Felicia Low-Jimenez

Claire Low

Suling, the island’s record keeper, toils over the daily log and reveals a harrowing truth.

Part of Suling's sandalled feet rest under the desk as Coconut, the island's beloved white cat, snoozes contentedly by the table leg.

Suling is using a traditional Chinese brush to write on a handbound notebook. Her left hand, partially gloved in cloth and patchwork leather, is holding an ink brush, and it partly obscures the left page which is titled 'Daily Log: December XX'. The right page reads 'Suling Swam 30 laps in 26 minutes. Unsupervised. She did not die.'

Suling places the brush down on a brush holder.

Suling closes her book to reveal another handbound notebook below. The text on the notebook reads: 'Water Tigers Training Log: December XX'.

Careful examination of the last lines on the page reveals: '...the next selection of trainees will take place when the monsoon ends.'

Suling is seen from behind sporting short, dark hair and wearing an orange wrap draped across one shoulder. She sighs as she reaches for the back of her neck. A gong starts to sound. 

Lush vegetation in the harsh evening sun; Suling turns toward the sound of the gongs. She has a jagged scar on the left side of her neck and mutters, 'Damn it.'

Suling is standing at her table in a spacious cave. The cave's high ceilings and walls are lined with bookshelves. It is a hidden library. Sunlight streams in, ferns and vines grow on the cave walls, and Coconut is walking up the stairs.

The gongs continue to sound. Suling quickly shuffles books around on the table, tidying up the stacks.

Suling hurriedly turns towards the cave entrance with a blue bag slung on her right shoulder, leaving the table not fully tidied.

The notebook is left open on the desk as Suling dashes out. It is a worn historical text with a photograph of the silhouettes of two women and neat handwritten text that reads, 'To be born in the Year of the Tiger is a death sentence.'

 Trouble is brewing on the island. Will Suling be left behind?

The caption reads: 'Two days later...' A wooden hut with a slanted roof stands in the middle of a mangrove swamp. It is surrounded by mangrove trees. There is a wooden boardwalk leading up to its entrance. Coconut dozes outside the hut. The trees above sway gently, and the rustling of leaves can be heard. The ceiling fan whirs overhead. Suling is seated on a wooden stool inside the hut. With her back facing us, she writes at her desk, deep in concentration. She scratches her head, her legs bouncing under the table.

Suling looks intently at an open notebook with grid lines as she methodically uses a Chinese brush to write two Chinese characters, 'zhi' and 'hui,' which mean wisdom and intelligence, repeatedly. Suling peers over her shoulder cautiously and sees Aunt Lian Neo, a muscular woman with cropped white hair, dressed in a green and orange wetsuit and a brown leather gorget. A short knife is strapped on her waist, and she sits on a wooden chair behind Suling, reading silently. The trees around them sway harder with a loud wooshing sound.

Suling fidgets in her seat, scratching the scar on her neck. She turns back to her notebook and sighs. Suling continues to ink the two Chinese characters. She counts out loud: 'Two hundred and fifty eight...' By the swamp, gusts of winds cause the trees to sway wildly. A figure is running along the wooden boardwalk of the jetty, heading towards the shore of the island.

As Aunt Lian Neo reads, Suling continues to write and count: 'Two hundred and fifty nine...' Leaves whip around the entrance of the house as Coconut dozes. As the sky rumbles, we see a flashback into Suling's memory. Aunt Lian Neo angrily asks Suling 'Do you think you're very clever?' as she holds up the book that Suling has scrawled on. It reads 'Suling swam 30 laps in 26 minutes. Unsupervised. She did not die,' in big letters. Suling huffs as she looks away, arms crossed.

The Chinese characters, 'zhi,' meaning wisdom, and 'hui,' meaning intelligence, appear in large letters behind Aunt Lian Neo as she berates Suling: 'Since you want to behave like a child lacking wisdom, you can have a creche child's punishment and write the word five hundred times.' In the present day, the figure continues to run across the jetty, sweat dripping down the sides of their face as they breathe heavily.

