Chap[ter 17 The Coffin Bunsiness

With the termination of our timber business our father rented the showroom to a coffin seller.So dear friends hat was never anything to do with us.

What a dreadful sign with coffins lying all round but we were too young to understand much so we as usual played around those coffins.Now everyone thought we were children of a coffin trader.How awful- being known coffin man's children.

Nevertheless we still played around those coffins.Some of our friends even played hide and seek with them hiding with these coffins.They even dared sleeping in them but never me I dared not.

Once I was insulted by a big bully and was challenged to fight him.Not fearing for the worst I stood up against him with drawn fists.He was starring deep into me with fist ready to punch.

He was huge in size and definitely hanged there over looking down on me Me, I was short and small comparatively.I was surely at a disadvantage against this brute. Nevertheless I braved on looking back at him.

Seeing him on the standoff I without hesitation  swan my right uppercutting on to his chin.It was a strong and powerful punch.Poor thing was dropped to the floor by that punch.Next thing I knew I was proclaimed the hero from all angles.

"Wah",so said Ah Bye our one legged friend,"only one single punch and down felt the big bully.Very good". with everyone crowding around me he could not even rise up to fight me further.From then on I was known as a fighter a very good fighter.

During our stay there we had meet with another character,an apprentice of the carpenter.He was also staying at the workshop and it was he who taught me some Chinese "kungfu". His name was a Ah Soi semi- cracko.

My cousin who was working next door also taught me other "kungfu"moves.Strengthenimg my arms and fists by shadow boxing on trees.He was very skilful and could smashed the bark of trees with his fore arms..With such guidance how can I be a weakling?.

The extra field where our house stood also served as our training ground.The logs for the nearby sawmill also laid ready for us to train our jumping and resting.Resting to gaze at the starry nights of the beautiful sky.

There a large tract of land behid our house laying in waste.Littered with tall coconut palms through out the and with no coconuts in sight,presumably stolen before even mature.The undergrowth within were thick bushes.

Within this hid the "moon shiners".I had actually taken a peep at it once in the morning when the moon shiners were not around.They normally operated at night,deep into the night where no one noticed them.

The place was filthy with many rusty drums filled with dirty water lying around.There were dead rats by its side.Those have been drown in the moon shine.How on earth human being could have consumed such drinks..However they outings were short lived as soon the Police had them arrested and prosecuted in court. That ended their business.

Our father had nothing t do so he turned to writing small reports to certain not so well known newspaper.Earnings from such were extremely low if at all he was paid.Our livelihood was at its lowest then but carried on.