BRIGHT RED AND VERY INVITING LOOKING FRUITS

The Mahkota Dewa or Crown of God Plant (Macrocarpa phaleria) growing in front of the school library is bearing a lot of bright red fruits. They do look inviting and one of the school technicians have asked if they could be eaten. For your information, this guy has a tendency to take herbs and fruits from the Herb Garden without asking for permission. Just the other day, he asked me if the fruits on a certain plant was edible and said that if they were, he'd take the lot back to eat. Well, I told him that if he ate the fruit straight from the plant, he'd get poisoned. The fruit is extremely poisonous when raw and must be prepared for human consumption. Generally, this is done by grating or shredding it and then drying the material for use as a tea.

Here is a bit of gossip I'd like to share with you about the technician whom I was talking about.  I heard that his wife was acting a bit strange as if she were possessed.  It seems that he had to take her to the bomoh for treatment.  What I suspect is that he had gone to the Herb Garden after we had all left at 5.00 p.m. and helped himself to the herbs there.  He could also have disturbed and angered one of the Penunggus residing there.  The other day when he told me that if the fruit of the Mata Itik plant could be eaten, he'd harvest them, I gave him a piece of my mind.  I told him that the plants were planted by me and my friends who look after the Herb Garden.  If he wanted anything, he'd have to ask permission first.  It was also during that time that I warned him against taking anything during dusk as he might be taking more than herbs and fruits back to his house which might result in dire consequences for his wife and children.

In one of my blog posts, I mentioned that I had already warned the students, staff and teachers of the school to not go near the garden or to take anything at dusk.  If they were unlucky, they might disturb a Penunggu or two and had to contend with their wrath.  For your information, a penunggu or jin kafir is a pagan guardian spirit.  They are usually referred to as Datoks and Keramats who are believed to have the alternative power to help in spiritual healing and grant protection. These Datos and Keramats include spirits residing in trees.

I like to let you know that I had a few of my students confiding in me that they had seen such Spirit Guardians when they went near the Herb Garden in the evening.