by Monica Lim
“Danny!” Melody’s voice shook him out of his fantasy. “Don’t drool on the food!” Danny quickly shut his mouth and straightened up. With two shaking hands clamped tightly onto a bowl of laksa, he cautiously inched forward, serving it to a grumpy and impatient old man.
The two of them raced to serve customers all evening. Finally, the crowd thinned out as it grew late. It was already 8pm. “Everybody loves my mother’s laksa because the gravy is so well-seasoned,” Kwan told Melody and Danny. “Before the war, my mother’s laksa tasted even better. She would put in cockles but now they’re too expensive.”
Danny thought about the delectable pieces of shellfish in his favourite fried noodles. “I love cockles!” He smacked his lips. “They are so yummy!”
“You should have come here before the war,” joked Kwan.
“Yeah, we should have come here BEFORE the war!” Danny glared at Melody. Kwan served a bowl of laksa to one last customer. “You two help my mother pack up. I’ll prepare dinner for us upstairs. We live on the second floor of this shophouse.”
Motivated by the thought of dinner at last, Danny stacked the stools with surprising speed. Melody helped clean up the work area on the pushcart. After she had washed her pots by a small drain and packed up her cart, Kwan’s mother led Melody and Danny upstairs.
When they got upstairs, Melody and Danny saw that Kwan’s home looked similar to Rohana’s. Kwan was preparing dinner in a small common kitchen shared by three families. She then brought the dishes to the room where she lived with her mother.
“Let’s have dinner!” said Kwan as she set a plate of vegetables and four bowls of steaming white rice on a round dining table.
“What? We’re not having that yummy laksa?” Danny’s heart sank. He looked closely at the vegetables on the table. “Long beans and lady’s fingers? Don’t tell me you eat this in 1947 too!”
“Laksa is for customers only!” laughed Kwan. “Long beans and lady’s fingers are my favourite!” She happily lifted her chopsticks and started eating.
“It’s my grandma’s favourite too,” Danny replied gloomily. Kwan picked up a long bean and placed it on a plate. She then placed a lady’s finger carefully next to the long bean, then another long bean and another lady’s finger. The scene looked awfully familiar to Danny. “That’s so funny,” he commented. “My grandma does that too!”
“Really?” said Kwan, munching on a long bean. She ate a lady’s finger next, then continued with a long bean and a lady’s finger alternately. “My mother says I’m so odd to eat this way.”
“But my grandma does that to—!” Danny stopped abruptly as the gears turned in his head. Suddenly, they all snapped into place and an impossible thought dawned on him. What was Grandma’s name again? Min Koon? Min Kan? No, Min Kwan! Could it be? “No way!” muttered Danny under his breath. His mind whirled.
Melody nudged Danny. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, chewing on a large mouthful of rice. “You were so hungry before and now you’re barely touching your food!”
“I think that’s my grandma!” whispered Danny urgently to Melody. “But that’s not possible, right? My grandma’s really old!” Melody looked at him startled. “Are you sure?” The two of them turned to stare at Kwan who was eating away. She suddenly realised that two pairs of eyes were on her and stopped, her chopsticks frozen in mid-air. “What?” she asked. “Why are you staring at me? Do I have rice on my face or something?”
Melody and Danny hastily looked down. “Nothing, nothing!” they both chimed together and continued eating their food. “You can’t tell her!” warned Melody in a whisper. “You’ll just freak her out and who knows what that will do to the time warp!”
“Freak her out?” mumbled Danny. “I’M freaked out! This is so weeiiiirrrd.” Time-travel almost 70 years into the past and he still couldn’t escape his grandma’s cooking! He couldn’t help feeling like someone was playing a dirty trick on him. Surprisingly though, the long beans and lady’s fingers didn’t taste so bad. Danny was so famished he wolfed them all down. It definitely beat going on an empty stomach. Even the plain rice tasted like the most delicious dish ever.
The children and Kwan’s mother polished off every morsel of food on the table. Kwan cleared the dishes. “We should go to bed early,” she said. “We have an early day ahead of us. You can share the bed with my mother and me,” she offered.
“I’m not sharing a bed with a bunch of girls!” declared Danny. “I’ll just sleep on the floor.”
“Suit yourself,” said Melody, taking off her boots and climbing into the double bed. “I’m tired and I’m going to sleep.”
