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• Azreen Salleh, a Malaysian student studying in London, was rushing

to the airport. She needed to catch her flight back to Malaysia.• She just received a news that her sister had just died.

• When she stepped out from her dormitory, her friend, Julian Ng,

called out her name.

Are you leaving?

I have to go

home earlier.

I’ve spoken to

the Principal. I’ll

be taking my

exams next year.My sister died

yesterday.

Safe journey. Send

my condolence to

your family.

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• Those were the happy days and those days

were over.

• On the flight, her mind wandered off toher sister, Madhuri who was four years

older than her.

• Madhuri was always the pretty, charming

and filial one. Nobody would notice

Azreen when Madhuri was around. Herparents and friends always compared her

to Madhuri. She would never match up to

Madhuri. Everybody liked her.

•

They had always gone out walking andcycling together around the village. They

had been inseparable.

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• She wondered how they felt about

Madhuri’s death and they would

have to explain everything to her

sooner or later.

• When Azreen arrived at the

Langkawi International Airport, she

was greeted by Datin Sharifah and

Datuk Zulkifli, her foster parents.

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Back in the village, Pn. Kamsiah could still feel the horror of 

what her neighbour, Pn Normala had told her behind the

shrubs in between their houses. She had taken Pn Kamsiah by

the arm and hissed into her ears… 

I’ve just seen

something

terrible. I sawMadhuri’s body as

they took her out.

It’s horrible. Her

blood… I saw it. It

was WHITE. We

have all been

CURSED !!

I’ve heard

enough about

Madhuri. Pleaseleave the poor

girl alone… 

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Meanwhile, at Madhuri’s house, Siti was sitting

solemnly in the living room. At one corner, Pn

Normala, the village gossip, was sitting with a

group women. They were talking about

Madhuri. Her body had been taken away to the

grave yard. To Siti, Madhuri was a sweet and

likeable woman. Madhuri had given her Quranlessons when she was six.

Suddenly, the whispering from the group of 

women stopped. Azreen came up the steps. Her

eyes glared out rather angrily at the women.Then, without a word, she pushed forward her

heavy bag and stormed past the living room.

Everybody knew Azreen as Madhuri’s younger

sister.

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As Azreen disappeared into the back of the house, the women

continued gossiping … 

I told you. That girl’s nothingbut trouble. Look what she

just did – walking in without

greeting us. How

disrespectful. No wonder

her parents sent her away.Remember the last time

when she beat up Minah’s 

daughter…. 

I think she’s just angry

with her parents.

Poor girl. She didn’t even get

to see her sister for the last

time.

Azreen hates her sister so much

that she refused to write to her.

She’s a hateful and ungrateful

child. I know she would grow

up to be like that. She was such

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Azreen’s bedroom was empty. There were only a mattress, a

chair and a box of clothes. It was no room for a girl.

Mak Cik, please tell me the

truth. How did Madhuri

die? I’m sure you know

something.Dear, everything was so

hush-hush. That stupid

superstitious woman

claimed that Madhuri hadbeen murdered and that

she had put a curse on us

before she die. They did

not tell us anything. To

them, we are outsiders.

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By ‘them’, you mean my father. Yes… he

did this on purpose. He’s pushing you

aside like you don’t mean anything to me.

And Madhuri’s body …. He knew that I

would be back today and he refused to letme had anything to do with it. Why do

you think he took her body so early?

Why? I’ll tell you why. He did it to spite

me. He wouldn’t let me see her off. He…. 

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• Soon after that, Azreen went to see her

mother.

• At first, her mother thought she was

Madhuri. Azreen had to explain to her

that she was Azreen.

• Finally she recognised her and told her

to ask Madhuri to prepare a big lunch tocelebrate her return.

• Then, she asked her mother whether her father had told her

about what had happened to Madhuri.•  When her mother did not give the answer, she knew that her

father had not told her mother about it.

• She was very angry and decided to bring her mother to the

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• Haji Ghani looked at Azreen and

he noticed how Azreen wasdifferent from his wife, Madhuri.

•He missed Madhuri so much.

The fragrance of jasmine at theburial ground reminded him of 

Madhuri, how she loved to put

the flowers on her silky black

hair, and how she would laugh

when the flowers fell gently on

her lashes.

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•  Azreen stayed at the burial ground until

evening. She stared blindly at the place where

her sister was buried. She could not feel anything. She had shed no tear, felt no sorrow 

for the loss. Only numbness.

• Suddenly, someone approached behind her.

It was her old friend, Mohd Asraf. After two

years away from home, she could still remember his face so clearly. 

• They spoke for a while on meaningless things. The real subject that

was on both minds was left untouched.• After that they headed home. Azreen watched quietly as Mohd

Asraf walked away. She felt a sense of loss. And there was only one

person that could cause such emotional damage to her and it was

Madhuri…. 

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• Azreen was thirteen years old when she

first talked to Asraf. He was two years older

and a school prefect. He was a smart andhandsome boy and always smiled at her

when they met.

• They could talk about anything. They

loved talking about hockey match.

•She joined the boys to play hockey and

she had become like one of the boys by the

end of the semester.

• Other girls in her class began to talk about her because she

behaved so unladylike, laughing like a bunch of hyenas with theboys’ hockey team, and always hanging out with Asraf after class.

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•  When Azreen arrived home, the villagers

had all left.

• Datin Sharifah and her husband had also

left but they had left her two pillows, two

bottles of water, some bananas and oranges

and a bag of disposable toiletries. They

were very thoughtful.

•

Azreen opened the window to let in samefresh air. When she was about to turn away,

she saw a sudden movement outside the

house.

•  A dark shape fleeted across the gate and disappeared down the

pathway. It looked like a woman with streaming black hair. It looked verymuch like Madhuri but that was impossible!

• She quickly slammed the window. She jumped onto her mattress and

buries her head underneath a pillow.

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• At Haji Ghani’s house, Haji Ghani was flipping

through the photo album of his wedding two

years ago. He smiled when he looked at pictures

of him and Madhuri.• His first wife, Puan Fatihah called him to bed

but he was not ready to sleep yet.

• Puan Fatihah went to the living room where

there were a few framed photos of Madhuri on

the wall. She almost grabbed one and threw itout of the window.

•  She was angry at Madhuri because she had entered their lives and ruined

their marriage. She hated her husband for his weakness and despised herself 

for giving in to him when he asked for her permission to take Madhuri as his

second wife.

• Puan Fatihah removed a keris from a glass cabinet and with a smile, she

ran the keris viciously through a curtain that Madhuri had bought. She felt

the satisfaction when the keris tearing jaggedly through the cloth.

• She threw the torn pieces into the dustbin before going to bed.

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