k r i s a n d r o

Instead of turning on music tracks before I sleep these days, I turn on sound tracks that are hour long recordings of the sounds of nature. Besides the therapeutic effects of having sounds like waves on the beach or raindrops in a forest, I also prevent the possibility of having a screaming Linkin Park song play right before I fall into deep sleep.

Like any other usual night before I fall asleep, I turned on my iPod Nano that is decked on a portable speaker system and turned on the playlist for the sounds of nature and I proceeded to lie on the bed while surfing on my iPhone before I fall asleep. Every track of the sounds of nature usually starts off at a low volume before rising into a more audible level and I started to hear a sound that resembled wind blowing by.

It went “WooOoOOoooooOOoooOoooooOOooooo~~~~” at a barely audible volume. The lower and upper case letters of ‘WooOooOo’ are representing the different tones of the sound and not my poor imitation of teEnS DaT tYPe LyKE DiS.

Thinking that my speakers’ volume was set too low, I got up from the bed and propped my ears against the speakers and realized that the sound wasn’t coming from them at all. I sat back on my bed and attributed it to my imagination but again it went,

“WoooOOOOOOooooooOOOooooo~~~”

That certainly wasn’t my imagination and I stood up again to head for the window to check it there were huge gusts of wind that is causing the sounds.

Nothing. No wind at all and I am still hearing the sound and it was even more audible from the window. By now, most people would have already freaked out as it was already past midnight and the sound is starting to sound less like a wind and more like the kind of sound you would make when you want to imitate a ghost and scare a 5-year-old. Being a man of reason, I stood with half my face out the window like a peeping tom who just spotted a girl changing across the next building in order to determine where the sound came from.

“WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOooOOOOO~!!!!” The sound came even louder and longer and I realized where it came from.

From the 6th storey where I live, I could see hints of a yellow canvas at the void deck that reminded me that there is a Chinese funeral being held there. I couldn’t see the exact source of the sound but it became quite apparent that there was a woman wailing – at times at the top of her lungs – at the funeral below.

I understand that she must be really devastated at the lost of a loved one judging from the pitiful wailing but to be doing that so loudly at the stroke of midnight; I can’t help but think that she made quite a lot of neighbours scratch their heads outside their windows, check their speakers or shiver under their blankets before going back to sleep.