Danger Dan tosses and turns but is unable to fall asleep. The soldier camp is hot and stuffy, and the ground is hard. But no matter! Danger Dan is made of sterner stuff. A hard floor is a trivial matter.
What’s that? Danger Dan’s supersonic hearing picks up one…no, TWO small squeaks. Something scuttles past his left ear. Danger Dan sits up with a jolt. He fumbles around in his red satchel for his IllumiLight and switches it on. A cockroach scampers across the beam of light.
Danger Dan is invincible and afraid of nothing… except cockroaches! Cockroaches are his Kryptonite. Did the Sinister Spy send them to cripple Danger Dan’s courage? He sees more movement out of the corner of his eye. He swings the IllumiLight around and spots another cockroach across the room examining his drying shoe. Danger Dan’s hand trembles.
Danger Dan lies back down and curls into a ball, still eyeing the cockroach on his shoe. It’s okay. Danger Dan is brave. It’s just a few cockroaches. Nothing to be afraid of.
The cockroach turns its head and stares at Danger Dan. The beam of light shakes. No, no, Danger Dan is NOT afraid. He stares back at the cockroach. It’s just one TINY cockroach. Okay, maybe a medium-sized cockroach. Wait a minute…is it Danger Dan’s imagination or is that cockroach getting BIGGER?
The cockroach grows at an astonishing rate. Its ugly brown shell expands and its thin, twitching legs stretch. Its head swells until Danny can see its coiled, antenna-like feelers and its gleaming black eyes. Standing up on its hind legs, its massive head hits the ceiling of the small room. Danger Dan shudders when he sees the cockroach’s disgusting yellowish underbelly.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Danger Dan!” spits the cockroach as it gnashes its rotten teeth. “Not so big and tough any more, are you?”
“Who are you? WHAT are you?” quakes Danger Dan.
“Don’t you recognise me?” snarls the cockroach. Danny catches a glimpse of something on the cockroach’s side. What is that? It looks like black and white stripes. Zebra stripes? The ZEBRA SIDE! What can this possibly mean?
“It doesn’t matter. Soon, you’ll be mine!” crows the cockroach.
“No I won’t! I’ll—AAARRGGHHH!!”
Danger Dan screams. He starts to shrink and feelers sprout out of his head! His arms and legs turn into little brown wires and he grows two extra legs. He has turned into a cockroach!
The giant cockroach chortles cruelly and conjures up a giant bowl of laksa. It stirs the bowl until a whirlpool of laksa forms. It carelessly picks Danger Dan up and flings him into the whirlpool. Danger Dan cries for help but is sucked into the column of spicy gravy. Orange sauce swirls around him as noodles, fish cake and bean sprouts sail past him.
“You are doomed, Danger Dan!” cackles the cockroach. “Goodbye Danny! Danny, Danny, DannyDannyDanny…”
“Danny! Danny! Wake up!”
Danny woke up with a start. Melody was shaking him violently. “Time to get up! We have stuff to do!” Danny blinked a few times. What a horrid nightmare! Those wretched cockroaches. He looked at his watch…5am. Who wakes up at this ungodly hour? This is worse than getting ready for school.
Danny sat up sluggishly. His back ached. His shoulders ached. His head ached. He felt like a zombie. How did Melody look so rested and poised? That air-con, auto-drying, auto-whatever jacket sure had magical abilities!
Kwan popped
her head through the door. “Well, are you guys coming?” she called.
Danny and Melody quickly followed Kwan, who was a bundle of energy. She brought them to Geylang Market which was wet, dirty and a sensory overload of sounds and smells. Danny and Melody were impressed by how Kwan nimbly navigated the crowded and confusing maze of stalls, bargaining with the vegetable sellers, fishmongers and dried goods stall holders like a professional. Her purchases mounted up and finally, they headed back with a full basket of vegetables, assorted ground spices, freshly squeezed coconut milk and five whole slabs of fish cake.
Back at the pushcart, Melody helped prepare the fish cake while Danny was tasked with plucking the bean sprouts. Danny looked at the impossibly gigantic mound of bean sprouts and groaned.
Bean sprouts! Danger Dan is made for greater things. This is torture. Nevertheless, he will soldier on for the sake of his comrades. Danger Dan plucks the 21st bean sprout. Only 9,979 more to go! Sigh.
