As the outing was planned last minute on 17th April, only 3 guys turned up - Jack, Brandon and me... Met up at 11.45pm, 19th April and set off for our first destination: MacRitchie Reservoir Water Tomb...
Quoted from SPI Website:
Tomb Mystery and Shui Gui
(Source: an informant who is said to be related to the family descendents of the deceased of the tomb)
Many years ago, there wasn't any reservoir at where it is now called McRitchie reservoir. It was a very scenic hill. And who can guess the eerie tomb where most people shun away nowadays was once a romantic alcove? It was a protruding lookout point in the middle of a hiking track along the slope of a hill. From there the view was spectacular as it over looked a lush hilly landscape like a flowery meadow over the valley. Birds and wild monkeys over the hills sang in orchestra and the nature sounds filled the air.
The above mentioned romantic alcove was a meeting place for Fann and Lok (both are not real names). The alcove witnessed the most drastic emotions of mankind, put up by this couple, through life and death, joy, romance, betrayal, grief and tragedy.
The story happened near the end of 18th century. Fann was a sole daughter of a rich and famous family who run an import trading business with the British. Fann grew up in Britain and always loved nature. Her grew-up environment shaped her to be a bold and open-minded person. That was somewhat opposite to her father that was very traditional and rigorous - a typical Chinese business man who calculates gain and loss more than anything else. Since Fann was young, her family had arranged a marriage for her, that was common in the old days, with a son of a tycoon called Tai. Obviously building a marriage with a tycoon's son would benefit lifting Fann's family business to a new height.
However, Fann never wanted to submit to her fate. Being a girl of 20 years ago, she was autonomous enough to manage her own life. She left home from time to time and she would like to hang out at the scenic walks in McRitchie reservoir (that wasn't a reservoir in those days). That was a perfect place for some quiet moments, away from troubles. It became Fann's favourite sanctuary whenever she felt depressed.
Fann met her Mr. right at the reservoir one day. That was Lok. We didn't know much about Lok, not even our informant. We were told that Lok was a charismatic communist, a leader of some political group before the war who regularly organized gatherings near McRitchie reservoir area. It is their destiny that they bumped, they clicked and fell in love though they came from quite a different background.
Their dating at McRitchie reservoir lasted for some period of time. This couple always met there, fell in love and they vow to get married there with the witness of heaven and earth (the sky and the valley in McRitchie reservoir). They courted each other more and more often, until one day Fann's family got wind about this. As expected, Fann's father was very angry about this affair because her daughter was disobeying him, let alone the fact that Lok was a communist clan leader that was a natural enemy to a Pro-British business man. Fann's father and Tai's father plotted to do something patching up the situation. The arranged marriage had to proceed in only few months time anyway. They wouldn't allow Lok to interrupt about it.
On one fateful evening, as usual, Fann was expecting to meet Lok at their favorite spot in McRitchie reservoir. Instead of Lok, his fellow came and delivered her a letter. Nobody knows what was the content of the letter and who had actually written it. However, on the next morning, Fann's body was found dead at the bottom of the valley, just right under the lookout point where Fann always hanged out. Again, nobody knows whether she jumped down, pushed down or fell down by accident.
After Fann's death, the wedding arranged between the two families of course had to be cancelled. Hence, Fann's family business, without the help of tycoon Tai, plunged down very soon and eventually got bankrupt.
But still, the tycoon's son, Tai loves Fann very much. That was what the public could have seen about. He spent a lot of money and took Fann to be buried at the lookout point with a splendid tomb. The grand tomb had a very superb facing, overseeing the hills across the valley. Many years later, however, McRitchie reservoir was developed into a water catchments area, and the valley turned into a water reservoir as it is of today. Water filled up the valley, to the level of the tomb, flooding even the lower part of it. This is how the name water tomb came about.
How our informant knows so much about? She claimed that she was a relative to Tai but refused to elaborate more. The concealment led us to speculate that there was something dirty that the Tai family had done but we just cannot verify without any evidence.
Under much persistence, our informant finally admitted that Tai's family had done something to intervene into Fann's relationship with Lok, but not with any intent to have her killed. The informant told us another secret too, relating to the choice of location where Fann was buried.
Most people would think that Tai so loved Fann (although it was one way) that he had been so nice to build her a posh tomb. The truth was otherwise.
We were told that Lok was actually murdered in the same year after Fann died, and Fann's body was found to be pregnant by the doctors in hospital. People know that Lok was killed too in a riot but it was actually a plot arranged in purpose. Here is the most intriguing thing. Lok's body was buried in Bukit Brown cemetery (aka Kopi Hill cemetery). That was the idea by his dialect clan leader who in turn was controlled by Tai's family. And Fann's body was offered to be buried at the lookout point that happened to be on the opposite site of the hill.
