Tales of the Supernatural #2: Under the Table
Exam season is over for everyone in university now, and people are starting to plan their Easter holidays and getting excited. No more long nights burning the midnight oil and no more eye bags so big people can't recognise you anymore (this actually happened to one of my friends, no joke).
But all those nights you were up cramming till dawn, when you thought you were all alone and the world was dead asleep, perhaps you weren't really alone...
My cousin was studying at a boarding school, and as a straight As kinda guy, he studied alone in his room till the wee hours quite often. Those were the nights so quiet, that all he could hear was the scratching of his pen on paper, and the flipping of the pages of his books.
One night, he was doing his usual midnight revision session, when he dropped his pen. With the table lamp as the only light source, under his desk was really dark. Fumbling around with his hands under the table looking for his pen, suddenly his pen was handed to him. Automatically, he said "thank you", and continued writing. Due to sleep deprivation, his brain wasn't really at it's clearest, and it took him a while to realise that someone, or something, had handed him the pen back.
As he realised this, a chill went up his spine. He pulled the chair back from the desk, and stooped down to get a better look under his desk. There, crouching in the dark, was a child-sized creature, with green skin and large yellow eyes. It grinned, showing a full set of sharp pointy teeth, and said: "You're welcome".
So to all students, try not to stay up too late? Revise regularly instead of cramming all night. It's much healthier and probably safer as well...
*Note: The creature described here is called "toyol" in Malay, and according to folklore has the appearance I described, similar to a goblin. Its origins are said to be a child spirit evoked by dead human fetuses using black magic. People often keep them as pets/servants, using them mainly to steal from others or to do mischief.
It is sometimes called the "Kwee Kia" in Hokkien. In Thailand, they are called Koman-tong (Male) and Koman-lay (Female). In Philippines they have a similar child spirit called the "tiyanak". In Cambodia they are called "Cohen Kroh". In South Korea called "Do Yeol".
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyol
