Mystery Of The Haunted House - Unicorn Island

Remember Enid Blyton? If you could not remember, then think the Famous Five and the Five Find Outers. She and her books on adventures and mysteries has a profound influence on my reading and curiosity since young and was my foundation in a way. I recalled that it appeared to me the Famous Five seems to be more popular but as far as I am concerned, I enjoyed the Five Find Outers more.

Famous Five was more about falling into adventures while the Five Find Outers was about solving mysteries. FFO had a dog and Mr. Goon while FF had Sooty, Jo and Richard. FFO had disguises and all and they had Bets and Fatty! FFO also have more fun and funny moments than FF's seriousness. FFO had good plots and lists of clues and suspects and the elimination of suspects were part of the real fun! It trained my mind and keen eye to be a "Find-Outer". Somehow though, it was ironical that FF was Enid Blytons' most famous series. Did you know that Fatty's name in the book - Federick Algernon Trotteville is FAT.

Enid Blyton's FFO books were first published between 1934 to 1961. Do you remember Mr. Goons favourite phrase - "Clear Orf!"? And some of the titles like: Mystery of...the Disappearing Cat, Burnt Cottage, Secret Room, Hidden House, Invisible Thief, Missing Man and Banshee Towers. 

Recently, I have a missing uncle. We spent four frantic days to search for him and prayed for his safety  and enlisted many in Singapore to help to look out.Thank God we finally found him after 4 full days from Wednesday afternoon to Sunday afternoon after exhausting all avenues and when it looked futile. God is good. Now that he is safe and we are all so relieved and happy that he is reunited I am thinking to someday continue from where Enid left and title it The Mystery Of The Missing Uncle. It was Mission Impossible if you knew where we found him. Nothing short of being miraculous!

When I say this, I am very aware that some people will still criticise. It happens too often. "Oh, God is good if you found your missing uncle" and "what is God if you don't?" As for me, He is still good. We must always have a grateful heart to be grateful for everything. God is like happiness. Decide to be happy first and God is good first. It could be interpreted wrongly if a plane carrying 100 people crashed and they found one survivor and then I say "God has a purpose for this man". But I wouldn't say that because it cannot be the rest of the 99 have no purpose. But if you are the one who saved my uncle then I would say you are good too. 

Adventures and mysteries are intriguing. When Coney Island was opened, it brought back lots of fun and memories for me. I remembered fondly then when I was in primary school and of course still reading Enid Blyton and my elder sister and her secondary school mates were going for an excursion to Coney Island when I joined them for the trip. I could not remember if it were an official school excursion or they were on their own. We have to go by boat to get there but it was a day trip. There was no internet nor Google those days and we learnt that during low tide, you can walk across from Punggol End. Some anglers actually got stranded when they over stayed and the tide came back. 

Then they told me about a deserted and haunted house. That was exciting. Ah, another urban legend. What if it was really haunted? We actually found that sprawling bungalow that was deserted, walked into and round it. There was something I have never forgotten. There were huge words written across a main section of the house - "Welcome to Unicorn Island" in red ink. It must have been written by some campers or anglers when they got stranded by storm perhaps, I hazarded a guess. This was where I have spun many tall tales in school compositions or some writing contests during those days about being stranded on a deserted island and a deserted haunted house, etc.

So I found time to seek an adventure. The previous two times to Coney Island were merely to recce and to cover some ground to ascertain and know where this "deserted house'" is definitely not located. It was a hot and sunny day and I was hoping that there are no more sand flies at the beach. The foliage along the road to take you to Punggol End now known as Punggol Settlement has less dense canopy but you should still get some flickering of sunlight as you drive through.

As usual, I would multi-task so I might as well do my run along the sea coast.

And look carefully, I have even found a monkey. Haha. You will find some families having picnic and others fishing. 

Some 800 metres away, Coney Island proudly sits and now connected by land.

The paths are gravelled here. So be careful or you may suffer ankle or feet injury if you run.

It can be cooling even on hot days if you walk and breath along with the trees.

It is also a haven for bird watchers.

It is just across Pasir Gudang, Johor.

