I am not sure if anyone is aware of this, but there is a popular old legend that revolves around the historical Red Square Building in Malacca. According to people of that time, this particular legend was closely connected to the silver cock figurine located on top of the old Christ Church building.
Legend has it that many years ago, the surrounding area near the Red Square was vastly populated by rich Chinese merchants or towkays who lived near the Malacca riverbanks. But when the British colonials set foot in Malacca, they became very envious of the Chinese merchants' good fortune and luck. Through the consultation and advice of a feng shui master, they then added a mighty cock on top of the weather vane as a means to break away the merchants' good feng shui.
For those who are in the dark, the significance of the cock in feng shui is akin to the sworn enemy of the centipedes. Meanwhile, the centipede, which symbolizes good fortune, is also found in abundance on the Malacca river banks. Soon, the cock began to do its evil bidding by helping the British to wipe away all the centipedes. Due to that, the once-rich Chinese merchants were dismayed to find that their massive accumulated wealth had been significantly reduced to mere rags, and the British got exactly what they wanted. But alternatively, there is also another slightly different twist to this epic tale as retold by others.
However, stories of cocks devouring centipedes are merely the tip of the iceberg in this booming small state. Looking back, my late historian buff grandfather often regaled me with tales of the Japanese Occupation and how his then frightened young family of four immediately ran into the deep jungle just to escape from the tyranny of the evil Kempetai.
However, one legendary tale that always stuck in my mind was the legend of a secret tunnel that allegedly existed during the time of old Malacca. According to my Grandpa, the most popular legend that was passed down through generations to many old Malaccans like him is the underground tunnel that connects the fort at St. Paul's Hill with another fort at St. John's Hill. Looking back, Grandpa said that legend has it that this secret passage was primarily built to allow soldiers to seamlessly move from one fort to another when Malacca was under attack from the enemy.
Secret military tunnels aside, I remembered another story from Grandpa that mimics Robert Louis Stevenson's epic novel, Treasure Island. Back then, I recall him repeatedly claiming that there were buried treasures of King Solomon located underneath some historical part of Malacca. The story goes back to 1930, when the Malacca Historical Society was formed, leading the people there to begin digging in the church ruins on St. Paul’s Hill. However, the Straits Times soon found out about the Historical Society's activities on the hill, and the paper published a scoop claiming that the archeological dig in Malacca was actually a search for buried treasures hidden about three centuries ago by the Portuguese. Six years later, the truth was finally revealed when the Malacca Historical Society published its Historical Guide in Malacca. But surprisingly, there was no mention of any hidden treasures or secret tunnels inside.
But another local legend that gave me the jeeper-creepers since childhood till now revolves around the Old Gateway of Malacca. According to some older folks, there is a mysterious dark passage that directly connects others to a tunnel of sorts at the Old Gateway. However, once you step into this tunnel, you would disappear forever, like in the Twilight Zone, since rumor has it that a mythical giant serpent lives in it and craves fresh human meat. In short, whether or not you believe in these old forgotten stories of Malacca, they are sometimes used as cautionary bedtime stories by older people back in the past to scare others, especially naughty children into behaving well. But due to the passing of time and the advancement of modern technology, some of these older tales may need to be preserved by the younger generation for heritage sake before they all fade away for good in due time.
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