The Colourful Muar

Welcome to Bandar Muar. The colourful Muar Town. There this one year, Muar has changed its' colour to pastel. And every row ada different colours. I must say, okay jugaklah effort ni. Nampak macam Europe pulak sikit-sikit. Kalau Majlis Daerah Muar Selatan tu boleh solvekan masalah orang double parking tu mesti lagi best.

Muar ni jalan dia mostly one way street. On both sides of the road, boleh parking kereta secara side parking. Sebab tulah aku terer side parking. Imagine bawak kereta bapak aku yang tak ada power steering tu, aduss berposak-posak jugaklah nak masuk side park. Pulak tu tengah on the look out nak cari parking, orang rapat aje kat belakang.

Lagi satu, waktu tengahari most shops akan turunkan blinds yang ada nama company kedai tu, sebab nak avoid panas matahari. So imagine yourself walking along the alley of the shops, you can't really see the view outside, because of the blinds. Yang you boleh nampak are the sparrows flying around above you.

So one afternoon, I was walking, crossing the street. It was a quiet afternoon. There were not many cars. There were not many people. It was hot. All blinds were down.

I can still remember crossing a particular street. I remembered noticing a van. A black van. The kind of van where there were no windows at the back. The one that people use to forward goods. Like I said, Muar is full of one way street. The vehicles were all coming from my left. And thus the van. It drove slowly, I remembered. It was so slow, that I was sure it was going to stop. Presumably, the van wanted to do double parking.

Then I heard, the van's passenger door slides open. In that split second, a thought crossed me, why is the van opening the door when it has not come to a proper halt. I looked at the driver. It was a man, and there was another man beside him. I felt that they were looking at me. I sense that the van was approaching me. I also felt that the van was actually trying to stop right behind me.

I then thought something is just not right. Then I changed direction. I walked faster to the right and walked within the many motorcycles parked at the road side. Then walked further into the shop alleys where I can hide behind the blinds. I peeked, the van was in front of me now. Stopped. There were men, whom I can only see their shadows at the back. I felt their eyes on me though. I felt that they were talking and strategising and were still looking at me. Like pack of wolves about to pound on a rabbit. Then the rabbit ran. The opposite direction, still within the alley. The van can't reverse. (One way street). Then I crossed the street. Still being aware of them. I stopped and looked. I know, unless the men run out of the van, they can't get me for they can't reverse without being honked and noticed.

Probabbly they decided, that running out would create a scene, which is best to avoid.

Then the van moved on, slowly. No one came out of it.

I wanted to have a haircut that day. I changed my mind and went home.

I am not sure what it was all about. But I have a feeling, though, that I wouldn't be here typing this if I had not been aware of my surroundings that afternoon. When I read stories of women being abducted, gang raped, sold off, I remembered that afternoon. Of course I can't be sure. For all you know, they were only lost.

But I ain't gonna take chances. If they were to grab me, no one would know and no one would see. The blinds would have blinded others and I'd be gone in a split second and perhaps manage a "ahh", a very lame scream.

This story, of course, is no way related to the colourful Muar.