What have I done?: Hikayat Merah SerongMangsa (The Tale of Red Sideway Victim)

This is a tale of a young pretender, the youngest among a sibling of six, who was born of royal pedigree. His story is one of tragedy, spawned from the unholy union of the king and his commoner love interest, his geniture was shrouded in secrecy. I remember it like it was yesterday, though long have I travelled through the passage of time since. So vivid is the memory that, had you lived during that time, you too would not have shelved it deep inside your cerebrum.

It was a day unlike any others before it, punctuated sporadically by unusual events in what should have been a typical mid summer's day. It began with an eerily silent morning, devoid of the soothing cacophonous melodies from the animal kingdom. Not even the stridulating of crickets nor the croaking of frogs nor the chirping of birds could be heard. As if they knew the significance of that day that we did not.

The village.

Right across this tiny village, the agonizing wail of the mother fighting through her contractions could be painfully heard echoing through the darkness. The proximity between houses and the cobblestone streets carried the screams all the way to the doorstep where I used to live. I tried covering my ears, yet it managed to penetrate through my fingers, the pillow, and right into my eardrums, permanently etching the horror in my brain. That dreadful sound has haunted me for years.

Then, it stopped. The sun was now slightly above the horizon, illuminating the quaint village with its ray of light. For a moment, I thought the worst was over, that the baby was born and the mother was peacefully at rest. I went about my usual routine, when, suddenly, just as it had stopped, the screams had started again. Everyone was out of their homes and pouring onto the streets, panning their heads in search of the source of the afflictive shriek. But none could pinpoint the origin.

The townsfolk murmured to each other, speculating and gossiping about the identity of the woman in labor. Even in that close knit community, no one knew of anyone being pregnant, which adds to the mystery surrounding this birth.

Townsfolk gossiping.

As the sun rose higher and higher, so did the screams. Strange though it was, I noticed, even when the sun was out, the air remained unusually cool, like an autumn evening. The chill, literally, sent shivers down my spine. I wish she would stop screaming. Frighteningly as it was having to listen to her cries, I could not imagine the pain the mother had to endure in labor.

Just when I thought things could not have been any weirder, the clouds began to gather. By this time, I was at the woods next to the village, trying to escape the reach of the mother's cry. From that vantage point, I could see the clouds slowly swirling, quietly converging on top of the village. Then came a sight I will never forget. The sun's majestic rays were now completely absorbed by the thick ash colored clouds, plunging the entire town into morning darkness. The skies, once tinged in soft baby blue, had by then saturated into menacing red, turning the swirling clouds like a suspended whirlpool of blood. Yet, from where I stood, the sun was still glazing me with its soft morning light.

Ominous red sky... see. Scary right?

You can't help but get the ominous feeling that the unborn baby was somehow connected to this ungodly phenomena.

Just then, the rumbles of thunder could be heard. The sound grew louder and louder, crescendoing as if trying to reach a climax, hopefully bringing to a close this horrifying episode in the village's history and, by a larger extent, end the mother's suffering.

So it did.

As if nothing had happened, the clouds dispersed and the skies returned to its original hue. The mother's agony had been replaced by the baby's lung expanding cries. The worst was over... or so I thought. I slumped down, processing what just transpired, when, not too far away from where I rested, came the sound of galloping hooves headed in my direction - FAST! Instinctively, I threw myself away from the trail, just in the nick of time. As the horse drawn carriage zoomed by, I managed a glimpse of the insignia imprinted by the door.

It was the royal emblem. Why would the palace be in this part of town?