Water Lily Pond

Water Lily Pond

There have always been ghost stories about the Water Lily Pond at the Botanical Gardens, just like any other old places and buildings in Penang. It is not surprising, given that our little island has a long colourful history. There must have been at least one tragic death in each square mile of the island throughout all these years of settlement. More so since Penang was also one of the hardest hit states in Malaya during the Second World War.

The pond is located in a secluded area within the park itself, and is accessible via two parallel walking track along the river that it flows into. It is said that during the Japanese Occupation, many insurgents were brought here and executed. Walking along the dark path, which is covered above by the thick canopy of towering tropical woods, can be a solitary and daunting task. People walking ahead of you will soon be swallowed invisible by the thick greenery flanking the route, and people behind you remain as muffled footsteps and chattering murmurs.

It was during my primary school years when I first experienced the haunting effect of this famous pond. My childhood friend and I were walking halfway through the path, when we stumbled upon a newspaper cut-out, which looked like an obituary photo of a man, hanging from a branch.

Fear is like a cold spark that triggers a chain of trembling weakness throughout the sinews of the body. It's contagious too! For when I started running, my friend did too, and we both raced along the uneven track, trying to reach the main road as fast as we could. Whether we shouted or screamed, or whether we ran past the pond or not,  I could not remember. But the bone chilling experience remained in my memory until today.

If you look at the picture of the beautiful sunlit water lilies now; branching out like starburst of a firework, I bet you would not believe a single word of the story I just told you.

Or would you?