The man in the KTM

I was on my way back home after going to a 5-day long course/camp, which was surprisingly very informative and insightful. But I’m not sure if I’m goanna post about my experience though. What I can superficially say is that the place in Klang is fab and conducive. Food is served 6 times a day, nom nom nom… Not to mention that the toilet is top class too. In the camp I learned a lot of stuff about my beloved country, the constitution and pretty much about peace and unity. Overall a great experience and I hope every Malaysian has a chance to take part in it.

Moving back to story. I was boarding the train and fortuitously I spotted an empty seat. Seating beside the seat was an wizened man cladded in sarong, obviously just returning from the Friday prayers. Everything looked normal, that is, until I took my seat on the targeted chair and when the train started to move.

Out of the blue, the old man initiated a series of Islamic lecture to a teenage boy seating beside him, whom is not me by the way. He was blurting seemingly nonsensical religious stuff, and that in a loud manner. Everyone was rather bemused and gobsmacked as the eyes of some scanned the old fellow while other eyes tried not to make contact with the mysterious man.

Because of his loud manner, I can’t help but eavesdrop overtly. What I remembered was his saying about women being sinners. Referring to the ladies as “kaum hawa”. He went on saying that majority of the people in hell are women, that women make up the bulk of people in the netherworld, that one will find more women graves in graveyards and such. Unsurprisingly, he evinced his notion by involving the story of Adam as well.

Then he said something about tall humans back then. If I’m not mistaken, he said about how prophets can walk from a continent to the next in just one step or leap. But nowadays, according to him, humans have shrunk. Last time people allegedly can travel around the world in the blink of an eye. If that was true, I was thinking that gargantuan human remains should have been discovered by now.

After a couple of stops, the old man finally reached his destined-nation. As he left his seat, a void was left. People were looking at one another. Some were even guffawing at one another.

The atmosphere in the train was back to normal. People resumed whatever activities they were doing beforehand. As fast as lightning, the incident would  soon be forgotten, or perhaps not.

Why did he said those things? Could it be that what he said were true? I’m in no position to answer that but heck it was something that really added spice in the mundane journey of KTM, where strangers are always caught in the awkwardness of silence.