The door slams as it violently opens. In shock, Suling's arm slides across her notebook, causing ink to streak across the page. Suling stares aghast as a huge smear of ink spreads across her notebook. Her irritation steadily grows. Suling whips her head around to the newcomer, yelling, 'What the—' and abruptly quietens as she recognises the newcomer. Aunt Lian Neo looks deadly serious.

The newcomer, a tall, muscular young woman with cropped dark hair, rests her hand on the doorway, huffing as she catches her breath. She wears a green and orange wetsuit similar to Aunt Lian Neo's. Her forearms have white bandages wrapped around them for protection, and the bandage on her left forearm is slightly unravelled. A short badik knife is strapped to her waist. Suling looks at her, unsure of what to expect. Her brush lies in a pool of wet ink, forgotten. Aunt Lian Neo looks stern. She asks: 'What is it?'

Just as the newcomer opens her mouth to say 'Th—', she is interrupted by a loud boom as lightning and thunder crackle all around. Suling lets out a tiny 'eep!' as she jumps in fright. Aunt Lian Neo and the newcomer look unfazed by the thunder. Suling clutches her heart in surprise as she gazes at them. 'How?!' She thinks.

Aunt Lian Neo speaks again. 'Nadia. What is it?' Nadia glances at Suling who suddenly feels very self-conscious. Suling peeks from behind Aunt Lian Neo expectantly. Nadia says, 'If I may have a word with you outside, Aunt Lian Neo?' Aunt Lian Neo replies: 'That's not necessary.' Nadia takes a breath.

Nadia says 'There was a breach. Auntie Fatimah has asked for your presence at the infirmary immediately.' Suling's eyes widen as she hears this. Suling springs up and walks towards the two other women. Her foot scrapes against a stool. Suling walks up to Aunt Lian Neo and says: 'But no one has sounded the warning! And, according to our records, there's never been a breach here—'

Aunt Lian Neo doesn't reply. She shuts her eyes briefly as she walks away from Suling, who is left speechless. Nadia reaches a hand out to Suling, as Suling dejectedly looks down. Nadia squeezes Suling's shoulder comfortingly, then turns to follow Aunt Lian Neo. Suling refuses to look at Aunt Lian Neo.

Suling's fist trembles as she stands alone at the doorway, facing away from us. The wind continues to howl as the trees shake.

A flashback of Nadia and Suling as children, playing on a bridge by the river, by wooden houses on stilts. A young Nadia is led away by Aunt Lian Neo across the jetty. They wear the Water Tigers' green and orange uniforms. In front of them, more women dressed in similar wetsuits wait for them. A young Suling watches them go with Auntie Fatimah, who is in a flowy top and batik headwrap, by her side.

Suling sits at the table holding a brush and angrily mutters: 'But why can't I go with Nadia?' In front of her, a notebook is opened, stained with spilled ink. Coconut playfully reaches towards the table. Suling and Nadia are standing on the boardwalk. She looks away as Nadia walks away with a harpoon gun in her hand, just as it is happening now.

In the present day, a shadow falls on a close-up of Suling's eyes as she makes up her resolve. Suling turns around, and sees Aunt Lian Neo and Nadia's backs in the distance. Then, with a determined face, Suling makes a running start.

Suling quickly catches up with the two, taking her place beside Nadia. Nadia glances at Suling, who looks back at her. Nadia and Suling flank Aunt Lian Neo. All three women look straight ahead. Aunt Lian Neo, Suling, and Nadia continue walking down the jetty, as the caption reads: 'I won't be left behind again.'

Questions are raised after a mysterious visitor arrives on the island. Are there more surprises to come?

A two-storey teal-coloured building stands at the end of a boardwalk. It is located on the riverside, surrounded by wooden houses on stilts. Lush vegetation grows all around. 

We are right in front the building, looking up. The door is shut, and there are three open windows on the second floor.

Inside the house, on the second storey, Aunt Lian Neo stands in the corridor, her hand on a doorknob. Nadia and Suling stand behind her. The corridor has pale blue walls and dark blue doors. Wooden benches are placed against the walls. 

Suling looks towards the door apprehensively. Aunt Lian Neo opens the door a crack. She turns back to them and tells them: "Wait here." It is dark inside the room.

Aunt Lian Neo enters the room with a resolved expression. Nadia, standing behind her, looks worried. Suling looks tense. 