Also right across Pulau Ubin. Coney Island is also known as Pulau Serangoon and was originally only 13 hectares but is now some 100 hectares consisting a 50 hectare park. Coney Island was once called Haw Par Island way back in the 30s and 40s and were owned by the Haw Par brothers namely Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par famous for their Tiger Balm brand of heat rub. They were the ones who constructed this 600 sq. m bungalow. They called it the Haw Par Beach Villa. In the 50s they sold the island to a businessman who dreamed of building it into a leisure resort but a few years later it was auctioned and t he dream fizzled. (Below: Pulau Ubin seen from Coney Island).

It was therefore much easier to find the deserted haunted house in the old days. Inside the forested areas, certain parts are blocked by fallen trees. Due to nature or design? Probably lightning. The island is in a natural state and has a rustic feel. You will find mangrove swamps, woodlands, coastal forest and casuarina trees. The most famous wildlife here was the Brahman bull, a lone bull that roamed the island. I have missed my search for it the last two times but before I could find it, it was dead.

Based on previous trips there, I only knew where it is not located but surely with determination and a stroke of good luck everything could be found.

Sometimes in life, you may get what you wish for. You may also learn that you may not want what you had earlier wish for. My experience from finding and reading about deserted or so called haunted houses are that it is some times or usually the play ground for practice of the occult. You may find burnt candles and markings, drawn signage on the floor or walls, symbols, etc. Questions you must asked are - was it just deserted or haunted or perhaps it was deserted because they found that it was haunted. By now your heart should be pumping - "lub dub", "thud, thud" "ba-boom". 

By a stroke of good luck rather than genius, I found it! It is enshrouded by plants and trees and you do need a bit of CSI to find it. 

Unfortunately, It has been fenced up. It was an entirely open space when I first came in maybe around the early 70s. The official stance is that the building's structure is unsafe. It could be true since nothing has been done to it for such the longest time and they merely wanted to protect people in case it collapses. 

Those with morbid minds may be thinking that it is indeed haunted and they do not want you to get into any kind of trouble. You could see that the walls are cracked up. Please do not sneak in as it appeared it could fold into complete rubble anytime.

It is derelict as can be. 

There is also a well there. How interesting? 

Fortunately, I have camera with me that day where I could zoom in. You could even see the spalling concrete on the ceiling. It must have been the original paint colour of the house then. Pillars have cracked lines all over suggesting that it could fall apart someday or anytime. 

I tried to imagine the occupants who once lived here or used the place for as their vacation home. The noises from their activities, etc. How splendid and glamorous it must have been back then. 

It has been totally abandoned for a very long time but is it haunted?

The gaps in the fence is large enough for you to use a camera and shoot through. I could not capture it even with zoom but I saw some stone pieces stacked up to form something on one of the floors. Occult practice as I have mentioned earlier?

Then I found those words, a significant and key finding to prove my memory as a child till now is still very good. The word "Unicorn" was scribbled all over in one particular area. I was not sure though if they were the original one? Before I came, I have said a few times in my previous postings and whenever I shared stories on Coney Island the words: "Welcome To Unicorn Island" written in a main area. Perhaps over the years someone found it apt to recreate the word as the old one might have faded. It was a hot and humid day and inability to access the villa meant there is nothing more to do than to go home. 

I didn't have a super zoom lense with me so the maximum distance shot of a flying bat was blurred. I was just hoping it was not a vampire. 

See how it even flaunted itself with wings fully spread.

A friend suggested that we should go there in the night. Sorry, Coney Island is closed at night and there are no street lamps. Plus they locked up the gate. That may be the only way to find out if it is really haunted. 

I am not giving further clues on how to get there and to find it. If I do, may be the whole Singapore will be there in no time. May be some clowns will destroy the place or the entire building may collapse when you talk too loudly. Maybe a Michelin Guide book will be out on haunted places. Then even the spirits and ghosts will have no peace. When I retire, I may become a guide to haunted houses to earn a small pittance and tell you stories and frighten the hell out of you! It is going to become macabre. Or simply follow up Enid Blyton's series with "Mystery Of The Haunted House". The mystery remains as to why they built such a big and lovely house only to abandon it and why the island never become successful as it was meant to be. Or was the whole island haunted? 

Singapore has never stop developing. We have been developing non-stop and it is getting brighter. No spirit or ghost could survive such onslaught. Perhaps they have left. Maybe they are still there and that could be the reason they fenced it up and not allow visitors at night? Tell me your encounters if you have been here and have been spooked.