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📅 21 June 2027
📍 Thursday – 9:30 PM
📍 Tasek Gelugor, Penang
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I was waiting outside a house in my car.
It was raining heavily.
Thunder roared through the clouds like a beast in pain.
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The radio was on, playing softly in the background. A weather update came through, the radio jockey trying to sound cheerful despite the storm:
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> “It’s raining all over Perak again tonight. Weather experts say it might continue until tomorrow morning. Hope everyone’s safe. And honestly… I have no idea how I’m going to attend an open house tomorrow in this kind of rain.”
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I glanced at my mobile. The time was on the top of the notification bar.
Every second that ticked… my heartbeat matched it.
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One eye on the clock.
Another on my phone — waiting for the call.
I was waiting for a signal...
The perfect moment to enter the house.
I didn’t turn off my screen. I couldn’t.
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As I waited, I saw a father across the road holding an umbrella, carefully guiding his child toward the house.
The little boy clutched a soft stuffed toy in his arms — the famous superhero, Steel Tiger.
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That one image pulled me into a memory...
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When I was six, my parents used to take me and my younger sister to Padang Polo, Ipoh, for small weekend picnics.
Ipoh was where I was born. Where I grew up.
It was home until I turned seventeen.
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And just like that kid…
I had my own Steel Tiger plush toy.
I would never go to a picnic without it — clutching it tightly, feeling like a hero.
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We’d spread out a mat on the grass. My mother would cook our family’s favorite dish — Chicken Rendang with Ghee Rice.
After lunch, my sister and I would run straight to the playground nearby.
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Sometimes, my father’s close friend Dr. Agilan would join us with his family.
He had a daughter named Kayal. Kind, cheerful… and beautiful.
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The three of us — me, Kayal, and my sister — would play games like hopscotch and marbles.
I was the marble champion, by the way.
I’d even brag about it at school the next day.
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It was pure joy. Simple, honest joy.
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The phone rang.
I froze.
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📞 9:47 PM.
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I switched off the engine.
Took a deep breath.
And rushed inside.
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I opened the door...
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And—
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To be continued...
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