am,” Melor replied, bowing, and the others followed suit.

Everyone else eventually began to cough having been in the dusty room.

  

Niall reminded them of their plan, “Come on, and let’s leave this devastated place of sickness!  We shall continue our conversation at a later date.”

Daniel saw a man walking in the corridors of the prison building.  He was wearing a black blazer and a pair of trousers, white shirt with a high neck collar and a necktie. 

“Oh.  So, it is you, father,” said Daniel.  “Please guide us the way.” 

“Very well. Lets go now, please follow me.  By George, they are coming.  Hurry!  Follow me!  This is the pathway leading to the evacuation!” whispered Sir Holloway. 

He led them the way to escape and, finally, they have reached an open field. 

“Do not move!” 

“My sincere apologies, for I have failed you and I can no longer be of help to you!” said Sir Holloway.

A group of men in Victorian English and country American outfits stood up in front of Sir Holloway, pointing their firearms at the escapees.  A man with thick but short black moustache and tanned skin was with them.  He was wearing a black cap, a collarless shirt with three buttons, coat and a pair of trousers.  He was laughing hysterically.

“Musang?” asked Pak Ujang in a surprised tone. 

“Are you intending to escape?” Musang asked. “Mr. Daniel and Mr. Keith – you both are suspects involved in the Malay Town raid and most likely will be charged for murder and arson by the court of law.” 

“It was neither Keith nor I that set off fire at Malay Town,” Daniel replied.  “Those boys did it (he pointed to British Jonathan and Anthony, and Andrew) and we saw you with them.  We were only rescuing the residents from the neighbourhood whilst you gentlemen pillaged it.  We rescued them from harm and confided upon their wandering.  Eleanor and Melor are our capable witnesses.  You shall regret what you have done wrong, Mr Maling!” 

“We have had the impression of your coveted planning all along, although with the lack of evidence,” said Keith.  “Now, there is enough evidence shown with your presence at the raiding, along with the other arsonists.  After all, our intuitions have seemingly proved us right.”

“Mr. Holloway, how did you come to such speculation of me?” Musang replied. “You were not even present before me while Malay Town was burnt down to the ground.  Do you have any evidence to support my involvement in such a tragic incident?” 

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