Suling immediately turns towards Nadia. Nadia looks away at the same time. 

Nadia sits on the wooden bench against the wall. Suling slumps beside her, wearing an irritated expression. Both of them are silent. 

Nadia tilts her chin up and closes her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed. Slowly, Suling creeps closer and closer to Nadia, staring intently at Nadia, until Nadia can no longer ignore Suling's presence. Nadia starts to feel stressed.  

As Suling faces Nadia, she says: "Quick, tell me exactly what happened." Nadia's head slants away, a sweat dropping across her cheek, her arms crossed defensively. "Suling—" she warns. 

Suling stares at Nadia intently. "Don't leave anything out, quickly. Before Aunt Lian Neo comes back." Nadia answers, "No, Ling. I can't—." Suling grabs Nadia's hand, which is resting on the wooden bench. 

Suling's expression is sincere as she stares at Nadia. "Please, Dia. Just tell me. If Aunt didn't want me to know, she wouldn't have allowed me to come. Think of it as taking the daily records now instead of tomorrow."

Blue waves form outside of the panel as Nadia begins to tell her story. She sits on the wooden bench, looking down contemplatively, as Suling sits beside her.

"We were patrolling the shoreline as usual," Nadia says, as she recalls herself and another Water Tiger, a woman with short, light-brown hair, keeping watch by the sea. The panels are shaped like water bubbles against a dark background.

Nadia continues: "Everyone was quite relaxed. It's the monsoon season, right? No one would be foolish enough to brave the straits now, even if they knew we existed." The other Water Tiger notices something in the middle of the sea.

Nadia says: "Then a sister started shouting." The Water Tiger pointed to something pale in the middle of the sea. Nadia and a third Water Tiger rush towards her to see what is happening.

Nadia says, "It was so dark. I thought it was an animal at first, or driftwood..." All around, the waves rage violently. A pale hand stretches from within the waves.

Nadia continues recounting her story. "...but then we got a clearer look." As Nadia looks towards the distance, her expression is one of alarm. Lightning strikes. 

Several Water Tigers immediately dive into the waters. They wear a green diving mask shaped like a tiger's maw. Nadia runs to the sea, the water submerging her waist. 

"I never had to swim so hard in my life," recounts Nadia. She dives into deep waters, her right hand outstreched into the darkness. Her legs kicks upwards as weak light penetrates the water surface. Her tiger's maw mask is tight around her face. Air bubbles form around her.

Nadia presses her palm on her forehead, covering one of her eyes as she looks down gravely. "By the time we got to her—." Suling perks up, alarmed. She turns towards Nadia, perplexed. "Her?"

Nadia's left knuckles are red and raw, the bandage around her wrist loose. 

She stares at her bandaged hand, "... A woman," she says. Suling stares at Nadia, her expression serious. 

Nadia says, "She was so pale and cold. She felt dead. She was so heavy..."

"Her hair got caught on a broken plank, from her wrecked boat." We see a close-up of Nadia's lower face. "We had to cut her loose or she would have drowned."

The edges of Nadia's eyes are red, revealing her stress and exhaustion. Dark circles are seen under her eyes. 

She looks down, as if afraid. The light in her eyes are gone. "Then, once we got her to shore, she started to scream. I cant—." Her voice starts to tremble as she whispers, "She wouldn't stop screaming."  

Nadia rests her palms on the lower half of her face. Her brows are furrowed, and her knuckles are raw. "One of... One of the older sisters had to restrain her. Then—"

She looks down at her right hand, clenching the wooden bench she is sitting on. "Then— I didn't mean to— But I knocked the woman out."  Suling watches Nadia's bandaged left hand as it trembles, reaching her own hand towards it. 

Nadia turns her whole body away before Suling manages to hold her hand, distancing her left hand from Suling. Suling is taken aback. "Everything happened so fast. All I could think of was that her screaming would wake up the entire village. We dragged her to the infirmary and Aunt Fatimah sent me to get Aunt Lian Neo," Nadia said.  

Suling stands up from her seat and walks to face Nadia. She will not let Nadia turn away from her.