Much to his relief, Melody gave him a hand and they finished plucking all the bean sprouts just as the lunchtime crowd started gathering. Like the previous evening, Danny and Melody rushed to serve bowl after bowl of laksa to scores of hungry customers.
“One bowl over there!” ordered Kwan. Melody hurried over to collect the steaming bowl of laksa. She brought it to a man sitting on a stool. He had a thick moustache and wore a black cap. As his right arm reached out to take the bowl from her, his unusual watch caught Melody’s eye. It displayed blue digital numbers and looked like a giant metal spider had clasped onto his wrist. As the man glanced up at Melody, a glint of recognition formed in his eyes. He gave a start and leapt to his feet.
“You!” he gasped before running away. Melody was startled. “Wait, Mister! You forgot your laksa!” She called after him but he was already gone. She brought the bowl back to Kwan, puzzled. The man had looked strangely familiar but she couldn’t place him. Where had she seen him before?
When Melody and Danny had finished serving the customers, there were two bowls of laksa left. To Danny’s delight, Kwan’s mother handed them each a bowl and said in Mandarin, “Eat! Eat!” For the first time since he had met her, she wore a smile on her tired face.
“Thank you, Auntie!” he chirped, accepting the bowl like it was the best gift he’d ever received. Danny tucked in with relish. He stuffed his mouth with the firm noodles and slurped up the smooth, flavourful gravy. The bean sprouts added a nice crunch and the aromatic spices made his eyes water. “Is the laksa too spicy for you, Danny?” asked Melody in amusement as she daintily ate her noodles. “Are you kidding?” said Danny happily. “These are tears of joy!”
“The laksa is yummy, right?” said Kwan as she approached them. “My mother says you two have been really helpful. Take a break tonight. Go out and enjoy yourselves!”
After lunch, the three of them sat in front of the cart, enjoying a moment’s peace. “Is it just you and your mother?” Melody asked Kwan. “Where’s your father?”
“Oh, my father passed away when I was very young,” explained Kwan. “Ma had to raise me by herself so she started selling laksa. She had to work very hard so I left school after Primary Four to help her. She says it’s still important to learn though. Sometimes, customers pass me old newspapers and I try to read them to improve my English.”
Danny felt a deep sense of admiration for his great-grandmother, as well as his grandmother, who looked younger than his sisters Amy and Betty at the moment. This time travel business made his head spin.
Kwan got up. “See you two later tonight. I’m going upstairs.” After Kwan had left, Danny gushed about his grandmother. “She’s so fantastic! And so smart! And so YOUNG!” He then realised that Melody was deep in thought and not listening to him. “Melody? Melody? Helloooo?”
“Shhhh, I’m trying to think!” shushed Melody crossly. She frowned. Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Ohhh! I know where I’ve seen him before! He was that thief we were chasing in 1964, when we were saving the Merlion!”
“Huh?” Danny was puzzled. “You mean the one on the bike? When did you see him again?”
“Just now!” said Melody agitatedly. “I served him laksa and when he saw me, he took off!”
“Are you sure?” asked Danny. His head spun even more. “That’s so strange! How can that be?”
Melody turned to Danny and gestured dramatically. “Do you know what this means?”
“Yes!” replied Danny with a knowing look. “The two men are EVIL TWINS!”
Melody looked exasperated. “How can they be twins if they’re in different time periods?”
“Oh, you’re right,” conceded Danny. “I know, I know! The man CLONED himself!”
“Ggggnnnnnhhh! You qwirklehead!” Melody tried very hard to control herself. “The two men. Are. The same. Person.”
Danny looked skeptical and gave an amused smile. “Don’t you think that’s a little far-fetched? How can they be the same person when they appear in different time periods?”
Melody smacked her forehead. She looked like she was about to burst. “TIME TRAVEL! He can time-travel too!”
“What?” Danny looked shocked. “Did you bring someone else with you?”
“I DIDN’T BRING ANYONE ELSE!” exploded Melody. “In fact, I’m starting to regret bringing you! Ohhhhhh, I’m getting a headache.”
Danny patted her arm. “There, there. No need to get so worked up.” Melody buried her head in her hands. After a long while, she lifted her head and pleaded, “Later, we’re going to meet Uncle Zubir. That’s our only chance to persuade him. Please try not to mess it up.” She took a deep breath. “And remember, his name is Zubir! Not Zebra!”
