Tanduo was like a coconut orchard overrun by wild apes that came out of nowhere. I lost my cat, my neighbour lost her rabbit, another down the street lost his chickens and ducks, another lost his mind—for a while we became a bizarre community. Before we knew it, without a moment to think through what was happening, we were ordered not to step out of our homes until the situation was restored to normal.

We are besieged by an enemy, the village chief told us. An enemy born of history. An enemy who has come to claim something from history. Who urges many of us here to look back at history, grasping at a hodgepodge of theories and views. Inciting deeper fear, louder noise, which I am convinced caused our pets to run away.

• Tags: Issue 28, Malaysia, Pauline Fan, Ruhaini Matdarin