Nadia avoids Suling's confrontation as she breaks eye contact with her. "She was feral, Ling. Shrieking and clawing at us." "Look," Nadia said. Suling's eyes widen in shock. 

Nadia unravels the loose bandage on her left hand in front of a standing Suling. 

Her left hand is scarred and bleeding. The scars are deep and new. Blood slowly trickles from the open wound.

"Ah!" Suling flinched, sweat dripping down her face. Nadia looks away, "I've had worse during training."

Suling looks down at Nadia, realising something odd. "Wait..."

Suling looks up thoughtfully, "She had long hair?"

Nadia turns towards Suling who looks pensive.

Suling tilts her head upwards as she reaches a conclusion, "She must be from the mainland!"

Suling and Nadia argue about their place on the island.

Suling and Nadia sit in silence on the bench. They are both deep in thought. 

Suling absentmindedly scratches the scar on her neck with her right hand. She is restless and fidgety. 

Nadia sighs, and turns towards her. "What makes you say she's from the mainland?" 

A flash of memory goes through Suling's mind as she recalls an orange bound book with "The History of The Tiger Girls" neatly written across the cover. Pages from the book show snapshots in time.

In the first panel, a teenage girl with light brown cropped hair looks away as another teen glares at her. In the second panel, an authority figure reprimands the same girl as others ridicule and laugh at her. In the last panel, the authority figure covers her hair with a dark cloth.

Suling exclaims, "Because if she was from another hidden Tiger Island, she'd have known better." 

"On the mainland, they passed a law banning women from cuting their hair short. I read it in their records." 

Nadia replies, "You don't know for sure. We know other islands like ours exist, but they might have different rules..." 

Suling continues to recall the history of the Tiger Girls. A few women surround a table with a map of Southeast Asia, which is illuminated by an oil lamp. A women dressed in a tudung leads the discussion as she points to various regions on the map. 

Suling says confidently, "It pushed the women to start the rebellion, Dia! I know it! And Aunt Lian Neo told me our earliest records were shared among all the Tiger Sisters who escaped from the mainland." 

She gestures as she continues, "It wouldn't make sense for any of the islands to allow the weight of being a girl to pull them down in the water." 

Nadia waves dismissively and says, "Maybe. But we don't know for sure." Suling scratches her scar, replying, "It's the only thing that makes sense." She stands up suddenly. 

"But if she's from the mainland, what is she doing here? How did she find us? Did our informant network contact Aunt Lian Neo?" 

Nadia replies, "I don't know if the network contacted Aunt Lian Neo. You know only the senior aunts would know that. And it wasn't that close to the island." 

Suling argues, "But you said you were patrolling the shoreline, and you saw her even in the dark, so it had to be close enough." Nadia shakes her head. 

"I mean, it was close enough, obviously. But I came straight to find Aunt Lian Neo after, so I don't know anything else. The rest of the Water Tigers are still patrolling as a precaution." 

Suling touches the scar on her neck as she remembers how she and Nadia split ways. The top left flashback shows a memory of the times she spent studying with Aunt Lian Neo as a child. The top right shows Aunt Lian Neo scolding Suling as Nadia looks on. 

The bottom left shows Aunt Lian Neo in a deep discussion with Nadia, and the bottom right shows Nadia in the library studiously writing lines on a long piece of paper. 

Nadia stares at Suling. 

Then she looks down and smiles. "Aunt Lian Neo was right to place you with the Record-Keepers. It's important for us to remember." 

Suling looks away and "TSK's" in exasperation. "She's punishing me for not being exactly like her." 

Nadia glares at Suling. "She's not". Then Nadia crosses her arms. "You're punishing yourself." 

Suling rolls her eyes and says, "What am I supposed to do if the mainland attacks? Poke them with my brush? Throw ink in their faces? Tell them to be patient while I take copious notes? Remember them?" A thought bubble depicts a chibi Suling throwing ink at a mainland coastguard. A second bubble shows Suling intensely focusing on writing notes as she chants "patience, patience, patience." 

Nadia raises an arm and snorts with laughter. "There is more than one way to fight. You literally remember everything you see, everything you hear, everything you read," she explains to Suling. 

"You have no idea how amazing that is." 

