In a remote village in Borneo, lived a thirty-eight year old woman expecting her first child. She was married to a local villager for twelve years but was barren. Now they were elated as she was pregnant and were looking forward to a beautiful child together.
One day, the woman was at her backyard raking dry leaves and clearing the area. She heard some rustling noise from the trees above so she looked up. She was startled when a grey dusky-leaf monkey with white patches on its eyes and mouth, swung onto her. It landed on her and she screamed. Her husband ran outside and hit the monkey with a bamboo. It ran into the jungle and disappeared into the wilderness.
Two months later, she was in labour and her husband summoned the local midwife. The ten-hour labour stressed him out. Then finally the first cry rang out. He was so excited and wanted to dash into the room. Then he heard the midwife scream and she rushed out from the room. He panicked and wanted to know what was happening.
He went into the room and saw his wife cradling a baby whose face was covered with thick black hair that looked like a monkey. He was so horrified and speechless.
“It is a demon child”, he uttered in fear.
It must be a curse from the monkey that he hit earlier when the monkey swung onto his wife.
Now that the child was four years old, the whole family was shunned by the villagers. She was known as the monster girl, monkey child or demon lass. The father blamed himself for the incident not knowing that in actual fact, the girl was suffering from Hypertrichosis, a rare and abnormal condition defined as excessive hair growth on the body. This werewolf syndrome was not a curse but an abnormal congenital condition.
#werewolf #hypertrichosis
© autumnB