In other words, Fann and Lok were buried between and separate by a hill, back-to-back. So they never face each other. All these were arranged by Tai! You can see how jealousy turned into hatred, and into revenge.
Since then, Fann's grave was nicked as water tomb. Even more frightening, people believe that is very haunted. Sightings of a female apparition emerging from water are common at night. Some call it Shui Gui (water ghost).
Our informant continued telling. Nowadays the decedents of Tai's family realized what their grandfather had done is tremendously wrong. They feel guilty about it, especially after they heard that the Shui Gui which is believed to be Fann's spirit was haunting the reservoir. They used to invite monks to perform rituals trying to appease the soul but that doesn't help. Till now, Tai's family has been funding a contractor to come and sweep the tomb regularly. Every year they will bring offerings by themselves to the tomb during festivals like Ching Ming and July Hungry Ghost Month.
This is a fair world, when planting a good deed, you will receive a good reward. Likewise a crime will invite mishap. God knows what they have done. Tai's family seems to be cursed. The grandfather and the father were both drown to death, though not in McRitchie reservoir. It wasn't long ago. The father at his late age had developed some mental problem. He was kept at home all the time. But for some unknown reason, one day he sneaked away alone, and found drown in a sewage drain mysteriously. It was classified as an unnatural death by the police, and was reported on news last year.
One last thing that the informant told us. If we want to know whether Fann's spirit is around, throw a coconut into the water. If it floats, that means no spirit. If it sinks, that shows Fann's spirit is around!
That is all our informant shared with us. She looked quite sad at the end of the interview. She kept murmuring to herself "Wrath, such is wrath, how I wish Fann's spirit will be in peace".
It was 20 past 12 when we reached the last carpark that was closest to the water tomb that we’re searching... Though the lighting was very bright, there were only two cars present, making this quite a good make out spot... I stuck close to the last car as I was trying to make a parallel parking and commented on how good this place is for making out... Then up comes a girl’s head from the adjacent car’s back seat!!! “Oops!” I gasped, more “Oops” coming from my passengers... I couldn’t help but noticed how pretty the girl is as she kept staring at us the entire time... Well, doing that certainly doesn’t help us get away from you!! As much as I want to get away quickly, I flustered and couldn’t do the parking properly... Had to move in and out several times to get away... Her head only disappeared when I’ve parked properly and switched off my headlights...
Now where’s the guy’s head?!? Hmm... (6cough9?)
After this heart thumping ordeal, we went on foot for our real objective of the night... The path is unlit, uneven, and wet... Clever me told everyone not to bring torches just so that it’ll be more exciting... I was fine, but Jack and Brandon had night blindness... The moonlight helps, but only when the tree cover allows it to... Brandon took out his lighter which has an LED light behind it... It’s pathetic, but it’s the best thing we had...
The path wasn’t eerie, it was quite wide and the only thing disturbing us were the webs that tried its best to hold us back... The thought of making it all the way in then having to find our way back when the light dies isn’t exactly a walk in the park (pun intended)... 20 minutes of trekking took its toll on our little torch... As its light starts to dim, fear starts to arise... It would be scarier finding our way out of this endless path in the dark than seeing some ghost, worse still if both happens together... We had no choice but turn around and made a quick march for the exit...
While on our way out, we checked the map (which we couldn’t when we’re going in because some couple was having a good time in front of it) and realized that we missed the trail that will bring us to the tomb even though we passed it twice while going in and coming out!!!
Oh well, we’ll have to do it again when we’re more prepared...
Next stop was Old Changi Hospital... It was 1am and there were groups of people waiting outside the entrance... “For what?” I thought, “too afraid to go in?”
Yes... I’m too afraid to go in as well...
There were 2 police patrol cars and a minibus parked at the hospital’s carpark, ghost hunting session for them as well? Several blaring motorcyclists thinking that they are so much braver than us cowards stopped right in front of the entrance of the hospital and quietly made a U-turn... We were waiting to see some entertainment in case someone did not see the police and go straight in... To our disappointment, none were as stupid as we thought...
The 10 odd policemen left the premise at around 2am, quite a big group for ghost hunting eh?
After several minutes of pep talk, I managed to coax Jack into going in himself... Haha... What a simple-minded person... I didn’t expect him to stay there for long and true enough, he came back out after 5 minutes...
He said it was too dark and he couldn’t see anything... He then asked for the torch and wanted to go in again... The place is quite dilapidated and letting him explore the entire building alone was too dangerous (previously he had no light so I knew he couldn’t go far), thus I decided to go in together...
I’ve walked through those corridors for so many times it doesn’t scare me anymore... I believe fear is contagious, and my confidence seems to make them braver as well... Somehow I must learn to instill fear in them...
since 1st March 2005