She reaches out to touch Suling on her shoulder. "It is a gift." 

Suling swats Nadia's wrist away as she exclaims, "It is a curse." She angrily says: "It's a curse that's keeping me from training with you. I want to fight by your side. We promised each other!" 

Nadia looks grim as she replies, "It's a responsibility. One that Aunt Lian Neo is trying to get you to accept. If only you'd listen." She sighs. 

"Suling..." She trails off, as she reaches out again to grab Suling's hand. 

Nadia looks pensive as she holds Suling's palms. "Suling, why don't you go home? Who knows how long Aunt will be—?"  

Suling looks away from Nadia. "Doesn't it bother you when she does this to us?" Nadia pauses for a moment. "What do you mean?" 

"Leave you out." Suling says. "Leave us out." 

Nadia hunches in annoyance as she replies, "She'll tell me what I need to know when I need to know it." Suling retorts, "You're starting to sound more and more like her." 

Nadia gently places both hands on Suling's shoulders. "Is that really such a bad thing?" She asks.

With a fierce look, Suling declares: "I'd rather die."

She glances towards the door. "What's taking them so long? Let's go in and see if they're done." 

Nadia grabs Suling's wrist and pulls her back. "No," she says. Suling, with a rebellious expression on her face, replies, "Why not?" 

Nadia narrows her eyes at Suling in exasperation. "Stop being a child, Suling, Grow up." 

Suling explodes in anger as she yells, "Do you really have to obey every single command Aunt Lian Neo gives you? Shouldn't you try and think for yourself once in a while?"
 
Nadia defensively points at Suling as she retorts angrily, "Do you have to disobey for the sake of disobeying? Shouldn't you try to think about what's at stake, for once in your life?" Suling replies bitterly, "Not everyone can be perfect like you, Nadia." 

Just then, they hear the sound of the door unlocking. The two turn towards the door as a figure emerges. 

A woman in glasses and a pale blue, patterned tudung looks out. She says, "Suling, Lian Neo wants... you. Nadia, you too." She adjusts her glasses and turns to go back in. 

Nadia and Suling head towards the door, but Nadia reaches it first and pauses at the door. 

The woman looks concerned. "Nadia?" She asks. Nadia replies, "Auntie Fatimah... Maybe..." Suling tries to peek from behind Nadia. 

Nadia glances at Suling warily. "...Maybe it would be better if Suling waited here and then went back with you to look after the young ones in the creche?" 

Suling exclaims loudly, "What? No!" She gives Nadia a deathly stare that makes Nadia sweat. 

"Auntie, whatever Aunt Lian Neo wants, I'm ready," Suling says. Auntie Fatimah sighs. 

Nadia replies, "No, you're not. You don't know—" 

Auntie Fatimah is silent for a while. Then she says, "Maybe... Let me check with Lian Neo again." 

Suling raises her voice. "No! Aunt Lian Neo will be angry if we disobey her, you know what she's like. Nadia is just being a pain—" She is cut off by Auntie Fatimah. "Enough." 

As both Nadia and Suling look intently at Auntie Fatimah, she finally tells them: "Go, both of you." 

A record-keeper must know every detail. Suling realises that she is missing a crucial one about her existence.

Aunt Lian Neo stands by a hospital bed with rails. A curtain partially obscures the bed, so the patient's head can't be seen. 

An IV drip bag is connected to the patient. Aunt Lian Neo glances at it with a frown on her face.

Suling enters the room and meets Aunt Lian Neo's eyes.

Nadia warily observes Suling, as Suling steps in front of the hospital bed.

At the foot of the bed, she looks down at the patient. 

The patient has short, straggly hair that frames her face, which has a huge bruise on the right cheek and near her lips. Her eyes are closed. 

The patient lies unconscious on the bed. As Suling takes in the scene, her expression is one of shock and fear. 

Aunt Lian Neo speaks, "To be born a girl in the Year of the Tiger is a death sentence." 

Exasperatedly, Suling replies, "I know. You don't need to keep reminding me." 

Aunt Lian Neo responds, "Then tell me what you think it means." The light reflects on her face, illuminating her grey hair and blue eyes. 

