Lost In The Jungle

I heard this story when I was young. Padang kerbau was located at Pujut Corner Miri. Back then there was no bus terminal and tar road. The place was covered in thick forest. A small group of people used to live there in their wooden house and farming was their source of income. While the adults went to the farm, the children would play around the house.

One day, a child was lost without trace. The family searched the whole jungle night and day to look for the child but to no avail. They then seek the help of a bomoh. He told them that the child was lead astray to the jungle by the jungle spirits. The child’s eyes have been covered by the spirits and are unable to find his way back. The only way to find the child is to make a lot of noise in the jungle to frighten the spirits. The family led a search team to the jungle, armed with tin cans and kuali (cooking pots) to make as much noise a possible. Soon they were able to find the child, tired and crying alone the middle of the jungle.

When the child recovered, he told his family that he followed someone into the jungle and got lost. He also saw them searching for him but every time he tried to call out, he had no voice and would vomit out mouthful of insects.