Chapter 2 The Story Teller

The first comical character Fabian meet on the plantation was an old man in his sixties.This old man lived two units away from Fabian's house.Every morning he sit along the veranda yearning away while puffing his cigarettes.

Fabian when new sat far away listening to what he had to say.When joined by the Yap brothers,all of them moved nearer to listen to what story he had been telling.Fabian remembered well of a story about shooting of a tiger.

His audiences were mostly small children of those Chinese families residing in that plantation.The Yap brothers with Fabian and brothers gathered round to listen.Those days they all played about topless and bare footed.

Well,the tiger story.This old man always yearned about how he protected a host of female folks from a ferocious tiger.This began with women ventured deep into the jungle to collect opium leaves from trees in the jungle.It seem that the opium leaves were as big as a palm and length about a foot.

The old man claimed he was escorting those females as the plucked the opium leaves,while he was enjoying his smoking.The silence of the jungle was broken by the appearance of a tiger,seemingly ferocious.The tiger gave a huge roared,that took the light out of everyone.

The women folks were screaming with fear and crying.At this split seconds the old man stood up and brandishing his gun aiming at the tiger.As the tiger rose and jumped at him he steadily pulled his trigger.

Bang!.That shot hit the ferocious jumping tiger directly in the face.It looked as if stunned,it did not know what hit him.It dropped on that spot and struggled for a few seconds.The old man claimed that at that moment he reloaded his gun and took a second aim at the struggling tiger,but as he was about to give another shot the tiger had stopped its struggling,lying there motionless.

That tiger died without standing up again.So claimed him,with one single shot he killed that tiger.So ended his story.

As the Yap brothers and Fabian were walking away,Francis following behind saying "Wah,that old man very brave,eh?".
"Yeah,a first class liar",said the elder Yap.
"Yeah,huh?Those days where got opium leaves?",replied Fabian.
"Are not opium from poppy flowers,how come his growing on our trees?"continued
Fabian.
"For all I know he never owned a gun,let alone shooting a tiger?",said the younger Yap.
As they walked away towards the plantation only sundry shop.Fabian said,"Let us visit our new girl friend".
All laughed,"Your girl friend,the shopkeeper's daughter?"."Ha,ha,ha,".