Suling reels off: "We have to live on this island, removed from the world because of a stupid supersition that girls born in the Year of the Tiger bring bad luck and ill fortune." 

"We are literally killed as examples of women who dare to defy some archaic tradition, a flimsy excuse to keep women in their place." 

"I know what it means. We all know what it means because you won't let us forget." Suling looks sideways at Aunt Lian Neo. 

Aunt Lian Neo stares at Suling, with the same troubled look that she has had since the news of the patient arrived. 

She lets out a sigh. "You recite those words as if it's just a story to you." 

At the door, Nadia and Auntie Fatimah look on. Nadia looks worried as a drop of sweat trickles down her cheek.

Aunt Lian Neo reaches out to tuck the blanket around the patient. "She said she's expecting a child. A girl." Suling gasps. "What?" She says in a tiny voice. 

Aunt Lian Neo continues, "It doesn't look like she would be due soon, so it wouldn't be a Horse baby, this year's sign." 

As she narrates, Suling pictures a montage of zodiac animals – a Rat, an Ox, a Tiger, a Rabbit, a Dragon, a Horse, and a Goat. Her eyes are deeply focused, and the background turns to deep waters. 

Aunt Lian Neo says: "And... with the Lunar New Year in a couple of months, her baby would be a Goat..." 

"Sheep daughters are tolerated. They are made into filial daughters, loyal wives, and healthy mothers." 

Suling widens her eyes in surprise. "Her child isn't a Tiger. Why would she need to run?" 

Aunt Lian Neo looks away. "She said she's had a daughter before. A Tiger child... The censors tried to remove the baby, but she managed to save her." 

"You've read our records. You know what they're capable of." As she speaks, the patient remains motionless, unaware of what is going on.

 The records detail the story of two seemingly friendly government officials paying a visit to a parent and child. 

The officials produce a search warrant and become more aggressive as they bang on the door of an apartment. 

Eventually, the military is called in and a group of armed soldiers in uniform arrive – the seemingly friendly government officials a part of them.

A man answers a soldier's questions while two girls hide in a cupboard, trying to remain as silent as possible. 

Suling recalls poring over the many records at the library as Aunt Lian Neo continues speaking, "Some mothers hid or were hidden before their daughters were born." 

A scene floats up to Suling's mind. A pregnant woman, along with other women, waits to board a bus. "The records also have stories about daring rescues." Suling recalls another scene of a woman fighting a solider as she covers for a mother to run away from a burning house with her baby. 

"Some baby girls were saved from the brink of removal." Boats filled with women head to the horizon as they ride the waters to freedom. 

Suling looks tense as she touches the scar on her neck. Aunt Lian Neo eyes her. 

Suling speaks up, "But how did she find us? How did she get here?" Aunt Lian Neo replies, "She was brought here, by our network, but she claims her storm took them. The Water Tigers are looking for bodies now. But with the monsoon currents, it will be difficult to uncover the truth." 

Suling turns to look at Nadia, a worried look on her face. Nadia's face is filled with concern. 

Aunt Lian Neo asks Suling, "Do you wonder why the scar on your neck isn't a smooth, unbroken line?" Suling touches her scar. "What?" 

Aunt Lian Neo says, "When the censors remove, they're fast and neat." 

Suling hesitantly says, "Well, because someone stopped them from removing me..." 

"...Right?" She turns questioningly to Aunt Lian Neo.

Aunt Lian Neo says, "But your scar doesn't end. It continues." Nadia's mouth opens slightly in surprise. 

Suling's scar is shown in close-up. Aunt Lian Neo continues, "If you look closely, it's actually two wounds. It's jagged from indecision." 

As the rain outside comes to a head, lightning strikes at that moment, a loud "CRAAACK" piercing the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder. 

Suling's jaw drops with a shocked expression on her face. She is speechless. 

Start
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beginning

Read the
latest
episode

About the Comic

About the Creators

Felicia Low-Jimenez

Felicia Low-Jimenez

Claire Low

Claire Low

Startfrom the beginning

Read thelatestepisode

About the Comic

About the Creators

Felicia Low-Jimenez

Felicia Low-Jimenez

Claire Low

Claire Low

Start
from the
beginning

Read the
latest
episode