Danny recalled his terrifying nightmare. “Okay, okay. Zoo-beer. Zoooooo-beer. Zebras at the ZOO, drinking BEER. Zubir. Got it.” Melody stared at him in wonder. “It’s fascinating how your brain works.”
They rested until it was time to meet Rohana. Then they walked over to her home where Zubir Said and his family were waiting for them on the ground floor. Rohana spotted them and skipped over. “You’re here!” she said, grabbing Melody’s hand. “Come, let’s go to Happy World!”
Happy World was an easy 10-minute walk away. Danny and Melody heard loud, cheerful music welcoming them before they came to a large compound with a brightly lit sign at the entrance, stating ‘Happy World’. It was an amusement park from a long-forgotten time and Danny was enamoured. Festive strings of rainbow lights and upbeat music blaring from the loudspeakers added to the lively atmosphere. People were streaming into the park, drawn to its gaiety.
Small stalls selling all kinds of knick-knacks and food items were scattered throughout the park. The ones that held the most attraction for Rohana were the toy shops. She squealed with delight and ran towards a shop displaying a vibrant variety of children’s playthings and party trinkets. Dolls with delicately painted blue eyes. Spinning tops in brilliant colours like red and yellow. Small metal cars. Mini drum sets. It was a child’s wonderland.
Rohana could not tear her eyes away from a miniature xylophone, which the stall keeper was tinkering on. “Look, Mama!” cried Rohana, entranced by its bell-like chimes.
“Come now, Rohana,” said her mother gently, stretching out her hand. “We don’t want you to get lost.” Reluctantly, Rohana took hold of her mother’s hand, gazing back longingly at the xylophone. Soon, her attention was diverted by something else. “Papa!” shrieked Rohana. “Kacang puteh!”
She pointed to a tiny cart manned by an Indian man in a white shirt. A dizzying array of nuts, peas and beans was laid out in brown paper bags. Danny never knew so many kinds existed. Steamed groundnuts, chickpeas, broad beans, salted cashew nuts, crunchy green peas, roasted peanuts and mixed nuts. And that wasn’t all! There was also muruku and a delectable assortment of crackers.
“Alright, alright!” laughed Zubir Said. “Pick one.” He turned to Melody and Danny. “Each of you choose one too! My treat.”
With so many choices in front of them, Dan
ny couldn’t make up his mind. “This one!” he said, pointing excitedly at the cashew nuts. “No, wait, that one! No, I’ve got it—THIS!” He finally chose the sugar-coated peanuts. Like a magician, the man fashioned a paper cone out of a piece of newspaper with a simple twirl and flourish of his hand. He twisted the pointy end of the cone so that it wouldn’t fall apart. A single scoop of the tantalising treat filled the cone exactly to the brim. Melody decided to try some muruku. Grinning, the man handed her an identical cone filled with the crispy, golden-brown twists.
Armed with their cones of kacang puteh, the group proceeded to watch the dances on the open joget stage. Many pretty ladies dressed in kebayas performed the traditional Malay dance. Their elegant, floral dresses brightened the stage. Zubir Said and his wife tapped their feet to the rhythmic music as they watched the lively dancing.
Melody thought this was a good opportunity to try and persuade Zubir Said. “Uncle Zubir,” said Melody carefully. “I can see you enjoy music very much. Won’t you reconsider becoming a bus driver? It would be such a waste of your talent if you stopped being a musician.”
Zubir Said smiled warmly at Melody. “In life, it’s important to adapt to situations. Even if it means giving up music. Although life is tough, I came back to Singapore because my heart belongs here. Now that the war is over, the people need to move forward together. Majulah Singapura—”
Danny was throwing the crumbs from the last of his kacang puteh to a few greedy pigeons. “Yes! Majulah Singapura!” interrupted Danny. “You should write a song about that!”
Zubir Said laughed. “You two are very persistent! No, no, I’m a bus driver now, thanks to my friend, Johnny…My goodness! What a coincidence! Hello, Johnny!”
Melody and Danny turned to look at the man whom Zubir Said was waving to. Melody gasped. “You!” It was the thief from 1964! His spider-like watch gave off a faint blue glow. The man inhaled sharply when he saw Melody. “You again!” he snarled. With lightning fast reflexes, he turned and sprinted away.