The intensity of the hospital light woke Onays up at midnight. Quietly sneaking in, the doctor brought his luggage and folded his coat around his arms and craned over Onays. The doctor sprawled a piece of cloth over Onays and slipped it under the mattress. “Are you pushing a corpse doctor.” The previous sergeant had called out harshly.

“Midnight duty.” The doctor said rapidly.

“Really?” the sergeant propelled forward. He was not happy with surprises. The sergeant gaped at the bed mysteriously and sneered at the doctor. He clung his hand onto the cloth and he pulled it!

“Ah, the corpse’s legs doesn’t look pale at all. Did he passed away recently?”

“Everything that lives will taste death.” The doctor implied.

The sergeant was stumped. “Ah, that’s a hadith right? Hehe, don’t make me feel too deep doctor. I attend Friday prayers even though I’m ten minutes late. I still get to hear the khutbah.”

“Good for you.” Replied the doctor sarcastically as he continued to push the bed.

He pushed him on his bed over to the parking lot, making sure that the police were not aware. Then, he carried Onays into the back seat of his car and drove him back to his apartment.

At the living room, the doctor rested Onays on the coach as he prepared a punch of red roses and a few treats inside a tin.

“Are you hungry Onays?” the doctor offered a glass of punch.

“Better…” replied Onays in a hoarse voice.

“Gone through a bad day huh?”

Onays nodded.

“Let me tell you what, I would have done the same If I were younger just like you.”

“What?....”

“The golden crocodile, talking to nothing and being thought crazy about just everybody, I what you’re going through.” The doctor sipped a glass and resumed. “I’m Doctor Azlan Azimuth. My name sounds a little bit fancy but just call me doctor Azim or just doctor. I fell into the trap where I had to steal the golden crocodile too you know.”

“You did?…”

“Yes, and it wasn’t because of this one single girl.”

“Anissa...”

“Yep, because of her. I’ve always wanted to see her gorgeous face again. The last time I saw her, was when I only saw her tears. I was sad. I was broken. That conquistador and those two traitors. I visit the museum just to see her name on the information board.”

“You know her too. But how?….”

“When I was your age, I’ve always wanted to become a fisherman like my father at Kampong Ayer. As I was netting, she warped behind me and clicked my ear. Most beautiful person out there. I instantly fell for her and did stupid things just to see her smile wider and how her eyes captured my attention. She was my life.”

“You’ve gone through the same situation as I did.”

“Exactly, but this time I screwed up. You see, there are two golden crocodiles. One is during the Barunah Sultanate and the other one is in our era. The real creator of the golden crocodile did so, because he did not want a single person to take an advantage of it. So made a portal to this era and buried it here. The Brunei government had sent an expedition to find artifacts. Among chinaware plates, pots and jars they’ve found the golden crocodile too.”

“What happens next?”

“I couldn’t save her. She was forced to marry Ratna and the whole of Barunah fell under the Spaniards. That was recorded at the museums. A person like me failed, then the next five decades, Anissa will return back to this era until the right person could fix the past. Ever since, I tried to return but the portal had sealed. It actually depends based on your choice.”

“Choice?”

“Yes. There are two choices. You can only go through the portal four times and that’s it. On the third time, I was despaired to see the whole kampong was in complete destruction. All flat! When I went through the portal the fourth time back to our modern world, there was no turning back. I jumped into the bay many times, and the neighbors thought that I was crazy or nuts. They keep on telling me and my father that I had a mental disorder. From there on, I tried to prove myself that I was not mentally afflicted by learning very hard to become a doctor. In fifty years, I searched through young patients to see whether they have met Anissa or attempted to steal the golden crocodile. But you Onays, I’ve never felt glad like this before.”

“Is it true doctor.” Said Onays coughing. “That the people of the future could see the past?”

“She used to say that to me. There are many ways for us to do so. There are the past which are bright, like sweet memories and glorious ones. But… the dark past is hard to overcome. Wealth, power, death… For me personally, I see the past as an excuse. Nowadays, we are beseeched to fabricate the future, not to fix the past. It would sound impossible though. But in the larger scope Onays,…. I believe…. We both have to admit that we as the people of the future, should create a future for the past.”

Onays nodded, the doctor’s words brought a new chapter of understanding.

“Now that it’s your turn Onays, I beg you that this one single day, can you bring the cheerful smile on Anissa’s face. Can you please save that sultanate, protect it’s people. Can you please do it, so that you could avenge me? Can you do that Onays.” Pleaded the doctor as tears poured down his chin. “Can you please, do it one last time?”

“I will doctor, but I don’t know how to beat Ratna and the conquistador. I only know a particle bit about silat really. I was too overconfident.” Replied Onays as he had rejuvenated his energy.

“Don’t worry Onays, you’re not alone. I know where the Brunei government hid the golden crocodile.”

“Seriously?”

“I’m honest here. I intercepted the police files and they have relocated them at the Brunei Museum at Kota Batu.”

“Kota Batu….” Murmured Onays. “Sounds familiar.”

“If we can trespass through the system, then we can get you back to the bay on time.”

“Do you know any tricks?” asked Onays.

“Hah, I have kept the feathers close with me. But we can’t teleport there from this distance. We have to drive by car.”

Banging on the door, the yelling was demeaning.

“Police, open up the door!”

“The feather, hurry teleport outside. Take it!”

“Oi, there’s no escape!” a SWAT troop rammed in and aimed his MP5 at Doctor Azim. Onays kicked the MP5 away and slashed his hands at the enemy. He crashed into the group of SWAT outside and Onays teleported together with Doctor Azim.

“That’s my car. Come on!” shouted the doctor.

“Running for the car, bullets whistled around. One of the bullets punctured the tire, but the doctor revved up the engine reluctantly. As they sped off, the rims scratched against the tar road. The screeching pierced their ears. Behind them, four police cars thundered through the traffic in pursuit. They drifted into Jalan Kianggeh, turned down Jalan McArthur and straight into Jalan Residency. The police were still on the loose. Doctor Azim held the feather grabbed onto Onays’ shoulder. With a blink of an eye, they both disappeared and the empty car went out of control.

The car then crashed into a van and the accident blockaded the road. The police were trapped.